Rorik was a Neophyte. While such things hardly mattered in the academy, since the difficulty of the training would be tailored to each cadet, it was a fact that he was far from the best of his batch, at least for now. Nero also hadn't heard any remarkable or notable things about him, though to be fair only a small amount of time had passed. Even in their shared classes, he did not really stand out.
All in all, at least for now, Rorik was just an average cadet inside KMA. But this average cadet looked Nero straight in the eyes and fought for an opportunity to lead. Maybe it wasn't to the same extent, but from him Nero felt a drive similar to his own.
Even though he was average for now, as long as he did not die, Nero was certain that he would go far. That was exactly why Nero gave up the opportunity to lead the team to, instead, take this opportunity to form a connection with Rorik.
