'What is this?'
Notifications from the system he had never seen before.
They were alerts that appeared just before Suho's death—but he had no memory of seeing them.
'The system sent me to the past?'
He had no idea.
By the time these alerts appeared, Suho's consciousness was practically on the brink of death.
'I remember reaching the state of sword-and-body unification and acquiring my first SS-rank skill… but a transcendent being?'
Yet the system had clearly stated:
[ The system grants you, who has reached the state of a transcendent being for the first time, an opportunity to become even stronger. ][ Rebooting the system for player An Suho. ]
Because he had reached the transcendent state for the first time, the system was giving him an additional chance.
So… coming to the past wasn't a coincidence?
It seemed that way.
Thanks to this, Suho realized that everything he was experiencing was not a dream or illusion—it was real.
'Good.'
He began to accept, at least partially, that he had returned to the past.
That was why he had come to seek the Library of Memory.
But acceptance didn't equal certainty.
There was no concrete evidence to confirm it.
However, if the system itself vouched for it, that was a different matter.
From now on, there would be no hesitation—he just had to move forward.
'Alright, let's do this.'
The important thing was that he had returned to the past, and now he could prepare for the disasters that would befall him.
That was why Suho could once again resolve to serve in public office.
By combining his exclusive knowledge of the future with legitimate national authority, he could potentially close the gates far faster than in his previous life.
'And keep those guys in check while I'm at it.'
But that meant he had a lot of preparation to do.
Having acquired the Library of Memory, Suho sat down quietly and began to plan for the future.
Studying for tomorrow's written exam?
With the Library of Memory, why would he even worry about that?
Even without it, passing that exam would have been a trivial matter.
Suho started organizing his thoughts.
After drafting a rough outline of his plan, Suho left the association and immediately took a taxi to Paju.
Since he had decided to become a public official, he wanted to maximize efficiency.
A short while later, the taxi arrived in Paju, and Suho reached his destination: the most famous and largest private Hunter academy in South Korea, Nexus.
The academy was enormous, almost like a townhouse complex. Suho nodded as he saw a banner at the entrance listing the names of successful applicants.
Promoting an academy by showing the number of successful candidates was one of the most reliable methods, regardless of the type of academy.
Naturally, this became Suho's first goal.
Upon entering the academy, Suho went to the front desk and said:
"I'd like to see Director Kim Suae."
"Director? Do you have an appointment?"
"No, I just came by. I have something to discuss with her one-on-one."
"Oh… without a prior schedule, a sudden meeting might be difficult."
"If you tell her that the solo conqueror of today's Miseonjo Gate at Sindorim Station has come, she'll see you immediately."
"Si—Sindorim? Just a moment!"
Meeting the academy director wasn't actually that difficult.
After all, Suho had a unique advantage… he could reveal that he was the one who had single-handedly cleared the Miseonjo Gate at Sindorim Station in broad daylight.
Because of this, Suho was able to step into the director's office without difficulty.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kim Suae, the director of Nexus Academy," she said.
Director Kim Suae.
She was an executive of the Nexus Guild, known as the third-largest guild in the country, and Nexus Academy was an affiliated academy under the guild—a sort of subsidiary if it were a company.
Responding to her greeting, Suho said,"I'm An Suho."
Kim Suae, wearing the practiced smile of a seasoned professional, said,"Yes, Suho. I heard at the front desk that you're the solo conqueror of today's Miseonjo Gate at Sindorim Station?"
News about Suho had already spread quickly through the media.
Of course, due to portrait rights, no full photos were published, but it was still enough for people to recognize him.
Suho nodded at her question."Yes, that's correct."
"You're incredible. But then, what brings someone as remarkable as you to our academy…?"
From Kim Suae's perspective, this was the most pressing question.
A solo conqueror of a Miseonjo Gate was already a proven hunter, after all. Was he looking for a teaching position or something?
However, upon hearing Suho's actual purpose, Kim Suae had to admit her guess was completely wrong.
"I'm here to make you a scholarship offer."
"A scholar…?"
"Yes. Tomorrow, there's the hunter license exam at the Great Hunter Association, right?"
"That's right. Our academy alone has 400 participants this time."
"Clearly, Nexus Academy is on a different scale. In that case, I'll be taking the exam tomorrow as well."
"Excuse me? You, Suho?"
"Yes. I'm still an unregistered hunter. Oh, and I awakened as a player today, by the way."
"…?"
At Suho's words, Kim Suae blinked in disbelief.
Of course.
If what he said was true, that meant someone who had awakened just today had already cleared a Miseonjo Gate.
And that was something that, by ordinary standards—or any normal person's understanding—was impossible.
Kim Suae was so flustered that she stammered while trying to reconfirm.
"Wait… did I hear that correctly? So, Suho, you awakened today, and you're an unregistered hunter taking the hunter license exam tomorrow, but you also single-handedly cleared the Miseonjo Gate at Sindorim Station today?"
"Yes, that's right."
"My… goodness…"
It was true.
If that was the case, then it really happened—but could it even make sense?
Kim Suae's mouth hung open, and Suho added an explanation.
"Anyway, for that reason, as soon as I cleared the gate today, I went to the Great Hunter Association to register my documents. Thanks to the help of the officials there, I was able to take the written and practical exams tomorrow. That's why I'm here. I intend to aim for the top spot in this year's exam."
At first glance, it might sound like an incredibly arrogant statement, but Suho didn't see it that way at all.
No—he was already certain he would achieve first place.
Naturally.
After all, he had destroyed one of the Five Great Calamities.
For someone like Suho, the hunter license exam was nothing more than child's play.
After finishing his explanation, he sipped the cold tea offered to him.
Kim Suae couldn't bring herself to close her mouth.
But after a moment, she composed herself, adjusted her glasses, and asked calmly,"From what you're saying, it sounds like you're practically confident you'll take first place… Did you graduate from a related department or prepare for exams for a long time?"
"No, nothing like that."
At that, Kim Suae furrowed her brows.
"…Then isn't it a little presumptuous of you to say that? Clearing a Miseonjo Gate alone is certainly a great achievement, but the hunter exam is a different matter. The average passing rate is less than 20% each year. How…?"
"That's why I'm making you the offer. If I don't get first place, just consider it a loss and ignore it. You only award the scholarship if I truly get first place."
This was a method often used in cram schools.
Hunter academies sometimes offer similar proposals, but usually the top students are elite trainees from major guilds, so these scholarship agreements rarely succeed in reality.
So Suho made the first proposal.
This kind of situation was, quite literally, rare.
Kim Suae asked,"Then let me ask just one more thing. If your goal is the scholarship, there's Hexagon, the industry's top, and Prime in second place. Why did you come to Nexus, which is third?"
"Because Nexus needs it the most."
"Excuse me?"
"As far as I know, Nexus Academy hasn't produced a top or second-place student in the past few years. Even though it's the largest academy in the country."
"That… is true."
Kim Suae was taken aback.
It was true, after all.
But she quickly cleared her throat and offered what was more of a weak excuse than a real one.
"Ah, yes, that's true, but… usually, the top spots are taken by promising students groomed by major guilds for a long time, so we don't really fuss over those things…"
"So you're not particularly interested in my proposal? I see. Then I should go to Hexagon or Prime instead…"
"No, no! Who said I wasn't interested? Hey, your temper is too quick."
As Suho stood up, Kim Suae, startled, quickly reached out to stop him.
Naturally.
This was, in a way, like a golden opportunity rolling in effortlessly.
Already stressed that Nexus hadn't produced top students for years, Kim Suae couldn't possibly refuse such a sweet offer.
Suho looked at her silently for a moment, then sat back down and said,"So can I take it that you accept?"
"Yes, we're truly grateful for an offer like this. Then…."
"Yes. Let's discuss the scholarship."
This was the final, crucial point.
After all, Suho had come here in the first place because of the money.
Kim Suae asked,"Very well. Then may I ask how much you have in mind?"
"What is the official scholarship amount for the top student at this academy?"
"Officially, we fully refund that year's tuition and provide a separate congratulatory payment of 30 million won. And if the student wishes, they can join Nexus Guild directly afterward."
Thirty million.
It was, indeed, the largest amount among hunter academies.
But Suho hadn't come here just to get thirty million.
"I see. I understand the official amount. But you won't be paying me the official amount, right?"
"Of course not. May I ask how much you're requesting?"
"After taxes, I'm thinking about 300 million won."
"Three… three hundred million?"
"Yes."
"Isn't that too much?"
Kim Suae's mouth dropped open again.
But Suho's resolve was firm.
"If you think it's too much, you don't have to pay. I can take the same proposal elsewhere. But if you consider the additional benefits that come from me actually taking first place, 300 million is by no means too much, right?"
At that, Kim Suae nodded almost instinctively.
After all, Nexus Academy, as Suho had pointed out, was already spending billions every year just on advertising.
'If the fact that the solo conqueror of the Sindorim Station Miseonjo Gate is actually from our academy gets out…'
The resulting economic benefit would easily surpass 300 million won.
There was no need to think twice.
"Understood. We'll pay 300 million."
The contract was finalized.