‘What is this?’

The system notifications were unfamiliar.

These messages had appeared moments before Suho’s death, yet he had no recollection of ever seeing them.

‘Is the system the reason I was sent back to the past?’

He hadn’t known.

When these notifications appeared, he had been nearly unconscious, hovering on the brink of death.

‘I remember reaching the peak of the Unity of Sword and Soul, mastering my first SS-rank skill. But transcendence?’

The system had clearly stated:

[ The system recognizes your achievement of transcendence and grants you an opportunity to grow even stronger. ]

[ Rebooting the system for player Ahn Suho. ]

It was because he had been the first to achieve the realm of transcendence that he was being given another chance.

So, was his return to the past not a coincidence?

It seemed that way.

This realization confirmed that everything he had experienced was real, not some dream or illusion.

‘Good.’

He had slowly begun to accept that he had returned to the past.

After all, that was why he sought out the Library of Memories.

But acceptance was one thing; certainty was another. There had been no undeniable proof.

Now that the system itself was vouching for this reality, there was no more room for doubt.

‘Alright, let’s do this.’

The important thing was that he had returned to the past, which allowed him to prepare for the calamities he knew would come.

With this knowledge, Suho solidified his resolve to rejoin public service.

With his foreknowledge and the backing of national authority, he might be able to end the Gates crisis far faster than in his previous life.

‘And I’ll keep an eye on those traitors too.’

But to do all this, he needed ample preparation.

Armed with the Library of Memories, Suho sat down and quietly began drafting a plan for the future.

Studying for tomorrow’s written exam?

Why would he worry when he had the Library of Memories?

Even without it, passing the written exam would have been easy.

Suho began organizing his thoughts.

***

With a rough plan in place, Suho left the Association and immediately hailed a taxi to Paju.

Now that he had resolved to become a civil servant again, he intended to maximize his efficiency.

After a while, the taxi pulled into Paju, and Suho arrived at none other than Nexus, the country’s most prestigious and largest private Hunter academy.

The academy was massive, like a small town, and Suho nodded as he saw the banner listing successful candidates’ names displayed on the outer wall.

Nothing attracted new students like proof of success.

That banner was Suho’s first target.

Inside the academy, Suho went to the front desk and said, “I’d like to meet with Director Kim Soo-ae.”

“The Director? Do you have an appointment?”

“No, I came here unannounced. I have a matter to discuss with her one-on-one.”

“Oh… It’s usually difficult to arrange a sudden meeting without a prior appointment.”

“If you tell her that the person who solo-cleared the unanticipated Gate at Sindorim Station earlier today is here, I’m sure she’ll agree to meet.”

“Si-Sindorim? One moment!”

Securing an exclusive meeting with the academy director wasn’t hard.

After all, Suho had a unique advantage—revealing that he was the one who had single-handedly cleared the unanticipated Gate at Sindorim Station that afternoon.

Thus, Suho was promptly invited to the director’s office.

“Nice to meet you. I am Kim Soo-ae, Director of Nexus Academy.”

Director Kim Soo-ae.

She was an executive of the Nexus Guild, the third-largest in the country, and Nexus Academy was its affiliated training institution—a subsidiary, in corporate terms.

Suho introduced himself in response to her greeting.

“Ahn Suho.”

Kim Soo-ae smiled politely, a smile only a seasoned professional could maintain.

“Yes, Mr. Suho. I understand from the front desk that you’re the one who solo-cleared the unanticipated Gate at Sindorim Station today?”

The story about Suho had already spread quickly through the media.

Though photos weren’t posted publicly due to privacy concerns, it was still enough to identify him.

At her question, Suho nodded.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Incredible. But I must ask—what brings someone of your caliber to our academy?”

From her perspective, this was the pressing question.

A person capable of solo-clearing an unanticipated Gate was already a proven Hunter.

Was he looking for a teaching position?

But when Suho stated his purpose, Kim Soo-ae had to admit that her guess was completely wrong.

“I’m here to propose a scholarship deal.”

“A… scholarship?”

“Yes, you’re aware that the Hunter license exams are being held at the Association tomorrow?”

“Indeed. We have 400 candidates from our academy taking it this time.”

“Nexus Academy’s scale is certainly impressive. I’ll also be taking that exam tomorrow.”

“What? You, Mr. Suho?”

“Yes, I’m still an unregistered Hunter. And just so you know, I awakened today.”

“...?”

Hearing this, Kim Soo-ae blinked in disbelief.

If this was true, it meant he had cleared an unanticipated Gate right after awakening today.

And that was beyond comprehension for her—or for anyone with common sense.

Overwhelmed, she stammered to confirm.

“W-wait. Did I hear that correctly? You awakened today and are taking the Hunter license exam as an unregistered Hunter tomorrow? And you’re the one who solo-cleared the unanticipated Gate at Sindorim?”

“Yes, you heard right.”

“Oh my god…”

So it was true. But could this really be possible?

Seeing her stunned expression, Suho continued.

“After clearing the Gate today, I went straight to the Association to register. The staff there arranged for me to take both the written and practical exams tomorrow. That’s why I’m here. I’m aiming for the top score in this year’s exam.”

To the uninitiated, this might have sounded arrogant, but Suho didn’t think so.

In fact, he was already certain he’d be the top scorer.

Of course.

He was the one who had once defeated one of the five great calamities.

To Suho, the Hunter license exam was child’s play.

After speaking, Suho took a sip of the iced tea served to him.

Meanwhile, Kim Soo-ae could barely close her mouth in astonishment.

But regaining her composure, she adjusted her glasses and asked calmly, “You seem very confident in taking the top spot. Did you perhaps major in a related field or prepare extensively for the exam?”

“No, nothing like that.”

Hearing this, she furrowed her brow.

“…Then, isn’t that a bit overconfident? Solo-clearing an unanticipated Gate is impressive, but the Hunter exam is another matter. The average pass rate is below 20% every year, so how…?”

“That’s why I’m proposing this. If I don’t take the top spot, you can just write it off as a loss. Only grant me the scholarship if I truly become the top scorer.”

This approach was common among prep academies.

While Hunter academies occasionally made similar offers, the top scorers were typically elite trainees groomed by large guilds, so actual scholarship contracts of this kind were rare.

That’s why Suho offered it first—such cases were uncommon.

She asked, “Then let me ask one more thing. If your goal is the scholarship, why not go to Hexagon, the top-ranked guild, or Prime, the second? Why choose us, Nexus, ranked third?”

“Because Nexus has the most to gain.”

“What?”

“If I’m not mistaken, Nexus Academy hasn’t produced a top or second-place finisher in the past few years. Despite being the largest academy in the country.”

“Well…”

His words struck a nerve, and she couldn’t continue.

It was true.

Clearing her throat, she offered an explanation of sorts.

“Hm-hm, that is true… but usually, top spots go to elite trainees nurtured by major guilds, so we don’t really….”

“So, you’re not interested in my proposal? Fine, I’ll go to Hexagon or Prime….”

“No, wait! Who said we’re not interested? Goodness, you’re in quite a rush.”

As Suho rose to leave, a flustered Kim Soo-ae hurriedly stopped him.

Of course, this was an opportunity like a golden apple falling into her lap.

Already frustrated by Nexus’s lack of top spots, she could not resist such an enticing proposal.

Noticing her eagerness, Suho looked at her, then sat back down.

“So, I can take that as a yes?”

“Yes, we’re very grateful for your proposal. Now….”

“Yes. Let’s discuss the scholarship amount.”

This was the core of the deal.

After all, Suho’s main reason for coming here was the money.

Kim Soo-ae asked, “Alright. Could you tell me how much you have in mind?”

“What’s the official scholarship amount for the top scorer?”

“Officially, we refund the entire tuition for the year and provide a separate prize of 30 million won. And if the candidate wishes, they can join our Nexus Guild immediately.”

30 million won.

Indeed, Nexus offered the highest scholarship amount among Hunter academies.

But Suho wasn’t here for a mere 30 million.

“Understood. But you wouldn’t offer just the official amount to me, would you?”

“Of course not. Could you tell me what amount you had in mind?”

“After taxes and deductions, around 300 million won.”

“Th-three hundred million?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that a bit… excessive?”

Once again, her jaw dropped, but Suho’s

 stance was firm.

“If you think it’s too much, feel free to decline. I can make the same offer elsewhere. But consider the additional benefits Nexus would gain from having me as the top scorer. In that case, 300 million won wouldn’t seem excessive at all, would it?”

Without realizing it, she nodded.

Indeed, Nexus Academy spent billions each year on advertising alone.

‘If word got out that the solo clearer of the unanticipated Gate at Sindorim Station was a Nexus graduate….’

The resulting financial benefits would dwarf 300 million won.

There was no more need to hesitate.

“Alright. We’ll grant you 300 million.”

The contract was sealed.