𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑𝟖
Fortunately, nothing too far off from the original source material happened during the first part of the semester.
I diligently participated in the Academy’s classes while preparing for the exorcist qualification exam with four other students.
“Are we switching teams for a mock battle today?”
“I suppose we should.”
“I definitely feel like my skills are improving since we’ve been training in actual combat situations every day.”
Jung Han-sol seemed quite satisfied with the results of the training.
Come to think of it, the things Jung Han-sol currently lacks the most would be actual combat experience and rivalry with others.
Even if we disregard the exorcist qualification, he’ll probably learn a lot through this exam.
“But you really know how to eat and live well wherever you go. How do you manage to pull this stuff off? I asked someone I know and they said the level of difficulty is like something the exam supervisor made themselves.”
“I just looked it all up.”
From my perspective, it’s more difficult to create an inefficient training plan.
That’s because I already have almost all the information in my head.
“I think everyone’s here. Let’s go.”
Me, Jung Han-sol, Sophia, Hwang Ji-hak, and even Guilford.
We gathered in the state-of-the-art training facility like always, split into two teams of two, and engaged in repeated mock battles using an actual combat format.
One person was left to record and analyze the battles, point out areas for improvement, and continuously circulate the matchups.
Repeating this process for several days, we finally started to accumulate somewhat meaningful data.
The most noticeable thing among them was, of course, Sophia Charlotte’s skill.
“She has the highest win rate no matter who she teams up with.”
“Of course. She’s a monster. To be honest, I wouldn’t even bet on a 2-on-1.”
“I also think she’s a talent that will be recorded and passed down for a long time in modern history.”
Everyone’s opinions were the same. Sophia Charlotte’s skills clearly surpassed the level of a student, and she was already at a level where the vast majority of current exorcists couldn’t even compare.
Of course, since these were just small-scale training sessions among students, we were all holding back a bit, but even if it had been a real fight, the results probably wouldn’t have changed much.
“Hmm. Should we take it easy?”
“No, it’s fine. This is perfect.”
Originally, sparring is most effective when you’re facing an opponent who’s a little stronger than you.
In that sense, Sophia was the perfect training partner.
“This is the last one. Should we take a short break?”
“I’m fine.”
“Me too.”
“Then let’s finish up for today.”
After finishing our training for the day, we all got together to have a drink and talk about the exam before dispersing.
There’s about three weeks left. If we continue training at this pace, we won’t be lacking in preparation.
However, that didn’t mean we could be certain of passing. There’s no way to know what variables will come up during actual combat.
「𝙀𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧.」
It was a funny thing to say in a way, but it meant that as you’re given the authority to get involved in the field at an earlier age, your responsibilities are also greater.
I don’t know for sure, but it was clear that it would be much more difficult than taking the standard path to becoming a 3rd-grade exorcist.
「𝙄 𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙩.」
If I fail, I’ll just find a different way then.
I dragged my body, heavy from exhaustion, into the dormitory and collapsed onto my bed.
Now it’s time to think about what I need to do tomorrow.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
Recently, I’ve been putting most of my effort into the exorcist qualification exam, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been neglecting other things.
As another weekend arrived, I took Yoo Ha-on out like usual and began our journey to acquire the psychic power trait.
“I’m definitely going to reach my goal today.”
Yoo Ha-on, who at first couldn’t even adapt to the atmosphere and lost repeatedly, had reached the stage where she was actively participating in matches and setting goals for herself.
Taking a quick look, it seemed like even the most skilled players here were no longer a match for Yoo Ha-on.
「𝙄 𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣.」
No matter what she does, she adapts and improves incredibly quickly.
Just like that, as the day came to an end, Yoo Ha-on finally started facing off against the bespectacled young man who was considered one of the most skilled people here.
At first, the young man, who was skilled at operating the game, seemed to have the upper hand, but during the turning point in the middle of the match, he continued to fall behind until he finally admitted defeat.
Honestly, I thought she’d still have a hard time, but she performed better than I expected.
「𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙨𝙮𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩?」
Judging by the way she continued making perfect choices at crucial points, that seemed possible.
“I won. Were there any areas where I was lacking?”
“No, you did well.”
Returning with a satisfied expression, I quietly made a suggestion to Yoo Ha-on.
“Then how about you play a round with me this time?”
“With you, senior?”
Of course, my story about going here often as a child to earn money was a lie, but I was actually quite confident in this kind of match.
I nodded and took Yoo Ha-on to an empty table and pulled out a deck of cards.
Then I briefly explained the rules.
“It’s getting late, so there’s no need to drag this out. I’ll draw a card and tell you what it is, and you have to guess if it’s true or false. You have a total of ten chances. If you guess correctly more times, you win.”
“Yes. I understand.”
It’s a type of doubt game that people often talk about. It’s incredibly simple, but it was the perfect match to judge the acquisition level of the psychic power trait.
Shuffle!
Slide.
I shuffled the cards with a flourish and chose one from the middle to check its contents.
「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 8 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙨.」
And without changing my expression at all, I gave Yoo Ha-on the prompt.
“8 of clubs.”
“It’s false.”
“. . . Correct answer.”
That’s 1 point.
I can confidently say that I didn’t show any sign of it, but Yoo Ha-on has really become a formidable opponent.
“King of spades.”
“It’s true.”
“Jack of spades.”
“It’s true this time too.”
When we finished all ten matches, Yoo Ha-on had scored a total of 9 points. You could call it an overwhelming victory.
Confirming that, I finally became certain.
「𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩.」
Sure enough, when I checked Yoo Ha-on’s information window again, a new trait was proudly displayed by its name.
【Psychic Power(A)】
▶The owner has a mysterious aura that repels all evil and benefits them in all situations.
With this, two out of the three traits I was aiming for were now in Yoo Ha-on’s hands.
Honestly, I thought it would take at least another two months, so this was a much faster achievement than I had thought.
「𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙞-𝘿𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙢 𝙞𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨, 𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙩’𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙛𝙪𝙡.」
I also tried to acquire the same trait while going around with Yoo Ha-on, but perhaps because I don’t have an aptitude for it, I didn’t gain much.
That being said, most of the traits I want to acquire will be sorted out anyway, so there’s no rush.
I took Yoo Ha-on, who seemed a little taken aback by her overwhelming victory, and returned to the Academy.
“I think this is enough training for now.”
“I definitely think it’s been helpful in many ways. Thank you as always.”
“It’s because you’re excellent.”
Honestly, half of what I said was nonsense, but since she’s actually acquired the psychic power trait, it will definitely be helpful.
I parted ways with Yoo Ha-on, who was starting to get sleepy, and returned to my dormitory. This time, I sat down at my desk and started writing something down repeatedly.
I was organizing the growth status of the characters who would play an active role in the main story that was coming up, such as Yoo Ha-on’s party and Arietta.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮.」
Not to mention Seo Ji-an, who originally had a small role, but Yoo Ha-on’s party, Arietta, and even the members of the current Class A in their 3rd year are all somehow connected to me and developing more quickly.
This was something I had intended, and it was also something I absolutely needed for the future.
「𝙉𝙚𝙭𝙩, 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝. . . . . . .」
Laura, a new exchange student who transferred to Cheonghwa Academy this semester.
She wasn’t originally part of my plans, but since she’s already joined, I wanted to help her grow in many ways.
In particular, as I mentioned before, her trait will really come into play in the upcoming 2nd Night Parade of a Hundred Demons incident.
After setting my next goal, I finished organizing everything and went to bed.
After this exorcist qualification exam is over, I’ll make sure to awaken the unique trait she has as royalty first.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
The three-week grace period passed by faster than I thought.
Perhaps it was because I had spent it repeating my daily routine as an Academy student without any major incidents.
And the five students, including myself, finally set off to take the exorcist qualification exam after receiving official permission from the Academy.
“I’m a little nervous now that it’s actually the day.”
“Don’t worry. Just do as you’ve prepared. If that wasn’t enough, then your efforts were lacking.”
“Hmm. Since we’re taking it anyway, I hope we can all pass together.”
Even though they were top-ranked Class A students who seemed like they were on a completely different level to ordinary exorcist candidates, they were still human.
Even Guilford, who was usually as cool as a well-sharpened spear, was showing signs of nervousness.
Thud.
Thud.
Creak.
We finally arrived at the first examination room of the Exorcism Headquarters, where the exam would take place, and entered one by one, slightly amazed by its enormous size.
“I think the waiting rooms for the first exam will be different for each of us, so we should probably split up.”
“Let’s not all fail from being nervous right from the start.”
“Heh. That’s not going to happen, even if the sky falls.”
After giving each other light words of encouragement, we each completed our procedures and headed to our assigned waiting rooms.
“Confirmed. You can wait in waiting room 4 while preparing for the exam and wait for the examiner’s instructions.”
As I entered the waiting room without wasting any time, the gazes of the numerous exorcist candidates inside were drawn to me.
Some of them widened their eyes slightly in surprise, while others simply continued doing their own thing indifferently.
However, the most common expression they showed was clear laughter.
“. . . There are a lot of early applicants this year. How annoying.”
Honestly, it was the reaction I had expected, so I wasn’t that shocked.
Since they’re people who have accumulated all kinds of experience after graduating from the Academy or training on their own as adults, it must have seemed strange to them that someone my age would be taking the exorcist exam.
In fact, the pass rate for early applicants is less than 0.08%.
In other words, it’s practically nonexistent.
Their laughter wasn’t exactly a wrong judgment.
However, I dismissed their gazes with a smile.
I’m sorry, but they’re probably about to see it now.
The monsters that make up that 0.08% of passers.
What kind of beings the phrase “innately different” refers to.
