𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑𝟗
「. . . 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙘. . .」
Twenty-four this year, Choi Ji-tae is a self-proclaimed skilled exorcist.
He didn’t come from a prestigious family or learn his craft at some renowned educational institution, but he was taught by a master from a young age and even spent several years abroad gaining practical experience after becoming an adult.
From Choi Ji-tae’s perspective, the other examinees in this testing room were nothing more than greenhorns.
They were kids who didn’t know the meaning of risking their own lives or the responsibility of protecting the lives of others.
Choi Ji-tae was especially disgusted by the academy students who had taken the exam early without any real experience.
They were probably too young to have even experienced a real battle, so how could they possibly be entrusted with the responsibility of protecting citizens as exorcists?
That’s why Choi Ji-tae thought to himself,
If the opportunity arises, he would show those early examinees the difference in their abilities and make sure they failed the exam with his own two hands.
His first targets were two early examinees in the same waiting room, academy students named Yoon Jung-il and Han Kang-yoon.
『The first exam will begin shortly. Examinees in the waiting room, please follow the instructions of your assigned examiner and proceed to the examination room.』
As the announcement came over the loudspeaker signaling the start of the exam, Choi Ji-tae leisurely got up and walked over, deliberately brushing his shoulder against the two boys as he passed.
It was a kind of marking behavior intended to intimidate them from the start.
“Hey!”
As expected, Yoon Jung-il stumbled and looked at Choi Ji-tae with a puzzled expression, but he quickly averted his gaze at the sight of Choi Ji-tae’s trained body and intense eyes.
「𝙃𝙢𝙢. 𝙎𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙩. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙜𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨.」
However, the reaction of the other boy, Han Kang-yoon, was quite unexpected.
Han Kang-yoon glanced at Choi Ji-tae once, then shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the waiting room with a faint smile.
His demeanor was full of leisure. It was a reaction that Choi Ji-tae found quite unpleasant.
「. . . 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤, 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙣.」
In the various exams that were about to begin, there would be plenty of opportunities to show Han Kang-yoon the harsh reality.
Choi Ji-tae followed everyone else to the first exam room, a faint sneer on his face.
And soon, the content of the first exam was revealed by the examiner.
“The first exam is a basic ability assessment. Please use the spell inscribed on the central screen of the examination room that corresponds to your preferences and perform the designated task.”
The first exam was not difficult. It was literally a test of the basic skills that exorcist candidates had acquired up to this point.
Without hesitation, Choi Ji-tae chose his specialty, an attack spell, and used the spell Hundred Flower Heat Wave designated by the examiner to hit all three of the prepared targets.
The spell was deployed quickly and accurately. The power must have also exceeded the benchmark.
As he looked at the examiner, hoping for an evaluation, he nodded and gave a gentle smile.
“You are already skilled enough to use it perfectly in the field. You must have trained a lot. That’s a good attitude.”
It wasn’t without a sense of satisfaction, but this was an excellent evaluation.
Choi Ji-tae left the area where the targets were with a satisfied look on his face and joined the line of examinees who had already completed their measurements.
And he turned his gaze toward Yoon Jung-il and Han Kang-yoon, who had chosen defensive spells.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠, 𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙.」
Unlike attack spells, which directly reveal the caster’s abilities, defense spell tests in the qualification exam are relatively easy.
All they had to do was block the prepared attack or binding spells as best they could, because the examiners, who didn’t know the outcome, had no choice but to lower the upper limit of their power.
That’s why those who weren’t very confident in their abilities almost always chose defensive spells in this kind of exam.
Choi Ji-tae thought that they had probably picked up that tip from a qualification exam study guide or an internet community.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬.」
After the turns of many examinees, it was finally Yoon Jung-il’s turn.
Whew.
“Bifong!”
Clang.
As expected, it was a mediocre performance. He blocked the attack, but there was no particular distinction or maturity to his technique.
It was so obvious that he had a defeatist attitude, as if he just wanted to pass by any means necessary.
Choi Ji-tae shook his head and scoffed at Yoon Jung-il.
And soon, it was Han Kang-yoon’s turn.
「𝙃𝙢𝙢, 𝙡𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙩.」
Since they had to use a designated spell for defense, Han Kang-yoon was also preparing the same defensive spell, Bifong.
Soon, the examiner fired a spell of the same power as always, and Han Kang-yoon watched it intently without moving.
Choi Ji-tae tilted his head in confusion at the sight.
「𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜?」
Normally, the spell should have been deployed by now. If not, he was late on the timing.
However, Han Kang-yoon didn’t make any move, as if he had frozen up under the pressure of the exam.
The examiner frowned at this and was about to retract the attack spell he had deployed when Han Kang-yoon finally began to move.
Whew.
Chuk.
“Bifong.”
Screech!
Everyone watching was shocked by what happened next.
It was clear that the timing of the spell deployment was way off. The examiner’s spell was already aimed directly at Han Kang-yoon, and there wasn’t enough time to do anything.
However, Han Kang-yoon perfectly deployed a defensive spell at that very moment and blocked the attack.
It was almost perfect control.
It was a level that could only be achieved by a high-ranking exorcist who had gained countless experiences and could deploy spells as easily as breathing, not by an exorcist trainee who hadn’t even earned a qualification yet.
The examiner shot up from his seat at that, and Choi Ji-tae also frantically replayed the series of attacks and defenses he had just witnessed in his head.
And then he subconsciously denied it.
「𝙄𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣.」
It couldn’t be helped.
How could a mere academy student display that level of spell deployment ability? It simply cannot happen in common sense.
The examiner seemed to have calmed down from his surprise and returned to his seat for the time being to conduct the remaining two tests.
This time, it was another type of attack spell and a binding spell.
However, in both attempts, Han Kang-yoon perfectly deployed his spells at the most critical moment and blocked the examiner’s spells.
At that miraculous tightrope act, the examiner frowned slightly, though he was also amazed.
“That was a great performance, but is there any need to create such a dangerous situation? I would appreciate it if you could take the exam with a little more seriousness.”
“. . . . . . .”
At those words, Han Kang-yoon paused for a moment before speaking again.
“In a situation like the one just now, this is the best form of defense I can think of.”
“. . . Can you explain?”
The examiner was curious about Han Kang-yoon at this point, so he asked a question instead of reprimanding him. Han Kang-yoon then continued speaking in a relaxed manner.
“Please use the same spell as before once more.”
“I understand.”
Whew.
Crack!
Soon, the examiner’s Rending Wave spell was fired, and Han Kang-yoon timed it perfectly, rushing forward and deploying the spell in an instant.
And then something amazing happened.
Clang!
Crash!
Tik.
Han Kang-yoon blocked the examiner’s attack spell before it had even traveled a third of the way, and in the meantime, he had gotten close enough to press a talisman against the examiner’s neck.
In short, he had blocked the attack at close range and immediately countered.
Ironically, it could be said that it was a very aggressive use of a defensive spell.
“. . . I see. This isn’t something you’ve only done once or twice. Do you use the same style of combat in actual battles?”
“I just find the best solution for each situation.”
“Heh, those aren’t the words you’d expect to hear from an academy student who isn’t even an adult yet.”
Han Kang-yoon was certainly too young to have gained that much experience, but for some reason, he already had the aura of a seasoned veteran who had fought countless battles.
The examiner was purely impressed by that fact and gave Han Kang-yoon a thumbs up.
“We’ve found a great talent. I look forward to your performance in the upcoming exams.”
“Thank you.”
And as he watched that scene, Choi Ji-tae clenched his fists and muttered to himself.
「. . . 𝙃𝙢𝙢. 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡. 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙤𝙤.」
In fact, Choi Ji-tae could have done the same thing as Han Kang-yoon if he had repeated the training a few times.
However, that was assuming a confrontation between basic spells like the one just now.
Choi Ji-tae couldn’t even imagine Han Kang-yoon being able to use the same tactics in a higher-level battle.
Han Kang-yoon simply smiled faintly as he met Choi Ji-tae’s gaze.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
「𝙃𝙚’𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙨.」
I could tell from the waiting room that Choi Ji-tae didn’t like me.
Judging from the way he had given Yoon Jung-il the same look several times, it was clear that he looked down on early examinees.
「𝙃𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝.」
If he’s at that level, he must have accumulated a lot of experience and training in the field.
However, even Choi Ji-tae’s efforts would pale in comparison to me.
The time I’ve spent training is literally only about a year or two.
Besides, most of that isn’t time from the past, but time from the future.
To be honest, compared to the difficulty level of the latest qualification exam, the exam at the time of the 1st installment felt outdated.
「𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣. 𝙄𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙚𝙩.」
After the first exam, which was more or less a warm-up, the examinees from the fourth waiting room all headed to the next examination room.
The content of the second exam, as announced by the examiner, was to escape a barrier.
The content of the second exam was not fixed and changed every time, but escaping a barrier was one of the more difficult exams.
However, that wasn’t difficult for me either.
From my perspective, having conquered countless danger zones like the witch’s labyrinth or the Mirror Forest, the labyrinth of the exorcist qualification exam was like child’s play.
“This exam will be evaluated relative to the other examinees, and the rankings of all the examinees, including those in the other waiting rooms, will be made public. However, the evaluation criteria are not limited to the time taken, so I expect you to approach the obstacles wisely.”
And I know who holds the all-time record for this barrier escape exam.
「𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙤-𝙝𝙖.」
Of course, there were other geniuses who made their mark before Cheong So-ha, but the exorcist qualification exam was only officially established after the first Night Parade of a Hundred Demons incident.
Considering that she is considered the greatest talent in modern-day Korea, it’s a result that makes sense to some extent.
So, what would happen if someone broke that record?
「. . . . . . .」
Imagining the things that were about to happen in my head, I slowly took a step forward.
