𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒𝟎
In fact, there were two main goals I had for this exorcist qualification exam.
One was to officially obtain the exorcist qualification, as I mentioned earlier, and to expand my range of activities.
And the second was to raise my own reputation, or in other words, my street cred.
「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩.」
As the main story of the work gets into full swing, its scale will become larger and larger.
In order to lead the situation as I want in such a flow, I need to raise my own value above all else.
The starting point was the early application for this exorcist qualification exam.
If I set a comprehensive new record by combining this barrier escape test with all the other tests, my name will surely start to be mentioned among numerous past and present exorcists.
Since it’s Cheong So-ha’s record, wouldn’t I be evaluated as an outstanding talent who could follow in her footsteps?
「𝙊𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨. . . . . . .」
I’ll just have to prove it step by step through my future actions.
Besides, even if there is some doubt, the number of people who will recognize my name just by being compared to that Cheong So-ha is bound to increase exponentially.
“Examinee 48, enter.”
As my number was called, I stopped thinking and entered the barrier that would be the stage for the second test.
「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡-𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙧.」
The barrier used in the exorcist qualification exam is a joint work created by several special-grade exorcists and 1st-grade exorcists in the past, and it has been maintained and serviced at regular intervals since then.
Examinees who enter the barrier are each thrown into a maze that is copied into hundreds of branches, making it impossible to recognize or interfere with each other, and they must succeed in escaping by their own power alone.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙙𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨.」
Not only does the structure of the maze itself constantly change, but there is also no clear escape formula.
Of course, such prior knowledge can be helpful, but it means that you can’t expect anything more than advice in the literal sense.
Swish,
Whoooosh.
As I entered the barrier, a space that was literally in the typical form of a maze appeared.
A classic maze with giant walls blocking all sides and paths branching out in various directions.
This was the first gate of this barrier.
「𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨.」
I had no intention of wasting time from the first gate, so I immediately started to act.
First, I planned to quickly look around and figure out the nature of the barrier.
Swish.
「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙.」
It had been mentioned a few times in the original work, but I could feel it in more detail when I actually checked it out.
It was a very elaborate and well-made barrier, and it was clear that very few people could interfere with it.
However, I have a track record that I have mentioned many times before.
From my position of knowing a wide range of future spells, the ritual structure of this era is no different from the products of the past.
It’s ironic, but the same goes for this barrier.
To put it in a rough analogy, it’s like looking at a wooden safe that was made by craftsmen with their own hands.
Even at first glance, you can’t help but admire the great completion, but even so, a wooden safe is a wooden safe.
It meant that there was a way to open it all.
Whoooosh.
“Sahwanjae.”
Swish.
Boom!
At my call, a black shadow surged and the demon Sahwanjae appeared.
I gave instructions to Sahwanjae and immediately began to draw up my spiritual power to develop his ritual.
Whoooosh.
“Evolution.”
My elongated shadow slipped between the walls and instantly expanded my range of activity, and added Sahwanjae’s ritual to it to quickly explore the space.
I had already grasped the structure of the barrier, so I was able to guess the likely location of the exit with that alone.
Then the next thing to do was simple.
Using the shadow to move the caster’s body, Shadowless Kick, to skip all the walls in an instant and head for the exit.
Whoooosh.
Swish!
As I finished developing the ritual, what appeared before my eyes, riding on the shadow, was not a huge wall, but a beautiful flower garden.
This seemed to be the second gate of the barrier.
「. . .𝙄𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 3 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.」
The time it took Cheong So-ha to completely break through all the gates of the barrier was only 7 minutes and 21 seconds.
Assuming that there may be more gates after this, I will have to speed up even more from now on to break that record.
But there was no need to worry.
For me, who had already fully grasped the nature and structure of the barrier, the other gates were not essentially much different from the first gate I had passed through.
“Sahwanjae, I’m going to use the detection technique again.”
『Squeak.』
Whoooosh.
Swish.
Using the detection technique in the same way and linking up with Sahwanjae, I was able to quickly grasp the theme of the second gate.
「𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙖 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙯𝙯𝙡𝙚?」
In this vast flower garden, I had to find the key point that would lead to the entrance of the next gate.
And of course, the moment I realized it, I could easily recognize that point.
“. . .Is it over there?”
I moved there as it was, drew up my spiritual power, and plucked a yellow flower, and the space distorted and a plain colored door appeared.
As I expected, this is the last gate. If I can break through this task, I will be able to clear the second test.
Every second was precious, so I opened the door without hesitation, and the stage of the last gate soon unfolded before my eyes.
It was a space that looked like an underground ruin, and three passages were given in front of my open eyes.
「𝘼𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.」
This place is a kind of special stage.
Normally, this gate is given to the examinee when they pass through the previous gates at a very fast speed, or when the supervisors judge that they need monitoring.
Here, unusually, the exorcist candidate is required to have a comprehensive level of ability as an incumbent exorcist, and Cheong So-ha passed this gate in less than 3 minutes, which amazed the supervisors.
So, I planned to pass through this special gate even faster than that.
“Sahwanjae.”
Whoooosh.
Swish.
An ordinary examinee would have no choice but to choose a path as they go, but I can use the detection technique linked to Sahwanjae to figure out what lies beyond.
Among them, I chose the battle-oriented gate, like Cheong So-ha.
「𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙚?」
It was a place where I could reach the exit only after breaking through the offensive of the shikigami prepared by the supervisor.
Thud.
Thud.
Clank!
The iron bars blocking my view opened, and a kind of colosseum-like arena unfolded before my eyes.
Looking at the shikigami that began to appear beyond, I drew up my spiritual power as much as I could, using even the Spirit Absorption trait.
Whoosh!
Whoooosh.
“Come out, all of you.”
Now, it was time to clearly appeal my potential to the examiners who would be watching this spectacle.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
“This year’s class is great. There are quite a few eye-catching examinees.”
“What’s surprising is that among them. . . . . . .”
“The proportion of early applicants from the academy is unusually high.”
The supervisors who were watching the examinees’ struggles in the observation room nodded their heads and agreed with that opinion.
It’s really not normal. Last year, two students from Cheonghwa Academy took the exam and passed the qualification, but at least those two didn’t show such amazing results.
“Especially that one, is it a monster? To be able to break through the maze by breaking all the walls theoretically, you have to reach the level of a 1st-grade exorcist.”
The man was watching Sophia Charlotte, the top student at Cheonghwa Academy.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that she has actually reached the level of a 1st-grade exorcist, but it was clear that it was amazing.
“Why wasn’t Miss Sophia famous in the first place? Of course, I didn’t know it would be this much, but it’s definitely something to make a name for itself.”
“Famous? I wasn’t interested in that, so I didn’t know.”
Lee Moon-soo, who was considered the most veteran among the supervisors of this exam, was not the type to pay much attention to rumors.
To him, who had always worked only in the field as a 1st-grade exorcist, such things were nothing more than rumors that he had heard.
However, that’s why Lee Moon-soo was able to guess the level of the examinees relatively accurately without any prejudice.
And to him, there was another person who stood out rather than Sophia. It was Han Kang-yoon, who had passed through the first gate in a mysterious way.
“What about over there? Are they famous?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never heard of it. According to the data, he is a talented person who has recently started to emerge in the academy, and he is among the top ten students in the graduating class.”
“Then it’s better to keep it in mind from now on. That guy will also make a name for himself soon.”
At those words, most of the supervisors who were watching the scene together looked at Lee Moon-soo with interest.
“Is that how you rate it? I think it’s too early.”
“He passed the first gate quickly, but he didn’t show much. I don’t know how much of his own ability it is, but it seems that he borrowed the power of a special shikigami in the first gate.”
“Of course, it’s great to be able to use a shikigami of that level, but it’s not that uncommon to get one powerful shikigami if you have the support of your family or sponsor.”
Han Kang-yoon’s evaluation was unexpectedly quite harsh. It was partly because his true abilities had not yet been revealed, as they said, and also because none of them were familiar with the techniques of shikigami.
Kim Moon-soo sighed as he looked at the supervisors and asked the white-haired old man sitting in the back.
“What do you think? Since you are proficient in shikigami, do you have a deeper understanding?”
The old man is Gil Sam-bong, a current 2nd-grade exorcist, and he is the most proficient in shikigami among the supervisors of this year.
Also, the shikigami that were put into the special gate in this exam were also his works.
“. . .To be honest, I don’t really know.”
“As expected, right? It’s too early to judge yet.”
“At least we’ll have to wait until the final test, where one-on-one battles take place, to make a definite evaluation.”
Even though Gil Sam-bong was a 2nd-grade exorcist, he was actually a person who had not only refused promotion but also had the skills to match a 1st-grade, so the supervisors were each busy agreeing with his opinion.
However, Gil Sam-bong’s following words were something that even those supervisors had never expected.
“Oh, the old man made a mistake. I meant the opposite.”
“Opposite . . . . . .?”
“It means that I have no idea how he handled the shikigami and used the technique.”
At those words, the eyes of the examiners who were in their seats wavered for a moment.
