WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 13: Episode 3: Great Exorcist Order Entrance Exam (6)

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“It’ll soon be our turn.”

Before they knew it, the examination was nearing its end.

“Aren't you going to tell me what happened yesterday?”

“It was nothing.”

“Hmm.”

“I think I just have a rather unusual physique. You said you did too, right? A Heavenly Root Physique?”

“I knew you weren’t ordinary.”

That was the end of the conversation.

Hae Unchan was not the type to pry, and Ise was not the type to ramble on about every little detail.

Hae Unchan only added that they should spar sometime later, just for fun.

Another round of the examination ended.

Growing bored, Ise began warming up with bodyweight exercises. He did handstands, then repeatedly lowered and raised himself on one arm. Hae Unchan called it an interesting posture and copied him.

The stares around them were sharp, but neither paid them any mind.

“That person had a spiritual root and even applied last year, yet still failed.”

“Really? You remember that? But that person moves too slowly and has terrible combat instincts. If they become a cultivator like that, they’ll be demon food in no time.”

“Is it really all right to fail someone after going to the trouble of giving them a spiritual root?”

“Well, they can try again next year, become an independent cultivator, or join some small or mid-sized cultivation sect or family. There are plenty like that. Most independent cultivators and minor cultivators failed Great Exorcist Order’s exam. People born with natural spiritual roots are extremely rare.”

Hae Unchan’s words made Ise realize once again how precious Great Exorcist Order’s divine beast was.

Another applicant failed.

Ise switched the hand supporting him against the ground and muttered, “There are more failures than I expected. The fighting is brutal, but the standards themselves seem easy enough.”

“Really? I think they’re about right.”

“Why are they getting so unnecessarily heated?”

“Passing the exam isn’t what matters most. The real goal is getting into the top five. Competition is unavoidable.”

“Top five? Is there some benefit?”

“You didn’t see the notice board? The top five receive standard spirit artifacts from Hall Master Hong Mi-hee. The spirit artifacts she makes are famous enough to be called Crimson Emperor sacred relics. Even if they’re standard models, their performance must be incredible.”

Ise thought of the red-haired woman whose realm he could not even begin to judge, Hong Mi-hee, the Vermilion Bird Hall Master.

Her question echoed in his mind.

“Where do you think all the spirit artifacts you use come from?”

“And the first and second place candidates get the chance to receive personal instruction from a hall-master-level great cultivator for an entire day. That’s an incredible privilege!”

“A hall-master-level cultivator... any one of the eleven?”

“Any one of them.”

A gleam entered Ise’s eyes.

He could ask Haeil, the Azure Dragon Hall Master, for personal instruction. Haeil was the only great cultivator Ise believed knew anything about his physique, though Haeil was supposedly so busy that a mere Qi Condensation Realm cultivator would not normally be worth his attention.

After what happened yesterday, Ise had been less excited because he was fairly sure he would pass. But this changed things.

He looked at Hae Unchan.

“W-why are you looking at me so murderously? Did I do something wrong?”

This guy was probably his greatest obstacle and rival.

Sorry, but I’m taking first place.

“Next. Ise. Cho Ho. Yun San. ...Thirteen people in total. Come forward.”

His name was called at just the right moment.

Hoo.

While the other applicants took deep breaths to calm their nerves, Ise alone calmly looked over his competitors.

Every one of them, regardless of gender, had a sturdy body honed through training. The effort they had poured into entering Great Exorcist Order was plain to see.

Of course, even with the same amount of time, the quantity and quality of one’s effort differed. The scales of strength always tipped to one side.

“Begin.”

The instant the examination began, Ise used the distinctive footwork of Dokkaebi Steps and closed in on an applicant standing nearby.

The boy sucked in a startled breath at the sudden appearance of an enemy.

Ise immediately extended his left hand as if he meant to strike.

The boy reflexively raised both arms to block.

But Ise did not strike. Instead, he redirected the boy’s arms to one side, opening a gap, then smashed his elbow into the boy’s chin.

Crack!

A dull impact rang out, and the boy collapsed without even managing a scream.

Ise immediately moved to find his next prey, and the sole of his foot flew toward another applicant’s face.

Stars burst before the applicant’s eyes as a foot suddenly filled their vision.

Ise was impossible to pin down.

The signal to begin had sounded only moments ago, yet by the time they came to their senses, half the applicants had already fallen or been knocked out of the ring.

The six remaining applicants exchanged looks.

Fear showed on their faces. If this continued, they might be helplessly beaten down by that one person without even getting to fight back.

They charged him at the same time.

It was only natural. Whenever someone showed exceptional strength, the others had always joined forces against them.

Unfortunately for them, the target of their combined attack was a freakishly powerful fighter, someone so highly trained that he could hold his own in barehanded combat against three young dokkaebi and withstand a middle-stage Qi Condensation Realm demon with nothing but his body.

The large boy caught by Ise was lifted into the air.

Ise swung him like a log at the applicants rushing toward him.

The use of spiritual energy was clearly forbidden, yet the force of his physical strength was hard to believe.

What kind of strength is that...?

His body looked well-built, but this strength was impossible to understand.

Only the examiners realized that Ise had trained the Borrowed Force Technique to its limit, using the strength of his opponents against them to draw out the greatest possible force.

Before long, Ise was the only person left standing in the ring.

Kang I-tae frowned.

This was not an examination to determine victory or defeat. It was meant to assess fighting spirit and one’s sense for using the body.

With things this one-sided, there was nothing left to judge.

After letting out a quiet sigh, he made a special decision.

“Everyone except the one still standing will retake the examination. Recover yourselves, then reenter the ring.”

A stunned silence spread among the applicants.

* * *

“That is all. Those who failed, gather your belongings and go down the mountain.”

A total of one hundred and twenty people passed the third examination. Forty-nine more applicants had failed.

Ise once again thought the standards were fairly generous, but it seemed the result was difficult for some to accept.

One applicant who looked close to adulthood challenged an examiner.

“I’m a three-spiritual-root bearer. That person has five spiritual roots. You’re passing someone with such a mixed spiritual root and failing me... Are you sure you won’t regret this?”

Several failed applicants quietly took positions behind him, as though supporting him.

None of them could accept the result.

Hae Unchan glanced at them and muttered to Ise, “Looks like this was their last chance to take the exam.”

“You mean they’re nineteen?”

Ise tilted his head. Every applicant had worked hard to learn combat arts, so it was difficult to stand out, but the examination was not hard enough to fail four times.

That meant they either had no talent at all for using their bodies or lacked even the will to make an effort.

Still, the applicant continued shouting rudely.

The examiner before him was a cultivator whose realm could not even be judged. What sort of reckless courage was this?

Then Kang I-tae, having heard the commotion, slowly walked over.

The applicant’s momentum weakened as soon as Kang I-tae appeared.

Yet this was the man’s final chance in life, and he did not seem willing to back down.

“Please... judge me by my qualifications as a cultivator...”

“The result will not be overturned. Return home.”

“Isn’t Great Exorcist Order a cultivation sect? How can a cultivator be judged by barehanded brawling instead of talent or physique? Is that Great Exorcist Order’s way?”

“If you insult this sect, I will sever the tendons in your limbs and cut off your spiritual veins.”

It was a flat warning without a trace of emotion, yet the man’s hands trembled. He lowered his head and pleaded.

“I cannot understand why I must fail like this. At least tell me... tell me the reason, Senior. If I could use spiritual energy, I could subdue vermin like them in an instant...!”

Despite shaking all over like a leaf, the man still said everything he wanted to say. Ise thought his nerve alone was worth praising when Kang I-tae spoke again.

“Our sect’s foundation is body-tempering cultivation technique. When fighting demons, there will be times when your spiritual energy is restricted, or when you have exhausted it all and must continue fighting with nothing but your body. Therefore, control of the body is the most important talent and the first one you must possess. A three-spiritual-root bearer has decent qualifications. Seek out another cultivation sect.”

“...You will regret this.”

“It seems you have mistaken our kindness for weakness.”

“...”

“If we had met somewhere other than here, not as examiner and applicant, your eyes would likely have already been plucked out and your limbs severed. Be grateful for this sect’s mercy.”

Perhaps realizing that he had crossed the line, the man slowly began backing away.

Kang I-tae was right. Had they met outside, the gap between them was so vast that the man could have had his limbs torn apart without even getting the chance to scream.

The pressure of the spiritual energy slowly leaking from Kang I-tae forced him to face reality.

“Still, you must pay for wagging your tongue so carelessly. Consider this a lesson from your senior.”

Kang I-tae raised his index finger before his face. With a small gesture, the man’s tongue bulged from his mouth as though it were being pulled out.

“Mmph! Mmph!”

The next instant, a wet crack sounded, and a red lump of flesh was torn free and fell to the ground.

A scream followed. The man rolled across the ground.

“Remove him.”

“Yes.”

The examiners dragged away the applicant, who convulsed as he vomited what looked like a bucketful of blood. Kang I-tae turned away without the slightest hesitation.

The failed applicants who had stood behind the man had already vanished without a trace.

No one could criticize Kang I-tae’s ruthlessness.

* * *

“Didn’t you say you were waiting to eat?”

“You scared me. At least make some noise when you walk.”

“Ah. Sorry. It’s a habit.”

Walking without a trace of presence was also a feature of Dokkaebi Steps.

It was a technique Ise had learned from his master through tears, and it had allowed him to sneak up on the Infant-Cry Dragon Horse. Since it had become second nature to him, there was no reason not to use it.

“Want to train combat arts together after we finish eating?”

Ise scooped up a spoonful from the mountain of white rice before him and asked Hae Unchan.

After seeing him in the exam earlier, Ise could tell that Hae Unchan had trained just as intensely in physical techniques as he had.

Honestly, Ise could not guarantee who would win.

“You mean spar? Sorry. I’m still not very skilled at controlling spiritual energy. If we fought seriously, I might hurt you.”

Hae Unchan refused without much thought, then suddenly realized his mistake and looked at Ise.

The boys from his family were usually hot-blooded and full of pride. They tended to explode at words like that.

Footnotes:

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