WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 8: Episode 3: Great Exorcist Order Entrance Exam (1)
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Cheongsan.
Its name conjured images of lush greenery and rugged peaks, yet what lay before him was a single towering summit and a sizable city that seemed carved into the mountainside.
Too large to call a town, too small to call a fortress.
One thing was certain. Auspicious energy radiated from the entire mountain.
This must have been what the books meant by a mountain rich in spiritual energy.
Crowds far beyond anything Subu Village could compare to packed the streets. Carriages, porters hauling cargo, and wandering tourists who seemed to have no idea why they were there all mixed together, creating a constant clamor.
The savory scent of cooking rice. Pungent incense. The foul stench of fish. The air was full of the smells of people living their lives.
Ise passed a sign marked Cheongsan City and stepped into the city.
What made Cheongsan City feel even stranger were the shops displaying objects he had never seen before.
Treasure shops hung rows of talismans and sold demon fangs, Spell Bells, and artifacts filled with unusual energy. There were weapon shops and inns as well.
To Ise, who had never left Subu Village or Gwisu Temple in his life, it felt like another world.
Curiosity drew him to a nearby treasure shop.
A notice beside its sign read, “Coins and Spiritual Stones accepted.”
The owner spotted Ise examining a talisman and cleared his throat as he hurried over.
“Welcome. That there is a talisman that blocks demonic qi. It’s very popular with Great Exorcist Order disciples.”
“This?”
Ise asked without thinking.
He could not sense spiritual energy precisely, but he could at least feel the auspicious energy from spirit artifacts and sacred relics. This thing had none at all.
“It looks like an ordinary talisman.”
“So, you’re saying I’m running a scam?”
“...That’s not what I meant. How much is it?”
“Thirty thousand jeon (*thirty million won). One Spiritual Stone will do as well.”
The price was outrageous. It would have taken every coin he had, so Ise quietly set the talisman down.
It seemed that most items traded here were fakes rather than genuine goods, and there were more thieves than merchants.
‘Great Exorcist Order disciples wouldn’t fall for scams... These people must be preying on applicants taking the exam.’
“Here for the Great Exorcist Order entrance exam?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’d recommend this instead.”
The owner handed him another talisman, a crude-looking one inscribed with the words “Great Success on the Exam.”
“The disciple who entered as last year’s top candidate bought this very talisman before taking the exam.”
The owner cleared his throat and puffed out his chest.
“May you sell a great many.”
Ignoring the scammers scattered throughout the city, Ise headed toward the center of Cheongsan City.
Finding the entrance exam registration office was easier than he expected.
The crowd heading there already flowed like a single river.
Great Exorcist Order Entrance Exam Registration Office.
The government-style building was neat but plain. After waiting in a long line for around about four hours, Ise entered to find clerks in Great Exorcist Order robes seated behind desks at several counters.
“Next.”
The line slowly shortened until it was his turn.
“Name.”
The clerk asked without even looking at Ise.
“Ise.”
“Place of origin.”
“Subu Village.”
“Age.”
“I’m sixteen this year.”
“Affiliation.”
Ise briefly considered naming Gwisu Temple, then answered, “None.” It was not because he did not feel a sense of belonging there. He simply was not sure whether he should reveal it carelessly.
“Copy this.”
What a dry person.
Muttering to himself, Ise unrolled the sheet the clerk handed him.
「I, [ ], will raise no objection should I be killed or injured during the entrance exam. I will not disclose the contents of the exam to outsiders, and if I violate this rule, I will accept any disadvantage or punishment.」
As he copied it down quickly, Ise asked, “Are there many casualties?”
“No one is deliberately killed or injured.”
Once he finished writing and set down the brush, the clerk accepted his application.
“This is your registration token. If you lose it, you cannot register again. The exam begins in two days, at the beginning of the Goat Hour, at the training ground outside the training academy entrance atop the mountain. Go up the mountain beforehand and wait there.”
“Yes.”
That was remarkably unfriendly.
Leaving with that brief impression, Ise supposed that dealing with such a huge crowd had made the clerks businesslike.
Once he had finished the most important task, he headed to an inn.
The city had lost its appeal. He planned to eat his fill, then spend the next two days building up his stamina.
He picked a reasonably large, clean inn. The moment he opened the door, the smell of grease, roasting meat, and hot soup struck his nose.
“Lodging or a meal?”
“Both. I’d like a room for two days.”
“You’re an examinee, then. Sit by that window.”
As soon as Ise took a corner table, he scanned the entire menu.
“Is there anything you recommend?”
“Our braised meat is excellent.”
“Then I’ll have one bowl of chicken soup, three servings of braised meat, one bowl of thin noodles, one order of steamed dumplings, one bowl of steamed egg custard, a large kimchi pancake, and plenty of rice.”
The innkeeper’s hand paused as they wrote down the order.
“More people coming?”
“No, it’s just me.”
“Then why ask for a recommendation if you were going to order all that?”
“I wanted to order a lot.”
Silence fell. The innkeeper shook their head, muttered, “Don’t leave any behind,” and walked away.
‘What a strange thing to say.’
If Ise had three most important principles, they were to eat well, sleep well, and train every day without fail.
No matter what kind of food it was or how much there was, he had never once left anything behind or thrown it away.
Before long, dish after dish arrived. Steam rose from the chicken soup, the braised ribs gleamed, and the steamed egg custard trembled softly.
Soon, food began vanishing into Ise’s mouth. Calling it eating would have been generous. He was shoveling it in and swallowing.
The people in the inn stared in horror and murmured among themselves.
“What kind of ravenous monster wandered in...?”
The innkeeper could only click their tongue.
Then the inn door slammed open with a bang, and a boy stormed inside with a shout.
“Innkeeper! Two of every kind of food you have!”
The boy had bronzed skin, a sturdy build, and striking features. He wore finely tailored clothes made from expensive fabric, and even his hair gleamed.
At a glance, he could have been mistaken for a farmer, but he did not seem like a country bumpkin. He had no elegance, but he clearly came from money.
The boy quickly took the seat beside Ise and pounded the table.
For some reason, he smelled of sea wind.
“Wow, you can really eat. You here for the exam?”
Ise only nodded in reply.
“If things work out, we might become fellow disciples. We’d make great meal buddies.”
“You’re an examinee too. Let’s do our best.”
After giving him a suitable response, Ise resumed devouring his food.
“Innkeeper! Hurry up with the food!”
“Damn it! Order one thing at a time!”
The boy snickered at the innkeeper’s grumbling.
“What’s your name?”
“Ise. Innkeeper, I’d like one more of every dish here as well.”
“That’s a strange name. But you’re eating more? Slow down a little. Is someone going to steal your food? Food is meant to be savored.”
He needed to finish eating quickly and go train. Why did this boy keep talking to him?
People who were needlessly friendly were always a bother.
“My name’s Hae Unchan.”
The inn froze.
The clatter of chopsticks stopped, and the conversations faded away.
In the silent inn, only the sound of Ise’s dishes clinking rang out.
He noticed the shift in atmosphere, but he ignored it and focused on eating.
When Ise did not react further and the food arrived, Hae Unchan also stopped paying attention to him and focused on eating.
By then, Ise had wiped every plate on his table clean and was smacking his lips.
How many more times did he order food after that?
Before he knew it, everyone else had left the inn, leaving only the two of them.
Ise politely raised a hand and placed what was probably his final order.
“Innkeeper. One more bowl of meat soup and two plates of dumplings, please.”
“There’s nothing left! You hungry ghosts cleaned me out! We’re out of ingredients!”
“Then please give me anything you have left.”
“Want to see the empty kitchen?”
“...”
He was buying so much food and raising their sales, so why were they so irritated?
And why were they sweating so much?
Chanmo could easily prepare several hundred times this much food alone.
Ise looked utterly stricken, then glanced over at Hae Unchan’s table.
It was a wonderful sight, a table covered in hot food.
He quietly moved over, trying to sound casual.
“Didn’t you say something earlier about being meal buddies?”
“Sorry, who are you?”
So much for the dignity of the martial world.
Ise sighed to himself.
* * *
The next day.
Ise climbed Cheongsan’s peak.
He had eaten well for two days and had not skipped his training. His condition was perfect. He did not know what Great Exorcist Order’s exam would be like, but he was confident he could achieve the best possible result.
Still, a new concern had arisen.
‘Food costs too much.’
He had only eaten as much as he normally did, yet the expense was more considerable than expected.
Thinking of how much he ate with the dokkaebi people... made him feel guilty for a moment.
‘Great Exorcist Order provides meals, right?’
Lost in that pointless thought, he arrived at the entrance exam waiting hall, which was larger than expected.
Yet so many people had gathered that even the enormous hall felt cramped.
There had to be well over a thousand of them.
Most were boys and girls his age or a little older. Even at their young ages, some gave off an impressive presence.
“Quiet. The chief examiner is arriving.”
One of the Great Exorcist Order practitioners called out, and the hall quickly fell silent.
The doors opened, and a man with a neatly trimmed beard entered.
In that instant, overwhelming pressure spread through the waiting hall as if swallowing it whole.
“Greetings. I am Kang I-tae, this year’s chief examiner for the entrance exam.”
The once-silent hall filled with murmurs.
“...Kang I-tae, the Kirin Hall Master.”
“To think we’d see him in person.”
“So this is the presence of a great cultivator in the Core Formation Realm...”
The man before them was Kang I-tae, master of one of the Eleven Inner Halls, Great Exorcist Order’s core fighting force.
Kang I-tae did not even need to tell the applicants to be quiet. The spiritual energy carried in his voice alone pressured everyone into shutting their mouths.
“There are many applicants this year. Enough to make the place feel stifling.”
Deep lines creased his forehead, whether from wrinkles or annoyance, but his gaze was endlessly sharp.
“But it will soon feel spacious, so do not worry.”
It was a strange thing to say. Kang I-tae did not seem willing to explain it, though, and immediately continued.
“The entrance exam consists of seven different trials over seven days. I will explain them in detail after the first trial is over. Let us begin at once. The first trial is simple.”
His voice remained completely calm.
“All you have to do is pass through the main gate of the training academy.”
Footnotes:
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