Chapter 15 - Act 3. Daemudo Entrance Examination (8)

The shaman examination offered three tasks: a single talisman, a small combat puppet, and a curse effigy (a straw doll). Applicants were to make and submit at least one of the three.

Yise studied the samples intently, then started by drawing a talisman. The examination room was surprisingly relaxed. No one intervened when applicants exchanged opinions or helped one another. The examiner merely inspected their finished work and graded it on the spot.

'They said even a single altered stroke, line, or dot would rob a talisman of its effect.'

Yise put his heart into completing his first talisman. Drawing with an easy mind seemed to have produced a reasonably better result than those of the other applicants, whose hands were trembling. When he compared it with Seol Ryeong's and looked pleased, she gave him a sulky look.

"What's with you?"

"What?"

"That's your first talisman, and there are hardly any mistakes."

"I've always been fairly good at writing and drawing."

"... You're good with your hands, then. Well, you won't find the real thing so easy."

"I don't intend to waste precious resources anyway."

In truth, this was only a scrap of paper. A working talisman required a brush made from a spirit beast's hair, talisman paper made from spiritual materials, and a talisman artisan who could imbue it precisely with spiritual energy. Most sects supposedly struggled to train even one talisman artisan, so he had no particular intention of pursuing it as a specialty.

Yise moved on to the next task. The sample straw curse effigy and combat puppet were also easier to reproduce than he had expected, though Seol Ryeong kept chattering cheekily beside him about how these were only the most basic steps. When he moved away because she was too noisy, she pouted and trailed after him.

At last, the results—

"Nine, eight, and nine. Twenty-six points in total."

"Thank you."

One point below Seol Ryeong. Still, he was pleased to have done better than expected. Perhaps he had a talent for this.

"Y-you—are you an aspiring shaman?"

"No. I want to be a warrior."

"Then how?! I can understand copying a talisman or a curse effigy, but you can't make a combat puppet without practicing beforehand!"

Yise patted her trembling shoulder and consoled her.

"I only made the outer shell. Calm down."

"It still makes no sense!"

"If you only scored one point more than someone doing it for the first time, doesn't that just mean you haven't trained enough? Or that you lack talent. There's still time, so why not try the healer examination? You should find another talent before it's too late."

"..."

Seol Ryeong froze where she stood, as lifeless as a woman turned to stone waiting for her husband. Having soothed her with his heartfelt advice, Yise headed to the next examination room.

The covert operative examination involved activating a formation, repairing a mechanism, or submitting a written explanation of the principles of mystical evasion arts. Apparently, the field required more foundational knowledge than he had expected: he earned a poor average of five points. Considering there had been no one else in the examination room, perhaps that wasn't so bad. Thanks to the test, he had gotten his fill of exploring, picking apart, sampling, and enjoying these things called "mechanical formations and mystical evasion arts."

"In all my years, you're the first person I've seen use an examination room as a training room."

"Thanks to you, it was a valuable experience."

"Yes. For someone with no formal training, your talent isn't bad. If you have no other specialty in mind, consider this one."

"Yes, sir."

Yise answered obediently.

* * *

That evening, Seol Ryeong brought their new teammate.

"I made my choice carefully, reading each person's fortune one by one. You can trust him!"

"I'm Pi Garam."

The boy who introduced himself as Pi Garam had short hair pulled back and tied, subdued eyes, and hollow shadows beneath them. There was something peculiar about him.

"Unusual name. What's your specialty?"

"I can create a simple sealing formation."

Hae Unchan clapped at that.

"Wow, applicants who've learned formations are incredibly rare. You really found us someone good!"

At his praise, Seol Ryeong gave a self-important "Ahem" and planted her hands on her hips.

"He's at the first star of Qi Refining."

The first star of Qi Refining was a stage at which one still couldn't properly control spiritual energy. Presumably, he relied on a ritual implement to power his formations. Hae Unchan and Seol Ryeong were at the second star, while Yise and Pi Garam were at the first. In truth, their strength was much the same. Until Middle Stage Qi Refining, when they could begin displaying power worthy of Cultivators, there wasn't much difference. They were simply far stronger than ordinary people now.

The four briefly discussed their specialties, armaments, and anything else worth mentioning. Hae Unchan relied on unarmed techniques and swordsmanship, with no other ritual implements or specialties. Yise likewise said he used unarmed techniques, along with combat techniques involving a hand axe and shield. He saw no need to mention his other skills or ritual implements.

Seol Ryeong said she had trained in basic spells for exorcising low-grade evil spirits and in combat using various ritual implements. A whole assortment hung inside her roomy robe. Pi Garam said his training centered on archery and formations. He seemed to be hiding something, but Yise didn't pry.

Most ritual implements used by early-stage Qi Refining Cultivators were consumables, either single-use or limited to a few uses. This was because, rather than drawing on spiritual energy wielded directly by the Cultivator, they consumed the energy imbued in them during manufacture.

"Most of Seol Ryeong's implements can be used three to five times... Pi Garam, how many times can you use your formation?"

"There's no limit. But I have to draw it myself, so it takes time to prepare."

"How long?"

"Half a quarter-hour."

"... That's awkward."

Trying to buy that much time in battle was a fine way to meet a violent end. Ritual implements available at this stage were mostly like that: either only half-useful, or expensive despite lasting only a few uses. Still, if they helped you pass the examination and saved your life in battle, they had their uses.

After their lengthy round of introductions, Seol Ryeong asked,

"What about strategy? Aren't we making a plan?"

"It won't mean much when we don't know what we're fighting. For now, let's just decide our positions based on our weapons. Is everyone fine with me directing the fight tomorrow?"

The other three nodded at Yise's suggestion, apparently indifferent. It wasn't as though directing them would amount to much anyway.

Seol Ryeong knew even more about the examination than Hae Unchan. For some reason, it almost seemed as though she had taken it before. She offered a final word of caution.

"Let's be careful and all pass without getting hurt. There are three tests left, but excluding the written one, there are really only two. And in practice, those two account for most of the injuries in the Daemudo examination."

She added,

"If the tests so far were to see whether we met the minimum requirements, now they'll be looking for the Cultivators who'll actually lead Daemudo's next generation."

"You certainly know a lot, being from a noble family. Impressive."

At Yise's casual praise, Seol Ryeong twirled her hair and preened, saying, "Oh, this is nothing."

The more he looked at her, the more he suspected she had lied about her age.

* * *

'Move.'

On the morning of the fifth day, Yise settled atop an oddly shaped rock with a beautiful view to practice controlling his spiritual energy and Demonic Energy.

Since awakening to spiritual energy, he had reduced his morning training to a minimum. Now that he was a Cultivator, he judged that he had already reached the limits of physical conditioning available at his current level. He had stepped into the realm of the superhuman. From here on, he was certain that excessive training would only be inefficient. He could still increase his muscle mass, but his agility would decrease in proportion. Ultimately, he had to acknowledge that his body was now at its most balanced.

'Just enough physical training to stay in peak condition.'

He devoted the remaining time to bringing the energies inside him under control. They stubbornly refused to do as he wished.

'It must be possible to reach the second star without learning a cultivation method.'

As a rule, Daemudo forbade practicing other cultivation methods before admission. This was said to prevent spiritual roots from becoming tainted and rendering someone unable to properly learn the highly unusual Demon-Exorcizing Spirit Arts. In other words, none of the applicants had learned a cultivation method. Yet some had reached the second star of Qi Refining, like Hae Unchan and Seol Ryeong. That was evidence that the stage was attainable through natural enlightenment alone, without a cultivation method.

'Could I actually lack talent...?'

The thought naturally crept in as he felt his spiritual energy flow on unperturbed, no matter how hard he tried, while his Demonic Energy rampaged wildly about.

Of course, Yise had no way of knowing that those who had already reached the second star might not have learned a cultivation method, but they were children of powerful families, backed by numerous helpers and their families' investments.

* * *

"We will now begin the fifth test."

By now, the examination grounds were beginning to feel familiar. The days had flown past in a blur, and it was already the fifth. The applicants, who had once numbered nearly two thousand, had dwindled to the point where their numbers could be counted at a glance.

Many applicants seemed to have awakened their spiritual roots over those five days. Uncontained spiritual energy shimmered like heat haze across the drill ground where they gathered, as though flaunting itself. It was surely thanks to eating and sleeping well in a place rich with spiritual energy. Yise, too, felt as though his body had completely transformed in just five days.

"The fifth test is a group test. Those who failed to form teams beforehand have been assigned to teams at random."

The test was held on the central drill ground, where a large pattern had been drawn in the middle, just as in the third test.

"Each team will face and kill one randomly summoned Demon. Use any means at your disposal. Everyone alive inside the examination area when the Demon is killed will pass. If you think you cannot manage it, declare that you forfeit. Unless you kill the Demon or forfeit, the test will not end even if someone dies."

Death. Given that Kang Itae was not one to deliberately exaggerate, people must have died taking this test.

GULP.

Someone swallowed audibly.

"There is just one thing to keep in mind. Don't die before you can declare your forfeit. We cannot bring the dead back to life."

With that brief explanation, Kang Itae called the first team. Every person called looked as though they had bitten into a bug. Their team consisted entirely of people who had yet to awaken their spiritual roots. In other words, no one had chosen them, and they had been forcibly grouped together.

A regular fourteen-sided drinking-game die numbered one through fourteen spun. It landed on one. Kang Itae took a small knife from inside his robe and slashed open the air.

What happened next was astonishing. The air tore like a sheet of paper. Kang Itae reached inside and pulled out a bound Demon. A real Demon. Not a transformed Haechi or an illusion, but a living, struggling Demon.

Yise asked Hae Unchan,

"What in the world is that?"

When Unchan shrugged as though he didn't know either, Seol Ryeong answered instead.

"That's a supernatural treasure called the Demon-Holding Prison. Hall Master Kang Itae is known to capture low-grade Demons alive and keep them locked up like that for the examinations."

Yise gave a quiet murmur of admiration. Even after reading and studying so many books, there was still so much he didn't know.