Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: Judicial Exam (3)
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The day of the first lecture.
Seoran and Damcheong entered the classroom together.
Unusually, the entire building was enveloped in a barrier that neutralized the power of Dragon Eyes.
It seemed designed to prevent scripture theft.
The students took their seats wherever they preferred.
There didn't appear to be assigned seating.
Seoran headed to the front row with Damcheong.
A short while later, a man stepped up to the podium and greeted them.
"Greetings. I will be in charge of the 'Complete Written Exam Mastery' course from today..."
Having finished his introduction, the instructor immediately began the lecture.
The Judicial Exam hiring process consisted of three stages: written exam, practical exam, and interview.
However, the interview itself wasn't all that important.
In short, whether one passed or failed essentially hinged on the scores from the first-stage written exam and the second-stage practical exam.
The instructor spoke in a calm voice.
"The first-stage written exam comprises a total of fifteen law-related subjects. The average of your scores across those subjects becomes your first-stage written exam score. You can focus on studying specific subjects that suit your aptitude, or study all subjects evenly. As examples, I'll briefly explain a few strategies. The most common approach is..."
The instructor introduced several exam strategies.
Seoran jotted down the instructor's explanations in her notebook.
Damcheong seemed unable to concentrate at all.
The instructor also explained some precautions.
"It's fine if you go with the even-study strategy, but if you choose a prioritized-study strategy, there's one key thing to watch out for: avoiding failing grades. If you score below 40 points in even one of the fifteen subjects, you're automatically disqualified. Even if you ace the rest with perfect 100s."
Seoran nodded and took notes.
Below 40 points, failing grade.
Automatic disqualification.
The instructor erased the blackboard with an eraser and said,
"The 'Complete Written Exam Mastery' course you're taking covers all fifteen written subjects comprehensively. The lecture difficulty is set at a level even beginners can easily understand, so there's no need to be intimidated by the number of subjects. Assuming you faithfully attend the lectures, you won't have to worry about failing grades. Now, let's begin the lecture proper."
And just like that, the entire morning was gone.
When the lecture ended, it was already lunchtime.
The students left the classroom and headed to the dining area.
Seoran and Damcheong were among them.
Damcheong asked with a dazed expression.
"Seoran, did you understand the lecture content?"
"It's a bit tough, but manageable enough."
"Manageable?"
Seoran glanced at her notebook as she replied.
"Yeah. The legal systems of the Immortal Realm and the Western Continent are more similar than I expected. I studied the Mortal Realm Conduct Guidelines once when applying for an outing permit. Who knew it'd help like this."
"The Immortal Realm and Mortal Realm legal systems are similar?"
"I don't know much about other continents. But it was pretty similar to the Western Continent. Ah, we're here."
They arrived at the dining area while chatting.
Seoran and Damcheong entered a famous meat rice bowl restaurant.
It had been run for thousands of years, handed down through generations.
After that, they attended the afternoon lecture.
*****
Ten days after the semester started.
Exam student Damcheong woke up from sleep.
It was extremely early.
Damcheong crawled out of bed clumsily.
Half-asleep, he washed up and went to the dining hall.
The attendants had already prepared breakfast.
He was so sleepy he couldn't tell if the rice was going in his mouth or his nose.
Next, he attended the morning lecture with Seoran.
He couldn't understand a word of what was being said.
It had been the same yesterday, and probably would be tomorrow too.
By lunchtime, he started to come to his senses a bit.
He headed to the dining area with Seoran.
Today, it was meat rice bowls again.
Damcheong said in a voice full of complaint.
"Can't we eat something else now?"
"Why? It's close. Over here, two meat rice bowls please. And wooden spoons, not metal ones."
"Sigh..."
After ten straight days of meat rice bowls, it was the afternoon lecture.
Still, the 'Practical Basics Mastery' lecture was pretty fun.
It felt more like playing than studying.
For Damcheong, that was a small mercy.
After the practical lecture ended, he went home.
He ate the attendant-prepared dinner and washed up right away.
But waiting for Damcheong wasn't free time—it was nighttime self-study.
Damcheong, who studied late into the night, went to bed.
And when he closed his eyes and opened them, morning had come.
The exact same day as yesterday awaited him.
Damcheong's mental strength was rapidly wearing away.
Of course, Seoran's schedule was far more inhuman.
Unlike the Dragonkin, she didn't need sleep.
Mermaid video worship services, check-in video calls, technique cultivation, night special lectures, next-day lecture previews—her tasks piled up like a mountain.
But Seoran was Seoran, and Damcheong was Damcheong.
*****
Fifteen days after the semester started, the broken Damcheong groaned.
"Ugh... Urgh... Oof..."
Damcheong was doing nighttime self-study.
But he just couldn't focus.
The tiny letters danced on the paper, and the pages hadn't turned in over an hour.
Damcheong irritably scratched near his left horn.
He recalled the days spent cooped up in a narrow cave for 600 years to complete his inner pellet.
He wondered how he'd endured it back then.
In the end, Damcheong stood up from his desk.
He couldn't sit there any longer.
He decided to take a short walk.
Damcheong left the house (rental) and immediately soared into the sky.
Snowflakes swirled against the pitch-black night sky.
What miserable weather.
Damcheong decided to go a bit farther.
After flying in one direction for a while, the snow stopped.
He seemed to have gone quite far from Yeongbaek Island.
Damcheong took a deep breath, savoring the open space.
The fresh air made him feel much better.
He thought he'd take walks like this whenever studying got suffocating.
Damcheong turned to head back to Yeongbaek Island.
That's when a sound caught his ear.
A lively thumping rhythm.
Damcheong's gaze turned automatically.
There was a large island.
It shone dazzlingly even in the dead of night, thanks to the lights.
Damcheong realized what the island was.
Sangcheong Island, another island near Yeongbaek Island.
The instructors had warned them not even to go near it.
Damcheong muttered blankly.
"Just a quick peek?"
And like a fish hooked on a line, he flew straight toward Sangcheong Island.
*****
Someone stopped Damcheong as he approached the island, entranced.
"Senior, terribly sorry, but if you're Dragonkin, you need to pay the entry fee."
Regaining his senses, Damcheong asked,
"Entry fee?"
"Yes, that's right. Are you headed to Dragon Pool? At this hour, I recommend a daily pass, late-night pass, or hourly pass. Which would you like?"
"Oh, well... I didn't bring cash or my terminal. I'll be going now."
No matter how curious he was, if it cost money, that changed things.
Damcheong turned away without regret.
To return to Yeongbaek Island.
But another nearby staff member called out to Damcheong.
"Senior, please wait a moment! Dragonkin under 1400 years old get in free!"
Damcheong's rationality split open like a ripe watermelon.
"Free, you say?"
"Yes, of course. Just put on this child bracelet and you're good to enter."
"Hoh..."
Damcheong put on the bracelet and headed to Sangcheong Island.
The two staff members saw him off with loud voices.
"Have a wonderful time at Dragon Pool!"
"Have a wonderful time!"
After Damcheong left, the human cultivator asked,
"Senior, how did you know he was under 1400? He looks young, but all immortals do."
The Dragonkin cultivator replied,
"Dragonkin can just tell at a glance."
"That's amazing. What's the principle?"
"It's not the body—it's distinguishing by the soul..."
The two staff chatted a bit more before returning to their posts.
Meanwhile, Damcheong arrived at Sangcheong Island.
With one long mountain as the divide, half the island was dark, the other half bright.
The lit section teemed with Dragonkin visitors, despite the late hour.
Amusement park staff shouted at the top of their lungs.
"The aquatic creature mascot parade starts soon!"
"One free draw per adult bracelet! Even the booby prize is a commemorative hat! Kids' bracelets get three free draws!"
"Show off your swimming skills to the world! Prizes based on rankings until sunrise! Just participating gets you a snack, regardless of record!"
"Large-scale underwater fireworks scheduled for dawn!"
Damcheong ultimately couldn't resist the temptation.
He watched the aquatic creature mascot parade.
A staffer in a shark mascot costume showered them with candy like rain.
His eyes and tongue were delighted simultaneously.
He did the draws three times.
All duds, but it didn't matter.
Damcheong stacked hats into a three-tier tower.
He even joined the swimming contest.
Dragonkin kids were no match for him.
If they felt cheated, they could reach Supreme Star Realm too.
His night stroll ended with the spectacular underwater fireworks.