Chapter 24
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Answer to Exam Questions is Always in the Text
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As soon as the signal rang out, the trainees started climbing the mountain.
Their speeds varied wildly. Some bolted ahead at full tilt from the very beginning, others trudged along slowly to conserve their stamina, and some kept a steady, moderate pace.
If I had to pick, I fell into that last group. There was no stupider mistake than burning through your energy right from the start.
The path up Changha Peak mixed steep inclines with gentler slopes, and even the easy parts wound around in long loops.
In short, the distance was much greater than the height made it look.
'What the hell? I figured Selection Hell meant something like hunting down a spirit beast solo.'
This exam felt easier than the morning training, honestly.
Clicking my tongue, I strode up the rocky trail. About halfway up, I blinked in surprise as a group of kids suddenly bolted off in a stampede.
I glanced back, half-expecting a wild boar on our tail, but it was just the other trainees sprinting desperately.
What the hell's their deal? As I quickened my own pace in confusion, someone yelled out, as if answering my question.
"Why's the sun setting already?!"
I looked up at the sky.
The once-clear blue was now streaked with creeping reds.
'Time limit's before the sun sets completely.'
Remembering Doseon's words sent a chill down my spine.
Of course Selection Hell wouldn't be just a hike up a mountain.
Gritting my teeth, I charged up a near-vertical slope. Memories of running with logs tied to me flashed by. At least that had been on flat ground.
I overtook the kids who'd surged ahead one by one and reached the summit. My sweat-soaked body was already losing heat to the cooling mountain air.
As I bent over, gasping for breath, an instructor handed me something.
A slip of paper with the characters for this peak's name: '長霞峰'. Proof that I'd reached the top.
Before heading back down, I glanced at the sky from the summit. It was dyed in full, brilliant sunset hues.
No time to admire the view. I joined the other trainees clutching their proofs, turning right around to sprint back down.
I knew pushing like this would drain my stamina fast, but getting caught after sunset meant instant elimination. No choice but to keep going.
'Hang on... Changha Peak?'
A memory flickered through my mind then, halting me mid-stride.
A hazy recollection from long ago, when the Sect Leader had sat me down and told me a story.
'Each of Mount Hua's peaks has meaning in its name.'
Changha Peak (長霞峰).
The peak where the sunset glow lingers long.
I glanced up at the sky, still awash in red.
If this peak lived up to its name with a sunset that lasted ages, then there was no need to burn stamina rushing down.
Talk about a brutal test.
Set the time limit to before sunset, then pick a peak where the glow hangs on forever.
I slowed my frantic pace back to something sustainable.
Kids clutching their papers tightly dashed past me on the slope, panting desperately.
I could hear their ragged breaths as they brushed by. I had a rough guess how far they'd make it before collapsing.
Normally, I'd have sneered at the idiots, but since I'd been sprinting just minutes ago myself, I ignored them and focused on descending steadily.
The kids who'd passed me began slowing down.
Some couldn't control their speed on the incline and tumbled, only to be carried down by instructors who'd appeared out of nowhere.
I'd been mid-pack, but now I was in the lead.
A bit further down, I spotted trainees slumped or sprawled along the path—victims of pushing too hard in their panic.
Ignoring them, I bounded down lightly. Then someone behind me shouted.
"Hey, up front! Watch your step!"
I looked down immediately. A hand was reaching out to grab my ankle.
What, some mountain ghost? Not satisfied with flunking solo, gotta drag someone down with you?
"Don't block the path—rest over there."
I kicked the saboteur hard in the ribs, sending him tumbling cleanly off the trail. Smirking with satisfaction, I continued down.
Consider that me clearing the obstacle out of gratitude. Call it even with the guys behind me.
The familiar early-exam scenery came into view, and I picked up speed, leaping down the rocky slope.
Far off, I spotted Doseon and Uijin standing with hands behind their backs.
A quick glance skyward: still sunset-red.
Doseon took the proof I boldly offered, clicked his tongue once, and said,
"Trainee Number One. First place."
Hell yeah, first! I wanted to jump for joy, but with no energy left, all that came out was a drawn-out "Wooow."
I plopped down next to Uijin, watching the other trainees come stumbling in, gasping and clutching their slips, against a sky where the sunset was finally fading.
As Uijin brushed my sweat-matted hair, I wondered how many others had figured out Changha Peak's secret like I did.
* * *
Having passed the first exam unscathed, I dragged my heavy body back down to the dorms.
Sighing deeply at the memory of cramming eight into one room.
Body aching like hell, and now crappy sleep too? What next?
But the moment I hit the bunk, all complaints vanished.
The room that had been packed tight yesterday, barely space to breathe, now felt cavernous.
Holy crap, it worked...? Soon we'd each get our own room.
My surviving roommates gawked too, mouths agape as they looked around the vast space.
Four dropouts, apparently. Including me, four left in the room I'd picked Day One.
"Hmm... Since it's just us now, why not introduce ourselves? I'm Baek Soyun."
The girl who looked oldest spoke first. We went around in turn.
"I'm Seong Riri. Eight years old."
"Biyeon. No family name—just Biyeon."
Mentioning I was the bare minimum six would've been a weak point, so I skipped it.
All eyes turned to the lone girl buried under her blanket. A cynical voice drifted out.
"What's the point of introductions between people who might flunk any second?"
"But you never know—we might cross paths again someday. Wouldn't it suck to just let it pass?"
She let out a hollow chuckle at my words, then muttered her name curtly.
"Joo Iryeong."
"Age?"
"Nine... Let me sleep, stop asking."
The irritated tone killed the conversation. What a prickly personality.
Next door's cheerful laughter and chatter made our room's silence stand out even more.
Maybe unable to take the awkward hush, Baek Soyun slipped out. Soon her lively voice joined the next room.
I lay down hoping to catch some shut-eye, but with zero soundproofing, the racket from next door had me bolting upright in annoyance.
You guys flunking is your problem, but you're screwing us over too, damn it.
Not just me—Seong Riri and Joo Iryeong were sitting up too, faces full of irritation.
I jumped up and kicked the wall—thud thud.
Next door went quiet for a bit, murmurs rose, then footsteps as they shuffled rooms.
Silence descended in seconds.
"Idiots."
Joo Iryeong sneered, pulling the blanket over her head.
And the next morning in the training ground, no sign of Baek Soyun.
Guess they partied all night and overslept.
This is why bonding's a bad idea.
* * *
"Instructor Uij—er, Senior Brother! What the hell did you do?"
Selection Hell, Day Three.
Out of 500, 257 remained.
Nearly half gone in just three days.
"Is this normal? Or is this batch just pathetically weak?"
Uijin looked up from his writing at my question.
"More left than expected—weak? Hell no. Back in my day, Day Three had 200, just 200."
"How do half drop in three days?"
He tallied on his fingers, kindly breaking down the dropouts.
"Day Two dawn: 41 couldn't get up. Morning training: 61 couldn't handle the drills. Yesterday's first exam: 98 flunked. Muscle cramps today: 43 no-shows."
All made sense, so I nodded and asked what I really wondered.
"So far, brutal mornings to weed out the pretenders, right? Things loosen up now?"
My hopeful tone earned a snort. He tapped my head lightly with his brush.
"So far was just easing you in. Now only the real tough ones left—gotta grind harder or they won't drop like flies."
Reviewing the ordeals so far made my stomach churn.
Hang on, just remembering makes me wanna puke, and it's getting worse? You aiming for total wipeout, the first in Mount Hua history?
"It can get tougher? Damn, we'll have deaths at this rate."
"No deaths in any Selection Hell ever. Think it's called that for nothing?"
Uijin smirked slowly, then went dead serious with advice.
"Watch yourself from here on. There's always types who climb by stepping on others."
"No character test to screen those jerks?"
"They always crash out in the end."
Dunno—real life's no fairy tale ending in justice. Fine, if they factor in personality scores.
Wait, doesn't that mean I'll flunk too?
As I seriously pondered faking niceness, Uijin stood, patted my head with more advice, and brushed past.
"Loosen up those limbs."
And the next morning, before training, getting four sandbags issued let me grasp his warning.
Sighing deeply as I strapped the heavy weights to wrists and ankles.
So it could get tougher. This really is Selection Hell.
* * *