Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 152
>Chapter Title: Practical Training (2)
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A month flew by after the graduation ceremony ended.
The instructors who had taught the Baekcheon and Makho-yeol cohorts held exams to select new cadets, and finally, the cohort Il-mok belonged to was setting out for their first practical training.
“Hahaha! It’s finally starting!”
“Maintain formation!”
Dokgo Pae, buzzing with excitement over the practical training and charging ahead on his own, and Instructor Eun-ryeo reining him in.
“Sigh.”
Watching Gwak Sul let out a sigh, Il-mok muttered to himself.
“As expected, he doesn’t listen to others.”
It wasn’t just Dokgo Pae.
The other cadets in his cohort were clearly buzzing with excitement too.
Unlike them, Il-mok had made his own preparations for this practical training.
Over the past month-plus, he’d stuck close to the martial squad to prepare the bare minimum countermeasures for his hygiene obsession.
How long had it been since they’d started racing along the mountain paths of the Heavenly Myriad Mountains, following Instructor Chu Il-hwan and the assistants?
After passing several peaks and fully exiting the Heavenly Myriad Mountains, Il-mok spotted a group flying a flag embroidered with a white bird.
It was the White Sparrow Unit, who would be joining them for this practical training.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s martial squads consisted of a total of sixteen units, each with around forty members.
Vacancies often arose from accidents or other reasons, so they were usually made up of between thirty-five and forty members, and right now, Il-mok could see thirty-eight White Sparrow Unit members.
“We greet the White Sparrow Unit Leader. I am Chu Il-hwan, chief instructor of the Demonic Path Academy.”
“Hahaha. Come on in. Instructor Chu. I am Kak Won, leader of the White Sparrow Unit.”
While Chu Il-hwan and the White Sparrow Unit Leader exchanged simple bows as representatives,
Il-mok quickly scanned the White Sparrow Unit members.
About half looked fairly young, while the other half appeared to be at least mid-thirties.
‘The leader, deputy leader, and squad leaders are probably Demonic Path Academy graduates, and the remaining ten or so are non-Academy types?’
Il-mok recalled the explanation Jin Ha-yeon had given him in the past.
The Demonic Path Academy, which trained talents for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, allowed most of its graduates to apply directly to their preferred postings.
Martial squads, Protectorate Halls, Instruction Halls, Shadow Veil Pavilion, Silver Shadow Pavilion, and so on.
But it was impossible to run all those organizations solely with Demonic Path Academy graduates.
They only produced about twenty talents a year, under the pretext of nurturing them.
Non-Academy graduates filled that manpower gap.
Of course, being non-Academy, most had started out as warriors in the branches.
They built up skills and achievements from the bottom, and only after passing thirty did they get recognized and advance to martial squads or headquarters organizations.
‘Because they enter major units or organizations too late, most never make it to the upper ranks.’
For some reason, it felt familiar to Il-mok.
‘The Academy grads are like 5th-grade civil service exam passers, and non-Academy are 9th-grade.’
Because their starting point was so low, the highest a non-Academy type could realistically climb was squad leader in a martial squad.
Anything higher overlapped with retirement age, making it practically impossible.
‘Tch. Well, in this den of lunatics, death or mental illness retirement probably outnumbers actual retirement anyway.’
The limit for even those who climbed was just being a regular member of a martial squad.
Only a tiny fraction barely scraped by to squad leader, and belonging to a martial squad came with life-threatening risks.
It was an advancement system that made anyone wonder why bother with this insane path, but surprisingly, many young warriors in the branches dreamed of making it to the martial squads.
Not just as cult fanatics eager to devote more to the church.
‘It’s because once you join a martial squad or headquarters organization, you can live at headquarters.’
That was Jin Ha-yeon’s explanation, but Il-mok saw one more reason.
Once you joined a martial squad or headquarters unit, even branch origins could learn advanced demonic arts.
And once you could learn an advanced demonic art, you could pass it on to your children or grandchildren.
If your descendants had even moderate talent, they might enter the Demonic Path Academy.
By the church’s standards, it was a massive opportunity for social ascension.
The problem was it took generations.
‘Hmm. Come to think of it, Master adopting my proposed education system might be because of this.’
The current church system overwhelmingly favored children of headquarters warriors.
They could learn advanced demonic arts from childhood.
And since they started young with advanced arts that had severe side effects, the line of crazies was endless.
Just turning his head to look around showed them.
‘That guy, and that one too.’
Il-mok nodded after scanning Dokgo Pae, Bang Mi-hwa, and several other cadet peers.
The church’s education system definitely needed changing.
Separate from Il-mok’s goal of easing mental illness, the Heavenly Demon sought talented hermits in the wilds.
‘Come to think of it, Jin Ha-yeon was a real outlier.’
While others took generations to enter the Academy, she’d done it purely on talent and effort—a legendary case.
‘No wonder Joo Seo-yeon praised her.’
And such a woman was none other than Il-mok’s own maidservant.
‘…Screw effort; connections are king, huh.’
Il-mok, forgetting his own contributions and crediting it all to his master, the Heavenly Demon.
Meanwhile.
Just as Il-mok was sizing up the White Sparrow Unit members, they were sizing him up too.
‘That cadet must be the famed Eight Prince!’
For the past year or so, the name most mentioned in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult after the Heavenly Demon’s was Eight Prince Il-mok.
Even without Il-mok’s portrait circulating in the church, the White Sparrow Unit members identified him instantly.
The reason was simple.
‘How can a mere cadet have such presence!’
‘Unbelievable, he’s beyond what I can read….’
He’d reached a level incomparable to the other cadets.
Some members were even shocked to realize that Il-mok, just seventeen and still only a Demonic Path Academy cadet, surpassed them.
Especially the young Academy-grad White Sparrow members—their shock was the greatest.
“Heh heh heh.”
In contrast, the middle-aged non-Academy warriors who’d weathered all sorts of trials to join the White Sparrow Unit wore wry smiles.
Partly because age brought mental cultivation,
but they’d felt this shock before, upon entering the unit.
Fresh Academy grads at least fifteen years their junior had been equal to or better than them.
“There’s always someone better than the runner…”
But now, those Academy prodigies who’d shocked them were shocked by the Eight Prince—truly a subtle twist.
“Heaven beyond heaven, indeed.”
* * *
While Il-mok and the Demonic Path Academy cadets eyed each other, mulling various impressions, and the White Sparrow Unit did the same,
the White Sparrow Unit Leader, having finished brief greetings with the instructors, shouted to his unit and the cadets.
“Our White Sparrow Unit’s mission this time is to wipe out the bandits rampaging along the route from Hami to Turpan lately. They’re all trained in martial arts, and since they appeared suddenly, we suspect they’re from Central Plains’ unorthodox sects. For the safety of the common folk, eliminate every last one without mercy. Keep that in mind.”
“Understood!”
No sooner had he finished briefing the mission than the White Sparrow Unit members saluted crisply.
“Even now, the common folk suffer under those villains. No time to waste—let’s move out!”
At the leader’s command, their journey began.
Some on horseback, some sprinting on foot.
‘No wonder there seemed to be few horses!’
As he dashed forward using lightness skill, a wry smile crept onto Il-mok’s face.
Even before entering the Academy, Il-mok had run the Shin-gang area several times under the guise of “lightness skill training.”
But this was different.
Turpan was far beyond even Hwa-jeong, which he’d visited before.
Even on horseback, it would take four or five days.
Farther than Seoul to Busan.
‘These crazy bastards!!’
After cursing the White Sparrow Unit inwardly while running for a good while,
the sleazy White Sparrow leader, comfortably riding at the front, raised his hand.
“Halt! Regulate your inner energy here and rest briefly before we go.”
At his order, those who’d stopped included lightness skill users immediately sitting cross-legged for Qi Circulation and Breath Adjustment, while the horseback riders led their mounts to graze.
They fed them water or fodder they’d brought, but mostly let them eat the grass growing on the ground.
After the short rest,
the horseback riders and lightness skill users swapped and resumed the journey.
This time riding comfortably, Il-mok soon realized why there were only half as many horses.
And why they’d stopped earlier to rest.
‘Most of Shin-gang is wasteland….’
They weren’t using paths where horses could travel easily.
Once out of the pastures, there was hardly anything for the horses to eat.
They rested sporadically after, feeding pre-brought fodder or water in the wasteland.
Once entering pastures, they let the horses graze on the grass.
After dashing all day on horseback or lightness skill, they ended up spending the night in the middle of some nameless pasture.
“We depart at dawn tomorrow, so grab a quick meal and get some sleep! Night watch rotations will be relayed through squad leaders and Demonic Path Academy instructors!”
As Il-mok sighed in realization that the mad dash was finally over at the leader’s shout,
“As expected, the rumors about the Eight Prince aren’t empty talk.”
“Compared to the other cadets, he looks quite composed. Brother Jang.”
Unlike the Demonic Path Academy cadets who looked on the verge of collapse,
the somewhat more relaxed White Sparrow Unit members all had their eyes on Il-mok.
Some went beyond just staring, trying to strike up a conversation now that they had the chance.
“Since we’ve met like this, it’s fate—shall we at least exchange greetings?”
Several White Sparrow members who’d been eyeing the Eight Prince approached him, then halted.
Suddenly, he’d closed his eyes in concentration, and energy began emanating from him.
Sensing it, the White Sparrow members all wore shocked expressions.
‘Worthy of the Eight Prince!’
‘After riding and lightness skill all day, he’s practicing martial arts before sleep!’
For a moment, everyone admired Il-mok’s zeal.
Then, those with keen senses belatedly noticed something off and tilted their heads.
“…No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like martial arts—he’s trying to cast a spell, isn’t he?”