The Hero of the Practical Exam
The day of the practical exam for Cheonjihae had finally arrived.
The date had come, and tension surged through the air.
I had prepared hard, but the people here were undoubtedly top experts, right?
Looking around the external exam hall, there were many people.
From those in suits to those in shaman attire.
Even including elderly and children, it was diverse.
Are these people also taking the exam?
In martial arts, there's a saying to be careful of the old and the young.
But whether that applies to the exorcism industry is questionable.
Anyway, waiting in tension, a man who looked tired walked towards the examinees.
“Hello. I am Lee Jae-hak, who will be in charge of the practical exam for this Cheonjihae recruitment.”
As the man introduced himself, commotion spread among the examinees.
“Wow, that really is Lee Jae-hak. The spiritual energy is definitely different.”
“A genius necromancer as the examiner?”
“Cheonjihae really is on another level.”
Lee Jae-hak was a name I knew too.
A high-ranking person even in Cheonjihae.
At the same time, a famous exorcist with level-level necromancy.
Impressive. Almost the vice chairman or director came out personally to recruit new employees?
If such a famous and powerful necromancer, isn't this exam quite safe?
“From now on, you will sign a waiver of bodily injury.”
...My meager hope was shattered from the beginning.
“We have a conscience, so we'll provide at least minimal treatment costs. But it's a contract that if you die or get injured, you won't sue Cheonjihae.”
It was shocking that it wasn't just me who was shocked.
Tension rose again among the examinees who had been floating.
Lee Jae-hak looked at the scene and smirked.
“Exorcism work is no joke or game. If this scares you, run away. It's the only escape route left for you.”
No one listened to that and ran away.
If they were going to run, they wouldn't have applied to Cheonjihae in the first place.
...Should I run now?
I had that thought for a moment, but...
Honestly, I wanted to run immediately.
But there was a chance to pass a major company in front of my eyes.
Like the number one cause of death in your 20s is “just one more line...”
“Well, good. Anyway, the weak ones will be eliminated here, so there's no need to explain in detail.”
Lee Jae-hak shook his head left and right once and began explaining.
“You will take the exam in pairs. The exam rules are simple. Enter the forest behind you and catch as many yokai as possible. Of course, scores will be given based on overall score and cooperation score.”
A brief explanation made me feel a bit ridiculous.
...Is the exam content real?
This isn't some blade world from a game or something.
Are they throwing in newbies to hunt yokai?
Is it not like “Um, this exam was quite lenient” or something?
The problem is that I vaguely remembered game knowledge.
I could guess that the practical exam would be hard, but since I didn't read the detailed content, I skipped it.
“Oh, this seems doable.”
“Ah... We need to be paired with a good person. If we get someone who holds us back, it's bad.”
What was surprising was that the examinees didn't seem scared after hearing this.
It felt like they were doing a group project.
This world is definitely crazy.
At that moment, a woman raised her hand.
She had a sword at her waist and long black hair flowing down.
A beauty with an appearance that anyone would say is beautiful.
“May I ask a question?”
“Well, since I've finished explaining, it doesn't matter.”
“Cheonjihae gives the benefit of choosing weapons from Cheonjihae to those who pass first place, is that true?”
The eyes of the examinees sparkled at that.
Cheonjihae weapons would definitely be exceptional.
Lee Jae-hak, who was observing the reaction for a moment, slowly nodded.
“It's not just giving to first place, but it's true that we give such benefits to excellent participants. It's Cheonjihae's sincerity to show to outstanding talents.”
-Oh...
The examinees became even more excited at Lee Jae-hak's words.
In this sea of many examinees, it's hard to stand out.
But in any case, it meant there was a possibility if done well.
...I don't have the position to hope for that.
The Cheonjihae exam is a gathering of all kinds of geniuses.
Especially this exam, since it's the protagonist generation, I remember many outstanding talents participated.
That woman who asked just now is one of them.
That woman was also a named character.
Her name was probably “Cheok Jiyeon.”
A direct descendant of the Goryeo era sword master Cheok Jun-gyeong.
As expected from her background, an excellent exorcist who uses swords.
However, in this exam, I couldn't team up with that woman.
In this exam, Cheok Jiyeon will get seriously injured.
Despite being a genius, she passed with a high score.
But I heard that the other examinee who was her partner got injured and was eliminated.
Currently, it's the team with the highest probability of elimination.
No one else, but I had to separate from Cheok Jiyeon.
“Then from now on, we'll form teams. Teams will be selected by lottery, so don't complain.”
****
...And like a lie, I ended up in a team with Cheok Jiyeon.
Damn flag.
How could I get paired with her among so many examinees.
I felt a bit aggrieved by my crazy luck.
......Well, I don't have the position to say that.
Unlike other examinees, I wasn't a proper exorcist.
What I had was only the one-hit Instant Death ability once a day!
To others, I would be the ultimate failure.
“Um... Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Nam Dohyeong.”
I greeted with the intention of at least having a conversation.
Cheok Jiyeon glanced at me and nodded.
“I'm Cheok Jiyeon.”
As a taciturn character, Cheok Jiyeon gave a short greeting.
You shouldn't think she didn't learn manners from her parents just from this.
Actually, my parents are dead.
Not just my parents, but everyone in the family except my older brother died.
If I let my guard down, I'll become trash in an instant.
Moreover, she's not just any genius swordsman.
I, a characterless Deku, should show well to these types.
“Um... First, sorry. Actually, I'm not particularly good at spiritual abilities...”
“It doesn't matter.”
I was about to explain just in case, but Cheok Jiyeon cut me off with a firm voice.
“I will handle the yokai myself. You just follow me.”
Hey, what's this? I feel like I'll fall for her cuteness.
A genius beautiful swordsman saying “Hey, Nam Do-hyung! I'll carry you!”
I felt a bit touched.
“Ah~ This is tough. Then I'll be in your care.”
“......”
With that light greeting, the exam began.
We immediately entered the designated area.
“First, let's find the yokai...”
Paat!
Before my words ended, Cheok Jiyeon kicked off with her foot.
She ran through the forest at terrifying speed.
“Eh, eh? Wait!”
I hurriedly ran after Cheok Jiyeon.
So fast that I had to exert all my strength just to see her back.
As I ran like that, a yokai appeared in front of Cheok Jiyeon.
-Chwaaaak!
Cheok Jiyeon swung her sword without hesitation, taking down one yokai.
It was a clean technique with no extra movements, as if she had done it many times.
...Amazing.
Immediately after defeating the yokai, she kicked off again and ran through the forest.
It didn't take 30 seconds to find and kill a yokai.
Could she really keep running through the forest like this?
Is she really the representative exorcist of the martial world?
She was clearly cutting down yokai one after another while running, and I couldn't keep up at all.
No, at least by catching the yokai, I was following to some extent.
If Cheok Jiyeon had just run at full power, I would have been left behind already.
Did she eat a cheetah? What's so fast about that?
I had trained and built up my stamina and strength.
No matter how hard I ran, the distance from Cheok Jiyeon only increased.
Oh no! If I lose Cheok Jiyeon, I'm in big trouble!
This is a forest full of yokai.
I don't know when or where I'll be attacked.
If alone, I might really become a casualty.
With the amulet's effect, I won't die, but I don't know what kind of humiliation I'll see.
Cheok Jiyeon was my lifeline right now.
I chased after her with all the strength I had.
...Yeah, it was tough.
But I still couldn't completely follow the skilled swordsman.
Eventually, after running for a long time, I panted and caught my breath.
“Huu! Where did you go?”
I had run so mindlessly that I felt I had gone quite deep.
It felt ominous, and if it weren't for the exam, I would have wanted to run away immediately.
Still, with traces left, I can follow even if late.
After that, how far did I plod?
Suddenly, a loud explosion sound rang from one side of the forest.
What?
It was exactly the direction Cheok Jiyeon had run earlier.
I immediately ran there with a bit of hope.
At the arrival point... an enormous battle was unfolding.
What is this?
A size completely different from the yokai Cheok Jiyeon had defeated earlier.
A yokai almost the size of a truck was attacking Cheok Jiyeon.
“Guek!”
Even Cheok Jiyeon would have found it hard to deal with such a yokai.
She was trying to dodge and cut, but it looked difficult.
Was this the reason Cheok Jiyeon got injured in the original story?
Why did such a skilled person get injured in the practical exam.
It seemed she had gone too deep and encountered such a yokai.
“Kuek!”
Eventually, Cheok Jiyeon, hit on the arm by the yokai, rolled on the ground.
“Ah...”
Cheok Jiyeon quickly got up and our eyes met.
For a moment, Cheok Jiyeon's eyes shook anxiously and her mouth opened at the same time.
“Hel... ”
Help?
No matter what, in this dangerous forest against such a yokai...
“Run!”
Cheok Jiyeon forced herself up and charged at the yokai, shouting.
“This is all because of my mistake! You don't need to risk your life too! Run away immediately and request support!”
“......”
I clicked my tongue at Cheok Jiyeon's words.
Sorry, but that's not a word I can take.
If I want to return alive, you have to be next to me.
How deep had I gone following Cheok Jiyeon.
If I alone try to break through this forest to request rescue, what if I encounter a yokai?
After thinking it over, I looked at the yokai.
And I used my only ability.
“Die.”
Kwoong!
The body of the giant yokai fell straight to the ground.