Chapter 140

In truth, there were two achievements I aimed to obtain through this Exorcist qualification exam.

One, as previously mentioned, was to officially obtain the Exorcist qualification and expand my scope of activity.

And the second was to raise my own reputation, commonly known as my name value.

‘It’s about time I start moving in earnest.’

As the main story of the work intensifies, its scale grows larger and increasingly massive.

To lead the situation as I desire within that flow, I need, above all else, to increase my own value.

The starting point for that was precisely this early attempt at the Exorcist qualification exam.

If I set a comprehensive new record not only in this barrier escape test but across all other tests combined, my name would undoubtedly begin to circulate among countless former and current Exorcists.

Given that it’s Cheong Soha’s record, wouldn’t I likely be evaluated as a talent brilliant enough to succeed her?

‘Of course, suspicious glances will arise…’

But that’s something I can gradually prove through my future actions.

Moreover, even if mixed with suspicion, it was certain that the number of people who would come to know my name simply by being compared to that Cheong Soha would increase exponentially.

“Contestant number 48, please enter.”

As my number was called, I stopped my thoughts and entered the barrier that would become the stage for the second exam.

‘It’s certainly a well-made barrier.’

The barrier used in the Exorcist qualification exam is a collaborative work created by several Special-Rank Exorcists and 1st-Rank Exorcists from before, and it has been maintained and repaired periodically since then.

Contestants who enter the barrier are each placed into a maze replicated into hundreds of branches, making them unable to perceive or interfere with each other, and they must succeed in escaping solely by their own power.

‘Countless anecdotes and advice circulate in the world, but they’re practically meaningless.’

Not only does the maze’s structure itself keep changing, but there’s also no set, definitive escape formula.

Of course, such prior knowledge would be helpful, but it was literally nothing more than advice; one couldn’t expect it to be any more than that.

Swoosh

Whoosh

Upon entering the barrier, a space in the literal, classic form of a maze came into view.

A classic maze with all sides blocked by massive walls and paths branching in multiple directions.

This was the first gate of this barrier.

‘According to original work knowledge, there are one or two more gates beyond this.’

I had no intention of wasting time from the first gate, so I immediately began to act.

First, I planned to quickly survey my surroundings to grasp the nature of the barrier.

Swoosh

‘Roughly as expected, I suppose.’

It was mentioned a few times in the original work, but actually confirming it allowed me to feel it in more detail.

An extremely intricate and well-structured barrier; it was clear that those who could interfere with it would be exceedingly rare.

However, I have a track record I’ve mentioned several times before.

From my standpoint, broadly knowledgeable about future Cursed Techniques, the structure of this era’s Art Formulas is no different from a relic of the past.

It’s a truly ironic statement, but this barrier was the same.

To roughly analogize, it felt like looking at a wooden safe meticulously crafted stitch by stitch by gathered artisans.

Even at a glance, its incredible craftsmanship draws admiration, but in the end, a wooden safe is still a wooden safe.

It meant there was a way to open it all.

Whoosh

“Sahwanje.”

Swoosh

Fwoosh!

In response to my call, a black shadow rippled, and the goblin Sahwanje revealed itself.

After giving instructions to Sahwanje, I immediately drew upon my Spiritual Power and began to deploy an Art Formula.

Whoosh

“Evolution.”

My expanded shadow slipped between the walls, instantly widening its range of activity, and with Sahwanje’s Art Formula added there, I rapidly explored the space.

Since I had already roughly grasped the barrier’s structure, that alone made it possible to guess the likely locations where an exit might be.

Then, the next task was simple.

It was merely to use the Cursed Technique of Severed Shadow, Flying Shadow Step, which moves the Sorcerer’s body through shadows, to instantly leap over all walls and head for the exit.

Whoosh

Swoosh!

Upon completing the deployment of the Art Formula, before my eyes, which had moved riding the shadow, there now appeared not massive walls but a beautiful flower garden.

This seemed to be the barrier’s second gate.

‘…Took about 3 minutes to get here.’

The time it took Cheong Soha to perfectly break through all the barrier’s gates was a mere 7 minutes and 21 seconds.

Assuming there might still be gates beyond this, I would have to speed up even more from now on to break that record.

However, there was no need to worry.

For me, who had already perfectly grasped the barrier’s nature and structure, the other gates were also essentially not much different from the first gate I had just passed through.

“Sahwanje, I’ll use Detection Art again.”

[Kek.]

Whoosh

Swoosh

Using the Detection Spell in the same way and linking with Sahwanje, I was soon able to grasp the theme of the second gate as well.

‘A hidden object search, is it.’

Within this vast flower garden, I had to find the point that served as the key to the entrance leading to the next gate.

And naturally, the moment I realized that, I could easily recognize that point.

“…Over there, I suppose.”

Moving there, drawing upon Spiritual Power, and then plucking a single yellow flower caused the space to distort, giving rise to a door of monotonous color.

Presumably, this was the final gate; if I broke through the challenge here as well, I would have cleared the entire second exam.

As every minute and second counted, I opened the door without hesitation, and soon the stage of the final gate unfolded before my eyes.

It was a space resembling an underground ruin, and before my opened eyes, a total of three passages were presented.

‘As expected, this is the place.’

This location is a kind of special stage.

It is given to a contestant when they pass the preceding gates at an excessively fast speed, or when the proctors judge that monitoring is necessary.

Here, uniquely, one is required to demonstrate a comprehensive level of ability from the standpoint of a current Exorcist, not an aspiring one. Cheong Soha once passed this gate in less than 3 minutes, astonishing the proctors.

Therefore, I intended to pass this special gate even faster than that.

“Sahwanje.”

Whoosh

Swoosh

An ordinary contestant would have no choice but to choose a path as their feet led them, but I, through the Detection Spell linked with Sahwanje, could ascertain in advance what existed beyond.

Among them, what I chose was the combat-focused gate, the same as Cheong Soha.

‘The central passage, I see.’

It was a place where one had to break through an offensive of Shikigami prepared by the proctor side to reach the exit.

Thud

Thud

Clang-clatter!

The iron bars blocking the view opened, and an arena reminiscent of a colosseum unfolded before my eyes.

Looking at the Shikigami beginning to reveal themselves beyond, I drew upon my Spiritual Power with all my might, even utilizing the Soul Combustion Trait.

Whoosh!

Whoooosh

“Come forth, all of you.”

Now, it was time to clearly appeal my potential to the examiners who must be watching this spectacle.

“This batch is impressive. There are quite a few noticeable contestants.”

“What’s astonishing is that among them…”

“It would be that the proportion of early applicants from the Academy is abnormally high, I suppose.”

The proctors observing the contestants’ struggles from the observation room each nodded, expressing agreement with that opinion.

It’s truly not ordinary. Last year, two cadets from Cheonghwa Academy did take the exam and proudly obtained their qualifications, but at least those two didn’t show such astonishing results.

“Especially that one, is she a monster? Theoretically, to perform the feat of destroying all walls to pass the maze, one would need to reach the level of a 1st-Rank Exorcist.”

What the man was focusing on was precisely Sophia Charlotte, the top student of Cheonghwa Academy.

Of course, that doesn’t mean she has truly reached the level of a 1st-Rank Exorcist, but it was certainly an astonishing feat.

“Wasn’t that Miss Sophia already famous? Of course, I didn’t know it would be to this extent, but she certainly seems capable of making a name for herself.”

“A famous one? I wasn’t particularly interested in that area, so I didn’t know.”

Lee Moonsu, considered the most veteran among those appointed as proctors for this exam, wasn’t one to pay much attention to worldly rumors.

For him, a 1st-Rank Exorcist who was always active on the front lines, such things were merely hearsay to be ignored.

However, precisely because of that, Lee Moonsu was able to accurately gauge the contestants’ levels relatively free from prejudice.

And in his view, there was someone else who stood out more than that Sophia. It was Han Kangyoon, who had passed the first gate in a mysterious way.

“What about that one? Is he famous?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t heard of him. Looking at the data, he’s a talent who recently began to stand out at the Academy, said to be within the top ten among graduating class cadets.”

“Then it would be good to remember him from now on. That fellow will also make a name for himself soon enough.”

At those words, most of the proctors watching the scene together looked at Kim Moonsu with interest.

“An evaluation to that degree? I think it’s still premature.”

“He did pass the first gate quickly, but he showed too little. We don’t even know the extent of his own abilities, and it seems he borrowed the power of a special Shikigami even in the first gate.”

“Of course, having a Shikigami of that caliber is impressive, but if one receives support from a family or a patron, obtaining one powerful Shikigami isn’t that rare an occurrence.”

The evaluation of Han Kangyoon was unexpectedly quite harsh. That was partly because, as they said, his inherent abilities hadn’t been outwardly revealed yet, and also because none among them were versed in Shikigami Art.

Looking at such proctors, Kim Moonsu let out a sigh and posed a question to the white-haired old man sitting at the back.

“What are your thoughts? Being proficient in Shikigami Art, you must have deeper insights, no?”

The old man was Gil Sambong, a current 2nd-Rank Exorcist, and among this batch’s proctors, he was the most versed in Shikigami Art.

Furthermore, the Shikigami placed in the special gate for this exam were also his work.

“…Frankly, I’m not sure.”

“As expected, it’s not the case. It’s still too early to judge.”

“At the very least, we’d have to wait until the final exam, where one-on-one duels take place, to give a definitive evaluation.”

Despite being a 2nd-Rank Exorcist, Gil Sambong was a figure who had effectively refused promotion and possessed skill comparable to a 1st-Rank, so the proctors were busy agreeing with his opinion.

However, Gil Sambong’s following words were something those proctors also hadn’t anticipated at all.

“My, this old man misspoke. The meaning I intended was the opposite.”

“Opposite, you say…?”

“It means that even I cannot judge at all how he handled the Shikigami and wielded the Art.”

At those words, for a moment, the gazes of the examiners present wavered.