SWNOVELXO Chapter 66 - The First Test (1)
Chapter 66: The First Test (1)
“Ten tokens bearing a mark have been hidden throughout Taecheon Peak, where the Hall of the Demonic Way stands. The scroll contains a map marking the locations where five of these tokens are hidden. Your mission, starting now, is to collect as many of these tokens as possible.”
After explaining the test rules, Chu Il-hwan held out a wooden plaque for them to see.
“The trial will last for eight hours. Points will be awarded based on the number of tokens acquired by each group.”
The disciples nodded in understanding.
‘Gather as many as possible and secure second rank! Then I’ll be recognized by the Young Master and become Lady Jin Hayeon’s junior!’
Ju Seo-yeon’s mind was filled with only one thought.
‘Phew. If we’re looking for markers across this vast mountain, I probably won’t have to meet many people, right?’
Jeong Hyeon was relieved at the prospect of encountering fewer people.
‘Eight hours, he says? But that just means we have to run around like madmen to grab the tokens first, right? I hate sweating.’
Il-mok was already annoyed.
He considered giving up halfway, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
If word got back to his Master that he’d failed the first test due to laziness, there was no telling what terrible consequences might follow.
He pondered.
How could he achieve decent results without moving too much or breaking a sweat?
Then, an idea struck him. He turned to Chu Il-hwan.
“Instructor, is combat prohibited in this test?”
Hearing Il-mok’s question, Chu Il-hwan grinned and replied.
“While you are competing, you are all fellow disciples. Anyone who kills or severely injures another will face severe punishment.”
***
After providing a few more explanations, Chu Il-hwan announced the start of the test and left.
The moment he was gone, Ju Seo-yeon and Choi Woong crowded around Il-mok, who held the scroll.
“Um, I also….”
Jeong Hyeon mumbled in a barely audible voice, unable to bring himself to approach them. However, everyone was too focused on the scroll to hear him.
“It seems this one is the closest from our current position.”
Examining the map, Il-mok pointed to one of the marker locations.
Thanks to Instructor Eun’s lessons, reading the maps provided by the cult wasn’t difficult.
Led by Il-mok, they used their lightweight movement techniques toward the location drawn on the map.
They pushed through thickets, passed towering trees and boulders, and soon arrived at the marked location.
“Let’s search this area for now.”
As they moved in unison following Il-mok’s instructions, Ju Seo-yeon exclaimed in a lively tone, “Young Master! I found it! I found it!”
She was waving an object that looked exactly like the wooden tag Chu Il-hwan had shown them.
“Hahaha! At this rate, we could secure half of them within the first two hours!”
Choi Woong, who had been utterly terrified when first grouped with Il-mok, seemed to be in a better mood and burst into hearty laughter.
Having moved together as a team for a while, it seemed he now felt something akin to camaraderie towards the fearsome Young Master Il-mok. Believing Il-mok felt similarly, Choi Woong boldly addressed him.
“Young Master! Where’s the next location? We should move quickly to secure it ahead of others!”
“It will take a bit longer to reach the next location than it did for this one.”
“Then we should move even faster before another group takes it! Or better yet, why don’t the four of us split up and quickly find the remaining four tokens?”
“Splitting up is the worst possible move right now.”
“???”
Choi Woong had an expression of utter incomprehension, while Ju Seo-yeon and Jeong Hyeon tilted their heads in confusion.
“Think about it. Five groups of twenty people are searching for just ten tokens. Given the time it took us to find just one, all the tokens will likely be discovered in less than a two-hour period. Yet the test duration is a full eight hours. What does this mean?”
As Ju Seo-yeon had no particular thoughts and Jeong Hyeon started to speak but stopped with a flinch, Choi Woong, the most level-headed among them, asked:
In place of the clueless Ju Seo-yeon and Jeong Hyeon, who flinched and stopped mid-sentence, Choi Woong, the only one coherent enough to respond, asked,
“…But didn’t Instructor Chu say combat is prohibited?”
“Recall his words carefully. He said not to kill or seriously injure anyone, but he never said that combat.”
“!?”
In truth, Il-mok hadn’t asked about combat because of the long test duration.
‘I was just planning to laze around and beat up anyone I met to take their tokens.’
Running around like a madman was too much effort.
But Chu Il-hwan’s answer had sparked a realization, and finding the first token confirmed it.
“Let’s assume all tokens are found within two hours. What if our group happens to have fewer tokens than the others, with six hours left? What would you do? Would you wait and accept failure? Or would you take a gamble?”
“Ah….”
This test was designed to incite conflict in the first place.
Furthermore, didn’t they mention that formations were set up outside the mountain in case any candidates lost their way? That was a warning that if you try too hard to avoid fights by just running away, you’ll end up trapped in those formations.”
While Chu Il-hwan had said the formations were to prevent students from getting lost, he had also subtly warned that falling into them would result in automatic failure.
Just then, Choi Woong asked with a puzzled expression.
“There’s one thing I don’t understand. As Young Master must have also noticed, the groups were arranged with a certain balance in skill level. If everyone’s skills are similar, subduing others without causing injury isn’t easy. Of course, we’ll end up fighting to avoid failing grades, but wouldn’t that actually lead to injuries?”
“That would be the case if this were purely a martial test.”
“???”
“The purpose of this test is to evaluate what we’ve learned so far. That includes martial arts, external skills, and even the non-combat training from Instructor Eun Ryeo. We’re meant to utilize all three aspects to collect as many tokens as possible.”
This test was a kind of guerrilla warfare across the entire mountain. It might start as a treasure hunt, but would likely evolve into a game of tag in the later stages.
“Whether you set traps, hide and ambush, or use tracking skills to find where others are hiding, there are various ways to gain an advantage in combat. The ban on killing or crippling others? Those are meant to force us to create overwhelming situations where we can subdue opponents without hurting them.”
Immediately after Il-mok finished speaking, a faint presence could be sensed amidst the distant foliage.
Simultaneously, the gazes of all four members snapped towards the rustling leaves.
“Squeak?”
A rabbit poked its head out, tilted its head, and hopped away.
Il-mok paid no attention to the rabbit and turned back to his group.
“That’s why, simply moving quickly to the next location is meaningless.”
With that, Il-mok handed back the wooden plaque Ju Seo-yeon had given him.
“Disciple Ju, keep this token slightly visible on your person. You will serve as bait. Word of your low entrance exam score has already spread, making you a juicy target.”
It was a blunt statement that basically said ‘you are weak,’ but Ju Seo-yeon didn’t mind at all.
“I’ll do my best, Young Master!”
Her only thought was to earn a high score and claim the second rank, even if it meant serving as bait.
“Disciple Choi, you will also act as bait alongside Disciple Ju.”
“I don’t mind acting as bait, but will the other groups fall for it?”
At Choi Woong’s observation, Il-mok let out a chuckle.
“Didn’t you suggest splitting up earlier?”
“Ah!!”
Realizing his own stupidity, Choi Woong looked away in embarrassment.
“But if you’re going to use bait, wouldn’t it be better to use the Lower Class students?”
His gaze turned toward Jeong Hyeon, who was standing alone about ten feet away.
At Choi Woong’s suggestion, Il-mok grinned and strode over to Jeong Hyeon’s side.
Flinch.
Ignoring Jeong Hyeon’s reaction, Il-mok patted his shoulder reassuringly and said.
“In this test, Disciple Jeong is our group’s secret weapon.”
Watching Il-mok’s confident expression that is drastically the opposite of Jeong Hyeon’s trembling face, a single thought dominated Choi Woong‘s head.
‘We’re doomed.’
He didn’t dare say it aloud, though.
After all, he still had nightmares about Il-mok beating him up.
***
After Il-mok finished giving detailed instructions, they left the place where they had retrieved the token.
Moments later…
“Phew.”
Instructor Chu Il-hwan emerged from near the bushes where the rabbit had appeared earlier.
“As expected, he has good instincts.”
Chu Il-hwan’s eyes gleamed as he recalled what had just transpired.
He hadn’t expected anyone to figure out the purpose of this test so quickly.
It was astonishing that he had not only realized that this test wasn’t simply about lightness skill and map-reading, but also encompassed all of what they had learned from the Hall.
—The ban on killing or crippling others? Those are meant to force us to create overwhelming situations where we can subdue opponents without hurting them.
When he heard those words, Chu Il-hwan’s control over his homicidal impulse slipped and accidentally revealed his presence.
Typically, young martial artists of his age tended to blindly follow the explicitly stated conditions.
But the youngest Young Master had precisely identified the instructors’ intentions with terrifying accuracy.
The sight was so fascinating that Chu Il-hwan’s desire to toy with him grew.
“Phew.”
Barely suppressing the impulse, Chu Il-hwan once again began his pursuit, following the direction Il-mok’s group had taken.
‘Good grief, I should switch groups with another instructor next time.’
In fact, Chu Il-hwan wasn’t the only instructor shadowing the candidates using stealth techniques. Other instructors were also observing their assigned groups, ready to intervene in emergencies and evaluate performances.
***
Elsewhere, four disciples in black uniforms moved through the forest.
“Over there.”
The man leading the group, confirming the location on the scroll, pointed ahead. The others approached the indicated area and began searching the vicinity.
“Someone’s coming.”
At the low murmur from one who had sensed a presence, the gazes of the four focused on one spot. Two disciples belonging to another group were approaching.
“Tsk. Someone got here first.”
“Let’s go to another spot!”
Noticing the group, the two turned around and headed in a different direction.
As the group watched their retreating figures, one of the female disciples whispered something to her group.
“Did you see? Disciple Ju Seo-yeon had a token on her.”
“What does that matter? Aren’t we supposed to avoid combat?”
“So what? We can’t fight.”
“Think carefully. The instructor didn’t forbid combat—he said not to kill or cause crippling injuries.”
“!!”
“And Cadet Ju is ranked at the bottom even within the Lower Class. Four against two—with one being practically useless—we can subdue them without injuries.”
As soon as she finished speaking, greed flickered in the eyes of the four disciples.
They exchanged glances and, without a word, bolted towards the direction where Ju Seo-yeon and Choi Woong left.
The four quickly circled the two, forming a tight encirclement.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“We are forbidden from combat!”
Their questions were met not with words, but with violence..
“Haaah!”
The four unleashed a flurry of attacks, wielding swords, sabers, fists, and staffs, relentlessly pressing Choi Woong and Ju Seo-yeon.
“How dare you!”
Choi Woong, befitting as someone from the Upper Class, managed to withstand the combined assault of two opponents, but Ju Seo-yeon found herself increasingly overwhelmed.
She was only able to hold out because her opponents were trying to subdue her without causing injury.
Clang!
As her spear was deflected by one disciple’s saber, Ju Seo-yeon’s stance completely collapsed.
“Haaah!”
With a powerful shout, the woman who had been coordinating the attack extended her hand toward Ju Seo-yeon’s pressure point, employing a grappling technique.
Just as her fingers were about to strike Ju Seo-yeon’s paralysis point—
Swoosh!
Il-mok burst from a nearby bush, hurtling towards the woman with incredible speed.
From the moment the battle began, Il-mok had already deployed his stealth technique to the fullest, allowing him to close the distance without being noticed.
“Damn it!”
The man who had deflected Ju Seo-yeon’s spear cried out in alarm and swung his saber to help the woman.
Or at least, he thought he did.
Thud!
“Urgh!?”
He winced as a delayed jolt of pain shot through him from his paralyzing point. His body began to go numb, and his eyes frantically scanned his surroundings.
‘…When?’
It was then his gaze fell upon an arrow lying on the ground nearby. Its tip was deliberately blunted.