NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4 - Test Taker (1)
Chapter 4: Test Taker (1)
“Die? What do you mean I will die? Are you saying my Master intends to kill me if I fail?”
Whether I was shocked by this absurd situation or not, she remained characteristically composed.
Her voice, charming and melodious, flowed into my ears.
“How could the Lord and Savior of Ten Thousand Demons harm his own disciple?”
Yet, her heavenly voice was devoid of emotion, cold and detached.
“However, it is unthinkable that the disciple chosen by the Lord be incompetent. I, who have failed to properly guide that disciple, will forfeit my life.”
She spoke of her own death with chilling indifference.
No, not indifference. Deep within her seemingly emotionless eyes, a flicker of madness resided.
“Yet, even my death cannot wash away the transgression of having served an incompetent disciple.”
I had forgotten.
Before being my attendant, this woman of striking beauty and voice was first and foremost…
“If I am to die anyway, shouldn’t I erase the Supreme One’s shame by killing Young Master Il-mok and accepting the brand of heretic rather than letting you remain a stain?”
…was a fanatic, deeply indoctrinated into this dubious cult.
Her chillingly logical words felt like a splash of cold water to my head. My idyllic dreams of becoming a cult leader and living a life of luxury evaporated, leaving behind a clarity of mind.
“Then there’s no time to waste. First, what trials must I pass to enter this Demonic Path Academy?”
In short, I was back to being a student preparing for an exam.
Having endured the student life twice already—once in high school and again while studying for the civil service exam—this wasn’t particularly daunting. Well, except for the minor detail that failure this time meant losing my head.
However, the core objective remained the same: pass the exam.
And one of the most crucial aspects of preparing for any exam was strategy. Especially with a tight one-year deadline, I needed to devise the most efficient plan possible.
However, her response to my question was utterly baffling.
“You can’t. The Heavenly Demon has ordered rest for Young Master, and I must obey.”
Then she shouldn’t have threatened me with possible death in a year. It was an absurd sophistry.
Had I still been a civil servant or a waiter in that inn, I might have succumbed to such illogical arguments. But things were different now.
I might be on a one-year death sentence, but I was still the disciple of the cult leader this woman worshipped as a god. And I knew precisely the magic words to use when a subordinate was being difficult.
“So, if I rest today and fail the exam, will you take responsibility?”
—So, if this goes wrong, are you going to take responsibility?
The ultimate phrase of those shitheads from my past life. It was the very question that had plagued me endlessly in my past life, and now, ironically, it was coming from my own mouth.
Her response was delivered with an impassive expression. “As I said, if you fail, I will forfeit my life.”
She spoke as if offering a significant sacrifice, but her naivety was almost comical.
“Is this an issue that can be resolved by just one person like you dying? This concerns tarnishing the Cult Leader’s achievements. Are you saying it can be resolved with the life of a mere attendant? Truly, is Master’s reputation worth only that much to you?”
Do you think taking the fall alone will solve this?
Once this line of attack is deployed, no one can escape the clutches of responsibility.
And as I expected, her eyes trembled momentarily, as if she hadn’t anticipated this far.
“That is why I said I will bear the mark of a traitor to kill Young Master.”
She again resorted to threatening my life.
Once, this might have terrified me. But having already died once and having faced a trial from my Master, a far more dangerous individual, this threat held no weight to me.
“Hmph. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it mean Master made a foolish decision, assigning a traitor capable of murdering his disciple as that disciple’s attendant?”
“!!!”
Her eyes widened in a flash of realization.
But it was fleeting.
She became flustered, caught between prioritizing the Heavenly Demon’s order for me to rest and the urgency of my training.
Seeing she might fall into the martial artists’ infamous state of Qi Deviation if left alone, I offered her a way out.
“I’m not saying I want to start studying and training today. I simply want to understand the nature of the examination so I can formulate a plan. Wouldn’t sitting quietly and making plans count as a form of rest?”
After a moment’s contemplation, she finally raised the white flag.
“Young Master is correct.”
With a nod, she began to explain the Demonic Path Academy entrance examination.
“The Demonic Path Academy entrance examination consists of two stages. The first assesses martial arts proficiency through a duel with an instructor. The second evaluates faith through an interview with an instructor.”
The description reminded me of the police civil service exam.
‘So it’s basically an interview and physical fitness test.’
At least there wasn’t a written exam.
“Then I need to prepare for the interview and the duel.”
“Indeed, Young Master.”
“Can you tell me what kind of questions are asked in the interview?”
“Primarily, questions revolve around the doctrines, interpretations, laws, and history of our Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, as outlined in the ‘Secret Record of the Heavenly Demon,’ our sacred scripture.”
“So, I need to memorize the scriptures, the law books, and the history books.”
When Jin Hayeon shook her head at my words, I asked again.
“Are there other materials I need to study besides those three?”
“That’s not what I meant. Simply memorizing the scripture isn’t enough. You must deeply embrace the contents in your heart to truly understand its verses.”
Like a true zealot, she was spouting nonsensical rhetoric.
But as the disciple of a cult leader, I couldn’t exactly contradict her. I decided to play along.
“I understand. Regardless, can you tell me the approximate volume of these three texts combined?”
“Around five hundred pages.”
I nodded to myself.
‘The interview shouldn’t be a problem.’
Five hundred pages in a year. A thousand pages, counting both sides. Having memorized seven subjects for the Level 7 civil service exam, this was a paltry amount.
Since the interview portion seemed manageable, I asked her about the schedule regarding combat training.
“How will we proceed with training for the duel?”
“The Heavenly Demon himself will oversee your martial arts training. However, due to his busy schedule, he will only be available to instruct you once a day during the Hour of the Rooster (5 PM to 7 PM). Outside of those hours, I will teach you external techniques and serve as your sparring partner.”
After exchanging a few more questions and answers with her, I nodded and gave her instructions.
“Very well. Could you bring me some ink and paper?”
Without question, she bowed her head in her usual stoic manner. With the ink and paper she brought, I began jotting things down.
‘First, training time with Master is fixed. This is something I can’t change.’
If anything, it was similar to attending lectures during my exam preparation days. My master was the leader here, so his lessons were like those of a top-tier instructor.
I had to adapt to his schedule; I couldn’t skip his lessons to accommodate my own schedule.
[Hour of the Rooster (酉時) – Martial arts training with Master]
I wrote this in the middle of the blank page and then added entries above and below.
[Hour of the Hare (卯時, 5 AM – 7 AM) – Wake up, eat, cultivate internal energy]
[Hour of the Dragon, Hour of the Snake (辰時, 巳時, 7 AM – 11 AM) – Review and interview preparation]
[Hour of the Horse (午時, 11 AM – 1 PM) – Lunch and cultivate internal energy]
[Hour of the Goat (未時, 1 PM – 3 PM) – External martial arts training]
…
[Half Hour of the Pig (亥時 半, 9:30 PM -10:30 PM) – Review and sleep]
What I had written down was essentially a daily schedule.
There was a common saying among students: Instead of wasting time organizing your desk and making schedules, just open your books and study.
To a certain extent, it was true. It applied to those with extreme procrastination and a lack of willpower, those who couldn’t even begin studying.
But it didn’t apply to me. It wasn’t that my willpower was exceptional. With my life potentially on the line in a year, how could I lack willpower?
I created a schedule not for motivation but for efficiency. To survive the next year, I needed to optimize my every waking hour. Furthermore, I needed to form habits.
Humans are inherently lazy. Given the choice, most would prefer to do nothing but relax, barring a few workaholics or gym rats. Therefore, I needed to instill good habits while my willpower was strong and the threat to my life was fresh in my mind.
By following a set schedule for over a month, the body naturally adapts. Even when thoughts of laziness crept in, the body would automatically awaken and prepare for the day’s activities.
Jin Hayeon, observing my completed schedule, frowned.
“Is something the matter?”
“Contrary to your earlier question about responsibility, you seem rather relaxed.”
She pointed to the beginning and end of my schedule. “Are you confident you can pass the exam while sleeping for seven hours a day?”
“You speak foolishly. The examination is not tomorrow but a year from now. The body recovers through sleep, and the mind is no exception. Reducing sleep to study more might be effective for a day or two, but in the long run, studying with adequate rest is far more efficient.”
There were sayings among past examinees: Four hours of sleep, you pass; five hours, you fail. Or even more extreme: Three hours of sleep, you pass; four hours, you fail.
To put it bluntly, it was all nonsense.
Those only work for the ones who need to cram the night before the exam. For those who already completed the curriculum, you shouldn’t cut your sleeping hours as a clear and sharp mind is crucial during the exam.
Of course, a few rare individuals could function on minimal sleep. These outliers often tout their achievements as the result of reducing their sleep hours and hard work, perpetuating the myth that sacrificing sleep equates to diligence.
But for the vast majority, drastically reducing sleep only led to physical and mental deterioration, not adaptation.
That didn’t mean one should oversleep either.
For the body to recover, the optimal amount of sleep varies by individual but generally falls between six to eight hours. In particular, the period between 10 PM and 2 AM was said to be when the body recovers most effectively. Above all, maintaining a regular sleep schedule was crucial. Once the body becomes accustomed to specific sleeping and waking times, it naturally prepares itself, making it easier to achieve quality sleep.
These scientific reasons were why I had set exactly 10 PM to 5 AM as sleeping hours.
Studying should be approached scientifically.
However, such logic rarely resonated with fanatics.
“That is merely an excuse. If you truly believe in the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons and devote yourself entirely to the cult’s doctrines, you can achieve anything.”
She seemed to believe that fervent prayer and sleepless devotion to the Heavenly Demon would guarantee success.
Her delusional faith brought a wry smile to my face.
“And if I fail despite my devoutness, will you take responsibility?”
“…”
“No, according to your logic, if I just work haaard enough, I’ll pass the exam thanks to my Master’s grace. By the same length, if I fail, wouldn’t that be also my Master’s fault.”
“…”
After being momentarily stunned by this renewed question of responsibility, she coldly retorted
“Then, Young Master, can you take responsibility if your complacency leads to failure? Just as my life is insufficient to atone for besmirching the Heavenly Demon’s name, your death alone cannot erase the shame he would bear.”
I almost burst out laughing at her audacity.
How dare this novice who just learned about responsibility try to use that technique against someone who had been hammered with it for five years?
The ultimate counter to the responsibility argument:
“If you’re so opposed to my methods, let’s just quit. If you interfere with my plan and force me to stay awake when I need to sleep, I’ll simply give up on everything. We can just smear shit on my Master’s face and die together.”
In other words: I don’t give a flying fuck about it.