novelraw Chapter 178 : Four Tests
Chapter 178 : Four Tests
Chapter 178: Four Tests
Murong Yoo cautiously extended his hand. A soft sensation touched his hand and then fell away. As Murong Yoo stood there blankly, Paeng Yoo-ran looked ahead.
"Someone has appeared over there!"
Murong Yoo also looked ahead. He couldn't see.
"Not there, a little further. On the castle wall!"
When Murong Yoo raised his head, he could see a black dot. He couldn't tell if it was a person or not.
"Can you see that?"
He asked out of pure curiosity. He was by no means doubting whether she could really see it.
"Yeah! It's a man."
To Murong Yoo, it still just looked like a black dot. Just then, the black dot disappeared.
Fortunately, Paeng Yoo-ran told him the location of the black dot.
"He jumped off the castle wall. He jumped from that high place, but when he landed, there was no sound. Not even dust rose. Amazing!"
Paeng Yoo-ran, with her eyes shining with curiosity, continued to explain.
"No one had noticed that person until he jumped off the castle wall, but now other people are starting to notice him."
But how did you notice?
And by this point, Murong Yoo could tell the changes that had occurred here at a glance without needing any explanation.
People naturally part around the person wearing the black martial arts uniform.
The person wearing the black clothes looks around. Then he looks up at the sky. When the sun is exactly in the center of the sky, he takes a deep breath and opens his mouth.
"It's time. I hope you all get out of the circle on your own."
A circle? Where is that? At the same time as having that question, he felt that something had happened to the space here.
And looking around, a large hemispherical circle that enveloped the entire space had been created.
"Wow! Can you do this with a qi barrier? How outstanding must your internal energy control be to be able to do this!"
At Paeng Yoo-ran's exclamation, Murong Yoo knew that this was a kind of qi barrier. But Murong Yoo thought that what was surrounding them now was something a little more advanced than a qi barrier.
Anyway, it was just a feeling.
What would a third-rate know?
And a surprising thing was happening.
Except for the children around the age of 10, everyone had automatically moved outside the qi barrier.
Those who had experienced the unknown experience of teleportation were bewildered.
On the other hand, some of them, who knew something about what had happened to them, had a look of half fear and half awe.
The person who was the cause of all this opened his mouth.
"From now on, we will hold the kindergarten entrance exam. You will be given a total of 4 chances. If you pass even one of these 4 tests, you will be eligible to enter the kindergarten. However, if you fail all 4, you will be eliminated and excluded from this place. Then."
The person wearing the black clothes turns around.
He walks towards the huge castle gate.
"This is the first test. If you open this door and go in, you pass."
And he sat down on a chair placed in front of the castle.
* * *
The children who were suddenly left alone were flustered.
There were children who showed tears of fear due to the absence of adults to lead them, and there were also children who quickly accepted the current situation and moved on to the next.
In Murong Yoo's case, it was neither the former nor the latter. If he had to choose, it would be a situation closer to the former.
As things beyond his cognitive range happened one after another, Murong Yoo's thoughts stopped.
Fortunately, Paeng Yoo-ran, who was called a prodigy in the martial world, was with Murong Yoo now.
"Let's go!"
Murong Yoo's question to Paeng Yoo-ran, who was speaking abruptly, was natural.
"Where?"
"The black-clothed mister over there said it. If you want to pass, open that door and go in!"
He did say that. But a person has common sense.
Murong Yoo looked at the door once again.
He didn't know who had made it, but it looked really stupidly made.
Its size was larger than a decent house, and the entire door was made of iron, so it looked heavy at a glance.
Besides, it was rusty here and there, as if it hadn't been used for at least a few years.
At least ten or more adult men would have to rush at it to barely move it, and a mere 10-year-old child was supposed to open it alone?
A situation where it was highly doubtful whether the place called the Divine Cult was full of only psychopaths.
Murong Yoo followed Paeng Yoo-ran and approached the door. No! All the children here gathered in front of the door.
No one challenged first. Everyone was just watching.
Just then, a child strode forward. He was so big that it was hard to believe he was 10 years old.
'Isn't he lying about his age?'
To the point where he was suspected.
"Hmph! You just have to open that, right?"
The big child stood in front of the door. Then the man in black sitting on the chair opened his mouth.
"Are you going to challenge?"
"Of course! For me, Hwangsan Daeho, this is a piece of cake! I've never lost in a strength contest since I was a child!"
A huge tiger living in Hwangsan.
Murong Yoo, at the harm brought by the martial world's nickname, closed his eyes tightly and showed his embarrassment.
Because he himself had been calling himself Murong Geom-ryong or something until a few years ago.
If he hadn't realized his foolishness back then and had continued until now, he would also have been acting like the Hwangsan Daeho in front of him.
-Nice to meet you. I'm Murong Geom-ryong.
-Uh, uh. I'm Paeng Yoo-ran.
-Tsk, tsk. To introduce yourself with your name instead of your nickname, you are disqualified as a martial artist.
-Uh, uh. Work hard. Then goodbye.
-Is that all your greeting to me?
-Yeah. Good work.
Just thinking about it makes his head heat up.
"Hey, over there. Is there any special reward for the first person to pass?"
"Originally, there isn't, but for being the first to challenge, I will specially use my authority as an instructor and give you one thing."
The man in black looked around and opened his mouth.
"The first person to pass will be given the opportunity to choose first in the next gate."
At the sudden reward, some children's eyes shone.
"Yoo! There's a next gate too!"
"I know."
'I don't think I can even pass the first gate.'
Paeng Yoo-ran was somewhat excited.
"Hmph! The next gate! Interesting! I, Hwangsan Daeho, will be the first to see what awaits behind this!"
Hwangsan Daeho, who had stood in front of the huge iron gate bravely, put both his hands on the door, let out a huge shout, and pushed the door.
"Tah!"
The door did not budge.
Hwangsan Daeho, who had tilted his head slightly, pushed the door once again.
"Tah!"
The door was still the same.
"Huh? Why isn't this working? Tah!"
Once again.
"Ugh!"
And again.
"Ugh!"
By this point, he even looked a little pitiful.
Sniffle, sniffle.
The brave appearance he had shown earlier was gone, and Hwangsan Daeho, with tears in his eyes and his shoulders drooping, fell away from the door.
The instructor said to such a Hwangsan Daeho, short and thick.
"You've failed. Choose. Whether you will stay and take the next challenge, or you will quit here."
Hwangsan Daeho wiped his tears and asked.
"Is the next gate as difficult as this one?"
His tone had suddenly become very polite. Originally, that must have been Hwangsan Daeho's true appearance. That's a relief. Although it's a bit late, it seems he has also come to his senses. Just like that, he couldn't be a more polite tiger.
"It will be more difficult than this, but not easier."
Hwangsan Daeho, who had been thinking for a long time, said.
"I will challenge."
"Then, go over there and wait until this test is over. Ah!"
The instructor, as if he had thought of something, looked back at us and continued.
"The test is until the sun sets. Those who have not challenged by then will be automatically eliminated, so keep that in mind."
After Hwangsan Daeho, several more children challenged, but they all failed.
Perhaps this test was made to make everyone fail.
As a way to show the dignity of the Divine Cult.
Murong Yoo, looking at Paeng Yoo-ran next to him, said.
"Yoo-ran, aren't you going to challenge?"
If it were someone else, it would be different, but if it were Paeng Yoo-ran, the possessor of the four-divine power, she might be able to pass this test.
"The real ones haven't moved yet."
"The real ones?"
"Yeah. It's good to pass first and get the right to choose for the next gate that the instructor mentioned earlier, but I think it's better to see the skills of the people you will be competing with in the future."
And she winks at me.
"Yoo, the same goes for you. The person I'm most curious about among these is you. The only participant from the Murong Family, which is called the best family under the heavens. Of course, the fact that I want to be friends is my complete sincerity."
I'm grateful for the expectation. But I had nothing to show Paeng Yoo-ran.
"It's hard for me to say, but I'm probably not a big deal."
Murong Yoo, upon seeing the first test, realized. That he had no chance of passing the remaining three tests, including this one.
"I'm sorry, but I hope you give up that expectation. I'm not a person you can expect much from. If there is..."
Thump.
A child had arrived in front of the door.
The instructor, who had been dozing off because there had been no challengers for a while, opened one eye and asked.
"Are you going to challenge?"
The child nodded briefly.
"Yes."
The child puts his hand on the door.
There was no particular shout or loud preparation movement.
With his hand pressed against the door, he lightly takes a step and moves forward.
Creak.
Then the door, which had not moved at all, moved for the first time.
Soon, when it was open enough for just one person to pass, the child said to the instructor.
"Did I pass?"
The instructor grinned and answered.
"You passed. As I said before, I will give you the right to choose first specially."
"Thank you."
The child, as if he were not very happy, nodded and went inside. And the door closed again.
"Did you see?"
At the question, Murong Yoo nodded.
"Yeah."
He saw. How that child had opened the door just now. And what this test was trying to see.
At the same time, Murong Yoo realized that he could not pass the first test even if he died and came back.
'This test is not a test that can be solved with simple, stupid strength.'
In the first place, that huge iron gate was designed so that it could not be opened with stupid strength.
Like the child who had passed first just now.
'When he put his hand on the iron gate and sent his internal energy, the iron gate moved on its own.'
Perhaps the amount of internal energy needed to move the door is 10 years' worth.
If you grew up in an ordinary martial family.
If you had diligently accumulated internal energy day by day.
If you were lucky and had eaten a spiritual medicine or had received something like a bone-washing and marrow-cleansing.
A level that can be easily reached.
However, that would not be all that was needed to open that iron gate.
Someone approaches the iron gate. It seems he has realized something after seeing the previous child pass.
"Are you going to challenge?"
"Yes."
The child puts his hand on the door and operates his internal energy.
Then, an amount of internal energy that far exceeded 10 years' worth was felt from the child.
An expectant expression was on the child's face. However, it did not take long for that expression to be tinged with bewilderment.
"Huh?"
The iron gate that did not budge.
The instructor's following words.
"Failed!"
In other words, it was proven that just having internal energy was not enough.
Something more than internal energy was needed. And that something would only be known after facing the iron gate directly.
The sun was already setting.
The children, without exception, continued to challenge. And now, only two were left.
"Then I'll go first."
"Yeah."
Paeng Yoo-ran stood in front of the iron gate. She pushed the iron gate using only her strength, without using any internal energy.
"Tah!"
Rumble.
The iron gate moved.
Could that be opened with just strength?
After a while, Paeng Yoo-ran gasps for breath.
Although the iron gate had moved a little, it was not open enough for a person to pass.
"Stupid. But impressive. Failed!"
"Hehe. As expected, it can't be done with just strength."
Paeng Yoo-ran, scratching her head, headed to the place where the failed people were.
When Paeng Yoo-ran's eyes met Murong Yoo, she sticks out her tongue.
"Are you the last one?"
"Yes!"
Murong Yoo stood in front of the iron gate.
And Murong Yoo pushed with all his might.
"Welcome."
"Uh..."
He was now with her.
The first test.
The number of challengers was 3,000.
The number of passers was only 100.
The total number of failures was 2,900.
The number of withdrawals was 1,000.
The final number of survivors so far was 1,900.
* * *
The second test was about simple strength.
"If you lift the iron bar in front of you, you pass. If you can't, you fail."
Paeng Yoo-ran passed the second one.
The number of passers was 100, as before.
The number of withdrawals was 500.
And then the third test.
"What you see in front of you now is an iron-hard tree. It's not steel, but it has a comparable strength. It doesn't matter what means you use. Cut this iron-hard tree."
Murong Yoo chose a sword among the various prepared equipment and swung it with all his might.
The number of passers was 100.
The number of withdrawals was 300.
The number of survivors so far was 1,000.
And now, the fourth test.
The instructor said
"Seeing that you've come this far after failing the previous tests, you must be trash.”
(End of Chapter)