Chapter 20
"This is already the second time I'm saying this."
"Congratulations."
After the sword landed in the blood-soaked plaza...
An eerie peace returned to the Dark Demon Well.
Perhaps the Dark Demon Corps understood that no one had slept during the night.
They gave everyone roughly four hours to rest.
When the trainees returned...
Jo Gyun's harsh voice greeted them again.
There were far fewer people now.
And unlike before...
The survivors listened with disciplined postures.
"You have now moved beyond being better trash."
"You are carefully selected trash."
Jo Gyun looked across them.
"Under the light of the Sacred Moon, I officially declare that everyone gathered here has passed the entrance examination of the Dark Demon Well."
"This time, you're allowed to be happy."
"F-finally!"
"So last night really was a test!"
"Damn it! We survived!"
"OOOOOOOH!"
For once...
Jo Gyun's tone was slightly relaxed.
So the bloodbath from the previous night had indeed been another entrance trial.
"Enough."
"From this point onward, official Dark Demon Well training begins."
"Until now, you competed against one another."
"From here onward, growth is the priority."
"From this moment, killing another trainee outside an assigned mission is forbidden."
"Break that rule and you will be expelled immediately."
The joy vanished almost instantly.
Still...
There was something reassuring in that.
At least now...
They didn't have to sleep with their lives constantly hanging by a thread.
Or so I thought.
"Of course..."
Jo Gyun smiled unpleasantly.
"Accidents during training are excluded."
That single sentence destroyed the sense of relief.
This was still the Dark Demon Well.
"Still, you passed the entrance test."
"You deserve something for it."
"From now on, the Demon Prison Rings may be removed."
"And based on your performance in the first two trials..."
"Rewards will be distributed."
Faces brightened again.
The Dark Demon Corps warriors moved immediately.
Large ranking sheets were posted on the wall.
Each surviving trainee's name was listed...
Along with a grade based on both trials.
"Rewards differ by grade."
"A-grade."
"B-grade."
"C-grade."
"The pills you receive and the level of the scripture repository you may enter will differ."
"However, grades can change."
"Your future evaluations may raise or lower them."
"Train accordingly."
The moment Jo Gyun finished...
Everyone rushed toward the rankings.
Ma Hapji and I moved forward too.
I quickly found my name.
Fortunately...
My initial grade was...
A-grade.
Yes!
I needed many things.
A proper cultivation method.
Movement techniques.
Lightness skills.
Anything I couldn't access in the modern world.
People said the Dark Demon Well was a place of opportunity.
Apparently...
I was one of those people.
I celebrated inwardly.
I'd seen this method of controlling groups countless times.
Divide people into ranks.
Give different rewards.
Show them that advancement is possible.
Achievement-based rewards and the hope of promotion.
One of the best methods for controlling large groups.
The military used it constantly.
I'd fallen for it many times before.
And even knowing exactly what was happening...
I fell for it again.
Familiar flavors were still good.
"Oh."
Ma Hapji smiled.
"Both Third Young Master and Fifth Young Master are A-grade."
"What about Brother Ma?"
"Hahaha. Embarrassing as it is, this Ma has also received A-grade."
"Six A-grades total."
"You, me, Fifth Young Master..."
"The other three names are unfamiliar."
There were six people in the highest grade.
Outside the three of us...
I didn't recognize the rest.
That meant the Southeast Asian man I'd been watching...
Na Gak...
Had failed to make A-grade.
The competition here was harsher than expected.
"If you've checked, return to your positions."
"Step forward when your name is called."
"You'll receive a pill and have the Demon Prison Ring removed."
"Afterward, you'll be led to the scripture repository corresponding to your grade."
"Dismissed."
"Understood!"
Thud! Thud!
Now they finally had the formal title of trainees.
Maybe that changed something.
Everyone responded sharply to Jo Gyun.
Then...
In order...
They stepped forward.
Each person received a small wooden box.
And their Demon Prison Ring was removed.
Finally.
The moment the ring came off my wrist...
My entire body felt incredibly light.
Heukrang's presence inside me also became vivid again.
Apparently, he felt liberated too.
He stretched dramatically inside the mental space.
The first thing I did...
Was circulate my internal energy.
I wanted to confirm whether the poison from last night had truly been converted into internal energy.
Until now...
Heukrang's changed appearance had only given me a suspicion.
But once I circulated the energy...
I became certain.
My internal energy increased.
It really had.
The poison had actually transformed into internal energy.
Roughly five years' worth.
Sitting comfortably inside my dantian.
My theory was correct.
You amazing bastard.
Tonight you get a feast.
The pill and proper meditation too.
Heukrang wagged his tail happily.
Maybe he'd already smelled the pill in my hand.
I was curious too.
What kind of pill had the Dark Demon Well given us as our first reward?
I returned quietly to my place and opened the box.
The pill inside was smaller than the Demon Spirit Pill.
Its fragrance was also weaker.
"Oh."
Ma Hapji, who had received the same thing, recognized it immediately.
"A Demon Essence Pill."
"Hahaha."
"I never thought I'd receive something this precious."
The Demon Essence Pill.
One of the most valuable elixirs of the Divine Cult...
Below only the Demon God Pill and Demon Spirit Pill.
Because I'd started with a Demon Spirit Pill...
My standards had become a little unreasonable.
Still...
This was more than enough.
Unlike ordinary people...
I had Heukrang.
Others might lose a portion of the energy while refining it.
I could absorb the entire fifteen years of cultivation.
And this was only the beginning.
According to what I'd heard...
There would be more pills later.
