Chapter 23: Thousand-Day Pass (1)

The person credited with uncovering the recent incident was none other than the Young Cult Leader, Cheon Yura.

As a member of the Cheon Clan and the Young Cult Leader, she had taken the lead and was praised by many of the cult’s followers for her initiative.

And I, Jin Yeomyung, also gained recognition as the one who supported her efforts…

“What did you just say?”

Jin Gun-ak, the Patriarch of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, who should have been the happiest about this, was now glaring at me with a fearsome expression.

“I said I want to join the Thousand-Day Pass.”

“You crazy bastard!”

Bang!

Jin Gun-ak slammed the desk in front of him so hard it shattered.

“Are you seriously out of your mind? Do you even know what the Thousand-Day Pass is?!”

Despite his fury, I answered with confidence.

“Isn’t it the cult’s training institution? A place where one can devote themselves entirely to training and education for three years to become a warrior of the cult.”

“You should be entering the Demon Dragon Hall!”

This was exactly why Jin Gun-ak was enraged.

“Why would the eldest son of the Jin Clan go to a place where only lowly people end up?!”

“……”

The Thousand-Day Pass.

As the name implied, it was a training institute where one received education for a thousand days, meant to nurture the cult’s talents.

But in contrast to its recognition as one of the cult’s two main training institutions, its actual reputation was far from stellar.

Compared to the Demon Dragon Hall, the perception of the Thousand-Day Pass was much like how Jin Gun-ak had just described it.

“The merit you achieved this time is enormous. That alone could elevate the Six Demonic Dragons into the Seven!”

Being the head of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, Jin Gun-ak had a fair understanding of what had happened at Hidden Trace Manor.

Namely, that I assisted Cheon Yura and confronted a peak-level master, if only briefly.

I figured the elders of the other six clans probably knew this as well.

“If you enter the Demon Dragon Hall, you’ll immediately become the center of attention. Depending on your actions, many will naturally follow you!”

That was Jin Gun-ak’s real motive.

The Demon Dragon Hall was the ‘true’ elite institution where the children of the cult’s upper echelons gathered. In other words, it trained the next generation of leaders for the cult.

If I could build relationships with those people and draw them into our faction, it would be of immense benefit in the future.

On the other hand, the Thousand-Day Pass was a place that trained ‘field personnel’ and ‘practical workers’—those who would eventually support the talents graduating from the Demon Dragon Hall.

In essence, it was a place that raised the grunts and gofers, to put it crudely.

From both a practical and a prideful standpoint, Jin Gun-ak couldn’t accept my decision.

But I had made up my mind about the Thousand-Day Pass long ago.

“Patriarch, communicating with the elites of the Demon Dragon Hall is something Yeowoon is more than capable of. There’s no need for me to step in.”

My younger brother, Jin Yeowoon, had already entered the Demon Dragon Hall.

He earned a place among the Six Demonic Dragons by proving himself as the unrivaled top student of his current cohort.

With that level of influence, there was no need for me to get involved in recruiting talent.

“That alone doesn’t justify your choice to go to the Thousand-Day Pass.”

Jin Gun-ak scoffed.

“Besides, you’re currently undergoing an engagement process with the Young Cult Leader. The Thousand-Day Pass is notoriously hard to leave once you enter. The Cheon Clan may take issue with that.”

Hmm, this wasn’t going to be easy.

I had a feeling convincing Jin Gun-ak would be harder than expected.

“That wouldn’t be an issue as long as you lend me a little support, Patriarch.”

“Hmph, and why should I?”

“Because with your support, I’ll be able to extract the talents from the Thousand-Day Pass far more easily.”

“You’re seriously going there just to snatch up those nobodies?”

“They’re not nobodies.”

No matter how dense he may act, he was still the head of one of the Six Great Demonic Clans.

There was no way he was saying this out of ignorance.

“With the Jin Clan’s standing, we could probably bring in above-average talent from the Thousand-Day Pass. But if we want the truly exceptional ones, even a major clan like ours needs to get involved directly.”

“Hmm.”

Jin Gun-ak didn’t refute that.

Because it was true!

I pressed forward with a persuasive tone.

“I’ll scoop up every one of them before they can fall into the hands of the Ma Clan or the Pa Clan. Please trust me.”

For Jin Gun-ak, the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan and the Pa Clan were not just sore spots but also highly effective pressure points.

“If the Jin Clan wants to become the foremost among the Six Great Demonic Clans, then strengthening our internal manpower is the most crucial step. Let’s be honest—those top students in the Demon Dragon Hall aren’t likely to come to us, are they?”

“Kuh-hum! Well, that’s true.”

Everyone entering the Demon Dragon Hall had their own clans. Even if they didn’t, the best of the best almost always ended up going to the Cheon Clan—not the Jin Clan.

“As I said, Yeowoon alone is enough to build connections in the Demon Dragon Hall. I’ll bring in the ones who’ll carry the next generation of the Jin Clan from the Thousand-Day Pass.”

“Are you confident?”

Jin Gun-ak’s expression slowly began to ease.

“I heard Ma Chulsoo from the Ma Clan graduated from the Thousand-Day Pass just last year. He may be of a different mold, but surely his goal was the same.”

Ma Chulsoo was the second son of the Ma Clan, but he was seriously aiming for dominance within the clan.

Yet blocked by the eldest son’s interference, he found it difficult to expand his power internally, so he turned his gaze outward—to the Thousand-Day Pass for external talent recruitment.

And by all accounts, it had been a relative success.

“You don’t seriously think I’d fall short compared to Ma Chulsoo, do you?”

“Kuahaha! Of course not!”

At last, Jin Gun-ak laughed heartily and nodded.

“But are you really sure? The Demon Dragon Hall isn’t just a place for networking. The quality of education is definitely higher.”

I gave a small inward laugh.

This was his way of saying, “I tried to stop you until the end, but you insisted on going.”

Despite his appearance, Jin Gun-ak was an extremely political man.

Even if it was between father and son.

“I don’t believe the Demon Dragon Hall teaches better martial arts than our clan.”

“Of course not.”

“In the end, it all comes down to actual combat. Since the Thousand-Day Pass includes real-life missions, I believe its environment is even better suited for improving practical skills.”

Of course, there was also a higher chance of dying or getting crippled during those ‘missions.’

But it wasn’t like Jin Gun-ak would be genuinely worried about that.

“Fine. If you’re that determined, I won’t object any further.”

“I thank you for your gracious approval, Patriarch.”

Regardless of his true feelings, I offered a respectful thanks.

***

As soon as Jin Gun-ak gave his approval, I submitted my application to the Thousand-Day Pass.

The Thousand-Day Pass typically operated on a quarterly enrollment system, with a maximum of around one hundred trainees per batch.

It had been a couple of months since they accepted the first-quarter cohort, so the announcement for the second-quarter trainees would be posted soon.

Naturally, the news that I was entering the Thousand-Day Pass shocked a lot of people.

“The Thousand-Day Pass? Are you out of your mind, brother?”

“…You too?”

“What do you mean, ‘you too’?”

I replied with a tired expression.

“More than ten people asked me today if I’ve gone insane—or said something to that effect.”

“Well, of course. A direct descendant of the Six Great Demonic Clans going there? Even branch families get labeled as fallen if they enter that place.”

From the senior members of the Jin Clan to my peers from other clans I had some acquaintance with—even those connected to our clan sent people to confirm the rumor.

“Most people think you’ve been exiled. Honestly, if the Patriarch hadn’t told me himself, I’d have thought the same.”

Jin Yeowoon glared at me, arms crossed, clearly displeased.

“Frankly, I don’t mind if you’re stepping away from the heir position. That’s a win for me. But the Thousand-Day Pass? That’s just too lowly, even for that.”

His frustration was valid.

From the viewpoint of someone who was practically the next Patriarch of the Jin Clan, seeing someone like me—his only real competition—appear to be falling from grace must’ve been a bit unsettling.

But there was one thing Jin Yeowoon misunderstood.

“Little brother, listen closely.”

“…?”

“The Thousand-Day Pass wasn’t always a place to be looked down upon like this. You know that its founder was the First Heavenly Demon, don’t you?”

“Yeah… I do.”

In terms of history, the Thousand-Day Pass predates the Demon Dragon Hall by at least a few hundred years.

“In fact, the Demon Dragon Hall was established as an alternative after the harsh real-world training at the Thousand-Day Pass resulted in mass deaths among upper-class descendants.”

And after that incident, the Thousand-Day Pass began to reduce the intensity of its training.

In exchange, it added practical education beyond martial arts, cultivating individuals who could contribute in a wider range of fields.

“What I’m aiming for… is the Thousand-Day Pass of the past.”

“Of the past?”

“The one that produced battle-hardened warriors obsessed with martial arts. If I can survive that kind of curriculum, my martial prowess will advance considerably. At the very least, it’ll be better than wasting time awkwardly in the Demon Dragon Hall.”

Honestly, there were just too many complications in the Demon Dragon Hall.

With so many high-ranking family members attending, countless factions formed both directly and indirectly.

The moment I stepped into that place, I’d be entangled in that web—willingly or not.

Jin Yeowoon looked at me with suspicion.

“Why are you so obsessed with martial arts? It’s not like you’re aiming to become the Patriarch, right?”

“It’s for my goal.”

“What kind of goal?”

“At the very least… it’s not to become the head of the Jin Clan.”

Tap.

I lightly tapped Jin Yeowoon on the shoulder.

“Little brother.”

“Why are you looking at me with those creepy eyes?”

He looked as if he couldn’t breathe.

“I need to get stronger.”

“Well, obviously.”

“There’s a massive storm coming. Don’t ignore what I’ve taught you—make sure you put it into practice.”

Jin Yeowoon had already achieved impressive results befitting his talent, but that didn’t mean he had no weaknesses.

One of the biggest problems was his reduced flexibility due to neglecting the Demonic Body Techniques.

In the short time I had, I taught him several things he needed to fix.

Surprisingly, he accepted my teachings more readily than expected—perhaps he held me in higher regard than I thought.

At least when it came to theory, I was confident I could hold my own even in a debate with a peak-level master.

And perhaps something I said resonated with him, because he asked:

“Brother… what are you aiming for?”

“There’s no need for you to know that yet.”

“…”

“But if you keep improving, eventually you’ll understand what I meant.”

I did plan to stop what was coming—if I could.

But no matter how much of the future I knew, could I really control the world?

Endless butterfly effects and variables would eventually come back to bite me.

All I could do was prepare to block those variables when the time came.

***

Thousand-Day Pass, Hundred-Refinement Peak.

“Ugh! Haaaargh!”

Baek Sang-ah, the first trainee of the Thousand-Day Pass’s 1080th cohort—and the first cohort of the year—was going through hell right now.

“You’re too slow! You damn slugs!”

From far below, a one-eyed instructor wearing an eyepatch bellowed at the trainees climbing the cliff.

“Don’t let your thighs or waist go slack! Either you conquer this peak or fall to your deaths—those are your only two futures!”

Every trainee in the cohort cursed the instructor below.

In truth, for a first-rate martial artist, something like climbing a cliff wasn’t impossible—it just required some stamina.

The real problem was that one slip meant death.

At the base of the cliff, right where the trainees had started, countless iron spikes and blades were densely embedded in the ground.

If it were just solid ground, one might protect themselves with internal energy and escape with only shattered bones, but this… this meant certain death.

She let out a very faint scream.

“You crazy, demonic cult bastaaaaards!”

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