Chapter 28: Thousand-Day Pass (6)

The first day dawned after entering the Thousand-Day Pass.

“Everyone, take one of these.”

A bald middle-aged man appeared on the training grounds, introducing himself as Jang Deuk-soo, a senior instructor of the Thousand-Day Pass.

Through him, all ninety-eight trainees, including myself, received a book without exception.

The title on the cover read: ‘Smoldering Demon Art’.

‘What is this?’

Everyone tilted their heads in confusion.

Jang Deuk-soo grinned as he added, “It’s a basic demonic art from the Yang Strength lineage. Every single one of you must learn it.”

“We’re supposed to learn this?”

Naturally, objections burst forth immediately.

“Instructor, all the trainees here have already been learning their own martial arts from their respective clans or sects.”

“Oh really? Then you don’t have to learn it.”

“…What?”

A sneer formed on Jang Deuk-soo’s face.

“If you want to freeze to death in a few months, I don’t care whether you learn it or not. Go ahead, it’s your choice.”

“……”

The trainee who had raised the objection quickly shut his mouth.

Jang Deuk-soo glared at the other trainees who had rebellious looks in their eyes.

“The weather might still be warm enough to endure for now. But have you forgotten where you are, you little brats?”

The murmuring atmosphere around us instantly fell silent at those words.

“The Thousand-Day Pass is a world ruled by the law of the jungle. The only uniform you’ll be issued is the martial robe you’re wearing now. When winter comes, you’ll have to take care of all your clothing needs by yourselves!”

“……!”

Many of the trainees widened their eyes in shock.

Ten Thousand Mountain was one of the most Yin-rich lands in the central plains.

It was filled with snowy peaks that hadn’t melted even now.

“In other words…”

While many were still opening and closing their mouths, I raised my hand.

“You’re saying it’s fine for us to walk around in fur clothes during the winter?”

“Of course, if you have the ability.”

Jang Deuk-soo nodded.

“But that ability does not include your family’s help, Jin Yeomyung.”

He issued a warning.

“Even just outside the Thousand-Day Pass, there are wild beasts that even seasoned First-rate Martial Artists struggle with. A few years ago, a spirit beast even appeared.”

“A sp-spirit beast?!”

Though spirit beasts were considered a delicacy among martial artists, unless it was a newborn, even groups of skilled fighters would struggle to hunt one.

It wasn’t just their physical prowess—spirit beasts dominated their territory like their own backyard, and commanded nearby animals as their subordinates. They were adept at both escaping and pack hunting.

‘Ah, I heard about that one. Was it a giant silver tiger? The Demon-Soaking Unit tried to capture it, but over ten of them died, and they failed, right?’

The incident had such a ripple effect that the head of the Demon-Soaking Unit had been replaced due to that failure.

Was that around here?

“Needless to say, if it’s discovered that you used your clan’s power for anything training-related, you’ll be expelled immediately. Understood?”

“Of course. Understood.”

I met Jang Deuk-soo’s gaze and smiled back.

“Good. In the afternoon, the training room will be open. Those who want to use it must apply directly to me after the daily schedule.”

“So, learning this demonic art isn’t part of today’s schedule?”

At a trainee’s question, Jang Deuk-soo frowned.

“Of course not. That’s the most basic of basics. Did you think we’d set aside time to help you learn a mere foundational technique, not even an advanced demonic art?”

As soon as he finished speaking, over a dozen instructors appeared around us.

On their backs were massive round boulders stacked like mountains.

Gulp.

Some of the trainees, realizing what those rocks were for, swallowed hard.

“This cohort seems full of weaklings.”

Thud! Thud!

The instructors carefully stacked the boulders on the training grounds.

Then they handed ropes to the trainees and said:

“Alright, pick one each.”

W-What?

Just as the trainees tried to mentally escape from reality—

“For the next two months, your sole focus will be basic physical training.”

And the tools for that basic physical training were right before our eyes.

“Welcome to the Thousand-Day Pass, you little brats.”

The trainees’ faces turned pale yellow.

* * *

“G-Graaah!”

“Ugh! P-Please, I’m dying…”

“You won’t die from that. Don’t be a baby.”

The physical training that began on the first day of the Thousand-Day Pass didn’t end until noon.

Though the training only lasted around four hours, not a single trainee remained standing afterward.

Cluck, cluck.

Some of the instructors clicked their tongues disapprovingly, but no one dared to protest.

We had been hauling boulders the size of adult torsos for nearly half a day—if anyone had energy left after that, that would be strange!

‘D-Damn, I’m gonna die.’

I too felt my consciousness fading as I gasped for air.

Though I’d started working on my stamina after coming to this life, just a few months of training was nowhere near enough.

‘If it were that muscle pig Yeowoon, he’d probably be laughing as he carried even more.’

If it were Jin Yeowoon, that muscle freak, he would’ve probably laughed while asking the instructors if they had heavier rocks.

Just imagining it made my eyes crinkle in irritation.

‘Damn it. I’m the older brother—I can’t be outdone by my little brother in anything!’

Still, perhaps thanks to being from the Jin Clan, my stamina was recovering quickly.

‘No doubt about it. This is a blessed body.’

In about three more minutes, I’d have the strength to lift the rock again.

“Listen while you rest.”

At that moment, Jang Deuk-soo addressed the exhausted trainees.

“Some of you might already know, but the Thousand-Day Pass training program is divided into five stages.”

He raised one finger.

“The first is the physical training and basic demonic art practice you’re doing now.”

This was an essential component to endure the harsh environment of the Thousand-Day Pass and its surrounding area.

“After about two months, you’ll be grouped into teams of eleven to learn the basics of team combat.”

In the Heavenly Demon Cult, being a martial artist meant you were always part of a group.

All battles in the cult were assumed to be group battles, and learning this was the most fundamental of basics.

“And before moving on to the third stage, you’ll be given a choice.”

That choice was a career path—one that would determine the course of your entire life.

“Will you take the mid-level martial officer exam for the cult, or will you give up martial arts and head down the path of an administrative role?”

Mid-level martial officer.

To me, it wasn’t anything significant. But passing that exam granted you a basic salary from the cult.

And more importantly, it gave you eligibility to apply for the Thirty-Four Demon Squads—the official combat divisions of the cult.

In the Heavenly Demon Cult, this eligibility itself was essentially what separated the haves and the have-nots. Heirs from lesser clans or sects would go all out trying to pass that mid-level officer exam to gain status.

Of course, merely passing the exam wasn’t nearly enough to get accepted into the Thirty-Four Demon Squads, but still—

Jang Deuk-soo looked at the trainees with a flicker of envy in his eyes.

“You lot are lucky. Especially those aiming for administrative roles.”

“Why’s that, sir?”

“You all know that the Four Great Halls were recently reorganized into the Five Great Halls, right?”

Many nodded.

Not knowing that would be the same as openly admitting you were a spy.

“The Heavenly Thunder Corps has been actively recruiting administrative staff. As part of that, the Thousand-Day Pass has been allowed to recommend up to three candidates from each cohort until next year.”

“……!!”

“In other words, three of you here could enter the Heavenly Thunder Corps.”

“O-Ohhhh!”

Cheers erupted from many of the trainees.

The Heavenly Thunder Corps was one of the Five Great Halls that sat atop the Heavenly Demon Cult’s organizational hierarchy, alongside the Nine Demon Halls and Seventeen Parties.

Though it had been founded relatively recently and hadn’t yet amassed the prestige of the older divisions, it was nonetheless one of the Five Great Halls—and a direct path to power and success.

Even someone like me, who started from a very different position than the others, felt intrigued.

‘Tempting.’

Though, the kind of intrigue I felt was of a very different nature from the others.

‘Wouldn’t this be the perfect chance to infiltrate the Heavenly Thunder Corps without raising suspicion?’

The Heavenly Thunder Corps had been one of the main culprits in ruining the cult after the current Cult Leader’s death.

They hadn’t been directly tied to the traitors—but from what I’d seen, the only thing missing was proof.

‘Even if they hadn’t betrayed the cult, the Heavenly Thunder Corps is a cancer that needs to be excised.’

Near the end of Cheon Yura’s reign, the power of the Heavenly Thunder Corps had even eclipsed the Elder Council.

Even the Six Great Demonic Clans had to tread carefully around them—need I say more?

Balance had collapsed.

The cult began to rot from the inside, and ultimately, it was Demonic Faction Lord Han Mubaek who struck the final blow, toppling the cult.

‘Well… that’s something to think about later.’

I had just entered the Thousand-Day Pass—far too early to decide on a path.

What I needed to focus on now were two things.

First, increasing my own combat ability.

And second, identifying the culprit behind the upcoming assassination incident that would occur within the Thousand-Day Pass.

‘The characters “Sang (相)” and “Yeon (煙)”… they must be the clue.’

If there was any possible inference from those characters, the most likely was a person’s name.

I had to find someone within the Thousand-Day Pass with “Sang” or “Yeon” in their name.

“After your paths are decided, things get simpler. From the third stage onward, it’s endless real combat and practical assignments. From this point on, you must prove your worth.”

Jang Deuk-soo continued.

“Except for the special case of the Heavenly Thunder Corps, all of you will eventually take the senior martial officer exam and the Outer Hall admission test. That’s the final stage. Only those who pass can be considered true graduates of the Thousand-Day Pass.”

After all that filtering, only about one-tenth of trainees would go on to become the true core of the cult.

“Well, the reason you lot are lucky isn’t just because of the Heavenly Thunder Corps.”

Shhk!

“There’s an even greater opportunity standing right in front of you. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Before anyone could react, Jang Deuk-soo’s finger was suddenly pointing straight at me.

Countless gazes followed, landing squarely on me.

‘This bastard?’

I let out a quiet sigh of disbelief.

I had no idea what gave him the gall, but it was obvious he was picking a fight.

I casually shrugged my shoulders.

“You’re not wrong.”

I locked eyes with Jang Deuk-soo.

“If you want, Instructor, I could even save you a spot at the front gate—as a doorman.”

“…What?”

Jang Deuk-soo’s face twisted in an instant.

A wave of killing intent burst from him, crashing down on my entire body.

But I’d already withstood the killing intent of the Pavilion Master of the Thousand-Day Pass.

There was no way I’d be intimidated by someone like Jang Deuk-soo.

‘Still, he’s no slouch. I’d say he’s right on the verge of reaching the Master Level—just short of breaking through.’

The “Unfolding (展)” or “Sealing (結)” stages of Master Level.

He had every right to be called a senior instructor here.

Of course, that didn’t mean he had the right to start throwing shade at someone from the direct line of the Jin Clan.

“You little punk, what did you just say?”

Jang Deuk-soo stormed up to me, eyes blazing.

But I simply laughed in his face.

“You think being a gatekeeper for the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan is something to scoff at? That position pays at least three times your salary, you know.”

Flinch!

The moment I said “three times your salary,” not only Jang Deuk-soo but all the other instructors opened their eyes wide.

“Do you even know how much we make…?”

“A regular instructor gets fifteen nyang of silver. Senior instructors get twenty, right?”

“How do you—?!”

How else?

There’s no way there aren’t instructors here with ties to the Jin Clan.

Gulp.

A few instructors standing around Jang Deuk-soo swallowed nervously.

“Opportunities aren’t just for the trainees, you know. You instructors have doors open to you as well.”

I gave my widest grin as I mocked him.

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