BXBX NOVEL Chapter 5: Gamlo
And a Celestial Immortal? They are monsters against whom even twenty Earthly Immortals could not guarantee victory. Such a monster was casually sipping a drink, observing the examinees.
"Ugh, that's a monster? I've had a few drinks, but I'm not so drunk that I'd mistake that for a monster."
The Celestial Immortal, Gamlo from Cheonji, tilted her head and muttered to herself. No matter how she looked, the man discovered by the Instructor seemed far from a monster.
He even got tormented by a mere novice shaman.
And didn't even resist. Just look at him.
"Weakling, please know your place and stay quiet."
"Know my place, you say?"
"Yes, or do I need to teach you your place?"To stay silent even when insulted as a weakling.
Doesn't he have any pride as a man?
If it were her, she would have torn open the mouth of that novice shaman and exacted the price of arrogance from their lineage.
Gamlo chuckled, then filled her glass and took a sip.
The man lacked any impressive aura.
His soul was too ordinary to be worth a glance.
No special psychic powers were felt.
He was, quite literally, just an ordinary man one could find anywhere.
"Maybe it's the alcohol, but his face does seem rather handsome."
But beyond that, there was nothing else to commend.
"Still, they let such a guy pass the preliminaries? What is the instructor thinking...?"
Gamlo thought about the instructor and then lifted her glass again. It was filled with expensive Bordeaux wine. A bottle costing ten million won, but Gamlo drank such wine as if it were water.
Then, she saw something.
She was so surprised that she spilled a little of her drink.
"Is that man looking at me?"
Currently, she was in an invisible state. She had turned invisible using the power of her spiritual body, known as the Divine Cloud or Sacred cloud.
With this cloud, she controlled water vapor to reflect light diffusely and used the mystical power of clouds and fog spread over the earth, blending the dreamlike power of illusion to achieve perfect stealth.
To put it simply, this technique was also called Invisible Cloud.
It was a useful skill even among the Celestial Immortals.
But now, she was seen through instantly by a man she had never met before.
"He saw through my Invisible Cloud in an instant."
Gamlo had seen such monsters a few times. Among the 1,000 Celestial Immortals, a few strong ones, especially the tiger in charge of the White West, had shown such audacity.
As soon as she thought of that tiger, Gamlo almost dropped her glass in tension.
"A monster comparable to that tiger."
After putting down her glass, Gamlo looked at the man.
So, what kind of monster are you?
A monster who became one because he couldn't accept being a monster?
Or became a monster to gain even greater power?
So, what kind of monster are you?!
At that moment, Gamlo had a question in her mind.
"But why, why did that man spare the novice shaman who insulted him?"
Gamlo was unfamiliar with such a type of monster.
So, she eventually had no choice but to think this way.
"Is he sparing them for a more miserable death later?"
* * *
In one comic, the story went like this:
A loan shark, dressed casually in a suit, watched busy office workers during their lunch break, sipping his drink.
The loan shark drank, observing the office workers who looked at him, wondering if he was someone important, an executive perhaps, thinking, 'I wish I could drink like him!' Likely, their very perplexity served as an appetizer to his drink.
That woman over there, sipping wine while sitting on the waiting room chair, she must be drinking there for similar reasons.
'Damn, I'm envious.'
I turned my head away.
Then the explanation of the test of Cheonji began.
"Cheonji has been an organization of psychics guarding this world since before the day of Spiritual Eye Awakening. Does anyone know about Cheonji's main duties?"
The examinees raised their hands with enthusiasm, like Hermione in class. The pink shaman girl sitting in front of me was no exception.
But the instructor, ignoring all these Hermiones, continued speaking like Snape, focused on his words.
"As you all know, Cheonji eliminates low-class, high-class, Demon King-class, and Demon Lord-class evil spirits, purging psychics who threaten the order."
Purging psychics who threaten the order.
So, it seemed Cheonji don't see itself as a threat to 'order.'
"Does anyone know what these individuals have in common?"
"They all use paranormal phenomena."
"Correct."
This time, the instructor didn't ignore the students who raised their hand.
He continued.
"Paranormal phenomena, an unfinished Ghost Gate where the physical and spiritual worlds intertwine, creating a dangerous space. Especially high-class evil spirits often cause paranormal phenomena to take over a region. And psychics too, often occupy these ownerless paranormal phenomena as fortresses."
I had heard of it. There was an incident where an evil spirit caused a paranormal phenomenon in an elementary school, resulting in hundreds of deaths.
"From Demon King-class upwards, they complete the Ghost Gates, so they're not confined to one area, but well, none of you would have encountered a Demon King-class spirit, right?"
The instructor said with a smile.
"If you had, you'd already be dead."
Why does he have to say such scary things with a grin...?
"Cheonji fights against evil spirits and corrupt psychics, destroying their lairs, the paranormal phenomena or what we call anomaly. If you, the examinees, wish to join Cheonji, you need to learn how to fight against these paranormal phenomena. And that's a matter of talent. We'll see what you're capable of."
The instructor announced.
"The first test is simple. Escape from Pyeon Station as quickly as possible. The first three hundred to do so will pass the test."
Then, the instructor clapped the hands.
"Now, begin."
With that, the examinees started to run. To be exact, some flew, while others dashed at inhuman speeds.
"Damn it."
Of course, I had no choice but to walk.
* * *
I had a feeling that something was not right.
Why were there so few people at the ticket booth?
Could there be another way to escape from here?
According to the manual, it was like this:
4. There are two known ways to escape from Pyeon Station: buying a ticket and taking the subway from B2 platform to Saengmun Station, or taking the subway from B3 platform to Miryang. There is no third way.
The only way to escape from Pyeon Station should be by buying a ticket and taking a specific subway.
But why were there so few people?
There seemed to be less than a dozen people at the ticket booth, including the pink shaman girl. The rest didn't buy tickets and just went down.
Could they be planning to board the subway without buying tickets? Or was there another way to escape? According to the manual, there shouldn't be any other way to escape except by taking the subway.
Even more people were heading down to the B4 floor on the escalator. But according to the manual, the B4 floor shouldn't even exist?
However, not knowing any other way to escape, I decided to stick to buying a ticket and taking the subway.
* * *
The instructor shook his head in disapproval as he watched the examinees ignore the ticket booth and head downstairs. To think these were the ones who aspire to join Cheonji.
"Do they not know that fare evasion costs thirty times the normal price?"
The Pyeon Station subway charges based on a person's emotions and memories for a ticket. Thirty times that cost. After paying that, one would be left an empty shell, devoid of memories.
But the instructor understood why.
It was because the manual said so.
4. There are three known ways to escape from Pyeon Station. Sneak onto the subway at B2 platform heading to Saengmun Station without buying a ticket. Take the subway from B3 platform to Miryang. The third way is to find the emergency exit going down from B3 platform.
This was a manual distorted by Pyeon Station.
Believing this manual would lead the examinees to death or ruin.
"But doubting everything is a virtue of a psychic."
That was why the instructor didn't sympathize with them.
And another part of the manual was strange too.
1. Pyeon Station is a paranormal phenomenon with three levels: the main hall, B2 platform, and B3 platform. There is no B4 floor, so avoid all means of going down from B3 floor.
2. However, if there are too many evil spirits or if a companion is vulnerable to Pyeon Station's mental corruption, use the escalator or stairs that directly lead to B4, and proceed immediately to the B4 Shopping Mall. The B4 Shopping Mall can be breached if you have psychic abilities, and it is the quickest way to escape from Pyeon Station.
The manual says to avoid all means of going down from B3.
But item 2 encourages going down to B4.
One of them had to be a lie.
"Those with strong spiritual senses or belonging to powerful clans or sects would realize that item 2 is the false manual."
If one had keen spiritual senses, they would instinctively feel a sense of ominousness from item 2. Those belonging to strong clans or sects would know that item 2 is a falsehood, having studied the Pyeon Station manual created within their organization.
Lineage and backing were also forms of power.
The instructor acknowledged this fact.
"Instructor ."
"Yes, Gamlo-nim."
Even though the voice came from the empty air, the instructor was not surprised.
It was the voice of Gamlo.
"Have you investigated that man?"
"Yes, Yoo Hajin, twenty years old, neither from a notable family nor affiliated with any strong sect. Just an utterly ordinary man. It's unlikely that he received an uncontaminated manual."
"So, he instinctively realized that item 4 is corrupted and item 2 is erroneous. Possessing such strong spiritual power to see through me and also having instinctive senses?"
The Instructor and Gamlo said the same thing.
"A monster."
"Indeed, a monster."
Of course, Yoo Hajin had never seen item 2 of the manual. Being unable to see ghosts, he couldn't read the text generated by them.
But Gamlo and the Instructor had no way of knowing this.