Yoo Jin opened his mouth and let out a huge yawn as he scratched his stomach beneath his shirt.
“What?” he said, meeting the disgusted look Tae Hyun sent his way.
It was the morning after the council meeting and Yoo Jin had been forced to wake at an ungodly hour of 5AM to meet with Chief Tak for his training.
“Why are you here anyways?” said Yoo Jin to the alpha. “I thought Tak was going to train me.”
“Chief Tak to you, Mr. Tae,” said a low voice from behind him.
Yoo Jin spun around to see the old lady alpha hobble her way toward them in the grass. She wore gray robes that were quite humble and Yoo Jin then realized that the other two times as well, her robes had been almost colorless and simple in comparison to the garbs of the council.
“Hey Chief,” said Yoo Jin with a wide grin.
She raised a brow at him but did not say anything. Yoo Jin turned to see the alpha silently mimic his words ‘Hey Chief’ with a look of alarm.
“What?” he said with a shrug.
“Address her appropriately,” he replied, his voice low, before pushing Yoo Jin’s head down into a bow, while bending at his own waist. “Good Morning, Chief Tak.”
Yoo Jin gazed sideways at the alpha with an arched brow of his own. Has this alpha always been such a stickler for the rules?
When Tae Hyun released him, he took that opportunity to pull the alpha down to his height and roughly ruffled the younger man’s hair. “This punk, how dare you push down the head of someone older than you.”
Tae Hyun glared at him ferociously before stepping back and patting his hair back to its original style.
Yoo Jin chuckled. He couldn’t help it, he was in a good mood. It had been weeks since he had a good night’s sleep and a meal that completely filled his belly and to top it off, the meal had been home made by Doctor Yoon himself, something he only ever had when Liam occasionally invited him over for dinner. Even his parents had never once cooked him a warm meal.
“If you two are done,” came the low voice again and they both straightened as they turned to face the Chief. She began walking farther into the grounds, leading them to a spot behind the Silla castle, far enough away from any potential prying eyes before stopping and turning to them.
She was quiet for a long moment, her hands clasped sagely behind her back as she gazed at Yoo Jin. “Normally it takes months to be able to control mana,” she began, “but we do not have that kind of time. The examination is in two days, which means we really only have today and a bit of tomorrow to train your control. I am assuming you know the purpose of this examination?”
Yoo Jin sent a sideways glance at Tae Hyun. The alpha’s explanation, as always, had been sparse, he had simply told him that the exam was a way for the wizard trainees to determine their class.
“Monsters used to roam these lands, terrorizing villages and hunting humans and animals alike with little distinction,” began Chief Tak, her hands still clasped behind her back as she faced them. “Historical accounts tell of creatures, different from beasts, that were significantly more powerful than any human. Those same records depicted warriors, who excelled in many forms of fighting, who lit up in a blinding glow in battles with these monsters. A scholar of the name Pak Chiwon was the first to note that these people of ‘significant untraceable power’ would exhibit a glow only when using a particular weapon and any other weapon would produce meager amounts of mana. Later, a shaman doctor documented scars upon the flesh of these warriors, which were mirrored upon their weapon that exuded that peculiar light.
“Many centuries later, in the 1600s, an alpha doctor by the surname Yoon confirmed that these weapons were chosen by the Saerim’s particular combination of their physical, mental traits, and mana. A chart was created by this doctor that was a rudimentary attempt at predicting the kind of class a Saerim would be.
She paused and her sharp gaze focused on Yoo Jin. “For example, those that tended toward a lean body with a strong back were often called to be archers and yet those with the same composition but with weak eyesight and lacking a calm hand may instead become a mage as long as his control over his mana is strong. Those with a powerful core and endurance may become a warrior. On the other hand, those with a powerful core but thrive on short bursts of strength are better suited to becoming a berserker.”
Chief Tak continued to speak, her low voice filling the air around them. “There are five general classes a Saerim can fall into: ranged; symbolized by the green robes, magic; yellow, stealth; red, blade; blue and fighter; orange.” She paused and shot him a look of concealed amusement. “I recall that you witnessed the range class’s demonstration yesterday.”
Yoo Jin grinned and opened his mouth to speak when he felt a sharp jab at his foot. He grimaced but kept his mouth shut as he glared at the man beside him.
“And then there is a sixth class, which is associated with the color purple. This class however, is not open to any Saerim and there is only ever one per generation. That,” she said slowly, “is the summoner class.”
She paused and both she and Yoo Jin turned to look at the tall man beside them.
“What makes him so special?” asked Yoo Jin though without an ounce of malice and a whole lot of curiosity.
Chief Tak let out a soft chuckle. “He comes from a long line of summoners, spiritual guardians that are already tied to his family. His class was determined as soon as he manifested as a Saerim. In the olden days, he would have been a temple guardian.
“In the past there were records of other temple guardians from different families but for some reason only the Moon family seems to have maintained its original status.”
Yoo Jin’s eyes met Tae Hyun’s briefly before turning back to face her once more. “What happened to the others?” he asked.
Chief Tak made a sound as if in thought. “Only two other families were recorded, two other such temples. One of the families is still in existence but for some reason their alphas either stopped manifesting as Saerims or, for those that did, manifested as a different class. The other family disappeared entirely from our records.”
Yoo Jin scratched his head, his eyes again going back to the alpha but Tae Hyun continued to stare at the Chief with a blank expression.
“Thus, with the exception of the Moon family, all Saerims go through an examination to determine their class.”
“Huh, how do they – no, that is, instead of a test… can’t they just swing around their weapon to find out what they are?”
“Idiot,” whispered Tae Hyun beside him and Yoo Jin glared up at him.
The look she sent their way quieted them instantly. “To infuse mana into a weapon to this degree, enough for it to become an extension of the Saerim himself requires a significant burst of mana that can only be brought about by a substantial destabilization of emotion. In other words, the emotion experienced must be extreme. The Academy found that the most efficient way to bring about such a state was to introduce the Saerim to a dungeon.”
Yoo Jin paused, his brows scrunched up in thought. “You mean... putting their lives in danger?”
Chief Tak was silent for a moment before giving a single nod. “Fear is the most successful route - easiest to implement and consistent. Other emotions rarely allow for consistency, words that may anger one individual may not induce the same feelings in another or if it does, it may do so to varying degrees. While levels of fear can differ as well, when one’s life is at stake, the response is almost always the same.”
Yoo Jin grew silent and Chief Tak did not clarify any further.
“Are you frightened?” she asked after a moment.
Yoo Jin looked up and met her eyes; they were as sharp as they were the day before in the council room but there was a strange, unfamiliar element in them as well…
Expectation.
Startled, he blinked. What could she possibly be expecting from him? She didn’t even know him, all she knew was that he was an omega wizard. Was it even all that special? Omegas were inferior in every way to alphas anyways, wouldn’t it be more logical to assume that he will be inferior to those alpha wizards as well?
It’s not like he wanted to be special either. He just wanted to make money, provide a stable source of income for his sister’s future. He didn't want to beat these alphas… well, except maybe two. He gazed briefly at Tae Hyun, who was watching him with a silent arrogant expression.
Maybe… three– He shook his head. Nah. He’s not so bad.
The sounds of a throat being cleared pulled him out of his thoughts and he turned to again face Chief Tak. He cleared his throat. “No, not really,” he finally answered. And it was all true. He wasn’t afraid, he didn't even quite believe everything he was hearing, it didn’t feel real yet, so it was difficult to feel any fear at all.
“Brave or–” she began.
“Stupid?” he finished with a grin.
And the old lady laughed.
Yoo Jin turned his face to look at Tae Hyun who was staring at him with another strange look – bafflement. Yoo Jin chuckled. Yeah, this alpha really wasn’t so bad.
“So,” he said, slapping his hands together, “then you think we can guess what class I am going to be?”
Chief Tak slowly began to pace around him, assessing his form, her hands still clasped behind her back as she walked. “It is difficult to tell. Since there has never been an omega recorded as a Saerim, your guess would be as good as mine. Your physique is different, the way your body developed differs, and so do your pheromones. In all honesty, we don’t even know if your manifestation of a class will come about the same way as an alpha Saerim’s.”
She stopped and stood still as she met his eyes. “But it may not matter anyways since no weapons will be prepared in time for you to put your mark upon.”
Yoo Jin scratched his head. He had been meaning to ask this since yesterday. “Can’t I just take any old sword lying around? Or even a gun?”
She raised a brow. “Each weapon is built specifically for each Saerim. We are talking about a tool here that will be tied to you for your entire mortal life. If it breaks or you lose it, your mana can be halved or more. Besides, any weapons not selected are melted or broken down to build the weapons for the next set of Saerims.”
“Then, what can I do?”
“There is nothing for you to do. Your goal is not to find a class, it is simply to survive.”
Survive. He repeated the word in his head. It still didn’t strike any sense of fear within him. He idly wondered if the other young wizards were facing the same dilemma.
“Why do I need to do mana training if all I need to do is run away?”
“I am afraid it won’t be as easy as that. Harnessing your mana will optimize your chance for survival even though you may not be able to fight back. It’ll also minimize any chance of you harming the other Saerims who will be entering with you. Rogue mana bursts for example may bring unwanted monsters toward your party.”
Yoo Jin’s hands clenched into fists.
He understood. The exam wasn’t meant for him at all, the council had simply put him in for their own agenda. They were playing with his life and maybe even the lives of the other young wizards.
He still wasn’t afraid… but anger was another story.
“Alright,” he said. “What do I need to do for my training?”
She hobbled over a few steps until she stood in front of him, gazing up at his face. She was shorter than he was by several inches, likely due to her age, but she was still an alpha and her presence was thus imposing. “I’ll have to first see a mana burst of yours, Mr. Tae.”
Yoo Jin looked at her in confusion. “What do I need to do to do that?”
“Mana bursts occur during periods of destabilization.”
“Huh?”
“Run,” she said in her low voice. “I recommend that you run, Mr. Tae.”
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