Provisional enrollment ran from January 5th to January 30th, a period a little under four weeks.
But having gone through it with my own body, I think I understand why the provisional enrollment period appeared only on the first day and in the final week in the original and never again.
The provisional enrollment period was...... astonishingly boring.
From military etiquette education for shedding the civilian and becoming a soldier, to theoretical study such as national outlook, security outlook, and constitutional education, to all sorts of practical training such as marches to build basic physical strength.
There was no going easy on us for being seventeen-year-old kids. We had to grimly endure an air so strict that even small talk among the cohort was difficult.
"Everyone, focus."
And so, the last week of training. The instructor stood before us as we lined up on the field.
"Today, as announced, you will meet 'Phantasms' directly."
The instructor spoke of Phantasms, which are practically the Hwadam Army's identity. By now it was something fairly familiar.
And no wonder — today was the seventh day since the theoretical education on Phantasms and the Rear World had begun.
"However, this meeting is not for the purpose of a 'contract.' I repeat. This meeting is not for the purpose of a contract."
Well. Maybe because it was before formal enrollment, the knowledge conveyed was not particularly deep. From my position, having encountered it first through the comic, there was hardly any knowledge added at all.
"Today's meeting is to determine what class of Phantasm each of you is compatible with."
Ah, the 'compatibility' the instructor just mentioned was a kind of Phantasm Aptitude.
To compare it more simply...... you know how with chefs, their specialties split into Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Western cuisine and so on.
If the Phantasm Aptitude examined before stops at 'can you cook or not' and 'if you can cook, how well,' this one is the act of checking 'which of those are you best at.'
"Following your instructor's guidance, each of you is to identify the class of Phantasm that suits you best."
Of course, a person whose cooking skill is outstanding to begin with will do well at anything. But wouldn't such a person do their own specialty better still?
Phantasm Aptitude was similar. If your basic quality was excellent, you could form a contract with any Phantasm regardless of kind. But it was not as though an innate compatibility did not exist for each person.
In actual combat that slight difference decides life and death, so for the Hwadam Army it was something they had no choice but to check.
"But do not grow conceited or entertain foolish notions just because Phantasms have taken an interest in you. The Phantasms prepared for you today were selected, for safety's sake, to be only the weakest and least remarkable individuals. Understood?"
But how many accidents had there been in a class meant to check that sort of thing?
The instructor, face screwed up, repeated a warning that came closer to an entreaty.
'Did someone actually form a contract with a talent-check Phantasm?'
I doubted anyone stupid enough to do that had ever turned up, but because of the way he stressed 'foolish notions,' all sorts of thoughts came to me.
I blinked my eyelids and swept the stray thoughts away.
"Moving out."
It was time to meet the Phantasms.
***
"One platoon enters each zone. First Platoon."
Separately from the provisional enrollment period, the Hwadam Military Academy had organized the new cadets into twenty platoons of twenty each. It was for the sake of efficiency in classes.
The platoon I belonged to was Third Platoon. Naturally, I was split from Seong-gwon. And I did not particularly see any kids who made me wonder whether they had appeared in the original.
Kiiing! Kiing!
"......?"
Kiiiiing!
"Wait——"
In any case, the platoon I belonged to stepped into the zone we had been assigned. At the same time, the Phantasms that had been waiting inside began to scream all at once.
It was for all the world like herbivores flung down in front of a tiger. Pitiful, desperate cries beat wildly at the cadets' ears.
『They are frightened.』
『They are terrified.』
At the same time, the Twin Dragon Swords spoke for the first time in a while.
I could not even react to that and only blinked. In a situation where every person around me was unable to hear the Twin Dragon Swords' words, opening my mouth would only make it a monologue, so there was nothing to be done.
'At times like this I really do long for something like a telepathy function.......'
Regrettably, something like telepathy was a function provided only once you formally contracted. And I am currently postponing the formal contract thanks to the consideration-that-is-not-consideration of the government and the military.
Well, why that counts as consideration I will speak of later.
Now what, I thought. They had not told me what it was they were frightened of, but realistically the candidates were limited.
'Either the Twin Dragon Swords or me.'
The Twin Dragon Swords are what their Grade says they are. And I...... there was no clear evidence, but what I had gone through in the Rear World weighed on me, so I put myself among the candidates.
If it were true it would sting a little.
"Cadet Seventeen."
"Yes, sir! Cadet Seventeen!"
The tension I had not let go of caught the instructor's call. A motion drilled into my body over that period came out on its own.
"Outside."
"Yes, sir!"
It seemed I was not the only one to suspect the Twin Dragon Swords over this abnormal situation.
The instructor drove me out, attaching to my side a Gippa cadet — who, if compared to a university, would be something like a teaching assistant, though not exactly the same.
"......"
"......"
Laughably, the moment I went out the inside of the zone went quiet. It was proof that the Phantasms had regained their composure.
It felt like receiving a confirmation shot, which was not much fun.
"......There is no need to be disappointed, Cadet Seventeen."
"Yes, sir!"
Whether this was the Gippa cadet's first time experiencing such a situation as well, he patted my shoulder to smooth over the awkwardness.
But well. My intuition was ringing an alarm bell like mad, saying the hardship starts now. It was a sad intuition, but it did not seem likely to be wrong.
Rustle-rustle!
"The, the plant-type Phantasms are."
『They said to come look over the talented ones' qualities, so why bring a monster—— kyaaah, it saw me!! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!!!』
"The human-type Phantasms too......!"
Sure enough, my uneasy hunch landed exactly.
The Phantasms, gathered by kind in each zone, all fled or curled up their leaves the moment they caught sight of me, expressing their rejection.
"Object-type and amorphous-type show normal responses...... no, astonishingly enthusiastic responses."
That did not mean every Phantasm rejected me. The object-type and amorphous-type Phantasms went beyond not rejecting me and courted me ardently.
Meaning they gathered at my feet in a string like candy, just as at the entrance examination.
"Hmm......"
For the record, the criteria by which the Hwadam Army distinguishes kinds of Phantasms were usually three.
One is the folktale, legend, myth classification you already know well. One is the classification dividing by form, such as human-type, beast-type, plant-type, object-type, and amorphous-type. The other is the classification dividing by size, such as small, medium, and large.
There were occasionally times when they classified by ability or by level of force, but the variance between individuals was so severe that it was not much used. Or it was an unofficial classification.
"The record says the Hogurokmo showed no sign of rejection."
"At present it is presumed that Phantasms other than object-type and amorphous-type must be Legend-Grade or higher to withstand it."
At any rate, faced with a situation that went far, far beyond the ordinary, the instructors gathered in a huddle and talked. Even the Gippa cadet was pushing his face in, which made me wonder just how extraordinary the situation was.
Me and the platoon members? Our escort officer was in that conversation, so what else could we do but wait.
Under the secretly pouring gazes of the platoon members, I did nothing but needlessly fiddle with the Twin Dragon Swords slung on my back.
Since they were wrapped up tightly so that no one could touch them carelessly, all that reached my hand was the rough texture of cloth.
"This year's class has a lot of unusual ones, doesn't it? One cadet gets interest only from beast-types, one cadet has the quality but received nobody's choice, one cadet terrifies every low-Grade individual except object-type and amorphous-type."
"Better than having no talent."
In the middle of it I faintly heard mention of a cadet I guessed to be Seong-gwon. To the instructor it was a small whisper, but it somehow reached my ears.
'The original Seong-gwon was famous for being incompatible with any individual except beast-type Phantasms. Is it the same here too?'
If the Seong-gwon here also has exactly the same talent as the original Seong-gwon, there is no need to worry much.
Because the Phantasms the original Seong-gwon contracts with are none other than the beings called the Four Divine Beasts, or the Gods of the Four Directions.
'Separately, I don't know who the one who received no choice is.'
It was not that such a character did not exist in the original. But since that character was a cohort member of the protagonist 〈Baek San〉, the time period did not match the present. There was no way a kid who would be one or two years old this year was in the army.
'If you receive no choice you'll be at a disadvantage in later assignment...... wait. Does that mean I'll be at a disadvantage too?'
At an ordinary school, when they organize classes they level them out so that the capable ones do not pile up in one class. Probably an ordinary army is the same.
'To get a good evaluation later I absolutely have to go to First Platoon?'
But the Hwadam Army was not an 'ordinary' army, and the Special Military Academy was the place where that special nature was maximized most.
Since the purpose is training the Special Task Forces deployed to the most dangerous places, meaning they adopted non-leveling instead of leveling. Put another way, they formed the platoons by ability.
'They say they take special abilities and role groups into account to some degree, but in the first semester of first year there's none of that......!'
Naturally, it was not as though they assigned purely by ability. Considering actual combat, they at least distributed role groups such as riflemen, designated marksmen, and grenadiers.
But how would they know which role group newly enrolled cadets have an aptitude for, so as to take it into account in assigning them?
In the first semester of first year it was strictly by ability ranking, and whether you were in First Platoon at that time had a fair influence when you were commissioned.
'The kids who start in First Platoon from the first semester of first year and end in First Platoon to the very end get treated differently. Practically treated as the legitimate line, the pure-blooded.'
The original Seong-gwon was such a case. As described in the comic, the exceptional promotion Seong-gwon showed was influenced not only by the achievements she accomplished but also by the foundation she had built since her academy days.
The title of never having let slip a top place even in a place where the talented are gathered. That one thing brings a truly meaningful ripple effect.
'Let's go back over it step by step. First, the one rated highest among Phantasms is human-type. Next is beast-type.'
Both have intelligence, and the fact that after training the Phantasm and the Phantasm Master can move separately made their treatment good.
That was the reason the original Seong-gwon was assigned to First Platoon despite her aptitude being limited to beast-type, outstanding though her quality was.
'Plant-type is disadvantageous in offensive battle but has overwhelming merit in defensive battle or purification, so you can't call their evaluation low either.'
If you had to assign a number, third place would be plant-type's seat. And the ones that produce the most so-called 'healers' are plant-type Phantasms too.
'The rarest phenomenon-type is also rated highly in a similar vein.'
In that case, what is the evaluation of the amorphous-type and object-type Phantasms courting me so eagerly?
'......They're both treated badly.'
Amorphous-type tends to be evaluated entirely differently depending on the individual, so ranking them is difficult.
And object-type is...... simply bad. For exactly the opposite reason that human-type and beast-type are preferred.
'Object-type Phantasms are outright regarded as support gear more often than not.'
This was unavoidable.
The Twin Dragon Swords are beyond specification, so exclude them. The object-type Phantasms I know of are the bike I met in the Rear World and the Ghost-Warning Stone — the ghost-repelling stone — that the Hwadam Army uses most commonly...... and these two can assist in combat, but it is hard for them to be the main.
Object-type Phantasms overall felt like that. Either hard to use directly in combat, or, if usable, requiring the Phantasm Master to handle them personally.
What's more, in the latter case they tended to be a chicken's rib in many respects under Hwadam Army doctrine. A ranged weapon would be better; a close-combat weapon runs counter to Hwadam Army doctrine, which avoids close combat with Otherworld Creatures in consideration of the difference in physical ability.
'No, but I do have the Twin Dragon Swords.......'
Because of this my heart needlessly shrank. The thought 'but it's the Twin Dragon Swords' and the thought 'even if it's the Twin Dragon Swords' kept crossing each other.
'My goal of doing as well as the original's Seong-gwon collapses this vainly? Really?'
It is not as if not going to First Platoon would be a problem, but still, it is a goal I set up in my own way. Really?
For the single reason that the kids got frightened of me or of the Twin Dragon Swords?
No, no. If they're frightened because of me that's better. If it's because of the Twin Dragon Swords, that's a bit unfair? No, actually even if it's because of me it's a bit unfair?
What did I do?
"That kid, his eyes......"
"Waaaaah——!"
CRASH!
RUMBLE!!
"What is it!"
At that moment the surroundings suddenly grew noisy.
That screams and roars burst out from directions so varied it was hard even to pinpoint which one a sound had come from was a bonus.
WEEEEE—!
Half a beat late, an alarm signifying that the situation was urgent beat at everyone's ears.
My hand reflexively seized the cloth bundle holding the Twin Dragon Swords. It was an unconscious act following survival instinct.
"Evacuate the new cadets first! Prepare!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Headquarters, the situation——"
The Gippa cadet and the instructor moved to take charge of us, and the highest-ranking instructor set about grasping the situation.
Whatever words came through, the expression of the one holding the earset in his ear was momentarily sunk in shock. However you looked at it, it was not a green light.
"Whistling Tree Apparition¹!"
CRRRACK!
Right after, the instructor called out his Phantasm. Wheeeee. A tree with dark-colored bark grew up as though protecting us, making a whistling sound. It was in the sorry shape of a net made of wood wrapping around us.
"Evacuation impossible! Into escort formation——"
"Instructor!"
Thud, thud!
In that situation, Phantasms of various forms newly appeared.
They ringed the area as if encircling not the instructor or the Gippa cadet but me and the platoon members, and however you looked at it they did not seem to be individuals under friendly control.
A white horse, a crow, a ghost, a deer, insects and so on. The kinds were various too.
"Maegu!"
"Shapeshifter Rat!"
As if to stand against those Phantasms, the instructor and the Gippa cadet also called their partners. In an instant dozens of Phantasms began to face off.
Faced with a scene beyond anything they had supposed, a scene they were seeing for the first time in their lives, the cadets went pale.
『There is no need to oppose them.』
『They have been summoned.』
In the midst of it, was the only calm thing the Twin Dragon Swords? My gaze, buried in tension, reflexively turned toward the Twin Dragon Swords hanging on my back.
『You shall look upon them.』
『Receive the reverence that is due.』
The Twin Dragon Swords, as ever, did not give a clear explanation.
"......The Phantasms are."
"Wh-what is this......?"
No, perhaps this once it was the most accurate explanation of all.
The dozens of Phantasms that had seemed to encircle us, to encircle me, instead of attacking knelt and bowed their heads.
Just as the Twin Dragon Swords said...... exactly as though they were paying reverence.
────
¹Whistling Tree Apparition
❝A ghost would whistle, and at night it lit fires and made a clamor; when the lord loosed his hawk to chase a pheasant, if it went into that wood it could not be found. A youth of the village, trusting in courage alone, went and cut at that tree, whereupon the ghost took hold of him and he raved day and night, and the whole village could not withstand him.❞
▷ Seong Hyeon. 『Yongjae Chonghwa, vol. 3』. Trans. Gwon O-don, Kim Yong-guk, Yi Ji-hyeong. Korean Classics Comprehensive DB (http://db.itkc.or.kr/inLink?DCI=ITKC_BT_1306A_0030_000_0010_2002_001_XML). 1525/1971.
One of the strange beings recorded in the Yongjae Chonghwa, summarized as 'a tree possessed by a whistling ghost.'
The name Whistling Tree Apparition does not appear in the Yongjae Chonghwa; it is a name assigned arbitrarily in this novel.
Tab 13