Okano The Unwanted Undead Adventurer: Volume 2

1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-1-7183-2102-1
Verlag: J-Novel Club
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, Band 2, 313 Seiten

Reihe: The Unwanted Undead Adventurer

Rentt Faina has achieved Existential Evolution, evolving from a skeleton into a ghoul. His next objective: rising the ranks and becoming a Copper-class adventurer! But to do so, Rentt must face his next greatest challenge... A written test?!
Using his years of wisdom and the help of two companions, Rentt tackles the challenge head-on. But the worst is yet to come as Rentt finds himself in yet another pickle as he tries to prove his innocence to none other than trusted guild member, Sheila, as she raises concerns over his potential involvement in a recent string of adventurer disappearances.
On his journey, he accepts a new quest, leading him to a new area that pits him face-to-face with a mighty monster of the bog! Will Rentt make it out alive to prove his uninvolvment in the disappearances and retrieve a highly-valued medicinal herb? Or is this the second end to the fate of our hero as we know him?

Autoren/Hrsg.

Okano, Yu

Weitere Mitwirkende

Jaian

Yeung, Shirley

Leseproben

“Of... Course. Is the... Written test... First?”

“Yes, that is indeed the case. However... Are you sure of this? There are opportunities to take the test tomorrow, or the day after. You certainly don’t have to take it today. Have you considered taking some time off and studying for the test, at least? I would advise you to do that much...”

I understood Sheila’s concerns; she merely informed me of my right to take the test the day before and was probably not expecting me to show up for it the very next day. Perhaps there was some merit in that, as it was indeed uncommon for one to apply to take the test during the next available time immediately after being informed of the right to take it.

To begin with, more than half the questions that were commonly featured in the written test would be unanswerable by most Iron-class adventurers. In turn, most of these adventurers would take weeks or sometimes even months off to study and gain the required knowledge to take the written part of the test.

In my case, I’d proven myself to be worthy of taking this test immediately after registering. So naturally, the guild staff wouldn’t have had the time to warn me of the knowledge required for the test.

But I had taken the test previously in life, so while the test now might not be identical, I had firmly memorized the general types of questions and topics that awaited me: guild rules; monster information; material information; the general knowledge expected of a Bronze-class adventurer... I had more than enough time to ready myself for this test.

In addition, the tests were not held daily, instead held usually on a monthly basis. If I were to stagnate and continue drifting about as an Iron-class adventurer, I would never fulfill my dreams. This was why I had to act when the opportunity presented itself.

With those thoughts in mind, I offered Sheila my response. “There is no... Problem. Where should I... Go?”

If memory served, the test was held on the second floor of the guild, in a meeting room of sorts. Even if knew the answer to my question, I had to ask either way.

“It will be held in the meeting room, on the second floor. This way, if you would...” Sheila said, stepping away from her counter to guide me to the relevant location.

Upon entering the room, the eyes of a handful Iron-class adventurers glanced at me before immediately shifting back to various papers in their hands. Each paper looked to be filled to the brim with various notes and handwriting. Some of the adventurers mumbled under their breath as they did so, as if reciting ancient spells.

Guides, perhaps, written to aid in their test-taking efforts. The guild did loan these out to test candidates as the day drew near, and while the scope of questions was relatively broad, the relevant information and knowledge could be squeezed onto one piece of paper as long as a smaller writing style was used.

This knowledge, of course, expanded proportionately to the rank one aspired to: a booklet for the Silver-class; a book for the Gold-class; an encyclopedia for classes beyond; and so on and so forth.

Unfortunately, the candidates were unable to use said papers during the test, but perhaps they should consider it a blessing that the guild would loan them such resources in the first place. There was, however, a penalty to pay should they lose it, with the piece of paper in question costing one silver coin—an affordable price for even Iron-class adventurers.

Honestly speaking, it wasn’t too much to worry about. After all, if one dedicated at least a week or two’s worth of time to studying for the Bronze-class test, one would naturally obtain enough knowledge to score a passing grade.

It’s worth noting, though, that for the greater half of the adventurers in this room, written tests such as this one would be a first in their lives. This perhaps accounted for the tense atmosphere—to think that I was once amongst their number! Any individual who didn’t take the time to prepare would surely be nervous.

On another note, while I’d decided to take the written exam, there were other methods of testing available, such as an oral question-and-answer format. In fact, in kingdoms and countries with a lower literacy rate, that was the more common format of testing.

This was the reason as to why there were only a few adventurers in this room. Due to the nature of the oral testing process, it was conducted in a separate area, and it had higher waiting times due to the fact that participants had to be tested individually. And so, those who did not enjoy waiting often took the written version of the test instead.

After I made myself comfortable at my seat, Sheila, who had left the room after guiding me here, returned with a sheaf of roughly hewn papers and quill pens in her arms.

“Well, then, let us begin the test. I am under the impression you are all literate and capable of writing, so I will not engage in unnecessary explanations. However...as a reminder, this set of papers contains the questions that candidates must answer. Candidates are to write their answers on this answer sheet with the provided quill pens. The test will formally end when the sand in the upper chamber of this hourglass runs out. Are there any questions?”

I suppose what Sheila said made sense; all the candidates in attendance could indeed write. Even I had used a quill pen before.

As expected, there were no questions from the gathered adventurers in the room.

“Then I will now hand out the question and answer sheets, as well as the quill pens. I will also be retrieving the test revision sheets loaned to you by the guild. The question and answer sheets are one-sided only and will be placed face-down on your tables. Please only turn them around when I instruct you to.”

Saying so, Sheila began making her rounds, distributing the appropriate pens and papers as she did so.

A strange aura of muted tension filled the air. For me, it was a nostalgic feeling. I didn’t have much time to reminisce, however. Sheila was already done with her rounds, and she now stood at the front of the room.

With a deft motion, Sheila turned a large hourglass over, setting it back down gently on her desk.

“...You may begin.”

And so the test began.

?????

As expected, the test progressed smoothly, ending on a relatively inconsequential note. It was a given by this point, perhaps—after all, I’d taken this test once before in life.

With that being said, the questions themselves were different, but the relevant area of knowledge largely stayed the same. It would have been quite strange if I did poorly.

The other candidates in the room, while looking uneasy, would probably pass the test without too many issues, as well. This was plain to see from the fact that they could read and write. They were clearly blessed with a fair amount of education in their lives.

In turn, it wouldn’t be too difficult to memorize the required facts for this test, given the narrow scope of tested knowledge. Empirical evidence to back up my observations did exist: it was public knowledge that the oral test had a much lower pass rate than the written one.

My literacy was gifted to me by my village elder and herbalist, as they were the ones who taught me how to read and write. My motivations back then were far simpler. To me, a proper adventurer should at the very least be literate. This, too, contributed to my unchanging dream, that of becoming a Mithril-class adventurer.

We didn’t wait very long for our results to be published. The test papers were sent back after a short while, perhaps due to the smaller pool of candidates. If one’s name was read, one would be among those who passed. I, of course...

“Rentt. Mister Rentt Vivie,” Sheila continued as I stood, walking up to her desk in the front of the room. “...You have passed the written test. Well, actually, you received full marks! While it’s not exactly a difficult test, a result like this is somewhat rare. You’re something else, Mister Rentt.”

I suppose my performance was worthy of praise. But Sheila’s choice of words suggested that other candidates had received full marks from time to time, too. Personally, I wouldn’t consider it such a great achievement.

Thinking back, I realized that I didn’t score full marks when I first took the test. I lacked experience, forgot the answers to some questions, and made some stupid mistakes. I kept all that to myself, of course, as one could not exactly tell the guild’s administrative staff that one had taken the test before.

“...I see. It is... Great... That I passed. What should I do... Next?” That was my relatively subdued answer as I asked Sheila about the next step, mainly, the practical, hands-on segment of the test.

?????

“...Next up is the practical assessment, where you will cooperate with some of your fellow candidates and reach a certain point in the labyrinth. This will still be a competition of sorts, however, and the first group of candidates to reach the designated point wins.”

I nodded in response to Sheila’s words. I vaguely remembered collecting medicinal herbs and the like for my first practical assessment all those years ago. While the assignment sounded relatively simple in passing, I ended up having to defeat a fair number of monsters while making my way to the...