NOVEL NEXT Chapter 66
“Certification, huh…”
“Let’s start from tomorrow. Luckily, this city has all kinds of guilds gathered, so if we plan our schedule well, we can hit about twenty places.”
“Twenty places?”
Isn’t that a bit too much? It’s like saying we’ll apply to every single place we can poke at. Well, in this situation, throwing in applications everywhere is probably the best strategy. Renny bent down, pulled out a horrifying pile of paperwork from the desk drawer, and took a pen out from… well, let’s just say an interesting place.
“Why do you keep that there?”
“…What are you staring at?”
“…Nothing.”
I redirected my gaze back to her face instead of the cleavage where the pen was. There was no way I could avoid looking when she was pulling it out from there. I honestly didn’t expect anyone to store a pen in such a way.
“Don’t react like that. This is just convenient for me. If I put it somewhere else, I keep forgetting where it is. I’ve even forgotten and put two pens in there before…”
That was quite a 耳 (TMI).
“Anyway, let’s move on. What’s important right now isn’t that. We’re going to prepare the documents, so get ready to sign. You can’t leave this room until you’ve signed everything here, so keep that in mind.”
“Got it.”
There’s no reason to turn down a friend who’s offering to help me with my job search. I dragged a chair over and sat across from Renny, picking up the pen.
…But wait, I don’t even know how to write here!
Does the translation skill buff that too? How do I even sign?
It’s been over ten years since I held a pen, so I have no idea what to write. Do I just write my name? Johann Quartz? What was my previous name before possession?
It’s dizzying.
My vision is blurring.
What was my name again?
“Johann? What’s wrong?”
“I haven’t written anything in ten years…”
“Ah… I can write it for you, so just copy what I write.”
Renny opened the drawer again, pulled out a piece of paper, and wrote something big with the pen, then rotated it toward me.
“Practice it a few times and write it down.”
“…This is Hangul?”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Looks like the one who possessed me had a sense of conscience after all, giving me a language patch as well. I tried awkwardly imitating the letters a few times after so long and then began to write in the signature box.
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“Johann, look! That guy is breathing fire!”
“Wow… he really is…”
This is so cool!
We paused for a moment to watch the guy spewing fire. It seemed like others were finding the spectacle interesting too, as they gathered around him. It must be quite a rare sight here. I stared at the guy breathing fire like a wyvern, then shifted my gaze to a woman nearby who was floating water droplets in the air and rolling them around.
Is that a skill?
Or perhaps magic?
In a fantasy world, do traveling troupes use magic in their performances? Amazing. If you have skills like that, you wouldn’t have to worry about drinking water or washing up. And in emergencies, you could put out fires or clean wounds. But how exactly does she generate that water? Is she pulling moisture from the surroundings?
Seeing it disappear and reappear, is her mana transforming into water?
“Johann?”
“Sorry, that’s just really intriguing.”
“We should get going! Remember, we’ve got a busy day today!”
“Thanks.”
“Hehe, I’m the only one who’s here for you, right?”
“Yeah, yeah…”
I pet Millia, who clung to my arm and rubbed her head. She really is like a little puppy. We resumed walking and soon arrived at the Builders Guild, which was the first destination I’d chosen.
Builders Guild.
Construction, Civil Engineering, Sewing, Woodworking, Masonry, Blacksmithing, Combat, Magic, Medicine, Exploration, Excavation, Archaeology, Minstrel, Theater, etc., this place seemed the most promising compared to the rest.
“Whoa…”
This place doesn’t disappoint! The building looks bizarre, like it was squeezed like a rag. We stepped inside, and the Builders Guild was crowded with people. Is it because it’s morning and many are looking for work? Or are there lots of people like me here for exams?
As I looked around the crowd, I saw people muttering while holding papers, some with their hands clasped in prayer, and others staring intently at a bulletin board with requests posted. This feels more like a job agency than a Builders Guild.
“Johann, it looks like that line over there!”
I raised my gaze in the direction Millia was pointing, where the sign read ‘3rd Grade Builder License Exam.’ That’s it. We quickly walked to the end of that line, which had about a dozen people standing in it. They were all men.
Not surprising; I wouldn’t expect many women in a guild like this… wait, there’s one. I stole a glance at the girl in the front row, catching her out of the corner of my eye. While the male-to-female ratio is high, it doesn’t mean there are no women.
“Who are you looking at?”
“I’m just surprised that there’s a girl here.”
Ouch. I glanced at Millia, who pinched my hand. She was looking up at me with a disapproving expression.
“You can’t be distracted.”
Her dark gaze pierced through me, and I quickly continued stroking her head.
“Don’t worry; I won’t let anything happen.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“Really, really?”
“Yep.”
“Yay!”
The pressure from nearby stares feels intense. It’s as if they expect me to be the center of attention right now. I almost want to run away, but I’m here for the exam. I can’t leave now. Intentionally glaring at the stares around me made them dissipate with a cough.
That fearsome face is quite useful at moments like these.
“When will it be our turn?”
“If we wait, it will come.”
“Can I explore the guild?”
Though the line had thinned by about a third, Millia already seemed bored.
“Just don’t go wherever they tell you not to.”
“Got it!”
I hope she doesn’t cause any trouble. But she’s a pretty smart kid, so hopefully, she’ll behave.
“Next candidate, please come forward!”
Oh, is it my turn? I pulled out my recommendation letter and laid it down in front of the registrar. The registrar read my recommendation letter closely, scanned me up and down, and then handed me a small tag from the desk.
“Your examinee number is 7, so you can head straight to the exam site. Just show your tag to the guy wearing a yellow sash when you get there.”
“Where’s the exam site?”
“Over there.”
Oh, that door? I lightly nodded to the other examinees as I slipped out of the line.
I wonder where Millia went. As I looked around, I spotted her surrounded by several young men. They seemed to be chatting and laughing, so it doesn’t seem like a serious situation. Still, I was worried. I approached Millia swaggeringly and called out.
“Millia, I got my examinee tag.”
“Really? When do you take the exam?”
“Right now, they said I should go in.”
What are you staring at, you punks? Stop gaping at me before I poke your eyes out. I glared at them, and with a cough, they dispersed like timid little mice.
What do they think they’re trying to do?
“Can I watch too?”
“I don’t know.”
“But I want to see~!”
“Just ask if you can.”
I opened the door leading to the exam site. Beyond the door was a vast space that could probably hold thousands of people. There were chairs set up and structures resembling a spectator stand, so it seemed like it could accommodate viewers. I walked over to a mustachioed man who seemed to be posing confidently.
“I’m here to take the exam.”
“Hmmm. You came to take the exam, did you?”
The man scanned me once and then glanced at Millia beside me. His condescending look made me feel a bit uncomfortable. But since he’s the examiner, I can’t chop off his head. I pushed Millia slightly behind me as I asked.
“Can I watch as well?”
“Oh, that’s fine as long as you don’t cause a commotion.”
“Millia, go sit over there. I’ll be back soon.”
As I sent Millia off in that direction, a gruff voice from the side chimed in, seemingly displeased.
“Is this a joke? Do you really think you can finish that quickly? With that attitude, you won’t pass.”
“You’ll find out once you try.”
“Hmph.”
I’m not a fan of stuck-up guys like this.
I clenched and relaxed my fists a few times to suppress my irritation. If I were on a deserted island right now, I might’ve already lopped off a few limbs and buried them in the sand.
“The 7th spot is over there.”
I moved to the spot the examiner pointed to. People spaced about fifteen meters apart stared at me curiously. Is it because I look a bit out of place in the architecture class?
Either way, it doesn’t really matter…
But I should check out this unique floor material first.
I immediately knelt down and started to feel the dirt or whatever strange substance was on the ground.
“This isn’t your standard dirt…”
“It’s not regular dirt; it’s a soil infused with mana commonly used in modern construction. It has good viscosity, and once it sets, it’s even stronger than stone, making it a highly sought-after material.”
“Thanks for that explanation.”
“Haha, we should help each other out, right?”
What a rare and sincere young man. The guy on the opposite side is too scared to say anything. Anyway, the guy talking to me seemed friendly as he began sharing more details.
“This is my third attempt now, and I hope I pass this time.”
“…Is it that difficult?”
“Oh, is this your first time? Of course, it’s hard. This is the headquarters, after all. They mainly select exceptional talents here. Last time, I had to draft a blueprint—can you believe how stringent that was? This time they’ve changed the exam format to test our ability to build a small structure, and they’ve laid out the mana-infused soil, but honestly, I think this is even tougher.”
That’s lucky for me. If it were drafting blueprints, I’d have been totally sunk.
I don’t actually draft blueprints; I just go by feel.
As we were chatting casually…
“Everyone, attention!”
Looks like it’s about to start.
“Welcome to all examinees for the 3rd Grade Builder License Exam!”
I could hear applause. Looking closely, there were older gentlemen gathered in the spectator stands behind the examiner. Guild members, perhaps? Millia, sitting opposite, stood out like a sore thumb. She was waving her hands enthusiastically at me.
“This exam was decided to be a practical test, building a 3-pyeong structure in half a day, based on Guild Master Norman’s opinion that simply knowing the theory makes one a ‘smart fool!’”
Can I really make anything?
That’s great for me. I tuned out the examiner’s explanations and waited for the exam to begin.
“This is so boring…”
“They always say the same thing.”
After wasting some time with small talk to pass the boring minutes, the examiner finally announced the beginning.
“Then let’s start the exam now!”
“Crafting.”