The Mock Exam  

The next day.

Vivian woke up in her bed inside the dorm room and found herself alone as usual.

She slowly sat up.

I still feel weak…

Her eyes glanced at the gloves and water pouch underneath her bed.

Last night, before returning back to the female dormitory, Isaac returned once again after delivering the food to bring her left glove and water pouch that she left inside the training room. And once she arrived at the dorm, she washed her clothes before going to bed.

Pah.

Pah.

She slapped her cheeks.

I don't have time to be weak…

She got up and did her morning routine.

***

Vivian just finished eating breakfast and was walking in a hallway on her way to the library.

When she finally arrived there, she turned to Annabelle's desk to greet her but she wasn't there so turned away and swept her gaze to look for Marie.

Marie sitting at a table and talking with a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her early 20s with short blue hair and was wearing a White Cloak. 

Vivian slowed down her steps as she headed over to Marie. And as she got closer, Marie and the woman turned their attention to her.

Marie smiled and waved.

The woman, on the other hand, stared at her and she couldn't help but notice the hidden animosity in her eyes.

Vivian wasn't in the mood at the moment and decided to just ignore it. She smiled and waved back to Marie as she approached her.

"I'll see you later," the woman said and got up before leaving.

Vivian didn't say anything and waited for the woman to finally be away.

"Sister, how are you feeling?" Marie asked.

"I'm fine," Vivian said as she grabbed a chair and sat. "So, is the test ready?"

"Yes."

Marie gave her a piece of paper and a pencil with an eraser.

Vivian raised an eyebrow.

So there's pencil and eraser in this world, huh…

The pencil and eraser weren't anything like the ones back in her previous world. They were more crude and the pencil itself appeared to be more like crayons than a modern pencil.

Vivian began answering the mock exam.

The test was easy and the topic was, of course, about the religion concerning about Temple of Priests, specifically about the first book she read. The first section was 10 items of multiple choice, the second section was another 10 items of true or false, and the third section was essay. Once she was done answering, she gave the test paper to Marie for checking.

A few minutes later…

"Wow, congratulations, sister! You got a perfect score!"

"Thanks!" Vivian said and smiled.

I just hope the actual test would just be as easy as this…

Marie got up from her seat.

"I'll tell Sister Annabelle that you're ready to take the exam. You can take the exam this afternoon or tomorrow morning."

"I'll take it tomorrow morning. I need to do some quests at the Adventurer's Guild."

"Okay," she said and then left.

Vivian let out a sigh of relief.

I thought she was going to ask again if she could come with me...

Marie returned.

"Sister, I already told Sister Annabelle and she said that you may take the exam tomorrow morning."

Vivian got up from her seat.

"I see. Thank you, sister."

"Sister."

Vivian's heart sank.

"Yes…?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Huh? I mean, of course, why not?"

"It's nothing. If you ever need something, don't be afraid to ask me, okay?"

"Sure…" Vivian said with a hesitant tone.

She then turned around and left.

***

Adventurer's Guild building.

Vivian stepped into the main hall and immediately headed straight to the Quest Board.

Since people in the guild already knew she was a Priest, she decided that there was no point in hiding it anymore. So she had her hair tied into a ponytail as usual, she wore her Brown Cloak and had her Class Crystal or gold necklace with a sun pendant around her neck out in the open. Underneath her cloak, she was wearing leather armor with a white shirt underneath, a pair of fingerless gloves, a pair of worn-out green pants, a pair of old leather boots with a metal plate covering its tips, and a kitchen knife hidden inside her left boot. In addition to that, around her waist, she had a small sack, a water pouch and her sword. And as for her whip, she left it back at the compound.

Vivian noticed Pana behind her counter who was smiling and waving at her.

She let out a sigh internally before heading over to Pana with a smile on her face and waved back at her.

"Vivian, it's been a while. I almost didn't recognize you. Did you lose weight?"

Back at the female dormitory, the bathroom had a mirror so Vivian knew how sunken her cheeks were and how dark and heavy her eyebags were.

"I've just been busy doing Priest stuff."

"I see. Don't push yourself too hard, okay? Having a healthy mind and body is also important, especially in doing Quests."

Vivian nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind. So what's new today?"

"Nothing much. By the way, about the Quest I told you about…"

"Quest?"

"You know, the one about the Noble who wants to hire you."

"Oh…"

That's still going on…?

Hmm…

Makes it even more fishy…

"Tell him that if he wants to hire me, I want 1 gold coin per heal. And depending on the location, the price could change. I could also refuse if I find the location unsafe."

Pana chuckled.

"Spoken like a Priestess."

"Huh?"

"I'll tell him that," she said and then leaned over to her. "Just between you and me, this Noble that I heard who wants to hire you, I've heard some nasty rumors about him."

"Oh?"

"I heard that he only hires beautiful female Adventurers and forces them to eat with him."

Vivian knitted her brows.

"If that's the case, why did the guild allow him to issue a Quest here? I can't remember if it was you who told me this but doesn't the guild do some screening before officially accepting a Quest?"

"That's true. But hiring female adventurers and forcing them to eat with the employer isn't exactly a crime."

"Oh…"

Pana didn't say anything and simply let out an uncomfortable smile.

"Anyhow, I change my mind. Tell him that I refuse to take the Quest and to never bother me ever again. Also, in the future, if it's a creepy or suspicious client like that, immediately tell them that I refuse. I already have too many people inviting me to join their party or join my party, I don't want to deal with any more headaches."

Pana opened her mouth and was about to say something concerning her career as an Adventurer. But after considering Vivian's situation as a Priestess, she decided not to.

"Noted."

"Thanks," Vivian said and turned away but stopped mid-way and turned back to Pana. "Since I'm already here, can you tell me what are the available Quests for Copper Rank?"

"Sure, give me a moment."

She opened her logbook and began searching.

"We only have 2 available Quests at the moment…

"The first one is to search for a missing engagement ring. Last known location, The Silver Wing Inn. Reward is 50 copper coins, time limit 30 days. It's a Special Quest so you can take this while taking another…

"The second one is to investigate if the client's girlfriend is cheating on him. He doesn't want to disclose any information, it will only be disclosed once you accept the Quest. Reward is 30 copper coins and the time limit is 7 days. This is also listed as a Special Quest...

"These are the available Quests for today…"

There dark expression on Vivian's face.

"Those are the Quests? What about the Bukaroo Quest? Or the Treebark Quest?"

"Sorry, someone else took them."

"I have a question. I remember the Gold Rank has a Special Quest to hunt down Peons at some ruin and the reward is 1 gold coin for 10 ears. Can I do that Quest even though I'm Copper Rank?"

"Yes, you can, as long as you issued the Quest under a party with a Gold Rank member's name."

"Why can't I use my name?"

"It's against the rules."

"But why? I'm strong enough."

"Whether you're strong or not is irrelevant. It is the guild's rule."

"But how is that any different from a lower rank teaming up with a high rank? Like say, what if a Copper Rank joins a Diamond Rank party and does nothing but rely on the Diamond Rank members? Even if she completes the Quest and gets promoted to Silver Rank, wouldn't it be pointless because her skills don't reflect Silver Rank?"

"Many have tried that. However, that will not work because there is a Rank Exam between colors."

"Rank Exam between colors?"

"Once a Copper II Rank becomes eligible to become Silver I Rank, he/she is required to take and pass a Promotion Exam along with other Copper II Adventurers who are also eligible to take the exam under the supervision of the guild before he/she can finally become Silver I. No other people aside from the participants and facilitators are allowed to be present in the exam. And on top of that, even if you happen to have fellow party members taking the same time as you, there's no guarantee you would be grouped together."

"Oh…"

"Yes, so even if a lower rank Adventurer parties with higher rank Adventurers and only relies on them, they would still have to take and pass the Rank Exam if they want to get promoted."

"Well, I guess that's fair. But still, what if I have the strength to do Gold and Platinum Rank quests on my own? Wouldn't the guild want to value or nurture talented Adventurers like that?"

"Strength isn't about everything. Being able to follow the rules is also important."

But what is the point of rules when you have no strength…?

Rules only make sense if you have the power to implement them…

Also, rules are there to protect the weaklings…

And I'm no weakling…

"I see. I understand."

"But don't many people want to party with you? And wouldn't it be wiser and safer to party with people?"

Most people are lazy and will only slow me down…

There's also Lore Magic [Nemesis of Beasts] and my other secrets…

"I just feel more comfortable working alone."

Pana shook her head.

"I know you're a very capable person, but you're still only one person. Everyone needs help. And I've seen too many Adventurers try to do the solo route only for one day take a Quest and never return. You should be careful, especially considering you're a woman."

"I understand that. Thank you for your concern."

"As long as you understand. So, will you be taking a Quest?"

"Not today. I'll just go back and train."

"Okay."

"Bye, see you around," Pana said and smiled.

"You too," Vivian said and smiled as well before turning around and leaving.