Scholar Assessment

Stepping through the grand doors of the temple, the bustling noise from the street instantly vanished, leaving only the solemn atmosphere unique to the Temple of Wisdom.

Even though the Temple of Wisdom appeared indifferent and tolerant, it still commanded respect as a sacred place.

Everyone entering the Temple of Wisdom refrained from making noise.

They either quietly read books or sought advice from the priests, occasionally passing by young individuals in white robes, carrying thick volumes in their hands.

These individuals were voluntary priests who believed in the God of Wisdom.

In the game "Miracle," the role of a priest differed from typical game interpretations.

They weren't limited to simple healing abilities but encompassed various branches of belief due to the introduction of divine magic.

Consequently, priests had access to a wide range of unique skills. However, players initially had to join the Temple of Order and become priests.

Only after reaching level 10 could they initiate new professions by joining different temples and becoming priests of different factions.

Those wearing the distinctive white robes of the Temple of Wisdom were undoubtedly second-tier "Scholar Priests."

In reality, the God of Wisdom didn't require priests, which was why the sanctuaries were temples instead of shrines.

However, every deity inevitably needed servants, hence the emergence of the priest profession.

However, within the Temple of Wisdom, the status of a scholar held more prestige than that of a priest.

This contrasted completely with the Temple of the Radiant God, where the priest system was more esteemed than the warrior system.

"Their actions reflect their mindset." Sean felt a sense of disgust when he recalled the fanatical followers of the Radiant God.

A young woman in a white robe suddenly appeared before Sean, her gaze slightly annoyed.

Although she didn't say anything, she placed her index finger against her lips, conveying a clear message.

Only then did Sean remember that the front hall of the Temple of Wisdom was called the Silent Reflection Hall, and anyone entering here had to maintain absolute silence, even when turning the pages of a book, doing so as cautiously as possible to avoid disturbing others.

Sean smiled apologetically and proceeded forward without making any further noise, following the woman's gesture.

Behind the statue of the God of Wisdom in the Silent Reflection Hall, there was an entrance to a corridor.

Walking through this corridor led to the central courtyard of the Temple of Wisdom.

Unlike typical temple courtyards filled with flowers and plants, this one appeared clean and simple, with only a few stone tables and chairs for resting.

However, on the left and right sides of the courtyard, there were four additional rooms, with Sean's destination, the Scholar Hall, situated within the central courtyard.

And those young individuals in white robes, carrying books, didn't stop there.

They continued walking towards the rear area of the Temple of Wisdom.

That was the back hall of the temple, a more significant place accessible only to scholars and priests recognized by the Temple of Wisdom.

Other people who came here seeking knowledge could only stay in the courtyard, unable to proceed further.

Sean had entered there before in the game, but apart from more precious books, there was nothing else of interest.

"Don't you know that's the Silent Reflection Hall?"

As soon as the woman entered the courtyard, she erupted in anger like a resentful woman secluded in her chamber.

However, due to the nature of the Temple of Wisdom, even if she was full of anger, her voice had to be restrained, unable to raise it too loudly.

This peculiar aspect made Sean find it somewhat amusing, so he couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" The woman's anger intensified, and her tone rose slightly.

"Nothing." Sean shook his head, still smiling.

In the game, rules were rigid, and even though NPCs were intelligent, they often followed certain data rules in their actions.

Now, in this world, experiencing the emotions that were absent before, Sean's heart gradually began to be moved. He found himself starting to like this world.

"I just remembered something funny." Sean nodded and smiled, "It was my mistake earlier, I wasn't paying attention."

The woman's face still held a hint of dissatisfaction, but seeing Sean's expression, she couldn't detect any falsehood, so she had to let it go. "Tell me, what are you here for in the Temple of Wisdom?"

"I heard that there's a scholar assessment happening here soon." Sean stated as per the game's hint, "So, I've come to take the assessment."

In the game, to match the theme, the Temple of Wisdom indeed arranged a scholar qualification assessment.

It was a simple test with only a few questions, mainly differentiating between creatures, magical beasts, minerals, plants, and the like.

As long as players paid some attention, they could find the corresponding simple answers on the official website. Passing the test was not an issue; the real challenge was achieving a high score!

Only those who answered all the questions correctly on their first attempt could receive a high score rating and a prize.

Sean didn't come to the Temple of Wisdom just to obtain the scholar status; his goal was undoubtedly to achieve a high score.

"Just you?"

Perhaps due to Sean's earlier presence in the Silent Reflection Hall, the woman clearly looked down on him.

"Someone like you, who doesn't respect knowledge, having aspirations of becoming a scholar is simply wishful thinking! If you only want to gain the favor of the magicians and become their apprentice, you should leave now. Those who don't respect knowledge won't gain the recognition of the God of Wisdom."

The smile faded from Sean's face, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. He felt somewhat dissatisfied with the woman's words.

What he wants to do is entirely his freedom, and it's not up to outsiders to dictate. Moreover, the most important point is that he is absolutely not worried about obtaining the scholar qualification.

Not to mention the combination of the special abilities "True Sight" and "Survival Instinct," even without them, he mostly knows the answers to the scholar exam questions, except he might not be able to achieve a high score.

"Do you have any authority to interfere with whether or not I can obtain the scholar qualification?" Since this woman spoke so impolitely, Sean naturally didn't hold back either.

After saying that, Sean ignored her and turned towards the left side of the courtyard.

It was divided into two areas, with a larger area designated as the Scholar Hall, specifically prepared for those participating in the scholar qualification assessment.

This type of assessment was not unfamiliar to a modern person like Sean. Inside, there were numerous tables, each with an item placed on it—either a mineral, a plant, or a graphical representation of a magical creature or beast.

The assessors were required to state the origin, background, and characteristics of these minerals, plants, or creatures.

Basically, as long as they could answer correctly for over seventy percent of the items, they would receive the scholar qualification certificate and officially become a scholar.

If they could identify everything, they would receive a reward from the scholars in the hall.

Sean remembered that the reward was completely random, but most of the items were small useful trinkets for the scholar profession.

"Hey, you can't go in now!" Seeing Sean completely ignoring her, the woman suddenly became anxious.

She intended to reach out and stop Sean, but as soon as her hand extended, Sean was already several steps away.

When she started running to catch up with him, Sean was about to enter the Scholar Hall. The woman rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

He was so close, within arm's reach, yet why did he move so far away in just a few steps?

But before she could figure it out, she saw Sean already preparing to push open the door of the hall.

Finally, she started running quickly.

However, she didn't manage to stop Sean earlier, and now Sean had already reached the door of the hall. How could she catch up?

"Boom!"

The closed door was directly pushed open by Sean, and then, the next second, Sean froze.

There was someone inside the room participating in the assessment!

"I'm sorry." Sean quickly realized the situation and immediately apologized.

The door to the Scholar Hall was never closed in the game, regardless of whether someone was being assessed inside.

However, normally there would be a guard outside to inform other prospective scholar exam participants.

But when Sean arrived, he didn't see the guard, so he instinctively pushed the door open. He didn't expect that the real world would be somewhat different, like now...

The three supervising scholars, along with the examinee, turned their heads to look at Sean, slightly displeased with his action.

However, the oldest-looking scholar waved his hand, signaling not to pursue the matter. Sean nodded slightly in gratitude and prepared to leave.

At this moment, the woman finally arrived, and her expression towards Sean was no longer just anger but rather a deep-seated resentment.

So Sean knew that this woman was the guard.

However, just as Sean was about to leave, the guard suddenly shouted, "Don't go!"

Sean was slightly taken aback but still stopped. "Is there something wrong?"

"Something wrong? You say it so lightly!"

The person's eyes darted around before they walked over, their face full of anger.

"Do you know, I was just about to recall the origin and characteristics of that mineral, but you scared me and made me forget! This is my scholar qualification exam! Tell me, how are you going to compensate me?" They then turned to the woman and continued to berate her. "What's the matter with you as a guard? You allowed someone to barge in like that. Is this the kind of irresponsible guard you are? Do you realize that you've caused the academic world to lose a talent?"

Watching this examinee's tantrum, Sean was dumbfounded. Did this person really think the scholars had defective brains?

It's important to note that scholars are strong in academic knowledge.

Although they have no combat abilities and their skills do not focus on combat, they are undoubtedly a fifth-tier profession.

Sean could only lament that there seemed to be no shortage of people in this world with their heads stuck in doors, just like in the modern society of the past.

"Tell me, how are you going to compensate me?"

After scolding the woman guard, the examinee turned back to bother Sean.

Hearing this examinee clearly trying to extort him, Sean sneered, "If you truly knew what that mineral was, how could you possibly forget it just because someone startled you? Or is it that your brain is filled with feces and you've been constipated for a long time, and being startled has caused it to clog up again?"