Chapter 70：An Exam and Ancient Art (1/2)
His footsteps clicked on the marble floor of the association; his hands slightly sweaty. Even if he was confident, being tested was still anxiety-striking. Arthur peered into the hall he reached, seeing people of all ages sitting inside waiting.
They each carried a box or a backpack, and so did Arthur. He knocked, making the whole room turn to him, before letting himself in. It was a habit to knock when one entered, one he picked up in kindergarten. He sat on the seat as he waited nervously.
This worry appeared when he was called for a test at the Runes Association for his Runic Bracelet. He was confident about his ability to draw runes; he just wasn't confident about his ability to hide how he did it.
The hall had thirty-people in total, making it quite noisy when everyone chatted with each other. Arthur sat alone, his backpack leaning on his leg, as he felt the unintended isolation. He peeked around the hall for any other loners, he found two only.
Even without talking to them, Arthur knew they chose to be alone. A girl and a boy, each sitting so far away yet in such a matching way that Arthur could smell the scent of high-society from his seat. They were people of high-profile with their branded clothes and formal posture.
Arthur sighed at his inability to strike up a conversation, so he simply leaned back and waited for the examiner.
The sound of high-heels soon echoed in the hallway by the entrance, and a girl in her twenties entered. She bowed lightly after she stood in front of the crowd and wore a warm smile.
”Hello, dear collogues of the runes path.” She said, making the people take in a sharp breath at the clear flattery. Everyone, except for Arthur of course, seemed to recognize her as they started chatting among themselves. Picking up some words from the noisy hall, Arthur tried to make sense of her identity. In the end, he only heard the words youngest and genius before the girl lightly clapped making the hall go mute.
”Today, we'll be holding an exam for you to become Runes Apprentices. I don't expect many to succeed, since the path of runes is a long one. Just remember that everyone is running their race, so don't be discouraged if you fail.”
Positive energy filled the hall at the good-hearted encouragement. Arthur saw the girl in a better light for her effort to decrease the stress these participants had. Like she said, becoming a runes apprentice wasn't easy. A select few had the skill to inscribe runes successfully since it needed extreme training since they were young.
If one didn't practice the runes inscription since they were young, it was a hard call to become a runes apprentice. If not for his ability, Arthur would have never been able to achieve this feat. That's why his group didn't think Arthur would make it, simply supporting him because it was what the club was there for.
The girl seemed to approve of their energized eyes after her words, nodding as she a circle in the air. Arthur noticed a ring glowing on her finger, creating a hologram in the air in front of them.
Inside the circle were many questions and runes. Arthur's head blanked for a second when he saw the questions. Reading the first one, he felt his head drench in sweat as his anxiety ate at him.
'What is the most appropriate material for these runes to be inscribed on?'
'Name the function of the runes on this artifact.'
'Who uncovered the following runes? Please list the date if possible.'
'Using the theory of Julia's Mana Intersection, describe the work of the following rune.'
There were these four questions. Even though Arthur knew there would be a written exam, Ori said it was really easy. Merely a formality, he called it.
Looking at the questions, Arthur could answer the second one fully. He had his legacy to help him identify runes. The first and third questions were out since he sucked at history and didn't know the materials used in blacksmithing or runes inscription, Arthur only had the last question to pass.
'I summon you, the ancient art of the forgotten. Head my call and come, Art of Bluffing Your Way Through.' Arthur picked up his pen as he prayed in his heart. Using the little knowledge in his brain, he had to write an essay about how this rune worked.
The exam was one hour long, fifteen minutes for Arthur. He used his legacy to identify the runes on the second question and what little creativity he had, plus the understanding of true runes, to explain the work of the last rune.
The others would glance in the direction of the 'confident' and 'chill' participant often, cursing their luck. What Arthur didn't know was that this exam was truly a formality, since people would have a hard time passing it. Identifying runes and how they worked were things that were impossible to know for two reasons.