[1307th Academy Evaluation! Good Luck!]
As Gray opened the exam, his face instantly changed. What was up with those questions?! They went like this:
1. A new student's Mana has been going wild, but only once every blue moon. He begs you in tears for a way to solve his training issues. What do you do?
2. There are 1,117,387 Astral Stars in the entire Soland. Please describe the cluster that governs Hellrand's Sky and its impact on Astral Mages!
3. You enter a Forest with a fellow alchemist. He says he found a Carnivora and wants your help extracting its nectar. But then you realize it has 27 petals and 42 fangs, so you slap him. Why?
4. A wandering Spellsword wants you to forge a blade sharper than moonlight and studier than a Darkbeast bones. What materials will you use, how hot will your fire be, and how many times will you hammer the sword?
How the hell was anyone supposed to get this right?! Gale would have flipped the entire pillar upside down if he had been stronger!
"Sigh. This DEFINITELY isn't a basic evaluation." This was probably for some amazing Elite class, right?! Still, that didn't mean that he'd give up, either.
He'd BS his way out of this— or try at least! But just as he was about to begin…
[Ding! Your Burning Soul Has Awakened IT!]
That's when the entire world changed. Was the evaluation already over?! No, it was weirder than that. Gray suddenly found himself in another realm.
It was a desolate battlefield, with skeletons lying everywhere. But before he could examine them, the entire realm suddenly rumbled mightily.
— Quake! Tremble! Rumble! Shake! —
It was as if thousands of Earthquakes were happening all at once in every direction! Then, the ground suddenly split up, revealing a gigantic Tower-like structure that kept rising.
As for what the thing was, it seemed like a ginormous babel-like Library?! It was so tall that it seemed to encroach into Heaven itself!
Then, a game-like screen suddenly appeared before him, along with a chime:
[Congratulations! Unlocked Library of Heaven's Souls!]
"T-This, don't tell me… a Golden finger?!"
Gray felt like crying. Heaven hadn't forsaken him! Sure, he had inherited countless problems, but with this, he'd have a chance at surviving!
With tears of happiness, he rushed to the Library.
The mere sight of the doors was enough to awe him. They were engraved with countless figures of Gods and Demons who seemingly fought over… books?!
The whole thing looked so ancient, mysterious, and godly. Without hesitating, he pushed the double doors— or tried. They didn't budge at all!
[Insufficient Permission! Please Gather More Souls!]
T-That was it?! What was he supposed to do with a cheat he couldn't use?! Souls? Where was he even supposed to get those?! His very own soul would belong to the Duke soon!
"Eh, Soul Library, Sir, could you just give me a tiny preview of what's inside? Then I'd be VERY motivated to collect souls for you. You have my word!"
He waited, hoping for a miracle or anything really…
[Ding! Reminder: The Soul Pond is Already Unlocked!]
The screen didn't seem personal, as if it was merely giving him a tutorial, but Gray would have kissed that screen right now if he wasn't in a hurry.
"Soul Pond? Little Pond, where are you?"
It took him a couple of laps around the Library before he finally found it. Apparently, as the Library had appeared, it had terraformed the entire place.
Not only were the skeletons now buried, but there was now a backyard behind the Tower! As soon as he entered it, Gray noticed a shiny pond.
It was 10 meters wide by 10 meters long, yet he couldn't see the bottom. It was an endless abyss, with weird glowing water and blue fishies that glowed even more.
They looked so cute as they swam around and... NVM! Fishes? Seeing one from up close, he jerked in shock. Those were all souls, sometimes opening their ghostly maws full of fangs!
[Ding! Welcome to the Soul-Pond!]
[Ding! Successfully Signed in to the Soul Pond!]
[Obtained 3 Fishing Attempts! Obtained Beginner's Luck Buff!]
Just as Gray wondered what the hell he was supposed to fish with, the ground suddenly opened up next to him, a bony fishing rod suddenly sprouting out of it.
"This place is definitely wack! Still, beggars can't be choosers!"
He grabbed the fishing rod. As he did, he sensed... its spirit?! It felt a primal joy just from being held, and it couldn't wait to plunder souls with its new master!
There was no fishing line, yet he somehow felt it would work anyway. Gray swung the rod, a thin blue line of Mana suddenly stretching into the pond!
—SKREEEEEEE! It wasn't the souls screeching, it was his goddamn fishing rod!
"Can you stop screaming already? You'll scare the fishes, eh souls!"
What followed was an intense and long fishing session. Who said a power-up was fast? Fishing required patience and dedication!
Luckily, time seemed strange here, as if coming to a halt. Thus, a couple of hours later, Gray had finally caught his first catch! He reeled in the magical line with expectation…
[Ding! Obtained Old-Boots!]
[After being worn far too long, they have developed sentience. Besides the habit of nibbling toes, it is the perfect companion for those too lazy to walk by themselves!]
Good thing Gray wasn't strong enough, or he would have flipped the damn pond! But then he regained his calm. He shouldn't be ingrate like all those dumb System Protagonists.
"It's fine. It's fine. I still have two more attempts."
Thus, he kept going until finally he had exhausted both attempts and also his beginner's luck buff. As for the rewards…
[Ding! New Memory; Heaven Defying Eyes!]
[Heaven tried to keep me down, but I defied it! Brown boring eyes? With this technique, I can change my eye color and become the mightiest eye model! Muhahahaha!]
That was it?! It only changed eye color, nothing else?! What the fuck was up with that arrogant name, then?!
"Heaven defying my ass! Ever heard of contact lenses?! Sigh, actually that's unfair, this isn't a modern world. Rest in peace, mightiest-eye-model dude, and thank you."
But as he checked the last one, his heart started beating quickly...
[Ding! Obtained F-Ranked Alchemist Soul!]
[After studying all his life, Bob finally passed the Alchemy exam… on his deathbed! Call upon his soul to request his assistance. *PS: He bribed his way into passing the exam!]
"..."
As he read the last line, Gray felt like crying. Why did it have to mention bribes?! Discouraged, he tried swinging his rod again just to see what would happen.
As for the result...
[No Fishing Attempt Remaining!]
[Come Back Tomorrow or offer Souls!]
Souls again?! Did everything here require souls? One could say that the name sure checked out. Oh well, it seemed like it was the end for today.
Laughing with self-ridicule at his shitty luck, Gray actually didn't despair. That fake alchemist soul? He'd probably know far more than his current self anyway.
"It's fine. Start with tiny bits of information and extrapolate the rest. Just like back on Earth!" How many classes had he somehow passed by bullshitting his teachers back then?!
Powerfully opening his eyes, Gray found himself back in the real world. Gazing at the exam pedestal, he willed the cheat in his soul to activate.
[Ding! Bob the Alchemist is Now Assisting You!]
[Ding! Use Him Wisely for the Next Hour!]