It was of no small matter, but a few hundred. On the old and discolored wooden floor, some could not slow down and were still spinning.
“Can, how much money is here!”
The middle-aged woman was puzzled. This state of mind of someone eating porridge for dinner was the common behavior of the family for now.
“I told you! As of today, we can move to our old house. Monthly rent of ten golds is no longer a problem!”
The man was happy and he was laughing. The woman was also happy and crying. Sivo, who witnessed two different expressions of the same emotion, began to speak:
“Dad, how did you meet Mel?”
The bedridden boy told the story of the night, but he didn’t know how his father brought the young boy to their home. Can tell the story without feigning reluctance; starting from the absence of a creature core on the first day to Mel’s departure to the forest.
“Did he really collect so many creature cores in two days? What kind of monster lies inside that gentle boy?”
As someone who had experienced the forest on the edge of the settlement firsthand, Sivo seemed like he didn’t want to believe the story. But the evidence was clear.
“Unbelievable, isn’t it? But it will be more unbelievable, after what you will see now!”
When the Guard had finished speaking, he folded his two hands and held them out towards his child. Suddenly, a gleam appeared in the hollowed-out center.
There was a purple-black crystal that was as big as a little boy’s head. It was radiating a malignant and violent aura.
“This! This is a boss class wild beast core!”
Sivo almost jumped out of his place. He began to murmur.
“That’s why he asked about all these. He wasn’t kidding me. Everything was already in his hands when he got here!”
The guard’s son, who had figured out the situation, gasped. Maybe Mel wanted to stay here for one night just for him. Otherwise, with that amount of money, he could stay in the most luxurious place of the settlement for months.
The middle-aged woman could not hold herself any longer. She started to cry loudly. The guard put the ring on his son’s finger before he went over to comfort her.
“Everything in it is for you. You can take care of what’s left!”
When Sivo channeled his weak energy, he began to peek into the space inside the ring. It wasn’t very big. It was slightly larger than the room they were in. The young boy did not seem to mind about this. He knew very well how much rings with an area smaller than this would cost.
“He really killed it by himself. He killed the boss class giant snake!”
When his eyes picked up the corpse aside, he shouted with his last force. The guard who had seen it long ago only smiled. A year ago, his world was collapsed. But today, life was starting again.
When the Guard and his family woke up to an extraordinary morning, the person who gave them this was at the place where the Plant Department exam would take place. He had been waiting for exactly three hours in front of the building, where he arrived at the first lights of the morning, and no one came but him.
“You again?”
As Mel was slumbering in front of the door, a voice came and stuck in his ear like an arrow.
“Yes sir, I think I’m a little early!”
“Didn’t I tell you that the exam will start at ten?”
“No, you didn’t! You gave me the participant seal and continued to sleep!”
It was Grumpy Hanry and when he heard his fault, he quickly tried to cover it up.
“No way! You must not have heard!”
The old man quickly opened the door and entered inside. Mel was just staring behind him. Then the closing door opened with the same speed.
“What are you waiting for? Come in!”
Grumpy Hanry yelled. His eyes were wide open.
Mel immediately entered and started to peer around. The interior layout of the single-story tall building was different from the time he was here before. Registration desks were removed; single-seat chairs and mini-tables came in their places.
“Choose a place for yourself and sit down. There is only one hour. Soon everybody starts to come.”
And it happened just as he said. Ten minutes after Grumpy Hanry finished his words, the single-story building began to fill up with lots of people.
Along with the trial participants, the people who worked as registrars that day were also coming one by one. Finally, at five to ten o’clock, an old man in green robes having a beard reaching his waist appeared at the door. Everyone, young and old, jumped to their feet. Only Mel was staring in confusion.
“My friend, you’d better get up!”
When the child next to him poked Mel with his hand, he had to jump up too. But his belated state did not go unnoticed.
“Isn’t that the peasant from that day?”
“He doesn’t even know who the coming person is, but he thinks he will pass the exams!”
The children whispered to each other when they saw their opponent’s deficit.
“Silence!”
Grumpy Hanry shouted when the whispers turned into humming. The environment became calm as a millpond again
“Please come in, Mr. Head of Department!”
There were seats for three people to sit at the end of the structure. The man, who just entered through the door, walked slowly and sat down in the middle.
Grumpy Hanry was sitting in the seat on his right side and a younger man was sitting in the seat on his left side. All the eyes were on the trio. The other registrars were waiting for to stand. After a brief silence, the youngest of the trio began to speak.
“This year’s Plant Department Admission Exam will consist of three parts!”
His voice was loud and his timbre was harsh. Even someone sitting at the other end of the building could easily hear what he was saying.
“Each section will be worth ten points. Those who take under twenty points in total will be eliminated!”
The young man’s words caused indignation. The Plants Department was demanding almost seventy percent success in each part.
“Silence!”
The young man continued his speech after the rumble was again suppressed by the voice of Grumpy Hanry.
“The first test will measure the bond you can create with plants. Probably no one doesn’t know that one of the Plant Department acceptance requirements is to interact with plants!”
While everyone was shaking their heads in a wiseacre manner, some were trying to sell their knowledge.
“I learned the fact that we can feed and grow plants with our own energy when I was only one year old!”
“Our family has been doing Plant Growing for generations. This stage is a piece of cake for me!”
Besides those who boasted of their lineage, there were also bookworms.
“Do you know it is said that some masters can harness the energies of plants?”
“These are just legends. Have you ever seen someone like that before?”
Mel could hear it all. He especially listened very carefully to what the two kids wearing thick glasses were talking about. As someone who was always exchanging energy with plants, he was astonished that the things he did easily like breathing were regarded as legendary.
“I have to listen to my grandfather’s words. I m capable of doing what is impossible for these people. But I shouldn’t show anyone my capability!”
Mel could not murmur even lightly, fearing that someone would hear him. He just passed it through his mind.
“Officers, bring the Ghost Orchids with Ten Buds!”
It did not take ten minutes to put pots in front of a hundred participants. Everyone was looking at the stem at the length of an adult man’s arm and the flowers with ten buds.
“You have all heard the name of the plant and you know its properties. Nevertheless, I will tell you once again!”
Mel let out a deep breath. He was tallow-faced.
“Look at the peasant. He turned pale because of fear!”
“He certainly didn’t know the plant and he thought the trainer wasn’t going to explain its features!”
Hearing the conversation of those around him, Mel closed his eyes. It was evident from his sweaty face that he was having a very difficult time.
