Chapter 262: Lanchi's Score
Chapter 262: Lanchi's Score
As the sun outside the window rose higher, the examination papers on the main conference table were further scrutinized, making the number of previously qualified candidates seem minuscule in comparison.
These were all notorious villains with some infamy within the Empire.
One such exam paper belonged to Graf, nicknamed "Meat Grinder," a hulking figure with numerous cuts and burn marks on his body, and a deep knife wound by his mouth. He was a torturer and a butcher, known for capturing humans, dismembering them, and selling their body parts on the black market, although no direct evidence existed.
The missing persons rate in his residential area was abnormally high, according to statistics. Rumors also spoke of unimaginable tortures he inflicted on his victims in hidden chambers, highlighting his brutal nature and a fascination for pain that surpassed his greed for wealth.
The next high-scoring exam paper belonged to Walter, nicknamed "Poison Sting," a slender man with pale skin and a black eyepatch over his left eye.
"He wears several rings infused with poison on his right fingers," one of the clerics commented. "A master of poisons living on the borders of the Imperial Capital, notorious for creating and selling deadly toxins."
"It's said that to test his new poisons, he experiments on innocent vagrants," another added. "Cold-blooded, cunning, and with no regard for life."
"A most suitable personality, wouldn't you agree?"
Without much discussion, High Cleric Kaius placed Walter's exam paper and resume in the qualified pile.
"Not a single sealing priest among them?" one of the clerics beside him remarked, flipping through the resumes of those who had already qualified. Their professions varied, but none seemed to specialize in sealing magic like the Bishop of Annihilation.
"Sealing priests are rare," the other cleric explained. "Within our branch, aside from the Bishop and Son of Annihilation, there aren't many clerics proficient in sealing magic."
Even among those with an affinity for sealing-type magic, those who dedicated themselves to sealing others often had psychological or mental issues.
Nonetheless, the allure of the Bishop of Annihilation drew most evil sealing priests to their fold.
As the conversation progressed, High Cleric Kaius seemed to have come across an intriguing exam paper, causing him to pause.
The score was an impressive 91, and Kaius quickly located the corresponding resume—
"Eyeball Collector" Torres, a scholar donning a pair of multilayered glasses, his pockets always filled with the eyes of various creatures. His gaze held an otherworldly gleam, as if it didn't belong in this realm. Torres believed that the eyes were the windows to the soul. He would capture all sorts of beings, extract their eyes, and subject them to his studies. Yet, there was a pattern of blind victims being abandoned on the streets in the towns he visited, and though he was never at the scene, his proximity to these incidents was notable.
This was the highest score they had seen so far.
"He's been accused numerous times, but never has the evidence been conclusive," one of the clerics remarked, awe evident in his voice. "That alone speaks to his prowess."
Without much discussion, this resume, too, was placed in the qualified pile.
They continued flipping through the papers.
After more than ten minutes...
They finally discovered another exam paper that could rival the previous two.
"Blood Throat" Gia, a tall and slender figure with refined clothing, a bright red scarf tucked into her collar. She was a notorious singer, and those who heard her perform often ended up tearing out their own throats or biting off their tongues in bizarre phenomena. Yet, she denied using any musical magic, taking pride only in her artistic skills.
Her score of 85 was also impressive.
"Her combat abilities are exceptional, and her methods are covert," Kaius assessed. "She likely possesses the power of a Sixth-Circle cleric, comparable to us."
Talent and strength were always bonus points, as they would be crucial in the final evaluation.
As the pile of scattered documents on the table dwindled, they were eventually sorted into two clear categories: qualified and unqualified. Only a handful of unique professions remained on the round table, awaiting further consideration.
High Cleric Kaius stroked his chin thoughtfully, seemingly awaiting the opinions of the two other High Clerics by his side as they finished perusing the remaining files.
Although Kaius had been the main examiner for the three rounds of tests, the other two High Clerics had been responsible for other tasks, and their insights could prove valuable.
"Take a look at these two," Kaius said, spreading out an exam paper and a resume on the table.
The gazes of the other two clerics followed his gesture.
The first paper had a relatively low score of 62, belonging to a woman named Sid.
She had achieved a perfect score on the objective portion, but left most of the subjective questions blank aside from a few conceptual ones. Nonetheless, it was still a passing grade.
"Keep an eye on her to ensure she isn't a spy from the Church of the Fate Goddess," one of the clerics mused. "There are certain questions that overly righteous individuals would struggle to answer. The more they leave blank, the fewer chances they have of exposing their true nature."
"Her resume doesn't raise any red flags," the other cleric added, deep in thought. "If she is a mole, then so be it. Once we confirm her identity, her fate is sealed, no need for further elaboration."
"I agree."
After confirming the opinions of his colleagues, Kaius placed it in the qualified pile.
However, when they noticed another exam paper beneath Sid's, they were slightly taken aback, even doubting if they had seen it wrong.
The second paper had an exaggeratedly high score of 98.
It belonged to a young man named Rocky from the southwestern province of Lilo City. His resume was clean, and he was a native-born citizen of the Empire.
His understanding of the Church of Annihilation was extremely thorough.
He had nearly perfect answers for the conceptual questions and impeccable responses to the subjective essays.
"Is there a problem with the examiner?"
A High Cleric frowned and asked Kaius.
"All papers with scores below 60 or above 90 will be reviewed by at least two examiners," Kaius replied indifferently.
This only indicated that the reviewing examiner had also given the same score of 98.
"But I checked it myself, and indeed, there are no issues. His writing is superficially plausible, but a careful read reveals nothing but 'evil' in his words."
"For example, look at this question—"
[If you capture a cleric from the Church of the Fate Goddess, please explain how you would make them submit.]
Kaius pointed to an essay question.
This question was not worth much as it was straightforward.
The usual answer involved extreme physical and psychological humiliation, torture, and threats involving family and friends.
But this guy was different.
He wrote that he would use love to convert his captive, making them sincerely join their side.
He also provided a detailed explanation based on the scenario given in the question. Instead of torture, he would first cultivate three other cultists with the potential to become interrogators, turning them into professional torturers. Then, after a greeting of torture without interrogation, he would give the prisoner their first choice: whether to have a proper conversation with him or continue spending four days and nights with the torturers.
"Indeed, complete conversion yields far more benefits than mere interrogation for information."
"But the difficulty of such an operation is extremely high; not everyone has his level of eloquence, infectivity, and judgment."
"There's no question about his evil nature."
The two High Clerics also curiously browsed through the essay questions, gradually convinced of the authenticity of his high score and the clear distinction between him and the Church of the Fate Goddess.
"Where did he lose marks?"
They saw that this candidate, named Rocky, had not lost any points on the conceptual and essay questions.
"Look further back."
Kaius instructed.
Following Kaius's prompt, they flipped the exam paper back to the first page and finally found the only place where this nearly perfect response had lost marks.
It was a multiple-choice question.
The candidates were asked to select the name of the Bishop of Annihilation from three options.
Rocky had left it blank.
"Could someone really forget the name of Archbishop Askesan? Even if he guessed, he would have a one-in-three chance of getting it right."
A High Cleric commented with a mix of regret and confusion.
"Hmph, it's fine. He answered the later questions quite thoroughly; he probably ran out of time."
The other High Cleric shook his head.
It was common for candidates to leave uncertain questions blank during exams, intending to come back to them after finishing the rest of the paper.
Of course, it was also possible that they finished the entire paper but ran out of time to review their answers.
"This kid's qualification is indisputable, even if his resume looks ordinary. His nature is evident at a glance, but his abilities are weak, and I'm worried he won't pass the final assessment."
"There are advantages to being weak; he won't stir up much trouble. Even if he doesn't pass the assessment, we can still control him. At the very least, we must ensure he doesn't end up working for the Church of Dominance."
"We've got some decent talent this time. The Church of Dominance will have to settle for our leftovers."
The only variable in the assessment was an exceptionally talented candidate who would disrupt the entire assessment process, but so far, none of the candidates seemed to pose such a threat. Each had their defects and shortcomings.
After confirming that every document in the qualified pile had been reviewed and agreed upon by all the High Clerics, Kaius stood up and organized the hefty stack of papers.
"Then the written exam is concluded, and the successful candidates are confirmed. This afternoon, we will proceed with the formal interviews and the final assessment."
He handed the documents to a cleric in the distance, tasked with recording and finalizing the remaining affairs.
Tomorrow's word count will be higher than usual as I finish up this event. Time to bury myself in writing!
Also, promoting my roommate's book. He's in the bed next to mine, and the doctor also has him writing every day to observe his condition.
(End of Chapter)
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