Chapter 89: The Practical Exam
“It’s packed with nutrients~!”
“Nu~!”
Half-buried in the soil, the dryads lounged lazily, looking as if they were soaking up the earth itself.
Well… whether they were truly twins or not was anyone’s guess. But they were so identical in appearance that distinguishing one from the other was impossible. For the sake of simplicity, I decided to just call them twins.
Apparently, dryads absorb nutrients directly from the soil and convert them into energy. Naturally, being tree spirits, they also needed water, just like the trees themselves.
“Would water from the garden be okay for you?” I wondered aloud.
It was exceptionally clear, sparkling water—far superior to well water. Lately, I had even been using it for cooking.
By the way, there were two types: hard water and soft water. I still couldn’t really tell the difference. According to Sena, soft water supposedly had a smoother feel. Personally, I couldn’t taste any difference at all.
“Which one should I give them?” I pondered.
Well, why not both?
“Water~!”
I poured the water from a watering can over their heads, and the twins flapped their little arms in pure delight.
“This water is suuuper delicious~!”
“It soaks in everywhere~!”
They seemed genuinely pleased.
Interestingly, they reacted the same way to both hard and soft water. Maybe there really wasn’t much difference after all.
“Oh, right. Do you two have names?” I asked.
“Names~?”
They tilted their heads in confusion. It seemed the very concept of names was foreign to them.
“The white one is Milk, and the yellow one is Pippi. And I’m Geo. Names help us tell each other apart… though I guess that might not mean much to you. Still, having names is useful in a lot of situations.”
“Milku~”
“Pippi~”
I repeated their names, pointing to each of them, letting the syllables roll off my tongue so they could start associating them with themselves.
“And you are… the master, Geo?”
“Hmm? Which one should I be?”
“Well, being the master is fine for me.”
“The Master~!”
“Alright, then. From now on, I’ll give you both names.”
But… what kind of names would suit them? The dryads would apparently stay in their adorable childlike forms forever, so cute names would be just fine.
Alright. The one with blue flowers would be Lala, and the one with pink flowers would be Nana.
“You’re Lala.”
“Rara~?”
“You’re Nana.”
“Nana~?”
They didn’t seem to fully grasp it yet, but if I kept calling them that, the names would eventually stick.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Congratulations. You’ve passed the written exam… barely, but you passed.”
“Yay~!”
When Canaria announced the result, Sena leaped up, expressing her joy in a series of jubilant hops. Clearly, it had been a grueling challenge for her.
“It wasn’t supposed to be that difficult…” Canaria muttered, a hint of worry in her voice.
The written exam wasn’t just for promotion to C-rank; it was a mandatory hurdle for any future promotions as well.
Naturally, the difficulty would only increase. Even for adventurers, advancing to higher ranks required a sharp mind and substantial knowledge.
“Anyway, now all that’s left is the practical exam. If you fail that, you’ll have to retake the written exam as well, so be careful.”
“I’ll give it everything I’ve got,” Sena said, her eyes hard with determination.
Even though a redo meant facing the same exam with identical scope and difficulty, she clearly didn’t want to go through it again under any circumstances.
“Let me explain the practical exam again. Since you’re a swordsman, Sena, it’s quite straightforward. You’ll have a mock battle with an examiner, and they’ll judge whether your combat skills meet the standard for a C-rank adventurer.”
“I see! So all I have to do is defeat the examiner, right?”
“No, defeating them isn’t necessary. The examiner is already a seasoned C-rank adventurer. Performing well in the fight is enough.”
If, by some miracle, she actually defeated them, it would mean she had power far above C-rank, possibly even ranking among the top C-level adventurers.
At that moment, Shifa, who had been quietly observing, spoke up.
“Canaria, having a C-rank examiner might be dangerous.”
“Dangerous? What do you mean, Shifa?”
“Sena’s strength is solid, but she probably won’t know how to hold back. If the examiner is C-rank, there’s a risk of serious injury—or worse.”
According to Shifa, Sena already possessed the strength of a B-rank, or maybe even higher. On the other hand, she had little experience in mock battles against humans and had no concept of restraint.
Moreover, because of her aversion to the written exam, she would almost certainly fight at full power. A typical C-rank adventurer might literally be annihilated.
“Well… surely it won’t be that extreme? Even Sena should be able to pull her punches if she’s told to…”
“Sena, don’t go full power right away in the practical exam. Can you do that?”
“Yes! I’ll do my best at full power!”
“….”
Apparently, words alone weren’t getting through.
“Well, we’ll try to make her understand, but if possible, it’d be nice to have some consideration.”
Anii said with a faint smile, and Canaria nodded, her lips twitching nervously.
“Alright… but unfortunately, the examiner has already been assigned. They’ve agreed to it, and changing now would be difficult…”
Canaria’s words trailed off awkwardly.
Just then, a young man with a solid build interjected.
“Hey, you little brats sure have some nerve, don’t you?”
“…Zeon-san!”
“You think I’m not good enough? Hah, don’t get cocky!”
It seemed this young man was the C-rank adventurer assigned to supervise Sena’s practical exam.