Chapter 8: 2nd stage
Looking at the three items in front of him, Alan instantly identified that there is a problem.
There were three items. one vibrant-looking flower and a rusted sword. The last one was a small lantern.
Item: [Menira flower]
Description: [A grade three flower with a hypnotic effect used as an ingredient to make feed for illusion-specialized beasts, found in damp caves inside the high-altitude mountains]
[Note: Also, the flower looks vibrant on the outside; it has been infected by a special type of pest with little life force remaining inside it.]
Item: [enchanted steel sword]
Description: [An enchanted third-class sword that is in good condition; also, it looks frosted on the outside. It is protected by the enchantment as sharp as the day it was forged]
Item: [The soul-returning lantern]
Description: [A spiritual item of the 4th grade used to assist cultivators in enhancing the power of their souls is extremely valuable.]
Note: [The soul lantern has been invaded by a malevolent weak spirit-type monster that, under the nourishment of the soul-returning lantern, has grown to the third stage.]
Looking at the three items, two of them seem to have a problem, a clear defect. According to Mr. Jacobs's explanation, it was supposed to be only one item that has a defect; now he has found two.
The problem was that he did not know which of the two items that the examiners knew had a defect, so he couldn't choose between them.
After much thinking, he decided to write down his own appraisal about the two defective items and leave it to luck.
After almost an hour, Alan was bored, as he had done nothing but pretend to inspect the item and write the appraisal.
Mr. Jacob: "Everyone, the time is up. Please put your appraiser results right in front of you at the table right now. Three judges welcome you to inspect your results."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the fourth hall was opened, and two middle-aged men and one elder walked in.
A vibrant aura circulated around them, especially the elder, although he looked to be in his late '50s. His body was brimming with strength, and his eyes had a bright light in them.
Mr. Jacob: "Good evening, Elder Yan.
Everyone is ready for your inspection."
Elder Yan: "Good, hahaha. You should be a little bit less uptight; you know you will lose your hair at this rate."
Elder Yan cracked a joke to relax the atmosphere in the hall; meanwhile, Mr. Jacobs could only smile with a troubled face.
The inspection began, and the result wasn't very satisfactory; many couldn't identify the defective item, and some even created their own imaginative defect.
After a while, the three judges reached Alan Booth. They stood there. Alan introduced himself.
Alan: Good evening judges, My name is alan This is the result of my appraisal.
With a smile on his face, Alan handed his paper to Elder Yan.
Elder Yan and the other two judges looked at the results. The moment they saw the result, they were a little surprised as they saw that the examinee had written two items with the defect, yet he had identified all the items correctly.
One of the judges said, "You have clearly identified the three items correctly, and that's very good. You also identified that there is a defect inside the Menira flower; that alone should have granted you a success in the second stage, but you also wrote that there is a defect inside the third item, the soul-returning lantern, so why did you do it?
Alan responded: "because while I was inspecting it, I felt a slight malevolent presence inside, so I simply wrote my findings."
Elder Young: "Our youngest examinee has done a splendid job already, so let me have a look."
Elder Yan took the soul-returning lantern and examined it briefly, and in under 1 minute, a smile broke on his face.
Elder Yan: "You have a keen eye, my friend. I am impressed; you clearly identified all the items correctly. Not only that, but you identified the defect intended in the exam, and above that, you even found that an extra defect that even the organizing staff have overlooked.
You pass the stage with flying colors; would you mind telling me how old you are? "
Alan: t"his year I am 16."
Elder Yan: "Hahaha, indeed the younger ones will suppress the old magnificent. From this moment on, you are a certified appraisal clerk."
Alan was surprised as he heard in the instruction provided by Mr. Jacobs that the exam has three stages, so getting the certificate in at the second stage clearly baffled him.
So he asked, Excuse me, elder, but what is the third stage for?"
Elder Yan's eyes lit up with a strange light, clearly excited.
Elder Yan: "It's good that you asked. Actually, after finishing the second stage, you will already be a certified appraisal clerk, but for appraisal clerks, they also have ranks. After passing the second stage, you will be an adept appraiser; if you pass the third stage you will have the rank of an expert appraiser, and above that exists an elder appraiser, which is my rank. So are you up to a challenge?"
Alan smiled and responded, "Well, thank you for the information, elder. It won't hurt if I participate in the third stage; after all, I already paid a hefty sum to take the exam as I am still a student."
Elder Yan: "Good, good. Young people need to be ambitious. I will meet you at the third stage venue."
Elder Yan and the other two judges, who were surprised by the feat that Alan has pulled, continued their inspection.
After everything was finished, Elder Yan smiled at Allen and headed outside the room with the judges. From nearly 80 people who entered this stage, only 20 passed, clearly showing the high bar that an appraiser should have.
Looking around, At those who had passed the stage, Alan was surprised to find Lawrence and Jaden between them; when Lawrence saw Allen standing with them, he almost couldn't believe his eyes.
Lawrence: "Excuse me, Mr. Jacobs, but I think there's someone lost in the room. There's a high school student here with us. It can't be that he passed, can it?"
Mr. Jacobs, who followed the judges when they conducted the inspection, had seen how Alan performed and said to Lawrence,
Jacob: "Yes, he passed with flying colors, and please refrain from speaking about other participants. We know how to conduct our own exam."
The cold tone of voice sent shivers down Lawrence's back.
Alan also heard the conversation, thinking that this pitiful man really doesn't know when to stop.
Mr. Jacobs: "Congratulations to all of you on passing the second stage and becoming a federation-certified appraisal clerk. Those of you who want to continue to the third stage, please move to the next room. Those of you who don't can head to the first floor to take your certificate."
When Allen heard what Mr. Jacob said He walked out of the room to the one next to it, but he was surprised to find that no one followed him. It seems that only he will be taking the third stage exam.
The moment Alan entered the room, he was surprised to find five people that he hadn't seen in the last two stages waiting inside. After a simple greeting, he sat in an empty chair.
The five people inside were equally surprised to see how a young man who seemed to be in his late teens was going to participate in the third stage of the exam.
The third stage of the exam, otherwise called the experience appraiser stage, is comprehensively different and much more difficult than the earliest two stages.
One of the participants sat next to Alan.
Gregor: "Nice to meet you. My name is Gregor. You must be here for the third stage exam, right?"
Alan responded with a polite smile.
Alan: "Indeed I am. Can you tell me about the content of the third exam? I can see that the participants are few in number; does this reflect how hard this stage is?"
Gregor: "Well yes, my friend, this stage is called the experience appriser stage for a reason. Although the content of the exam differs every time, the difficulty is always high with a very low passing rate. You can look at me, as this is my second time applying for this stage, and I can't say I am 100% confident that I will pass."
As they were talking, Elder Yan, alongside Mr. Jacobs, entered the room.
Elder Yan, with a smile on his face and his hands behind his back, said
"Good evening, fellow members of the association. Today I will be the head examiner for this stage; shortly after, we will move to one of the warehouses that belongs to the association.
The content of the exam This time you will be appraising 6 beasts that have been afflicted with some illness. Your passing will depend on identifying what type of illness and the cause. I hope the best for you all."
When everyone here heard what Elder Young said, their facial expressions changed, as the content of this exam was the hardest they have ever faced.
Gregor: "We are out of luck."
Alan: "What do you mean?"
Gregor: "Although identifying the illness of beasts can be considered a part of an appraiser's job, in truth such types of knowledge are always reserved and expected from evolution Masters, so this time the content of our exam was actually the hardest."