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The Paper User: Exiled for a ‘Trash Skill,’ Awakens True Power and Rises with Two Unique Skills - Chapter 15

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Chapter 15 : Promotion Exam

A few days later, I found myself in a forest south of Tansa.

Over a hundred adventurers with white-rimmed F-Rank badges had gathered around.
Most of them looked to be in their mid-teens, carefully checking their weapons and armor in preparation for the exam.

Even though I’d faced real combat, exams still made me nervous.

I placed a hand over my chest and took a deep breath.

Almine had said, “With your current strength, the E-Rank promotion exam should be a piece of cake.”
But instead of reassurance, that had just piled on the pressure.

We’re a small party—if I stay F-Rank, it affects our credibility.
I need to pass this and make it to E-Rank.

Ah—

I spotted Albel, Dazzle, and Camilla about thirty meters away.

So they’re taking the exam too, huh.

Noticing me, the three of them started walking over.

“Yo, Yakumo.”

Albel shot me a cold look.

“You here for the promotion exam too?”
“Yeah. Our party didn’t have any jobs lined up, so I figured now’s the time.”
“Your party, huh.”

Albel clicked his tongue.

“How the hell did you even get into Kinako’s party?”
“The leader—an alchemist—invited me.”
“You got invited?”
“Yeah. They saw potential in my Unique Skill.”
“Hah! That worthless paper-spawning Skill? Your leader must be blind.”

Albel sneered, twisting his lips into a mocking grin.

“You only managed to beat that Crystal Dragon because Kinako was in your party. If your leader’s the kind of idiot who lets someone like you in, you’re gonna get yourself killed before long.”
“Then I’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Hey, Yakumo!”

Dazzle grabbed me by the shoulder.

“How much did you get from that Crystal Dragon job?”
“Around three large gold coins and change.”
“Three large gold coins!?”

Camilla's mouth dropped open.

“That’s almost enough to live on for a year! You really earned that much?”
“Yeah. Our leader had an item big enough to store even a giant monster, so we sold the whole dragon to a shop.”
“That’s… insane…”

Camilla’s throat bobbed as she swallowed.

“You’re seriously lucky, aren’t you?”

Albel furrowed his brows, irritation clear on his face.

“But this exam—you’ll be on your own. Kinako won’t be around to save you here.”

A man in his fifties stepped onto a wooden platform built from planks.
He had slicked-back brown hair and wore a bright red tie.

“F-Rank adventurers, thank you for waiting.”

His low, calm voice echoed through the forest—he must’ve used a voice amplification spell.

“I am Landon, an official from the Adventurer’s Guild, and I’ll be overseeing the promotion exam today. I’ll now explain the conditions for advancing to E-Rank.”

All eyes turned toward Landon.

“For this test, you’ll be gathering monster materials found in this forest. You must obtain materials worth at least one gold coin on the market within twenty-four hours. If you do, you’ll be promoted to E-Rank.”

One gold coin in twenty-four hours... That’s a tough bar.

I brought a fist to my mouth and began thinking.

Goblins weren’t worth much, and their materials don’t sell.
Slimes dropped “Slime Fragments,” but those were unreliable drops and sold for maybe three silver coins each.
Even if I got one every time, I’d still need thirty-four of them to reach a full gold coin.

That’s not efficient.

Maybe… “Flying Turtle Shells.”
Two of those would be enough to pass. And they weren’t that strong.

Adventurers nearby were chatting among themselves.

“At least the rules are straightforward this time.”
“Yeah, but it’s still tough. It’s gonna be a brawl to see who gets the monsters first.”
“Best bet is to go after weak monsters with expensive materials. Like Rainbow Birds—their feathers alone are worth more than a gold coin.”
“Silver Wolves are a good target too. Their pelts go for over two gold coins.”
“If you slay a dragon, you’d be swimming in money—like ten large gold coins at least.”
“Are you stupid? We’re F-Ranks. Like hell we’re taking down a dragon. There aren’t even any in this forest.”

“Hmph. This is gonna be a cakewalk.”

Albel snorted.

“I won’t even need the full twenty-four hours. I’ll wrap this up quick and call it a day.”

“Totally,” Dazzle chimed in.

“We were handpicked for the Holy Sword Order, after all. Not like the talentless scrubs hanging around here.”
“Right. We can’t embarrass Kirsas-san. Let’s blow the competition away!”

Albel clenched his right fist.

“Hey, Yakumo. Let me teach you something.”
“Huh? Teach me what?”

“The difference in power between us and you.”

He pointed straight at my face.

“You just lucked into a strong party. You just happened to be there when the Crystal Dragon was taken down. But luck doesn’t last forever. One twist of fate, and you’ll find yourself neck-deep in misfortune.”

“Misfortune, huh…”

“Yeah. Plenty of adventurers have died during the promotion exam.”

Albel’s gaze locked onto me with open hostility.

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