Sergeant Rita cleared her throat to get Karl’s attention. “The test will be administered by a group of High Clerics, using a combination of Divine Magic and technology, to determine if your combat power and maximum energy output meet the standards of an Ascended Elite. Your class is a bit of an anomaly, so I am not certain whether they will count your beast’s maximum as your own, but it is almost certain that they won’t allow you to combine the outputs to get a more impressive number.
The look on your face says you never even considered it, but it has come up in the past with druids and Rangers who had summons. They count the summon as a separate effect, and while they do allow you to have it active if you gain a buff from it, their attack power is not added to your own.
For that reason, the total effective combat ability of mages who can use Golems or Elementals, as well as classes with various types of summons can be much higher than a single warrior.”
She stepped toward the door, and Karl turned to follow, eager to get through the test and find out what the plan was to find another way for the beasts to advance.
He had an idea of his own. A simple one, but effective so far. The Lizardmen and Ogres tended to carry magical gems on them, which could be used in potions to enhance warriors. Those should be effective on the beasts as well, and he even had some coming from his share of the loot from this mission.
Most of it was in coins, but they had a rather large pile of magical gems in Doug’s bag as well.
“Will we have time to drop in on the Commander Rank tests? The team I was with before are all testing for advancement today, and I think they would appreciate the extra bit of moral support.” Karl asked.
“Possibly. Not all of them, as they’re running at the same time as your test, but the last few we should be able to go see unless they are faster than expected or close the temple.” Alice agreed.
She led them to a small temple off to the side of the compound, past the stables, where a small group of older clerics had gathered.
An ancient looking man with golden eyes that were slotted like a goat’s turned to look at Karl with a curious expression.
“This must be Elite Karl. You have a lot of the World Dragon’s Luck about you. Are you confident in your ability to pass the Ascended Rank trial?” He asked, speaking slowly, as if each word was an effort.
“Yes, High Priest. I am confident that I can pass the trial.” Karl replied politely.
A younger priest stepped forward. “Then we will use the Divine Trial to test whether you are Ascended or not. When you come back out, your mark will be glowing golden if you passed, black if you failed.”
Alice and Rita both looked shocked at his words, but Karl wasn’t sure why. The cleric had just said it was a trial to confirm his status. Obviously, the Church would have their own way, and not the power meter thing that the Golden Divine Academy used along with the teachers’ judgment.
“The Divine Trial has been activated?” Alice asked.
“Is it such a shock? It is active for twenty-four hours when it is used, and we have a High Priest testing later today.” The old man slowly answered.
“Forgive my impertinence, High Priest. I was just shocked that it was active. I didn’t know that you were elevating a High Priest today.” Alice replied.
That must mean that they were confident that Doug would pass the trials and become an official Commander Rank Green Dragon Cleric, which would grant him the role of High Priest by default.
There was still some internal ranking among the High Priests, but Karl had no idea how it worked, and he didn’t really care, as it was unlikely to ever affect his daily life. The protocol for dealing with them was all the same for those outside the church, and he already remembered the rules of courtesy.
Danni and Donni came over while they were talking, with Bob not far behind them, having an animated conversation with one of the guards.
From the hand gestures, it seemed that they were deeply engrossed in the finer points of swordplay, so Karl just waved to them and waited for instructions.
The Seminary Academy Matron herself stepped out of the building in front of them with a gentle smile on her face.
“We will be doing the trials today in order of age, as the Gods have demanded. Therefore, the first to enter will be the Beast Master, Karl. Followed by Donni, then Danni, Brother Doug, and finally Robert. You can enter anytime that you want after the previous applicant has entered, the trial will separate you, and none will be able to see what happens inside except the trial taker.
The results are impossible to fake, even for me, so do your best. The Gods can be unforgiving with their standards in a way that a standard test is not.” She declared.
Karl believed that. The Trial Instance he was in had very different standards for those taking the tests than anything that Karl was familiar with. So, if the clerics set a certain standard for your test, he knew that the trial wouldn’t allow you to fake your way through or cheat in any way.
She gestured toward the door, not allowing him any time to doubt his resolve, and Karl stepped through the large bronze doors into the chapel building.
Inside it was very unobtrusive, with a simple stone interior, wooden benches, and a collection of magical items along the walls.
It felt like the room was judging him, and Karl realized that the door behind him no longer existed. He must be inside the trial, but he wasn’t certain what he should be doing.
There was an altar at the front of the room, and it had some sort of devices sitting on it. That must be the first test it wanted him to take.
Karl walked up, and saw that it even had written instructions, though the script was archaic, and he couldn’t read it. But whoever had made this had prepared for that, and there were pictorial instructions as well.
Place both hands on the device, and make it glow.
Karl put his hands on the round plate, and wondered if he should do something, but then it felt like the energy was being drained from his body, and he quickly brought up Refreshing Lightning. It was still drawing heavily from him, as if he was using some extreme skill, but the Lightning eased the burden a little.
Then the standard increased, and Karl’s knees nearly buckled. But he held on until the draw increased again, and then abruptly stopped when Karl couldn’t provide the power that it demanded.
He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but the altar vanished, and Karl found himself in an empty field. A golden Golem appeared in front of him, and a voice whispered in his mind.
[Hit it as hard as you can.]
Again, simple. Karl checked to make certain his bracelet that increased skill damage, the reward he received the last time that he was here at the Seminary Academy, was firmly attached to his wrist, and then coated his sword with both [Shred] and Refreshing Lightning, before lunging forward and landing five rapid strikes on the Golem, letting [Offensive Adaptation] do its thing.
Each time he hit it, a bit more of the Golem turned from gold to red, until after the fourth strike it stopped advancing. Again, Karl had no idea of how the measuring system worked, but the scene changed again, and he was sitting at a desk with a written test in front of him.
He didn’t expect a written component. He couldn’t even read the language of the Holy Relics.
But the test turned out to be just one question, and it was in the Golden Dragon Nation’s common language.
[Which Deity do you owe your allegiance to?]
That was a tough question. There was a whole pantheon. He wasn’t a cleric with an affiliation, so although the World Dragon was considered the primary God of the Golden Dragon Nation, he wasn’t certain how to answer.
Wouldn’t a layman like him picking just one be an uninformed answer and an insult to all the other Gods that he didn’t pick?
The page went blank for a moment, and then new words appeared.
[Answer accepted.]
