Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Reading Marathon (3)
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The two who arrived first at the first quiz.
The quiz was written in huge letters on a temporary bulletin board.
It was big enough for even someone with poor eyesight to spot at a glance.
Their reactions to it couldn't have been more different.
"What the hell is this?!"
"Haha! Easy!"
The moment the words left their mouths, they whipped around to glare at each other.
Their eyes held the bewilderment of people staring at some incomprehensible creature.
"What are you even talking about?"
Their puzzled voices overlapped perfectly.
They flinched for a moment but quickly turned back to the problem.
Right now, solving it fast mattered more than paying attention to each other.
This question was on the easy side—it asked what Dr. Watson's job was.
More precisely, what it had been.
If you'd read the early part of volume one, there was no way you wouldn't know.
But it was also a spot ripe for traps.
What Edn was banking on was the correct answer rate based on how people read.
There are countless ways to read a book.
Here are a few examples.
First, those who skim quickly without sweating the details.
They grasp the overall setup and flow but often can't recall specifics.
In trade, they blaze through thick books several times faster than others.
Next, the detail obsessives.
The polar opposite of the above.
They remember the fine points well but read at a snail's pace.
Then there are those who reread the whole thing start to finish after their first go.
They love how it feels different each time.
And since they read it multiple times, they retain a ton of details.
Finally, those who only read a book once.
Laziness, lack of motivation to revisit—whatever the reason.
Doesn't mean they hate it, though.
Sometimes they're so immersed the first time that knowing the story kills the fun on a reread.
All kinds of readers out there.
And the two standing before this question had completely opposite styles.
The one crowing "easy" was a detail hound who reread multiple times.
The other, who hadn't a clue, was a fast-skimmer who never bothered with reruns.
That created the information gap.
He couldn't quite recall who Watson was from the early parts—or the scattered mentions later.
Edn had deliberately included similar-sounding wrong answers to confuse things.
One was obviously bogus if you'd actually read it.
Anyway, both were readers, just at different depths.
There were three paths ahead, but they had to cross an illusion magic zone first.
Inside that zone, awareness of others would drop sharply.
In other words, no one would know which path anyone took.
"I'm going first!"
The one who knew the answer dashed through the illusion zone and took the military surgeon path.
The other, whose memory was fuzzy, stomped his feet in frustration before bolting off.
"Damn it! This has to be it!"
Unfortunately, he plunged into the regular doctor path.
You know, the kind of town doctor you see one or two of everywhere.
Of course, to a commoner, even getting sick enough to need one was a rarity.
"Gahk!"
The instant he entered the wrong path, he plunged into a mud pit.
Sticky muck coated his limbs as he took a spectacular tumble.
Perfect elimination.
"Damn it all!"
The eliminated man slapped the mud, splattering it everywhere.
His face was a mask of regret and fury.
Meanwhile, the one on the right path cackled as he raced toward the next quiz.
"Oh, the second one's Jekyll and Hyde!"
This question was a step up in difficulty.
Even so, it was no sweat for him—he'd read it several times over.
⚙ QUIZ QUESTION ⚙ There was a time when Dr. Jekyll lost his appetite. What happened then? This quiz was multiple choice, with an illusory fake path loaded with traps.
That fake path guaranteed elimination.
However, passing it would earn a pass for toughness—limited to the first ten.
Of course, that didn't apply to him.
No point taking the hard route when he knew the answer.
A grin spread across his face.
"Haha! Simple! He woke up as Hyde, right?"
More precisely, it was the first time he realized he was gradually losing control.
Whatever the case, he picked the correct path and safely headed to the third quiz.
Meanwhile, those arriving late to the first quiz saw mixed results.
"What was it?!"
"Argh! Totally misread it! Let's go!"
But since it was easy, about two-thirds made it through.
Most failures were prize-chasers or skimmers.
By the time the survivors reached the second quiz, those who hadn't read Jekyll and Hyde were wailing.
"Argh! Couldn't get the book, so I didn't read it!"
"Should've borrowed one at least!"
Despair and mockery crisscrossed.
Those in the know passed through the illusion zone as before.
They thought that was it—until someone voiced a wildly reckless idea.
"Doesn't matter what's next. We just pass, right?"
"What're you talking about?"
He was a knighted noble.
The type praised as "brave" in polite terms.
Too busy to read much, but he'd come out of pure fandom.
Now he strode forward with brimming confidence.
"If it's real? Lucky me! If fake? Ha, trying to block me with this junk? I'll just walk through!"
Needless to say, utter nonsense.
Forget Edn's tight trap setup.
From a clueless contestant's view, it was straight-up dumb.
Everyone ignored him and guessed paths while running.
He led the pack—and sadly picked wrong.
"Kuh! Bad luck! But it won't stop me!"
He hesitated briefly, then charged again.
That instant, traps lunged from all sides with lethal menace.
Blunt-tipped arrows flew, blazing fireballs hurtled, wind-borne stone shards swarmed.
All looked downright deadly.
Of course, Edn had dialed lethality near zero—but he had no clue.
Far from scared, he threw his head back in hearty laughter.
"Didn't expect this! Right, can't let 'em touch me!"
He grinned, baring his teeth.
His rigorously maintained, battle-hardened body tensed.
"Hup!"
Power surged through his legs as he rocketed forward.
The ground cratered where he'd stood, testament to his explosive kick.
Like a coiled spring—or a cheetah on the hunt—he blazed ahead.
Arrows whistled past his back; he ducked fireballs.
Stone shards seemed impossible to dodge, so he just accelerated.
"Hahaha! Close calls! Thrilling!"
He even savored the thrill of mortal peril.
The faces of those trailing soured.
He pushed hard but held back on aura.
This wasn't a battlefield—it was a fun contest for all. Aura would be unfair!
Other contestants hearing that? They'd scream cheat.
Only the final trap remained.
He should've been out earlier, but he was way beyond normal.
The last one: sonic amplification for temporary shock.
Sound weapon, plain and simple.
"What's that?"
A massive version of Esili's megaphone loomed ahead.
The instant he saw it, the magic triggered.
Screeeeeeeeech!
"Guk?!"
A brain-rattling assault slammed into him.
He clapped hands to ears, knees buckling—but iron will held him up.
Normally, you'd raise hands in surrender here.
But Edn's hasty build hadn't packed full punch.
Even with proper research, it might not have fazed him.
Anyway—research later—he planted his legs like an ancient oak.
"Fuu... This much?"
Those who'd stumbled in with him? Mostly wiped out.
Survivors dragged on without strength for more.
He shrugged off the sonic blast and pushed through to success.
"Guk! Tough... But I don't stop!"
Reigniting his blazing will, he charged ahead with fresh vigor.
He'd blown past Edn's expectations by a mile.
Watching this, Edn let out an amazed snort.
"Whoa, is that Injagang? Are all knights like that?"
Of course not—he was the freak.
Not many knights at his level could've endured that.
He was among the weakest who could wield aura.
Edn turned to Esili beside him.
"What the heck is that guy?"
"I know him as Poten Hyper."
Poten Hyper.
His name screamed "potential about to explode," huh?
Edn filed it away.
Strong contender for the win, in his book.
If he could brute-force paths, a little book ignorance wouldn't eliminate him.
"Hmm... But if he knew from the start..."
Eh, he'd handle himself.
Edn shrugged off the trivial and asked something else nagging him.
"So, who was that leading the pack at first?"
"Lilin Pota. We exchange faces now and then for trade."
Oh, really?
Lilin was another top contender.
Poten went force; she went knowledge.
"Who'll take it?"
Too soon to say.
This contest was cooperative at heart, after all.
Edn watched the event unfold with as much fairness as he could muster.