Eldritch Horror Theatre

Disbelief...

It was obvious that even though they were trying their hardest to maintain their composure, Fu Qian's response to the test had once again breached the two seniors' mental defenses.

In that instant, Yingzhu, who had looked like she was genuinely about to hail Oz and head out the door, stopped in her tracks, freezing stiff in place.

Opposite her, Oz was downright dumbfounded.

Stay true to the initial resolve to achieve the final outcome!

Watching this unfold, Fu Qian felt a wave of emotion, once again grasping the profound truth of that life philosophy.

Such fantastic results were inseparable from his unwavering persistence.

The confidence that "the whole world is wrong" couldn't just be spoken; it had to be acted upon.

Should he tremble in fear and rack his brains over such a test, just to smear a few strokes of self-justification onto the final answer?

Time seemed to pass exceptionally slowly in the stagnant air.

But Fu Qian said nothing, considerately giving them time to react.

"So... you're giving up on this test?"

After a moment, Madam Yingzhu finally took a deep breath, staring his way with a bizarre expression.

Reality did not betray Fu Qian's expectations. After gathering her thoughts, she undeniably delivered a perfect assist.

"No, I just handed in my paper early."

Pushing up a pair of nonexistent glasses, Fu Qian offered a cold smile.

"It doesn't take all night. This is my final answer: I found nothing."

"You can grade it now."

...

"You still don't seem quite aware of your situation..."

A hat-trick. Once again, he had shocked the entire room.

Fortunately, after being repeatedly subjected to his "guidance," the two Workshop members had finally built up some resistance.

This time, Oz was actually the first to speak, expressing his bafflement at Fu Qian handing in a blank sheet.

"Believe me, this isn't some dull arrogance. I am entirely aware of my situation."

Unfortunately, Fu Qian's tone made it sound as though he were about to undergo a transformation. As he surveyed his surroundings, his gaze brimmed with the stubborn resolve of someone misunderstood by the world.

"I don't know how the others who came here interpreted these things, or how they claimed to use them for Transcendence."

"But to me, they are just somewhat unique patterns, nothing more."

"As for your claims that they contain the laws of the world, I won't argue. But if you insist that I understand this point, I lean toward the idea that they are nothing more than a glimmer of superficial flashiness."

With a cold smile, Fu Qian rubbed his thumb across the surface of the gold coin.

"Their existence is fragmented. They aren't enough to bear any power."

...

Everything leading up to this point had been a build-up, establishing that passing the test was required to enter the Workshop.

Then came their arrival at this mysterious place. Paired with the breathtaking spectacle inside the venue, it was indeed easy to make someone go all out.

But sadly, rather than accepting this logical progression, Fu Qian preferred to stick to his own understanding of the organization's culture.

On one hand, being at Tier 2 naturally allowed him to conclude—especially when combined with his experience interacting with this "knowledge is power" school of thought—that mere patterns wouldn't yield anything.

But even without that awareness, Fu Qian believed that perfectly playing out his chuuni persona might still be the optimal solution for the current situation.

The answer to the test might be singular, but the method of passing was not.

Someone who had already proven a modicum of talent by finding the gold coin, while simultaneously meshing perfectly with the corporate culture...

...such talent was obviously still highly valuable to an underground organization like this.

Not to mention, given his current display of paranoia, if he actually failed the assessment, what the examinee might do after believing his "call of destiny" had been blocked by villains would be simply unimaginable.

Therefore, the moment he heard the contents of the test, Fu Qian had decided on his answering strategy.

Now, the pressure was on the graders.

And obviously, Oz no longer knew what to say. At this point, he could only look at Excellency Yingzhu and wait for her to make a decision.

"Very well..."

The latter was clearly also amazed by the examinee's performance. Amid her sigh, she didn't bother with any boring back-and-forth like, "Are you really sure?"

Instead, a slight smile rippled across her face.

"Though I really don't want to admit it, it seems you've set another record, completing the test in the fastest time yet."

...

Just as expected.

In that instant, Fu Qian—who always liked to put himself in others' shoes—immediately confirmed a certain hypothesis he held regarding the nature of the test.

This seemingly serious test had never actually expected the examinee to gain anything from it.

The aptitude portion had already been tested earlier when they were searching for the gold coin.

After long contemplation, refusing self-deception, firmly concluding that there was nothing to be gained, and honestly expressing that fact—this seemed to be the answer they wanted for the test.

A so-called test of mental fortitude.

While it sounded a bit like a joke at first, there might actually be some logic behind it.

Aside from the philosophy of learning virtue before martial arts, this final testing method also served as a disguise.

For all that hard work to ultimately end in this kind of farce... it fit the image of a chuuni organization far too perfectly.

Of course, looking at it now, his choice of staying true to one's original aspiration had allowed him to pass this political screening almost flawlessly.

"Congratulations, the call of destiny has arrived."

As he pondered, Oz—whose expression had abruptly shifted to match—stepped to the side at Yingzhu's gesture, returning moments later with a thick, heavy registry in hand.

"Sign your name."

"What is this?"

Instead of reaching out to take it, Fu Qian let Oz set it down in front of him and frowned.

It had a brown leather cover that looked ancient. It even bore the faint traces of dried blood, making it seem far from ordinary.

"The register. A symbol of approval to enter the Workshop."

Oz answered with a look of deep pride.

"Please believe me, this honor is by no means easily obtained."

"Does it contain everyone who has been granted entry into the Workshop?"

Fu Qian finally seemed to muster some interest, reaching out to flip it open.

Disappointingly, despite the register being so thick, only the first few pages were used. In fact, at a glance, there was only one name per page.

"There isn't just one register. This is the latest one."

Clearly noticing his confusion, Excellency Yingzhu stepped in to explain personally.

That made more sense. If he were the Sage or the others, using this to bluff people was fine, but they likely wouldn't carry out such a blatant and open registration process.

Nodding slightly, Fu Qian flipped to the newest blank page. Along the way, he glanced at the last newcomer's name recorded before he passed the test—Sophia.

The handwriting was beautiful, and it even looked like a real name, suggesting a proper upbringing.

Sure enough, was the chuuni phase a stage of life no one could escape?

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