How to Survive in a Good Small Guild - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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How to Survive in a Small Guild
Chapter 43
“All right, we’ll begin the doctrine examination. Everyone, put away your texts.”
Saturday found me sitting in the Temple, masking an expression of creeping decay.
The formal examination to advance from Intern Priest to Lower-rank Priest wouldn’t happen for another five months, and it wasn’t decided by that test alone.
Throughout those months, I’d have to take a monthly examination, maintain a passing grade, and only after clearing the formal test could I finally become a Lower-rank Priest.
Even if it was just Lower-rank Priest status, I’d heard the treatment differed vastly from that of an Intern Priest—they were considered proper members of the Temple.
For instance, unlike now, they could access not just the Intern Priest Office and Central Museum, but multiple buildings throughout the Temple. And the compensation came as a monthly salary rather than freelance contract fees.
‘Once I become a Lower-rank Priest, I’ll have access to far more information.’
Yet I had to wait five months for that.
And worse, the exam itself is about interpreting Park Geo-seong’s essay! I didn’t want to assign meaning to this drivel and over-analyze it!
Then, exam papers were distributed one by one to the Intern Priests seated in the office.
A Mid-rank Priest stood watch over us and announced the start of the examination.
I reviewed the exam paper. Its contents read like this:
1. When a problem occurs in an organization, the one at fault is always ( ).
2. When an organization faces economic crisis, subordinate employees must act by ( ).
3. When a problem arises within the organization, immediately ( ).
4. When you achieve good results, it is because of ( ).
5. When a manual exists, one must absolutely follow ( ).
I glanced at the person in front of me. He had written:
1. When a problem occurs in an organization, the one at fault is always (
the person who committed the wrongdoing
).
2. When an organization faces economic crisis, subordinate employees must act by (
working hard to save the organization
) in such a way.
3. When a problem arises within the organization, immediately (
report it
).
4. When you achieve good results, it is because of (
your own effort
) that it happens.
5. When a manual exists, one must absolutely follow (
the manual
) without exception.
But that wasn’t the right answer. My answer was….
1. When a problem occurs in an organization, the one at fault is always (
the lowest-ranking employee
).
2. When an organization faces economic crisis, subordinate employees must act by (
voluntarily working without pay
) in such a way.
3. When a problem arises within the organization, immediately (
cover it up
).
4. When you achieve good results, it is because of (
your supervisor
) that it happens.
5. When a manual exists, one must absolutely follow (
what your supervisor says
) without exception.
I filled in the answers with practiced ease and submitted first.
“Hmm….”
A flicker of something crossed the Mid-rank Priest’s eyes as he reviewed my answers.
“Excellent work. You may leave now.”
“Thank you.”
Ah, so I had to rot away here for the next five months.
I heaved a sigh, stepped out of the office, and stood in the Corridor, waiting for the other Intern Priests to finish their examinations.
After all, the office was the only place I was allowed to be.
That was when a stack of papers sitting on a chair in the Corridor caught my eye.
“What is this?”
It looked like a paper one of the Mid-rank Priests had brought—far more difficult than the Scripture interpretation exams we normally took.
1. Just tell them you’ll pass it along after an internal review.
2. Act ASAP and stay Agile.
3. Wait, they said Blind Copy, not Carbon Copy—I don’t get it.
‘Is this the test they give when moving from Lower-rank to Mid-rank Priest?’
The content seemed far too simple for me.
Since I’d been bored anyway, I picked up a blank sheet nearby and began writing my answers with a pen.
1. Just tell them you’ll pass it along after an internal review.
→ This matter can be ignored.
‘After an internal review,’ ‘after internal discussion’—those phrases meant absolutely nothing in this place.
2. Act ASAP and stay Agile.
→ Act as quickly as possible.
ASAP and Agile were startup terminology. ASAP meant exactly that—ASAP—and Agile was just ‘agile.’
They’re common startup buzzwords, and if something about their usage here feels off, that instinct isn’t wrong.
It was clearly just an old-fashioned boss trying to imitate startup jargon.
Now, the last one remaining was number three….
3. Wait, they said Blind Copy, not Carbon Copy—I don’t get it.
→ They said Hidden Reference, not Reference.
This was email terminology. Carbon Copy meant you show the recipient they’re being copied on the message, while Blind Copy meant they couldn’t see the other recipients.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah!”
At the sound of a voice beside me, I shot to my feet.
Several Mid-rank Priests were standing there, watching me.
“That should be a Mid-rank Priest’s document.”
One of the Mid-rank Priests frowned when he saw the seal stamped on the paper.
“Did you dare to read an unauthorized document without permission?”
“I’m sorry….”
Damn it—should I ask Aria for help? No, Aria would definitely abandon me.
As I stood there floundering, one of the Mid-rank Priests suddenly snatched the paper from my hands.
“Wait, this is….”
“What?”
Their expressions changed as they examined my interpretations.
“The first answer is very accurate. But the second and third….”
“This is content that hasn’t been interpreted yet.”
“Right, that’s what we’ve been researching….”
“If this passage is correct, doesn’t it fit perfectly with the context of the Scripture?”
They suddenly turned to look at me with excited eyes.
“Tell me—do you have a talent for Linguistics?”
“Linguistics? Well….”
I should say yes here. It would be more natural.
It seemed the content I’d deciphered was still unknown in this world.
“Yes, I do seem to have a talent for Linguistics. I’ve been interested in it since I was young.”
“Wait, we need to review this?”
“Stay here for now.”
The Mid-rank Priests huddled together whispering, then left me behind and departed.
After the other Intern Priests finished their exams, I had to wait for them in the Corridor for over an hour.
And then….
“Come here right now!”
“It’s absolutely perfect!”
“Why didn’t you tell us you had a talent for Linguistics sooner!”
The Mid-rank Priests shouted in unison.
“High Priest Aria is asking to see you—go quickly!”
What?
***
“Heh, I do have an eye for talent, don’t I?”
Pleased with the achievement I’d made, Aria sat me down before her and patted herself on the back.
Now that I’d somehow ended up inside the High Priest’s Personal Office with only the status of an Intern Priest, I glanced around awkwardly.
Aria gazed for a long while at the deciphered content I’d written.
“You have a talent for Linguistics—you should have told me long ago.”
“Ha, I didn’t expect it to be helpful either. After all, it’s only a conjecture drawn from studying the Scripture—nothing more than an educated guess.”
“But this needs some explanation. What exactly is the difference between a hidden reference and a reference?”
3. No, they said to use BCC instead of CC, and I’m not following.
→They said to use a hidden reference instead of a reference.
I explained this point.
“So I thought that the act of ‘referencing’ might be a way of sharing responsibility with another person.”
“I see.”
“When you simply ‘reference’ someone, it means: ‘Someone other than me is watching, so answer carefully. If this goes wrong, I’ll use this as evidence to hold you accountable.'”
“That fits perfectly.”
“When you use a ‘hidden reference,’ it means you’ll still hold the other person responsible if something goes wrong, but you don’t let them know that someone is watching.”
I felt a thin bead of cold sweat form inside.
I thought this explanation alone might not be enough to make it clear how I’d interpreted something not written in the Scripture, and that Aria might grow suspicious—but it seemed the unraveling of what had been blocking her understanding made her happiness all the stronger.
“Good, good. I need to report this to the Grand Priest.”
Aria looked at me with a pleased expression, then spoke.
“Listen carefully. It might take about a week, but….”
“Yes.”
“You’ve earned merit for the Temple, so you’ll be eligible for promotion to Lower-rank Priest.”
What? I’m becoming a Lower-rank Priest because of Park Geo-seong’s Scripture interpretation?
So Park Geo-seong has turned out to be useful to my life after all….

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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