Another mediocre salad for lunch. This time the hunger made it easier to ingest. Parker used the comforter from their bed to bundle up the rest of their trade pile and headed back down to the gym to set up again.

  For the rest of the day, Parker did their best, but that initial success was hard to match. Parker had hoped that the wizard would show up and barter for everything they had, but that didn't happen. There was interest but nothing that seemed truly serious. Gamblers would stop to peruse, offer comments about the gear to no one in particular, and then leave after a few minutes. The one benefit that Parker got this time though, was that they did a better job of introducing themselves.

  Even though it felt awkward, they also asked for names from everyone that seemed interested even if they wouldn't be able to remember all of them. It seemed like the courteous thing to do.

  In the end, a few memorable names and faces stuck out. There was an archer named Gere with narrow shoulders and a broad smile. Gere took interest in Parker's idea but chastised that the only weapon they had was a dagger. Gere took a box of water purification tablets and left Parker with a solidly crafted short sword.

  Despite Gere's chastising and the deal that leaned heavily in Parker's favor, they had no idea how to wield a short sword except to treat it like a bigger knife.

  There was a blur of traffic after Gere. Someone had traded for Parker's portable heater with a pair of small camping axes. Another person had traded for Parker's solar-powered battery pack with a set of five canvas pouches. Then there was a lull in traffic at the gym.

  Eventually, a scholarly woman introduced herself as Everly. She showed interest in a few of Parker's items, but not with any real conviction. As Everly was looking over a campfire orb, Parker tried to ask if there was anything she was looking for. Everly looked at them like they had sinned by talking. It struck Parker's core but then she left without another word. It was only later that Parker realized she had taken the campfire orb and left behind a set of charcoal filters.

  After Everly came Parker's last customer of the day, it took Parker a moment to recognize him. Dressed in casual jeans and a light jacket, Benson had lost nearly all of the antiseptic look he had when evaluating Parker.

  Benson picked up a pair of binoculars and said, "If only the President had chosen to grade you all on creativity. It is a useful skill that should serve you well if you end up passing."

  Parker frowned but didn't know what to say. They settled for, "Thank you?"

  Benson nodded and held up the binoculars to Parker, "I'll take these for a hint."

  Parker agreed and Benson continued.

  "Tomorrow's evaluation should not be overlooked. From what I've heard from the attendants on duty, your material evaluation should be successful but if you fail the mental evaluation first... that leaves you back at a pair of provisional passes... which would be left up to the President's judgment... and he has been out of sorts lately."

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Parker nodded thoughtfully and tried to keep the worries to themselves. They said, "Thank you. Will I have another evaluation with you at the end?"

  Benson frowned at that. "Not if everything goes well. Be sure to spend the night getting in your right mind."

  Benson left shortly after that, and Parker followed behind. There were still a few things from the trade pile that had not been bartered off, but Parker could make do with what they had.

  The few items left could easily be carried in their lighter pack. There was another box of purification tablets, a giant blank compressed into a small tube, and a few other oddities. Each item was odd on its own, but Parker could figure out a purpose for them later. For now, there was more important information to digest.

  So far, no one shed any light on what the mental evaluation would be. The consensus, as far as Parker could pick up, was that it would be more of an exam or a test than an interview. More likely, one focused on either survival knowledge or knowledge of the archipelago.

  As they made their way back up the elevator, Parker considered the idea to be a general success. They spent the first hour back in their room reorganizing the gear into their pack. Even if the evaluators wouldn't measure the creativity, Parker had turned a full pack that was uselessly weighed down into a light pack full of utility and function.

  After that, Parker the only thing they could think to get into their right mind for the mental evaluation: read.

  They had been solely focused on the Explorer's Log before, but now Parker skimmed all the documents that Benson had shared. Even though a lot of the verbiage and explanations went over their head, Parker picked up some knowledge.

  Between the digital books on the tablet and the physical book that the templar knight had left with Parker, there was a lot of information about monsters and elemental energy.

  It seemed that, unlike humans, the monsters that lived in the Elemental Archipelago had a natural affinity with the island. Those with a powerful connection could call on the powers of the elemental energy. This was referred to as a blessing. While some Gamblers had found a way to earn a blessing, it was much more common that monsters exhibited the affinity.

  There were even some creatures on the islands that weren’t monsters. At first, Parker considered that strange, but then they realized it would have been stranger if the islands had only been occupied by Gamblers and monsters. There were animals that lived on the islands and some references to non-monsters that followed the Archipelago from wherever it appeared. Those beings were referred to as Locals, but Parker could not find much out about them.

  Most of the entries in both sets of documents were tame and from an encyclopedic perspective. They all seemed to be a version from closer to the Calamity before a lot of the modern research had been done. It was still a good refresher for someone in Parker's position though.

  One passage stood out to Parker from the reading, and it felt like something that Benson must have hoped that Parker would read. It came from the Advanced Primer on Elemental Affinities.

  The author Markov had written:

  "In the end, elemental affinity is not determined by birth or by skill. Instead, the base capability for growing an affinity is measured by force of will, and the elemental charge to that affinity is either impacted by temperament or circumstance. A goblin born with weak horns could still earn the Blessing of Fire if they persist despite the clear disability."

  Parker had to cross-reference the Book of Monsters on that one. Apparently, goblins had horns or at least some variations of the species did. The Book of Monsters was not the clearest on why or when they had horns. However, it was observed in both the book and the Field Reports that young goblins would use their horns in the same way that button bucks would try to lock antlers. A goblin with weak horns... Parker put the books away at that since it felt too familiar. Maybe the goblin's parents had also tried to sell them off to business or marketing schools.