Chapter 53

"Beep, the candidate has completed the exam, the time taken was 13 seconds, and the result is pass."

"Beep, system notification: The third item, 10,000-meter long-distance running, will start in 10 minutes."

Hearing the continuous system notifications in his ear, Su Yuhao ignored them and walked over to Powell, extending his hand and smiling, "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have realized my shortcomings at this moment."

Powell looked at Su Yuhao for the first time, smiled, and then shook his hand. He waved and left the venue.

Watching Powell's departing figure, Su Yuhao remained silent for a long time. Then, he suddenly turned around, sat on the ground, and closed his eyes to rest, preparing for the next exam. Although his actions were the same, the aura he exuded was completely different, more decisive and more carefree. This was a transformation from the inside out.

"System notification: Prepare for the third item, 10,000-meter long-distance running."

The brief notification, without any further introduction, made Su Yuhao more alert. For some reason, he had a feeling that this exam would be extremely difficult.

"Bang!" The starting gun sounded again in the empty stadium, and the exam began. There were no further instructions, which made Su Yuhao somewhat puzzled as he started running. However, this confusion did not stop with the start of the race; instead, it made Su Yuhao more alert. He felt something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

One lap, two laps, everything seemed normal, and Su Yuhao began to doubt if he was being overly suspicious.

Three laps, four laps, the situation remained the same, and Su Yuhao no longer suspected any tricks, continuing his slow run.

Five laps, six laps, Su Yuhao started to feel irritable and impatient. He couldn't help but feel that something was missing.

Lap after lap, his mood gradually became more agitated. Suddenly, Su Yuhao remembered something and hurriedly looked around, suddenly realizing what was wrong. He couldn't help but laugh at himself for being foolish and at the system for being naive. At the same time, he couldn't help but admire the system's understanding of human psychology. The most terrifying thing for a person is being alone in a lonely environment, as humans are social animals. Staying in such an environment alone could drive one mad. Competing in such an environment would undoubtedly be a very uncomfortable experience.

Understanding the difficulty of this exam, Su Yuhao's originally alert and agitated mood gradually eased. If there was one strength Su Yuhao had, it was his ability to endure loneliness. In the past, to please his girlfriend, he had spent many nights alone in his room, self-studying Korean, a tedious task not unlike the current situation. Moreover, he had his own way of adjusting, so if this exam was only about enduring loneliness, it would be relatively easy for him.

Sure enough, nothing changed afterward. It seemed that the difficulty of this exam lay in enduring loneliness. As long as he could endure it, the exam would be easy to pass. With a relaxed mind, Su Yuhao completed the exam with ease.

"Beep, the long-distance running exam has ended. Exam results: Time 31:21.64, result: excellent."

"Beep, system notification: The triathlon exam has ended. The candidate's results are: pass, pass, excellent. The highest score is taken, and the final exam result is good (green). Reward: 3 points each in strength, agility, and stamina."

Hearing the system notification, Su Yuhao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. After all, the results were acceptable, and he was satisfied with the rewards, as 9 points were equivalent to a long period of training.

The next part of the exam, however, was not so pleasant for Su Yuhao. The intelligence test included a variety of questions that left him wide-eyed. It was like a "100,000 Whys." Although the objective questions provided options and could be guessed, the subjective questions were another matter. These questions left Su Yuhao speechless and embarrassed by his limited knowledge. The final results were predictable:

"Beep, system notification: The intelligence test has ended. Exam results: 100 questions in total, 60 objective questions, 24 correct; 40 subjective questions, 12 correct. Exam result: poor. Reward: 1 point in intelligence."

"Phew, should I be relieved that I didn't get a zero?" Su Yuhao couldn't help but find some comfort in the situation, knowing that the system had only five levels, and "poor" was almost equivalent to zero.

Su Yuhao couldn't help but add another item to his schedule: to learn more knowledge.

Not long after Su Yuhao had scheduled his study time, a sudden system notification surprised him.

"Beep, candidates, please note, the 'Endless Sea of Books' has officially begun. You have 2 hours to read. After 2 hours, you will be asked questions. Please cherish your time." After the system notification, Su Yuhao was teleported into a sealed room. The room was lined with bookshelves, and there were about 100 books scattered on the shelves. The repeated appearance of the number 100 made Su Yuhao speculate.

"This isn't the time to think about these things. I should start reading!" Su Yuhao shook his head to clear his mind and walked to a bookshelf, beginning his 'Endless Sea of Books.'

After reading for a while, Su Yuhao felt something was off. Although there weren't many books, he couldn't finish reading all of them in two hours. So, what was the purpose of this exam? Su Yuhao couldn't help but think.

"The exam is a test of my attributes. Although it's called an exam, it's actually a reward, allowing lazy hosts to grow over time without actively exercising. Although I don't know why the system does this, if that's the case, then each exam must correspond to a specific attribute. I've already completed exams for strength, agility, stamina, and intelligence. Charm, luck, and popularity clearly don't fit this environment. So, only knowledge fits this test. But, isn't knowledge a form of intelligence?" Su Yuhao couldn't help but doubt.

"Wait a moment, 'Endless Sea of Books,' knowledge, 'The path to the mountain of books is through diligence, and the sea of learning is crossed by hard work.' Could it be this meaning? So, I have to study hard? But that doesn't seem right! What does it mean? Knowledge is not intelligence, so what does it represent? Is there a clue in this room?" Su Yuhao couldn't help but look around. After a few rounds, his eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but laugh.