Iris

Grace Energy Studies (self-taught) Imperial Emblem (self-taught) Monolith Mathematics (self-taught) Grace Spells (self-taught) Sat for the entrance exam of Grace Light Academy, missed the admission cutoff by 1 point.

Year 995, Sonus Month to Present: Trekker with the New Star Guild Performance Details: Explored 3 Monoliths, acquired 5 Artifacts, completed a total of 20 commissions with a 100% satisfaction rate.

Nivis Month to Sonus Month: Senander Accounting Firm of Emor City (Apprentice) Responsibilites: Organized documents and assisted bookkeepers in improving work efficiency. Conducted account sampling, drafted confirmation letters, and prepared bookkeeping report drafts. Reason for Leaving: Firm closed down.

Tonitrua Month to Gelu Month: Grace Imperium Emor Soul Stone Store No. 305 (Sales Rep) Responsibilities: Assisted customers and provided Soul Stone recharging services. Received 6 perfect attendance awards and was named Employee of the Month 3 times. Reason for Leaving: Whole shop was closed due to layoff.

Clarus Month to Tonitrua Month: Temp Worker Did temp work while preparing for Grace Light Academy entrance exam. Did not pass.

Certified Bookkeeper Certified Safety Construction Engineer Certified Fire Protection Engineer Certified Magical Girl Assistant Certified Fortune Teller

When I have trouble calming down, I would complete a mock exam. The world is complex, but the exam questions are simple. No matter how intricate they are, there is always one—or sometimes several—answers waiting for me at the end.

While I may not have extensive experience as a Trekker, I have gained valuable skills through diverse job experiences in various fields. Please consider hiring me if you have an opening. I can work for free during probation.

Can always find a new commission or gig just when we run out of budget. Iris, the logistics wizard of our guild. —Amber

Response from the Eye of Grace: The selection process of Grace Light Academy is sacred and its integrity must be maintained without exceptions. Moreover, this may be a sign of Grace at work. When this applicant is truly worthy, they will be seen by the Eye.

—Excerpt from Year 994 Admissions Overview of Grace Light Academy

The question wasn't all that difficult. After reading it once, Iris already figured out what she needed to do and quickly started writing. All was quiet inside the Lucky Oasis. Besides the occasional rustling of pages and the scratching of pen on paper, the rhythmic ticking of the clock was the only sound she could hear. Iris liked it. It stood for precision, for rules, for something that would never disappoint. An hour was sixty minutes, and sixty it would always remain.

That's why Iris also liked doing exam questions. Every question had a definite answer. In other words, answering them always brought results. If she got it right, the moment she saw the correct answer was a reward in itself. If she got it wrong, the moment she learned something new was also a reward. As long as one put in the effort, one could gain something in return. Could there be anything better or more equitable than that?

"Use vector methods to prove that if the diagonals of a quadrilateral bisect each other, then the quadrilateral is a parallelogram."

The next question was a bit harder. Iris would take photos of books whenever she came across bookstores inside the Monoliths out of habit. Of course, one may take nothing out from a Monolith—except for the Artifacts from the Wishing Box. But the Trekkers' memories are not bound by such restrictions. Naturally, these randomly collected questions differed wildly in difficulty. Iris preferred complex questions to simple ones. To her, the process of racking her brain and finally emerging victorious gave her the kind of satisfaction that could not be put into words.

"An empty water tank takes eight hours to fill and ten hours to drain when full. If the tank is simultaneously being filled and drained, how many hours will it take to fill it?"

Of course, Iris didn't mind beginner-level questions like this one, either. Noya found this one to be a head-scratcher:"Why would anyone fill and drain a tank at the same time? Isn't that just a waste of water?" Iris didn't see it that way. It made perfect sense if you think of water as New Star Guild's budget and the tank as their actual wallet size. The only difference was that the guild's "tank" usually drained far faster.

The alarm clock rang, Iris put down her pen. After finishing a worksheet pieced together from random photos, she felt calm again. She once more find the courage to face a world full of unanswered questions—or perhaps, questions with no correct answers at all.

This was a conversation from Iris' pre-Trekker days. She paid a fortune to earn her "Fortune Teller Certificate" in the hopes of landing a part-time job. Then she rented a dimly lit tent, sat there with a pointy hat on her head, and waited for customers to show up.

Of course, mind-reading magic is real in this world. But no one needs to worry about being mind-read by a random fortune teller. The Grace needed to read someone's mind would be astronomical. No fortune teller would spend the equvalent of a million Dorra just to earn a thousand. What Iris had learned was a different kind of fortune-telling. No need for cold reading or probing them with questions. Just listen to the customer's troubles and offer a few comforting words is enough. For example— "The crystal ball shows that while a door has been closed, God of Grace will soon open a window for you." "Your luck will improve next month, so don't be too discouraged." Or something like— "Your coworker's luck is gradually syncing with yours. Your work relationship will smooth out soon." "This is the month when restaurants will prosper; all restaurants will see better business and you won't get laid off." Most of the people who came to see her weren't looking for actual guidance. They just wanted a bit of comfort to get them through the tough times. Just like how Iris, after surviving a month of eating nothing but Tawny Nightingale bread, would reward herself with a cookie.

Before long, Iris' little fortune-telling booth gained a small following. This was partly because her gentle smile made people feel safe and at ease, and partly because her own life experiences resonated with her visitors, making their own struggles seem less daunting in comparison.

At one point, Iris thought she might just stick with this gig. "Iris the Fortune Teller" had a nice ring to it. Until one day—

She was called upon to do real "fortune-telling," or rather, a "life consultation." It was a rainy day when the child ran into her tent. She asked Iris if she should continue her studies or start working—and if it's the latter, what kind of job would suit her best. For the first time, Iris could find no answer. She felt like a student who'd been guessing the answers on an exam, able to give the correct response without truly understanding why. The child met her eyes earnestly and carefully laid out a handful of coins as payment. Iris found that she couldn't rely on her usual tricks to give the answer the customer wanted to hear. She had no answer. Thus "Iris the Fortune Teller" was no more. Tricks for guessing answers are just that—tricks. To answer the question that is life, one must constantly be seeking from the paths ahead. Of course, "Iris the Trekker" is a whole other story.

With a solid knowledge as the foundation, the climb proceeded smoothly. The fledging guild proceeded with caution. Iris knew what types of Stellaroid might appear in each room and which corners enemies could be lurking. She devised a strict Soularia usage plan for Noya and Amber. While other new guilds might throw magic spells at Stellaroid like they were free, Iris would calculate which spells would cost them the least amount of Grace Energy while still getting the job done. After all, they had to pay for these with Dorra at the Grace Imperium. Thanks to her, the trio managed the feat of clearing three Boss rooms in one go. At the Wishing Box, Iris successfully wished for a valuable Artifact known as the External Brain.

As the name suggests, this Artifact acts like an extra brain for its user. By typing some magical spells on the keyboard, the Artifact would assist the user in many tasks such as calculation and document filing. Even high-level executives in the Gold District took pride in owning such a powerful Artifact. Noya suggested keeping the External Brain for Iris to use and Amber agreed. During the climb, Iris never stopped calculating. By end of the climb, she looking worn out. As Noya put it,"You should keep it for yourself—if nothing else, your hairline would thank you."

In the end, Iris sold this Artifact. Compared to the mental strain of calculation, the New Star Guild's budget posed a bigger threat to her hairline. According to experienced Trekkers, a Trekker's first wish is always the best, because it carries all their desires or grudges from birth. Once wishing becomes as routine as eating or drinking, it becomes much harder to wish for something truly wonderful. Iris had to consider what she would do if she couldn't successfully wish for an expensive Artifact next time. As for calculations in battle, paper and pen work just as well. She would just have to work harder.

With the money from selling the External Brain, Iris returned to the Lucky Oasis to find a gift box waiting for her. Both Noya and Amber had chipped in for this gift—a knockoff of the External Brain called 286 Series Magic Book. Though its performance was clearly inferior and the special keys had been replaced with magic runes, the way to use it was the same: It needed to be used horizontally. The night, Iris kept complaining about her guild mates' reckless spending. Yet many years later, even after the Magic Book's performance had become severely outdated, she still treated it with care and used it daily.