Imprisoned for a Trillion Years, I Was Worshipped by All Gods!

Coincidentally, not long after Daniel joined the forge, he was presented with his first task: today happened to be the apprentice selection day at Velen Forge.

This meant Daniel would be involved in evaluating and selecting new apprentices, which also gave him a chance to assert his position and show everyone why he was now referred to as Master Daniel.

The young people gathered outside the forge earlier were the ones here for the apprentice selection.

Ed walked alongside Daniel, his expression somewhat complicated.

He never would have imagined that the young man he had personally escorted here would, in the blink of an eye, rise to the rank of a master blacksmith.

"Master Daniel, it's hard to believe how quickly things have changed…" Ed said with a sigh.

"Indeed, I didn't expect it either. I just wanted to find a temporary place to stay," Daniel replied with a faint smile.

"For now, I'll arrange for your accommodations later, but first, we need to oversee today's apprentice selection," Ed said as he led Daniel toward the forge's examination area.

Daniel followed him, and soon they arrived at the examination site.

Here, more than twenty small forging stations had been set up, each occupied by a candidate.@@novelbin@@

Some of the candidates appeared nervous, while others were sitting quietly, eyes closed, trying to calm themselves.

It was almost like watching students preparing for an exam—which, in a way, this was.

On their way over, Ed had explained the rules of the selection process.

The examination consisted of two components: theory and practical application, with the latter carrying a 70% weight in the final evaluation.

Ed brought Daniel to the examination area, where two examiners were already present.

When they saw Ed and Daniel approaching, the two examiners frowned.

Ed's actions seemed suspicious to them—almost as if he was trying to pull strings and force someone into the selection process.

"Ed, this kind of behavior isn't appropriate! If Master Dixon finds out, even we won't be able to escape responsibility. Take this young man and leave," said one of the examiners, the older of the two.

Both examiners were senior blacksmiths at the forge and were in charge of overseeing the selection process.

"You've misunderstood," Ed said quickly. "The man behind me is Master Daniel, a newly appointed senior blacksmith at the forge. My teacher, Master Dixon, asked him to assist with the selection."

The two examiners froze, their gazes shifting to Daniel.

He looked so young—barely thirty, if that!

Could someone this young truly have the qualifications to be a senior blacksmith at the forge?

Both examiners had devoted decades of their lives to forging to earn their current positions.

Could this young man, who appeared to have barely begun his career, really be on their level?

But since Ed mentioned that Master Dixon himself had approved this, they couldn't object outright.

Still, they couldn't help but feel a little skeptical.

"Alright, Master Daniel, why don't you start by distributing the test papers to the candidates?"

"Of course," Daniel replied.

He distributed the test papers to the seated candidates, many of whom began studying them with intense focus.

Among the candidates, Daniel recognized two young men who had been discussing the iron horse sculpture outside earlier.

Whether they recognized Daniel or not remained unclear.

Once the test papers were handed out, the candidates began working on their answers, concentrating deeply.

Daniel, Ed, and the two senior examiners walked around the room, monitoring for any signs of cheating or misconduct.

Not that cheating was likely—after all, the practical exam carried far more weight than the written portion.

The theory test was relatively straightforward, with some questions practically designed as giveaways to ensure the results weren't too harsh.

As Daniel wandered through the room, he noticed a concerning pattern: some candidates couldn't even answer the simplest questions, revealing their shaky foundations.

Only a handful demonstrated a solid grasp of the material, writing thoughtful and accurate answers.

Others were visibly struggling, some on the verge of submitting blank sheets.

Of course, this wasn't a dealbreaker—if someone showed exceptional talent in forging, they could still pass the selection process.

After all, forging was ultimately about practical skill.

For Daniel, this atmosphere was a rare experience.

In his previous life, where apocalyptic events and constant cultivation dominated his time, he'd rarely had the opportunity to witness something like this.

About an hour later, the theory exam ended, and the test papers were collected.

The grading began immediately, as the questions were simple enough to mark on the spot.

Next came the practical exam.

The task was straightforward: forge a piece of iron.

This stage tested the candidates' forging techniques, the refinement of their methods, and the quality of the final product.

The sound of bellows filled the air as the forges roared to life, and the examination room grew noticeably hotter.

The three examiners—including Daniel—each monitored a designated area, observing the candidates at work.

"Master, are you new to the forge?" one young candidate asked, glancing up at Daniel.

It seemed he had noticed Daniel earlier in the crowd.

"Focus on the exam," Daniel reminded him with a calm expression.

The practical exam lasted about three hours—a tedious and repetitive process.

Eventually, Daniel fetched a chair and sat down, casually observing the candidates as they worked.

As time passed, the candidates gradually completed their tasks.

Finally, a bell rang, signaling the end of the practical exam. The completed iron pieces were collected for evaluation.

The young man who had spoken to Daniel earlier let out a long sigh of relief.

Daniel had been standing or sitting near him throughout the entire process, which had put the young man under immense pressure.

His hands had faltered several times, leading to errors that he barely managed to correct.

When the bell rang, signaling the end, the young man looked at Daniel nervously.

Daniel simply gave him a small smile.

To the young man, that smile felt like a death sentence.

"What does that smile mean?" he thought, panic surging through him.

"Is he mocking me for making so many mistakes? Am I doomed to fail this exam?"

A flood of worst-case scenarios filled his mind.

"All candidates, leave the room immediately! Results will be announced in thirty minutes!"

The stern voice of one of the senior examiners snapped the young man out of his daze.

He quickly gathered his belongings and left the room.

Next came the grading process.

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The two senior examiners grumbled as they marked the theory papers.

"Look at this handwriting—it's unbearable! And there's so much to read!"

"Oh, you think that's bad? Look at this mess!"

"This handwriting's neat enough. What's the problem?"

"Take a closer look!"

"What the… what is this gibberish? Such neat handwriting, and it's all nonsense? We're testing forging knowledge, not creative writing!"

"…"

Despite their complaints, the theory papers were graded quickly.

Then came the evaluation of the iron pieces from the practical exam.

Out of more than twenty candidates, only four or five passed.

Interestingly, the young man who had been pressured by Daniel's presence managed to pass, despite his earlier mistakes.

Though his forging technique faltered under stress, he managed to correct his errors and produce a decent final product.