Get Even One Word Wrong, and I Lose

After that incident, Ilubeck gave up the idea of taking on any more apprentices in this lifetime.

But since the "reward" had already been mentioned, he needed to find a plausible reason to refuse Rein.

After thinking for a moment, the old man casually asked, "Since you are a medical apprentice, you must have heard of introductory books like the 'Basic Encyclopedia of Pharmacy', right?"

"Of course I know."

Rein didn't understand what he was going to do for a moment, and nodded weakly.

The Basic Encyclopedia of Pharmacy is not a profound classic; it simply records the properties of tens of thousands of common pharmaceutical materials, along with some introductory knowledge.

However, this book is an absolute nightmare for apprentices who want to get started learning pharmacy.

Because it's very thick, extremely thick!

This is not just one book, but a whole set of books, stacked up to be as tall as a man from Rein!

"I don't keep useless people in my laboratory. Even apprentices must be geniuses with excellent learning aptitude."

Ilubeck, with a serious expression, posed a difficult question, "I'll give you a week to go back and study. I'll selectively choose some questions from the encyclopedia, and if you can answer them all correctly, you'll qualify to become my lab's apprentice!"

He used this method to dissuade countless apprentices who thought themselves exceptionally talented.

That's it?

Rein listened without any change in expression, but he was secretly delighted.

If this old man were to pose some other professional questions to stump me, I might actually be able to stump him.

But the test of your Mind Core is the "memorization" question. Isn't that a free point?

Coincidentally, there was such an encyclopedia in Piscis's collection, which he had even looked through.

After thinking it over, Rein decided to let the old man make a decision now, fearing that things might change if he delayed.

He glanced at the old man's smug expression, and weakly repeated his question, "Doctor, are you telling the truth?"

"Of course it's true!"

Ilubeck's lips curled into a confident arrogance as he said with certainty, "If you can answer my questions 100% correctly in a week, I'll agree to let you be my apprentice in the lab!"

This old man's test looks simple, but it's actually quite tricky and can be used to reject almost anyone.

Even the most gifted and talented apprentice could not possibly memorize such a thick book as the "Basic Encyclopedia of Pharmacy" in a week.

Even if someone has an amazing memory and can remember most of the content, don't you still have the requirement of answering 100% correctly?

Then just ask a few obscure questions, and you'll have an excuse to refuse, right?

How could one possibly remember every single punctuation mark in such a dry and tedious book containing millions of words?

Heh, looking for trouble? That's easy enough.

At this moment, what he didn't expect was that the kid opposite him not only didn't think the test was harsh, but also spoke up again.

Rein confirmed again, "No. I meant, will the questions you ask be based on the original text from the encyclopedia?"

"That's right!"

Ilubeck, with an expression that said, "I won't make things difficult for you," explained, "Don't worry, you're just an apprentice after all. This is just a test of your memory. I won't ask any complicated advanced questions."

"Oh"

Rein listened and nodded thoughtfully.

This question put his mind at ease.

This assessment is approved.

Then, to Ilubeck's complete surprise, this guy didn't intend to leave the lab to go back and memorize his notes. Instead, he said quietly, "Then ask away."

"???"

The old man thought he had misheard, or that the other person had misunderstood. "I said I'd give you seven days."

Before he could finish speaking, Ilubeck noticed that Rein's expression was very calm, and beneath that calm expression was an unfathomable composure.

The old man felt he hadn't misheard, yet he was still somewhat incredulous, and asked, "You mean you want to take the test now?"

"Yes."

Rein nodded, not boasting at all, and said, "Dr. Ilubeck, I am not particularly talented, but I do have a slight talent for memory. To be honest, as someone who aspired to be an excellent doctor since childhood, I have long since memorized the Encyclopedia. If you ask me any questions from the book, I think I can answer them all."

He spoke with complete confidence, without the slightest hint of apprehension.

If you want Ilubeck to make up his mind to take on an apprentice, you can't hide your shortcomings at this time.

Since you want a genius, I'll give you a "super genius" you can't refuse. Whatever the means, grab onto this golden thigh first.

Besides, Rein also felt that even with a famous teacher and the assistance of an "Mind Core," he still wouldn't be able to make a name for himself in medicine. He might as well not bother with this transmigration and just drown himself back in the cesspool.

The more composed Rein appeared, the more Ilubeck felt that Rein was an arrogant and ungrateful young man.

"Heh. This is your own choice. Don't blame me for not giving you a chance later!"

The old man was slightly annoyed, feeling that his assessment had been treated like a joke.

But that suited him perfectly; he wanted to settle the matter today and save himself trouble later.

With a tone that seemed to be waiting to see him make a fool of himself, he asked directly, "Then let me ask you the first question: please recite the medicinal properties of the [Demon Worm], as well as all its parameter data!"

"Well"

Upon hearing this, Rein realized that the "Mind Core" had already projected the answer onto his retina.

But he didn't rush to answer; instead, he pretended to frown and thought for a moment.

This old man has ulterior motives; his first question is about a very obscure medicinal ingredient.

Seeing Rein struggling to recall, Ilubeck deliberately increased the difficulty, saying seriously, "Pharmacology is a very rigorous discipline that does not allow for the slightest error. Therefore, if your answer to this question deviates even slightly from the book, you are wrong!"

He felt that even if Rein knew the properties of this uncommon material, he might not be able to recite its characteristics completely.

This question, even if taken to the Oma Royal Medical Academy, would stump 99% of medical apprentices, and even qualified doctors.

"Oh, I remember now."

But at this point, Rein felt it was time to put on an act, so he replied directly, "If I remember correctly, the original text in the book says: '[Demon Worm], a terrestrial invertebrate belonging to the class Oligochaeta of the phylum Annelida, with an astringent taste. It can be distilled to extract Paralyzing Toxin. Burning it in a 550°C flame will produce an irritating odor. It should be stored indoors in a shady place at 20°C.'"

In order to avoid giving the old man any reason to criticize him, he recited the entire passage from the encyclopedia.

"???"

Sure enough, Ilubeck, who was standing to the side, was dumbfounded.

He originally wanted to point out a few mistakes, but after listening, he realized that it seemed to be completely correct!

Even the word order is correct; it's exactly the original text from the encyclopedia.

Could it be that we stumbled upon a perfect example of a material that this kid is familiar with?

After a moment of shock, Ilubeck quickly regained his composure, even sporting a smug smirk.

Tsk tsk, I never said there was only one problem!

"Hmm, this answer is pretty good."

The old man nodded in a perfunctory manner, but his mind was searching for more obscure questions.

You definitely can't ask about popular materials, so just pick materials that intermediate or even Senior Doctor would use.

Then he asked, "Now answer my second question: please recite the medicinal properties of [Ancient Wraith Dust]."

Upon hearing this, Rein was secretly delighted.

This question is even more obscure, and it would indeed stump most apprentices, but it wouldn't stump me.

He pretended to ponder for a moment before answering, "[Ancient Wraith Dust] is a high-grade magical material, produced in damp graveyards, usually found in the skull cavities of Mummified Corpse over three thousand years old. It is insoluble in water but readily soluble in alcohol; it has a 300°C ignition point and produces hallucinogenic gases when burned; it should be stored below 5°C; it is commonly used to create potions for dispelling mental spells and is highly corrosive."

The encyclopedia's nearly three hundred words of detailed explanation were recited by Rein in a rapid-fire manner.

To prevent the old man from finding fault, he asked again, "Dr. Ilubeck, I remember there's an extended interpretation at the end of this material, which is quite long. Do you need me to memorize it as well?"

"."

Ilubeck's eye twitched involuntarily upon hearing this.

Clearly, this fluency demonstrates a deep familiarity with the content, and memorizing it would be no challenge for him.

His face grew increasingly dark, and he said coldly, "No need! Now answer my third question: please describe the details of the [Black Evil Datura Flower]."

"The fourth question: can you recite the 'Sun Flower Root'?"

"The fifth question is for you to recite the [Dragon Vein Holy Water]."

"The sixth question: Recite the [Heart-Corroding Mushroom]."

The questions became increasingly tricky, more advanced, and more obscure.

But anything from the encyclopedia was no challenge for Rein; he answered fluently and memorized it word for word.

Finally, Ilubeck, his face growing increasingly dark, changed tactics and asked his ninth question, "Ninth question, on which page of the Encyclopedia is the Blood Giant's Eyeball?"

This is clearly cheating.

It's one thing to test your knowledge, but to ask which page it's on?

Ilubeck has abandoned all principles in order to avoid taking Rein as his apprentice.

He had originally planned that if Rein questioned the practicality of the exam question, he would retort by saying that pharmacists need extremely high "data acumen".

This question is riddled with pitfalls from the very beginning; whichever page you answer on, you're guaranteed to get it wrong!

Unexpectedly, even though this was clearly a difficult question, Rein didn't hesitate at all and answered directly, "If I remember correctly, it's on page 126 of the third volume, and of course, there's also half of page 127 that wasn't recorded."

His answer gave the cunning old man no chance to find fault.

"."

I asked nine questions in a row, and they were all answered perfectly.

At this moment, Ilubeck's gaze towards Rein was completely unsettled.

Brothers, I can still salvage this! Please vote for me!