Chapter 1093: The Three Tiers of Knowledge
Chapter 1093: The Three Tiers of Knowledge
"Azradas..."
"Azradas... can you... hear... me?"
"Azradas Vol'wista!"
"...Huh?"
Finally responding to the numerous times his name had been called, a young teenager temporarily extricated himself from his peaceful slumber, only to then become fully alert as the reality of his current situation sunk in.
Feeling embarrassment after realizing he'd fallen asleep in the middle of class, Azradas' face slightly turned red at the laughter his classmates gave him as he looked at the teacher that called for his attention.
"And here I thought you wouldn't wake up till the end of class," said the teacher,
harrumphing as she crossed her four arms. "Now, Azradas. As I've mentioned earlier, what are the three tiers of knowledge us Truthseekers can attain?"
"If you can't even answer this basic question, I really might remove you from this class."
At her question, Azradas forced the gears in his mind to whir as fast as they possibly could, looking around the classroom for clues he could use to answer the question.
At the same time, he went through all of the knowledge he'd accrued in his life so far, hoping that he'd find the answer sooner or later.
Fortunately, just as it felt like he was only mere moments from receiving the teacher's disappointment, Azradas responded to her question with as much confidence he could possibly muster.
"The first tier of knowledge is to know and recognize truths as they are."
"The second tier of knowledge is to know and recognize truths even beyond falsehoods."
Feeling the teacher's gaze grow sharper in response to his words, the young teenager took in a short breath to compose himself before finishing his answer. "And the last tier of knowledge is to know and recognize all truths in their purest, unblemished form."
"...Is that all?" After a bit of silence, the teacher eventually responded back to his answer, causing Azradas to doubt the words that just came off his mouth.
Though, rather than change his answer, he instead believed in his thoughts and his instincts, prompting him to nod back as he replied, "That is all."
"...Haah."
After a far longer silence than before, the teacher soon let out a sigh as she looked at Azradas with a hint of concern. "If not for the fact that you'd rather sleep than pursue greater knowledge, you probably would've been in a higher grade already."
"In any case, it would be great if you could restrain yourself from falling asleep from now on. Especially now that the yearly aptitude exams are closing in."
"Yes, Teacher." At those words, Azradas inwardly let out a sigh of relief, finally being able to relax as their teacher moved on with their class.
Though, as the teacher continued with the ongoing lesson, the young teenager's attention eventually fell beyond the window, becoming distracted as his thoughts began to wander about.
'It must be nice to achieve the first tier of knowledge so early on,' thought Azradas to himself, recalling the teacher's words from earlier. 'If only the teacher knew doing so was that easy.'
'Then again... if I did achieve it, I wouldn't be pestered by the teachers anymore if I decide to sleep during class.'
Faintly chuckling at his train of thought, the young teenager eventually made up his mind on what his life's goal would be.
To not be disturbed in his sleep.
-
"Azradas..."
"Azradas Vol'wisran!"
"Huh...?"
"Ack!"
Feeling immense pain at having someone slap him on the back of his head, Azradas had a frown on his face as he came to his senses, looking around to see who exactly decided to wake him up from his slumber.
Though, after seeing that the one who did it was none other than his personal mentor, any thoughts of retaliation he had immediately disappeared without a trace as he gave him a slightly apologetic smile.
"I know that I shouldn't really disturb you while you're asleep, but could you at least pay attention to what I have to say?" Looking at the smile his student gave him, the mentor sighed as he shook his head. "Have the dignity of a Vol'wisran at the very least."
"Sorry, Mentor." Briefly recalling a time from his earlier days of study where something similar happened, Azradas immediately apologized as he began to recall their conversation before he eventually fell asleep.
"You were talking to me about the Trials of Erudition, right?"
"...At least you can still recall what I told you." Hearing those words, Azradas' mentor let outNôv(el)B\\jnn
a faint sigh of relief before nodding. "But yes. I plan on having you enter the Trials of Erudition the next decade."
"I'm sure you've already been told this the moment you entered the Imperial Truthseeker Academy, but let me remind you that the first tier of knowledge you've been told your whole life so far is nothing but the beginning of what's to come."
"Though three tiers of knowledge do exist for us Truthseekers, the first tier of knowledge you've come to know is merely a foundation for the true first step, which is to know and recognize truths even beyond falsehoods."
"As long as you achieve this level, you'll immediately obtain the title of Erudite among the Truthseekers, immediately becoming a beacon of knowledge all generations look up to." Unknowingly, his mentor got more excited as he continued. "If there ever comes a day you achieve the second tier of knowledge, you immediately become a Sage, a being that even Truthseekers of the future shall remember for eternity."
"The fact that there are only nine in total who have reached this level in our history means a lot if you were to reach the tenth. In fact, if you do reach it, you would've successfully passed
me, your mentor."
"And if you were to ever touch upon the third and last tier of knowledge... to turn falsehoods into infinite truths..."
"Hey, Azradas. Did you even listen to a word of what I said just now?"
"Azradas...? Azradas Vol'wisran!"
"...Haah. Seriously, why did I become his mentor again?"