Chapter 247 - 17: Breaking the Academy’s Historical Record, Bloodline Potion

Chapter 247: Chapter 17: Breaking the Academy’s Historical Record, Bloodline Potion

「Half an hour later.」

An unremarkable "accident" took place in one of the caves.

The bearded Kadi had gotten a tip from a companion: a few stray Dark Goblins were wandering in one of the caves.

He was still one Totem Fang short, and with the assessment about to end, how could he possibly sit still?

Kadi had no idea that Anya had just led a raid on that very group of Dark Goblins, only to "beat a hasty retreat."

This piece of news was passed along several times before it finally reached Kadi’s ears.

Kadi had planned to sneak over and scout the area, to see if there was an opportunity to strike.

He had learned some assassin techniques and was confident that if he was careful enough, he could make it out unscathed.

If he ran into a large group of goblins, he would be sure to run faster than anyone.

This was how many new apprentices obtained their Fangs. To put it bluntly, they used guerrilla tactics.

But the last thing Kadi expected was to run right into a goblin Caster.

"AH—"

A piercing shriek echoed from the darkness, and for a split second, his world spun.

And that single second cost him his life.

A goblin Climber dropped from the cave ceiling, its sharp dagger slashing across Kadi’s throat. A jet of blood shot out.

A strange gurgling sound escaped his throat as the light in his eyes rapidly faded.

The Dark Goblins swarmed forward, hacking the dying human with their crude weapons until he was mangled beyond recognition.

*****

The very instant the twelve-hour assessment countdown ended, Mo Ning saw everything in the underground mine suddenly freeze in place.

A message from the Guiding Ring arrived right on schedule.

[The Sixth Group Assessment, "Shadows of the Underground Mine," has concluded. Please submit your Totem Fangs.]

Mo Ning quickly opened a Collapsible Bag and poured out 18 Leader’s Fangs.

The legion members operated under the assumption that these belonged to their Legion Commander, so they had all been turned over to him already.

All the Fangs flashed, became ethereal, and then vanished into thin air.

[Totem Fangs submitted. You will now be returned to the Mysterious Secret Hall of the Quiet Forest in the Black Tower Academy.]

「A moment later.」

The mine tunnels blurred, and when their vision cleared, the Mysterious Secret Hall of the Quiet Forest once again greeted their eyes.

Compared to when they had set out, 23 faces were now permanently gone—20 from the previous intake of new apprentices, and 3 from the current one.

The total number of participants in the assessment was 408, making for a staggering mortality rate of 5.6%.

If Mo Ning hadn’t organized the Battle Banner Legion, the death toll among the current apprentices would likely have been much higher, pushing the mortality rate up significantly.

The new apprentices understood, of course, that the academy was drastically increasing the difficulty of the group assessments to weed out the unfit more quickly.

However, the eliminated didn’t just include the 23 corpses; three other new apprentices were left with permanent disabilities.

Two were from the previous intake; one had lost his left leg below the knee, and the other, his right hand.

The last was from the current intake; one of his eyes was now a mangled, bloody socket.

Such injuries weren’t incurable. The Wizard World was full of Magic Potions capable of regenerating severed limbs.

But the academy deemed it not worth the cost.

FWOOSH—

Pale flames ignited out of thin air, and a Second Level Apprentice emerged from within them.

He had a prominent scar on his left cheek, and his gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s.

The new apprentices knew his name: Mam.

Whenever an apprentice was severely disabled, Mam would appear like a vulture drawn to the scent of blood to personally escort them out of the academy.

Mam waved a hand, his face devoid of expression.

From the lingering pale flames, three Combat Puppets emerged.

Under the stunned gaze of the crowd, they charged directly into the group and hauled the three disabled apprentices up as if they were freight.

The one who had been blinded struggled, his face filled with despair. "I only lost an eye! I can still—"

But he never got the chance to finish. The Combat Puppet’s eyes glowed for a moment, and he instantly fell unconscious, his limbs dangling limply.

A look of grim sympathy washed over the faces of the onlookers, each seeing a reflection of their own potential fate.

"Escort out," as it was phrased earlier, was a euphemism. A more accurate description would be ’unceremoniously thrown out’.

However, something unexpected happened.

Mam didn’t leave. Instead, he suddenly turned his head toward a figure and said in a raspy voice, "I recognize you. You’re Mo Ning."

Mo Ning was taken aback for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "Mr. Mam."

In an instant, all the new apprentices’ eyes snapped to Mo Ning.

This wasn’t too surprising for the current intake of apprentices; they had seen senior apprentices greet Mo Ning before and were used to it.

For the apprentices from the previous intake, however, it was the first time they had witnessed such a thing, and their eyes were wide with astonishment.

They were finally beginning to truly grasp the extent of the influence wielded by the strongest of the new apprentices.

Even those who still harbored animosity toward Mo Ning didn’t dare let any of it show.

There was little warmth in Mam’s eyes. He spoke, as if to himself, "The academy had projected 35 to 40 eliminations for this assessment. You disrupted the plan."

As soon as the words left his mouth, his body combusted into ash.

Mo Ning understood immediately. While on the surface the Second Level Apprentice’s words sounded like a reprimand, they were in fact a gesture of goodwill.

By disrupting the academy’s plan, he had saved the lives of many new apprentices.

The grateful looks he was receiving from those around him were proof enough.

It belatedly dawned on Mo Ning. ’It seems a lot of apprentices in the academy think very highly of me.’

’If they didn’t, why would they go out of their way to show their support?’

「Afterward.」

A cool sensation flowed from the Guiding Ring, like running water. The final assessment results were in.