Chapter 353 - 48: Stunning Performance, Requesting an Additional Award for Mo Ning

Chapter 353: Chapter 48: Stunning Performance, Requesting an Additional Award for Mo Ning

The tables and chairs, which had been tossed about by the raging torrent, silently returned to their original positions, arranging themselves in neat rows.

In just a few breaths, the entire cafeteria was restored to its former tidiness and tranquility.

The light shimmered, the setting sun was gentle, and everything was so beautiful it was as if nothing had ever happened.

Finch let out a long breath, his gaze landing on Mo Ning. His tone was exceptionally sincere. "Mo Ning, we really owe you for today. Otherwise, Bet and I would have been done for."

The shock still hadn’t completely faded from Bet’s eyes as he looked over. "Now I truly understand. No wonder the Arbiter holds you in such high regard."

They both knew perfectly well that in today’s vicious battle against the Will of the Evil God, Mo Ning had been the absolute main force.

He had miraculously cast the Thunder Blade Technique, a skill that should only be wieldable by a Third Level Apprentice. With two slashes, he had utterly annihilated the phantom of the Evil God, instantly turning the tide of the entire battle.

However, Mo Ning’s face showed no trace of pride or arrogance. "Your timing with the Evil God Strike Technique was perfect. You stopped the Evil God at a critical moment, otherwise I might not have had the chance to land my own attack."

He spoke with great tact, making it seem as if the Evil God Strike Technique had been the deciding factor, deftly elevating his colleagues’ contributions to a position that was deeply gratifying to them.

Finch froze for a moment, then broke into a grin and clapped Mo Ning firmly on the shoulder. "A guy who can talk as well as you should do it more often."

Bet shrugged, his tone filled with unconcealed admiration. "You’re the most incredible newcomer I’ve ever seen. Someone like you will thrive in the Arbitration Court."

This was no empty pleasantry; it was spoken from the heart.

The Arbitration Court had never been a place for sentimentality. It was a gathering of the elite; every person who wore its Black Robe was, without exception, a leader among their peers.

For that very reason, Senior Arbiters were not only demanding of themselves to the point of cruelty, but they were also equally unforgiving with their colleagues.

The first few years for a new Arbiter were typically brutal. The slightest mistake on a mission would earn them a harsh, face-to-face reprimand from a senior.

And the rookies had no choice but to take it all in silence.

Because even the slightest oversight could jeopardize the lives of the entire squad, they deserved to be yelled at.

But Mo Ning’s performance today had made these two experienced Arbiters see him in a completely new light.

His calm judgment when facing the Will of the Evil God, his decisiveness in striking at the most critical window of opportunity, and that stunning display of Witchcraft far beyond his own level—how could any of that be the work of a rookie?

Many Senior Arbiters might not have been able to handle it any better.

Mo Ning met their gazes and smiled. "It was a pleasure working with you both."

He, of course, understood the significance of this battle in the cafeteria.

From this moment on, in a place teeming with elites like the Arbitration Court, he had truly established his first personal connections.

In any organization, connections are incredibly important.

It was true in his past life, and the Wizard World was fundamentally no different.

Tasks that an ordinary Apprentice would find nearly impossible could be resolved with ease by someone with connections—all it took was a casual word.

For example, if some clueless Apprentice were to give Anya a hard time or cause trouble for Reina one day...

Mo Ning would only need to mention it casually while chatting with Finch and Bet. The two would immediately get the hint and step in to "remind" that Apprentice to know their place.

*****

「The Arbitration Court, Fourth Arbitration Institute.」

Lin Te, an Arbiter and a First Level Wizard, sat at his desk reviewing a mission report that had just arrived.

"Mission Number: 3-55-134."

"Mission Operatives: Arbiter Finch, Arbiter Bet, Preparatory Arbiter Mo Ning."

"Mission Details: Suspected Evil God whisperings detected in the cafeteria for the 118th class of recruits. Mission operatives entered the cafeteria to investigate..."

According to the Arbitration Court’s almost pedantically strict rules, every Arbiter, upon returning from a mission, had to submit a strictly formatted report, regardless of the outcome.

The writing requirements were incredibly demanding: no subjective descriptions were allowed, only objective observations from a third-person perspective.

As a result, these reports were often bone-dry. The description of a battle would be nothing more than a play-by-play account like "So-and-so cast a certain Witchcraft, and the enemy reacted in a certain way." It was hard to find even a single adjective.

It read like a clumsy exchange of blows—"You punched me, so I punched you back"—and was utterly tedious.

But Lin Te read it with intense focus, an eyebrow occasionally twitching as a glimmer of keen interest slowly grew in his eyes.

A minute later, he flipped to the last page, finishing his silent reading of the report.

"Tsk!"

Lin Te made a faint, unreadable sound, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

"Two Second Level Apprentices and one First Level Apprentice go out on a mission, and the First Level Apprentice ends up being the main contributor, while the two Second Levels are reduced to playing support. How many years has it been since something like that happened?"

Although words like "main contributor" or "playing support" were nowhere to be found in the report, Lin Te could see the truth behind the flat descriptions at a single glance.

Of course, such a strange occurrence was not entirely unprecedented in the Arbitration Court.

The academy had stood for over a thousand years; in that time, more than one genius capable of shattering all conventions had appeared.

Lin Te muttered to himself again, ’No wonder the kid received Lord Martin’s legacy mission. If he keeps developing like this, he might actually have a shot at the Black Tower Academy’s headmaster’s seat one day.’

With a mere thought, a Magic Pen materialized out of thin air before him.

At the level of an Official Wizard, most Witchcraft no longer required the aid of Curses or hand gestures, with the exception of a few special types of Level Zero Witchcraft.

The Magic Pen descended lightly and smoothly wrote a line for the evaluation:

"Mission difficulty was high, significantly exceeding the operatives’ own power levels. Mission completion was extremely high, with no casualties. Overall rating: Excellent."

The Arbitration Court’s mission evaluation system followed the same standards as its assessments, typically divided into four grades: Common, Passable, Excellent, and Astounding.

For most Arbiters, earning a single "Excellent" rating required risking life and limb; it was a sky-high evaluation that many didn’t even dare to dream of receiving.

It was no exaggeration to say that it earned you bragging rights with your colleagues for quite some time.

The Magic Pen did not stop, but continued moving down the page:

"Reward Distribution: Preparatory Arbiter Mo Ning to receive 50%; Arbiters Finch and Bet to each receive 25%."

Lin Te’s voice was filled with the satisfaction of someone who had discovered a hidden gem. ’Bringing Mo Ning into the Fourth Arbitration Institute was absolutely the right decision.’

The boy had been with the Fourth Arbitration Institute for less than two weeks, and he had already delivered such a pleasant surprise.

’So, given time and the kid’s current momentum, what else might he bring to my Institute?’

Lin Te’s smile deepened as he recalled something else.

’In a few days, the various Arbitration Institutes will have to report on their work at the council meeting,’ he thought. ’This year, the Fourth Arbitration Institute should be able to finally get one up on the Third.’

Both Institutes were tasked with combating the Evil God Sect, and for many years, the overt and covert rivalry between them had never truly ceased.

But for the past twenty years, the Fourth Arbitration Institute had been consistently outshone by the Third.

This time, however, he saw a real, tangible hope of finally turning the tables.

Lin Te hesitated for a moment, then guided the Magic Pen to solemnly add one last line at the end:

"Requesting an additional commendation for Mo Ning."

As the final stroke was written, the Magic Pen dissolved into faint motes of light.