Chapter 299: New Recruit Assessment

Tribunal Headquarters, Training Grounds.

The training grounds, usually quite deserted, were exceptionally lively today. A group of witches had gathered early, waiting. They were dressed in uniform black combat robes, each wearing a completely different mask.

Today was the start of the new recruit special training. Everyone present had been waiting for this day for a long time. After all, only by passing this special training could they be considered true members of the Tribunal, becoming part of this top-tier violent apparatus under the Sage Council.

Although the Tribunal, an organization that specifically targets witches themselves, did not have a good reputation and was feared by everyone, almost no witch would refuse such a good opportunity if they had the chance to join. After all, the benefits and welfare of a witch civil servant were truly high, not to mention that the Tribunal was a notoriously powerful unit even within the civil service system.

The end of the universe is nothing but civil service exams; this point applies very well to witches too.

The witches present now were either successors carefully cultivated by old inquisitors or powerhouses specially recruited for their talent in the dueling field. In short, not a single one was an ordinary person. Any one of them, if placed outside, would be a renowned genius, one in ten thousand.

And now, these genius elites from all over the Witch World had gathered here, waiting for the final test before taking their posts.

Well, although this was called training, these geniuses didn't really need any training. They had already self-studied all the necessary professional knowledge. So, this so-called new recruit training was more accurately an entrance exam. If the exam results were too poor, they might be advised to quit or something. With the "golden rice bowl" right in front of them, no one wanted to lose the opportunity, especially after they had seen the Tribunal's benefits and welfare during this period.

However, the young witches present waited for a long time, but their instructor did not come. The two bronze-medal teaching assistants had arrived early, but the chief instructor responsible for managing this special training was nowhere to be seen.

And just when they were finally getting impatient, a slight sound rang out from beside them.

*Snap... *

It seemed to be the sound of a book being closed. The sound was not loud, but since none of those present were ordinary people, they naturally noticed it. Everyone immediately looked toward the source of the sound, and then, stunned, they saw a witch sitting quietly on a folding lounge chair in the center of the training grounds, in front of everyone, holding a "Training Manual" in her hand.

This witch was wearing the same black combat robe as them, but it was more exquisite and magnificent. On her face, she wore a clown mask with a playful grin. The silver identity tag on her waist revealed her identity: this was a Grand Inquisitor, of whom there were only 108 in the entire Tribunal.

There was no need to guess; such status meant she was likely their chief instructor for today.

However, what shocked the young witches was that no one had noticed anyone in that position before the sound of the book closing. But judging by the fact that she even had a lounge chair prepared, she seemed to have been sitting there for a long time.

Should one say she is worthy of being a big shot? This skill of stealth right in front of them without being discovered was truly terrifying.

In fact, not only these young witches, but even the two bronze-medal inquisitors at the Grand Witch level were slightly startled at this moment.

But they soon relaxed. After all, those who could become Grand Inquisitors were all powerhouses. Although this Grand Inquisitor with the clown mask seemed to be a newcomer, the fact that she was promoted to silver medal by exception as soon as she joined the Tribunal showed that her true identity and strength were definitely not simple. She was probably some well-known big shot wearing a mask to work part-time.

As for doubting whether this big shot was just a name with no substance or had gotten in through the back door, such thoughts never crossed their minds. After all, this was the Tribunal, an agency specifically for cracking down on internal corruption among witches. If even the Tribunal were rotten, wouldn't this Witch World be finished?

Any other organization might have bribery and cheating, but that was absolutely impossible in the Tribunal. Here, it had always been about ability and merit; there weren't as many rigid rules as in other departments.

Moreover, the way this Clown Lord had made her entrance just now had truly given them a "show of force." If this weren't an exam but a battlefield, they might already be dead without knowing why.

Immediately, everyone's heart tightened, and they stood straight, waiting for the chief instructor to give her speech.

On the other side, Dorothy, who had just finished devouring this training manual, also breathed a sigh of relief.

Well, she had completely understood what this so-called special training was about.

In short, excluding the flashy content, the entire manual boiled down to two lines between the lines.

Strength, strength, and more strength; loyalty, loyalty, and more loyalty.

The Tribunal needed inquisitors who could fight and would absolutely obey orders from superiors; all other factors were not as important as these two points.

Therefore, it didn't matter what method the chief instructor used, as long as she could test these two points to a certain extent, it would suffice.

Dorothy rolled her eyes twice, and she had an idea in her mind.

At that moment, she spoke first in a low voice.

"You have disappointed me greatly. Everyone here is a genius among ten thousand. I had expected you to give me a surprise, but not one of you discovered my clumsy stealth. This is truly not good enough. Everyone, minus ten points."

Well, in short, a show of force first. And this wasn't her picking on them; although she had indeed used the Akalin Technique to erase her presence just to buy a little more time to read the manual, this was indeed a test.

She had deliberately not used the perfect Akalin Technique, leaving a slight weakness, but still, few people discovered her.

Of course, it wasn't that no one did. Among the crowd, Alice, Madeline, and Miss Ghost Mask had vaguely sensed it and looked toward her position. Besides them, four or five others also seemed thoughtful.

It seems there are quite a few good seedlings among this batch of new recruits, but it's a pity no one stood out in the end.

Then she couldn't be bothered to give those few good seedlings any special treatment; she would just start everyone off with a negative score. That way, the game—ah, no, the exam—that followed would have a greater sense of urgency.

As for her words, the atmosphere in the crowd tightened instantly. No one was happy about starting with a negative score. Some were already suspecting that this chief examiner was making things difficult for them, but no one was stupid enough to jump out and pick a fight.

This made Dorothy feel both gratified and a little regretful.

After all, she had been hoping for a classic "face-slapping" scene, but it was a pity that those who could sneak into the Tribunal were indeed not brainless fools.

"Well, then, no more nonsense. This assessment has two stages, both based on a point system. A total score of 60 is passing. If you don't have 60, then try again next year."

"Next, we will start the first stage directly. I wish you all a pleasant game."

Time was tight and the task was heavy. Dorothy planned to finish this task in one night, so she snapped her fingers decisively, and then the environment of the entire training ground changed drastically.

... Site layout in progress.... ===== CHAPTER 300 =====