Chapter 11: Assessment Format and Punishment

Facing Master Krag's murderous gaze and Iron Chisel Master's playful expression, the courage Molten Master had barely mustered faded significantly.

He steadied himself, forced a smile, and while waving to the Dwarfs below the stage, he took the rune megaphone from Master Krag.

"Everyone sitting—ah, no, standing here—must already know me!" Although he tried his best to remain calm, Sinuoli could still hear the nervousness in his voice.

"I am Dulingen-Ronghuo, and thanks to everyone's support and trust, I serve as the Vice President of our guild," Molten Master said, uttering two sentences of nonsense to buy himself a little more time to phrase his words.

"Personally, I have great faith in the experience and judgment of our President Krag and Vice President Iron Chisel!"

Because Master Krag's nickname, "Grimm," is not a compliment, in such situations, out of respect for one's elders, it is customary to address him by his name.

For Dwarfs, one usually does not call those of higher status or greater age by derogatory nicknames to their faces; for the deceased, if the nickname is not complimentary, one also tries to use their name directly when mentioning them.

"I am by no means questioning their judgment! It's just that I think everyone standing here must be very eager to see the work of our young genius, the Mother Goddess's blessed Prince Snorri Thorsson, right?" After using the crowd as a shield, Molten Master's courage recovered a bit.

He took a deep breath and continued: "Therefore, I would like to boldly act as a representative to lead everyone in appreciating this rune. What does everyone say?"

Listening to the thunderous applause from the members below, Molten Master couldn't help but be glad that he had studied literature quite well back in the day. Seeing that Master Krag did not stop him, he reached out and took the Rune Scroll.

With just one glance, Molten Master knew what he was looking at; this was a genuine Master Rune, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

If this had been an ordinary rune or even a blank piece of paper, he would have had to weigh how to withstand the wrath of the two Masters or face the questioning of the members.

He beckoned a disciple to unfold the scroll for him and hold it up toward the crowd. It was the same testing procedure, only this time, Molten Master performed the test with one hand while holding the megaphone in the other to introduce it to the Dwarfs below.

The testing process soon ended, but the Dwarfs below were still not satisfied. Master Krag curled his lip: "Activate this rune and show them, lest these Little Beards go out and gossip!"

Molten Master nodded, stroked it with his hand, and the rune emitted a brilliant luster; a huge fireball appeared on the stage.

Once a Dwarf's rune is inscribed, anyone can activate it, but to actively charge a rune, one needs both Rune Power and a mastery of that rune's unique method of energy supply.

Lacking either, one must wait for the rune itself to slowly absorb the ambient Winds of Magic to finish charging before it can be used again. We can understand this as the difference between plugging into a power outlet or relying on solar panels to generate electricity.

Molten Master's control over energy was much better than Sinuoli's; he successfully maintained the fireball for quite a while, letting every Dwarf feel the powerful energy contained within it.

Afterward, before anyone else could speak, Master Krag waved his hand and extinguished the fireball directly. This masterful display gave Sinuoli a more intuitive understanding of his strength.

Having heard Molten Master's explanation and witnessed the power of the rune with their own eyes, the whispering of the Dwarfs changed from questioning to admiration.

At this moment, Master Krag took the megaphone and spoke again:

"I presume everyone has no objections to Snorri Thorsson's eligibility for the assessment. Then, without further ado, the assessment will be arranged for today! Snorri is my disciple, and I am the President of the guild; to avoid anyone saying I am engaging in favoritism," at this point, Master Krag paused, and all the Dwarfs in the hall held their breath.

"I have decided that the form of the assessment will be direct rune inscription!"

Before the words had even faded, the hall was in an uproar once again!

"Krag, have you lost your mind from sniffing Moshipen (Dwarfs call Warpstone 'Moshipen')!? What kind of nonsense are you spouting here!" Iron Chisel Master was the first to roar, not even using honorifics.

"Isn't the creation of every Master Rune a matter of chance?" The old Dwarf turned to face the Dwarfs below: "You are all the backbone of the guild; which one of you didn't have an oral defense for your assessment?"

Before the crowd below could respond, Master Krag's leisurely voice came from behind him: "I didn't! Back in my day, I completed my assessment in the form of rune inscription before all the guild members! Do you have any objections, Aoruimu?"

Iron Chisel Master swallowed hard: "Grungni's beard! That's an old story from over a thousand years ago; how are you not ashamed to bring it up!"

"This is the tradition of my sect, and furthermore, Snorri is my disciple. Is it wrong for me to hold him to strict standards?" Master Krag occupied the moral high ground.

Just as the two were arguing, Molten Master, who had remained silent until now, spoke up slowly: "Indeed, using direct rune inscription for an assessment hasn't been done for over a thousand years, but the ancestors of the Golden Age did indeed have such a tradition."

He paused: "What's more, mastering a Master Rune before the age of one hundred—there hasn't been a second one since Thurni!" Although he didn't say it explicitly, he expressed his stance.

These words voiced the inner thoughts of the Dwarfs below. Although they didn't understand why Master Krag, as the teacher, would take the initiative to increase the difficulty of the assessment, out of suspicion and jealousy, they generally supported the decision. One must know that there were many Dwarfs below with gray beards who were still only Rune Apprentices!

Seeing that public opinion was at odds with his own view, Iron Chisel Master's roar turned into a frustrated mutter. Snorri, hearing this, was ecstatic; he struggled to manage his expression to avoid laughing out loud, while simultaneously having to maintain a look of utter despair.

Seeing that everyone had no further objections to the form of this assessment, Master Krag continued: "I announce that if Snorri Thorsson does not pass the assessment, we will perform the Finger-Severing Ritual on him to punish his act of rune fraud!"

Within a few minutes, a third bombshell-level piece of news was dropped in the hall, but this time, not many people stood on Master Krag's side.

On one hand, it was out of concern for their own futures; after all, no one wanted to face the threat of the Finger-Severing Ritual if they failed an assessment, especially since the pass rate had dropped significantly since Master Krag took charge of the guild.

Furthermore, considering that Snorri was the current High King, the biological son of the Lord of Karaz-a-Karak—where the Rune Smith Guild was located—and the grand-nephew of Vice President Iron Chisel, no one wanted to drive him into a corner and then suffer the wrath of his Clan elders.

Therefore, led by the people Iron Chisel Master had arranged beforehand, the Dwarfs below began to protest. Seeing the shift in public opinion, Molten Master also spoke up for Snorri, hoping to regain a bit of favor from the High Prince.

Under the opposition of almost everyone, Krag the Grim was forced to make a concession. After intense arguing, the punishment for failing the assessment was changed to being barred from participating in the assessment again for fifty years.

Iron Chisel Master was very dissatisfied with this result, but Snorri didn't care at all, because he knew that with the system in hand, he would never fail.

Officially signed, extra chapters coming; thank you to all the readers for your support!