Chapter 17: Passing the Assessment

Snorri hurriedly poured the raw molten material directly into the sewer. In his flustered state, he knocked over the tools arranged by the side of the forge, and this knocked-over tool in turn toppled the surrounding bottles and jars, triggering a domino-like chain reaction.

A series of banging sounds echoed through the workshop as a result. The person knocking at the door heard the commotion inside, and their movements became increasingly urgent.

Snorri let out a flamboyant, wild laugh to try and steady the visitor while pulling up the system to open the Runesmithing Interface from the novice welfare package. Due to the urgency of time, Snorri dragged the Personal Rune to the end and clicked to forge without looking carefully.

With a "Ding!", a glowing Rune appeared out of thin air. Snorri snatched up the prepared Rune Scroll, attached it, and rushed to open the door in a fiery hurry.

"Ah!" Snorri yanked the workshop door open with a bang, and because he was rushing too fast, he collided head-on with the person knocking at the door.

It took him two seconds to adjust to the brightly lit guild hall, and he discovered that the one he had collided with was the guild's vice president, Iron Chisel Master.

"How is it, Snorri? Did you succeed?" Iron Chisel Master asked anxiously without even standing up straight. "Listening to the clattering inside, it sounded like a furnace explosion! I was so worried I nearly pulled all my beard out!"

"Rest assured, I am a member of the Drazkrad Clan, and the Ancestor Gods are protecting me!" Snorri said while helping his elderly great-uncle up.

"Look, isn't the Rune right here!" As he spoke, Snorri picked up the Rune Scroll that had been knocked to the ground.

The scroll had unfurled due to rolling after hitting the ground, revealing a corner of the Rune. Looking closely against the lights in the hall, Snorri realized that this Rune looked different from the original Master-class Flight Rune; that one was a yellow W-shaped Rune, while this one was simply red.

"A mistake made in haste!" Snorri thought to himself, but he did not reveal his thoughts, instead maintaining the joyful expression one should have upon successfully completing a Rune while secretly pondering a countermeasure.

Holding the Rune Scroll high in one hand and waving to the Dwarfs gathered in the hall with the other, the crowd in front of Snuori automatically parted to reveal a path leading to the high platform under the dragon-head spout.

Snorri did not walk fast over the short distance of several dozen meters, but by the time he reached the bottom of the high platform, he was already confident. Standing on the high platform were the two masters, Krag the Grim and Dulingen-Ronghuo; seeing the joy on Snorri's face, the two masters had different expressions.

Krag remained his usual cynical self, while Molten Master squeezed out a smile. As Iron Chisel Master walked to his position, the three masters stood in a row with Krag in the center and Iron Chisel on the right.

Following the process in his memory, Snorri walked to the opposite side of the three masters, held the Rune Scroll with both hands, bowed deeply, and began:

"Thanks to the protection of Thurni, I, Snorri Thorsson, a member of the Drazkrad Clan descended from Father God Grungni, have completed this Master Rune. I ask the three masters to inspect it and ask all my colleagues in the guild to bear witness!"

Having said that, he handed the scroll to Krag Master. Krag took the scroll and unfolded it, and the other two masters also leaned in. Seeing this red-glowing Rune, the three masters could not help but be stunned!

At the same time, Snorri turned to face the Dwarfs watching below the platform. There were many more people here this time than the members who had been temporarily summoned three days ago. In addition to some guild members who hadn't come last time, there were many Dwarfs who had heard the news and rushed over to watch the excitement. From their attire, Snorri judged that quite a few women had come too; after all, a Rune Master under one hundred years old hadn't appeared even in the era of the Ancestor Gods!

As his gaze shifted, Snorri suddenly saw his father. Because he was not wearing that highly recognizable Karaz Dragon Crown, Snorri had not recognized Thorgrim at first.

A statue of a dragon with wings spread was perched on this crown. This was because the Silver Road where Karaz-a-Karak was located was originally the territory of dragons; it was only after the ancestors fought bloody battles to drive the dragons away that the fortress of today existed.

Engraving the dragon on the crown served to warn every wearer not to forget the hardships of the ancestors' founding and to always maintain a sense of crisis. Since the completion of Karaz-a-Karak, the Dragon Crown had been worn on the heads of successive High Kings.

Snorri knew that his father not wearing the High King's crown meant he had not come to this assessment site as the High King of the Mountain Kingdom; he was now just the father of the examinee, Snorri Thorsson.

Their eyes met, and Thorgrim waved at Snorri. For a moment, the corners of Snorri's eyes grew moist. He knew how heavy the burden on Thorgrim's shoulders was—"Grudgebearer," what a nickname that was. Just then, the voice of Krag Master rang out.

"This is indeed a Master Rune that has just been engraved, and the forge was guarded jointly by the Anvil Guards of the three of us and the City Guard, ensuring no one could enter or leave. However, before we call you Master Snorri, can you answer a question for us three old fellows?"

Snorri turned around, beaming: "Please ask! As long as it does not involve my personal academic secrets."

"Why is this Rune not the same one you submitted three days ago?" Before Snorri could answer, Molten Master also chimed in: "And what does this Rune do? Even including Krag Master, none of us three have ever seen it!"

"Grungni's beard!"

"The undying furnace fire!"

"There is actually a Rune in this world that Krag Master hasn't seen!"

"Heavens, how old is he! The Ancestor Goddess hasn't abandoned us yet!"

A stone stirred up a thousand waves! The Dwarfs below the platform let out exclamations filled with various emotions. Some were purely shocked, some were genuinely happy for Snorri, and some far-sighted Longbeards saw it as a sign of the return of the Ancestor Gods; of course, there were also some Dwarfs who felt jealous.

"This is a Master-level Throwing Rune. It can make throwing weapons deal higher damage and also return to the owner's hand." Looking at the notes on the Rune in the system, Snorri answered the second question first.

"In the era of the ancestors, this Rune was used to create surprises for our enemies, but in the Age of Calamity, with the fall of many Shanbaos that possessed it, it was lost. Could the Ancestor Goddess not teach me two ways of engraving Runes at once?"

Snorri paused. "I'm the type of person who doesn't like doing repetitive work, and I like to challenge myself and stimulate my potential, so I chose to engrave a different Rune than last time. Are there any other questions, Krag Master?"

Krag Master nodded; this was the only reason he could think of that made sense.

"Sure enough, in this world, attributing unexplainable things to the gods is the best way to go!" Snorri thought to himself.

Then Iron Chisel Master spoke: "The three of us have unanimously confirmed the authenticity of the Rune. Anyone with objections, speak now or forever hold your peace!" After looking around the venue and confirming no one made a sound, Iron Chisel Master took out a badge and handed it to Krag Master.

"By the Ancestor Gods! I announce that Snorri Thorsson has passed the assessment and officially become a member of the Rune Masters!" Krag Master pinned the badge to Snorri's chest with a blank expression, then walked straight off the high platform and returned to his own forge.

There will be an extra update tonight.