Chapter 233 - 13: Sweeping the Underground Mine, Mo Ning’s Performance Stunned Everyone

Chapter 233: Chapter 13: Sweeping the Underground Mine, Mo Ning’s Performance Stunned Everyone

Trial Maze of the 9th Underground Mine.

A faint stench of decay, mixed with the smell of metal and dust, hung in the air, causing Mo Ning, who was used to fresh air, to frown slightly.

But he didn’t cast a Trick to block out the unpleasant odors—because smells, in themselves, were a form of information.

He glanced at the neatly arranged legion members, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.

So far, 250 new recruits from this batch remained, and nearly eighty percent of them had joined the Battle Banner Legion.

This proportion was much higher than he had anticipated, making him truly realize that his influence was no longer insignificant.

A chill once again emanated from his Guiding Ring.

[The sixth group assessment, "Shadows of the Underground Mine," has begun.]

[The assessment will end in 12 hours. Those who fail to obtain 3 "Totem Fangs" will be deemed to have failed and will have 30 Black Tower Points deducted. Failing three consecutive group assessments will result in forced repatriation.]

[Friendly Reminder: There are some surprise Treasure Chests hidden in the underground mine.]

Starting with the fourth group assessment, the trials had become increasingly strict, and penalties were introduced.

In that assessment, nearly a quarter of the new recruits had failed to complete the task and mercilessly had 20 Black Tower Points deducted.

Now, hearing the penalty of "30 Black Tower Points deducted," no one was surprised.

Mo Ning, however, understood the academy’s deeper meaning—to reduce the resources allocated to unqualified recruits.

The academy was stingy with even a single Black Tower Point when it came to the less talented.

The new rule, "failing three consecutive assessments will result in repatriation," caused the faces of many new recruits to turn pale.

There were indeed some here who had already failed two assessments in a row. If they failed again this time, they would have to pack their bags and leave.

Through the [Insightful Secret Eye] hanging in mid-air, Mo Ning instantly noticed that among the 196 members of the Battle Banner Legion, a full 18 of them had worried expressions.

These people were clearly on the verge of elimination.

He decisively called out, "Everyone, any Totem Fangs the legion acquires will be distributed equally among all of us to ensure every member passes the assessment."

He paused, then added, "If we don’t have enough Totem Fangs, I won’t take a single one for myself, and I will personally compensate any member for their deducted Black Tower Points."

This promise not only halted the decline in morale but also boosted their fighting spirit to new heights.

The way many of the new recruits looked at Mo Ning changed—a leader willing to cover for his team members was truly worthy of trust.

Not far away, the new recruits who hadn’t joined the Battle Banner Legion showed looks of regret upon hearing this.

They were generally more suspicious, worried about becoming cannon fodder for the legion, so they had chosen to fight on their own in small squads.

Farther away, the group of recruits from the previous batch also kept glancing toward the legion, some with faint traces of envy on their faces.

Mo Ning then played another card. "Everyone, next I will summon a Black Panther Sentinel to scout ahead. The legion will follow behind it."

Without hesitation, he activated the gift from the Chief Wizard of the Taming Center—the [Thunder Shadow Leopard Fang Pendant].

In the next moment, he felt a slight drain on his spirit as the pendant hanging on his chest trembled faintly.

A Black Panther emerged from the pendant, leaped out, and landed steadily in front of the legion.

At first glance, the Black Panther was so lifelike it was indistinguishable from a real one.

It was originally in a stealth state, but to boost morale, Mo Ning had it temporarily reveal itself.

Another slight stir went through the crowd, but no one spoke out.

Anya, Reina, and Princess Phoebe had previously and repeatedly emphasized discipline: no one was to speak without permission.

At Mo Ning’s mental command, the Black Panther shot forward on all fours, sprinting toward a medium-sized cave entrance up ahead.

From the various notes and journals he had read, he knew that monsters in these kinds of underground mazes usually lived in colonies.

The larger the cavern and the more open the space, the larger the colony.

The Battle Banner Legion had just been formed and had no combat experience, so it wasn’t suitable for them to directly challenge an overly large cavern. Therefore, he chose a medium-sized cave entrance for their first battle.

As the Black Panther ran, its form gradually blurred until it completely vanished into the dimness after a few seconds.

The new recruits nearby noticed this and began to discuss it in low voices:

"That Witchcraft Item is really powerful."

"Yeah, it’s perfect for the underground mine environment."

"It seems like the number one Strong Person has more and more Witchcraft Items. I bet he has just as many as Princess Phoebe, right?"

Mo Ning ignored the others’ discussions and simply shouted, "Move out!"

Anya, holding a Black Iron Heavy Shield with both hands, stood at the very front of the formation. Hearing his command, she yelled:

"Gun and Shield Corps, advance!"

THUD! THUD!

The synchronized footsteps shook the cavern as sixty Gun Shielders, like a moving iron wall, advanced toward the cave entrance, following the faint tracks left by the Black Panther.

The heavy shields were fitted with numerous slots, and the Heavy Shield Hands deftly attached their High Intensity Flashlights into them.

Dozens of light beams shot out from the shield faces, converging into a single, brilliant path of light that pierced straight into the darkness in the direction the Black Panther had gone.

Mo Ning followed unhurriedly behind the Gun and Shield Corps, holding several heavy metal "needles" in each hand—though they were more like "spikes."

Their diameter was half the thickness of a little finger, with one end ground to an extreme point and three raised threads spiraling around their surface.

Reina led the Crossbow Corps, following close behind.

This was the largest team, with 83 members.

Most of them held a One-Handed Crossbow in their right hand and a High Intensity Flashlight in their left. Some, however, had acquired more powerful Two-Handed Crossbows and mounted the flashlights on them.

At the very rear was the logistics team, totaling 53 people.