Free Web NovelChapter 13: Chapter 13: The Gap
Goblin Fodder leaned forward and jumped down from its wooden chair.
It still tried to maintain its programmed, arrogant posture—chest puffed out, chin slightly raised.
But its posture no longer held any deliberate intimidation; instead, it was laced with genuine scrutiny.
The tone of its voice also became a bit more level. "Kid, you’ve given Fodder a bit of a surprise."
The goblin paused. Its yellow eyes shifted, looking Mo Ning up and down.
"You’re nothing like those other pathetic whelps."
The impression he had made was apparently so profound that Fodder even repeated itself, as if to confirm its own judgment.
"Nothing like them at all."
The "pathetic whelps" it mentioned were undoubtedly the new arrivals who had pissed themselves and fled in terror from Fodder’s intimidation.
And it knew the basic information of every new apprentice.
That was how it knew Mo Ning’s Spiritual Talent was exceptionally mediocre.
And that was precisely why it was so surprised.
A newcomer with bottom-of-the-barrel talent had faced its intimidation without running, screaming, or losing his composure.
He had even politely greeted it with, "Mister Fodder, a pleasure to meet you."
This came as a huge surprise to the goblin.
Fodder turned to the side, extended a green finger, and pointed to the vine-covered archway.
"Go on in."
Mo Ning didn’t move just yet.
He stood his ground and gave the goblin a small smile.
The smile was perfectly balanced—neither fawning nor arrogant. It carried a subtle hint of flattery. "Mister Fodder, there must be a legendary story behind your presence here."
He paused, letting each word land with clarity. "I hope that one day, I’ll have the chance to sit down and chat with you properly, to hear your story."
The word "legendary" was a form of understated praise.
And "chat," on the other hand, conveyed an even more subtle meaning: ’I have always viewed goblins as equals.’
For a goblin, this was a very rare attitude to encounter.
Due to their appearance, image, and habits, humanity’s discrimination against goblins was bone-deep.
To give a simple example, in any Human Kingdom, "You’re as filthy as a goblin" was a very common insult.
Goblins were synonymous with filth.
It had become a deep-seated prejudice.
Mo Ning had no doubt that as a non-human living in the academy, Fodder must have constantly endured both overt and subtle discrimination.
The looks from the human Apprentices, the whispers that drifted from behind its back, the carefully maintained distance—
It must have experienced far too much of it.
’Showing a little goodwill might yield some unexpected rewards down the line,’ Mo Ning thought.
’It’s not like it costs any Black Tower Points, anyway.’
’So why not?’
He gave another slight nod, then turned with steady steps and walked into the archway leading to the dining hall.
But as Fodder watched his retreating figure, its expression changed subtly.
Something flickered in its yellow eyes.
Without a doubt, the goblin’s impression of Mo Ning had deepened even further.
「Two seconds later.」
As Mo Ning stepped through the vine archway, he tilted his head for a glance behind him. A graceful figure in blue was just emerging from the exit of the Secluded Path.
It was a new Female Apprentice.
Mo Ning looked away, a new realization dawning on him. ’The Secluded Path is far from being as simple as it seems.’
’If I’m not mistaken, even if all the new apprentices enter the path at once, the next person won’t appear in the hall until the one before them has finished Fodder’s test.’
’There must be some form of Witchcraft at play in the path, interfering with the apprentices’ Perception of their surroundings.’
’This must be to prevent anyone from observing the test and preparing ahead of time.’
’That’s pretty fair, actually!’
This was a good thing as far as Mo Ning was concerned.
Even if he performed exceptionally well, the other new apprentices wouldn’t see it. He could continue to maintain his low-profile image.
*****
「Deep within the Black Tower, inside the Observation Room.」
The Sharp-eared Female Apprentice, Nasha, was at this moment lounging lazily in a wide armchair draped with soft animal hide.
She had propped her long, straight, perfectly sculpted legs unceremoniously on the low Crystal Stone table before her.
The posture caused the hem of her gray robe to slide down, unabashedly revealing the breathtaking curve of her legs from calf to thigh.
Nasha’s gaze was locked onto Mo Ning’s figure within the sphere of light.
She had just witnessed the entirety of Mo Ning’s brief encounter with Goblin Fodder, not missing a single detail.
Her exquisite face was a mask of focused contemplation. ’His measured Spiritual Strength was 0.52, but it just suddenly surged to 0.68 for about two seconds. It perfectly blocked Fodder’s [Goblin Shocking Skill].’
Nasha’s emerald eyes narrowed. ’I knew it. This kid isn’t as simple as his file makes him out to be.’
Her gaze followed Mo Ning’s retreating back as she mused, ’A Secret Technique that can temporarily boost Spiritual Strength... that would be a significant help for forming the first Spirit Ring.’
Initially, the Sharp-eared Female Apprentice had estimated that even with Mentor Yi Lin’s full support, it would take Mo Ning at least a year and a half to form his first Spirit Ring.
After all, his Spiritual Talent was a known quantity.
Going from a starting point of 0.52 to the 1.0 threshold was almost a twofold jump.
This wasn’t a gap that his Divination Talent could easily bridge; it required real, tangible accumulation.
But now—
she instantly threw out her previous assessment.
Nasha’s murmuring voice echoed softly in the Observation Room. "If he’s fast, this kid might become a First Level Apprentice in just one year."
This wasn’t baseless speculation.
Normally, very few people could successfully form their first Spirit Ring the moment their Spiritual Strength hit exactly 1.0.
Most people needed to accumulate a "buffer"—letting their Spiritual Strength rise past the threshold to be confident enough to attempt the breakthrough.
Take herself, for example. Her Spiritual Strength had to reach 1.06 before she successfully formed her first Spirit Ring.
And Mo Ning’s Secret Technique could boost Spiritual Strength by 0.16 in a short burst.
That was no small amount.
If he found the right Secret Technique, if he could temporarily spike his Spiritual Strength at the very moment he tried to form the Spirit Ring—
then he could very well succeed the instant his Spiritual Strength reached 1.0.
What did this mean?
It meant he wouldn’t need to spend several months, or even half a year, accumulating that 0.1 or 0.2 "buffer" like everyone else.
It meant his advancement would be far faster than she had anticipated.
Nasha glanced at Mo Ning one last time before her gaze drifted away, locking onto another sphere of light.
Within the sphere’s image, a new Female Apprentice named Bea was facing Goblin Fodder’s test.
Goblin Fodder stood on its wooden chair, chest puffed out, roaring in its signature voice, which was tinged with a bizarre reverb:
"...to the esteemed Supervisor Fodder—BOW!"
The voice exploded like thunder. Even through the sphere, Nasha could feel a faint sense of its oppressive power.
"AH—!"
It was Bea’s wretched scream.
The sound was shrill and piercing, filled with uncontrollable terror.
Bea immediately turned to flee. She stumbled a few steps, staggered, and then fell flat on the ground.
She scrambled back to her feet and charged toward the Secluded Path without a single look back, as if a pack of Demons were hot on her heels.
Nasha’s eyes fell on the desperately fleeing figure, and her brow furrowed slightly.
She saw it clearly—
The hem of the new apprentice’s blue robe was dotted with wet stains.
It was obvious. She had pissed herself.
The Sharp-eared Female Apprentice’s lips curled downward, a flash of undisguised contempt in her eyes.
’The academy should just expel apprentices with such weak wills. It’d save resources.’
She remembered this apprentice was number 232, with a Spiritual Strength of 0.6.
0.08 higher than Mo Ning’s.
But their performances were night and day.
The difference was just too vast!
Soon, Bea fled into the Secluded Path in utter terror.
Nasha shook her head, her tone dripping with cold indifference. ’The academy really has no need to preserve the dignity of trash like this. They should be forced to suffer their humiliation in public.’
Contrary to what one might intuit, the Secluded Path that connected to the Mysterious Secret Hall of the Quiet Forest was not a single trail.
There were two.
And both were one-way paths.
The path Bea had entered was the one that led back to the dormitories.
She wouldn’t run into any other new apprentices on that path, which meant the ridiculous fact that she had wet her pants wouldn’t be exposed.
Nasha watched as Bea fled all the way back to her room, watched as she slammed the door shut behind her, and watched as she collapsed onto her bed—
The Sharp-eared Female Apprentice’s lips moved slightly, spitting out a single word: "Waste."
As an apprentice born into a noble family, raised in a strictly hierarchical environment, she held a deep, bone-bred contempt for the weak.
