About two days had passed since Valyr informed Wells regarding the Spear Scholar class, as well as the remaining requirements the latter needed to fulfill in order to ascend to it as his Rank 1 class.
Unsurprisingly, by the time Wells had returned to the smithy on the day Valyr informed him of the requirements, he was successful in completing the one requirement that required him to head to the combat training hall. With that, he and Valyr talked about the final requirement needed for the man to ascend to the Spear Scholar class.
Thanks to his past experience, the process in completing the remaining requirement was smooth sailing for the most part, with Valyr aiding Wells along the way. Though, as luck would have it, the two of them were halted at the very final step of the remaining requirement, causing both of them to be somewhat glum as they thought about what they could do to make sure they'd get the requirement done on the following day.
Fortunately, luck was on their side after the two of them woke up the following day, with there being no hiccups in the overall process as Wells finally completed the final requirement needed to ascend to the Spear Scholar class. With that, it went without saying that Wells went through the ascension process in the smithy's living quarters, officially becoming a Spear Scholar by the time the sun had set.
In the meantime, after helping Wells out with his remaining requirement, Valyr spent most of his time completing the custom orders that had piled up during the past couple days, focusing on completing Tryndall's saber, as well as Arcenne's light armor set first.
During that time, he had also allocated over half of his unused XP towards increasing his level, bringing it up to Level 18. Naturally, he had evenly allocated the free stat points he had gained from the level up towards both DEX and INT.
"Phew. Finally done with the chestplate. Three more pieces to go and I'll be done with Arcenne's armor." Wiping off the sweat from his forehead, Valyr placed the forging hammer he had been wielding all this time to the side as he activated [Analysis] on the chestplate he had just finished refining. After reading through the entirety of its description, he nodded in satisfaction before taking a look at how the smithy was operating.
[(+15) Azure Cyclone Chestplate] (Level 35)
Additional Attributes:
A chestplate mainly forged using azure iron infused with Water Essence and Wind Essence, the blacksmith that had forged this piece of armor made sure to not leave any imperfections behind, utilizing their mastery over forging as a true prodigy to make sure that it would bolster the wearer's defense to its utmost limits.
This chestplate… description has been omitted.
- 2 pieces - Damage Increase and Damage Reduction +15%
- 4 pieces - Attack +15% and Critical Chance +15%
- 6 pieces - VIT, STR, AGI, and DEX +15%
Remarks: Probably your finest work. Probably.
Placing the chestplate to the side with the other pieces of the set he had already gathered, Valyr looked at the materials he would need for the next piece of the armor set. While doing so, he took a quick look at Wells, who was currently seated in a cross-legged position near the entrance with his eyes closed.
After Wells ascended to his Rank 1 class and became a Spear Scholar, Valyr asked him what the latter would do now that he was Rank 1. In response, Wells told him that he didn't really have a massive goal in mind, his only focus being to reach the pinnacle of the spear.
Nevertheless, he did tell Valyr that he would repay him for allowing him to ascend as a Spear Scholar, as well as make himself useful by acting as a guard of the smithy, to which Valyr replied that he could do whatever he wanted, shrugging his shoulders in response.
Seeing Wells in his current state, Valyr knew that the man currently had [Technique Introspection] activated, a skill Wells gained after becoming a Spear Scholar that would allow him to slowly increase his understanding and mastery of the spear while still being aware of everything that was happening in his surroundings.
Just as Valyr thought that the entire day would more or less be uneventful, a group of three people had appeared at the entrance of the smithy, prompting Wells to deactivate [Technique Introspection] as he looked at the trio that had appeared with a light frown.
On the other hand, the customers that were in the process of buying something from the smithy stopped what they were doing, shifting their gazes near the entrance after feeling that the atmosphere within the smithy had drastically changed. To no surprise, all of them started murmuring once they noticed the group of three people near the smithy.
"It's those guys from the emporium again. To think they'd be so stubborn in requesting a forging duel that they would come to the Crimson Forge every day."
"Haven't three days already passed since they started requesting the owner of the Crimson Forge to engage in a forging duel with them? After all, the two other people wouldn't have accompanied that man if that wasn't the case."
"Aren't you guys tired of the emporium throwing their weight around? Can't even support newly built smithies in peace since they're always pulling this shit off."
Hearing the murmurs that faintly reverberated throughout the smithy, the person at the center of the group of three, the well-dressed man that had been coming to Valyr's smithy for the past few days could not help but frown.
Unlike before, where he remained oblivious to the words that were being thrown around the smithy, the well-dressed man finally responded, radiating a great portion of his aura as his voice bellowed throughout with great fury.
Unsurprisingly, all of the customers within the smithy went silent, with Valyr dropping his things as he slowly made his way to the entrance with a frown. Glancing at Wells for a bit, Valyr nodded at him before shifting his gaze back at the trio.
"Are you the owner of this smithy?" The well-dressed man looked at Valyr with a condescending expression.
"What if I am?" In response, Valyr raised his eyebrow, a frown still adorning his face.
"More than three days have already passed, but you have yet to agree to the Hekaetos Forging Emporium's request to a forging duel."
"The emporium shall give you one final chance before we take… drastic measures," the well-dressed man said to him. "Shall you accept our request… or not?"
Listening to the man's question, Valyr went silent for a bit before letting out a chortle that could be heard by everyone in the smithy, including the trio. Then, taking in a deep breath, he raised his middle finger at the trio as his next words voiced out what everyone in the smithy felt at that moment.