MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

1163  Standing at the Pinnacle

"…Mystia?"

Rubbing his eyes a couple of times to make sure he wasn't imagining things, Valyr's eyes widened in surprise when he confirmed that the person standing beside Scho'doxa was none other than his master.

"Wait…Valyr?" Naturally, Mystia had the same reaction as him, not expecting that the person she'd be fighting against with was none other than her third disciple.

"You two know each other?" Noticing how the two reacted to each other's appearance with both surprise and delight, Scho'doxa began to look at the two with slight curiosity, getting the feeling that the relationship they had wasn't all that simple.

As far as he knew, the only times a Myth-level being would have a close connection to someone below that level could be one of the five following possibilities.

One, the Myth-level being was an ancestor of the latter.

Two, the Myth-level being and the latter already knew each other before the former ascended to the Myth level.

Three, the Myth-level being was the latter's master.

Four, the Myth-level being was someone who owed a favor to the latter.

And five, the Myth-level being and the latter had some sort of encounter that left them no choice but to forge a connection.

Though his thoughts gradually wandered towards the last possibility as he wondered what answers they'd give him, Valyr and Mystia soon explained to the man that their relationship was that of a master and a disciple.

As Mystia began to explain that she taught Valyr the art of alchemy, Scho'doxa eventually looked at the latter in disbelief, expecting the woman beside him to have taught him the art of blacksmithing.

Yet, what left her mouth instead was a field that took just as much time and skill to get into as blacksmithing.

By the time Mystia was done talking, the man looked at Valyr with a solemn expression before asking him a question. "…You're telling me you're not only a blacksmith… but you're an alchemist as well?"

Seeing Valyr nod as if it was nothing to be surprised about, Scho'doxa let out a slightly exasperated sigh as he continued with his words. "Don't tell me you're also a scholar or a tailor by chance?"

Fortunately, the young man shook his head at the question, prompting the man to inwardly let out a long sigh as he thought about the feats he learned Valyr had achieved during the first round of the tournament.

'Not only did he kill a Myth-level being with what would normally be an overwhelming disadvantage, he also knows how to forge an arquebus, as well as concoct potions on top of that,' thought Scho'doxa to himself, feeling himself be more and more disbelieving of the words in his head.

'The fact that he doesn't even look like he's reached 20 yet…'

'I really think I made the right choice in choosing him for the Galactic Eminence tournament.'

Taking in a couple of deep breaths to compose himself, Scho'doxa was soon greeted by the sight of the two talking to one another about their experiences in the tournament so far.

Listening to their conversation on the side, the man eventually interrupted the two as he asked for Valyr's identity, getting the feeling that he'd get his answers if he were to find out more than just the young man's name.

Unsurprisingly, as he heard the young man reveal his true identity as a Zeihardt to him, Scho'doxa felt as if all of the jigsaw pieces in his mind click into place, finally allowing him to understand why the young man was able to do what he did.

Of course, this left both Valyr and Mystia looking at him in slight confusion as the man began to absentmindedly nod all of a sudden.

"Alright." Taking in yet another deep breath to calm his emotions, Scho'doxa eventually looked at the two once more with a calm smile. "Shall we proceed with your fight?"

Briefly glancing at Mystia in response, Valyr nodded at her before looking back at the man. "Say, why'd you ask for my identity all of a sudden?"

"I shared my true identity with you since I know you wouldn't share it due to your position as the tournament's arbiter… but why the sudden question?"

"Just needed a bit more information to answer the questions I had about you," replied Scho'doxa as he let out a faint chuckle. "Let's just say hearing the surname Zeihardt directly from you made everything make sense in the end."

 At those words, Valyr looked at the man with confusion on his face, inwardly wondering what kind of questions the latter had in his mind for his identity as a Zeihardt to be its answer.

Unfortunately, Scho'doxa had no desire to delve into the topic any further, swiftly brushing it aside as he told the two to get into their positions.

However, while Valyr was making his way to what would be usually his side of the arena, Mystia remained rooted in place, prompting the man to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Is there a problem?" asked the man.

"There's no problem." Mystia shook her head in response, briefly glancing at Valyr before continuing with her words. "I just thought about admitting defeat before the fight even starts."

"…Are you sure?" Whilst Valyr's eyes widened in slight surprise at those words, Scho'doxa merely raised his eyebrow even further. "You do know you're forfeiting the rewards you would've gotten if you beat all of the other victors, right?"

"The rewards I've gotten throughout the tournament so far are plenty enough for me," said Mystia as she slightly shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, as an alchemist, it's quite tempting to get my hands on a better version of the concoction."

"But I wouldn't go so far as to fight my disciple just to get it," she continued, giving Valyr a faint smile.

Listening to the conversation that unfolded between the two, Valyr looked at the two in silence as a whirlwind of thoughts regarding the items swirled in his mind.

On the other hand, Scho'doxa closed his eyes for a bit before looking back at Mystia with a calm expression. "Are you really sure you want to forfeit your rewards?"

"I'm most certainly sure," said Mystia as she nodded with a calm smile.

"…I must remind you that there's no turning back from this decision. I'm giving you one last chance to change your mind."

"No need to give one more chance. I've made up my mind to admit defeat."

"…" Seeing as the woman was adamant in forfeiting her fight against Valyr, Scho'doxa eventually let out a long sigh as he announced what he considered as the most anticlimactic conclusion to a week and a half long tournament.

"With the winner of the Peak Rank 6 and above tournament forfeiting their participation…"

"Valyr, the winner of the Peak Rank 4 tournament, is now declared the ultimate winner of the Rise to Prominence tournament."

"…"

"…man."

And thus, the tournament is now over.

Time for more rewards.

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