MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

Chapter 1107: Combat Readiness ”Hmm?” Briefly left at a slight loss for words from having someone talk to him all of a sudden, Valyr took a bit of time to react to the question thrown at him, looking at the man that appeared beside him just now.

Though the man couldnʼt be said to be ugly by any means, the manʼs appearance definitely gave one a feeling of repulsion whenever one looked at him.

Then again, that feeling was mostly due to the various traces of food stains all over the manʼs face and hands, as well as the overall condition of the manʼs military uniform, which seemed to be barely hanging onto dear life at this point.

Making it seem like he wasnʼt holding his breath as he immediately got a whiff of the manʼs pungent body odor, Valyr took a few steps back to distance himself from the man before asking, ”Combat readiness test?” ”You havenʼt heard of it yet?” replied the man in the same mocking tone, which made Valyr begin to frown. ”That confirms it, then. You really havenʼt taken Jubaʼs combat readiness test yet.”

At those words, a number of thoughts began to swirl in Valyrʼs mind, prompting him to wonder to himself what the combat readiness test was. Although the manʼs appearance was unkempt, there was a reason why the man mentioned the same thing twice, right? ʼPretty sure Major Rahlberd didnʼt mention anything like that to me earlier,ʼ inwardly muttered the young man to himself, only to then notice that his interaction with the man had caused a group of people to start gathering around them.

Ignoring the small conversations those people were having in the meantime, Valyr briefly glanced at the confident grin that appeared on the manʼs face before deciding to contact Eivann through the system to obtain more information on the matter.

Surprisingly, it did not take long for the man to reply back to his query. ”Ah, the combat readiness test. Takes me back to my old days, to be honest.” ”Thatʼs a thing?” Though Eivannʼs words confirmed its existence, Valyr felt that there was more to the matter. ”Itʼs a thing, but itʼs not official, if thatʼs what you were wondering,” wrote Eivann in his response message. ”Consider the entire thing a way for those with higher ranks to boss around those with lower ranks.” ”A few have been successful in ignoring it, a few have also been successful in fighting back, but most of them accede to it and let themselves be bossed around.” Reading this message from the man, Valyr imagined Eivann letting out a sigh. ”Well, what could they do? The higher ranks arenʼt higher ranks for nothing.” ”So, what do I do, then?” As Valyr sent this message to Eivann, he noticed that the people surrounding them had already grown into a sizable crowd. ”Up to you,” Eivann replied somewhat lackadaisically. ”You could ignore it, but youʼd have to put up with the pestering for a while till they get tired. You could also accept it, but you wouldnʼt have asked about the test if that was your plan in the first place.”

Going through the manʼs words for a bit more, Valyr inwardly had a frown on his face, only for his expression to return to its original calm. ”I think I have my answer now. Just to make sure, this ʼcombat readiness testʼ thing is just a pretense for a fight, right?” ”Yep.” Obtaining this reply back to Eivann, the young man now imagined the man letting out an amused chuckle. ”Well, good luck on whatever you end up doing.”

Whoosh!

Closing the chat screen he brought up in his mind, Valyr briefly took in a deep breath as he returned his attention to the sight surrounding him.

Watching the unkempt man in front of him continue to proclaim about the combat readiness test he was about to undertake, it was there that the young man understood why such a crowd had begun to surround them.

At the same time, the small conversations among the crowd were enough to give him insight as to why they began to gather in the first place. ”Jubaʼs found another newbie to pick on, huh?” ”Poor guy. Seems like itʼs his first day in the military base, even.” ”I donʼt even understand why Jubaʼs doing this. Heʼs already a sergeant, equivalent to a 4- star mercenary. Shouldnʼt he focus on improving his rank instead of doing this?” ”Anyone would be doing that if they were in his shoes. However, as far as Iʼve heard, Jubaʼs lost the steam necessary to aim for an even higher rank than what he has. Heʼs already pushed both his classes and skills to his limit.” ”Why not buy a new set of equipment? Or some elixirs, then?” ”Give him the merit points to buy those, then.” ʼSo, the man who came up to me is named Juba.ʼ Valyr nodded in understanding after listening around for a while, now beginning to look at the man in front of him from a different perspective.

Seeing the man still continue to advertise what seemed like entertainment to the others, Valyr decided to let him continue doing that for a bit more after hearing some of the people in the crowd talk about him. ”Any idea on the newbie Juba targeted?” ”None. Wouldnʼt be surprised if he canʼt handle Jubaʼs attacks. The manʼs a sergeant, after all.” ”Shame. The armor the newbieʼs got seems to be pretty good too.” ”Not just pretty good, theyʼre incredibly good, even. Havenʼt you checked it out with your identification skill yet?” ”...Damn. With a bit of upgrading, Jubaʼs gonna get his hands on a really good set of armor, then.”

Hearing how all of them were expecting him to lose later on, Valyr inwardly had a wry smile on his face, though he wasnʼt surprised why they were thinking that way.

After all, aside from the world of blacksmithing, where his name had already garnered a certain level of prestige thanks to his achievements, it was mostly limited to those that wielded a considerable level of power and authority.

To those that werenʼt part of that circle, such as the common populace, his name would not ring any bells up whatsoever. ʼThen again, thatʼs one of the reasons why I came to the frontlines in the first place,ʼ thought Valyr to himself. ʼAfter all, thereʼs no better way to amass reputation other than to fight in the battlefield.ʼ ʼ... Unless if I do something crazy.ʼ

With that in mind, the young man had a faint smile on his face as the unkempt man eventually returned his attention on him. ʼWell, I guess this is already a good first step.ʼ ”Newbie.” Calling for his attention, Juba continued to speak to him in a mocking tone. ”Before I explain the rules of the combat readiness test, could you tell everyone your name first?” ”Itʼs Ylvar,” replied Valyr with a slight shrug as he prepared himself for whatʼs to come. ”Ylvar, eh?” Juba gave a toothy grin. ”Quite a nice name. Definitely fitting for someone taking on Jubaʼs combat readiness test.” ”In any case, the rules of the combat readiness test are simple. No lethal blows and no underhanded moves. The test only ends when someone admits defeat.” ”Is that clear?” ”Loud and clear,” said Valyr in response, causing the grin on Jubaʼs face to widen as a fierce glint briefly appeared in the manʼs eyes.

Taking in a deep breath as he readied himself, the young man continued to have a calm expression on his face, only for it to change as Juba charged towards him. ”Still remaining calm, eh? Letʼs see you remain calm after this!”

Whoosh!

Flaring the entirety of his aura out, Juba appeared in front of the young man in less than an instant before sending both of his palms outward.

Seeing the young man remain standing, even though heʼd already made a move, he was confident that this test of his would be over in no other time, causing him to inwardly let out a cackle in response.

However, just as he was expecting his palms to collide with his opponentʼs torso, Juba realized that what he hit instead was thin air.

Confused as to what was going on, Jubaʼs eyes widened in surprise as he realized Valyr had already disappeared from where he once stood, relying on the reactions of the crowd to figure out where the young man went.

Forcing the gears in his mind to turn as madly as they could, the man immediately put more of his weight into his palms, allowing himself to continue moving onward as he felt a breeze blow on his back.

Swoosh!

Understanding what was going on, Juba swiftly stabilized himself before turning around, only to be greeted by the sight of Valyr in the midst of kicking out. ”Damn.” Returning to his original position, Valyr slightly clicked his tongue as he noticed that his kick didnʼt connect at all.

Seeing Juba look back at him with a trace of surprise on his face, the calm expression on Valyrʼs face soon had a smile on it as he faintly released a bit of his aura. ”Surely the combat readiness test is just getting started, no?”

Whoosh!