MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

Chapter 1324: Officially Becoming a Mage (2) |||||

Unsurprisingly, after Valyr heard what he needed to give in exchange for his information being kept private, he began to look at the old man with his mouth agape.

After all, it wasnʼt really a response he wasnʼt expecting, especially from a man that age.

Briefly feeling both speechless and confused, the young man quickly convinced himself that he might have heard the old manʼs words wrongly, which eventually led him to ask the latter for further clarification. ”Er... I donʼt know if I heard you correctly, but I have to pay you 10 gold coins to keep my information private?” ”Thatʼs correct.” Sadly for him, unlike what he convinced himself to believe, the old man did not hesitate to double down on his earlier words, beginning to look at the young man with a hint of annoyance. ”Of course, if you donʼt have that much to fork out, youʼre free to give me whatever amount you so choose,” continued the old man after some time, inwardly thinking that Valyr had spent most of his money had gone towards the equipment he was wearing. ”But do keep in mind that the amount of information I decide to keep private would be proportional to that amount.” ”Well... I donʼt really have a problem with the cost.” Hearing those words, it was now Valyrʼs turn to flip the tables around, quickly getting over the surprise he felt from the old manʼs response as he took out 10 gold coins from his pouch.

Giving it to the old man, he then looked at him with a solemn expression as he asked, ”What I want to know instead is...” ”To what extent would the information be kept private?” ”...” Being the one left surprised by Valyrʼs straightforwardness this time, the old man took a while to process the question the young man asked him.

Though, once he snapped back to reality, it only took a mere moment for him to understand the hidden meaning beneath Valyrʼs question, causing them to go through a back and forth of offers and clauses.

In the end, it was only after Valyr had given the old man thrice the original amount of money did the latter finally promise the young man that heʼd make sure every bit of information he obtained through the spell would be discarded without hesitation.

Alongside that, he also gave Valyr a guarantee that any attempts at obtaining his information through the guild would be purposefully obfuscated, with the old man telling the young man that heʼd just look like a slightly above average Rank 1 mage at most. ”But one thing does leave me curious, though,” said the old man at the end of his explanation, looking at Valyr with a mix of expectation and curiosity. ”Iʼve already seen my fair share of mages with Legendary and Mythic classes in the past, so I know how high their stats normally get.” ”On the other hand, yours is just... absurd.” ”Letʼs just say Iʼve consumed a couple of treasures here and there to get my stats to that level.” Already knowing what the old man wanted to ask him, Valyr went ahead and took the initiative to respond. ”However, as to what treasures those might be... Iʼm pretty sure youʼll have to pay me for that information.” ”I have no plan on prying on your secrets.” Finding how Valyr twisted the previous scenario to fit the current situation quite amusing, the old man let out a chuckle before dispelling the appraisal spell he used on the young man.

After that, he showed Valyr where the money he gave him was going, conjuring a various number of spells and constructs in a matter of seconds.

Whoosh!

Watching these various spells wrap around what looked to be the vessel for the information the old man had obtained from him, Valyr watched as these spells and constructs affixed themselves to the vessel one by one, with each one making the information a bit harder to understand than the last.

By the time all of the spells and constructs had been placed on the vessel, the young man tried to check on the vessel once more, only to find that it had become near-impossible for him to do just that.

With that, Valyr thanked the old man for his efforts, to which the latter reminded him that it was his responsibility to make sure he got his moneyʼs worth.

Nevertheless, with the second step of the registration process done, Valyr looked at the old man for a bit before asking where he could proceed in order to continue with the registration process.

In response, the old man pointed at one of the doors at the far edge of the room. ”You want to go through the right one,” the old man said to him. ”Also, you better make sure to bring all of your cards for the next one.” ”Whyʼs that?” asked Valyr in curiosity, finding it weird that the old man would give him that kind of advice.

After all, from the two times heʼd done the same process in the Blacksmith Guild, all he needed to do was show that he was capable of forging items. ”Youʼll see,” replied the old man with a shrug, not wanting to push it any further as he decided to leave it up to the next person to show him. ”Now, off you go.” ”Alright...?” Although he still felt like the old manʼs advice was a bit out of pocket, Valyr thanked the old man for his time before going through the door, allowing the latter to be finally left to his own devices once more. ”...Well then.” Briefly letting out a relieved sigh as he watched Valyrʼs silhouette disappear from the room, the old man let out a faint chuckle as he looked his hands for a bit. ”Heʼs quite interesting.”

Snap!

Snapping his fingers not long after, the old manʼs appearance underwent a drastic change, making him look like he was at least 30 years younger in a matter of seconds.

With a head full of dark hair and a body filled to the brim with strength, the man moved around for a bit before glancing at the door with a smile. ”It seems Astellaʼs gotten quite the gem this time around.” ”Itʼs a shame the nobilities have already caught wind of his existence,” continued the man as he let out a sigh. ”Who knew one of our highest-ranking attendants would actually be one of their spies?” ”In any case, the kidʼs made the right choice.” He began to grin, briefly thinking back to the conversation the two of them shared. ”Since youʼve paid a fair price, then Iʼll make sure to keep your information a secret Iʼll take to my grave.” ”But I do wonder... which side will you be taking after everythingʼs over?” ...

Creak...

Gently closing the door behind him, Valyr turned around to survey the room he was in once more, only to be instantly left at a loss for words after seeing how large the room was in comparison to the previous one he was in. ”This... is like over a hundred times larger than the room I was just in,” murmured Valyr to himself, thinking that such a large room would have been more than obvious from the outside. ”Spatial magic?” asked the young man to himself as the thought came to mind.

However, before he could even continue the train of thought, an old woman manifested in front of him all of a sudden, forcing Valyr to take a few steps back out of surprise. ”What are you stepping back for?” The old woman looked at him with a frown. ”Am I scary or something?” ”Itʼs not that...?” responded Valyr, only for his words to get stuck in his throat as the old woman leaned in to take a whiff of his scent. ”Er... what are you doing, miss...?” ”Rinea,” replied the old woman after nodding in slight satisfaction. ”The nameʼs Rinea.” ”In any case, I see youʼve availed the old manʼs services?” ”Would that be a problem?” asked Valyr in return, his expression slightly tinged with panic. ”It would not.” Rinea shook her head. ”Just rare to see someone avail it.” ”Especially for someone as young as you.” ”Anyways, this next step of the registration process is quite simple,” she continued, showing no interest in entertaining the previous topic. ”Depending on how well you perform, youʼll either be considered an official member of the guild, or youʼll have to go through yet another test.” ”What do I need to do?” Valyr looked at her with curiosity. ”Show me the strongest spell you can unleash,” replied Rinea, briefly reminding Valyr of the advice the old man gave him before they parted ways.

Fortunately, unlike the old man, the old woman explained why he needed to do that. ”With the spell, Iʼll be able to gauge your potential in various areas, which have something to do with magic. Of course, thereʼs the possibility that I might need you to cast the same spell a few more times to make sure of certain things.” ”But once I fully assess your potential in these areas, if your potential is shown to be very high, youʼll be given greater access to all of the amenities the Mage Guild has to offer.” ”And in the very rare case that your potential is considered to be at the pinnacle... then youʼll even gain access to special areas the Mage Guild has never shown to the public.” ”...Understood.” Finally understanding why the old man had given him what initially sounded like off-handed advice, Valyr took in a deep breath as he briefly scanned the large room they were in.

Getting a quick heads-up from Rinea by the side that the room could withstand any attack he threw at it, the young man felt a hint of spite awaken in his body as he decided to follow the old manʼs advice to the letter.

Whoosh!

With that, he activated all of the skills necessary to power up his spell, while also bringing out the staff that acted as the conduit for the spell he had in mind.

Swoosh!

Giving the mana circuit enough time to run at full power, Valyr then began to chant an incantation as he unleashed what he currently considered his most powerful spell for the second time. ”[Arcane Codex].” ”[Orb of Apyrhan].”