MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

Chapter 1465: Myriad Prodigies: Second Round - Ataraxia (2)

”Oh, hey. Ataraxiaʼs up.”

Thinking that Valyrʼs student would be called to the surface near the end of the second round, Julian was slightly caught off guard once reality had Ataraxia be part of the batch that came after Valyr.

”How do you think heʼs gonna fare?” asked Liam in return, prompting both him and Eliathaea to look back at him with curiosity.

”…Depends,” replied Julian with a slight shrug. ”As we all know, heʼs most proficient in magic, so it wouldnʼt be a problem for him to continue slinging powerful spells from afar.”

”However, thereʼs still the problem of which beast his batch would be assigned to.”

”Iʼd say heʼd probably shine if he were to fight against the gorilla and the bear,” Eliathaea said after some time. ”After all, with their bodies being large, itʼs next to impossible for him to miss.”

”Heʼll probably have a harder time with the wolf and the lion, but heʼll still do fine, especially with the skills heʼs shown us during the first round.”

”So weʼre in agreement that the serpent is the worst beast he could fight against,” said Julian after that, to which both Liam and Eliathaea nodded in response.

”If his spells were more ground-based, then I guess fighting against the serpent wouldnʼt be that much of an issue,” replied Liam, only to then slightly shake his head. ”However, as weʼve seen from him thus far, he has no spell like that whatsoever.”

”Oh…” Just as the three were continuing to discuss how Ataraxia would fare against a specific beast, Erikaʼs sudden call for attention prompted them to stop their discussion, looking in the direction she was pointing at.

”Damn,” said Julian after seeing that Erika was pointing at Ataraxiaʼs batch. Specifically, the slight altercation that happened between the young man and two of the batchʼs Rank 5 class holders.

”Did he say something that got them off on the wrong foot?” asked Liam after watching the situation unfold for a bit, a frown adorning his face.

”…He didnʼt.” Looking at the pair that Ataraxia was talking with, Eliathaea eventually shook her head. ”He just talked to the two worst possible teammates one could have in a batch.”

”Hmm?”

Unsurprisingly, those words caught the attention of both Julian and Liam, with Erika even leaning in a bit to listen to her next explanation.

Seeing that her words had piqued the interest of the three arbiters, Eliathaea decided not to beat around the bush. ”Though they arenʼt well-known in the grand scheme of things, theyʼre actually pretty well-known in the circles of the Mercenary Guild.”

”And I donʼt mean that in a good way.”

”Pasuay and Coulet,” she told them. ”Though the two of them were arguing with each other earlier, theyʼre actually a duo that works together to complete missions for the Mercenary Guild.”

”Normally, that wouldnʼt be a problem.” Eliathaea briefly glanced at Ataraxiaʼs batch before continuing. ”However, not only do they take difficult missions as if it were some sort of game, but they also tend to use weapons that intentionally reduce their strength.”

”Add on the fact that they have poor personalities, as well as poor social skills, itʼs no wonder theyʼre despised by almost everyone in the Mercenary Guild.”

”Iʼm surprised such reputation hasnʼt spread beyond the guild already,” said Julian after Eliathaea done, looking at the woman with a slight frown. ”Did the Mercenary Guild decide to keep it under wraps or something?”

”Unfortunately, yes.” Eliathaea let out a slight sigh.

”And why is that?” Liam raised his eyebrow in curiosity.

”As Iʼve said, they tend to use weapons that intentionally reduce their strength.” The woman looked at the two of them. ”What do you think theyʼre capable of once they use their signature weapons?”

Hearing those words, Julian and Liam looked at each other for a bit, only to then look back at Eliathaea for answers.

”Anything,” she replied, already expecting that she would be answering her own question.

”Whether it be a 5-star mission from the kingdomʼs branch, a 9-star mission from the empire, or a Black Skull mission from headquarters…”

”As long as they have their signature weapons, theyʼll be able to complete it without fail.”

…

ʼ…I guess this is the best I can do for now.ʼ

Counting the number of people he successfully persuaded to become a part of his group, Valyr softly let out a sigh as he briefly glanced at the smaller groups the two Rank 5 class holders made.

ʼIf I add the two Rank 5 class holders into the total, then their groups have 20 people in total,ʼ thought the young man to himself, beginning to feel a headache as he thought more about it.

With 80 out of the 100 participants in the batch under his lead, the young man was confident that their group would be able to get far during the second round…

As long as the two Rank 5 class holders decided not to wreak havoc, that is.

Although their total number only amounted to a fifth of the participants that made up the batch, as long as those two set their minds to sabotaging everyone elseʼs attempts on the second round, Valyr was certain they would achieve their goals to a certain extent.

ʼLetʼs just hope they change their minds during the fight later on,ʼ wished Valyr inwardly, eventually pushing the thought to the side as their batch made their way into their respective platform.

Hissss…

Entering the platform one by one, Valyr and the others were soon greeted by the sight of a dark gray serpent whose scales looked more like rocks than actual scales.

With its overall length spanning 50 meters, most of the people in Valyrʼs batch began to feel a sense of fear well up within them, especially from the faint oppressive aura the serpent was giving off.

ʼ…Iʼll have to keep my guard up in front of them.ʼ Continuing to keep an eye on the serpent before them, Valyr eventually shifted his gaze towards the two Rank 5 class holders, who merely looked on at the serpent with slight amusement.

Unsure of what the two were planning in their heads, he eventually told the organizer they were ready, prompting their levels to be brought down to the start of Rank 3.

Whoosh!

And thus, Valyrʼs second bout of the second round began.