"The first item you will make is a shield. Now start!" Henry said as he signaled to the two, getting right to the point.
The two blacksmiths standing on the platform began to build their shields as soon as they heard the order, while the audience talked less to pay attention to them.
Most were blacksmiths, so the moment the two sides started producing their items, the 2nd and 3rd stage blacksmiths realized that the difference between Vicente and Landon wasn't as big as everyone thought.
Before the laymen there could understand the difference between the two, people began to murmur about the difference between them.
"Wow... This Vicente Fuller really is a genius! I heard he only started learning the art after becoming Benson's student a few months ago."
"I don't know if that's true, but his progress is truly incredible! I saw him at the evaluation for new 1st-stage blacksmiths a few months ago. But now he's already in the final part of the 2nd stage!"
"It is incredible! Who would have thought that a young man who isn't even 15 years old would reach the peak of the 2nd stage of our art?"
"A genius, indeed. He's probably already at level 5, which also means he's a talent in cultivating mana."
Nova, Shelby, and Livia had heard many comments like the above and couldn't help but get a better understanding of his abilities and potential.
Vicente's level was hidden. He hid his power practically 100% of the time when he wore his primary identity. So it was impossible for someone like Nova to know his exact level and that he was Cesar Mazzanti.
But the blacksmiths there didn't need to feel Vicente's aura to know his level. He would have to be level 4 or 5 to demonstrate some of his moves.
Judging by the understanding he needed to do what he did, everyone there felt that he must have the highest possible cultivation since he hadn't had enough time to develop that much.
In the world of magic professions, two things affect a person's mastery of their field. The first was study time, and the second was the level of one's magic. The higher one's level, the less time it would take to understand specific rules. However, one didn't necessarily have to reach high levels to understand certain things.
For those who had no good talent or encountered difficulties that forced them to stay longer at each level, there was the alternative of continuing to learn and improve within their level. That, of course, was time, something that a 2nd-stage magician, for example, could use to reach 100% efficiency in their art if they were unable to reach the 3rd-stage.
"Is he that good?" Livia overheard several comments around her and took a new interest in the young man with black hair.
Nicolas said to his fiancée, "This is truly impressive. I don't know of any blacksmith at his age who could demonstrate such skills. He must truly be a prodigy."
Livia's old advisor agreed as he stared silently at Vicente working on the platform. 'It looks like the young lady got it right again. Even though she was in haste, she managed to contact such a prodigy.'
Meanwhile, Nina was grinning from ear to ear, seeing that her brother was very talented at forging, the first major skill of his that she had learned.
Nina had no idea of Vicente's magic cultivation until that night. Given how he kept her in the dark about practically everything, she thought he was either an Apprentice or a newly promoted Acolyte.
But when she saw him in action and read the lips of the surrounding crowd talking about Vicente, she discovered something new about her older brother.
'Could this be it? Could it be that the big brother is Cesar Mazzanti's blacksmith?' She wondered, feeling that it made a lot of sense.
Meanwhile, Nova smiled, proud of her boyfriend's accomplishment but rather curious as to why he didn't show off his skills.
'Why doesn't he do it like his opponent? Why doesn't he use his skills to gain an advantage?' She wondered when she saw that Landon was already using his magical form while Vicente was only using normal forging skills.
Not only did she notice this, but so did practically everyone else near this battleground.
"It seems that young Vicente does not take his opponent seriously." An old Mage said as he looked at Benson at the Council of Elders table.
"This is really risky. Does he think he can beat Landon without using his special powers?"
Henry looked at Benson as the elders commented among themselves. "What are you up to?"
Benson smirked at his old rival. "We're not planning anything. Vicente won't show his special power in public. So either he beats Landon like he's working on, or he loses."
"Are you serious? What's the point? I thought you wanted to win." Henry raised his tone, feeling this was very disrespectful to him and Landon.
In a competitive world, 'going easy' on an opponent was a terrible thing, a significant lack of respect. It was better to be beaten brutally than to lose narrowly to an opponent who wasn't trying their hardest!
Of course, Henry was annoyed to see that Vicente wasn't taking the fight seriously.
"We want to win." Benson shook his head. "Don't think that just because Vicente isn't giving it his all, your disciples will beat us, Henry. Vice is a lot more complicated than you think. He's only a 2nd-stage blacksmith, but he's already able to do things I can't. He'll soon surpass me."
Vicente wasn't officially a 2nd-stage blacksmith. But it wasn't wrong to call him that, just because he hadn't taken the test of the association yet. His skills were those of a professional of that classification.
No one would be bothered by Benson's casual manner, but all the 3rd-stage blacksmiths present were somewhat surprised by the man's last words.
'Is this serious?' The man who had seen the entrance test Vicente had taken asked himself as he looked seriously at Benson, not doubting this guy.
Benson had an excellent reputation and wasn't known as a person who boosted his students' achievements. He even had some strange ideas about smithing. Still, he had always been very reasonable when judging juniors.
No one took his words as a joke!
