At the start of the third round, Vicente and Landon stared at each other as they began their moves, sensing that this match would be much better than the last.
The third and final artifact of this fast-paced contest was Landon's strength, which Vicente had been aware of as he had studied his opponent over the past few days.
Even though Vicente had won the last round, and historically, he had always improved when competing, that didn't give him any certainty that he would win this last round.
'I don't want to have to participate in that blacksmith competition...' Vicente thought as he looked at his opponent.
As much as it was exciting and even fun for him to compete with other blacksmiths, something he had felt in the past and could feel now, it wasn't his priority. He could learn a lot from other blacksmiths, but for now, he could do what he thought was good enough for him alone at his master's side without having to give up his freedom.
But if he lost the next round, that would change, and he would have a permanent obligation to the local association.
Still, he didn't show his first magical form, which made some spectators even more curious about him and his powers.
At this point in the competition, few doubted that Vicente was already a better blacksmith than Landon. He might even lose the bet since he didn't use everything he had. But that in itself showed his level of skill in forging.
So while they competed, young people like Lukas and even experienced elders watched with great interest as the two played for more than 40 minutes, watching their artifacts gradually take shape.
Those who had nothing to do with the competition simply enjoyed watching two 2nd-stage blacksmiths compete. However, Landon's and Vicente's supporters were quite tense in the contest's final moments, as both sides cheered on their chosen one while watching their opponent with apprehension.
During this crucial part of the evening, Benson and Henry focused on each other's students, wondering if they would win or lose the bet.
Henry would have to give up 10% of the rock he had recently purchased if he lost. If Benson lost, he would have to deal with Vicente's frequent absences from town, which could seriously disrupt his plans.
In this tension over the outcome, Vicente and Landon finished their artifacts almost simultaneously, adding to the excitement of the entire audience on the platform.
"Who will be the winner?" Nina asked with a smile, not knowing what was at stake and not caring much about the outcome.
Of course, she wanted her older brother to win. But just the fact he showed such good skills and was so competitive in a contest with a well-known local blacksmith was enough for this child.
On the other hand, Nova had her fingers crossed, waiting for her boyfriend to win, something she wanted even more than Nina.
While everyone waited for the results, the council elders quickly made contact with the artifacts of the two sweaty men staring at each other.
Vicente and Landon were too exhausted to notice the quality of each other's items. But no matter who won, each had the other's respect.
Competing at such a high level and ferocity was a rarity, and one could only respect the other. That was especially true for Landon, who hadn't known much about Vicente until recently.
Lukas saw this and clenched his fists, feeling that Vicente would win. 'It looks like he's going to make it... I don't know if I should be happy or sad.' He thought since he was going to the province's annual blacksmith tournament. It would be great if Vice were there, too.
Henry looked at Benson and sighed deeply. "Congratulations on getting such a talented apprentice. This victory is yours."
With those words, everyone in the surrounding seats realized the winner of the final match!
"Vicente Fuller wins the third round with a 94% efficiency item against the 93% efficiency of his opponent's item!" One of the four members of the council of this association announced the result, confirming to everyone that Vicente and Benson had won this contest!
Benson and Vicente were all smiles as their supporters in the area raised their voices and commented with great excitement on his heroic victory.
"Hahaha, he turned the match around! He was losing and went for a win in a round that gave his opponent the advantage!"
"Now that's a real contest! That's the kind of competition we must strive for in every match!"
"Sigh... But how many blacksmiths can compete that well? Anyway, we must take what we've seen here today with us. We may not see such a good competition for a while."
"Tsk! It's a shame we can't take Vicente Fuller to the tournament this year. Otherwise, we'd have a chance to win one of the tests in the competition."
"It's good to have had the chance to see someone like him in action. His methods are truly fantastic."
Several blacksmiths commented among themselves as Vicente greeted his opponent and the elders amidst their congratulations.
"Thanks for the kind words. I was just trying to do the best I could." He said as he made a gesture of thanks while being watched by the four old men.
Landon looked seriously at Vicente and asked. "Vicente Fuller, tell me something. Why haven't you ever used your magical form? Doesn't it improve your performance in the forge?"
Some people had an affinity for certain professions, but their abilities didn't give them an advantage in those areas. For example, Newton had several professions, but he didn't really practice some of them, and he was just considered a scholar because his skills didn't really allow him to act faithfully as a professional in those areas.
After being beaten by Vicente, Landon wanted to know if that was the case with this young man or if his opponent had taken it easy on him.
He wasn't a bad loser, but he needed an answer to the doubt in his mind.
All the old men around them looked at Vicente expectantly.
Vicente said. "It can help me. But I prefer not to use it in competitions. It encourages me to improve my skills faster."
The 3rd-stage blacksmiths listened to this with sighs, feeling they had lost much more than they had imagined with Landon's defeat.
"So that's it..." Henry commented. "No chance of you representing us in the annual tournament, Vicente? I'm willing to give you anything you want that's within my means."
Vicente closed his eyes and sighed. "I have nothing against the association. But I don't fit into this kind of event. If there are other ways to contribute to it, I see no problem in getting involved. But I have too many things taking up my time right now to think about such contests."
"I see..." Henry sighed.
"You win. Here's the 10% I promised." He tossed Benson a spatial ring with the part of the mineral under the bet.
