492 Benson's Problem

After saying goodbye to Nova, Vicente felt slightly relieved, as a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He loved Nova, so the fact that he hadn't seen her in person for months and that she was in the dark about the situation worried him.

But with that out of the way, he left the army headquarters with a smile as he walked to the local Blacksmith's Association.

His interest now lay with Benson King, his master, who had been in Saltstar City for the past few months because of a problem with one of this old man's students.

He hadn't learned much from the Millfall Blacksmith's Association council elders. All he knew was that Benson had a problem with a disciple, and it should be relatively easy for him to find out by talking to the elders of the Saltstar City association.

So he soon entered the association's building in that city, a place with a similar design to the one in Millfall but three times larger, considering the number of blacksmiths in Saltstar City.

Arriving at the reception desk in the lobby, Vicente showed his identification as a 2nd-stage blacksmith.

"Mr. Fuller, what can I get you for your visit?" A well-dressed and gorgeous woman asked with a smile, not underestimating the young man in front of her.

From what she had seen of Vicente's identification, this young man was a genius at forgery!

There was no way she could not favor him and treat him in a special way, with her beautiful smile and her body language that told him he could do whatever he wanted with her.

Vicente ignored this woman's many signals and got right to the point. "I'm here to take my promotion exam for the 3rd-stage of my certification."

"Oh? Do you want to become a 3rd-stage blacksmith already? It seems your talent is even greater than what it says on your ID." She complimented him.

Vicente smiled before he saw the black-haired woman in front of him place a form for him to fill out.

"You don't have to pay for your exam, Mr. Fuller. Given your impressive talent, the association will pay for the exam. All you have to do is fill out this form, and I'll show you where your exam will be held."

"Thank you."

"I am the one who thanks you for coming to our zone. Would you be interested in upgrading your membership to our city unit?" She asked, unsure if he would agree to transfer his registration to this branch.

"Yes, do that," Vicente said, just before he received the contact from this beautiful attendant and her advice on where he should go.

After throwing away that woman's contact, Vicente would soon take his 3rd-stage certification exam, a precious and rare certification to have in the kingdom.

Although Mages were far from the level of the strongest in the kingdom and on the continent, 3rd-stage magicians were respected and relevant.

A professional in any field with a 3rd-stage credential would be highly valued everywhere, both for their skills and the rarity of such individuals.

As such, the examination process for blacksmiths seeking this certificate was much more complicated and refined than the exams Vicente had taken at the Millfall Blacksmiths' Association.

Unlike lesser professionals, from the 3rd-stage on, the certificate was only awarded to the best blacksmith in each weekly exam.

In other words, the association only gave out four new 3rd-

stage certificates per month, and it didn't just depend on blacksmiths reaching the minimum level required to produce 3rd-grade items.

But there were daily tests for new blacksmiths, the results of which were tied to the test rankings that determined the winner of the ascension test at the end of each week.

Vicente wanted the 3rd-stage certification for many reasons. Still, the main one was to get the attention of the elders of this post so that he could have a chance to talk about Benson.

With that in mind, it didn't take him long to complete the various parts of his promotion exam, and he didn't have to wait because there weren't many blacksmiths who took the exam every day.

The average number was around 10 to 15 blacksmiths per week, so an average of two people took the test each day.

Less than an hour after arriving at the association post, Vicente finished his test and walked out of the examination room, leaving the assessor with a shocked look.

Vicente was under 16, but not only was he already at the end of 3rd-stage, but he had achieved an average efficiency of 96% on his three tests in this promotion exam!

With a score of 288 points, his name appeared at the top of the weekly ranking, with a wide lead of 33 points, something tough to beat.

But not only his score was impressive. He did not use his magic form at any point in the exam, meaning he had reached this level in the hardest mode!

...

"Young man, do you have time to talk to this old man?" A High-

level Mage approached Vicente less than five minutes after the end of his exam.

'That was fast.' Vicente thought to himself, pleased with the speed with which the elders of this rank sent someone to him.

"Of course, I have an elder." He replied with a smile as he made a gesture of greeting.

"I am Vicente Fuller, a student of Benson King."

"My name is Cooper White, and you don't have to call me elder. Just call me White or Cooper." The white-haired old man said as he smoothed his beard, surprised to meet such a genius.

"So you're a student of Benson King?" Cooper asked, already knowing the man's name.

"Yes. In fact, I'm looking for my master. He recently left Millfall and seems to have been in the vicinity of Saltstar City ever since." Vicente came straight to the point.

"I see..." Cooper gestured for Vicente to walk through the building.

He wanted to get Vicente on his side, but since Vice had shown local interest, he could help this young man and get his favor in return.

Cooper got right to the point. "I know where Benson is and what his current situation is."

"Oh?"

The old man explained. "One of his students, Ronan Carlson, got into trouble by promising a complicated person something he couldn't deliver. Now, he produces it by the end of the month, or he dies!

Benson is in the city to help Ronan, but he gets into trouble he shouldn't have.

His apprentice has tricked him, and even if they manage to produce the promised product, they'll still be in a very delicate situation."