MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith-Chapter 1437: Myriad Prodigies: First Round - Ataraxia (1)

Woooo!!!

Just as the crowd on the surface erupted in cheers filled with excitement, almost all of the participants underground had solemn expressions on their faces, with some of them even clenching their fists out of nervousness.

Of course, there were those who weren't perturbed by the announcement at all, greatly confident in their abilities to easily pass through the first round.

"Well then…" Watching the announcer's movements from the underground town through magic screens, Valyr and Ataraxia looked at each other for a bit before letting out a faint sigh.

"We might just come across a small problem."

Naturally, the problem they were talking about was not the first round itself. After all, with the skills they've honed and polished, as well as access to [Soul Fusion] at any time, the two of them would have no issues passing the three areas they chose.

If anything, the problem they faced was the possibility of having to go through the first round on the same batch.

'500 people make up one batch,' thought Valyr to himself as he continued to listen to Schubert's explanations. 'Considering that there are over 160,000 participants in this tournament, it's a number that's both small and large at the same time.'

'There's a decent possibility that the two of us could be put in the same batch,' thought Ataraxia, briefly glancing at his original identity beside him before returning his attention back to the magic screen.

'If that were to happen, I'll probably have to stall with one identity for time first while doing the tasks needed for the first round with the other identity.'

Although he'd practiced [Soul Split] during the last couple of days that led up to the tournament, the limit of what he could do with the skill at the moment were purely mundane tasks like talking and moving.

Though he did spare a bit of time into having both of his identities do more laborious tasks at the same time, the amount of progress he made in it was merely a drop in the bucket compared to the progress he made in terms of mundane tasks.

'After this, I'm seriously gonna put in more effort into [Soul Split] whether I like it or not,' noted Valyr to himself mentally, his expression firm as he continued to focus on the people that were being called to the surface.

At the same time, he hoped that the heavens above would show mercy towards him and have his identities enter the first round in different batches.

…

"For the 5th batch, please head up to the surface when I call your name."

Falling into a monotonous loop of listening to names being called and watching the first round unfold as they waited, both Valyr and Ataraxia perked their ears up as one of the tournament's organizers called for those making up the 5th batch.

"Tharmakiel, Klobas, Maurinte…"

"Red Spear, Gold Spear, and Sea Sword… wait. The last one was supposed to be Ocean Sword, sorry."

"Calcidana, Phantasmagoria, Mezzaluna…"

"… and lastly, Salfreia, Auburn Haze, and Azure Mage."

"To the names that I've called, please head up to the surface. Thank you."

"…Oh?"

Just as the organizer that called for them began to return to the surface, both Valyr and Ataraxia looked at each other with slight surprise as the participants that were called slowly headed up one by one.

"Looks like the heavens are on our side this time," said Ataraxia with a grin, to which Valyr nodded in agreement.

"Best of luck," replied Valyr with a slight chuckle, finding the conversation he was holding between his two identities slightly amusing.

"I'll do my best." Ataraxia nodded in agreement, heading up to the surface after that.

Continuing to watch his other identity head up the stairs to the surface, Valyr eventually returned his attention back to the magic screen before him, noticing that Ataraxia now stood side by side with the other participants making up the 5th batch.

"I suppose I should pay a bit more attention for this one." As these words left his mouth, Valyr made his way to one of the town's many taverns and found a vacant seat.

Glancing at the large magic screen within the tavern, the young man went ahead and ordered a cold beverage, taking a sip of it with a faint smile.

Then, after glancing at the screen one last time, Valyr…

…Decided to get a bit of rest.

…

"…Whew."

With one of his identities having gone to sleep for the meantime, that meant that Valyr could focus his entire attention on the task at hand.

Looking around the amphitheater for a bit, the young man pushed his perception to its utmost limit, giving him a better look at the various areas that had been made for the purpose of the first round.

"The areas we have to tackle are actually pretty broad," muttered Valyr to himself after some time, faintly nodding in understanding as he continued to watch the batch before them go through their tasks.

"In order, there's combat, magic, weaponry, defense, support, physicality, mentality, profession, logic, and leadership."

"Considering that it's a tournament whose previous sole purpose was fighting, it's not surprising that almost all of them chose three of the first five to pass," he continued, his eyes gleaming as he formulated a plan in his head.

"Then again, there are also those who choose the last five… which surprisingly seems to be what the main arbiters are actually focusing on."

Continuing to watch the fourth batch go through the first round whilst polishing the plan he had in mind, Valyr eventually moved to the center area with the other participants of the fifth batch, slowly arranging themselves in a square formation.

After waiting for a while, a decent number of the tournament's organizers appeared before them, with most of them holding what looked to be a tablet meant for holding information.

"Before you start your attempt on the first round, these organizers shall first record the three areas that you choose," said the organizer at the front of the formation.

"Once that's done, you're free to head to the areas you've chosen where another organizer will give you a rundown on what you need to do to complete said area."

After answering a few more questions from some of the participants, the organizer that gave the explanation soon left, prompting the other organizers to start heading down the formation to take note of each participant's choice.

"…Azure Mage."

Being near the middle of the formation, Valyr waited for a while before it was his turn.

Hearing his nickname be called, the young man gave the organizer a slight nod.

Nodding back in response, the organizer brought out their tablet and asked, "What areas would you tackle for the first round?"

Pondering over the question for a bit, Valyr eventually replied.

"Magic… combat…"

"…and profession."