Chapter 108: Sparring

Chapter 108: Sparring

“Hello, my name is Gray. I came to ask you to forge something for me,” Gray said respectfully.

“I know. I saw you in the tavern,” the dwarf replied indifferently.

“Ah, I see. How embarrassing,” Gray said awkwardly.

“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before,” the dwarf went on.

“I’m a servant at Feply Academy. My name is Gray. Ralph sent me here,” Gray said.

“That old fellow, heh. You know what? I have a grudge against him!” With that, the dwarf drew a hammer from behind him, thick as a man’s thigh. “Young man, let me see what you’re made of!”

“Hey, hey, I’m not here to fight!” Gray said, jumping backward at once. Crash! The enormous hammer smashed into the stool and reduced it to powder.

“Hey, hey, I really didn’t come to fight!” Gray said bitterly.

“Watch out!” The dwarf swung his hammer once, then a flash of purple light appeared as he slammed it hard into the ground. “Hammer of the Thunder God!”

A burst of force surged toward Gray.

“I’m doomed!” Gray dropped into a horse stance, palms pressed together. “Golden Bell Shield!”

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

When the shockwave passed, Gray still stood firmly in place. The dwarf grinned. “Interesting. Young man, here I come!”

He swung the hammer toward Gray’s waist.

“Hmph!”

Gray was angered too. He had only come to ask for a favor, so why was this fellow swinging a hammer at people at the drop of a hat?

“Cloud Treading Step!”

Gray tapped the ground and floated lightly onto the dwarf’s hammer. “Thousand Pound Drop!”

At once, an immense force came pressing down. The dwarf felt his grip falter.

“Interesting!”

The dwarf, who had held the hammer with one hand, brought the other hand up as well, then flung it hard. Gray shot straight out.

With a light backflip, Gray landed neatly on the ground. Looking up, he saw the dwarf’s huge hammer crashing down at him.

“Splitting Void Palm!”

Gray thrust his hand out like a blade and slashed forward.

The dwarf was shocked and hurriedly used the hammer to shield himself. Clang! Sparks flew everywhere. The dwarf felt the hand holding the hammer tremble slightly.

“Interesting!” The dwarf grinned broadly. “Young man, you’re interesting!”

Then he surged forward, and the hammer came crashing toward Gray again.

Bang!

The force behind the hammer was tyrannically overpowering. Gray did not dare take it head-on. With a sweeping motion of Cloud Hands, he guided it aside, and the hammer smashed into the ground, leaving a huge crater.

“Mm!”

Gray let out a muffled groan. The brutal energy attached to the hammer had drilled along the meridians in his hand and into his body.

“Ha!”

Gray immediately circulated his inner energy and dissolved the force.

“Impressive.”

Though he was furious, Gray could not help praising the dwarf. It had been only a simple move, and although Gray had done his utmost to guide the hammer, the energy carried with it had still put him at a slight disadvantage.

“Watch out!”

Gray flipped his fingers, and ten black rings appeared on each of them.

“Dragon Binding Lock!”

With a flick of his hand, five thin silver threads shot toward the dwarf.

“What is this?”

The dwarf was startled. He had never seen such a strange weapon before, and for a moment he dared not be careless. He brought the hammer up to guard his chest, but the silver threads instantly wrapped around his wrist. Gray tugged hard, and the dwarf, caught off guard, was pulled flying toward him.

Bang!

The dwarf’s great hammer crashed into the ground. The silver threads tightened, and the dwarf stood unmoving. Gray shifted and charged at him.

Bang!

Another giant crater appeared in the ground, but Gray leaped high into the air. The silver threads twisted, and the dwarf’s arm was forced sharply aside.

“Ha!”

With another flick of his other hand, the silver thread coiled around the dwarf’s neck.

“Not bad.”

Even with the silver thread looped around his neck, the dwarf showed no fear at all.

“Young man, what’s your name?”

Gray was at a loss. With a shake of his fingers, the silver threads instantly drew back.

“Such a strange weapon. May I take a look?” the dwarf asked.

Gray curled his lip but still removed one ring and tossed it over.

“Oh, interesting.”

The dwarf glanced at it briefly, then casually tossed the ring back to Gray.

“I’m the dwarf Bruye. Come on, welcome to my workshop.”

With that, the dwarf kicked his hammer up, slung it over his back with one hand, and pushed open the half-closed door.

“Still angry about just now, young man? All right, all right, I apologize, I apologize!” the dwarf laughed heartily.

“No, I mean... Father Bruye, do you take pleasure in smashing everyone you meet with a hammer?” Gray asked gloomily.

“That may not always be so.” Bruye was holding Gray’s wine bottle in his hand. “There are three things we dwarves love most. First, forging iron. Second, drinking. Third...” He scratched his face awkwardly. “Fighting. I could tell you were strong, so I couldn’t resist having a bout with you. Haha, that was refreshing!”

“I’m speechless.” Gray scratched his head. “Father Bruye, just call me Gray.”

“Gray, is it? Fine. So, what would you like me to forge for you? If it’s a weapon, I already have ready-made ones here. Feel free to choose any of them.”

“I don’t need a weapon,” Gray said. “I don’t like fighting.”

“That won’t do, you know. A weapon is a passport to the continent,” Father Bruye said with a smile. “With your abilities, you’d be a top figure even in an A-rank mercenary band.”

“I’m not interested.” Gray curled his lip, then suddenly thought of something. He wondered how they were doing now.

“By the way, Father Bruye, this is what Father Ralph asked me to bring you.” He handed over a sheet of parchment.

“That old bastard wants to squeeze more good stuff out of me again!” Bruye muttered as he took the parchment. “Do your best to help? Use whatever materials I want? What is this fellow planning?”

“I’d like to have an alchemy furnace forged,” Gray said.

“An alchemy furnace? What in the world is that?” Bruye asked in puzzlement.

“How should I put it... Do you have any paper and ink here? I’ll draw you a rough sketch,” Gray said.

“Oh, over here.”

After rummaging through boxes and cupboards for a while, the dwarf Bruye finally produced a quill and a bottle of ink.

“Well, this will have to do,” Gray thought helplessly.

“Paper?” Gray asked.

“It seems we used it all up,” Bruye said, slightly embarrassed.

“I’m done for.”

Gray covered his forehead. “Forget it. I’ll draw it myself when I go back,” he said.

“Won’t you take another look?” Bruye said. “Everything I have here is top-quality. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

“Oh? Then could you forge me a flexible sword?”

Gray thought that having a weapon would still be better. He was really not used to the Dragon Binding Locks.

“What, a flexible sword?”

Bruye looked at Gray as though he were staring at a monster.

“Is there a problem?” Gray asked.

“No.” Bruye shook his head. “Three days. It’ll be ready in three days.”

“All right, then I’ll come back in three days,” Gray said. “I’ll leave a deposit here first. Would ten gold coins be all right?”

“No need for that much, but keeping it here is fine. I’ve just run out of wine, after all,” Bruye said with a sly grin.

“Suit yourself. I’m leaving.”

Gray rubbed his forehead and left in resignation. Had he found the wrong person?

He should not have. Gray remembered that the annals of the continent recorded dwarf legends, and in forging, they were unquestionably first-rate. Dwarves were also exceptionally skilled at making all sorts of strange and wonderful contraptions, no less than the goblin race.

“Forget it. I’ll deal with it later.” Gray still trusted Father Ralph’s judgment. Anyone he could introduce would surely be reliable. It was just that this headstrong dwarf was impossible to feel at ease about.

“Enough thinking. Back I go.”

With a sigh, Gray returned to Feply Academy.