Sandro’s performance not only satisfied everyone, but also greatly exceeded everyone’s expectations, to the extent that even Rocky couldn’t help but cheer for him.
In such a situation, Rocky naturally wasn’t stingy at all and handed over the Magic Energy Shield and Mana Armor to him.
But just at that moment, before Rocky could have Liliya hand over the Void Magic Armor to Sandro, the opponent whom Sandro had decisively defeated suddenly leaped up from the ground and shouted loudly at Rocky, “City Lord! I can still fight!”
This outcry immediately attracted everyone’s attention, and many from the Guard Corps laughed upon hearing it.
At this moment, Rocky naturally turned his attention toward this bristly fellow. Previously, his attention had been on Sandro, and he hadn’t paid much notice to Sandro’s opponent. But when he took a closer look, he realized that Sandro’s opponent was actually a youngster, only seventeen or eighteen years old.
“His name is Robin. He’s only eighteen today and has just joined the Guard Corps recently.”
The Guard Corps had a roster of two hundred people. Although every one of them knew Rocky, Rocky did not recognize them. So when Rocky looked at the youngster scrambling from the ground, Liliya gave a simple introduction at his side.
This guard named Robin was only eighteen, clearly a naive and confused young man. After rising from the ground, he didn’t admit defeat; instead, he was hopping and jumping, his youthful face full of dissatisfaction.
“City Lord, I can still fight! I really can still fight!”
Noticing that Rocky was only looking at him with a smile and not speaking, Robin became even more anxious and kept shouting.
Seeing his eager demeanor, Rocky, while chuckling, turned to look at Sandro and then asked, “Sandro, your opponent thinks he can still fight. How about you?”
“I can!”
Sandro, who had already put away his longsword and shield, didn’t say much. He simply answered and once again took his shield and longsword in hand, immediately getting ready for the battle.
Thus, the second match of the same assessment between Sandro and Robin began.
“Sandro! I won’t go easy on you this time!”
Gripping his longsword with both hands, Robin, full of resentment, yelled at Sandro and then charged at him with large strides.
He reached Sandro in no more than two steps and immediately lifted his longsword with both hands, slashing down ferociously!
One strike!
Two strikes!
Three strikes!
Robin swung his arms, striking thrice, but each swing landed on Sandro’s raised shield. Not only that, Sandro, who was fending off these three strikes, did not even budge.
This outcome was not because Robin lacked strength; in fact, he was giving it his all. Unfortunately, Sandro’s defense was too solid. Facing the continuous assault, his defense was like a hill, steadfast and giving no opportunity to Robin.
And after Robin’s three strikes, Sandro directly kicked him in the knee, immediately knocking Robin down.
Similar to before, it didn’t take long for the second bout between the two to be decided, and the victor and loser did not change.
“I can still fight!”
Yet after being knocked down once more, Robin immediately got up and charged toward Sandro again!
And so, their struggle began.
As Liliya had mentioned, since Robin had only recently joined the Guard Corps and had no foundation to speak of, he could only be considered a Level One Warrior at most. With such determination, alas, both his foundation and technique were still lacking by a large margin.
In contrast, Sandro was entirely different. Although he was just a Second Level Warrior, his foundations were solid and he was extremely adept at defense. The shield in his hands was like a thick wall, capable of fending off all attacks.
Under such circumstances, the outcome of their exchanges was all too predictable; Robin was simply being overwhelmed.
Yet, whether it was due to his stubbornness or foolishness, Robin, who kept getting knocked down, seemed like an indestructible roach, or like a Weeble that wouldn’t fall down. Despite being continuously knocked down, he was always able to stand back up!
“I can still fight!”
“I can still fight!”
“I can still fight!!”
Time and again, he got up from the ground, each time shouting his slogan. Although he was quickly knocked down again, he still loudly proclaimed his determination to stand up anew. Discover stories with M-V-L
For a moment, the entire field was filled with one voice, a voice that seemed to cast a spell, drawing everyone’s gaze involuntarily from Sandro to Robin.
“I can still…”
After knocking Robin down once more, before he could stand up again, Sandro directly pinned him down with the tip of his sword to his forehead, then slowly spoke, “Robin, you can’t defeat me. Surrender.”
“No! I can still fight!”
Ignoring the sword above him, Robin suddenly lifted his head, roaring with resolve, “I must receive the City Lord’s gifted equipment! I’ve already promised my mother!”
As he roared these words, he suddenly leaped forward and slammed into Sandro’s chest, pushing Sandro back several steps and nearly unbalancing him.
“Robin’s father died early, leaving only his mother to care for him,”
As the two of them became locked in combat again, Liliya explained to Rocky. As the captain of the Guard Corps, she was well-acquainted with her guards.
She then went on to say:
“I heard that Robin’s mother has poor eyesight and can’t weave. The whole family relies on Robin’s income from the Guard Corps. He’s been noisy about becoming the captain since his first day, saying that captains earn more and he could then give his mother a better life.”
In this world, the lives of commoners and nobles are as different as heaven and earth. Take Rocky, for example, who, although he always seems worried about money, never had to fret over food and drink as the City Lord. In fact, if he hadn’t been as driven as he is now, he could have lived his entire life without a care as the City Lord.
But ordinary people’s lives are not the same. Take the residents of Thunderhawk City, for example. Even though Thunderhawk City employs a planned economic model to ensure everyone has food, some people still live in great hardship due to various reasons – Robin is one such case.
“So that’s how it is…”
Understanding dawned on Rocky as he nodded at Liliya’s explanation, then turned his attention back to the two fighters still in battle.
By the time Liliya had finished telling Rocky about Robin’s situation, Sandro and Robin were already fiercely engaged in combat.
Sandro, who repeatedly knocked Robin down yet failed to win, was visibly growing annoyed. His brow was furrowed tightly, and his eyes gradually became colder, while Robin, as always, picked himself off the ground time and time again, with a more evident determination in his eyes.
“Stop.”
However, at that moment, Rocky suddenly called for a halt, prompting the two, who had been fighting earnestly, to cease their combat.
Both fighters turned to Rocky, who was approaching them.
“Sandro, your performance was very good, far exceeding my expectations. I’m quite pleased,”
Rocky said as he approached Sandro, handing over a shield and armor he had crafted himself.
His words were sincere – Sandro’s performance had indeed won Rocky’s approval.
“Thank you, my lord!”
Taking the shield and armor from Rocky, the always-serious Sandro finally smiled, and immediately knelt on one knee before him.
“Stand up.”
Rocky helped Sandro to his feet and nodded at him, then turned his gaze to Robin, who stood aside.
“Robin.”
“City Lord, I…”
“Enough, I know you can still fight,” Rocky said with a shake of his head and a smile, full of appreciation, “But you don’t have to continue. Your perseverance has already earned my respect, and I am equally satisfied.”
Having said that, Rocky handed Robin a shield and a piece of armor.
“Thank you, City Lord!”
Upon receiving the shield and armor, Robin jumped for joy, hopping around on the spot for a while before remembering to thank Rocky.
Afterward, the two returned to the ranks, their spirits high. Barely a moment passed before they were inundated with envious gazes – they were the first to receive Magic Energy Equipment after such a lengthy examination process.
The success of the two also greatly encouraged the other guards. The men, whose morale had been low due to poor performances in previous rounds, became excited again after witnessing the achievements of Sandro and Robin.
Emboldened and invigorated once more, the participants recovered their normal performance in the subsequent assessments. Perhaps inspired by Robin, each guard entered the fray with renewed determination, making the event increasingly engaging. Under these circumstances, the equipment Rocky brought was finally distributed, one piece after the other.
And so, the assessment continued, one round after another, and quickly it was evening. As the sky gradually darkened, the assessment was finally drawing to a close.
When the last round ended, nearly all the hundred sets of equipment Rocky had brought had been handed out to the guards. However, not all were accounted for – one set remained undistributed by the end.
The remaining set was naturally not going to be kept. So when everyone’s assessment concluded, Monte addressed those guards who had not received equipment: “Who among you would like to vie for this set of equipment?”
Upon hearing there was still a chance to compete, the guards who had failed the assessment perked up, eager to try their luck.
“City Lord! Me! I want to try!”
A crisp shout suddenly rang out, catching everyone off guard as the voice didn’t come from a member of the Guard Corps. As everyone turned to locate the source, they saw a young Female Beastman waving at Rocky from a distance, running towards the group as she waved.
“Isn’t that Dusa?”
Recognizing the young Female Beastman at first glance, Rocky identified her – it was none other than Monte’s daughter!
Upon recognizing Dusa, Rocky turned to look at Monte and instantly saw that his expression was far from happy.
But by then, Dusa had already raced over and, full of enthusiasm, asked Rocky, “City Lord, may I try?”