Andvari, who had responded with a "Wahaha! It's only natural for me!" while staring at Herbert, was staring at the dwarf menacingly.

Almost as if he was challenging Herbert. You can't beat me, Andvari seemed to imply. 

Kenneth was interested to see how this one would go. Now, it was Herbert's turn, and once he was called up by the judges, he brought up his newly forged Kite shield for inspection. 

"I see. You have chosen a Kite shield. The structure, while looking frail, seems to be able to hold pretty well." Luke says, tapping the front of the metal shield with the back of his hand. 

"And the grip. Sturdy. And very comfortable. I feel as if I'm holding a cushion in my hands." Taking the shield from Luke, Wesley tightens his grip on the leather handle.

Once he was done testing the shield, Wesley handed it to Jeremy, who looked at the shield, intrigued. 

"Let us not forget the sharp edges on the front and the top of the shield. When needed, it can also act as a weapon, possibly capable of piercing through armor." 

"Well, we'll know more once we put it to the test, no? Give it here, I'll be starting." Luke seemed eager to start up the match. 

Once he had the shield, Luke brought it over to another platform that had appeared. 

Pulling off the curtains to reveal the hidden test, the audience was surprised to find out what it was. 

"Here it is! A replica of Andvari's very own forged sword!" Luke presented the copy of the weapon that Andvari had seemingly just forged. 

Everybody was at first confused, but the chatter soon quieted down, once Luke had started explaining. 

"When we were inspecting and testing Andvari's weapon earlier, we were also gathering data on the weapon itself. With the intel we managed to obtain, we were able to make a full scale replica of the weapon." Jeremy explained. 

"Do not worry. Even if the weapon looks astonishingly similar to the original, it is not as tough. The forging techniques that Andvari may have implemented are not at all in effect in this weapon. It has simply been provided to us by the A.I with the measurements we provided it." Wesley continues. 

"But now, let's head on to it, shall we? Let me explain this test. I will be taking Herbert's shield, and attempt to block it against a multitude of strikes and slashes from the sword. And who else to do so, other than Jeremy?" 

Standing up from his seat, Jeremy went over to where Luke was, and approached the sword.

Taking it in his hands, Jeremy began to inspect it. 

"Ah, this doesn't have the feeling that Andvari's weapon had." Jeremy lamented. This further proved that the weapon was not the actual weapon. "Nevertheless, I will still use it. Raisr your shield, Luke." 

Preparing a stance, Jeremy kept the long end of the blade in front of his torso, making sure there was a considerable distance between him and the shield. 

But once the timer had started ringing, the distance between the two judges was closed in by Jeremy. 

His swift footwork allowed him to get in close and prepare a devastating strike. 

Raising the sword over his head, Jeremy brought the full weight of the weapon down on the shield. 

The vibrations that occured as the result of the sword and the shield clashing loudly managed to shake the area a bit. 

But Jeremy was not done. Bringing the sword back, he once again rushed back in and performed multiple thrusts. 

Each of the hits were deflected off the shield, almost bouncing off. It looked so effortless, as Luke was just standing there, holding his ground.

Announcing that this would be the final flurry of attacks, Jeremy brought the sword back and took a deep breath. 

And as if a fire shone on his eyes, Jeremy slashed in the direction of Luke. 

As expected, the sword practically bounced off. But Jeremy did not give up. One, two, three slashes in quick succession landed on the shield, causing more vibrations to ring in the area. 

Yet after the endless swipes and swings, the shield did not seem to be damaged in the least. Jeremy, who was tired from his display of swordsmanship, drew back. 

"Herbert's shield... took no damage?!" Wesley screamed in surprise. After those hits? How was everyone supposed to believe that the sword didn't even leave a scratch?

"Ahem. It is clear that the shield performed spectacularly well. But we have more tests to do, so move along." Luke spoke up, snapping everyone back to reality. 

"Right. Next, we'll be taking the shield, and seeing how it fares against... this." Luke pulled off another curtain, revealing a crossbow.

"This is a crossbow. One in perfect condition. It has been forged by our best blacksmiths, and the firepower it is able to put out is insane." Wesley explained. 

"Crossbows in general already pack quite a bit of punch, but we are eager to see how the shield fares against this weapon."

"We think that this test is already of enough difficulty, so we will only be using normal iron bolts."

"Alright, enough chatter. Let's see how the shield holds up to the crossbow!" Jeremy, who had already loaded the bolt into the crossbow, was already in a firing position.

"Three, two... fire!" 

*swoop* 

Once the trigger was pressed, the crossbow launched the bolt at a surprising speed. It was in fact so fast that no one was able to see it travel. 

Yet when it reached the shield, The bolt brilliantly pierced through! 

No resistance whatsoever, the bolt went through the shield's metal surface, leaving with it a gaping hole on the shield!

"This settles it. It was a wonderful piece of work, but with the bolt successfully piercing the shield, we deem this a fail." Luke sadly explains. 

Herbert, whose face had sunk the moment he saw the bolt pierce the shield, hunched over in sadness. 

"Herbert Willrow, please proceed to the front." 

Herbert, who had taken a bit of time to take in his loss, eventually went over to the judge's table. 

Then, offering his hand, he shook each of the judges' own. 

"What a shame. I was expecting more of a close match because both of them were dwarves." Luke sighed. 

"Now, now. It's only the first round. There's bound to be more interesting matchups, no?" Wesley said. 

"The winner of this round is Andvari Hammz! Please log out of the V.T.G soon, as the world will be changed for the next round. We will see you all later." 

*

After logging out of the V.T.G, Kenneth, with his siblings soon went over to the participants' rooms. 

Each of the participants were given a private room, where they could log in through the V.T.G given to them. 

Andvari just so happened to be pretty close to the hallway entrance, so once they had found the door, Kenneth knocked on it, following a rhythmic beat he had heard somewhere.

"Come in, ya." Hearing Andvari's approval, the siblings opened the door, and saw Andvari, inspecting the V.T.G in his hand.

"Congratulations on winning the first round, Andvari. When's your next match?" Kenneth was the first to congratulate the dwarf, who was clearly happy over his win. 

"Thanks. My next match should be tomorrow at noon, aye."

"That's great. Make sure to get some rest now, we'll make sure to watch the game tomorrow as well." 

"Aye, see you jerls later." Andvari bid goodbye to the siblings.