Thabon was a bit taken aback by Marcus' question, but after thinking it over for a few moments said, "Sure, I have already told Gurrom, so it is only right I tell you as well."
Marcus then stood looking expectantly as Thabon cleared his throat and said, "I am currently level seventy-four."
That was it, that was all Thabon said but it was still enough to amaze Marcus.
Other than the blue demon which he knew had to be at least level eight-eight, this was the highest-level Marcus had been able to confirm anyone having.
Once people made it to such high levels, they typically kept it a secret and it was not like many people would have an appraisal skill high enough to see their level to figure it out.
"So, you are level seventy-four. Might I ask how long it took you to reach that level?" Marcus said curiously.
Certainly, he had pretty much all the time in the world, but getting an accurate number of how long it took to reach such levels would at least give him an idea of how hard it was to level up to that point.
Looking up as if trying to recall something Thabon made numerous different faces before saying, "Well I am going to be three hundred and eight-six this year, so I suppose that is how long it took me. Though if I were being honest, I did not get serious about leveling up until I was around a hundred and fifty when my parents kicked me out for being a lazy bum."
Marcus was shocked to hear this not only because it had taken Thabon over two hundred years to reach this level but also that at some point his hard-working master had been lazy.
However, Thabon was not done speaking yet and said, "But do not get me wrong, it was not like I was throwing myself into dungeons for weeks on end like you did. Though most people would not get away from that unscathed like you."
Hearing this Marcus scratched the side of his face in an embarrassed manner since he certainly did have advantages most people did not.
Sighing Thabon then looked off to the side as if staring into the distance and said, "Unfortunately I have pretty much reached my peak. You will find the higher you go, that this world is truly full of beings beyond your comprehension."
Wondering what Thabon could be getting on about, Marcus asked if he could elaborate and Thabon said, "The higher level you go the harder it gets to level up, not only because you need more experience but also because of the lack of creatures at high levels. I could go searching the wilderness for years to not find a single beast or monster near my level. Or I could walk into the den of something far beyond me, as I have in the past. Of course, there are also dungeons but those are far to dangerous at my level."
After saying that Thabon had a cloudy look in his eyes and Marcus could tell he was remembering a tough experience he had in the past.
"I assume you know that there are three dungeons in this kingdom?" Thabon asked looking at Marcus inquisitively.
Nodding his head Marcus responded saying, "Yes there is the one near Loursend, the one that Lethallan was built around, and another deep in the Great Gome Woods, though if I recall not much is known about that one since it is so far from civilization."
"Yes, those are the three dungeons in this kingdom, but do you know why there is a city around the other two and not the one in the Great Gome Woods. It is not because it is too deep into the forest, it is because it is too dangerous. I have been there once a long time ago, and I can tell you now, it is far different from the other two. You could even say it was the reason I settled down here and decided to live the rest of my life forging instead of going out into the world."
Hearing this Marcus really wanted to ask Thabon what was so dangerous about the dungeon within the Great Gome Woods, but seeing the look on his face Marcus could tell he had already said all he would.
'It must have been harsh, and it is likely he lost someone, or even multiple people close to him. I can always find out more information about it from somewhere else latter.'
Having decided to switch the topic since he did not want his master to have to relive anymore of his hardest memories, Marcus asked, "So, after our sparing how do you think I will stack up in the tournament."
Coming out of his daze Thabon looked at Marcus and thought for a moment before saying, "I believe that you have a good chance to get into the quarter-finals, but whether you win or not I do not know. I have heard from Aria that the kingdom has sent out personal invitations to many strong prodigies that have not participated in the past. If it were a normal tournament, I would say either you or Gurrom would be a shoo-in to win. But as strong as you are Irene, especially for your level, do not think there are not others out there who are just as powerful if not more than you."
Nodding his head Marcus understood what Gurrom was getting at. He had yet to meet anyone at the same level that was stronger than him, but that did not mean they did not exist.
In fact, as he thought about it, he realized that if his partner Roxene was the same level, she would undoubtedly be stronger than him.
"Now how about one more round and then I will give you some pointers on what you are doing wrong." Thabon said with a big grin that made Marcus shiver.
The two then went at it for around an hour until Marcus had completely exhausted his mana even through his regeneration skill.
"Okay that was pretty good towards the end you nearly got me with one of you attacks." Thabon said to Marcus who was laying on the floor suffering from mana fatigue.
"I just took what you said and tried to put it into practice. You were right I had gotten too used to just brute forcing my way through things that I lacked finesse to create openings."
Certainly, after defeating the blade armed demon Marcus had pretty much just been blasting whatever came his way and it typically died.
Even during the boss fight he had never been in any real danger since he could just run away, and in the end, he just blasted it with a big attack.
But fighting against Thabon, Marcus remembered all the times he had struggled and had to create openings or use the terrain to his advantage.
"Now I think that has been enough training for today. You said you had other items you wished to sell in the shop, would you mind letting me take a look at them." Thabon said as he extended Marcus a hand.
The two of them then went to a storeroom that was meant just for Thabon and his apprentices, and Marcus unloaded every weapon, piece of armor, and accessory he had made.
In total there had been twelve sets of armor of various types, followed by eighty-nine weapons which were mostly swords and spears which were the most commonly used, though a few weird ones were sprinkled in. And finally, there were twenty-three accessories composed of bands, rings, and necklaces each with varying effects.
Seeing this huge pile of mithril items, Thabon looked at Marcus like he was crazy and said, "How did you find the time to make all of these. This is what I would expect someone to make in a year if they were working full time with next to no breaks. When do you find the time to eat or sleep?"
Of course, Marcus had no need for either of those two things and they were more like recreational activities than a necessity.
He had pretty much spent all of his time of the last few weeks just hammering away in his forge day in and day out.
Shrugging his shoulders Marcus said, "Sometimes I just get lost in the work. I also got a bunch of good materials in the dungeon, but after this I am pretty much out."
Shaking his head Thabon could not believe how unfathomable Marcus was, but just sighed and said, "I will find a good place in the shop for the lower quality ones without celestial platinum, but the others I will probably need to find buyers for."
"Okay thank you again for helping me out master." Marcus said bowing his head respectfully.
Seeing this Thabon began laughing and said, "It is only natural. I accepted you as my apprentice because I saw promise in you. Anyway, with all of the items you bring me it takes a big weight off my workload.. Now follow me back to my room and I will give you a letter of recommendation to the auction house I used to use in the past."
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