[Thanks to Mr. Ham (2/6)]

As far as Talon was concerned, if Leonel wanted to act arrogant and piss away his chances at keeping the Life Tablet, then it would be on him. All he was here to do was prove that there was more to being a Barbarian than being a barbarian.

And no one would stand in his way. Not Minerva, not Somnus, and certainly not Leonel.

Leonel picked up the ores and rolled them between his fingers, seemingly lost in thought. For the first time, he wasn't actually wasting his time away, nor was he chatting with Aina. He was just silently observing, his own thoughts roaming a bit before snapping back into focus.

Things were going well, but he still had to thread a proper needle. Should he go all out? Should he hold back? Even potentially losing this round on purpose was on the table.

People probably didn't understand just how much control he had over the Life Tablet right now. It was his to command. Even if he let Talon have it for, it would practically be like a loan he took interest on.

At the same time, if he let Talon have it, then killed him and took it back later, how much trouble would the Minerva Race be in? Everyone would obviously blame him.

Defeating a Barbarian in Crafting was one thing, but defeating them in battle was impossible. If the Dream Asuras were the most dangerous, the Barbarians were the strongest of the Demi-Gods. Talon was probably able to hold back from fighting him earlier because he felt it wouldn't be a challenge at all. Who would believe that Leonel had been the one to kill him?

It was a plan that might work, actually. Because while Minerva seemed to have thought of it, and Somnus seemed to have realized it as well, while Talon was intelligent, he wasn't on that level.

'He might not be on that level, but he's smarter than he seems. No Crafter of this level could possibly be a fool.'Leonel looked up and watched Talon for a long while. Every one of his downward strokes took on a masterful level of control. But even further than that, it was the way he simultaneously controlled the lightning.

Every time the skies rumbled and his hammer slammed down on the ores, the bolts would shattered like fragmented glass, running across the workbench and Talon's body.

Talon would then control these thousands of small strands of lightning in a split moment, feeding them into his Craft and even using them to draw Force Arts.

His hammer, or, rather, his Earthen Lightning Spirit, was actually both his Spirit and his Force Quill.

It was fascinating, and the level of control needed was on a level no less than that of the Life State. He was controlling what was easily tens of thousands of variables at the same time, but that wasn't the shocking part. It was the fact he was not only juggling them, but every second he had to toss them away and begin a new juggle of thousands, each thrown in random locations.

Maybe the most impressive part, though, was also the most obvious.

He was controlling the wild lightning of a Demi-God World.

That sort of thing was hard to beat. It was practically like he was refining his Craft with the world at his back.

This was a level of Crafting mastery that could shock the masses.

Leonel looked back down at the Ores. Even Talon's selection was interesting.

It was easy to use a dozen Ores at their level to create something spectacular, but it was much harder when you limited the number. The room for creativity was lessened and the paths you could veer onto were restricted.Even beyond that, the Ore choice itself was likewise interesting.

Elastic Flash Ore was a Lightning Force imbued Ore. It was a Vein Type Ore, and what was interesting about it was that it could form a web of lightning within a Craft to give it "elastic" properties. However, not in the normal sense, but rather a more intangible sense.

It wouldn't make a material like rubber, but it was very good at using its net of rubber to transfer Force impacts from a singular location across many. If it was properly applied, that is.

Then there was Sparking Rose Ore. It was a Fire Force imbued Ore and it was interesting because it could take a small spark and make it bloom, thus its name. It was likewise a Vein Type Ore, but it was designed to amplify.

One could see the trouble, then. One had a dampening effect and the other had an amplifying effect.

While the former was good for a brace that would often be used defensively or help one's wrist to absorb high velocity impact, the latter seemed like an absolutely terrible choice to do the same.

That was why Leonel praised Talon's choice. It was well in line with the spirit of the Gathering of Minds and it would definitely elicit a great deal of discussion from the Crafters of the world... if Talon's skill hadn't already done so.

And it was precisely because of this choice that Leonel decided that he wouldn't throw the match.

Every time he interacted with these people, he learned a little bit more about them. Everything he learned, he threw into his Simulations and made decisions on them.

Talon was much more meticulous than he looked. And such a simple plan... wouldn't work on such a man.

It would be better if he crushed him entirely.

Having made his choice, Leonel closed his eyes and sat down. After a single breath, his eyes opened once again as his wife leaned her head against his shoulder.

The world seemed to still, and in Leonel's region, the thoughts and actions of others seemed to have disappeared.

The moment Leonel's arms raised just the slightest bit, the sleeve of silver and gold on his left arm thrummed to life.