Chapter 48

◈ Chapter 48: Student Duel (2)

When Eidan asked why Jiban had brought a sword to a magic duel, he noticed that the sword's shape was somehow strange.

The tip was blunt and the blade was thick, making it look more like something for striking rather than cutting.

It was closer to a magic wand shaped like a sword, so in reality, the danger and lethality that a sword should have were almost zero.

The referee hesitated for a moment but then thought it would be fine and let it pass.

"Alright. Both of you, take your positions."

Following the referee's instructions, Eidan and Jiban stood at opposite ends of the arena.

The audience, who had been shouting, fell silent.

Silence descended upon the second training ground.

At the center, Eidan and Jiban stared intensely at each other.

"Start!"

The moment the referee's shout rang out, both of them pointed their wands at each other.

Simultaneously, they wove their mana into threads to manifest their spells.

The first move was a test to see who could land the first blow.

The most basic rule in a duel between mages is to first analyze the gap between oneself and the opponent.

This is done through the exchange of first-tier spells.

Whoosh!

The spell Eidan cast was a first-tier water attribute emission spell, [Flowing Water].

On the other hand, the spell Jiban cast was a first-tier fire attribute emission spell, [Shooting Fire].

There was no need to ask which attribute was superior.

'As expected!'

Eidan inwardly cheered.

To gain the upper hand in the first clash, one had to secure a favorable position in terms of attributes.

It was like a game of rock-paper-scissors, but it wasn't purely based on luck.

'I thought Jiban would definitely use a fire attribute spell.'

Given Jiban's fiery personality and his dislike for Eidan, it was expected that the first spell he would use would be the most powerful fire spell.

And it turned out to be exactly right.

Eidan had read Jiban's spell through psychological warfare and prepared a corresponding spell.

Some students might have thought it was just a coincidence, but the teachers saw it differently.

"Wow. He's taking the lead from the start."

Hugo, standing beside the principal who seemed pleased, did not hide his discomfort.

"The match isn't over yet."

As Hugo said, the situation did not flow in Eidan's favor.

Water and fire. When the two spells collided in mid-air.

Contrary to people's expectations, it was the flames that extinguished the other spell.

"Wow."

"What? Fire beat water?"

"Is there such a huge difference in mana?"

Even if there is a natural advantage in attributes, if one's mana is higher, it can override that advantage.

Jiban was exactly like that.

The flames that vaporized the water in an instant soon flew toward Eidan.

Eidan quickly ducked to avoid the flying flames, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Haha. Did you see that? This is the difference between you and me. A lowly commoner."

Jiban did not stop channeling mana while speaking.

While Eidan was dodging, Jiban immediately prepared his next spell.

Eidan, who had regained his composure, also cast a spell.

This time, both of them cast first-tier spells again.

Jiban's was a lightning attribute spell, and Eidan's was a fire attribute spell.

Boom!

The two spells collided in mid-air and canceled each other out.

However, the place where the spells canceled each other out was slightly closer to Eidan.

Eidan was being pushed back.

"Haha! Is that all you've got?"

Jiban used another spell, and Eidan did the same.

The two spells collided in mid-air again.

Eidan knew he was being outmatched in firepower, so he poured more mana into his spell.

Boom!

The third collision occurred right in front of Eidan.

He was being pushed back more and more.

"Ugh!"

Eidan staggered from the impact of the magical explosion.

"Eidan is being pushed back!"

"Is it true that commoners can't do anything?"

The audience, who were whispering among themselves, was excited.

Meanwhile, Jiban was elated.

The opportunity!

Jiban did not miss the chance as Eidan stumbled and immediately used his next spell.

He intended to capitalize on this momentum and finish the duel.

While they had used spells simultaneously earlier, this time Jiban was much faster.

Jiban's spell manifested again.

Eidan, instead of raising his wand to defend, decided to change his approach.

'No. It's too late to use a spell now!'

Jiban had already started the spell formation.

Even if he tried to catch up hastily, Jiban would still cast the spell first.

Using a simplified spell formation for speed would likely result in a failed spell.

The power was also overwhelmingly in Jiban's favor.

If he had Ludger's source code, he could have cast a spell first and knocked Jiban down, but...

'Given the circumstances, that's impossible.'

Having realized that the spell formation speed was the same during the preliminary skirmish, it was time to try a different approach.

'From here on, I'll use what I learned from Mr. Ludger.'

He had worked tirelessly for the past three days to prepare for this.

Eidan, instead of raising his wand, dashed toward Jiban.

"What?!"

"He's charging in from there?"

"Is he giving up?"

Confusion erupted from various parts of the audience.

Most of the spectators thought Eidan had given up and was just throwing himself into the fray.

Using physical attacks was not a wise decision for a mage.

Is he going to punch or something?

"How barbaric. This is why commoners are what they are."

"Eidan... What are you planning to do?"

While everyone was either mocking or feeling sorry for him,

Jiban's spell was completed.

"Ha! You finally gave up because you couldn't do it!"

Jiban, with a cruel smile, cast a second-tier spell, [Burning Thunder].

A powerful spell that pierces the opponent's body like lightning, it is one of the most potent second-tier spells.

Although there was a safety mechanism to prevent death, the overwhelming mana would still cause excruciating pain.

Jiban aimed the spell precisely at Eidan's forehead.

"Take this!"

Eidan was fearlessly charging toward him.

In the end, a commoner is just a commoner.

That must be Eidan's limit.

Thinking this, Jiban cast [Burning Thunder].

Zap!

A yellow current formed in mid-air and turned into a bolt of lightning that flew toward Eidan.

Everyone watching thought the duel was over.

'It's over. Jiban has won.'

Chris smirked, seeing the duel unfold as he had predicted.

He was already looking forward to seeing Ludger's face when he lost, but...

"What?"

Ludger was watching the duel with a calm expression, as if it wasn't over yet.

It was as if the fight was far from over.

A sudden chill of unease ran down Chris's spine.

"!"

Chris's gaze darted back to the arena.

In his eyes,

Eidan, who was running, turned his upper body and head to the side to avoid the spell coming straight at him.

Zap!

"Ugh!"

[Burning Thunder] grazed Eidan's cheek and shoulder. The pain distorted Eidan's face slightly, but that was all.

Eidan did not stop.

Chris was shocked by the scene.

He realized how Eidan had managed to dodge the attack.

'Even in such a disadvantageous situation, he didn't take his eyes off the opponent?'

When freshmen engage in a magic duel, those who are not yet accustomed to the battle often exhibit rookie behavior.

They might turn their eyes away from the opponent or, when a spell is coming, close their eyes tightly and raise their arms in a futile attempt to defend.

It's a natural instinct when they realize pain is coming.

It's unavoidable.

It's human nature.

The only way to reduce this is through long-term training.

But Eidan was a freshman who had just enrolled, a rookie who knew little about magic.

He was a commoner who hadn't had the opportunity for proper education.

'But...'

Eidan, despite the spell aimed at his forehead, did not flinch, did not turn his eyes away, and did not stop.

This wasn't just a lucky dodge.

It was a combination of courage, a strong will to overcome pain, and the confidence that he could dodge.

'But. If he tries to regain his stance and cast a spell now, it will take time!'

Chris's judgment was accurate. After all, Jiban still held the initiative.

Jiban also took action, responding to Eidan's determination.

Realizing his attack had missed, Jiban quickly prepared his next spell.

There was no time to cast a spell on Eidan, who was still moving...

"!"

However, when Jiban saw the spell formation right in front of Eidan, his eyes widened in shock.

Hugo and Teacher Mari also had the same reaction, and the principal whistled in interest.

Chris, needless to say, was even more astonished.

He immediately recognized the technique Eidan was using.

"K, Kinetic Spell Formation!"

Kinetic Spell Formation.

A practical technique that battle mages learn, allowing them to cast spells while moving.

Chris turned his head to look at Ludger.

The man, who had been watching the duel intently, had a faint smile on his lips.

'Could he have taught him this?'

Given that there was no time to teach a surefire spell, Ludger's options were clearly limited.

That's why Chris had given Jiban a mana amplification potion.

It was fine to be underhanded. Winning was all that mattered.

But Ludger didn't do that.

In just three days, he had taught this commoner a technique that could give him the upper hand in a duel.

'He learned it in just three days?'

No. No.

It wasn't that Ludger had taught him in three days.

Eidan had learned Kinetic Spell Formation in just three days.

'Could a mere commoner have such talent?'

Chris didn't know.

While Jiban and himself had been complacent and spent their time celebrating their presumed victory, Eidan had been working tirelessly and intensely under Ludger's guidance.

When he had prematurely concluded that nothing would change, they had been working hard behind the scenes to change the outcome.

He would never know.

Even if told, he wouldn't understand.

The situation was just too absurd.

'Jiban! You fool! Stop the spell!'

Chris wanted to shout, but his remaining sanity kept his mouth shut.

If he shouted instructions to Jiban now, it would ruin the fair duel and damage his own image.

He could only hope that Jiban would realize the situation and take different action.

'He's wrong.'

Chris squeezed his eyes shut.

Jiban, who had not anticipated that Eidan would cast a spell while running, was preparing his next spell.

If he had been stunned and unable to follow up with his next attack when Eidan dodged his spell, it would have been better.

However, Jiban's mediocre talent, which had served him well until now, became a shackle that held him back.

He quickly responded to the unexpected phenomenon.

His judgment wasn't wrong, but he couldn't react to the second consecutive unexpected spell.

"Huh?"

Jiban, who belatedly noticed the completed spell formation in front of Eidan, realized the situation was turning strange.

But there was no way to complete his own spell formation faster now.

The spell Eidan cast was [Shining Stone], which he had practiced so much.

It was a simple first-tier spell, but given the moment of complacency and shock, it was extremely lethal.

Boom!

The [Shining Stone] pierced through Jiban's spell formation and destroyed it. It didn't stop there; it struck Jiban's forehead forcefully.

"Ugh!"

While not fatal, the pain was unavoidable.

The shock of the impact made Jiban stumble backward.

His movements slowed, and his thoughts froze like ice.

The brief exchange that took less than five seconds

played a decisive role in the outcome of the duel.

Jiban struggled to get up.

But.

Eidan, who had seized the opportunity, was not just standing by.

'It's over.'

Ludger was satisfied as he watched the scene.

The momentum had completely shifted to Eidan.

If this were a physical fight, Jiban might still have a chance.

But a magic duel doesn't work that way.

This was a battle of turns.

From the moment he lost his condition and momentum, defeat was almost certain.

Eidan pointed his wand at Jiban.

"Now it's my turn."

"No, no!"

Despite Jiban's desperate cries,

Eidan's spell immediately struck Jiban's body repeatedly.

The moment the total mana of Jiban's defensive gear dropped to zero, the duel was decided.