Chapter 33

Lena held the longsword named "Dawn" in her hand, but Gordan did not know its origin. However, from the look of surprise on Pastor Jack's face, it was clear that it was no ordinary weapon.

"Dawn is a divine gift bestowed upon me by Lady Dawn," Lena said, her slender, pale hands, which did not seem to belong to a warrior, gently caressed the blade as if a mother was stroking her child. "It has the innate ability to purify all toxins and diseases, and can be used three times a day. Get ready, I'm about to begin."

Lena murmured a prayer, invoking the name of Melidia. The three diamonds on the hilt emitted a light that seemed to dispel the darkness and bring dawn, enveloping Gordan entirely.

Gordan felt as if he was being cleansed by holy light, a warm and refreshing sensation spreading throughout his body. The toxins were gradually neutralized, and the numbness and dull discomfort he had felt disappeared completely.

Gordan moved his arms and exclaimed in surprise, "Miss Lena, your help has given me a new lease on life!"

"Thank Lady Dawn," Lena said calmly. "The time for the duel has arrived, and Mage Hawlin is getting impatient."

"I am too." Gordan straightened his collar and walked onto the dueling field.

In the Platinum Square, a statue of the Dragon God stood tall. This ten-meter-high statue was cast from a mixture of fine iron and platinum. The Dragon God spread its wings that blocked out the sky, its head held high, and with a solemn and majestic gaze, it looked into the distance—supposedly towards the Spine of the World, Mount Heim, where the gods and the Old Ones had once fought a cataclysmic battle, ushering in a new era for intelligent beings in the First Epoch.

"In the name of Bahamut, I will decide who will ultimately have the honor with my life and blood..."

The two mages recited the solemn duel vows before the statue of the Dragon God—of course, they might not have truly felt that way. The priest of Bahamut, who was overseeing the duel, announced, "The duel begins."

The duel prohibited the use of any magical equipment or items, and the mages could only fight with their true strength. Therefore, a mage duel was very similar to a game of intellect, involving offense and counter-offense, restraint and counter-restraint.

When a mage reached level five and was eligible to learn third-level spells, they could choose one of the eight schools of magic to specialize in, but the cost was giving up two additional schools of spells.

Hawlin had given up the schools of Divination and Illusion, which were not strong in actual combat, and specialized in the school of Evocation. In fact, if conditions allowed, many mages would choose Evocation as their specialization. This was because the school of Evocation was known as the most comprehensive of the eight schools, encompassing almost all functional spells, including attack, defense, control, summoning, enhancement, and space.

In "The Ancient Epoch," a veteran mage player summarized it with a phrase: "All arcane power lies in Evocation." This well represented the status of the school of Evocation.

Of course, the phrase was not complete; the latter half was "All abnormalities come from Transmutation," which summarized a certain characteristic of Transmutation mages.

Hawlin, a powerful and balanced Evocation specialist with no significant weaknesses, was chanting his first spell: Protection from Energy Damage.

Casting a protective spell at the start was not something Hawlin, eager to defeat Gordan, was willing to do. However, he had no choice because he saw Gordan begin to rapidly chant a spell as soon as he entered the field. Complex and swift hand gestures formed a red, glowing ball that emitted a scorching heat.

"Fireball?!" When Hawlin saw the spell Gordan was preparing, he almost mispronounced his own spell and suffered energy backlash.

When he expelled Gordan from the Hand of Ogron, Gordan was just a minor mage who knew only first-level spells. The second time they met at the Mage Guild, Gordan had already become a third-level mage. Now, on the dueling field, Hawlin thought he could overwhelm Gordan with his mastery of third-level spells, but he never expected that Gordan had also learned third-level spells!

Moreover, from the way Gordan was casting the Fireball, it was clear that he was quite proficient, and his casting speed was even faster than Hawlin's!

With no other choice, Hawlin had to abandon his plan to strike first. He gritted his teeth and recited the spell for Protection from Energy Damage as quickly as possible.

However, to Hawlin's and the audience's surprise, Gordan's spell was completed first.

The red energy ball in Gordan's hand had reached its critical point, and it seemed that even a slight external force would cause it to explode, releasing a tremendous amount of destructive power.

With a flick of his wrist, Gordan released the fireball.

Hawlin's lips turned dry, and a wave of fear washed over him. He knew how destructive the Fireball, a representative of the Evocation school, could be. Even metal and iron would melt in the magical flames, let alone the fragile flesh of a mage like him.

He made a quick decision, canceling the protective spell he was casting and running to the side. The Fireball was not like a Magic Missile, which had a guidance function and a 100% hit rate. It could be avoided by running and dodging.

After interrupting the spell, the backlash of arcane energy made Hawlin's internal organs feel as if they had been bitten by a wild beast, causing a tearing pain. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and almost couldn't resist spitting out blood.

"It's better than being hit by the Fireball," Hawlin consoled himself.

From the moment Hawlin canceled his spell and ran to the side, it took less than a second. However, the expected scene of the Fireball whizzing through the air, hitting the target, and exploding violently did not occur.

The red energy ball Gordan had launched rolled slowly toward Hawlin, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.

"This..."

"It's not a Fireball?"

"What strange spell is this?"

Everyone was dumbfounded. Even the mages who were well-versed in arcane knowledge were confused and did not understand what was happening.

Dorn Lannister, looking smug, explained to a tall, busty female adventurer beside him, "This is actually a second-level Evocation spell, the Incendiary Ball. This spell is very slow and is only suitable for narrow terrain where you need to advance layer by layer, compressing the enemy's movement space and knocking them down like bowling pins... Uh, you don't know what bowling is? Don't worry, it's just a noble sport that recently became popular."

Dorn had learned many small tricks for spell application from Gordan. The Incendiary Ball, due to its narrow application, was not widely known or mastered. However, this spell had a fast casting speed and energy characteristics very similar to the Fireball, making it useful for deceiving the enemy by pretending to be a Fireball.

Gordan had used this trick to fool countless opponents in "The Ancient Epoch," and Hawlin was just another fool after the穿越. Of course, if not for the Netherese scrolls that recorded the Incendiary Ball, Gordan would not have learned this ancient and rare spell.

Seeing the Incendiary Ball rolling slowly toward him, Dorn finally realized he had been tricked. He was furious and embarrassed, and the pain from the energy backlash in his internal organs intensified. He couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

However, the worst was yet to come.

Gordan chanted the spell in fluent Draconic, his thumbs and index fingers pinching together and then crossing to form a cross.

More and more silver orbs were forming in his right hand.

"Magic Missile?" Hawlin struggled to stand up, enduring the pain from the arcane energy backlash and casting a Shield on himself.

An invisible, circular force field appeared in front of Hawlin.

The Shield not only reduced physical damage from blades, fists, and feet but also completely blocked the attack of Magic Missiles. Hawlin, despite being severely injured and in danger, correctly chose this first-level spell to counter Gordan, demonstrating his well-trained and clear-headed nature.

However, he did not know that Gordan's Magic Missiles were different.

With a light flick of his hand, the silver energy in Gordan's hand detached from his fingertips, transforming into twelve silver energy projectiles that whizzed toward Hawlin.

"Magic Missiles? By Mystra, why are there so many? This is like a dense storm!" a young mage exclaimed.

Beside him, an older mage looked at him as if he were an idiot. "This is a newly created spell, not some ordinary Magic Missile. Look closely!"

Following the older mage's finger, a more astonishing scene unfolded on the dueling field.

The Shield, which should have completely blocked the damage from Magic Missiles, suddenly became ineffective. The twelve silver energy projectiles Gordan had launched penetrated the transparent shield without any resistance and struck Hawlin hard!

"How can this be!" This was the only thought that repeated in Hawlin's mind as he lost consciousness.

The Shield completely blocked the damage from Magic Missiles because they were both first-level spells and had the same force field property, so their energies would cancel each other out and merge when they collided.

However, the improved and innovative Missile Storm that Gordan had created, though still a force field spell, had a completely different energy level, making the Shield ineffective against it.

The twelve missiles hit Hawlin, and the mage, who had been so confident that morning and intended to crush Gordan, now lay unconscious and barely alive on the dueling field, covered in blood and wounds, a pitiful sight.

Gordan continued to chant the spell, and the Melf's Acid Arrow formed in his hand.

He intended to end the duel and Hawlin's life.

"Mage Gordan, would you consider stopping here?" A mage suddenly appeared in front of Gordan, shielding Hawlin behind him.

He was past middle age but still had the smooth skin of a young man. His pointed ears retained the elven characteristic, but his body was not as slender as an elf's.

A half-elf mage.

"I am Ogron, Hawlin's teacher." The half-elf mage bowed to Gordan.