Training Duel

In a small square area made of polished stones that was designed to be used as a training ground, gray-skinned people stared at a young man standing in their center.

"The symbol of destruction, the lightining that causes fear in man, destroys my enemies."

A crackling blue lightning struck the training ground and struck a makeshift mannequin made of wood, the destruction being so great that all that was left were small charred wooden branches.

"Damn, isn't this guy really monstrous?" Bernard said

"I had never seen anyone master spells so fast; I remember Bertrand whimpering around the corners because magic was hard to understand," Sila added.

"Well, magic is really hard... This guy, what exactly is he? I've never heard of someone mastering six spells in just two weeks; how is such a thing possible?" Bertrand said it with a shocked face.

It had been two weeks since Vince had been in Red Castle; the time when he was afraid had passed, and he felt that he was getting more and more used to the culture and customs of the people here. The only thing he could complain about was the repetitive, tasteless food—a kind of green bread prepared with some ingredient unknown to him.

Other than that, he felt like he was living inside a dream, and in the last few weeks, he recorded a total of six spells.

They are: "Guiding Light," "Fireball," "Lightning Spear," "Air Breath," "Mana Barrier," and "Clean."

"Clean" was surprisingly the most useful, since in this place water was scarce and he, as someone who took hygiene extremely seriously, could die here—not from darkness or monsters but from dirt.

He had seen most of these spells in action before, but only after using them did he learn how big the difference was between a mage and a human.

Even though he was only a beginner, he had the strength to deal alone with a group of people, something that before, without proper planning, would have been like digging his own grave.

He also realized the greatness of the path he was following.

Mage without a circle formed until they complete their third are called in the magical world low-ranking mages or just magi.

Between the fourth and fifth circles there are the adept mages, usually referred to with the element of their preference, for example "fire mage" or "earth mage", They are those who are in the middle of the way; they are the students who are no longer underestimated; they are the ones decorated for their wisdom, faith, and dedication, becoming masters in their area of expertise.

Those who reach the sixth circle are the elite and receive the title of high magician. They are the most experienced magicians, and they are recognized as the bridges to the future, thanks to their possibility of elaborating theories and studies related to magic.

Above this, there is a qualitative change; those who manage to advance to the seventh circle are known as magistrate mages, the elite among the elite, those who have their name in high relevance in the magical community due to their achievements.

In addition to even the high mages, there are those who managed to advance to the eighth circle: the masters of magic, the greatest mages of their respective times, an archmage. Legends say that if they wanted to, even the mountains would bow in their presence.

'Honestly, it seems so far away... but one day I'm sure I'll be among these giants!' he thought as he looked at the destruction his spell had caused.

"Hey Bertrand, what do you think of another match?" "It's not much fun to shoot at a stationary target," Vince said.

"Well, why not?" "Getting back to the basics can be good sometimes."

Bertrand was a fifth-circle mage, an adept of earth magic, but whenever he trained with Vince, he limited himself to using spells up to the third circle at most.

"I'll be the judge this time, then." Sila said with a smile, "Let's do as usual; the two of them conjure the mana barrier', and whoever breaks the other's barrier first wins."

Quickly, a small commotion set in, with a few voices filling the room.

"So let's bet as always?" "I still have three suet candies."

Sue sweets were the only different food in this place; the only problem was that it existed in small quantities due to being derived from the nectar of a specific flower that was only born in a certain region.

Vince didn't think the taste was too much, but these people treated the candy the same way a merchant would treat a gold bar.

"Well, I'll bet everything I have on Bertrand; even if he limits himself, experience is a differential."

"I agree; I bet four sweets on Bertrand."

"I bet Vince! You saw the last duel; this guy came so close."

"You have the point; there's a lot of risk but high gains, so I think it's worth it after all."

Most people ended up betting safely on Bertrand, with a few more impulsive people trying their luck at Vince's slim chances.

"These guys... that's just a workout, you know?" sighed Bertrand

"Well, in a way, it makes things more fun; it motivates me a little bit to win for the crazy guys who bet on me," Vince chuckled.

"Let's start then; when the aura flame touches the ground, you can begin!"

Vince and Bertrand then positioned themselves on opposite sides of the arena and both said aloud,

"Oh, invisible power that lights the way of the mages, I ask for your protection."

"Oh, invisible power that lights the way of the mages, I ask for your protection."

A blue circle formed with gentle gestures of the fingers on both of their hands, quickly creating an almost transparent white orb around their bodies.

"Let's get started then."

Sila pulled out a knife that was sheathed in a belt at her waist. She then caused the knife to be covered in a red flame,she taki a step back, and then she threw the knife upwards.

Vince stared intently at the flame-covered knife spinning in the air, getting closer and closer to the ground.

His hand moving alone with anxiety,

The knife then finally hit the ground, and the flame over it extinguished.

Vince quickly sang

"You who provide warmth to man, I ask you to lend me strength to burn those in my way."

A flaming ball then appeared in the circle over his hand and flew in Bertrand's direction.

"Forerunner of life, abundant land, protect me from my enemies."

The floor quickly rose, forming a wall and meeting directly with the fireball.

When the two different forces met, it was noticeable to see the earth wall taking advantage in the confrontation, the fireball extinguishing itself without being able to overtake it, leaving only a cloud of dust.

"Earth has an advantage against fire, even more so in the early circles where you don't have much mana to reinforce it."

The next moment, Bertrand heard a crackle of lightning, and the next instant, a small spear of lightning broke through the earth's wall once weakened by the fireball.

'Um, you seem to have increased your launch speed in such a short time; you're really a little monster, thought Bertrand.

"Protect me, Earth Cube."

An earth cube quickly surrounded Bertrand, rising in a matter of seconds; if he hadn't used his experience to reduce the size of the spell, he probably would have lost the duel.

The lightning smashed into the earth's cube, but only managed to leave cracks on its surface.

"Attack, Stone Spear."

A spear then formed on one of the cube's surfaces and advanced towards Vince.

'Damn, you are using shortened enchantments after all! are you really taking this seriously...' Sila thought as she watched

The stone spear was a little slow, and Vince was also ready for Bertrand's quick reaction; the circle in his hand pointed downward.

"Oh, wind that proves direction to man, I ask you to lend me your indomitable power."

A strong gust of wind then came out of the circle, and as Vince was pointing him down, his body was eventually thrown upwards, narrowly dodging the stone spear.

Vince looked over and looked at Bertrand's position and held out his hand, enjoying the few seconds before the spell ended and gravity did its job.

"What is he doing?" "He's probably are not going to be able to sing; that's not a levitation spell; his body was just flung up," Bertrand thought.

Then he listened.

"A symbol of destruction, attack."

'What? Did he reduce the spell? But how? It's still too early!'

Bertrand saw the lightning rapidly approaching his earth cube but could not react; after all, this was one of the spells designed with the idea of leaving no time for response from his opponents.

"I underestimated him..."

The lightning arrow shattered the earth cube and then hit the white barrier around Bertrand.

It wasn't enough to go any further, but it ended up completely shattering a simple mana barrier.

"And we have our winner!" shouted Sila.

"Damn, I don't believe it! Damn Bertrand and his mania for taking it easy on the rookie."

"Fuck, fuck, I can't believe I won't have anything to get the taste of that green sh*t out of my mouth."

"HAHAHA, I'm rich; I'm definitely rich," Bernard shouted.

Bertrand looked calmly at Vince, who was falling to the ground due to the end of the "Air Breath" spell, and said,

"You really got me; I knew you were talented, but I didn't think it was that much—two weeks, and you can already shorten a spell... I only got that after forming my third circle."

"Well, what can I say?" It wasn't easy; in fact, it was the first time I really tried; I just felt like I could after using that spell several times.

"Maybe you have a good familiarity with lightning." Bertrand looked at him, a wicked smile appearing on his face. "Good to know; next time I won't take it easy."

"Don't be bash losher, dushde," Bernard said, sweets completely filling his mouth.

"You were fine, Vince, and I'd like to try a practice match with you too." Sila said, her eyes sparkling.

"Err, well, I've got some things to do; another day, who knows?"

Vince quickly ran off the battlefield, not giving her time to present arguments; he still feels the effects of the one-sided beating he suffered while fighting her. She just doesn't know how to contain herself.

As he made his way to his room, he thought

"Well, I think I'm ready to form my second circle."