Chapter 103: The Incredible Swordsman

"Fram, cover us. If the enemy tries to interrupt our casting, attack them."

After giving instructions to her familiar, Churuk quickly drew her magic wand and began chanting her spell.

Churuk specialized in fire magic and had reached the "Line" level. The girl beside her, Tabitha, excelled in wind magic and had achieved the "Triangle" level.

In the field of wind magic, Tabitha had even surpassed some of the professors at the academy, earning her the nickname "Tabitha of the Snow Wind."

Magic in this world is divided into six levels, each based on the amount of magical power a mage can wield.

The first level is "Point," which is the entry-level for most students at the magic academy.

The second level is "Line," indicating a fully qualified mage capable of standing on their own.

The third level, "Triangle," signifies an elite mage with a deep understanding of magic.

The fourth level is "Rectangle." Few magicians in the world have reached this level, usually only the Pope and the Elf King.

The fifth level is "Pentagon." It's said that only the ancestor of magic, Brimir, reached this level.

The final sixth level exists only in rumors. It's said that Brimir hinted at a higher level, but it has never been witnessed.

As soon as the referee Gruberu announced the start of the duel, Wood's right foot crushed the ground, and his body became a blur as he shot forward.

The speed he displayed stunned everyone present. The speed Saito had shown when he defeated Guiche earlier was already impressive, but Wood's speed was on another level entirely!

Churuk had originally planned to have her familiar stall Wood while she cast a powerful, large-scale spell from the rear.

However, after seeing Wood's speed, she quickly changed her plan. Abandoning the powerful spell that required a long chant, she opted for smaller, faster spells.

It was clear that the opponent's advantage lay in his speed. If he got close, the frail magician wouldn't stand a chance against the swordsman.

Powerful magic is meaningless if there's no time to complete the chant and release it.

As Churuk chanted, a series of spells began to light up before her, forming lines of text.

Just as Wood was about to reach her and interrupt her spell, her familiar, the fire lizard, unleashed a stream of flame at him.

Unlike magicians, familiars can cast spells without chanting, as these spells are more like their innate abilities.

The roaring flames surged toward Wood, but before they could touch his skin, they were torn apart by his sword into harmless sparks.

Seeing that its master was about to be attacked, the fire lizard charged loyally toward Wood.

However, before it could unleash a second burst of fire, Wood's fist connected with its abdomen, and he grabbed its tail, throwing it over his shoulder with a flawless shoulder throw. The impact created a deep pit in the ground, and the fire lizard lost its ability to fight.

Despite being a superior fire-attribute familiar, the fire lizard couldn't withstand a single encounter with Wood.

The strength Wood displayed clearly shocked Churuk and the others, but fortunately, the fire lizard had bought Churuk enough time.

"Fireball! Fireball!"

As her chant concluded, Churuk waved her magic wand toward Wood, and fireballs the size of basketballs rained down on him like a meteor shower.

At the same time, Tabitha also attacked. As Churuk unleashed her fireballs, Tabitha waved her oversized magic wand, summoning a powerful gust of wind.

The wind fanned the flames, causing the fireballs to double in size within moments.

With the wind's force, the initially slow-moving fireballs gained considerable speed.

The heat from the falling fireballs made the entire arena unbearably hot, and the surrounding students gasped in amazement.

Churuk might have only been a "Line" level mage, but with Tabitha's magic boosting her, the strength of this combined attack had certainly reached the "Triangle" level.

Seeing Wood engulfed by the fireballs, the referee, Gruberu, considered stepping in to save him.

However, noticing Wood's calm expression, he decided to wait.

Wood didn't look like someone who was in a desperate situation, which meant he still had something up his sleeve.

"Tsk, this body is so much weaker compared to the one I had in the pirate world. Whether it's speed or strength, it's nothing like before.

But with my Observation Haki, dodging this level of attack shouldn't be a problem."

Despite the danger, Wood remained calm and even found time to complain about his current body's weakness.

"BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!"

The fireballs crashed into the ground, leaving large, charred craters. Wood's figure was completely engulfed by the flames.

"Wood!

Dean Osman, didn't you say the referee would intervene if there was a crisis?"

Anrietta had only known Wood for a short time, but in this world, the bond between a magician and their familiar was often stronger than that between lovers or family.

With Wood now seemingly consumed by flames, Anrietta was naturally anxious and even prepared to use her water magic.

Before Dean Osman could respond, a flash of sword light split the sea of flames in two like a curtain, and Wood's figure emerged, unharmed.

When they saw that Wood was unscathed, his clothes not even singed, everyone present was left speechless once again.

"Impossible! Even if you could use magic, you wouldn't have had time to chant it in such a short period. What on earth did you do?!"

The one who was most unable to accept reality was, of course, Churuk, who had been confident of her victory. In her mind, her magic had surpassed her usual capabilities.

But the current outcome was something she simply couldn't accept.