Experience Dummy Mage, Mordo

It was certainly good news that he could lend 'Demon Armor Incursio' to others. He could use this fact to influence events without entering the battle himself, and he didn't have to worry about getting the armor back if the borrower tried to betray him.

For example, getting a certain Green Giant's already monstrous strength amplified by 'Demon Armor Incursio' would be a terrifying sight.

"Remember my words. Don't let your power control you."

Ancient One returned the key to 'Demon Armor Incursio' and turned to leave. Fanny opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't ask why Ancient One didn't let the armor form over her body.

...

"Senior Mordo, let's fight!"

Fanny made a ruckus in front of Mordo's quarter early in the morning.

For the past week, Fanny had been fighting Mordo using the 'Demon Armor Incursio' almost every day. The experience he gained through the spar was beyond his expectation.

Mordo was taken aback when he first saw 'Demon Armor Incursio.' He asked many questions about it; Fanny took the lazy way out and lied to him, saying that the armor was a special magic tool Ancient One gave.

This resulted in Mordo sulking every so often in secret, murmuring something about how it's unfair.

That aside, Fanny discovered through the week of testing that he had greatly underestimated the experience he could gain from fighting, or specifically fighting against experts.

The experience he gained by fighting Mordo this week alone was comparable to three months of his previous efforts. With this terrifying pace, a month would be equivalent to a whole year.

Moreover, Fanny discovered that winning a fight gives him more experience than defeat. He accidentally discovered this when Mordo was distracted.

Fanny regretted not discovering this earlier. If he had known, the skills he could've gotten would be well worth the risk of being discovered and constant troublemaking. Or so he thought.

Fanny remembered what Ancient One told him and realized that discovering this mechanic earlier wouldn't help him at all.

The most important factor in the recent boost of experience was the expertise of his opponents and the use of 'Demon Armor Incursio' to bridge the gap. 'Ars Magna' and 'Sumire Karaage Rolls' would not help him much in fighting stronger people and experts.

Therefore, without both 'Demon Armor Incursio' to boost his strength and Mordo's expertise, he could not achieve the experience boost.

Fanny decided to forget his regret and cherish the present—that is, the happy experience farming with Mordo.

"Have you been possessed recently?"

Mo Du opened the door and complained with a bitter face. He had asked Ancient One about 'Demon Armor Incursio' because he was worried. Ancient One denied that she had given the artifact to Fanny, but she told Mordo to help Fanny regardless.

"Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense. Let's go quickly."

Fanny pulled Mordo to the training field. The mages that saw them on the way gathered around.

Kamar-Taj was only so big. The rumor about Fanny and Mordo sparring almost every day had spread in the blink of an eye. It was actually not uncommon among mage disciples.

However, Mordo and Fanny were direct disciples of Ancient One. Putting Fanny aside, Mordo was one of the top apprentices in Kamar-Taj.

Being a mage was not a safe profession. The duty to protect the safety of this world requires the ability to defend against threats, that is, combat magic.

Therefore, a lot of mages always come to watch the two spar.

"Master Fanny, come on, do your best to beat Master Mordo!"

"Master Mordo, don't get beaten so carelessly like last time!"

Both of them had gained fans in the training ground. Fanny had only been here for little more than a month, but he had won the favor of many mages through his 'Sumire Karaage Rolls' and young age.

Fanny ignored the ruckus outside the ring and glared in provocation at Mordo. He stretched his hand forward and summoned the long sword, shouting,

"Incursio!"

Silver and white armor covered his body in the blink of an eye. He didn't have any weapons on hand, but in terms of style and appearance, he had beaten Mordo by a mile.

The mages around them were used to Fanny's 'Demon Armor Incursio' by now, but most of them, including Mordo, were shocked when they first saw it.

Similarly, a lot of them also gossiped in envy when they discovered its "origin," saying stuff like "Master Ancient One is so biased" and "I want armor too."

Ancient One could only rebuke them helplessly.

Seeing that Fanny had finished summoning his equipment, Mordo also entered a battle stance. He quickly activated his Vaulting Boots of Valtorr and summoned protective Rings of Raggadorr with his hands.

Most of Kamar-Taj's mages were close-combat mages. Long-range combat magic does exist, but they were too complex and powerful for ordinary mages to learn and control.

Fanny was not sure if Mordo could use long-range magic, but they were only sparring. They cannot use powerful spells that might severely injure or kill. Ancient One was also present with her Time Stone, so any accident could be immediately reversed.

With the armor advantage, Fanny chose a decisive and straightforward combat style. He immediately rushed at Mordo.

Mordo calmly watched Fanny's movement, activated the Vaulting Boots of Valtorr to leap up high, jumped one more time in midair, and landed behind Fanny.

However, Fanny reacted just as fast to Mordo's movement. He blocked Mordo's attack from behind him with an arm.

"Fanny, you are a mage. Don't just rely on your armor,"

Mordo shouted while stepping back. It was not out of jealousy or displeasure but genuine advice; Fanny must not be overly dependent on his armor if he wants to learn magic.

Fanny took the advice to his heart. The 'Demon Armor Incursio' boosted all his stats, including magic power and control. The barely visible sparks of magic he conjured were amplified into smooth threads.

Flickering, threads.

Fanny formed a dim Ring of Raggadorr in his right hand and once again rushed towards Mordo.

The two exchanged blows after blows, cheered by the surrounding mages. Fanny was ultimately defeated after about half an hour due to his lack of stamina.

Fanny laid his body on the ground, having removed the 'Demon Armor Incursio.' He had no energy left to care about appearance. Mordo was also panting, but he looked much better than Fanny.

"You should've let me win a few times, Senior Mordo."

Despite what he said, Fanny knew full well that Mordo was already going easy on him. Otherwise, the fight wouldn't have lasted anywhere as long. Mordo kept pointing out Fanny's flaws during the battle.

That was also why he was called Senior Mordo, while others in Kamar-Taj were called Mage.

"The real enemy won't go easy on you!"

After Mordo finished the training, he asked with concern, "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Don't joke around, Senior Mordo. I might've lost to you in the end, but you still couldn't breach my defense."

Mordo felt a pang of uneasiness. He couldn't help but mutter in his heart, "I came here first. Why do our master favor you?"

In the following days, Fanny fought with other mages one after another. But the experience he gained from Mordo was still the highest. For this reason, Fanny secretly gave Mordo a nickname.

The Experience Dummy Mage, Mordo!

Another month passed just like that, but then a phone call disrupted Fanny's experience farming routine.