"Spring forth," the incantation echoed, repeated several times. With each repetition, beads of water began to take shape, slowly revealing themselves. This was more than a simple spell. The <Spatial Perception> spell was known for its ability to allow the mage to precisely understand the space around him. But its capabilities extended further, enhancing the effectiveness of long-range attacks.
Controlling a large number of water beads was originally a challenging task, but this spell changed the game. It significantly increased the number of beads that could be manipulated simultaneously. Such an ability to combine and link spells was a testament to a mage's ability, but it was only possible with the aid of mana.
In the midst of this display of power, Dolgyu and Jijel, who had forgotten even their initial intent to rush at Bikelintz, stood frozen. Their eyes widened, filled with a mix of astonishment and disbelief. The sheer number of water beads was overwhelming. It was just too many.
"Amazing!" exclaimed Bikelintz, his focus completely shifted from the battle. He had forgotten to counterattack and simply stood there, mesmerized. Normally, giving a powerful mage like him time to prepare was a cardinal sin in combat. Just a moment's incantation was enough to turn the tide of battle. But this time, instead of retaliating, Bikelintz found himself caught in awe, unable to disrupt the spectacle unfolding before him.
Intrigued, he turned to Professor Ingurdel and asked, "Can all first-year students at this magic academy use magic like this?" Bikelintz was already planning his next steps. If it were true that a mere first-year student could wield such power, he would have to reprimand the mages of the White Wood Knight Order. After all, if a first-year could do this, what did that say about the capabilities of the knights' mages?
"No."
"Definitely not."
"Absolutely not."
It wasn't just Professor Ingurdel who responded with such seriousness, but also Dolgyu and Jijel. At that very moment, as if to punctuate the gravity of their words, Yi-Han's attack recommenced. Water beads formed in mid-air, each tracing its own unique trajectory and speed. Yi-Han's technique, though he might have been reluctant to admit it, bore a striking resemblance to Professor Boladi's renowned <Magic Arrow Control>. The aggressive hurling of numerous projectiles was remarkably similar to the standards set by Professor Boladi.
Watching this, Professor Ingurdel frowned with concern. He was well aware that Yi-Han was learning about magic combat under Professor Boladi, having heard as much from several other professors. He remembered the words: "Do you understand, Ingurdel? Compared to Professor Bagrak, I am nothing. So don't go spreading tales about me, especially not to His Majesty the Emperor." And also, "Why... would Yi-Han learn from Professor Boladi... I didn't realize his talent could be a curse... My apologies. This isn't something I should discuss with you, Professor Ingurdel…"
The professors of this magic academy, being mages themselves, tended to have extreme personalities. Yi-Han, too, was beginning to emulate these professors. A freshman, he had managed to levitate an excessive number of water beads. Even with abundant mana, the mental strain of controlling each one must have been significant.
With these thoughts, Professor Ingurdel seriously considered visiting Professor Boladi to make a request. Wasn't it potentially dangerous to let Yi-Han levitate so many water beads so soon? "I must speak cautiously," he thought to himself. Among the professors of this magic academy, only Professor Ingurdel seemed truly capable of protecting the students.
Yi-Han felt a shiver run down his spine, accompanied by a single thought: 'So strong!' This strength, the kind that could instill fear in others, was it typical of a high-caliber knight? Yet, unbeknownst to Yi-Han, there was another reason for his chill, one that he was completely oblivious to. Had he known, he would have implored Professor Ingurdel, "Please don't say anything strange to Professor Boladi!"
But at that moment, Yi-Han's entire focus was on confronting Bikelintz. Dolgyu and Jijel coordinated their attacks, rushing in from both sides. Despite the barrage of water beads from mid-air, Bikelintz remained unshaken. He effortlessly cut through the incoming water beads, scattering them, and repelled the two swordsmen with ease. Yi-Han realized, 'This... even <Ferkuntra's Lesser Thunderbolt> won't work.'
The only reason the three students were able to maintain their ground was that Bikelintz wasn’t aggressively pursuing them. Yi-Han knew that if Bikelintz switched to an offensive attack, their combined efforts would quickly fall apart. They needed to inflict some damage while Bikelintz was still holding back, but this was proving to be a daunting task.
Yi-Han had never planned to win the battle with the water beads. They were a distraction, a feint to confuse Bikelintz and create an opening. But the lack of any opening was proving frustrating. 'Why on earth did Professor Ingurdel bring such a knight here...' he wondered, yet despite his complaints, his body instinctively moved towards the best possible strategy in that moment.
"I hide in the night," whispered Yi-Han, uttering the incantation softly as he stepped back into the illusion. His body began to fade, becoming transparent. Unnoticed by Bikelintz, who was distracted by the distance and the multiple illusions created by <Farhait’s Lesser Illusion>, Yi-Han found a moment of respite.
'This far only.' Even with the invisibility spell, Yi-Han dared not approach closer. He was wary of the opponent's acute senses. From Professor Boladi's teachings, he knew that a skilled mage could detect their surroundings using mana alone, even when blindfolded. A skilled knight would likely have the same ability. Approaching within a certain range would surely give him away, despite the spell of invisibility. It was a frustrating limitation, but it was one that he had to accept.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Yi-Han braced for what was to come. Time was now his adversary. 'I believe in you, Ferkuntra!' he silently affirmed. "Strike down, Ferkuntra's Thunderbolt!" he called out. Mana erupted from the center of Yi-Han's body, transforming into lightning energy. The spell he was casting, a spherical form of lightning energy, was a feat impossible with the 1st Circle spell <Lightning Creation>. The energy surged fiercely before shooting out towards its target.
Bikelintz, for the first time that day, was genuinely surprised. The boy from the Wardanaz family had managed to stealthily approach and launch a lightning spell from behind. And it wasn't just any spell, but one that appeared to be at least of the 4th Circle! The speed of the casting, especially in the heat of battle, was astounding. Casting spells in a calm environment was one thing, but doing so under pressure, quickly and accurately, was quite another. This level of skill was beyond even the mages of the White Wood Knight Order. 'Wardanaz family... were the rumors underestimated?' Bikelintz wondered.
Clang-!!!! A purple light erupted from Bikelintz's sword, clashing head-on with the incoming lightning. The thunderous roar that followed tore the lightning apart, scattering it to the sides before it vanished upon striking the ground. The scorched earth where the lightning hit testified to its power, but for Yi-Han, it was a hollow victory. '...Ferkuntra. I will never trust you again!' he thought bitterly. What use was acknowledging the spirit’s power if his trusted magic was so easily blocked?
Cursing Ferkuntra in his disappointment, Yi-Han realized that Bikelintz's attitude had shifted. "I am truly impressed," Bikelintz acknowledged, his sword still crackling with residual lightning. He decided that remaining passive would be an insult and rudeness to an opponent who, despite being young and a freshman, displayed remarkable skill. A sincere response was due.
Yi-Han felt a familiar chill run down his spine. Even without words, he knew what was coming, a prelude to countless similar experiences. "It seems there's a misunderstanding, Sir Knight..." he began, but before he could finish, Bikelintz burst forward, swift as lightning.
Instinctively, Yi-Han began to chant, "Gather, condense, and explode!"
One of the most common misconceptions among non-mages was the notion, 'Couldn't one simply read a grimoire and practice to cast magic without learning from a master?' However, this idea was far from reality. Grimoires used by mages were not primarily for knowledge transfer, but more a reflection of the personal satisfaction of the individual mage. They showed little concern for making the content understandable to the reader. Filled with codes, abstract metaphors, squiggly writing, and abbreviations and references known only to the author, grimoires posed a significant challenge to decipher.
This challenge was evident as Yi-Han struggled with the first chapter of <Basics of Blood Magic and Its Applications>. Despite this book being comparatively detailed and well-written among those he had encountered, deciphering even one spell was a struggle. The spell he managed to understand was <Piblicus's Great and Tremendous Magic Missile>, a creation of the distinguished blood mage Piblicus for future generations of blood mages.
The name of the spell was both ironic and grandiose. Magic Missile, typically a simple 1st Circle spell, was so basic that some mercenaries claimed to be mages by mastering it. However, <Piblicus's Great and Tremendous Magic Missile> was far from standard. It required drawing a massive amount of mana instantaneously and condensing it—a simple principle, but incredibly effective for a blood mage who could amplify mana through blood magic or someone like Yi-Han with abundant mana.
Yi-Han, finding the spell useful, had diligently studied it but never anticipated using it in real combat without prior practice. As he condensed the mana, a strange, unsettling squeaking noise emerged. Initially, Yi-Han thought the magic had failed, but it hadn't. The condensed mana moved according to his will, seemingly on the brink of explosion.
Yi-Han realized the significance of the word 'explode' in the incantation. Normally, a standard Magic Missile would include commands like 'shoot' or 'launch.' But 'explode' implied something different. This spell wasn't meant to fire a Magic Missile at all; it was designed to compress a vast amount of mana into an unstable form and detonate it at close range. Such an unstable Magic Missile couldn't maintain its form to fly; the spell had entirely abandoned the process of launching.
Cursing the blood mages for their dangerous creation, Yi-Han focused his mind. Abandoning the spell now would be akin to suicide. In these circumstances, his only option was to control the impending explosion. 'Control it,' he thought, bracing himself for what was to come.
As Bikelintz charged forward, he was taken aback by the sudden explosion of mana that erupted before him. The rapidity with which such a spell was cast left him in shock. "Ugh!" he grunted, channeling mana through his muscles, fortifying them against the force of the blast. The destructive power of the spell, especially given the brief time it had been cast, was astounding.
While admiring the young adversary's skill internally, Bikelintz managed to knock Yi-Han's staff out of his hand, seemingly bringing the fight to an end. With the conflict appearing to be over, he sheathed his sword and approached Yi-Han. "Perhaps in the White Wood Knight Order..." he began.
But in an unexpected turn of events, Yi-Han swiftly drew his wooden sword and lunged forward. The wooden sword halted just inches from Bikelintz's chest. Bikelintz, initially surprised, then allowed a smirk to cross his face. "I still have much to learn. To make such a mistake..." he reflected, realizing that he had been so absorbed in the spell that he had mistakenly thought the fight was over when the staff was disarmed.
In a gracious acknowledgment of his oversight, Bikelintz conceded, "I have lost." He recognized that, considering the impressive performance of this young freshman, Yi-Han truly deserved the victory.
