Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Duel of Skill
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The students' eyes darted frantically back and forth between Hans and Ascanien.
*He definitely said the thing on his wrist was a restraint.*
Sure, he'd toned down its performance as a restraint since he was still casting spells, but it had to be limiting his mana regardless.
Three days ago, the guy's mana had been on a scale that overwhelmed anyone, flashy enough that you'd never forget it after one glance. Even now, the image of those bursting flames was vivid in her mind.
But this was different.
The mana Ascanien was emitting now was calm and serene, nothing like that day.
And yet...
*...What the hell?*
Even with mana no different from theirs, Hans couldn't keep up at all.
They'd been studying magic for fifteen years straight, from before the Third Education Academy up to now.
Was he seriously getting pushed around by a total newbie just starting out?
And the guy had even put on restraints to match their output on purpose?
*No way in hell.*
Boom! Crash!
Ascanien wore a soft smile, occasionally letting out a laugh like he was genuinely amused.
He swatted away every attack Hans fired off like he was playing tennis.
Hans, on the other hand, was turning redder in the face by the second.
*...This can't happen.*
Get emotional, and you're done. The one who stays cool and thinks straight always wins.
Hans knew that full well, but the fact that he was getting one-sidedly dominated by someone who'd learned magic just days ago seemed to be driving him insane.
The student glanced around uneasily, then cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.
"Hans!"
Ascanien glanced her way, flashing a playful grin before speaking in a gentle tone.
"Calm down, Hans."
Hans froze for a split second.
Drenched in sweat, he stared blankly at Ascanien, then gripped his wand tighter.
*No, you're just pissing him off more...! Calm down my ass?!*
Hans took a deep breath, his face flushed crimson. He seemed to realize he was losing it.
Just when she thought he might cool off, he started chanting—the very incantation he'd dismissed Ascanien for using like a rookie moments ago.
[Yet the Lord knows all the paths I take!]
"Uh, uh!"
Rumble—
The students standing around the training grounds leaped back.
Dark green mana split into seven strands, twisting wildly as they shot out in all directions.
The student clenched her fist, assessing the situation.
*...Perfect.*
She'd been a bit thrown off, but it worked out.
This was Hans's go-to spell, the one he was most confident in.
All those rotating strands of mana would shoot up into the sky before diving back down.
Just dodge, right?
Her eyes flicked to Ascanien. The spot where he stood had turned pitch black, mana coiling from his feet up to his thighs like a vice. No escape.
*He's layered anti-warp runes on top of that spell.*
And that wasn't all.
Hans had probably woven close to ten runes across the field.
That was technique.
Maximizing output tenfold, a hundredfold, even with average mana reserves.
The noise, which had faded into the background, swelled again.
*He can't just swat this away...*
With attacks coming from every direction, blocking each strand one by one would just leave him wide open to getting hit.
The acceleration from the dive made it impossible to cover with his current mana.
Barriers were out too—they'd shatter and cause even worse damage.
*How's he gonna handle this?*
The student smirked, clenching her sweaty fist.
She felt a twinge of guilt for setting up a loss against a classmate just three days after he became the talk of the school, but grades were more important than anything.
Ascanien grimaced down at his legs, then looked up at the mana hurtling toward him.
Heated to the point of changing color, it was closing in.
Rumble—
At that moment, Ascanien's lips curved upward. He raised his staff and slammed it into the ground.
[Yet the Lord knows all the paths I take.]
Boom!
The student winced.
Wasn't that the exact attack formula Hans had just used?
*Even if he copies it, he'll take the first hit and go down... Wait.*
Her eyes widened.
Ascanien's red mana swirled in the opposite direction, surging along each of Hans's strands.
Groan—crackle! Crack!
"Ugh!"
"Wha—!"
The student instinctively raised her arm to shield her eyes. Sparks flew like fireworks as the mana clashed.
Hans's mana, shaved down by Ascanien's, was still fierce but losing its edge.
Realizing what happened, the student gaped in shock.
A straight counterattack should have met seven sequential strikes, but it ended in one clash.
So yeah, he'd used Hans's custom formula.
The real question was how every single one of Ascanien's attacks had hit Hans's perfectly.
*How?*
Formulas target a single point.
They spiral in from all sides, but converge on one spot.
Against seven separate targets like this, a point-guided attack was a gamble—hit or miss.
Which meant...
*...He operated seven formulas at once?*
Separate targeting for each strand.
Who the hell does that? You're lucky not to get hit calculating it.
Speechless, the student could only stare at the red flames.
He'd clearly weakened the overall assault first, then planned to dismantle them one by one.
Situational awareness and computational skill like that? Undeniable.
For someone with no real duel experience, his decisions were too seasoned, every outcome precise without error.
Boom! Crash! Crash!
Sure enough, Ascanien twisted his waist, swatting the green attacks closing in from behind one by one. But the mana above his head and charging from the front remained untouched.
As he watched it dumbfoundedly, a slanted barrier unfurled above Ascanien.
*...Slanted...?*
Boom! Boom! Crash!
The mana plunging toward him veered off course, hurtling straight at Hans instead.
Hans's eyes widened as he kept pumping mana into the ground.
Finally grasping the picture Ascanien had drawn, the student let out an involuntary chuckle.
*So that's the goal.*
Too busy defending to counterattack with his own mana.
Focusing solely on defense hands initiative to Hans.
*So... redirect the enemy's attacks to save mana and hit back.*
Reflecting required a strong barrier, which had limits, so he'd opted to weaken the incoming power instead.
Flawless theory, executed ideally—he'd countered Hans's "technical" assault with perfect technique.
Proof he was a prodigy.
*......*
Boom!
The black mana binding Ascanien's legs vanished, a blinding flash erupting in front of Hans.
Scraaape—
The sound of Hans's shoe heel scraping the ground echoed.
Panting heavily, Hans slowly lowered his arms from his face.
The watching students stood frozen, silence falling.
Ascanien twirled his wand with a smile.
"How's it feel getting hit by your own mana?"
"......"
"Impressive, Hans. No wonder your grades are what they are."
As he finished, Ascanien whipped his head toward the students, eyes wide in surprise, then burst into clear laughter.
Hans just stood there, staring at him.
*Honestly, I get it now.*
The student had no choice but to admit it.
Everyone watching, herself included, understood why the professor had given Ascanien that 1+.
Even after minutes passed with Hans rooted in place, Ascanien lowered his wand and approached.
"That's it? Sparring with someone as skilled as you is a real treat. Next time..."
Hans switched his wand to his other hand, a white blade forming from its tip. He channeled mana into his legs and kicked off the ground.
Whoosh!
The student's eyes widened. Ascanien's mouth fell open in surprise.
As Hans's sword flew toward Ascanien's right shoulder, Ascanien twisted sideways, stepping back.
"How about taking a deep breath?"
*What, wait, what the hell...!*
The student gaped in horror.
This time, she was rooting for Ascanien.
No solidification spell meant a mana blade wouldn't cause real injury on contact, but it could meaningfully damage cores and mana veins.
Of course, with magic involved, no need for sword-on-sword. Ascanien could just flick his wand to block.
But charging in with a weapon unannounced? Bad form, no question.
"Hans! Enough!"
"Even your friend says so."
Clang!
Ascanien, still smiling gently, parried Hans's blade effortlessly with his own wand-turned-sword.
No idea why he was grinning while drawing a blade...
*No, this isn't something you can just think your way out of.*
Hans had clearly lost it, confirming he was outmatched by a few-days learner.
She might've snapped too if she were in his shoes—embarrassed, disbelieving.
But they'd only wanted to gauge his skill through sparring, not injure Ascanien.
Better call the professor before this escalates.
The student spun and bolted from the training grounds.
* * *
Hans gritted his teeth.
Despite unleashing a frenzy of wand thrusts and mana blasts, not a speck had touched Ascanien.
Pouring on more attacks changed nothing.
His own mana got devoured by that inferno-like force, leaving afterimages in the air.
Blood filled his mouth from bitten lips. Nails dug into his sweaty palms.
Fine. He had to admit it.
The guy hadn't even properly learned magic, yet grasped the core elements that decided fights.
*But...*
Taking pointers from someone who'd never had real training?
Grades didn't matter anymore.
No way was he letting himself get this one-sidedly crushed alone. He needed to see that same look on Ascanien's face.
*...Magic can be fudged with talent, but swordsmanship? No covering that with raw gift.*
And he was one of the top in spellblade arts school-wide.
He channeled mana into his legs and kicked off.
Ascanien's startled eyes rushed closer. As he swung fiercely, the voice slid sideways.
"How about taking a deep breath?"
"......!"
Pivoted on his axis. Impressive reaction time, but doable.
Calm settled in Hans's eyes.
Ascanien's wand had become a sword like his.
But his stance was off—tip pointed down, like he had no intent to attack.
*As expected.*
No basics. This was winnable. Hans's blade chased Ascanien's path swiftly.
"Even your friend says so."
Ascanien's sword clashed and rebounded.
Hans's eyes sharpened.
He swung along Ascanien's retreat, mana trailing in glowing arcs.
Clang!
The blades met briefly before Ascanien's slipped away. Chase as he might, Ascanien neither counterattacked nor pressed—just dodged or deflected, stepping back one or two paces.
"Gonna keep scurrying like a rat?!"
"Weren't you the one preaching technique?"
Ascanien retreated lightly again, flowing the attack aside.
No matter the angle or style, he parried everything without losing composure.
Moves no beginner should have—yet Hans fixated not on skill, but on Ascanien not taking him seriously.
Boiling over, Hans bellowed without thinking.
"You mocking this spar? Fight for real!"
Ascanien tilted his head slightly.
"Cool off first. What's the point of sparring like this?"
"......"
Swoosh—
Hans slashed diagonally from upper right.
Before Ascanien's blade could block, Hans twisted his wrist outward. Defying momentum, his sword arced from left to right toward Ascanien's ribs.
"Whoa! Hey, dude...!"
"Hey!"
Claaang!
Ascanien inverted his grip, blocking solidly. He'd put real force into it.
*...When?*
No deflection this time. Hans's mind cleared a bit. Luck before, maybe—but this reaction wasn't novice level.
*...No, more than that, this guy's stronger than he looks...*
Skinny as a rail, no muscle to speak of—yet the power through the blade was perfectly stable, mana distributed just right.
Hans unconsciously tensed his arm.
Ascanien eyed him quietly.
"You want me to stop dodging?"
What kind of stupid question was that?
Hans scowled, glancing from the sword to Ascanien.
"Time to wrap this up. You tell me—how should I finish you?"
Ascanien's eyes crinkled softly.
An ominously gentle smile.