Chapter 159
Chapter Title: That's Not How You Use It
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159
“How did it come to this?”
Standing in the middle of the training grounds, Karl looked toward the stands with a sour expression.
Is there anything more fun than watching a fight?
At the news of a duel, students from Class 1 to Class 10 had all swarmed out to watch.
“What? The one dueling is Karl?”
“Who’s his opponent?”
“Looks like a student from Ikot.”
“Is he being looked down on by an Ikot student, so now he has to duel?”
Voices filled with disbelief echoed from all around.
“Well, it is Karl.”
“Yeah, since it’s Karl.”
But soon, they all nodded in understanding.
Watching them, Karl protested with an aggrieved look on his face.
“Hey! You guys! What’s that supposed to mean!”
“You’re endlessly frivolous.”
“And you’re a total pushover.”
“Hey! Let’s make a bet!”
“Who do you think will win?”
“Ooh, that’s a great idea!”
Karl clutched the back of his neck.
Seeing the Lumerne first-years giggling and placing bets, the students from the other academies wore bewildered expressions.
‘This is a lot different from what I imagined.’
Amidst the commotion, Karl let out a deep sigh. “Hah!”
“Trying to be friendly was a waste of time, seriously.”
Muttering to himself, Karl glanced at the male student from Ikot standing before him.
“I still don’t know your name.”
“I am Rikid Brick.”
“The Brick family?”
Karl clicked his tongue.
The Bricks were a family that had served as commanders of the Snow Knights in the Virsen Kingdom for generations.
‘Didn't they say the current heir's name was Rikid?’
In other words, the boy before him was the son of a hero.
While Lumerne had many descendants of famous hero families, the actual children of heroes were rare.
“I apologize for the prince’s discourtesy.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. And I’m used to that kind of attitude.”
Karl shrugged.
“And even if you apologize, you still intend to duel me, right?”
At Karl’s question, Rikid nodded.
“Yes. I understand that Lumerne is thoroughly practical. That is why I have long wished to duel a student from Lumerne’s Magic Department.”
A competitive fire lit up in Rikid’s eyes.
‘The prince had the manners of a stray dog, but this one is a decent guy. Well, you find kids like this everywhere.’
Karl mumbled to himself as he scratched his head.
‘By the way, this kid looks pretty tough. How should I fight him?’
Even at a glance, he was an opponent of no small skill.
In Karl’s eyes, Rikid was skilled enough to pass the Lumerne entrance exam without difficulty.
‘He could probably even aim for the top ranks.’
Slowly gauging Rikid’s strength, Karl began preparing a magic spell.
Watching this, Haviden let out a sneer.
“He’s going to be humiliated in front of everyone.”
The top-class students of the three great academies were superior to the mid-to-low-ranking students of Lumerne.
However, the public perception was that Lumerne students were superior to those of the three great academies.
If Karl were to be defeated by Rikid, a student from Ikot, in front of hundreds of people, it would be an unparalleled humiliation.
“Pushing your own classmate into a corner to be humiliated. Senior Leo, perhaps you don’t actually consider Senior Karl a friend?”
“Just watch.”
Leo said with a smirk.
Haviden frowned slightly at his relaxed demeanor.
Meanwhile, Karl, having finished his preparations for the duel, spoke up.
“Shall we begin?”
“Yes.”
Karl took a coin from his pocket.
*Ting-! Whirrrrrr-!*
The clear sound of the coin flipping into the air rang out.
*Ting-!*
The moment the coin hit the training ground floor, Rikid pulled a weapon from his sub-space.
*Whoosh-!*
As he watched Rikid pull out and swing a long spear taller than himself, Karl grinned.
“Spearmanship, huh? Interesting… huh?”
*Crack-crack-crack-!*
As an aura of ice erupted from the widely swung spear, Karl yelped and launched himself into the air.
The ground froze solid.
If he had been even a moment later, his feet would have been trapped, leaving him utterly helpless.
“Your casting speed is different from that of ordinary mages. As expected of Lumerne.”
Undeterred by the icy ground, Rikid used Aura Steps to close the distance to Karl.
Seeing this, Karl hurriedly cast a spell.
“Fire Arrow!”
*Fwoooosh-!*
A volley of arrows made of flame materialized in the air.
Rikid was impressed.
‘He’s on a different level from the mages my age I’ve faced until now.’
To cast such a significant number of attack spells while maintaining a Fly spell.
‘He’s certainly skilled in combat.’
Moreover, his magical prowess was also considerable.
‘I can’t underestimate him just because his mana reserves are low. But this is as far as you go!’
Rikid, at fourteen, had been praised by those around him for his outstanding talent since he was young.
Of course, every student at Lumerne had similar experiences.
But Rikid was a prodigy who possessed exceptional skill even among them.
*Grip-!*
Rikid’s eyes flashed as he gripped the long spear tightly with both hands.
“Avalanche!”
*Whoooosh-!*
As he swung the spear wide, an aura of snow burst forth.
The snow aura transformed into a wave, crashing down on Karl like an avalanche.
“Kehek?!”
Karl let out a scream.
His pitiful cry echoed as he was buried in snow in the middle of summer.
“Wow… amazing!”
“For a knight to have an area-of-effect attack like that.”
“I guess we can’t underestimate Ikot either.”
The students from the other academies watched Rikid with admiration.
Celia, who was watching the duel from the Class 1 section, smirked.
“Not bad. He’ll pass.”
“Yeah. His skills are impressive.”
Chloe, who had looked up from her grimoire, glanced toward the training grounds and nodded.
“Lumerne isn’t all that special.”
“I think I could have blocked an attack like that at least once.”
Some of the Emeral students looked disappointed.
Just then, a commotion arose from behind them.
“Hey! What do you mean everyone’s betting on Karl!”
“This way, the bet won’t even work!”
“He’s in a pinch! Is there any brave hero willing to bet on the promising Rikid Brick and go for the upset? Anyone?”
As the Lumerne first-years’ conversation drifted over, everyone else wore baffled expressions.
*Craaack-!*
“Ughhhh! C-c-cold!”
Karl burst out from the snow, hugging himself and shivering violently.
Rikid, unfazed, took his stance.
‘As expected, he wouldn’t go down that easily.’
Rikid thought with admiration as he readjusted his grip on the spear.
“*Sniffle*—what’s with this snowstorm in the middle of summer? Ugh-!”
Karl shivered once more, then looked at Rikid and said.
“You’re right. In a head-on fight, I’m no match for you.”
The difference in their abilities was vast.
But despite that, Karl grinned.
He then opened his sub-space and poured out a stream of weapons.
Rikid, who was about to charge at Karl, paused.
“A mage with weapons?”
“Whoa now. I may not have much to brag about, but as someone who’s experienced Lumerne before you, let me give you some advice! That kind of boxed-in thinking is no good!”
*Wooooom-!*
Karl unleashed his mana.
The magically infused weapons then floated into the air.
Seeing this, Rikid narrowed his eyes.
“Telekinesis, I see.”
*Thud-!*
Readjusting his grip on the spear, Rikid lowered his stance.
*Fwoosh-!*
At the same time, he charged swiftly toward Karl.
‘I shouldn’t assume it’s just simple telekinesis. This person’s skill is not to be taken lightly.’
He roused the aura throughout his body, intending to end the fight quickly before Karl could do anything else.
Watching him, Karl grinned.
“See, I told you. You shouldn’t be stuck in a box.”
*Vweeeem-!*
The colors of the weapons Karl had summoned changed.
A longsword, now glowing red, flew toward Rikid.
Rikid swung his spear to parry the longsword.
In that instant.
*BOOM! FWOOOSH-!*
The longsword unleashed a torrent of high-temperature flames.
“A magic sword?!”
His eyes wide, Rikid deployed his Aura Armor, narrowly blocking the flames.
“Alchemy is my specialty. That’s why I’m pretty terrible at attack magic.”
Karl took out a one-handed crossbow from his sub-space.
“Unlike those monster-like guys, the moment I let someone get close, it’s game over. Besides, I’m a supporter, not a combat specialist.”
*Click-!*
Aiming the crossbow at Rikid, Karl grinned.
“I have no choice but to use unconventional tactics.”
*Thwack-!*
Karl pulled the trigger, and a bolt flew.
Rikid easily deflected the arrow.
Suddenly-!
*Pak-! Crash. Shatter-!*
“…!”
The arrow turned to glass and shattered, its contents spilling out.
Rikid’s face hardened for a moment as a stench that made his head spin filled the air.
“Poison?”
“I know how to use poison, but using it in a duel is a bit much.”
Karl smirked and lowered the crossbow.
“It’s oil.”
“Suddenly, oil? What for?”
“See? I told you. You shouldn’t be stuck in a box.”
Karl grinned.
“It’s a special oil I concocted. It’s extremely volatile, but it’s designed to keep burning when it reacts with mana. On top of that, the stronger the firepower, the stronger and longer it burns. A ve~ry dangerous oil.”
Karl waved his hand.
*Fwoooosh-!*
The enchanted weapons floating around him transformed into magic swords.
“They’re cheap, single-use magic swords, but combined with that oil, they’ll probably hurt quite a bit.”
“Kgh?!”
Rikid gritted his teeth, his eyes wide.
The magic swords created by Karl’s enchantment magic targeted Rikid.
*Kwagagagagang-!*
“Kraaaahk!”
Rikid’s scream echoed through the air.
Leaving Rikid behind, Karl stuck his hands in his pockets and grinned.
“Done!”
The students from the other academies all stared with their mouths agape.
Meanwhile, Chloe remarked with admiration.
“To develop that magic to such an extent. Karl is amazing too.”
“He’s the one among the first-year mages who spams the most unorthodox tactics.”
Celia rested her chin on her hand.
“Unless you know about Karl, no matter how much more skilled you are, you’re bound to be caught off guard and suffer a defeat at least once.”
Karl’s enchantment magic.
After Leo praised it during the school trip, Karl had continuously improved his signature enchantment magic.
As a result, he had succeeded in arbitrarily turning enchanted weapons into magic swords.
In addition, he had also perfected a formula that allowed him to freely alchemize objects he had enchanted.
He had succeeded in compensating for his weaknesses by using tools.
Haviden’s eyes widened.
Karl came down from the training grounds and high-fived Chelsea.
“A victory for cheap tricks!”
“Can’t you call it strategy instead of cheap tricks?”
After a moment of thought at Karl’s words, Chelsea smiled brightly.
“A victory of wits!”
“Hey!”
“Wits! Wits!”
The Class 5 students chanted “wits” as they welcomed Karl.
“Are you guys for real!”
Karl clutched his head and screamed.
Then, he saw Leo looking at him with a smile and grinned back.
“How was it?”
“It was brilliant.”
“Hehe. It’s the result of me trying my best to keep up. It’s thanks to you, Leo.”
Leo had been the one who constantly gave him advice and helped him perfect his unique fighting style.
“Did you see that! This is the power of Lumerne’s weakest! You arrogant brat!”
Chelsea sneered at Haviden, taunting him.
“…Please leave out the ‘weakest’ part.”
While Karl let out a mournful laugh, Haviden scoffed.
“I suppose at Lumerne, relying on tools is also considered a skill?”
“Of course.”
Chelsea said confidently with her arms crossed.
“The one who survives is the strong one.”
Not only during their academy life but also after safely graduating, Lumerne students are constantly pushed into competition and battle.
To avoid falling behind in this environment, one must mobilize everything they can, be it tools or strategy.
Chelsea’s lips curled into a smirk.
“We’re next, right? I’ll beat you to a pulp.”
As the flames on the training grounds subsided, Chelsea stepped up.
Following behind her, Haviden scoffed.
***
“Leo. What do you think will happen?”
“What about?”
“This fight.”
Karl said, plopping down next to Leo.
“I know that guy Haviden has zero manners. But his skills are the real deal.”
Haviden was famous not only in the northern region but throughout the entire continent.
He was originally a boy who was expected to enroll in Lumerne this year.
“Well, in a real battle, Chelsea would win easily, but I’m a little worried about a duel with restrictions.”
Chelsea was a Battle Mage.
The greatest characteristic of a Battle Mage is their ability to fight on the front lines like a knight.
But that was only in large-scale battles.
In a one-on-one fight, where they must focus on each other, it is harder to be as effective as in a chaotic battle.
Against a knight of exceptional ability, engaging in close combat rashly could lead to disaster.
Haviden possessed the skill to rank among the top of the Knight Department even if he were to enroll in Lumerne right now.
The reason Haviden acted so arrogantly was because he was confident his skills were not far behind those of the seniors a year above him.
At Karl’s words, Leo smirked.
“Chelsea will win.”
“Yeah. But the problem is how she wins. If it ends up being a close match, it might go to his head, you know?”
The Gigantes subjugation incident had made Chelsea famous worldwide.
A boy who hadn't even enrolled in Lumerne could gain considerable fame just by fighting on equal footing with such a person.
Haviden had made that calculation when he sought a duel with Chelsea.
“It’d be a pain if that guy ruins the atmosphere of the joint classes.”
Karl scratched his head.
“Don’t worry. Chelsea will win overwhelmingly.”
“What?”
“In terms of skill, that Haviden guy is no pushover. But overall capability isn’t decided by skill alone, you know?”
Leo watched Chelsea warming up, counting—one, two, three, four.
Then, Chelsea’s eyes met Leo’s, and she smiled brightly, waving at him.
Leo waved back at Chelsea and continued.
“The kids in the Knight Department should probably be nervous.”
“Huh?”
Karl’s eyes widened as Leo suddenly brought up the Knight Department.
“They’re in for a bit of a shock.”
***
“To have a duel with Chelsea Llewellyn, famous for the Gigantes subjugation. Should I say it’s an honor?”
“Of course. You can go home and brag to your mom and dad.”
Chelsea chuckled, “Hmph,” and readjusted her grip on her staff.
Watching her, Haviden smirked and roused his aura.
The moment she saw it, Chelsea’s eyes twitched.
‘Spirit power?’
Just as she thought that, the wind swirled and a wind spirit was summoned.
The wind spirit soon took the form of a horse.
“Hmph.”
Chelsea narrowed her eyes as she watched Haviden mount the wind spirit with a stylish motion.
“Using something nice, are we?”
“It’s an artifact passed down in our royal family.”
Haviden’s lips curled into a smirk.
An item that manifested a spirit into a specific form.
As an item that assisted with the tricky art of spiritmancy, it was extremely rare and powerful.
‘A Spirit Knight. I didn’t know that.’
Chelsea, who had known about Haviden, pondered.
“Now then. Shall we see what you’ve got? Chelsea Llewellyn?”
*Fwoosh-!*
Haviden charged toward Chelsea at an incredible speed.
As Haviden lunged with a charging thrust, spear in hand, Chelsea deployed her mana.
*Fwoosh-!*
Haviden thrust his spear at Chelsea with a speed that was almost invisible to the naked eye.
In that instant, Chelsea’s body floated up into the air like a leaf scattered by the wind.
The attack missed.
Slowing his charge, Haviden reined in the wind spirit and smiled at Chelsea as she descended from the air.
“As expected, you’re quite good. But it won’t be easy for a mage to properly counter this speed.”
Chelsea, looking at the confident Haviden, smiled faintly.
And then she said.
“That’s not how you use the wind.”