Reincarnated as a Genius Mage

I've never sparred with Jeriq before. I wonder how strong he is.

I know he's a third core spearman, and I've seen how he fights on the battlefield too. But, it's one thing to see someone fight, and it's another thing to actually fight them yourself.

I crouch into a fighting stance. My eyes are narrowed, staring straight into Jeriq's eyes.

His unique eyes are filled with uncertainty, doubt, but his lowered stance and clenched teeth show me his courage.

My smirk widens.

That's why I like this guy.

He's someone who fights with speed and accuracy over brute strength and countless techniques. He fights with just one technique that he learnt from his mentor Laran.

And his spear art.. I know nothing about Spears, but all I know is that his spear art is beautiful, even on the battlefield, even when he's just doing a spear dance when we're training.

I flick my right wrist lazily. "What are you waiting for? Come."

He nods, and leaps immediately toward me.

He drags his right hand backwards, releasing a blow toward my face.

I immediately side step left, parrying his hand with my left hand as I twirl and move toward his waist which I hit with my right elbow.

"Ugh." He groans softly as he moves forward, holding his waist with his right hand.

I turn, looking at him with crossed hands and an excited grin.

He turns, facing me with a strong glare.

"Come on. Do better." I taunt, my tone playful.

I start hopping lightly, waiting for him to come.

As I hop up and down, my toes hit the tiny rocks that prick my feet which I endure and continue hopping.

He stands straight, his eyes scanning for an opening.

I raise my both hands up, signifying I'm open.

He moves right. Away from me.

I tilt my head. "What's he doing?"

Then he runs left.

"Oh! I see." I whisper.

Then he runs right.

I continue hopping.

As soon as he starts running toward me with a slightly scary speed, I..

Wind step.

Air mana moves through my pathway toward my legs, and my calves bulge as air mana slams down the ground from my feet, propelling me closer to him.

I appear right in front of him, just before he could run toward me.

"Where do you think you're going?" I ask. My smile never fades.

He looks at me with widened eyes and curved lips that definitely wants to ask 'how?'

"Come on, man. Use pure mana. Make this fun." I speak.

He smiles, then nods, and jumps immediately, trying to leap over my head.

"Seriously.." I let out a soft sigh. "I know I'm short, but I'm not that short."

I drag his right leg just before he leaps over me, and I slam his back on the ground.

"Nng." He grunts.

I see a warm silvery hue gather around his hands as he mutters something.

Now that's what I'm talking about!

"Sorry? I didn't quite hear you?" I speak.

"I said.." he says as he slowly stands up, "even Hubolt knows you're the one who asked me to use mana."

My eyes widen. "Oh?"

I stump my right foot on the ground, and it coats with flames immediately.

"I said to use that calm technique!" He yells, pointing at my right foot.

I let out a small chuckle as I withdraw my flames, and I drag my right foot backward, taking my left foot forward as I coat my palms with air mana.

My heartbeat fluctuates, going wild as I feel the pulse of resonance.

The air in the atmosphere immediately gather around my palms.

Jeriq watches me with wide eyes and open mouth.

I raise my left knee up, my right palm at my right waist side, and my left palm forward.

"Now, come." I tell him.

He nods, then runs toward me with a quickened pace.

His eyes blazes with untamed fury as he runs toward me with his fists clenched, swirling with the silvery hue of pure mana.

With his left leg, he slides a low kick toward my right ankle first, but I simply drop my left leg down and raise my right leg up. He then raises his leg up and sends his knee toward my jaw, but I push his knee downward with my air coated right palm.

As my air coated right palm touches his knee, it moves down, and down again. Like it was pushed twice.

He looks up at me, then shakes his head, and throws a pure mana coated left punch toward my left ribs, but I parry it with my air coated left hand, and I push his chest with my air coated right hand.

He moves backwards immediately, like he's being pushed by someone or something.

But his movement backward is soft, and harmless, like he's being pushed by the current of the air.

As he lands on the ground next to his planted spear, he looks down at his chest, then he looks up at me, he looks down again, then looks up at me. It seems the hit didn't hurt.

I only smile.

I'm as amazed as you are.

He picks up his spear and stands up, twirling the spear with his right hand.

"What the–? You're using a weapon? Then I'll use my Chak–"

He runs toward me with a more refined speed, leaving no room for me to grab my Chakram at the corner.

Did he get faster?

He thrusts his spear toward my stomach.

Wind step.

I move backward with immediate speed.

Yes. He has gotten faster, it's like he's growing as we're fighting. Ha.

Wind step.

I jump up in the air.

Wind step.

I step on the air itself and jump, landing by his right hand side, and I hit his ne–

Oh! He blocked it with his left palm.

He pushes me with his left palm, and I move backward slightly as he puts enough distance between us to swing his spear.

He slashes downward. A vertical strike, I side step it, moving right.

He throws his spear up, then jumps and catches it with his left hand, and in that same motion, he twirls, slashing diagonally at my mid section.

I shift backward, then I throw a kick with my right leg, blocking the slash with the brace on my right ankle.

Clang!

The brace and the spear clash.

Then I see that his entire spear is coated with a silvery hue of pure mana. Force. Although his force isn't yet fluid. It's just like light now, not like the original force. After all, force requires a special mastery different from weapon mastery.

The recoil from our attacks sends us moving backward.

His lips widen with a satisfied grin. "Finally, good strike." He says.

He then slashes from afar. A horizontal slash.

A silvery arc propels toward me which I split in half with my air coated right palm.

I clench my both fists, and they coat with the air.

Wind step.

I appear in front of him with an almost blurry speed.

I land a punch which he barely blocks with his spear's frame which he holds with his right hand.

The air from my fist pushes him and his spear away, and he lands on the ground.

I gather the air around me with my left and right hand, dragging them gracefully, and forming an air ball.

Then I take one last glance at Jeriq before I re..

Huh?

"Jeriq?"

The airball dissipates as I tilt my head, looking at him.

He's sitting crossed legs, his hands on his thighs, and his spear at his left hand side with his eyes closed.

"So he did gain enlightenment. So random."

My smile never fades as I walk toward him and stand beside him as he attempts to form his fourth core.