The Frugal Mage

Rayven had also learned this from old man Thyruz…

Initiate Mages could only inscribe their Mana Heart with only seven spells… On the other hand, Adept Mages could do twelve.

In short, the difference between the two tiers wasn't just about the amount of mana they could gather, but also the number of spells they could cast. Furthermore, Rayven heard that Adept Mages could even dual cast!

Still, as long as he had enough money, he believed that it was not an impossible task.

He also had seven days to prepare, so once he bought the spells, he had the time to at least practice them a few times…

Well, just a few times since he didn't want to spend too much.

'Seriously… I don't want this as well. If I get a healing spell or something, I'll just work as a healing magician and slowly become rich.' These were Rayven's honest thoughts.

Unfortunately, the healing spell that he had in his skill market was a Quick Mend.

[ Quick Mend (Common):A basic regenerative spell that mends light wounds (cuts, bruises, minor fractures).

Cast Time: 2 seconds.

Cost per use: 1 Gold

Type: Healing / Support ]

It could only heal light injuries, and paying 1 gold each for that was too much since, in most cases, 5 to 35 silver coins were enough for a doctor's treatment.

He knew about this very well since their Merchant Company had medical expenses too… Rayven just recalled the records in the memories of the original Rayven.

Rayven sighed as he rubbed his temples...

He had to explain himself to Rennard.

"I didn't have a choice. If we backed down, they'd bleed this branch dry with humiliation anyway. At least this way… we have a chance."

"A chance?" Rennard took a deep breath as he wasn't sure what was going on in Rayven's mind.

"You're not even—" He stopped himself, glancing at the clerks who were staring wide-eyed at Rayven. "Not even trained…" he finished weakly.

Rayven forced a small smile. "Don't worry. I have my own methods."

'Just a couple more days… If the auction payout is as big as I think, then I can afford something useful.'

He clenched his fists.

'Until then, all I can do is plan… Maybe I can do some research about Cedric?'

Rayven sighed as he decided to shift the topic. There was no point arguing now.

"Rennard… I need you to look into Cedric for me. Everything you can find—what spells he uses, who trained him, his past affiliations… Anything that might give us an edge."

Rennard blinked. "Information? You think—" He stopped, then nodded. "No, you're right. Knowing your enemy is half the battle. I'll send someone to an information broker tonight."

"Good." Rayven gave a nod. "And… one more thing."

Rennard then turned to him.

"I might need money," Rayven said while keeping his voice casual, as if he were talking about extra supplies.

"Not now, but in case I need it to help with my preparations."

He didn't mention buying spells for obvious reasons.

Rennard studied him for a long moment and asked Rayven to follow him to his office, where numerous papers were piled out…

Soon, he walked over to a locked cabinet and pulled out a small box. He opened it and pushed it toward Rayven. Inside was a neat stack of gold coins.

"My life savings…" Rennard said quietly. "There should be one hundred eighty gold. It's yours if you need it."

Rayven stared at the coins. For a moment, he was tempted. But he slowly shook his head and pushed the box back.

"I just needed to know how much I could borrow…" Rayven said. "I won't take it now."

Rennard felt confused as he looked at Rayven.

In the meantime, Rayven kept the numbers in his head.

Between his bank account, Uncle Albert's support, and Rennard's savings, he could scrape together seven hundred and eighty gold if things got desperate.

That was a safety net.

For now, all he could do was wait for the auction.

"Alright… Help me explain this matter to Uncle Albert. Just tell him to trust him. Once we receive Veltham's formal challenge letter, I'll let you arrange the location of the duel. If we have a lot of audience, that would be better to help our reputation." Rayven said as he wasn't planning to lose at all.

***

Later that evening, Rayven stepped into the courtyard.

He heard the sound of wooden swords striking each other… There was no need to see them as Rayven knew that it was Miki and Nara who were practicing together… The competition was coming really soon, and they couldn't just relax even after having dinner.

Thud…

They then noticed Rayven as soon as he walked in.

"Rayven!" Nara lowered her sword and smiled. "So that ruckus earlier was because of you, wasn't it? Everyone's talking about it."

Miki sighed as she actually felt that Rayven was being too rash…

"We didn't want to intrude, but… was that duel challenge real? Are you fighting against an Adept Mage?"

Rayven forced a smile and nodded. "Something like that. Nothing's set in stone yet. Seven days to prepare, so we'll see what happens."

"You're crazy. But… kind of impressive, too." Nara replied.

Rayven shrugged… "Crazy usually fits my life these days."

The two girls chuckled as the tension that had built up during the day eased a little.

"So," Rayven continued… "how's the training? Looks like you two aren't holding back."

"Can't slack off… I just heard that the winner of the competition three years ago will be attending this event as well." Miki said with a sigh…

"Ohh? That's not prohibited?" Rayven asked.

"Not really… As long as their still within the age limit, it's not a problem." Nara explained.

As Rayven was about to ask another question, he noticed a notification from his system…

[ The Available Skills in the Skill Market have been refreshed. ]

Without a second thought, Rayven opened the Skill Market again… Previously, the Detect Mana Source had grayed out since he already purchased it. This time, however, it had completely disappeared and was replaced by a different Spell for sale!