The Frugal Mage

For a moment, the attendants gasped in alarm, but Seoryun lifted his sword again.

He grinned despite the marks smoldering across his robe.

At this time, Rayven lowered his hand as he also tried to show that he was now lacking mana… Well, he tried to look as exhausted as he could.

"That's already enough… Right?"

Seoryun laughed. "That's true. Thank you, Rayven!" He then sheathed his sword before approaching his sparring partner, if he could really call him that. After all, he felt like he was the only one benefiting here.

"It's excellent… This is what I'm missing. I suppose I should tell you… I'm not just some spoiled young master. I'm already a Silver Rank Adventurer."

"Silver Rank?" Rayven repeated in surprise.

"Correct… Maybe this training is what I need to advance to Gold Rank. Right, are you also a Silver Rank?" Seoryun suddenly asked.

He made the mission request in the Adventurers Guild, so he knew that Rayven was an adventurer too.

As for the reason why he didn't ask the Mage Guild for this mission, it was simply because of his loyalty to the Adventurers Guild.

Rayven was a bit surprised. "No… Not yet. I just registered a few days ago. I'm still a Copper Rank."

Seoryun nodded after hearing this.

He also noticed that Rayven was younger than him, so it seemed natural.

"I see… I've absorbed the energy of over thirty Beast Cores... They're Feral, Lesser, even a few Greater Beasts. That's why my body can withstand this much punishment. But…" He paused for a moment as he clenched his fist.

"…to advance to Gold Rank, the guild requires something more than strength and number of missions cleared. They require a qualifying quest. A trial, you could say."

Rayven tilted his head, curious. "A trial?"

"Yes. One must either slay one of the top Greater Beasts with their own skills, or survive a dungeon exploration as the party leader for a week… I've been preparing for that. That's why I came here to practice as well." Seoryun said.

"If I can't endure even these simple spells, how could I stand before a top Greater Beast?"

Apparently, among the Greater Beasts, there were still a few of them to be considered at the top. Rayven heard of them, but since he hadn't even fought a Lesser Beast alone, he felt that it was still too far for him.

"Isn't Dungeon Exploration a bit too dangerous?" Rayven asked.

"Ahh… Of course, it's not the newly-discovered dungeon. It should be one of the previously explored Dungeons under strict control of the Guild." Seoryun immediately explained.

"I see… That's awesome." Rayven nodded.

He knew that the newly discovered dungeon nearby was the 17th one within the kingdom. He also heard that each of them wasn't exactly owned by the kingdom… They could be owned by other large families or organizations, depending on how they were found, explored, and their location.

"Young master…"

At this time, the attendants finally found an opportunity as they approached with cloths and ointments. They were sure that Seoryun was hurt from those spells before, but Seoryun gestured for them to wait.

"Good… this session is worth every coin. You've shown me exactly where my limits crack, Rayven."

Rayven chuckled as he now felt comfortable with the swordsman. "…You're calling this 'worth it' when I hit you six times?"

"Hahaha… It's fine." Seoryun answered without hesitation. "Because next time… it will be fewer. And the time after that… none at all."

Rayven liked the man's confidence. So he decided to let him be. After all, in a real battle, he'd definitely be using continuous Spellcasting since he doesn't have a cooldown anyway.

Furthermore, with his Mana Pulse that could stun his target, there was no way he'd lose against a swordsman…

'Unless he managed to approach me… If that's the case, I might have to find a Spell to control my distance from my opponents.' Rayven mused.

Because of that, he really considered using the Market Refresh Tokens that he had. Currently, the store doesn't have any movement Spells, so he might have to use one of those really soon…

The only problem was the fact that he had no idea what Skills would appear next.

'Whatever… Let's see how it goes for now.'

***

The next morning, the usually quiet city was filled with excitement.

Streets were decorated with some red banners carrying the crest of the Young Dragon and Phoenix Competition sponsored not just by the city but also various organizations, including the Golden Coast Trading…

Needless to say, many merchants had set up stalls selling snacks, trinkets, and betting tokens for the later rounds.

Rayven found a spot on the edge of the spectator stands, where dozens of families, adventurers, and curious townsfolk had already gathered.

When the participants lined up, Rayven counted carefully. Fifty-eight youths, each wearing the competition's gold emblem to identify themselves as participants.

He quickly spotted familiar faces.

Miki, with her tanned physique and long hair, was definitely attracting many gazes.

This was especially for Nara, who had fairer skin and a charming aura.

Then, there was Seoryun.

He seemed unbothered by everything, but he certainly had the right to do so… Even the crowd was talking about him being the champion in this competition.

But what made his eyes widen was when the announcement rang out. After several announcements of the match-up, he soon realized that Seoryun was indeed lucky.

"Next round—Seoryun versus Harvey!"

Rayven smiled.

He knew about Harvey, the arrogant brat from Luke's village…

"Heh~"

If there had been a betting stand right now, he'd have shoved every money coin he had on Seoryun. There was no doubt in his mind.

However, since it was just the first round, it was only meant to showcase the top contenders of the event.

As the referee signaled.

Harvey swaggered onto the stage. For some reason, he was still carrying that cocky smirk, Rayven remembered.

He even did a cutting throat gesture at Seoryun as though he had a chance to win…

'You fool… you're about to be humiliated in front of the entire city.'

Rayven thought…

However, he suddenly felt off… Harvey should know about Seoryun, and he was still that confident…

'Maybe…'