The Frugal Mage

After a few moments, when Albert finished discussing a few things with the representatives of the Veltham Family and the other witnesses, the mediator stepped forward.

Unlike the other matches held in this place that were overseen by mere senior adventurers, this duel had been deemed too important. Many powerful figures had shown up.

For that reason, the mediator was not some random overseer but an officially certified Arcanist of the Mage Guild, a Tier 3 Mage. Rayven could see the crest of the guild from the man's robe, and even without Mana Detection, he could tell that he was oozing with pressure.

A third-tier mage was several times stronger than both Rayven and Cedric.

'He's from the Mage Guild, huh…' Rayven repeated in his mind since Cedric was also from the same guild. He hesitated for a moment, but since his uncle agreed to this, he believed that there should be nothing to worry about.

Still, he couldn't help but have a few glances at the mage.

The difference between an Initiate and an Adept Mage was through the number of imprinted spells, the quality of the spells that could be imprinted, and the fact that Adepts were able to dual-cast spells…

On the other hand, from an Adept Mage to the level of Arcanist, the gap would be huge. From the quality of mana they could possess within their bodies, to the number of Spells they could cast at the same time, and their Arcane Traits…

In Thyruz's case, the Arcane Trait he had awakened was related to his job as an Enchanter. Rayven wasn't sure what Trait it was, but he knew that now that Thyruz was studying the Mana Infusion Manual that Professor Ardania had given, it would only be a matter of time for Thyruz's strength to increase.

The Mage then looked at both Rayven and Cedric.

"Duelists, step forward. You both understand the rules. Concede when defeat is inevitable. Any attempt to take the life of the other will be dealt with by me personally."

Rayven nodded calmly... Cedric, in contrast, smiled as if he had already won. He was confident in his superiority.

***

In the stands, Seoryun looked at Rayven curiously...

He knew about Rayven's Mana Flick, and against an Adept Mage, he believed that it wouldn't work at all.

Perhaps, just Cedric's robe would be more than enough to ignore his Mana Flick…

Still, he hoped that Rayven could show them the impossible.

He knew about Rayven's cleverness, and he refused to look away. Whatever happened in the stage, he needed to see it clearly.

Soon, the referee from the Mage Guild announced the start of the duel.

"Begin."

True to his nature, Cedric wasted no time as soon as he heard the signal.

With so many influential figures standing around the pavilion, the nobles, guild officials, and merchant lords, he had every reason to showcase his power.

"Oh, fire that burns without end—

Flame Spear!"

With this Chant, a spear made of fire formed instantly in his grasp… Its compressed flames created undeniable heat. With a quick thrust, it tore through the air toward Rayven at incredible speed.

Still, Rayven had the time to prepare.

Rayven whispered calmly…

"Stone Skin."

[ 3 Gold Coins deducted. Current Balance: 102 ]

Just like that, his skin hardened to rock in the blink of an eye. The spear collided with him and sparks flew… However, as Rayven had expected, he was unharmed…

'Still, how can you dual cast with that long chant?' Rayven thought as he was expecting to see two spells coming at him at the same time.

However, it seemed that it wasn't as easy as he thought. It might even require a longer preparation for dual casting…

Nonetheless, it didn't matter now…

Seeing that Rayven was standing unharmed, with only a faint scorch on the rocky surface of his arm, there were murmurs through the audience.

"Stone Skin? That's a difficult defensive spell… I heard only the Braun Family had Stone Skin Spell Rune…"

"But how did he cast it without a chant? Was it an enchanted scroll?"

"No… He chanted something. It must be a shortcut."

"The Golden Coast Trading had invested a lot in this… They must've paid a lot to the Braun Family to share their exclusive Spell Rune."

As expected, the people in the audience weren't simple. They were actually knowledgeable about the Mage Spells.

Even Albert was surprised to see that Rayven had learned it. 'I should thank Mr. Thyruz once again.'

Aside from Thyruz, he had no idea where Rayven could learn this skill at all. They didn't even have a connection with the Braun Family.

Although the crowd was surprised, Cedric only laughed.

"So, you've prepared some tricks? That's good. Don't disappoint me too soon."

Even if he wanted to win quickly, he also wanted to show a bit more of his skills with this crowd.

Rayven, on the other hand, didn't care about their reaction. His Stone Skin only had 45 seconds. During this time, his defense was at its peak and he must proceed with his plan.

He just needed to focus on his strategy.

"Oh, edge of the fleeting gale—

Wind Blade!"

As soon as he heard the Wind Blade, the weakest Spell that shouldn't be able to break through his Stone Skin, Rayven knew that it was time!

He completely ignored the invisible blades made of compressed air. Even if they slashed forward, he trusted his defense!

Rayven swiftly used his next Spell…

"Mana Pulse."

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. Current Balance: 101 ]

As the description said about the Mana Pulse, it could stun his target for 2 seconds… However, aside from that, it also disrupts spells.

It won't completely cancel the spell, but it could create a slight disturbance that could weaken the Spell coming at him. With his Stone Skin, it would be a perfect combination!

Just like that, a ripple of invisible mana burst outward.

Whoosh~

As expected, the trajectory of the wind blade didn't shift, but it was definitely weakened!

However, Rayven realized that there were actually two Wind Blades released from that single chant…

It must be the dual casting!