The Frugal Mage

Two wind blades rushed through the air toward him.

The first skidded against his hardened skin, leaving only a shallow crack on the stone-like surface.

The second was thankfully slightly offset by the disruption of his Mana Pulse and didn't do much damage… It was dispersed into fragmented gusts before it could harm him.

However, because of that unexpected move, Rayven failed to counter.

Nonetheless, his successful defense made the crowd realize how awesome the Stone Skin was…

"Even if two spells at once, that Initiate Mage easily blocked it."

"He is an Adept? Did he just advance? It's frustrating how he uses his Spells so terribly… No creativity at all. I guess he didn't learn from any Academy."

"That's true… He must've been tutored privately. He has potential, but not the means to use it."

"Mhmm… With his set of Spells, Cedric learned how important affinity is… But he didn't learn how to use them in harmony." One of the representatives of the Mage Guild said as he looked at Cedric struggling to defeat a mere Initiate Mage.

It was a disgrace in his opinion.

"But look… That guy from Golden Coast didn't even stagger!" The matron of the White Blossom Pavilion finally said as the others continued to berate Cedric's Spellcasting.

She even saw Rayven raise his hands as if he was trying to gather energy from the sky.

At this point, neither of the two could hear the crowd…

Cedric knew that an Initiate Mage had a limited amount of Mana, and when he was also at the same tier, he could only cast 20 of them before being exhausted.

With Rayven's age and the fact that it hasn't been long since he became a mage, Cedric believed that the young man should only be capable of casting 10 to 15 Spells at most. The Golden Coast may be in a terrible situation right now, but they weren't completely broke just yet.

They must have plenty of savings that allow them to purchase elixirs to increase Rayven's Mana pool to advance quickly.

'Then, let me just overwhelm that Stone Skin of yours.' He thought. This Stone Skin was quite unexpected. It was a rarity among Tier 1 Spells after all.

Still, his current Spells should be able to destroy it quickly.

"Oh, spirits that answer flame's wrath—

Flameburst Wave!"

The courtyard had lit up with a wave of fire… The heat even started distorting the air. At the same time, Cedric wanted to end this quickly and followed up…

"Oh, winds that slice unseen—

Razing Gale!"

With the flame and the gale cast simultaneously, the tide of flames surged forward stronger as it was backed by Razing Gale…

They were threatening to tear apart everything in their path!

Furthermore, Rayven saw how Cedric's Mage Staff lit up, and he believed that it was empowering the spells he cast.

Unfortunately, Cedric's Spellcasting took too much time…

A few moments ago, Rayven had already released his seven tiny darts and used his Telekinesis!

The darts that were previously hidden beneath his sleeve floated high into the air when he raised his hand a few moments ago.

The enchanted darts were barely noticeable because of Thyruz's enchantments.

From what he understood, Thyruz only placed two Enchantments on it because of the Sleeping Dart's quality not being too great.

It was the 'Concealment' to hide its presence and the 'Piercing' to assist with the penetration against Cedric's defense...

With subtle mental control, Rayven sent them to the sky…

As the fire struck his body, the weakened Gale scraped across his chest. The damage was real this time. The Stone Skin cracked and flaked, but he endured, refusing to retreat.

From the crowd, those who weren't able to notice Rayven's trick felt worried. This included the top seven youths who were invited here, Albert, and those other merchants…

"How is he still standing?"

"Rayven's weird… Why is he not casting other Spells?"

"Could it be… his staff? He must be preparing a very strong Spell."

"I think it's also a high-grade staff that trims the incantations… I noticed how he used Stone Skin almost without incantation."

"That must be it! No human voice can keep up with that kind of tempo."

Even the nobles of the Veltham Family frowned, speculating what rare treasure Golden Coast Trading had equipped him with.

Cedric's eyes focused. He wasn't about to let his opponent keep the spotlight. He wanted to cast another spell…

This time, however, Rayven released his Telekinesis Spell and cast a different Spell. Because of this, the Sleeping Dart started free-falling from the sky since he could only cast one spell at a time, but it was enough.

"Mana Flick."

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. Current Balance: 99 ]

"Mana Flick."

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. Current Balance: 98 ]

"Mana Flick."

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. Current Balance: 97 ]

A series of Mana Flicks was cast!

This spell was fast, but Cedric's robe wasn't simple…

The attack only created a ripple from his magical defense.

It didn't shatter the unseen barrier of mana, but it was enough for Rayven as he was only testing its strength…

'I can penetrate it…'

Rayven used Mana Pulse once again, and this time, it didn't disrupt Cedric's spell and directly hit him!

"You—"

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. Current Balance: 96 ]

'Two seconds!'

He failed to stun Cedric a while ago because of the two Wind Blades weakening his Mana Pulse. However, it was different now!

The moment Cedric Froze, Rayven used his Telekinesis once again!

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. Current Balance: 95 ]

The first dart zipped through from the sky!

Thock!

It scraped across Cedric's sleeve. His robe's barrier deflected it…

However, six more darts are coming at him!

The second and third successfully struck Cedric's shoulder, but it seemed like it wasn't deep enough.

'The robe is thick? I have to focus on control…' Rayven thought as he targeted Cedric's exposed skin.

However, the two seconds were already over!

Cedric immediately chanted to raise his Mana Shield!

"Oh unseen shield of flowing nature...

Mana—Aack!"

Cedric felt hurt as several darts hit his body!

In just a second, he felt a subtle numbness followed by a creeping drowsiness…

'No!'