Genius Warlock

At the sudden magical duel, the bored students' eyes sparkled with interest and excitement.

There was nothing as fun as watching a fight, so it was only natural.

Especially since it was a confrontation between Derick Redhill, a talented student from the Agni Magic School, and Kevin Dunbara, a heretical individual and a personal staff member of Magic Tower.

In fact, although they pretended not to care, the current Magic Tower affiliates were paying attention to Kevin, who had returned from the military.

He was an awkward genius who entered Magic Tower and became a master, despite being a Red skin, and his teacher was Archiver Merlin, the founder of the Elemental Magic School and a world-renowned authority.

Therefore, the majority of Magic Tower had no choice but to watch him, even if they were displeased.

In reality, some of the students here had been dispatched to dig up information or weaknesses on Kevin under the order of their Masters.

And amidst all that, such an interesting event occurred during the first class. They couldn't help but be pleased.

"Both of you, go up."

Kevin, who had manipulated the training room terrain with magic to create an arena, spoke.

Derick Redhill, a talented student from the Agni Magic School, took off his outer clothes and put on gloves, then stepped into the arena, while Oliver, holding a steel rod, drank a mana replenishment potion and went up.

By the way, the steel rod was training room equipment made of mana-conductive steel.

"…Really, can I be the only one using a weapon?"

"You have to give that much leeway for the fight to be fair. Are you okay with that? Taking risks because of pride is something only fools do. Quite a few people get hurt during magic battles."

"Thank you for your concern. I'll be careful."

Hearing the answer, Derick snickered as if it were ridiculous, and the surrounding students showed similar reactions.

Most of them discussed how long Oliver would last, thinking Derick would win, but some believed there must be a reason for Kevin to act like that.

Oliver was also somewhat worried.

Although he had agreed to do it in response to the sudden question, he wondered if it was okay for him to stand out like this.

After all, Oliver was a warlock, and his identity was a disguised one.

However, on the other hand, he found Kevin's words convincing.

"It's not bad. It's better to stand out a little now. I've been receiving attention at Magic Tower, for better or worse. I suddenly brought you here, so they'll soon be curious about you. So, showing your skills now to alleviate some of that curiosity is one way to do it."

Kevin's words were somewhat sincere.

‘But, it doesn't seem to be the only reason.'

Oliver thought as he looked at Kevin, who had approached the front of the arena.

"The match will last 5 minutes. I'll stop the match if one side surrenders or if I determine a winner. Any questions?"

"No."

"No."

"Alright, then let the match begin."

With that, Kevin snapped his fingers.

With a crisp sound, a high-density magic barrier formed around the arena, isolating the inside and outside.

At the same time, a fireball flew toward Oliver.

Oliver dodged the fireball by quickly moving his head with a swift motion.

The fireball made of magic failed to hit Oliver and disappeared futilely upon hitting the magic barrier.

"Oh, you've got some basics down."

Derick created a flame shot in an instant and spoke as he increased the output of magic in his hand. The fire attached to his hand grew larger.

"Let's see how long you can endure."

? ? ? ? ? ?

"What is this…?"

A student watching Derick and Oliver's match mumbled to himself.

The match was strange, to say the least.

Could this even be called a match?

One side was attacking unilaterally, while the other was just avoiding the attacks.

However, what was even stranger was that the attacking side became increasingly anxious, while the side that was only avoiding seemed extremely relaxed.

[Flame Shot]

[Flare Wire]

[Blaze]

A volley of flame shots, blazing flames, and a tremendous wall of fire threatened to engulf Oliver in their fiery embrace. Yet, with a simple movement, he evaded each attack, his nimble form gracefully slipping away from danger. Alternatively, he deftly neutralized his adversary's fire by exploiting its weak points with a mana-infused steel rod. To anyone observing, it was as if he could discern the trajectory and vulnerabilities of each incoming assault with ease.

Indeed, such was the truth.

Unbeknownst to Oliver, his prowess in combat had greatly advanced through his experiences in battling formidable foes as a solver.

Compared to his initial arrival in Landa, he was a completely altered man, a transformation born from arduous struggles and hard-won victories. This was the reason he could perceive the moves of a skilled adversary with such clarity.

Ironically, Oliver himself seemed indifferent to his own incredible abilities.

Thus, there wasn't a single effective strike, rendering the bout less of a contest and more akin to a master instructing a student or an adult amusing themselves with a child. This disparity made perfect sense when considering that Oliver's skills were on par with that of Master-level Kevin. No matter how exceptional a prodigy a student might be, they could never match the mastery of a seasoned expert. It was akin to comparing a child to an adult.

Of course, it was essential to remember that students were unable to wield magic above a particular level.

"What? Is he incredibly strong…?"

"But he's not even attacking, right?"

"Isn't he just not doing it?"

"Maybe Derick isn't as strong as we thought…"

As the match dragged on, murmurs of surprise and amazement began to trickle out from the audience. Derick, who had chosen to have a public match, knew he should have been prepared for this kind of reaction. However, he couldn't help but frown as he didn't expect the situation to be so… one-sided.

He had initially assumed that Oliver would possess some degree of skill, given Kevin's attitude. But what he witnessed surpassed even his highest expectations.

If it were a battle of magic against magic, Derick had little doubt that he could emerge victorious. After all, the unique firepower of fire magic could incinerate or crush anything in its path. But the adversary in front of him didn't allow such a situation to occur.

Instead, he let the majority of the attacks flow past him like water, and when it was impossible to avoid, he swiftly struck at the weak points to neutralize them.

Not just once, but every single time.

It was as if he was fighting a ghost.

At that moment, an enormous rage began to swell within Derick.

How dare this nobody, who had appeared out of nowhere, hold back someone from the esteemed Redhill family, someone who had received a regular education at the magic tower?

This was unjust.

On top of that, he noticed the spectators eyeing him with doubtful gazes. Even Yareli was among them.

He was being doubted. His abilities, the reputation he had painstakingly built up until now, were being questioned. That's why he felt the need to show them a power that could offset his current appearance.

In the magic tower, evaluations were as important as life itself.

Thus, Derick made the decision to augment his magic with another, even if it caused a slight dent in his pride.

By adjusting the concentration of oxygen with air magic, then adding fire magic to it, he created a high-powered explosion in an instant…

"Alright, that's enough."

Kevin suddenly intervened.

With a single snap of his fingers, he dismantled the high-density magical barrier and returned the oxygen concentration that Derick was adjusting back to its original state.

This performance left a deep impression on the students who were focused on the match.

Derick was no exception, but he was too emotional and confronted Kevin.

"The match isn't over yet, Professor."

"I'm sorry, but it's over. Five minutes have passed."

Kevin showed the clock he started at the beginning of the match.

"But…"

"…I'm also from the Agni school, so I understand the passion for magic more than anyone. But I never heard that it meant we could forget about manners. Fire is fire only when controlled by discipline. If it goes wild, it's just a disaster. Which side are you on, student?"

At Kevin's admonition, Derick backed off. He then bowed to Oliver and left the arena. Oliver did the same and followed.

Left alone in the arena, Kevin spoke up.

"As you can see, having powerful fire magic is much more advantageous. Zenon couldn't even land a proper attack on Derick."

The students murmured. While their opinions were divided on whether he couldn't or didn't, Kevin artificially provided the answer.

"But he could easily subdue him. That's right, this is the recent trend in battle. While the primary role of wizards has always been firepower, there are countermeasures being developed against it. In this class, I will focus on teaching this aspect. Not giving you the ability to use powerful magic, but becoming stronger. Only students interested in this should take the test… Now, come up one by one."

? ? ? ? ? ?

"Did it have to be so bloody obvious, mate?"

Merlin, drinking hot tea, asked while looking out the window. All that was there were snow, rocky mountains, and a fierce storm.

Kevin, who had visited Merlin's mansion through a magical portal, answered.

"I deemed it necessary, so I hope you understand. I believe I have the authority to make such decisions as the person in charge on site."

"Yeah, of course, of course. wasn't tryna sledge ya or anything. I'm just a bit curious about the reason behind it, that's all."

"As you know, I am your disciple. Many people are trying to keep me in check, even though they pretend not to. Naturally, they'll keep an eye on those around me as well."

"Well… you had the option of bringing any staff, but you made the choice not to, didn't ya?"

"That's why I exposed Dave to a certain extent. Show them something noticeable before they start digging deeper, and let their imagination run wild. Like a disciple I raised or a soldier I picked up from the battlefield."

"…Clever."

"To survive in the Magic Tower, you have to be like this."

Merlin nodded.

The expanded Magic Tower had become more than just a simple educational institution or laboratory, but a political arena. Being at the center of it, Merlin knew better than anyone.

"Heh… You've turned into a real Kingdom man, mate."

"Your words are too much, Master."

Kevin spoke sharply, not hiding his displeasure towards Merlin.

Merlin could have been angry at his disciple's blunt response, but after a moment of silence, he apologized.

"Sorry about that, mate. I misspoke… So, what are the other reasons? I reckon you didn't just expose Dave for that one thing. To be fair, there were other options you could have gone for to sort it out."

Kevin didn't deny it.

"…It was to observe him properly."

"To observe him properly?"

"Yeah. I've felt it for a while now, but Dave is a really strange guy."

"I feel that too."

"No, not like that. He's missing basic human desires and emotions. The emotions that both good and bad people usually have. Confidence and composure from a stronger power, and beyond that, superiority and arrogance… At first, it was unclear, but I became sure when I saw him interact with less capable librarians and other staff members. He's seriously lacking."

"Don't ya think it's better to treat folks fairly, without any influence from power?"

"There's a limit to that, you know. When dealing with people who are hostile to you, it's natural to have negative emotions, but he doesn't even have that. You could say his personality is just flexible, but I think differently."

"How so?"

"His thought process is different from ordinary people's. It's kinda twisted. It might not seem like there's a problem at first, but… Master, isn't that why you entrusted him to me?"

Kevin guessed, and Merlin silently expressed his agreement.

"That's why I exposed him on purpose. Then, he'd face different situations and be stimulated accordingly. With the stimulation, various reactions will come out. It's the basics of an experiment."

"I didn't expect you to be so keen to lend me a hand, mate."

"I'm getting more and more curious about what he is. When you think about it, it's odd. No matter how great his skills are, does it make sense to scare spirits just by looking?"

"That's what you're after, eh? Keep an eye on him from tomorrow onwards and let me know what ya find out."

"Ah, that might be tough."

"Why?"

"He applied for a vacation again. Said he has some stuff to do."

(To be Continued)

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