Chapter 51: Friendship Through Fighting 1

“What do you mean by a contest of wits?”

The moment Kent finished speaking, one of the dwarves standing nearby immediately shouted the question.

There were more than a dozen dwarves gathered around them now. Judging from their clothing and equipment, most of them seemed to be on their way to work. But after hearing Kent mention a “contest of wits,” they all stopped and turned their attention toward him, clearly curious about what he meant.

Kent glanced around at the growing crowd.

Even Dex and Tanis had stopped fighting.

For warriors capable of circulating battle aura through their bodies, it was actually quite difficult to determine a winner using physical strength alone. Without using their battle aura, the two dwarves could probably keep wrestling for quite some time without getting anywhere.

Kent smiled and explained, “A contest of wits is exactly what it sounds like. We compare knowledge. We can see who knows more words, or who’s better at arithmetic.”

“Kobi!”

The moment Tanis heard this, he hurried over to the young dwarf who had challenged Kent.

“Mages are all supposed to be ridiculously knowledgeable. Ask him about the fighting contest instead!”

From the way Tanis spoke to him, it was obvious that Kobi was closely related to him somehow.

Kobi glanced at Kent.

Then, completely ignoring Tanis’s advice, he stubbornly said, “Fine! A contest of wits it is. But we won’t compete in reading. We’ll compete in arithmetic. You mages know more words, but I, Kobi, am one of the best at numbers!”

“Hahaha!”

Kent burst out laughing.

“All right, then. But I get to ask the first question. Deal?”

Inside, Kent was already amused.

You little fool. I could probably destroy you with a simple linear equation, never mind anything harder.

Kobi, however, was secretly delighted.

When it came to arithmetic, his mind was considered one of the sharpest in all of Muan City. Whenever merchants from outside came to do business, they often asked Kobi to help calculate the accounts.

Still, he knew better than to let his excitement show.

So he pretended to think for a moment before nodding solemnly.

“Fine. I, Kobi, agree.”

The way he said it made it sound as though he had already won.

Kent smiled faintly.

“All right, Kobi. Listen carefully.

“There are two carriages. One is red and travels thirty kilometers in one hour. The other is yellow and travels twenty-six kilometers in one hour. The yellow carriage starts twenty kilometers ahead.

“How far does the red carriage have to travel before it catches up with the yellow carriage?”

Kent considered this about as simple as it could possibly get.

Kobi frowned.

“Why does the red carriage move faster?”

Kent blinked.

“Because the yellow carriage is carrying a heavier load.”

“Then why didn’t they leave at the same time?”

“The yellow carriage finished loading first, so it left earlier.”

“Is the road flat?”

Kent stared at him.

“What does that have to do with anything? They’re traveling on the same road!”

“But what if there are slopes?”

“It doesn’t matter!”

“What if one of the horses gets tired?”

“Why would—”

“What if the yellow carriage stops halfway?”

“......”

Kent stared at Kobi, who had now crouched down and begun drawing an entire road on the ground.

He nearly laughed himself breathless.

To make matters worse, Tanis had squatted beside him and was muttering suggestions under his breath.

Kent finally could not take it anymore.

“Hey! Stop wasting everyone’s time. Can you solve it or not?”

Kobi’s face immediately darkened.

“Hmph! Fine. You win.”

He looked utterly miserable.

“You humans really do have too many tricks in your heads. What kind of ridiculous question was that, anyway? And why would that red carriage even bother chasing the other one? Is something wrong with the driver?”

Kent almost laughed again.

“So what about the fighting contest?” Kobi asked irritably.

“A fighting contest is simple,” Kent replied. “Free combat. Whoever admits defeat first loses.”

Seeing Kobi’s gloomy expression, Kent suddenly felt much better.

A strange thought crossed his mind.

Don’t tell me I actually enjoy tormenting people?

“Good!”

The moment Kobi heard that they could fight, all his frustration disappeared.

“We’ll settle it with fists, then!”

A broad grin spread across his face.

“You’re just a mage, and you still dare act arrogant in front of us? I’ll show you what happens when you look down on the young warriors of Muan City!”

As far as Kobi was concerned, this match was already decided.

A warrior fighting a mage at close range—especially a low-level mage—was hardly even a fair contest.

Usually, the mage would only have one fate.

A beating.

Kobi grabbed his axe and swung it several times in Kent’s direction, making the blade whistle through the air.

He had made up his mind.

This human was going to learn exactly what happened to anyone who underestimated the young warriors of Muan City.

“Father, how should I beat him later?”

The crowd had already moved aside, clearing an open space more than thirty meters across.

Kobi ran over to Tanis, then turned around and dashed back again, shouting the question loudly as if he were asking for battle instructions before a great duel.

Tanis frowned.

“It’s only a sparring match. Stop when you’ve made your point. What are you planning to do, break his arms and legs?”

“Oh.”

Kobi nodded obediently, then trotted back toward the center of the field.

The sight nearly made Kent laugh.

“Begin!”

A loud shout rang out.

The referee was an elderly dwarf.

Kent guessed that he must be someone of considerable status and reputation, because the moment the old dwarf stepped forward, everyone around them immediately fell silent.

“Hah!”

Kobi followed his father’s instructions exactly.

He stomped hard with his left foot, then launched himself forward in a powerful leap.

Kent watched him rush closer.

He had to admit that Kobi’s physical strength was impressive.

That single leap carried him nearly five meters.

The moment Kobi landed and stamped his foot again, preparing to spring forward once more, Kent made his move.

A fireball shot from his hand.

It was not aimed directly at Kobi.

Instead, Kent sent it toward the path Kobi would have to cross during his next leap.

“I’ll dodge!”

The moment Kobi saw the fireball, surprise flashed through his mind.

It had not even been a full second.

How had Kent already completed his spell?

But Kobi had no time to think about it.

He immediately stepped backward, intending to avoid the attack and leap forward again.

Then the first fireball struck the ground.

Before Kobi could move, a second fireball was already flying toward him.

His eyes widened.

With no other choice, he retreated again.

“Kobi loses.”

Kobi had only just noticed that there were no more fireballs in front of him and was preparing to charge forward again when the referee suddenly announced the result.

“What?”

Kobi immediately protested.

“How did I lose? We haven’t even fought yet!”

As far as he was concerned, the battle had barely begun.

He had not landed a single blow.

No one had been injured.

How could the match already be over?

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Before Kobi could finish complaining, Kent casually raised his hand.

Three fireballs shot out in rapid succession.

One after another, they slammed into the ground directly in front of Kobi.

Kobi froze.

This time, he finally understood.

Who could possibly have expected a Level-One Mage to cast a Level-One spell instantly?

For a moment, Kobi’s imagination ran wild.

Is this human even really human?

But while his thoughts were in chaos, his body reacted much more honestly.

He immediately turned and ran until he was more than thirty meters away from Kent.

The way the surrounding dwarves looked at Kent changed at once.

Before this, none of them had thought much of him.

A human mage—especially a low-level one—meant very little to dwarves who had spent their entire lives in the Underdark.

In terms of magical affinity, human mages could hardly compare with dark elf spellcasters.

In terms of speed, they were no match for archers.

And in the darkness of the underground world, mages faced serious disadvantages.

The glow produced when casting magic immediately exposed their position.

Even chanting an incantation in a quiet tunnel could reveal exactly where they were.

A magical shield was even worse.

In the darkness, it was practically a glowing beacon.

For those reasons, mages were extremely rare in the Underdark.

And over the course of ten thousand years, the scarcity of mages had led to an even greater decline in alchemy.

The profession of alchemist had almost disappeared entirely.

What remained had gradually fragmented into narrower crafts such as gem-setting and forging.

That was one of the reasons the people of the Underdark dreamed so desperately of returning to the surface.

Yet despite that dream, there was not a single high-level alchemist among them capable of restoring the ancient teleportation arrays.

Instant-cast magic, however, changed everything.

Magic was already known for its destructive power.

More importantly, once released, a spell could be guided and locked onto a target with spiritual power.

In that respect, it could be even more effective than an arrow.

And unlike archers, mages did not need to carry quivers filled with ammunition.

As long as they still had magical power, they could continue casting.

In a dangerous underground expedition, having a mage capable of instant casting could give an entire team another chance to survive.

That was why the dwarves’ attitude toward Kent had changed.

Not completely, of course.

To most of them, he was still only a Level-One Mage.

And nearly every dwarf standing around him was stronger than that in terms of rank.

Still, for the first time, they were no longer looking at Kent as though he were insignificant.