Chapter 246: The Practical Assessment [3]

The next engagement ended in an unexpected defeat for the fire mage.

Ilya had initially expected the match to become a contest of offensive power. Both students possessed enough experience to cast their spells efficiently, and neither appeared particularly interested in remaining on the defensive.

However, the wind mage had approached the fight with a different strategy.

Rather than attempting to overpower his opponent, he concentrated on disrupting the surrounding air whenever the fire mage began casting. Each disturbance interfered with the flames before they could fully develop, forcing the latter to spend additional mana stabilizing his spells.

After several failed attempts, the fire mage abandoned his original approach and began attacking more aggressively.

That proved to be his mistake.

His opponent immediately retreated, drawing him toward the arena’s boundary before releasing a concentrated blast of wind that triggered his protective seal.

The supervising instructor announced the result, and the spectators applauded.

Ilya found the exchange rather educational.

The wind mage had recognized his opponent’s specialty and exploited its weaknesses without needing to demonstrate greater magical power. Even when the fire mage changed tactics, the entire engagement had remained under his control.

It was a good reminder that knowing when to fight was just as important as knowing how.

"That was clever," Ma?lle remarked beside him.

"He’s been preparing that combination for a while," Solveig replied. "I saw him practicing something similar last week."

Garen looked troubled.

"How are we supposed to prepare for people like that?"

"By learning more than one way to attack," Solveig answered.

It was reasonable advice, although Ilya suspected Garen would have preferred something easier.

Their conversation ended when the instructors announced the next pairings.

This time, Garen’s name appeared on the board.

His opponent was a student from another lecture group, a Second Circle wizard specializing in defensive wind magic.

Garen immediately brightened.

"Well, that doesn’t sound too bad."

Solveig gave him a look.

"Don’t underestimate him."

"I’m not."

"You already sound like you are."

Garen ignored the warning and entered the arena.

Ilya watched with interest.

Although Garen could be careless in ordinary conversations, he wasn’t an incompetent wizard. His greatest strength lay in his ability to cast offensive spells quickly, allowing him to maintain pressure against opponents who needed time to establish their defenses.

Unfortunately, that approach also made his intentions rather easy to predict.

The engagement began with Garen launching several fireballs toward his opponent.

The wind mage immediately raised a defensive current, redirecting the flames toward the arena floor.

Garen followed with another attack.

Again, the spell was intercepted.

Rather than changing his approach, he increased the speed of his casting, attempting to overwhelm the defensive current before his opponent could reposition it.

For several exchanges, the strategy appeared to work.

The wind mage was gradually being forced backward, and Garen’s rapid casting prevented him from launching a proper counterattack.

However, maintaining that pressure consumed a great deal of mana.

Ilya noticed the problem almost immediately.

Garen was winning the exchange, but he was spending far more energy than his opponent.

Unless he secured a decisive opening soon, the advantage would disappear.

The wind mage seemed to understand that as well.

Instead of attempting to break through Garen’s attacks, he continued retreating, conserving his mana while allowing the fireballs to disperse against the surrounding currents.

Eventually, Garen slowed.

That was all his opponent needed.

A concentrated gust struck the arena floor, scattering dust and forcing Garen to shield his eyes. Before he could recover, the wind mage launched another spell that struck his protective barrier and triggered the seal.

"Victory!"

Garen stared at the fading formation in disbelief.

He had lost.

The supervising instructor recorded the result while the two students exchanged the customary courtesies.

When Garen returned, he looked thoroughly dissatisfied.

"I almost had him."

"You did," Ilya agreed. "Your opening was good."

"Then what happened?"

"You spent too much mana trying to finish him."

Solveig nodded.

"He realized you couldn’t keep attacking forever."

Garen considered their observations before looking toward the arena again.

"I should’ve slowed down?"

"Or changed your approach once he started retreating," Ilya suggested. "You had him defending against fire the entire time. If you’d forced him to respond to something else, he might’ve made a mistake."

Garen thought about it for a while.

Then he sighed.

"Right. I’ll remember that."

Ilya believed him.

Despite his occasional recklessness, Garen wasn’t the sort of person who refused to learn from a defeat. He simply had a habit of becoming overly enthusiastic once a fight appeared to be going his way.

Fortunately, that was something practice could correct.

The instructors continued calling students into the arenas, and soon it was Solveig’s turn.

Her opponent was a young woman specializing in earth magic, someone whose defensive abilities had earned respectable marks during the first stage.

Unlike Garen, Solveig approached the engagement cautiously.

She began by testing her opponent’s range, using short spells to determine how quickly the young woman could construct her barriers. After several exchanges, she discovered that the defensive formations were strongest when their caster remained stationary.

Rather than immediately exploiting that weakness, Solveig continued attacking from different angles, forcing her opponent to move between successive defenses.

The strategy gradually became effective.

Every adjustment required the earth mage to construct another barrier, and maintaining several at once consumed more mana than simply reinforcing an existing formation.

After two minutes, her opponent began struggling to maintain the arrangement.

Solveig increased the pressure.

A rapid series of spells struck the outer defenses, forcing the young woman to abandon one barrier before another could fully stabilize.

The opening was small, but Solveig acted immediately.

Her next attack passed through the gap and triggered the protective seal.

The instructor announced her victory.

Garen immediately began applauding.

"See? That’s how it’s done!"

Ma?lle looked at him.

"You lost five minutes ago."

"Which makes me qualified to appreciate a victory."

Ilya laughed.

At least Garen’s mood had recovered.

Solveig returned to the waiting area looking satisfied, although she admitted that her opponent had been more difficult than expected.

"She kept rebuilding those barriers faster than I thought she could. I was worried I’d run out of mana before she made a mistake."

"You still won," Garen said.

"Because I stopped trying to break through the strongest part of her defense."

Garen wisely decided against commenting further.

Their conversation continued while the instructors prepared the next engagements.

Ilya was beginning to appreciate the variety of approaches displayed by the students. Although many relied on familiar spells, their methods differed according to their training, experience, and personal preferences.

Some favored overwhelming attacks, others preferred careful positioning, while a few seemed more comfortable allowing their opponents to make mistakes.

The assessment gave him a better understanding of how ordinary wizards approached combat.

That was valuable knowledge.

His own experiences had been rather unusual, involving everything from dangerous magical creatures to opponents capable of manipulating spells in ways most students would never encounter.

Watching people fight under controlled conditions provided a useful comparison.

It also reminded him that he still had plenty to learn.

A short while later, the instructors announced another pairing.

Ma?lle’s name appeared on the board.

Her opponent was a student specializing in lightning magic, a difficult matchup for someone whose preferred techniques relied on carefully constructed spell formations.

Ma?lle examined the assignment before gathering her belongings.

"Well, that’s unfortunate."

"What’s wrong?" Garen asked.

"Lightning spells are fast. I’ll have less time to prepare."

Ilya considered the problem.

"Then don’t give your opponent a reason to attack immediately."

Ma?lle looked toward him.

"What do you mean?"

"If your opponent knows you’re preparing a formation, they’ll try to interrupt it. Make them respond to something else first."

She considered his suggestion for a moment before nodding.

"Right. I think I have an idea."

The supervising instructor called for the participants to enter.

Ma?lle departed toward the arena, leaving the others to watch from behind the protective barrier.

Her opponent was already waiting.

A young man with dark hair stood near the opposite end, sparks of lightning gathering around his fingers as he completed his preparations.

Ilya recognized the spell.

It was a relatively common Second Circle technique, although its speed made it troublesome for opponents who required more time to cast.

The instructor raised his hand.

"Begin!"

Lightning flashed across the arena.

Ma?lle immediately raised a defensive barrier, intercepting the attack before moving toward the nearest obstacle.

Her opponent advanced, preparing another spell.

However, Ma?lle had already begun constructing a formation behind the barrier.

Ilya watched the mana gather around her.

She was following his suggestion.

Rather than attempting to complete the formation openly, she had used her defensive response to conceal the preparation.

The lightning mage continued attacking, apparently believing he had forced her into a defensive position.

Meanwhile, Ma?lle’s formation was nearing completion.

Ilya smiled faintly.

This was going to be interesting.