There were still many debates about the casting speed of mages.
Since dungeons were always filled with lurking dangers, quick casting was important for mages to ensure their safety.
Some mages prepared in advance with memorized spells.
Others prepared scrolls to respond to dangers for the same reason.
However, what most mages ultimately desired was instant casting.
The ability to cast spells immediately without any preparation, just like a swordsman drawing their blade in an instant.
Many adventurer mages dreamed of such mastery, but few actually reached that level.
Perhaps because of that, Raviata showed a momentary expression of surprise.
But that was all.
There were mages around her who could cast instantly, and she had experienced too many situations to be shocked by this.
Bang—!
With a simple swing of her fist, Shane’s magic projectile shattered and scattered in all directions.
Of course, Shane also anticipated that Raviata would not be taken off guard by something of this level and he did not stop his attacks.
“Oh.”
There were mages who could cast spells instantly but those who could do it several times a second were even harder to find.
In an instant, six magic projectiles flew toward her and traced different curves in the air at the same time.
“Humph.”
Each projectile had the destructive power of a heavy stone that was capable of causing severe injuries if hit directly.
Raviata took a deep breath and swiftly shattered all the magic projectiles with her fists.
“Phew. You’re a lot different from what I heard?”
“…”
Raviata offered genuine praise but Shane showed no reaction.
He only focused on performing multicasting in his mind.
Once again.
“Oh? There’s more?”
This time, Shane didn’t stand still while casting his spells.
He circled around Raviata and set up coordinates to summon magic projectiles.
This time, the projectiles came from both the front and the back and surrounded her from all directions.
A look of admiration appeared in Raviata’s eyes.
It wasn’t just about summoning many projectiles.
Some magic projectiles moved slowly, while others traced gentle curves swiftly.
With each projectile moving at a different speed, it momentarily blurred her judgment.
Shane’s movement around the perimeter not only drew the opponent’s attention but also increased the distance between them.
This sparring session, conducted with meticulous psychological strategy, was so sophisticated that it was hard to believe that he was just an ordinary student at the Academy.
It was as if he had years of experience dealing with people.
This once again brought a faint smile to Raviata’s face.
Such a talented person would have a promising future.
“Hup!”
With a short shout, Raviata’s fist shot out and simultaneously exploded the magic projectiles coming towards her.
But even after the barrage of projectiles ended, Shane’s movements did not stop.
“Whew…”
Just when Raviata watched Shane catch his breath and was wondering if he had more to show, another round of magic projectiles was unleashed.
However, after she saw this type of attack multiple times, she was beginning to grow bored of it.
But this time, the released projectiles did not head towards Raviata.
“……?”
The projectiles scattered in all directions at once which created a chaotic display in the air. And then they began to collide with the walls and ceiling and their trajectories became wildly entangled.
Strangely enough, the magic projectiles did not explode upon impact but instead gained speed.
Soon, even Professor Zahard who had been observing the situation found it difficult to track their speed with his eyes as they raced around the sparring arena.
Then at one moment,
The projectiles which had been bouncing off the walls, ceiling, and floor all at once poured down toward Raviata.
“W-Wow…”
In addition to his skill, he had the ability to control magic so precisely that it was chilling.
Against an ordinary opponent, this attack would have surely caught them off guard.
But Raviata who had honed her reflexes and ability to read the movements of monsters through countless encounters in dungeons was not easily deceived.
With an amused smile, Raviata once again struck down the magic projectiles that swarmed her from all directions almost simultaneously with her fists.
The projectiles shattered into pieces upon impact with her lightning-fast punches, scattering across the floor.
Her movements were so astonishing that one might question if she was truly human.
However, Raviata remembered that the time was almost up and calmly looked at Shane.
“Really, amazing; I’m genuinely impressed. I consider this a pass. Honestly, your first attacks seemed too weak to be useful, but the last one was good.”
Raviata clapped her hands in praise. She even muttered how her fists felt quite numb from the last attack.
Shane still didn’t say anything and continued to stare at Raviata.
Feeling the magical power gathering in Shane’s hands once more, Raviata decided it was time to end this.
But at that moment,
“It really was worth the struggle.”
“Hmm?”
“Now, I can definitely shift my perspective.”
“…?!”
Very subtly.
Like a spider’s web woven in the air.
Immediately after seeing the traces of the magic projectiles that had been exploded by Raviata and scattered on the floor forming a thin line, Shane’s fist moved forward.
***
The main advantage of rune-type magic lay in its versatility.
Unlike conventional magic, which created paths for magical power through numerous formulas, runes contained magical power within themselves and could be used directly without activation words if one was skilled enough.
Moreover, as long as one knew many runes, various combinations were possible, unlike with traditional magic.
With a little concentration, it wasn’t impossible to create phenomena like the one unfolding here now.
This…. What on earth has happened here…?
Professor Zahad who had been busy marveling at the exchange between the two from a distance couldn’t understand what had just happened.
Even though it happened in an instant, it was something that even Zahad who researched magical phenomena couldn’t immediately grasp.
What he observed with his eyes was simply Shane taking a step forward and slowly extending his fist, yet at some point, he was right in front of Raviata.
It felt as if the very space Shane had been standing in had shifted.
Meanwhile, Raviata felt a chill run down her spine.
“Hah… haha…”
She felt dizzy for a moment.
It was unbelievable that Shane’s fist was already touching her abdomen.
Blink?
The magic that supposedly only a mage of at least six circles could use?
No.
It wasn’t that.
Raviata had seen numerous mages before, and indeed, there was a mage in her adventurer party who could use Blink but this was different.
If it were just Blink, it wouldn’t explain her dizziness.
She slowly replayed the recent events in her mind.
The fragments of magic projectiles scattered on the ground connected with threads of magic, causing the space to expand and then shrink in an instant.
“……?”
Even Raviata who had witnessed various strange phenomena in numerous dungeons couldn’t respond to such an unusual occurrence.
Of course, if she didn’t have the restraint condition of not using magical power, she wouldn’t have missed the signs. But the important thing now was,
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Shane had passed the test.
***
“Hmm…”
Shane who had just returned from completing the contract shook his head in mental fatigue.
Until a moment ago, he had been in a scuffle with Raviata who kept asking what method he had used.
Naturally, asking a mage for their secrets was considered rude, so James stepped in to stop her.
Professor Zahad was also curious about the magic used here and seemed quite interested but he still helped to restrain Raviata, allowing the contract to be successfully concluded with more favorable terms for Shane.
Moreover, the recent sparring has been physically taxing on him.
The wound on his side was still held together by the spirit and was in the process of healing.
In the process, running around and casting magic projectiles while simultaneously performing multicasting had taken a toll on his body.
Since the moment Shane fired his first magic projectile, he had been casting a more time-consuming triple rune spell on the side.
The runes used in the final rune spell Shane deployed were “Expansion”, “Refraction”, and “Contraction”.
Flexibility was added to the space itself by expanding and then recovering in a split second, softness was added by refraction, and finally it was instantly contracted to shorten the distance between Shane and Raviata.
In other words, he had twisted the space itself.
That was why Raviata had experienced dizziness.
Up until then, Shane had been launching magic projectiles as a preliminary setup for the spell and as a distraction to prevent Raviata from noticing his casting.
Just as Shane finished briefly reviewing the recent sparring, Klein approached him with an awkward expression.
“Ah, big brother! Did the conversation go well?”
“Everything went well enough … Is there something wrong?”
“Yes. Father is calling for you.”
“…Father?”
After nodding his head, Shane headed to the place with the communication crystal ball along with Klein.
“You called for me, Father.”
A moment later, the voice of his father Lowell came through the connected crystal ball.
“Hmm. I called because I have something to discuss. Do you have a moment?”
“Yes.”
– How old are you now?
All of a sudden?
What could be the intent behind this question?
Setting aside the fact that a father didn’t know his own son’s age, Shane quickly understood the intention.
…This didn’t happen in his previous life.
“Eighteen.”
– I see. You are now of an age to take on appropriate responsibilities for the family.
“Perhaps…”
– Yes. A marriage proposal has come in for you.
“What?!”
It was Klein, not Shane, who responded to those words.
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