Chapter 221: The Start of The Show

"This test is a lot harder since it will be you who will be hosting it, Battle Mage Carnus." Timothy said with a small incline of his head. He might have said something else, something more aligned with his true thoughts, but he could tell that this might be their only chance to stay here and be taught properly by the Battle Mage.

He had to be more servile and obliging for once.

The older man looked at the younger man for a moment, and though he might have mocked this boy before, the Professor managed to smile. A pleased expression on his face for once, "I suppose that is well said. I would say that this test is harder since there is not much fail-safe here except for downing a healing potion if I were to burn you."

Did the two of them hear the man say it correctly?

Battle Mage Howard Carnus flicked his wand into another direction, making a second orb appear out of thin air. A relaxed smile formed on his face and he even adopted a more laid back posture, rocking back on his feet. "The fireball that nearly had your friend's head here during the test was nothing but an illusion, but the ones that I'll throw at the two of you are real—dodge it if you can."

Han's eyes widened, "Wait wha—"

A stream of fire burst out from one of the orbs and the other firing out hard rock projectiles towards their targets. The two young men knocked against each other's shoulders, colliding with one another.

Barely escaping the first attack unscathed.

Han took a rock right at the back of his head, nearly toppling back into the grass and he felt a swell form in his head, barely saved by his own hard-headed skull. Timothy's own hair momentarily caught on fire as the blaze licked and singed his hair, but with one flick of a hand—the fire somehow died off immediately.

But this was only the beginning of the show.

The two of them ran towards opposite directions, each of them taking their own path. It was every man for himself at this particular hour with no room for tactics and conversation. It was much like any other war when a platoon of soldiers were caught in surprise by their unfamiliar terrain.

The Battle Mage watched on with leisure, coordinating the orbs with something not of the evocation house for once in making sure that the two elemental orbs only attacked the two of them. But this wasn't enough training for the two of his most underdog students was it? It was his duty to teach them properly and so teach them he would.

It would be impossible for them to level fast without any sort of challenge is there?

Something came up to his mind as he casted another spell, somehow it had been a long time since he actually got the chance to relax. It was tiring to teach the young generation after all, they always wanted to be better than the last one. "There is a certain perimeter to this, do not cross this line or else."

A golden magical line drew itself across the grass to serve as the boundary.

Two young men continued to dodge and escape through different forms of elements bursting at them from wildly shifting directions. Thunder clapped in the morning air, a flash and streak of a lightning bolt zapped at where Han momentarily stood a second ago and turned the grass to its ashen state. The sound of a heavy burst of water struck Timothy in the chest, toppling the man backwards even as he attempted to throw a small ball of fire at it.

His flames were drenched and his Skill made useless in that moment.

Timothy's clothes darkened in color, soggy as he pulled himself up to his feet and moved away before the orb could suddenly decide and change its form to a lightning one. On the other side of the courtyard a blast of wind threw Han away, an even louder clap ringing in his ears as he found himself on the grass and momentarily looking at the blue sky.

The test was—

Han rolled over before a stone dart could impale him in the eye, he picked up himself to his feet and scurried away. Barely surviving with his own Basic Agility, Reflexes and Basic Endurance—he had already ended up using [ Instinctual Dodge ] on almost the very first strike.

What else were the two of them supposed to do? Heck was Timothy even—Han barely managed to remain on his balanced footing, sliding past the slippery sleet of ice on his feet and jumping past the small fiery magma now on the ground. "What the hell?" He landed on his heels and then swerved to the right.

Dodging the ray of light that nearly hit him in the eye.

Who said anything about three elements? The Battle Mage was pouring everything he had got into this arsenal of a magical orb! This was unfair—a sharp breeze cut through his cheek. Somehow defying logic and science for one in his brain, a stinging sensation on his face as fat droplets of blood began to pour.

Now Ellynn's own wind blades had hurt more, but Han ducked down for a moment and evaded the next wave of a water jet spray above his head dousing him temporarily with liquid. Was there some kind of arrangement to the elements, he raised his head one moment to see that the Battle Mage had even conjured some kind of seat for him to sit on and watch.

This thing was absolutely rigged wasn't it?

And he didn't even have much time to spare—he had to think on his feet. "Oh crap," A short blast of lightning electrocuted him on the spot. A streak of bright white light appeared in his mind's eyes, body convulsing for the moment before it ended.

[ Skill - Lesser Resistance Increased! ]

[ Skill - Lesser Resistance Increased! ]

He couldn't have hated that blue screen more than he did today.