Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074, page 145
"Looks like it's uncertain who'll win this time…"
"Ah?" Mason was slightly stunned. When he finally recovered and was about to clarify it with Lin Li, the referee had announced the start of the match.
The two men held up an Elemental Shield each and began their recitation almost at the same time. Both had chosen safer tactics this time—neither had chosen to suppress the other with Mana Retroaction. After all, they were no longer novices, and they had some understanding of each other's strength.They knew clearly that using Mana Retroaction without thinking could end up with them falling into a trap of the other party. At their level, disguising a spell had long become one of the necessary skills. In a battle like this, a failed Mana Retroaction would mean losing the whole battle.
The pace of this battle was much slower compared to the previous battles. They were merely sounding each other out at the start. Neither made a serious move. Both of them had the same thought. They were waiting for the other to make the first move, and they were waiting for the other party to slip up. As such, the battle between two men who were almost Archmages was reduced to an extremely dull one. The thousands of mages in the stands were getting drowsy watching their antics…
"Come on, Sarsen! Beat him!" Mason stood far from the square. He was in a heightened state of agitation, even more so than Sarsen. The expression on his face changed with the situation of the battle. He was cheering at one time, and sighing at another. "Ai, that was so close. What a pity…"
"Far from close…" Lin Li shook his head. He could see what Mason couldn't. The previous contact might've looked like a missed opportunity for Sarsen to clinch the victory, but in fact, Lin Li knew very well that Matthias had left the opportunity for him…
It seemed that the present Matthias had become a difficult opponent to wrestle.
Perhaps Argus was really right—that fellow had become an Archmage.
Chapter 257 - Battle of the Inferior Goods
But Sarsen wasn't a rookie, either. He was not an easy opponent for anyone with his peak level-14 strength. Moreover, he was in good condition. He hadn't suffered any losses during all the exchanges. His performance was far beyond his usual standard. At least Lin Li could see that the present Sarsen was stronger than he'd been back in Shadowglen.
Nevertheless, the battle was a boring one despite their powerful strength. There was neither an interesting display of casting skills nor an intense clash at all. There wasn't even a slight thrill in the battle. All there was constant probing from both sides. The energy they spent on defense far exceeded that spent on attacks. They'd put up another Elemental Shield once the previous one disappeared, but they were holding back the Mana Retroaction, never releasing it at all.
From a level-one spell to a level-eight spell—this was the entirety of the match.
There was no excitement at all in this process. There were no splendid casting skills like those in the battle between Lin Li and Loken; there was no hair-raising clashes like the battle between Mason and Larry. Both of them were only using basic skills learnt from the textbooks, and repeated cautious probing.
Lin Li was falling asleep. This was simply a torture for him. He'd rather watch two mage apprentices fight than watch those two guys sounding each other out.
However, he had to put up with the torture.
Matthias' progress was too out of the ordinary. He'd been only slightly stronger than Mason in the beginning, but he was on par with Sarsen at present. Covering this distance couldn't be explained in a word or two. Even Lin Li—who thought himself to be extraordinarily lucky such that even a pie would drop before him while walking on the streets—couldn't have done this. Even with the Eternal Furnace left behind by Osric and the magical crystal from the fire dragon, Lin Li had merely made the leap from level-13 to level-15. What did Matthias have? Surely it couldn't be that there were another Eternal Furnace and another fire dragon magical crystal in the world? It just couldn't be possible…
Lin Li had to see how much Matthias had improved—and if he had really broken through to the Archmage realm!
Therefore, even though the battle was making him drowsy, Lin Li tried to keep his eyes open, paying attention to every probing move between the two guys.
In fact, Lin Li wasn't the only one. Almost half of the thousands of mages on the stand were perhaps thinking about the same thing. They, too, thought the battle couldn't be more mundane. However, they would like to see how strong Matthias had become. Hence, the battle continued in this strange atmosphere.
Everyone was yawning yet desperately trying to keep themselves awake just to see what was going on.
Then, they dozed off. And with that, Sarsen lost…
"Ah?" Lin Li rubbed his eyes vigorously. He thought he had seen it wrong.
The two guys were still sounding each other out with Wind Blades not long ago, but in the next moment, Matthias released a Flaming Hands and it tore through the Elemental Shield on Sarsen. It was followed by a close-distance Air Bomb, and Sarsen was thrown out of the arena.
"Sarsen lost?" Looking at Sarsen, who was lying on the ground, Lin Li couldn't believe what he'd seen.This was all too sudden and strange. It was as if two boxers with equal strength were fighting each other in the ring, with exchanges that'd dazzle the onlookers. Then, one of them suddenly spat, and the other fell inexplicably.
This was impossible…
Lin Li remembered clearly that Sarsen's Elemental Shield only held up for slightly more than 10 seconds and had at most received two Wind Blades. How could it have been torn through by a mere Flaming Hands?
"The victory goes to Mage Matthias from Nightfall City!"
The referee's voice couldn't be clearer. Indeed, Sarsen had lost.
Lin Li scratched his head and thought for a long time where Sarsen could've made a mistake. The match just now could definitely be compiled into an encyclopedia of the artful. Both Sarsen and Matthias were fighting with a more conservative attitude than nuns. They spent at least 90% of their energy on defense.The remaining 10% had to be divided into two—half for defense preparations, and finally the other half for attack.
Lin Li had even seen Matthias putting up a Mental Protection Field before releasing the Flaming Hands. It was no doubt to prevent Sarsen from disrupting him with mental spells.
Lin Li couldn't have imagined such a thing. How could someone be that sly?
Such a devious tactic. In addition to the slow rhythm, Lin Li thought nothing could go wrong with a mage on a level like Sarsen. Lin Li even thought the battle would last through the night, until both of them had exhausted their mana and could only fight with their fists to decide the winner.
However, at that moment, Sarsen had lost. It was a puzzling defeat, no less.
It wasn't just Sarsen himself that was puzzled, but also Lin Li and the thousands of mages on the stands, who all sat with their mouths agape.
"Hell…"
Anyhow, the outcome was decided.
Matthias, who'd been only a little stronger than Mason a month ago, had defeated Sarsen, one of the best apprentices in the trial. This battle alone was enough for everyone to see him in a new light. The past Matthias was just dandy, but from this day on, no one would dare to treat him as a simple dandy. Even if he was, he had to be a powerful dandy!
"This Marathon fellow isn't at all likeable, but he has sure improved tremendously in a short time. I remember he was just a level-11 Magic Shooter the last time I saw him," Herza mumbled as he secretly took note of Matthias.
Hoffman pouted, and said indignantly, "This little bastard was just lucky, like the old bastard in his family…"
"Why don't you say that in front of Wilhelm?" Herza was slightly annoyed. The Marathon Family and Glittergold Trade Union hadn't been on the best of terms. This was a known fact in the whole of Anril. In particular, Hoffman and Wilhelm had completely fallen out with each other.
At least it wasn't even the second time Herza had heard it in person. Hoffman was clamoring about sending people to poison the unscrupulous arms merchant's food, while Wilhelm swore to hire an assassin to get rid of the darned fatso.
It was fortunate that one of them was in Alanna, and the other in Breezy Plains. Otherwise, devil knew how much the chief assassin, Oro, would benefit from their feud.
How could Hoffman have nice things to say now that Wilhelm's son was just below them?
The feud between the Marathon Family and the Glittergold Trade Union naturally made it impossible for Herza to take part in it. He could only pretend not to hear Hoffman's last remark. "It's not just luck this time. Don't you see that Matthias had the ability to beat Sarsen from the start, but he didn't want to reveal it? To be honest, Hoffman, you may be really out of your mind this time. Looks like Gryffindor and your favorite Felic are not the only people likely to win this competition…"
"Nonsense. How can this little bastard match up to Felic?" Hoffman said in spite, and suddenly came to his senses. The expression on his fat face froze. "How… how do you know I have my eyes on Felic?"
"Just think back to how nervous you were in the first match. It was so obvious that even the blind could see it." Herza smiled, and did not question further, but simply said, "Hoffman, it's normal that you don't see it. After all, you are not a real mage. There are many things that only a real mage can understand. Keep your eyes peeled. The finals today will be more exciting than any finals in the past few decades…"
"I don't believe it…" Hoffman gritted his teeth furiously.
The morning passed in a hurry, and the first round of the 12 matches was all decided. The names of the 12 trial apprentices were written on the promotion table. It was followed by the drawing of lots, presided over by Aldwin himself.
"First match—Mage Mason from Chevan City is up against Mage Lauren from Snow City!"
"Ah?" Mason was slightly stunned. He couldn't believe his luck…
Lauren, from the Snow City, was an old acquaintance of Mason. Back in the Shadowglen, the fellow had followed Sarsen into the cave to occupy their place. In the end, Felic had scared him off with a Flaming Hands, and he had nearly peed in his pants because of that. Mason remembered that Lauren had already been at the peak of level-10 then.
Most of the trial apprentices had progressed one or two levels in this trial that had lasted for two months. After all, all of them were young geniuses chosen by their respective guilds, and possessed considerable potential and capability. After coming to Alanna, there were not only Archmages to guide them personally, but also places like the Omniscient Tower to study in. It was nothing surprising for them to improve one or two levels.
However, there were exceptions to everything, and the same was true for the enhancement in magic strength. In this trial, some freaks had made the leap from level-12 to level-15, yet some fools made no progress. They'd entered the finals with the same level as they were when they came to Alanna.
Lauren was undoubtedly such a fool.
Mason knew very well the fool's standard. Chevan City and Snow City were neighbors, after all; in addition, after they had exchanged attacks back in the Shadowglen, Lauren had been trying to curry favor with this neighbor of his. He had been showing up before Mason for the past month, so the latter naturally knew his strength through and through.
In finals filled with perverts, he could still be up against a level-10 Magic Shooter. How could Mason not be delighted?
"I have to thank the pretty boy properly." Mason was relishing in the joy when it suddenly struck him—it was all because of Orrin that he could be this lucky.
Why was it because of Orrin? The reason was simple.
A total of 24 guilds took part in this trial. 24 apprentices were divided into 12 groups in the first round of the competition. This was decided long before the trial, but no one had expected that Orrin would be injured before the finals—and it was a bad one at that. It was difficult for him to walk a few more steps, let alone take part in the finals.
Each of the 24 trial apprentices had his own task and there was nobody to spare. It was just like a radish for a hole—there was an empty hole now that a radish was spoiled. And Lauren was the lucky one that filled for that hole.
Mason wondered where that fool got his luck from. He'd actually drew the empty lot and advanced to the second round without even breaking a sweat…
Unfortunately, that was where his luck would end.
"Hahaha…" Mason watched Lauren from afar and smiled sinisterly.
Mason couldn't care less about being neighbors currently. There was only one thought in his mind—as long as he defeated this fellow, he'd be able to make it to the final six!
Although the Chevan City guild had produced a large number of talents over the past several hundred years, there wasn't anyone who made it to the final six in the trial finals. If he were to achieve a breakthrough this time, wouldn't he be able to walk with airs in the Chevan City Guild of Magic?
"Brother Lauren, I have to go hard on you this time. You can only blame yourself for your luck…"
Just as Mason was mumbling away, the results of the lots were out. Some of the hot favorites were lucky not to be up against one another in the second round. Gryffindor was up against a level-13 Magic Shooter called Mark from Starlight City's Guild of Magic. Matthias' luck was better; he was to be up against a level-12 Magic Shooter.
When Lin Li saw the results of the draw, he couldn't help but think, Matthias, that jerk, is going to be up against a level-12 Magic Shooter this time. Surely he can't be that sly again?
In contrast, Lin Li was up against a more difficult opponent, Garat from Far Seeing City. His strength was definitely considered first-class among the trial apprentices, and he had always been mysterious. He had never gotten too close to anyone. He didn't even build a friendship with his two roommates. Lin Li could only vaguely judge by observation that this fellow had broken through to level-14, and was probably at the same level as Sarsen.
However, it did not make any difference to Lin Li. As long as it wasn't Gryffindor or Matthias, everyone else was the same.The gap between level-15 and level-14 could not be summarized as just a difference in level. Unless it was an unconventional kind like Loken, an ordinary mage would not stand a chance against an Archmage.
After the draw results came out, Lin Li only took a glance at him from a distance. This man looked about the same age as Gryffindor. He was tall and thin. He was wrapped in a black robe all over—apart from his frighteningly pale face. From a distance, he looked like a black bamboo pole standing in the wind.
As Lin Li glanced over, the other party's eyes fell on Lin Li as well. At that moment, Lin Li suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. Just then, Mason's match had started. Lin Li merely frowned slightly and threw the matter to the back of his brain.
Compared with the bitter first match, this one was really easy for Mason. However, it wasn't because Mason was strong. He could only be so relaxed because the other party was simply too useless. Lauren was probably the most inferior stuff in this trial.
Not to mention him not making any progress at all in the two months, what was worse was his terrible performance in the finals. His casting skills were dogmatic; even the characters and syllables of the spells were no different from those of the textbooks. He was just like a mage apprentice struggling for a breakthrough. He'd do whatever his mentor told him to and whatever was written in the textbooks. There were no highlights at all to his performance. If he were to have a change of clothes now and re-enter the arena, Lin Li was sure that at least 90% of the mages wouldn't be able to recognize him.
His strength was far worse than Mason's, let alone matching up against people like Gryffindor and Sarsen. Lin Li wondered how such a rookie like him could make it into the trial…
Lauren impatiently released a Mana Retroaction upon the commencement of the match, for he saw Mason open his mouth and thought the latter was about to begin his recitation. However, Mason merely said, "Brother Lauren, don't blame me!"
"…" Lauren almost vomited blood.
What was to be a serious match turned out to be an amus.e.m.e.nt afterwards.
There was a disparity in strength and Lauren had wasted a Mana Retroaction as soon as the battle started. The outcome was settled by this point. However, Mason was not in a hurry to end the battle. He was having a great time playing with Lauren. The short five-minute match had become his one-man show. He applied all the casting skills he'd learnt from Lin Li in the past month on Lauren. Moreover, he deliberately went easy on the other party. He'd pull the brakes each time his opponent was about to be beaten. Lauren was suffering immensely from this repetition.
The only thing Lauren could do was to recite all the spells he knew in a hurry. However, except for a freak with infinite mana like Lin Li, this high-intensity spell-casting was not for anyone to bear. Not to mention Lauren, even an Archmage wouldn't have been able to withstand such consumption of energy. As such, Lauren exhausted all his mana in a mere five minutes, and was blasted off by an Air Bomb Mason had so sinisterly released…
The match ended too fast, such that Mason didn't even sweat a bit. Just like that, he was the first to make it to the final six.
"Old man, how's that? I haven't disgraced you, right? Shouldn't you reward your disciple for being the first to make it to the final six? I don't want just any reward. I'm not a beggar. Don't think you can send me away with just two lousy scrolls…"
"Go and die, will you…?" Macklin was annoyed. If they weren't under the public's eyes, he would've given Mason a kick in the b.u.t.t. Bloody hell, this little brat really thinks too highly of himself. He'd forgotten his name after having won against a level-10 Magic Shooter. He should take a look at how amateurish he is instead of having the cheek to boast about his petty win.
But then again, that was some sorcery from Aldwin. How could he manage to draw Lauren and Mason in the same match? Bloody hell, now that he had won, that little brat's going to have to brag about it for a few days…
