Chapter 27: One-on-One (Part 2)
A barrier is a rather special type of magic in the world of magic. It is not common, but it is extremely powerful.
A barrier is a persistent magic. Depending on its “structure,” it can generally be divided into two types: [Conventional Barriers] and [Inherent Barriers]. The former is a shield created by a magician using their internal magic power, but it continuously drains the magician’s magic power and mental strength. If the magician suffers severe psychological trauma, such a barrier is likely to collapse.
In contrast, [Inherent Barriers] are different. These barriers are actually composed of multiple magic arrays, which can be either engraved or directly conjured by the magician. Although their creation requires much more energy than conventional barriers, once formed, the magician no longer needs to expend magic power to maintain them—the functioning magic arrays within the barrier provide all the necessary energy.
Based on their “purpose,” barriers can be classified into three categories. One category serves as a defensive measure, similar to a [shield], which creates a protective barrier centered around the caster, capable of withstanding any attack from all directions, neutralizing or reflecting certain external damages, and preventing designated targets from entering the barrier. If someone tries to force their way in, the barrier will stop them and inflict damage.
The damage that such barriers can withstand is limited, but this limit depends on the caster’s magic power and mental strength. When the shield is damaged, the impact is reflected back on the caster, causing a decline in their mental strength. Thus, it cannot be maintained for long. As a result, extremely powerful attacks can directly destroy the barrier and cause severe psychological harm to the caster, while weaker attacks have almost no effect on the barrier.
Of course, depending on the element, the effects of shields formed from each element vary greatly. Generally, fire elements are characterized by [burning], water elements by [neutralization], wind elements by [tearing], holy light elements by [reflection], dark elements by [twisting], and so on. As for earth elements… most magicians do not use them to create shields…
The second category of barriers lacks the defensive capabilities of the first type but can alter the terrain of an area and the composition of elements in the atmosphere. These are known as [Elemental Barriers].
The effect of [Elemental Barrier] is quite simple: it gathers a large amount of the same element within a certain space while pushing out other elements. In other words, it is typically used to enhance the power of magic and create favorable conditions for mages. It’s worth noting that mages inside such barriers experience a significant increase in affinity with elements, while their opponents face certain restrictions.
The last type of barrier is even more special—the [Prohibition Barrier]. [Prohibition Barriers] are not common; in fact, they are rarely encountered. Compared to the previous two types, these barriers require a higher level of skill from the caster. They usually belong to the category of [Inherent Barriers] operated by magic arrays, and are generally used by mages to prevent others from entering a certain area or to defend against external threats—essentially, they are massive barriers.
Once an outsider enters this barrier, the caster inside can detect them and determine their location, after which they can expel them. Moreover, if the caster wishes, they can activate the barrier’s prohibition effects at any time, significantly weakening the target’s stamina, magic power, and elemental affinity. Well, actually, the extent of these effects also depends on the target’s magical proficiency.
In general, these barriers are the most effective massive barriers for defending against external threats, but they demand a very high level of skill from the caster. The barrier at Rexox Academy belongs to the [Prohibition Barrier] category.
※※※
“Barrier: World of Fire!”
Hearing these words spoken by a girl not far in front of him, Jiang Zhe was extremely surprised. Earlier, when he saw her cast a protective barrier, he had been somewhat dismissive, as it seemed too basic—at least he had never seen a simple description, along with related spells and effects, in any textbooks. But this barrier…
This was probably beyond what a third-year mage could do?!
To be honest, Jiang Zhe wasn’t very interested in defensive magic, as he pursued “interesting magic,” and defensive magic wasn’t interesting to him…
Although he didn’t know what the future would hold, he still preferred offensive magic for now.
His inability to meditate and his extraordinary recovery ability meant that Jiang Zhe couldn’t learn magic in the conventional way like ordinary mages. He had to choose an unconventional path instead. What ordinary mages could do, Jiang Zhe might not be able to do, but what Jiang Zhe could do, ordinary mages might not necessarily be able to do either.
Due to his unique talent, Jiang Zhe hardly had to worry about mana consumption when casting spells. As long as his physical vessel met certain requirements, as long as he could cast fireballs almost instantly, as long as he could skillfully use compression techniques, and as long as he had enough control to transform the fireball back into flames at the moment of explosion, then who could withstand his relentless magical attacks? Of course, the level of fireballs was too low—likely causing almost no damage to the protective barriers created by high-level magi. But this is just an analogy, isn’t it? No one can be sure that Jiang Zhe only uses this one spell. Moreover, while the level of a spell remains constant, its power depends on the caster’s mental strength and mana, right? Jiang Zhe’s talent allowed him to avoid dealing with mana issues like ordinary magi, ensuring he could unleash high-damage spells without restraint to overwhelm his opponents… Of course, it’s easy to see from his choice of Fire-type Blue Magic as his first major subject that he favored powerful offensive spells. Compared to Jiang Zhe, Lavia was a different type—born with an extraordinary affinity for fire elements. In magical terms, her body possessed a rare fire-type constitution, making fire magic easier for her to master than for others; she was a natural fire mage. This was her talent—she could cast spells that only those with a natural fire-type constitution could use, and her affinity for fire elements, as well as her resistance to magic and the power and speed of her spells, far exceeded those of ordinary people. However, as a trade-off, such individuals struggled greatly when learning Blue Magic of other elements. It’s worth mentioning that due to her unique constitution, in addition to mana, she could store some fire elements within her body to strengthen her constitution and enhance her resistance to fire-related magic—something Jiang Zhe and ordinary people couldn’t do through conventional means. As for unconventional methods, that would involve getting tattoos, which we’ll discuss later… When competing with magi of the same element, it’s interesting that the affinity for that element limits the power of the spells each side can cast—of course, this is assuming both have equal mana reserves. However, there’s a way to change this: the [Elemental Barrier]. A mage can create terrain favorable to themselves to overwhelm their opponent, just as Jiang Zhe is experiencing now.
Despite the abnormally dense fire elements in the thirty-yard area around them, Jiang Zhe could control only a few. In contrast, the flames around Ravia were nothing short of a sea of fire. Several fire waves of varying lengths swirled back and forth, striking the air and producing a series of crackling sounds. Ravia’s entire body was engulfed in flames, and the intense heat caused her figure to appear somewhat distorted. The wound on her forehead no longer bled, and the blood on her face had dried up; even sweat turned to vapor as soon as it appeared, combined with her red cheeks… This undoubtedly showed that she was using this magic with great difficulty, so much so that she had no strength left to resist the waves of heat from the flames. “It’s too much of a strain…” Jiang Zhe frowned deeply. “Are you ready?” Ravia slowly raised her right hand. With her movement, a fire wave as thick as a faceplate rose and pointed at Jiang Zhe from afar—its power far greater than before. Looking at the girl’s stubborn and determined gaze, Jiang Zhe shook his head slightly, determined to end this duel as quickly as possible. But to his surprise, the usually obedient fire elements now seemed somewhat “uncontrollable.” No matter how hard he tried, he could only gather enough fire elements to cast two fireballs… Suppressed? Jiang Zhe instinctively looked up at the crimson runes around him, lost in thought. “Did you notice?” The girl’s eyes showed a hint of pride and joy as she said to Jiang Zhe, “If you had paid attention to every lesson taught by Professor Hodde, you would have known about this magic that enhances the power of fire spells…” Her words carried a hint of resentment, which puzzled Jiang Zhe. It wasn’t that he really didn’t want to listen; it was just that facing all those complicated theoretical concepts made him drowsy and sometimes irritable… But what does it matter to you whether I listen or not? “Even if one has outstanding talent, so what…” Ravia bit her lip tightly, her eyes revealing envy. As someone with a very rare fire-type constitution, was she envious of Jiang Zhe? Envious of his talent? Probably not… Then there’s only one other possibility… “Is it… a boy?” “No, it’s a girl…” “I see…” “Be careful, rude commoner!” With Ravia’s slightly angry shout, four fire waves surged upward instantly, carrying waves of heat toward Jiang Zhe. Having absorbed more fire elements from the air along the way, the waves grew even stronger. “Smack!”
Like a tangible force, a wave of fire slammed into the ground beside Jiang Zhe’s feet. If not for his quick dodge, it would have left him bedridden for days.
“Are you crazy?” Jiang Zhe shouted in frustration as he stared at the shallow pit. When he looked up, he saw three more waves of fire approaching at incredible speed. Even before they reached him, the intense heat already made him feel disoriented…
If he got hit by one of them…
Tch!
In an instant, Jiang Zhe transformed two fireballs into four fire projectiles. After all, in such a situation, projectiles that wouldn’t explode were far more useful.
Due to their size and properties, the fire projectiles were much more agile. At least Jiang Zhe could dodge the enemy’s attacks while using them to strike back…
But was that even considered attacking?
The fire projectiles couldn’t penetrate the layers of flames surrounding Ravia. If the distance was too great and their control skills were equal, the projectiles might even be absorbed by her flames.
Tch! Completely outmatched!
Jiang Zhe frowned in frustration, but what concerned him most right now wasn’t that—it was the girl casting magic in the distance…
The increasingly abnormal fluctuations in her magical energy proved that she was only holding on for now. If this continued, it would cause severe mental damage, even potentially harming her soul.
“Give up!” Jiang Zhe shouted through gritted teeth as he dodged.
Staring intently at the boy in the distance, Ravia bit her lip, forcing down the discomfort in her chest, and declared firmly, “Impossible! There’s no such word in my dictionary!”
“What about a draw? Or me admitting defeat? If this goes on, you might…”
“Hmph! Shut up!” Two more waves of fire slamming into the ground served as the girl’s reply.
Tch!
Frowning as he sensed the weaker and weaker magical energy from the girl, Jiang Zhe was puzzled. He couldn’t understand why she was so persistent…
She’d only admit defeat when she fell, right?
Fine!
Gazing at the raging flames beside the girl, Jiang Zhe resolved to push forward despite his irritation.
※※※
Meanwhile, while Jiang Zhe was “fighting hard,” his two roommates were also at a disadvantage.
It was hard to believe that Scott, who studied multiple magic disciplines like curses, enchantment, illusions, and scrolls, was on the back foot. After all, he was the most well-versed in magic among the three of them—almost acting as Jiang Zhe’s personal tutor. Yet here he was, completely overwhelmed…
The reason is simple: that gentle girl specialized in illusion magic, while Scott learned too many different things. Being scattered meant he wasn’t proficient in any one area, and that was his flaw.
Illusion magic, once known as deception, cannot inflict any harm on the enemy itself. It works by influencing the opponent’s senses to create illusions and false appearances.
Inducing sensations in the opponent is the most basic application of illusion magic. Using mental power and special, constant spells, one can suggest to the opponent to see illusions. Basic illusions cannot control what the opponent sees, nor can they even make the opponent aware of what they’re seeing. But advanced illusions can do that—they not only allow the target to “see” the illusions created but also control those illusions. Even more, spells with seductive or suggestive elements can alter the target’s memories. Of course, this is strictly forbidden.
From the start, Scott fell victim to the opponent’s illusion, because he found himself no longer at the Rexos Academy, but in that strange yet familiar place from his memories…
It was a room, in a small castle in a secluded corner…
The room’s decorations were old-fashioned, out of place given its otherwise spotless condition…
The wall clock kept pointing to the same time…
The floor was covered with a gray woolen carpet, once white but worn out from long use…
It was cold in the room, as there was no fireplace and the windows were open…
Near the window stood a bed, probably the most noticeable item in the room compared to its old furnishings…
On the bed sat a beautiful noblewoman, her long golden hair cascading over her shoulders, complementing her fair complexion—she was extremely beautiful…
She was dressed only in a plain dress with lace…
From time to time, she would look out the window and sigh, her eyes filled with disappointment and hope…
She turned her head…
Her worried face bore a faint smile…
She gently stretched out her left hand, her slightly pale lips moving as if she were saying something…
“…”
Scott instinctively raised his hand, trying to grasp something, but as soon as he lifted it, he lowered it again. In silence, he took off his glasses and wiped them with the handkerchief he carried.
“Is that all you can do—use these inferior, low-level illusions?” Cold words burst from Scott’s mouth. If Jiang Zhe and Allen had seen this, they would have realized that Scott was extremely dangerous now!
“Low-level illusions? Hmph!” A faint female voice came from the room. “Then who was that just now… Heh! I’m really curious to know what you saw…”
“Nothing,” Scott put his cleaned glasses back on and said indifferently. “What’s your name?”
“Don’t you find such a question rude?”
“You can choose not to answer. Then I’ll just call you ‘Hey’!”
“You’re too rude… Fine, you can call me Lelirra, but you must apologize for your rudeness and sincerely ask for my forgiveness!”
“Hmph!” Scott smiled faintly and said, “Alright, I apologize for my rudeness earlier, but I don’t need you to forgive me!” With that, he slowly raised his head and said in a cold tone, “Lelirra, you must also be a noble. Then it’s easy to understand my next move… I need to make you understand the anger of a legitimate noble when insulted!”
“What can you do…” A series of mocking voices came from around them, then the voice turned into panic.
“You… you cast a curse on your opponent?”
Scott lowered his head, pointing in a distant direction with his right hand…
“To use such inferior illusions and still dare to speak? I admire your stupidity and naivety!”
“You… you bastard! Damn it! Let go of me!” As the girl’s panicked voice echoed, the illusion was dispelled. In front of Scott was a girl sitting on the ground, her long hair entwined with black, thread-like energy, glaring angrily at him. “You bastard!”
[Curse: Binding]
“Are you ready?” With his head lowered, Scott’s hand held a cluster of black mist emitting a dangerous aura.
“You… don’t, don’t…” The girl named Lelirra was clearly terrified, retreating step by step. When she saw the black light before her, she screamed in fear and closed her eyes.
But… nothing happened…
All she heard was a mocking snort.
Lelirra cautiously opened her eyes but saw only the back of that annoying guy leaving…
“Hey! Break this spell! You bastard!”
“It’s just binding! Consider it a lesson for you. Stay put!”
“You… damn it!”
Hearing the angry shouts from behind, Scott pushed up his glasses and smiled self-mockingly.
His mental strength still isn’t strong enough to resist such inferior illusions. Hmph!
…Damn it!
Leaning on a tree trunk, Scott rested his forehead and let out a soft sigh. At that moment, a loud noise from not far away caught his attention.
Was it Thors?
No! That sound of breaking rocks… it was that idiot Allen!
Scott was right—the sound indeed came from Allen. Despite his tall and thin build, his strength far surpassed even that of Jiang Zhe and Scott combined. Moreover, he specialized in enhancement magic, making it easy for him to handle the weak magic apprentices at this stage. So why hadn’t the fight ended yet?
Not only hadn’t the fight ended, but that delicate-looking girl named Lisa was also holding Allen down tightly…
“Hey, that’s too much! Four against one?” Allen’s distinctive, odd-toned voice shouted.
Four against one?
Scott was confused. Out of curiosity, he walked over. After passing through a patch of woods, he was stunned to see, in a relatively open area, that idiot being chased around by three wolf-like creatures.
Did that girl specialize in summoning magic?
[Summoning] was also a very special type of magic. Different from the Green Magic’s [Imitation], [Summoning] magic summoned [Contract Beasts]—actual, living creatures. [Imitation] magic, on the other hand, transformed elements into the form of certain beasts and granted them various specific magical effects. Yet their essence remained elements, allowing them to recover over time even if shattered. In contrast, [Contract Beasts] were different. Simply put, [Summoning] involved using spells, artifacts, and magic circles to bring distant beasts or even magical beasts right before one’s eyes. Although [Contract Beasts] were far less durable than those created through [Imitation], they were still beasts with a certain degree of intelligence, enabling them to better fulfill the tasks assigned by their masters.
Advanced [Summoning] magic could even allow one to form a contract with demons, though this was strictly forbidden.
Speaking of this, it’s worth mentioning that magicians have long had doubts about summoning magic. Sometimes, the [Contract Beasts] summoned didn’t belong to this world—like demons, for example.
Thus, magicians speculated that [Summoning] might actually be a type of space magic. With enough magical power, it might even be possible to summon beasts or even magical beasts from other dimensions into this world.
Magicians paid a portion of their magical power as a cost to open the “door” to space, and the [Contract Beasts] took that power, passing through the door to be controlled by the magicians for a while, until the paid amount was exhausted or the [Contract Beast] died.
But some mages believe that the [Contract Beasts] summoned by [Summon] magic are not physical entities but [projections] of some kind of creature from the subspace, with evidence being that no corpse remains after the [Contract Beast] dies. As for exactly how this works, the mages are still studying it. Enough of that—let’s get back to the battle between Allen and Lisa. That wolf-like creature indeed looked fierce, with earthy yellow fur, blood-red eyes, sharp claws, and a mouth filled with pointed fangs, from which pale green saliva dripped from time to time. Especially its low, growling sounds were truly terrifying. Yet, it was one of the most basic [Contract Beasts] in summoning magic… the [Dingo]. “That guy!” Scott covered his face in frustration. “Hey, didn’t you say you didn’t want to fight a girl? Why are you in such a mess now?” Seeing Allen’s predicament, Lisa laughed heartily, mocking him constantly. No wonder—after all, she specialized in summoning magic and didn’t study other subjects. “I don’t want to be called ‘hey hey’! My name is Allen…” Amidst his “busy” activities, Allen still turned around with a grin, but soon let out another cry of shock. “Wow, what the hell… Phew, that was close…” It was so humiliating! Scott couldn’t stand it any longer. He slowly stepped out of the forest and sneered, “Having fun, huh, you idiot! Do you even realize that the longer we stay here, the more groups we’ll encounter?! I really wish I could ask Thoth to blast you with a fireball!” “Huh?” Allen, who was running fast, paused and shrugged. “There’s no need to make it so serious… I really can’t bring myself to attack a beautiful lady—it goes against my chivalry!” “Hmph!” Scott sneered. “Aren’t you a battle mage?” “Oh, right!” Allen’s moment of distraction made Scott feel his words had been particularly stupid. “Stop playing around and end this quickly! We don’t even know what’s going on with Thoth right now…” “Worried about him? I think we should be more worried about that beautiful lady,” Allen said, shrugging before giving Lisa a very proper knightly bow. “Tea-time games are over, beautiful lady…” “You!” Lisa, already annoyed by Scott interrupting, turned even redder in anger. Pointing at Allen, she shouted furiously, “Bite him!”
“Roar!” With a fierce cry, a hyena leaped up and bit Allen’s left arm—then… things became rather funny… Allen slowly stood up, along with the hyena hanging from his arm. “What’s wrong, little dog?” With a teasing smile, Allen reached out with his right hand, grabbed the hyena’s head, and effortlessly lifted it. No matter how Lisa tried to provoke it, the hyena kept letting out fearful whimpers. “Boom!” With a loud crash, Allen slammed the hyena to the ground with such force that half of its body was buried deep in the soil, leaving only its rear end and its legs still twitching… “Bang!” The contract beast turned into a puff of mist and disappeared. “Oh my…” Lisa covered her mouth in shock, unable to believe what she saw. “Come on, little guys!” Allen waved at the other two hyenas. The two hyenas stepped back slightly, their eyes growing even more fierce as they charged at Allen. But he grabbed each of their throats with one hand and smashed them together… “Bang! Bang!” Through the white mist, Allen walked straight up to Lisa. By then, the short-haired girl was too scared to speak. As her eyes reddened, Allen chuckled, knelt on one knee, gently raised the girl’s hand, and kissed it lightly on the glove. “I’m sorry for scaring you, noble and beautiful lady…” It was a standard noble knight’s courtesy. “Idiot!” Scott covered his head in frustration. ※※※ Ten minutes later, the two boys and two girls walked together back to the original location. What? How could there be four of them? Oh, because that girl named Lelira had also returned—Scott’s curse couldn’t last long. While Lisa was blushing and stealing glances at Allen from time to time, Lelira stared at Scott with intense anger. But as soon as Scott frowned and turned away, she quickly averted her gaze, showing a hint of fear. Thus, the four of them arrived at the place where they first encountered the problem. But upon seeing it, they were stunned. The terrain was severely damaged—what used to be yellow-green grass was now charred black, with unextinguished flames everywhere. Even the air still felt scorching, and a faint smell of burning lingered… But what stunned them even more were the two people in the middle… Well, first of all, it was a boy and a girl… And then, the boy was holding the girl in his arms…
Immediately afterwards, the boy let go of the girl…
In the end, the girl seemed to say something, then raised her hand and slapped the boy.
The boy’s expression turned very strange and upset, and that was the end.
“Tsk tsk, that didn’t seem gentle at all…” Allen said carelessly, moving the muscles around his mouth instinctively.
“Mm…” For the first time ever, Scott agreed with Allen.