“Stone Hold.”
Crash!
As Antonio chanted the spell while moving his wand, the floor of the training ground quickly rose and covered Eugene’s feet.
Whoosh.
However, Eugene quickly pulled his internal energy from his dantian and dashed forward.
‘It’s just a low-level movement technique, but it’s enough for you.’
Eugene evaded Antonio’s attack with a feather-light body.
“Hmm.”
Alan squinted his eyes as he watched Eugene’s movement.
Alan had expected Eugene to respond with magic like Antonio, but instead, Eugene was avoiding Antonio’s magic with swift movements.
“Is it the Strengthen spell?”
The eldest, Aster, who had been quietly observing Eugene, approached Alan.
“Does it look that way to you too?”
“Yes, Eugene has good sense.”
Aster smiled as he watched Eugene swiftly dodging Antonio’s attacks.
The 1st Circle spell to strengthen the body, Strengthen.
It was often used by wizards who lacked physical abilities, unlike knights.
It was a spell used more for retreating or in unstable combat situations rather than for attacking.
However, to Alan and Aster, it appeared that Eugene was using the Strengthen spell to dodge Antonio’s attacks and wear him out.
And their judgment was correct.
Eugene was steadily depleting Antonio’s strength without approaching him, using his movement technique.
‘Antonio is good at magic linkage, so if I get close, he’ll do something.’
Therefore, Eugene’s strategy was to move swiftly and drain Antonio’s energy.
In fact, Eugene had discovered Antonio’s strength a little earlier.
Before coming to the training ground, he had overheard Joel, the second eldest, giving Antonio some advice from the back.
‘You’re good at linking magic, so if someone approaches while you’re attacking, immediately respond with another spell.’
That was Joel’s advice to Antonio.
Of course, Eugene, with his enhanced physical abilities, sight, and hearing, had seen and heard everything clearly.
“But did the youngest also use the Haste spell?”
Aster tilted his head, noticing Eugene’s speed.
While the Strengthen spell did enhance physical strength and speed, Eugene was moving faster than what the Strengthen spell alone could achieve.
This indicated that Eugene had also cast another spell, Haste, on himself.
“This… damn rat… moving around like that…”
“Pfft, try to hit me properly.”
“Argh!”
Eugene’s mocking laughter seemed to have infuriated Antonio, causing veins to pop on his forehead.
Hmm.
Antonio, who normally wouldn’t react to such a light provocation, immediately responded to Eugene’s taunt.
And thus began Antonio’s barrage of spells.
“Lighthein!”
Zap.
Zap.
Boom!
“Lighthein!!”
Boom!
Antonio kept casting the lightning spell, Lighthein, which consumed a lot of mana, aiming directly at Eugene’s head.
“Oh dear, what a fool…”
Aster sighed as he observed Antonio’s reaction next to Alan.
Falling for such a light provocation and recklessly casting a mana-consuming spell was a grave mistake.
If this were a war or a battle with another family, such actions would be disastrous.
And he was surprised.
‘Is the youngest really fighting like that…?’
The youngest, who had just reached the 1st Circle, was already leading a skilled battle.
He provoked Antonio to exhaust his energy and avoided close combat, using minimal strength.
Moreover, he prevented Antonio from using his strength in magic linkage by angering him.
Provoking in battle is a basic tactic.
Provocation narrows one’s vision and shortens one’s thinking.
“What… what am I even seeing…”
Antonio’s eyes began to shake wildly as he bit his teeth and cast spells while Eugene swiftly dodged a bolt of lightning.
Lighthein’s power and speed varied depending on the amount of mana, but it wasn’t something a 1st Circle wizard like Eugene could dodge so easily.
After all, even if it wasn’t naturally occurring, lightning was still lightning.
Yet, Eugene was dodging the extremely fast lightning bolts with ease.
“Wi… Wind.”
Buzz.
Bang!
“What?!”
Antonio attempted to use wind magic to push away the approaching Eugene, but his spell calculation got tangled, causing the magic to fail.
Moreover, the disruption in his chanting caused the mana to backfire, momentarily paralyzing Antonio.
‘Now.’
Whoosh!
Eugene seized the opportunity and swiftly closed the distance, appearing right in front of Antonio in an instant.
‘Vajra Fist (金剛拳).’
Hum.
Thud!
Eugene delivered a powerful punch, using the Vajra Fist technique of the Shaolin Temple, to Antonio’s stomach.
Though his mastery was not perfect, it was powerful enough to bring down Antonio.
“Hmm?”
However, Eugene frowned upon seeing an opaque barrier blocking his fist.
It was undoubtedly a shield spell, but Antonio shouldn’t have been able to cast magic due to the mana backlash.
“That’s enough.”
Aster intervened, stopping the duel between Antonio and Eugene.
The shield that blocked Eugene’s punch was cast by Aster.
“Eugene, you won.”
“…Thank you.”
Eugene quietly bowed his head to Alan and Aster before slowly descending from the training ground.
Step by step,
“You did well too.”
Aster climbed up to the training ground after Eugene had descended, and he acknowledged Antonio, who was trembling with his whole body.
While Eugene had been depleting Antonio’s strength without recklessly approaching him, Aster had thought Eugene wouldn’t lose easily.
However, he hadn’t expected Eugene to actually win, which is why he had gone up to console Antonio.
“Hmm?”
And then Aster noticed something.
‘Haha…’
There was a crack in the shield he had cast.
Swoosh.
‘Even though I made it thin…’
His shield, which he had made thin, had cracked from a single punch.
And it was done by a mere 1st Circle magician.
Even a 2nd rank knight’s sword could be blocked by his shield, no matter how thin.
Yet, a mere 15-year-old’s punch had cracked it.
‘What kind of changes have you gone through in the past three years…?’
Aster smiled with a face full of amusement.
“Now I can enroll in Landbard Academy, right?”
“…Yes.”
When Eugene confidently approached his father, Alan, and brought up his enrollment in Landbard Academy, Alan finally nodded.
“That fool.”
Among the dazed brothers, Joel regained his senses and cursed Antonio, who still hadn’t come down from the training ground.
No matter how careless, losing to someone like Eugene, who he considered a fool, was unacceptable.
“Hmph.”
Joel immediately turned around and left the training ground.
Squeak.
Click.
“You’ve worked hard.”
6th floor, head’s room.
Alan and Eugene were alone in Alan’s room, and Alan told Eugene once again that he had worked hard.
“It was nothing.”
“However…”
“Why don’t I sense any mana from you?”
Alan asked Eugene in a quiet tone.
From the beginning until now, Alan hadn’t felt any mana from Eugene.
At first, he thought Eugene might be using magic unknowingly.
But even while watching with his own eyes, he couldn’t sense any mana from Eugene.
“Is what you used really magic?”
Alan spoke to Eugene with a slight sense of pressure.
Though weak, it was still a pressure that could feel heavy to the young Eugene.
However, Eugene met Alan’s gaze directly without any change in his expression.
“It is magic.”
“Then why…?”
“But.”
Eugene cut Alan off, which could be considered rude, and continued his words.
“Since I formed the 1st Circle, I haven’t felt any mana.”
“What nonsense… hmm?!”
Alan, initially taken aback by Eugene’s words, soon frowned as if he had realized something.
‘Could it be…?’
Alan’s eyes subtly trembled as he recalled Keron Bedia, the founding ancestor of the Bedia family.
Keron Bedia, who ascended to the rank of master magician in Seifran 1,800 years ago and established the Bedia family.
There was one unique characteristic about Keron Bedia:
No mana could be sensed from him.
It was said that even while using magic beyond the 12th Circle, not a trace of mana could be detected.
‘Could it be that Eugene…?’
Alan looked at Eugene, trying to calm his wildly beating heart.
No matter how much he thought about it, when he recalled Eugene’s words and his performance in the duel, he was reminded of the ancestor.
The movements reminiscent of a knight and the complete absence of mana, even to someone at the 10th Circle like himself.
‘Did it go over well?’
Eugene looked at the silent Alan, unaware of his inner thoughts.
In fact, Eugene knew about Keron Bedia’s unique characteristic.
Rather, he had come to know it thanks to his body’s memories, and he had used the ancestor as an excuse to explain why no mana could be felt from him.
‘It’s a stroke of luck that the old man had such a characteristic…’
If it weren’t for that, his excuse would have been nonsense.
He had no intention of hiding his power.
However, since he couldn’t call his abilities magic or aura, he had to come up with an excuse.
“I understand. You’ve worked hard today. Return to the cabin, and I’ll send someone soon.”
“Yes.”
Eugene gave a soft smile, bowed to Alan, and left his room.
‘Things are going according to plan.’
As Eugene descended the stairs from his father’s room, he mentally reviewed the materials he needed to gather.
At that moment,
Thud, thud, thud.
Someone quickly ran up and grabbed Eugene by the shoulder.
“You… have another duel with me.”
It was Antonio Bedia.
Despite the shock and the departure of the brothers from the training ground, Antonio had remained there.
He had finally collected himself and came to find Eugene.
“I… I underestimated you too much. I apologize for that… so, let’s have another…”
Swoosh.
Since Antonio approached from the central staircase of the main house, Eugene was above him.
Eugene bent down without a word, bringing his face close to Antonio’s ear.
“What difference would another fight make?”
“You…?”
“Don’t be mistaken, it’s not you who underestimated me, but I who underestimated you.”
Eugene whispered quietly into Antonio’s ear before straightening up and looking down at him.
Apologize for underestimating me?
How laughable.
It was he who underestimated Antonio.
Who was underestimating whom?
From the start, Eugene had disregarded Antonio entirely.
Antonio was merely a means to gain entry into Landbard Academy, nothing more and nothing less.
Antonio, who had looked down on him and deemed him useless trash since childhood.
“If you really want to fight again, you can come at me. But don’t expect me to go easy on you like today.”
Sssss.
Eugene emitted a faint killing intent, pressuring Antonio before continuing down the stairs.
And then he felt a sense of refreshment.
Perhaps it was his oppressed body feeling it; Eugene walked towards the main house’s exit with a spring in his step.
Cliche Novel 