After winning his match, Surk went to the board to see who his next opponent was. He saw that it was a magician named Seyr.
'Hmm...My next opponent is a magician. I had better be careful and finish it quickly', Surk thought as he stood in a crowd of participants who were also watching the board.
With the amount of participants in the competition, the first round of matches had completed by sunset. The announcer spoke that the next round of matches would be continued on the next day. After hearing this, Surk searched for his master and found him in one of the front benches. He approached Caim and greeted him.
"Good work, how is your sword?", Caim asked his apprentice. Surk gave his sword to Caim, which he inspected. After seeing the sword, he was amazed that the sword didn't have any chips on it after the battle with the warrior. Caim saw that his apprentice's skills were on par or probably even better than his. Caim returned the sword and said that it had no problems.
"So who's your next opponent?", Caim asked Surk.
"It's a magician named Seyr." Surk followed Caim and Cruz who were heading out of the stadium.
"I see… A magician..." Among magicians, they were ranked according to the types of spells that they could cast. Elementary spells required a small amount of mana from the environment and the magician, and magicians who were able to cast them were called beginner magicians while magicians who could cast advanced spells were called wizards or master magicians. Advanced spells used a specific element or a combination of different elements. Just like elementary spells, advanced spells required an incantation to cast it. The difference between elementary and advanced spells was that advanced spells required a large amount of concentration and mana. Because of this, advanced spells were seldom used in battle with the amount of time to cast it. Wizards who had mastered advanced spells of all the different elements were called Magus and were widely recognized although there had been no one who had become a Magus for over 300 years. When Caim heard that his apprentice's opponent was a magician, he was not that worried after he saw Surks' speed in the battle.
On the next day, Surk headed again near the stage to wait for his battle while his master joined the crowd of spectators in the stadium. They had arrived late and some of the battles had already finished. Fortunately, his battle had not started yet. If he had been disqualified, his master would have probably tortured him with work as soon as they got home.
"Ugh...Crabs are evil. Evil!" Surk shouted from the bottom his heart. After the battle during the previous day, Caim had treated him to dinner. Caim had ordered crabs. Since Surk had also wanted to try it, he also ordered the same dish. He didn't know that his stomach didn't agree with it. It had kept quiet about it until the next morning. He had to spend over an hour to relieve his stress. But it still hadn't completely gone away.
Surk wasnt still feeling well as his right hand was on his front clutching his shirt. He had wanted to escape, but he was afraid of what his master would do! Being a master blacksmith was not just for show!
Surk could do nothing but curse at his predicament. As he concentrated on calming down his stomach while sweat formed on his head, he suddenly heard his name being called by the announcer.
'Shoot! ... How am I supposed to fight! I haven't thought of anything yet.' Surk headed toward the stage oblivious to the people around him. He tried his best to hide his pain and walked gracefully as he faced his opponent.
Around him, the spectators were talking to each other.
"It's too bad that she had to face him. She'll surely lose"
"He's only a magician. She'll surely defeat him since she is a swordsman."
"You didn't see his match? He instantly defeated an assassin known for their speed and stealth with just one attack. The assassin couldn't even get close enough to attack him even once."
"How is that possible?"
"Just watch. You'll see soon enough."
On the other side of the stage, Seyr, a blue haired magician wearing a cloak, stood quietly and watched his opponent. Seyr thought that his opponent was probably a strong swordsman but was surprised to see a weak looking long haired person in front of him.
'I thought my opponent was a man, but it's actually ... a girl? ... Hmm, she seems to be sweating. Is she afraid?' Seyr noticed the beads of sweat on Surk's face.
"You can surrender now before you get hurt." Seyr watched and observed Surk's reaction as Surk stood in front him.
"Let's see who'll surrender." Seyr was surprised of his response.
'Heh...Being stubborn? Well, I guess it adds to her charm' Seyr smiled.
"Admirable. Well then, I won't hold anything back."
The signal for the start of the battle was given and Seyr acted immediately.
Seyr took out his wooden staff and immediately shouted an incantation. "Ice Mist" A fog of snow suddenly appeared around Surk.
'Ah...it's cold. I feel better. Oops!' Surk shivered due to the sudden change in temperature and accidentally dropped his sword.
After casting the spell, Seyr followed it up with another spell. "Ice Shard" A long spear of ice formed and headed towards Surk.
'What! I missed?' Seyr saw the ice spear pass through the fog without hitting his opponent. However, Seyr did not stop his attack. He started casting another spell.
Surk, who had just narrowly dodged, was kneeling as he grabbed his sword from the ground. 'I guess I have no choice but to use that attack.' Surk stood up and prepared his next move.
"Tornado of ice" Seyr casted the spell and pointed his staff at the direction of the fog. A whirling mass of wind and ice raged across the stage and headed towards Surk. The fog surrounding Surk was blown away by the wind.
"That’s an advanced spell! To be able to cast it so quickly and still be able to do it even after continuously casting other spells, his magic skill level is already like that of a wizard!" One of the spectators talking earlier said.
"Yeah, it's the same spell that defeated his opponent earlier. Due to it's size, it's almost impossible to dodge. It can knock out opponents off the stage easily."
"I see...So I guess he'll probably win the competition with that spell alone."
"Probably. But, it does have a weakness. That is...”
As Surk saw the spell headed toward him, he threw his sword and aimed at Seyr. Because of the speed and weight, it passed through and flew towards Seyr.
Seyr didnt expect this. He tried blocking it with his staff but it went through and grazed his leg. With his concentration thrown off balance, the spell got cancelled before it reached his opponent. As Seyr tried to concentrate on casting another spell, he got interrupted as he experienced sharp pain through his stomach. He had been punched, and was currently lying on the ground. As he looked up, he saw a beautiful girl sparkling in white as she held a sword near his neck.
As Seyr continued to look at Surk from below, he couldn't do anything but continue to stare at the magnificent spectacle.
"So who's going to surrender?" Seyr noticed a smile as he heard Surk say this.
'Heh, truly a stubbon girl' Seyr also smiled.
Surk who had his opponent pinned down was actually grinning.
"I guess I've got no choice but to surrender." Seyr shrugged his shoulders. With that, Surk was declared as the winner.
After the match, Surk left the stadium in a hurry without Caim, heading to the inn they were staying in. 'I forgot to tell master. Ah, I also forgot to check who my next opponent is! But this can't wait any longer!' Surk rushed into the toilet and a few moments later, "Ah...Success!"
At the Stadium, Caim had watched his apprentice win the battle and rush out the stadium at once. This didn't surprise him since he still clearly remembered what happened earlier that morning.
"Surk! Get out of there! You're going to miss your match!"
"Uuu...But...I'm still not feeling well..."
"Get out here or I'll drag you out of there!" Surk got out of the toilet and was dragged by his master to the stadium earlier that morning.
Caim continued to watch the matches.
'I haven't seen that mysterious strong girl in the alley fight in the competition. She probably isn't here, then that prize is as good as mine. Hehe'
Caim still hadn't and would probably never notice that his apprentice was actually the strong girl he was searching. When Caim was about to leave as the final match ended for that day, the announcer said that there was going to be a change in the rules for the next match.
Note: Merry Christmas and advanced Happy New Year! Next chapter will be posted next year.
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