Chapter 43: Mage’s gambit

Chapter 43: Mage’s gambit

"Mana?!"

"Mana!!"

Both the composed Sophia and the aggressive William exhibited visible changes in their expressions.

The shock was so big that it made the guild leader take a step back while sweat gathered on her forehead.

Not only was she now at the risk of losing her bet, but she also found herself unable to figure something out.

'Which kind of mage moves like that??'

It wasn't just her who wanted to know the answer to this question; William, whose attacks had been deftly evaded by Hans, had regarded the fellow as a skilled warrior, capable enough to force him to utilize his aura was also wondering the same.

And now, the fellow realized that his opponent was a mage.

"Judging from the mana emanating from him, he must be a medium-ranking mage, perhaps about Rank-C, no, maybe even a Rank-B," William muttered in disbelief.

"There are only two possibilities: either my senses are playing tricks on me, or there's something off about this kid."

Their reaction seemed excessive for merely sensing mana from someone they thought of as a warrior, and indeed it wasn't solely because of that.

Hans seized the perfect opportunity to gain the upper hand in the mental battle between him and his opponent by releasing not only his aura but also the passive skill {Fearsome}, granted by his overpowered equipment.

[The skill {Fearsome} has affected 1 person, inflicting upon him the status of {Slight Fear}.]

Under the effects of {Slight Fear}, William's stats were reduced by 10%, making him more vulnerable.

And thus, the real fight finally commenced.

Hans took the initiative and was the first one to launch an attack.

{Fire Burst}

A hot and fast flame was conjured on Hans's palm before being hurled flying towards his opponent, who had recovered from his daze and defended himself from the attack by slicing it with his long spear that was enveloped in earth aura.

Undeterred, Hans took it up a notch and cast the 2nd Tier spell {Fire Arena} followed by {Greater Fireball}, shooting it with the intention of repelling his sparring opponent.

For the first time in her life, she had lost a bet and she had lost to a kid at that.

She had let an artifact she coveted get away from her and didn't even manage to graze her fingers on it.

Meanwhile, William picked up his spear and walked beside Sophia before bowing apologetically.

"I apologize, I underestimated his strength as a mage; I should've dodged all those spells instead of trying to slash some to get close to him."

She looked at him for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"Haaa.... don't worry, it's not your fault, your opponent this time was a bit exceptional."

"Maybe, it's time for me to stop with these stupid bets"

While she was saying that, William pondered hard about what was about to happen.

'Damn it, someone ten years younger than me managed to overpower me in a head-on battle, which by the way should also have been disadvantageous for people with a mage class such as him.'

'What a shame, truly, what a shame. But still, he must be young and inexperienced, when he joins the guild, I'll be sure to serve as a proper senior and teach him everything I know about the gates, maybe I should also teach him my spearmanship; then I would become the master of a magic warrior.'

"Madam, when will he join our guild and what position will he hold? If it's not a problem, I would like to take him under myself and be his mentor," William asked.

However, all his hopes were shattered by the woman's response, who touched her forehead with her palm before saying, "Don't even dream about it, William. The guy you just sparred with will be crowned the association's branch leader of Chicago in a few days and his authority will be equivalent to if not superior to mine."

While she walked out, still reflecting on the duel she had just witnessed, the vice guild master remained stunned in place, his heavy spear dropping to the ground.

"An 18.. years-old... association.. branch leader..."

"And I just fought someone like thaaat????"

His head was set ablaze, save for a couple of degrees away from exploding.

Meanwhile, Hans made his way towards the bus stop, his body aching a bit and feeling a slight headache due to having exerted himself and used almost half of his mana in that small duration battle.

"Now I only need to convince the Asura Guild and then I will obtain all the smaller guild's guild masters' votes who will try to gain the favor of the three big clans and the new association branch leader, or in other words, me."

"But first, I need a break."