Chapter 50: The Magic Competition (4)

Chapter 50: The Magic Competition (4)

"This isn't a competition!"

Karyl's battle had caused quite a commotion in Azor with just one fight.

"This is a desecration of sacred magic!"

"A sorcerer should only fight with magic!"

The competitions up till now had been about standing in place, waiting for the opponent to finish chanting their spell, and then clashing with each other's magic to determine the winner. As a result, stronger mana and higher-class magic were the deciding factor.

Some of the sorcerers who witnessed the first match criticized his method.

"What's the deal with that kid?"

"Find out which guild he belongs to immediately! Who is his master, what's his lineage?"

Meanwhile, another group became intrigued by him from their very first impression.

"What? Ulkas? Where's that? A third-rate guild has such a prodigy? No matter the cost, we must recruit him to our side!"

"There must be someone! We'll scour the Magic Council's records to find out who's behind this kid!"

Opinions about Karyl were divided, but there was no denying that he had made a name for himself in Azor, almost overnight. And with that, chaos ensued.

This is ridiculous. In a real battle, no one waits for the enemy to finish chanting.

Glancing at the noisy crowd, Karyl casually descended from the arena. True battle magic means casting spells faster and dealing with the enemy more efficiently.

In that regard, there was someone exceptional that he remembered. Her name was Serica Lauren. She was a comrade who, despite being a sorcerer, fought with a spear that could be hardly described as a staff, and showed a determination uncommon for a woman.

Well, although she insisted it was a staff till the end, no one else would call such a brute thing a staff. Karyl smiled softly as he thought of her.

She always said that among the knights, sorcerers were the ones truly specialized for battles.

"Why is it that someone with enough mana to be considered a sorcerer and excellent swordsmanship is called a Sword Master, but there's no name for someone who has reached the height of swordsmanship and possesses the mana of a Grand Sorcerer?"

It was some time after the descent of the Oracles. Standing atop a mound of ogre corpses on the battlefield, she replied, "Right? Superior mana and the combat prowess of a Sword Master. I'm going to overturn the standards set by the continent. The notion that sorcerers should always stay at the back is just stupid."

"Interesting. Then what should we call you?"

Thrusting her spear, or rather, her staff, into an ogre corpse, she said, "Supreme."

That girl... she's probably still washing dishes in some remote village. Even after spending years together, he couldn't imagine her wearing an apron and serving tables. In this life, I'll pave the way a bit earlier for the path you couldn't create in the past. for new novels

The waiting room fell into silence. Karyl cast one last glance at the chattering sorcerers and slowly stepped outside.

***

"Hahaha!! This is it, I thought you would make a grand entrance, but this... This is truly impressive!"

Bargo Sira, waiting in front of the arena, rushed towards Karyl with open arms. But Karyl deftly dodged the attempted embrace and walked on nonchalantly.

"Ha, haha." Having missed his embrace, Bargo hastily followed behind him. "How did you even come up with that? You really know how to make an entrance. I've always wanted to put those pompous sorcerers in their place." He laughed heartily.

"What's the payout?"

"Hmm?"

"I would have liked to bet more... but I guess you didn't listen to me. How much did we make with that hundred gold?" Karyl handed over the shattered staff he used to strike down the sorcerer earlier. "Looks like I'll need another staff."

"Hmm?" Bargo glanced at the broken staff, then burst into hearty laughter. "Of course! For the rising star of the Ulkas Guild, this is the least we can do!"

Throwing away the broken staff, Bargo said, "Join our guild. I'll introduce you to the other guild members and you can get whatever equipment you need from there."

"Sure." Karyl nodded. I wanted to meet Mikhail first... but he must be doing fine, no need to worry. Aidan is with him as well.

Bargo entered the upstairs room and responded with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Thomson Howard, a mid-level sorcerer who reached Class 5 a few years ago. He used to be affiliated with the Empire... He's the highest-class sorcerer in our guild."

"Hmm."

"We paid a hefty sum to recruit him because of his experience, but look at him now. He's fallen into alcoholism, and now he's like that."

Karyl nodded again.

"Now let's talk about the important stuff, from the payout to drafting the contract. Seems like we have a lot to do." His gold tooth gleamed as he smirked. "It was all so hectic before. A verbal agreement is still an agreement, but it's better for both parties to have something in writing, don't you think?"

However, Karyl seemed to be occupied with other thoughts. He disregarded the documents Bargo offered him and said, "Let's talk about that later."

"What?"

"We'll meet again tonight at the inn. You know where I'm staying, right? The same one as before."

As Karyl abruptly left, Bargo called after him with a bewildered expression. "Huh...?! Wait, hold on! Hey!!"

***

"Damn it..."

Thompson muttered, his unsteady steps echoing in the damp alleyway. The stench of alcohol clung to him, but he wasn't drunk. If anything, the drink seemed to sharpen his mind. It was the only way he could bear it.

"Cough." Thompson slumped to the ground, gasping for air.

"As expected..."

Startled, Thomson quickly turned his head.

"You wouldn't know, but in the past... or should I say the future? Well, regardless, there was someone who always shouted that to possess high mana, one needed to train their body as well."

"Who, who’s there?!"

"Most people laughed at his words, but I agree with it. You might have the intellect to harness a lot of mana, but without a strong body to contain it, the mana will consume you instead."

A figure slowly approached him down the alley.

"Just like you."

"Y-You are..." Thomson's face stiffened.

"Thanks to that, it's called the curse of the gifted. And there’s still no known cure."

"You son of a... You followed me all this way just to spout nonsense?" he growled menacingly.

Yet, Karyl, spoke to him in a calm voice. "You have mana poisoning, don't you?"

Thomas swallowed audibly, the sound reverberating in the noisy square. "If left untreated, you'll die soon. You've done well to survive this long. If you hadn't reached Class 5, you would be done for already." Karyl chuckled lightly. "Perhaps the desire to live awakened your potential."

"Get lost." Despite Thompson’s words, Karyl gently placed a hand on his forehead. "If it becomes known, it's the end for you as a sorcerer. But," Karyl leaned in closer. "I think I may be able to help you."

Suddenly, Thomson felt overwhelmed by the surge of mana flowing into him, as if his very breath was being choked off.

"Huff...!! Huff...!!" But that sensation was fleeting, and soon his breathing eased. "...What, what?"

Slowly, his pale face regained color, and he looked at Karyl with a dazed expression.

"This is just a temporary solution. The cure will be known later... Fortunately, I know it."

Thomson's eyes wavered at his words.

"How’s it?" Karyl, seeing his reaction, leaned down and whispered, "But in return, there's something you need to do for me."