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Chapter 39: The Wizard’s Unspoken Rule
Crackle! A sudden explosion of electricity burst in front of Yuren. A blue barrier shimmered before him—Magic Shield, a 4th-tier spell. His reflexes had saved him, leaving him unharmed, but his heart was still racing.
“Was that… an Elemental Bolt?”
Elemental Bolt was a 3rd-tier spell, stronger than Mana Shot. Its effects changed depending on the element infused into it.
“Since it was lightning, that must have been a Lightning Bolt.”
Lightning-based magic specialiJed in speed, striking the enemy before they could react. Elemental Bolts infused with lightning were, on average, three times faster than those of other elements.
“It was like an arrow fired by a master archer.”
If he hadn’t reacted so quickly, one of his limbs could have been gone.
“And he’s only a 3rd-circle wizard?”
Ferda was a 3rd-circle mage, but Yuren never underestimated him. Ferda had a Red Circle, and those who possessed it always had immense power in their affinity. It was already well-known that he had defeated Thessalos Walcher when he was only a 1st-circle mage. That was why Yuren had rated him as being close to a 4th-circle mage.
“But even that was an understatement.”
Ferda’s magic was far beyond Yuren’s imagination.
“How is he doing this?”
Yuren’s sharp eyes studied Ferda. Was he receiving some kind of hidden assistance? Impossible. No weapons were allowed in this sealed chamber before they entered.
“Casting at this speed without a wand or staff to assist with calculations?”
The only way to increase casting speed was through repetition and mastery. But this wasn’t simple practice—it required such an instinctive understanding of mana flow that one could cast magic even in their sleep. For Yuren, that was impossible. Ferda’s talent was truly astonishing.
“You seem curious about what spell that was.” Ferda spoke in a relaxed tone, provoking Yuren.
“For your information, it was an Elemental Bolt.”
“You arrogant little brat.”
Yuren’s face turned red with anger. Even though Ferda had a noble title, as a mage, he was still just a 3rd-circle wizard.
A magic circle formed in Yuren’s hand.
“Let’s see how long you can keep up that arrogance!”
In a fight to the death, status no longer mattered. The magic circle did not disappear after being cast—it remained floating in the air.
‘A continuous concentration magic circle,’ Ferda thought.
Normally, when a spell was cast, the magic circle converted its mana into an attack and vanished. But in continuous casting, the circle stayed active, allowing continuous attacks by simply injecting mana. This was a skill any 5th-circle mage could use.
“The spell within it… another Elemental Bolt.”
By analyzing its shape and symbols, Yuren confirmed that Ice Bolts were forming within the circle.
“Let’s see you dodge this!”
And it wasn’t just a single shot; it was a barrage. Ferda threw himself behind a decorative stand to dodge the attack. The ice bolts hit the stone decor and shattered it. The decorations almost broke apart from the sheer cold.
“Continuous Casting is really annoying.”
If he were weaker, it would have been impossible to dodge. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t at a disadvantage.
At that moment, a sinister whisper crept into his mind.
“Do you need my power?”
It was a demon’s temptation. Demons only whispered to those with extraordinary potential, offering power at a terrible price.
“So they’ve noticed my talent.”
But Ferda wasn’t swayed in the slightest. He remained focused on the fight. Right now, only the battle mattered.
“Mana isn’t infinite.”
Neither he nor Yuren had unlimited energy. Before the stone display was completely destroyed, Yuren’s Ice Bolt barrage finally stopped. Ferda quickly stood up and analyJed the floating magic circle.
To disable a continuous casting magic circle…
“I need to break his concentration.”
Just as Yuren prepared to fire again, Ferda extended his prepared magic circle.
“Lightning Bolt.” A straight-firing electric projectile. Fast but predictable.
Yuren immediately responded, summoning a blue barrier in front of him. Crackle! Ferda’s Lightning Bolt struck the Magic Shield and vanished. It was fast, but its raw power was limited.
“If only I could combine two elements…”
Darkness had the highest destructive power, while Lightning had the highest speed. Combining them would be devastating, but a 3rd-circle mage couldn’t do that.
“In that case…”
Ferda turned back to the magic circle. Yuren had paused his mana injection, but three Ice Bolts were still flying toward Ferda.
“Magic Intercept.”
Using his mana, he tried to intercept the ice bolts by controlling their paths. However, as a 3rd-circle wizard, Ferda couldn’t control all three at once.
“If I sacrifice one, I can take the other two.”
A swift, logical decision. The one he abandoned struck his thigh, tearing through his flesh. Blood spilled as pain coursed through his leg. But it didn’t matter. The two stolen Ice Bolts were now his.
“Let me return these to you.”
A new magic circle formed in Ferda’s hand. Another Lightning Bolt. But this time, the Lightning Bolt was fired from behind the Ice Bolts.
“Lightning Bolt.”
Fwoosh! The Ice Bolts absorbed the speed of the Lightning Bolt, launching at incredible velocity.
Crash! Yuren’s blue barrier shattered. His eyes widened.
“My shield broke?!”
The combination of the Ice Bolt’s durability and the Lightning Bolt’s speed was too much for it to withstand. For a moment, Yuren felt death approaching. One last Ice Bolt remained—and it was aimed at his forehead.
“Lightning Bolt.” A final spell fired straight for Yuren’s skull.
“Arghhh!” Yuren threw himself to the ground, narrowly avoiding death. His continuous Magic Circle collapsed, vanishing completely. Panting, he rose to his feet, his head spinning from the rush of adrenaline.
“Ahh… I admit it. Are you really just a 3rd-circle mage?”
Ferda smirked.
“Do you really need to ask? Are you that weak?”
“If I am, it’s only because of you. Even the Imperial Court Mage, that old wizard, wouldn’t be able to fight like this at 3rd-circle.”
“That old man is the wisest in the palace.”
“You talk like you know him. Have you even met him?”
Ferda chuckled. ‘He had once fought that “old man”—until the emperor bowed before him.’
As Ferda thought about this, Yuren pulled something from his coat. A wand, embedded with a glowing crystal. It was a magic tool. It only needed mana to activate, and the magic circle within would react to release magic. Yuren’s choice to use it was significant.
“So, you admit defeat in skill?”
“Laugh all you want. I just need to eliminate you.”
Mana surged into the wand, revealing its magic circle. Ferda quickly analyJed it.
“4th-tier spell…” His instincts were correct. The gathered mana radiated icy energy, forming sharp spikes. At first glance, it resembled Ice Bolt, but something was different.
‘There’s an excessive amount of cold energy inside,’ he thought.
A Frost Bomb—an ice spell designed to explode upon impact, releasing a freezing burst. Dodging, blocking, or even intercepting it would backfire.
“Then I have to shoot it down.”
Ferda flicked a small mana sphere from his fingertip—straight at the Frost Bomb.
Whoosh! A burst of freezing mist spread, turning everything around it to ice. Even Ferda’s mana orb froze solid and rolled on the ground. It was a spell so powerful that it could freeze pure mana itself.
“He saw through my Frost Bomb.”
Ferda wasn’t surprised. A mage skilled enough to intercept magic wouldn’t be fooled by a simple trick.
In the meantime, Yuren chanted another spell.
“Shield of the Empire!”
A magic circle, formed from condensed mana, took shape and became a shield. It was a 5th-tier defensive spell. This spell was inspired by a legendary warrior named Aegis and was capable of providing strong protection. The shield would move on its own, sensing and responding to magic without Yuren’s direct control.
“A troublesome spell.”
For those unfamiliar with it, Aegis was incredibly annoying to deal with.
“But…” Ferda knew better. The more troublesome an opponent was, the better he remembered how to counter them. So, he waited—for the exact moment when his opponent would overestimate his own magic.
“Now.”
At that moment—just as Yuren launched his Frost Bomb with his wand—two orbs appeared in Ferda’s hand. One was a normal mana shot. The other was a mana bomb, packed with concentrated energy.
“No way…!”
The moment Yuren saw the mana bomb, an ominous realization struck him. It was impossible. A mere 3rd-circle mage couldn’t possibly know how to counter a 5th-tier spell.
And yet—Ferda’s orbs flew toward him. The mana bomb reached first. Aegis detected the attack and moved to block it.
BOOM! A burst of mana exploded, covering the area in a thick mist. At the same time, the shield glitched—its movements became sluggish.
Yuren’s eyes widened.
“He knows how to break Aegis?!”
A mage’s battle was like a card game. If you didn’t know your opponent’s cards, you assumed they didn’t exist. Otherwise, no one could ever use magic freely.
Yet now, Yuren was facing something completely unexpected.
“Then, the second orb…!”
He realiJed what was coming next. It would target Frost Bomb. Once a spell was cast, a mage couldn’t stop it with sheer willpower. Ferda had already planned to explode the second orb to collide with the Frost Bomb.
“Not a chance!”
Yuren swiftly cast Magic Shield. A blue veil covered his front—a powerful defensive magic that Lightning Bolt couldn’t penetrate. Ferda’s orb wouldn’t be able to touch the Frost Bomb.
If the Frost Bomb was in danger, he could simply throw it elsewhere. But then—
“Wait… that’s Lightning Bolt?”
Ferda had fired a Lightning Bolt instead of his mana orb.
“That won’t work. My shield is too strong.” Yuren was certain. Even a powerful Lightning Bolt couldn’t break his Magic Shield.
But as he tried to figure out why Ferda made that choice, something came into view. A dark object hidden in the background—appeared behind Ferda, hidden from sight. Something small and hard, held low to the ground. It seemed like a hidden arm, preparing to throw something.
“No…”
It was the frozen mana orb. It had been frozen solid by the Frost Bomb’s cold, turning it as hard as metal. Ferda had secretly retrieved it from his blind spot.
“Lightning Bolt.”
The lightning struck the solid ice orb, propelling it forward.
CRACK! The Magic Shield shattered. Yuren’s body staggered violently, but he quickly regained his focus. Even now, he didn’t close his eyes. He saw it—Ferda’s last mana orb, flying straight toward him.
“I need to find a way…!”
But it was too late. The orb collided with the Frost Bomb. Whoosh! A thick white mist exploded, turning the entire area into a frozen wasteland. The fog refused to clear.
“He must be dead.”
Judging by the power of the blast, it would be strange if Yuren survived. His defenses were gone, and even with high magic resistance, a direct hit from a freezing explosion should have been fatal.
But Ferda didn’t lower his guard. This was a sealed storage room—a place filled with forbidden artifacts. And when a human desperately clings to life—
“Demons will answer that desperation.”
His suspicion became reality. Crunch. A figure rose from the frozen battlefield. Yuren’s frozen body moved, his clothes and other stuff broke apart, but he was still unharmed. His flesh remained intact. And in his hand—he held a book.
“Heh… heheheh…!” A twisted, insane laughter echoed.
“Ahhh… so this… is the power of demons.”
It was the typical reaction of someone who had just embraced the power of Hell. The book he clutched was Marbas’ Ice Sorcery.
“Marbas, the Demon of Frost and Ruin.” One of the Seven Great Demons, the ruler of the Frozen Hell.
“So he made a contract right before the explosion.” Those who sold their souls to Marbas gained the ability to survive extreme cold.
Ferda watched as Yuren slowly turned toward him. His legs gave out. Too much blood loss—his strength was gone. His mind—his focus—had reached its limit.
“Damn it…” Yuren mocked him.
“What’s wrong, Regent? Weren’t you so confident before?”
The situation had completely turned against him.
At that moment—
A whisper filled the air. The demonic books in the room shuddered and rumbled.
“Give me your soul. I will grant you power to kill that insignificant thing.”
“With my strength, you can burn that wretch to ashes!”
“Come now, this life is better than crawling in the gutter, isn’t it?”
The demons whispered, pulling Ferda in different directions, trying to seize his body. He was at the edge of death.
But Ferda smiled. A genuine smile.
“They say… in your final moments…” His breath ragged as he finally spoke.
“The first thing you see is the person you love most.”
Yuren frowned.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Ferda’s blue eyes met his. They still shone with pride.
Yuren scowled.
“What nonsense are you spouting now, you are not trying to say that you love me, are you?”
Ferda’s eyes burned brightly. A mage’s unyielding spirit.
“I’m saying—”
“I’m not dying yet.”
At that moment—Yuren’s instincts screamed.
‘I can’t… I can’t win against this man…?’
Even after selling his soul to a demon—he still couldn’t defeat him?
“That’s impossible.”
Just then—Ferda asked him.
“You know the one rule of being a mage?”
A mage never reveals their final trump card—not until the very end.
Yuren sneered.
“You’re going to use that last mana but you don’t have mana for it anymore!”
Ferda laughed.
“Who said… it was magic?”
Suddenly—A voice spoke behind Yuren.
“Looks like I made it just in time.”
Yuren turned. A brown-haired man in a guard’s uniform stood there. His red eyes glowed.
Yuren’s magic collapsed—And a dagger pierced his throat.
“Kuh…!”
Ferda sighed.
“Careful. He’s a demon’s pawn.”
The man smirked.
“I know.”
The man gripped the dagger with both hands and took a stance.
“After all, I have quite a relationship with demons.”
He pulled out the dagger and drew a wide arc.
Yuren’s field of vision inverted as his head went flying.
In the consciousness that had not yet faded, he saw Ferda.
He was casting a Lightning Bolt toward his head.
“Have a good trip. Beast that lost its pride.”
