Chapter 21. Mezaia Great Forest (3)
The casting speed of Mages had long been a subject of considerable debate.
After all, dungeons were places where danger constantly lurked, and Mages needed to cast quickly if they wanted to protect themselves when such dangers arose.
That was why some Mages prepared spells in advance through Memorize Magic.
Others carried Scrolls so they could respond immediately when danger struck.
But what most Mages ultimately desired was Instant Casting.
The ability to unleash magic immediately without any warning, just as a Swordsman might release Sword Energy without the slightest preparation.
Many exploration-oriented Mages dreamed of reaching such a level, but in reality, very few ever did.
Perhaps that was why Raviata briefly looked surprised.
But only briefly.
There were Mages around her capable of Instant Casting as well, and she had experienced far too much in her life to be astonished by something like this.
BANG-!
With nothing more than a casual swing of her fist, she shattered Shane’s Mana Bullet and scattered it in every direction.
Of course, Shane had never expected something like that to catch Raviata off guard.
He continued attacking without pause.
“Oh?”
Mages capable of Instant Casting were not completely unheard of.
But those capable of casting several times within a single second were considerably rarer.
In the span of an instant, six Mana Bullets flew toward Raviata like the wind, each tracing a different curve through the air.
“Hup.”
Each carried force comparable to a heavy stone being hurled at full speed.
A direct hit would have been more than enough to break bones.
Yet Raviata drew in a single breath and shattered every Mana Bullet with her fists in an instant.
“Phew. You’re really different from what I found out about you.”
“…….”
Raviata had offered sincere praise, but Shane showed no reaction.
He merely continued constructing multiple spells within his mind.
Once more.
“Oh? There’s more?”
This time, Shane did not remain stationary while casting.
He circled around Raviata while designating coordinates from which additional Mana Bullets would be summoned.
Now the Mana Bullets came from both the front and rear, flying in from every direction as though surrounding her.
A glimmer of admiration appeared in Raviata’s eyes.
He was not merely summoning a large number of Mana Bullets.
Some moved slowly.
Others accelerated along broad curves.
By deliberately varying their speeds, Shane forced his opponent to make split-second judgments under confusing conditions.
And by circling around Raviata himself, Shane simultaneously drew her attention toward his movements while maintaining his distance.
The spar was being conducted through meticulously calculated psychological warfare.
It was far too experienced for an ordinary Academy cadet.
Almost as though Shane had spent years fighting other people.
That realization once again sparked Raviata’s interest.
Talents like this were exciting precisely because of how much potential their futures held.
“Haaap!”
With another short shout, Raviata lashed out with her fists and simultaneously destroyed the Mana Bullets approaching her.
Even after the barrage ended, however, Shane did not stop moving.
“Phew…….”
Raviata watched as Shane steadied his breathing, wondering whether he still had something else to show.
Then another volley of Mana Bullets erupted.
But after seeing the same attack several times already, she was just beginning to grow bored when—
This time, the released Mana Bullets did not fly toward Raviata.
“……?”
The Mana Bullets scattered in every direction, chaotically filling the air.
Then they struck the walls and ceiling, and their trajectories began twisting into a tangled mess.
Strangely, rather than exploding upon impact, the Mana Bullets accelerated every time they struck something.
Soon, they were racing through the sparring arena at speeds so great that even Jahad, who had been watching the exchange, found it difficult to follow them with his eyes.
Then, at a certain moment—
Every Mana Bullet ricocheting between the walls, ceiling, and floor converged upon Raviata at once.
“W-Wow…….”
Experienced tactics combined with an almost unnervingly precise degree of Mana control.
An ordinary opponent would undoubtedly have been caught completely off guard.
But Raviata had encountered countless enemies within dungeons and had mastered the art of reading the movements of monsters.
Apparently, even this was not enough to deceive her dynamic vision.
With an amused smile, Raviata once again struck out in every direction, punching away the incoming Mana Bullets almost simultaneously.
Her fists moved too quickly to be seen.
The Mana Bullets shattered beneath them and scattered across the floor.
Her movements were so extraordinary that it was difficult to believe she was human.
Even so, Raviata calmly looked toward Shane as she remembered that the allotted time was nearly over.
“Seriously, you’re impressive. I mean that. I’d say you’ve already passed. Honestly, the first few attacks lacked enough destructive power to be particularly useful, but that last one was good.”
“My fists are actually tingling a little,” Raviata added as she applauded.
Shane still said nothing.
He simply stared at her.
When Raviata sensed Mana gathering in his hand yet again, she decided that it was probably time to bring the test to an end.
Then—
“Still, all that struggling was worth it.”
“Hmm?”
“I succeeded in diverting your attention.”
“……?!”
Very subtly—
Like a spiderweb woven through empty air.
The remnants of the Mana Bullets Raviata had shattered, which had been scattered across the floor until now, became connected by thin threads of Mana.
The instant Raviata noticed them—
Shane thrust his fist forward.
—
One of the greatest advantages of magic based on the Runic Language was its versatility.
Unlike ordinary magic, which created pathways for Mana through countless formulas, runes contained Mana within themselves.
Once one became proficient enough, they could therefore be activated immediately without requiring an Activation Word.
Furthermore, unlike conventional magic, knowing enough runes allowed for countless combinations.
With sufficient concentration, producing a phenomenon like the one unfolding here was entirely possible.
‘What…… in the world just happened?’
Professor Jahad, who had been watching the exchange from a distance in constant admiration, could not understand what had just occurred.
Everything had happened in an instant, but even Jahad, a researcher of Mana phenomena, could not immediately comprehend it.
From his perspective, Shane had merely stepped forward and slowly extended his fist.
Yet in the next instant, he was standing directly in front of Raviata.
It almost felt as though the space Shane had occupied had moved along with him.
Meanwhile, Raviata felt a chill run down her spine.
“Ha…… Haha…….”
For a moment, she even felt dizzy.
She simply could not believe that Shane’s fist was already touching her abdomen.
‘Blink?’
The spell supposedly usable only by a Mage of at least the Sixth Circle?
No.
That was not it.
Raviata had encountered countless Mages throughout her life, and there was even a Mage in her own Adventurer Party capable of using Blink.
This was different.
If it had been nothing more than Blink, it would not explain the dizziness she was experiencing.
Raviata slowly replayed what had just happened in her mind.
The fragments of the Mana Bullets scattered across the floor had become linked by threads of Mana.
Then space itself seemed to expand—
Before shrinking again in a single instant.
“……?”
It was an abnormal phenomenon so bizarre that even Raviata, who had personally witnessed countless strange phenomena while exploring dungeons, had been unable to respond.
Of course, if she had been permitted to use Mana, she would never have missed the warning signs.
But regardless, the important point now was simple.
“Thank you for the spar.”
Shane had passed the test.
—
“Hmm…….”
Having just returned after concluding the contract, Shane shook his head at the mental fatigue.
Until moments ago, Raviata had relentlessly demanded to know what method he had used.
Naturally, asking a Mage to reveal their secrets was considered poor etiquette, so James had desperately tried to restrain her.
Professor Jahad had also appeared inwardly curious as a researcher of Mana, but he likewise stopped Raviata.
As a result, Shane had managed to finalize the contract under considerably more favorable terms.
Moreover, the spar itself had placed a considerable burden on his body.
The wound in his side was still being sealed by the Dark Spirit as it slowly healed.
Running around while continuously firing Mana Bullets and maintaining Multi-Casting at the same time had strained his body further.
From the very moment Shane fired his first Mana Bullet, he had simultaneously been casting a more time-consuming Triple Rune Magic with another portion of his concentration.
The three runes incorporated into the spell he used at the end were ‘Expansion,’ ‘Refraction,’ and ‘Contraction.’
He first expanded space for an infinitesimal instant before restoring it, granting space itself a degree of flexibility.
Then he used Refraction to smooth the distortion.
Finally, he contracted the space in an instant, forcibly shortening the distance between himself and Raviata.
In simple terms—
He had distorted space itself.
That was why Raviata had become dizzy.
Everything Shane had done with the Mana Bullets until that moment had served as groundwork for activating the spell while simultaneously functioning as a diversion to prevent Raviata from noticing the casting.
Just as Shane finished briefly reviewing the spar in his mind, Klein approached him with an awkward expression.
“Ah, Brother! Did the discussion go well?”
“It ended well enough…… but is something wrong?”
“Yes. Father is calling for you.”
“……Father?”
Shane nodded and followed Klein toward the room containing the Communication Crystal Orb.
“Did you call for me, Father?”
A moment later, Lowell’s voice came through the connected crystal.
-Hmm. I called because there is something I need to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?
“Yes.”
-How old are you now?
All of a sudden?
What is he trying to ask?
Putting aside the fact that his father apparently did not even properly remember his son’s age, Shane quickly understood the intention behind the question.
……This never happened in my previous life.
“I am eighteen.”
-I see. You are reaching the age when you must begin assuming the responsibilities expected of a member of the family.
“Could it be……?”
-Yes. We have received an engagement proposal concerning you.
“Pardon?!”
The one who reacted was not Shane.
It was Klein.
