Chapter 17: The Duel

Another achievement was Gray's successful refinement of the standard Fireball spell, shortening its incantation time by half a second. This was the first and most crucial step towards the Instant Fireball, indicating Gray's newfound understanding of the underlying magical principles. If he could further enhance or even maximize the magic's efficacy in the future, Gray would possess the powerful signature spell of accomplished mages – the Instant Great Fireball.

Gray meticulously groomed himself in front of the mirror, as those with elven bloodlines naturally paid close attention to their appearance. Today, Gray had a special agenda. He had ordered a bouquet of pure white flowers, intending to scatter them from the open terrace on the upper levels of Azure Tower. It was said that the top of Azure Tower was close to the Trade Winds, and theoretically, if the flowers were thrown high enough and with a bit of luck, the perpetual winds would carry them hundreds of kilometers away.

Gray hoped that his mother, watching from above, would see them.

As usual, Gray left his residential area, clutching the bouquet of flowers, and made his way to the teleportation magic circle leading to the upper levels of Azure Tower. The magic circle could transport up to a dozen people to designated floors, the most convenient and swift mode of transportation, albeit exorbitantly priced.

As Gray approached the teleportation magic circle, several young magic apprentices were already standing there, some familiar faces from his classes. The rest were strangers. They seemed to be waiting for something, but when Gray entered the circle, they changed their minds and crowded in as well. The magic circle was not spacious, and with several people already inside, it felt cramped. After a few seconds of swaying, the confining sensation vanished, signaling their arrival. With the descent of the magical veil, Gray found himself on the twentieth floor of Azure Tower. Here, he would transfer to another teleportation magic circle for the forty-first floor, repeating the process until he reached his destination – the vast terrace on the eightieth floor.

As Gray stepped out of the veil, a sudden sharp pain in his buttocks jolted him. He had been kicked hard! Without warning, Gray let out a cry and instinctively lurched forward, only to trip over an obstacle and tumble heavily across the polished black stone floor, sliding several meters before coming to a halt. The excruciating pain made it difficult for him to rise, but the bursts of laughter and taunts from behind made it clear that he had been ambushed.

The underhanded attack was not what bothered Gray the most; it was the loss of the bouquet he had intended to send to his mother. The flowers, her favorite though not rare, were scarce in the northern regions far from their village. He had preordered them from the florist a month in advance to ensure their timely arrival.

As Gray struggled to get up, his eyes fixed on the scattered bouquet a few steps away. Just as his hand neared the flowers, another hand grabbed them first.

Gray froze, slowly straightening up to face the culprit – a teenage mage, approximately fourteen years old, taller than Gray by half a head. His arrogant and mischievous expression, adorned with a mage apprentice's robe, betrayed his identity as the leader of the group that had ambushed Gray. The others closed in, encircling him.

Even though Gray had little interaction with anyone besides his instructors, he could sense that these young apprentices had come specifically for him. Confused, he couldn't fathom how he had offended them, as he was sure he hadn't spoken to any of them before. However, his keen memory vaguely recalled the name "Pappan," belonging to a young mage from a minor aristocratic family in the Holy Alliance, with some magical talent but not remarkable in Azure Tower. As for his magical prowess, Gray's precise talent instantly calculated Pappan's magical energy to be at the second-level mage's level, or at least equivalent in power.

Pappan examined the disheveled bouquet, shaking it vigorously, causing more petals and leaves to fall. He then sneered at Gray, "So, you're Aiden Gray? I can't see what special abilities you possess that made the great Lady Lianna Dawn take you as her disciple. But honestly, you have a nice ass!"

The apprentices erupted in laughter, their lewd intentions all too apparent. Gray's face flushed red, but his determination kept his anger in check. He spoke firmly, "Give me back my flowers!"

"Ah! So you really like this stuff..." Pappan leaned slightly forward, his face close to Gray's, but his hand relaxed, letting the bouquet fall to the ground. Before Gray could react, a young apprentice nearby stamped heavily on it and crushed it several times.

The white petals scattered everywhere, never to be restored. More petals groaned under the young apprentice's shoes.

Gray's reaction surprised everyone. Instead of rushing to protect the flowers or stopping the young apprentice, he leaned backward first, then sprang forward like a taut bow, his hard forehead smashing into Pappan's smiling face!

The teleportation array was located on a major thoroughfare, so quite a few people had gathered around. Besides the sound of berries being crushed, the spectators also heard the cracking of bones. Seeing Gray's collision, some timid people even felt a tinge of sorrow.

Pappan's vision suddenly turned black, then it was filled with red, yellow, and all sorts of colors. The world was spinning, and for a moment, he had no idea where he was. In the instant the teenagers were stunned, Gray had already pounced on Pappan, grabbing his hair with both hands and lifting his body into the air. Gray's hands pressed tightly on Pappan's head, slamming his already blurred face onto the hard ground!

If this hit was solid, Pappan's skull would crack!

However, in the Deep Blue where mages were abundant, such a vicious incident could not be allowed to happen. Two level-six "Physical Immunity Shields" appeared on Gray and Pappan simultaneously. The repulsive force between the shields made Gray and Pappan rebound like colliding spheres.

Only a mage of at least level fourteen could instantly cast a level-six spell. Indeed, two middle-aged mages approached and asked with grave faces, "What's going on here?"

The effect of the Physical Immunity Shield was very powerful. If it hadn't absorbed enough damage, it would only dissipate after the magic's duration expired or when it was dispelled. Encased in the shield, Gray's eyes were red, and he was frantically attacking the shield, trying to break out. He didn't bother with the middle-aged mages' questions.

In the other shield, Pappan finally recovered from his dizziness. Recalling what had just happened, he was both frightened and furious. The unbearable pain in his nose made him touch it with a trembling hand. The messy sensation almost made Pappan truly pass out. His once proud face was ruined! This discovery nearly drove Pappan insane, and even the pain was temporarily overshadowed. Pointing at Gray, he screamed madly, "Bastard! Dare to have a magical duel with me?! The loser has to lick the winner's ass!"

Hearing Pappan's outcry, Gray calmed down instead. He stopped attacking the shield and even neatly adjusted his sleeve that had rolled up to his arm. With a solemn expression and a calmness that didn't match his age, he said, "I accept!"

"No way!" The middle-aged mage who had separated the two frowned and tried to intervene. But another mage tugged at his robe and said, "Let them go!"

The middle-aged mage was taken aback and lowered his voice slightly, saying, "But Aiden Gray is the prince's student..."

The other mage smiled and whispered, "The challenger's name is Pappan. He's just a follower of Landov. Landov is also the prince's student. So I think a magical duel is what Pappan really intends, only this idiot was almost ruining everything."

The middle-aged mage realized, "This is a matter between the prince's students. We don't need to get involved. Alright, let's do it according to the rules!"

In Deep Blue, there was a tradition that if there was an irreconcilable conflict between two parties, besides throwing gold coins at each other, using magic was also an effective way to resolve it. If one party proposed a magical duel and the other agreed, and there was no significant difference in strength between the two parties, the duel would be established and conducted under the supervision of the law enforcement mages of Deep Blue. There were designated places for magical duels, and special mages were assigned to protect the venue. Using the dueling arena required paying a large deposit beforehand to cover potential damages to the facilities. The main responsibility of the resident mages was to protect the duelists because the principle of magical duels was not to endanger lives.

Of course, absolute fairness did not exist. For example, Pappan's registered information stated that he was a first-level mage, but his magical power had actually reached the level of a second-level mage.

Half an hour later, Gray and Pappan stood at opposite ends of the dueling arena, separated by twenty meters. Pappan's injuries had been treated simply. Besides his somewhat pale face, there was no sign of his previous distress. His bloodstained robe had been replaced with a new one, but his partially collapsed nasal bridge looked unnatural.

Although it was only a magical duel between first-level mages, news of the previous conflict had spread surprisingly quickly. Due to the uniqueness of Gray's identity, many people had come to watch. The stands that could accommodate 200 people were fully occupied. The spectators looked relaxed, greeting and chatting with acquaintances. They didn't seem to consider the upcoming duel a significant event. A battle between first-level mage apprentices wasn't worth watching. Even if both parties didn't defend themselves and used first-level magic to attack each other, no one would die. Moreover, with their magical power, they could only cast three first-level spells at most.

In fact, most of the people who came wanted to see what was so special about Aiden Gray that made Liana Dawn take him as an apprentice. It would be even better if Aiden Gray could make a fool of himself. It was a dark spot in many people's hearts to see lucky ones fall from grace and suffer misfortune.

In a box on the high platform, behind a one-way transparent magical window, stood Liana Dawn's other two students, Minnie and Landov. Minnie was a tall girl, cold and arrogant. Although she was not old, she had developed well. Her aloof and distant temperament was her most attractive trait to the opposite sex. Landov, on the other hand, was already a tall youth. Compared with his peers, his appearance, family background, temperament, and strength were impeccable. If he weren't a one-in-a-million talent, he wouldn't have become Liana Dawn's disciple.

Looking down from a high position, Minnie gazed at the two people in the dueling arena who had entered the countdown and said coldly, "Landov, your idea is quite good. If Aiden Gray loses, according to the conditions of this duel, the teacher will definitely not want him anymore. But he's just a first-level mage. Is he really worth your attention, and do you need to use such means to deal with him?"

Landov shrugged casually and smiled, "I just want to see what's special about this future magic tattoo constructor. Actually, I've always wondered why the teacher doesn't let me develop in the direction of a magic tattoo artist. You know that the famous constructor, Prince Saint Crus, affirmed my talent in magic tattoo construction a long time ago. Moreover, since he is also the teacher's student, there's no reason for him to lose to those underlings, right? There's only a one-level difference in magical power."

Minnie sneered, "Yeah! Just a one-level difference: the difference between level one and level two. Landov, are you insulting my intelligence or insulting yourself? And if you do this, aren't you afraid that the teacher will be angry when she comes back and knows about it?"

Landov smiled proudly and said, "The teacher won't abandon a talent like me for a loser. On my monthly bill, the joy of the teacher is often more than 100,000 gold coins! Moreover, my father is... Well, the duel has begun. Let's watch first!"

Minnie's gaze also turned to the arena, but she seemed to be talking to herself, saying, "But how did I hear that Aiden Gray's income is 500,000 gold coins every month?"

Landov didn't say a word, as if he hadn't heard Minnie's words, but his face looked somewhat ugly.