Chapter 325: The Fight
A training ground in the southeast corner of the Magic Association tower was the designated daily practice area Serie had assigned to her five disciples.
Multiple barriers had been set up here, sturdy enough to withstand the attacks resulting from their growing mana.
However, more conspicuous than the noise produced by magic was the tension arising from racial differences.
Among the five disciples, the human boy Alvin had the most prominent talent.
Not only did he possess a supernatural affinity for elemental magic, but more rare were his decent combat intuition and learning ability.
Many complex high-ranking spells that others needed to study repeatedly to master, he could often grasp the essence of after just a few attempts, casting them quite decently.
This talent had even been privately acknowledged by Serie to Rhodes, though on the surface, the proud elf lady naturally wouldn't admit it.
But this talent appeared exceptionally glaring in the eyes of another disciple—an elven youth named Legolas.
Originating from the Elven Kingdom, Legolas possessed more human-like emotions than orthodox elves. Unfortunately, these emotions had begun to evolve into a certain arrogance—a common trait among elves from the Elven Kingdom.
Due to the gradual opening of communications with the outside world, the elves of the Elven Kingdom had slowly come to understand emotions through long-term interaction with various races. Sadly, they learned negative emotions the fastest.
Thus, in Legolas's view, a short-lived race like humans, even if they occasionally produced talented individuals, were merely a flash in the pan. Ultimately, they couldn't compare to elves who were born with magical talent and could spend ages accumulating mana.
Moreover, this human had clearly gained the attention of the Elven Saint Serie, which displeased him even more.
"Hmph. Just relying on a bit of petty cleverness. It amounts to nothing!" Legolas sneered from the side, his voice just loud enough for those around him to hear. "The lifespan of humans destines you to never understand the true essence of magic. No matter how hard you try, it is futile."
At first, Alvin didn't want to engage in a verbal dispute with him. Besides, the best refutation of his claim was Lord Rhodes, an existence who truly understood the essence of magic.
But a moment of concession only invited more blatant targeting.
The other human mages studying under Serie felt indignant about this but were hindered by Legolas's strength and elven status, making direct conflict inconvenient.
Among the five, an elven girl named Thea, also from the Elven Kingdom, constantly tried to act as a peacemaker, though with little effect.
As time passed, under Legolas's constant ridicule, the anger in Alvin's heart accumulated daily, and the atmosphere on the training ground grew tense.
Finally, the suppressed atmosphere was thoroughly ignited.
"Legolas! If you truly believe elves are superior to humans, prove it with strength! Empty words only show your guilty conscience!" Alvin glared at Legolas, who was mocking him yet again, unable to hold back any longer.
Legolas was stunned for a moment, then anger surfaced on his face. "Fine! Just what I wanted!"
Conflict was on the verge of erupting. The other disciples on the training ground tensed up instantly, and Thea wanted to try dissuading them.
Just as mana surged around the two, a voice suddenly interrupted their actions: "What are you two doing?"
Everyone looked toward the voice. Flamme was standing at the entrance of the training ground, frowning at them.
As Serie's second disciple and a famous Great Mage within the Association—further bolstered by her status as Rhodes's only disciple—her position and prestige were enough to make these young mages feel awe.
"Senior Sister Flamme!" The five hurried to stop their actions, retracting their mana and bowing respectfully. Even the unruly Legolas was no exception.
Despite his constant talk about "short-lived humans," when facing Flamme or Rhodes, he definitely wouldn't dare utter a single word.
Flamme approached, her gaze sweeping over everyone's varied expressions before finally resting on Alvin and Legolas. "The Magic Association strictly forbids private fighting between mages. If there is a conflict, you can apply for a public duel through proper channels. You are all disciples carefully selected by Master Serie; you should get along harmoniously, not act on impulse here."
Faced with Flamme's admonition, both Alvin and Legolas lowered their heads. But their clenched fists and unconvinced glances at each other showed they hadn't truly taken Flamme's words to heart.
Flamme sighed. Just as she was about to offer more guidance, an even cooler voice cut in suddenly. "Since you find each other eyesores, why not just fight?"
Serie appeared suddenly in the center of the training ground. There was still a trace of moisture on her, and her long hair was wet.
Serie's perception of all mana within the Association was extremely sharp. She had sensed it the moment mana surged within these two. The reason she appeared later than Flamme was simply that she went to change her clothes.
"Master Serie!" Everyone bowed again, their hearts tightening.
Flamme hesitated, then spoke up. "Teacher, is this... appropriate? The Association clearly stipulates—"
"It is fine. I allow it." Serie interrupted her, speaking with great interest. "Suppressed conflict will not disappear; it only accumulates. In that case, might as well fight. Don't worry, I am here. You can go all out."
Looking at the disciples exchanging glances, Serie propped up her small head, thought for a moment, and continued, "Furthermore, the winner... I can reward him with an extra spell he desires."
This sentence instantly made everyone's eyes heat up.
A spell personally promised by Serie!? For any mage, this was an irresistible temptation!
Even Flamme, upon hearing this condition, shook her head repeatedly and stopped trying to dissuade them.
On the other side, Alvin and Legolas's gazes sharpened instantly. All misgivings were thrown to the winds, and the air filled with thick battle intent.
"Since that is the case, please bear witness, Teacher!" Legolas spoke first.
"Let's begin then!" Alvin didn't back down.
The battle erupted instantly in the center of the training ground.
As an orthodox elf, Legolas cast Light Magic and Plant Magic. Countless thick vines burst from the ground, and dozens of light arrows appeared in the air, instantly sealing off all of Alvin's retreat routes.
However, Alvin displayed astonishing combat talent.
His mana might not be as deep as Legolas's, but he understood how to use the least amount of mana to achieve the best effect.
A simple fireball in his hands was no longer a simple bombardment. It seemed to carry a tracking effect, precisely interrupting Legolas's casting rhythm and neutralizing attacks at a minimal cost.
Serie saw at a glance that Alvin had integrated partial tracking effects into his magic.
The battle was extremely intense, and precisely because of that, it ended quickly.
Legolas ultimately underestimated Alvin's adaptability in actual combat. His defensive magic was forcibly torn open, and he was blasted away, landing heavily on the ground. Although not seriously injured, the victor was decided.
Panting, Alvin looked at Serie and said excitedly, "Master Serie, I won. The reward I want is... the Immortality Magic mastered by Lord Rhodes!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone on the training ground fell silent.
Although everyone wanted that magic, wasn't this being a bit too direct?
Even Flamme looked at Alvin in surprise, not expecting his ambition to be so great.
The expression on Serie's face froze instantly, then dark lines covered her forehead. She said grumpily, "That magic is not within the scope of my promise."
Faced with Serie's near breach of contract, Alvin opened his mouth but dared not argue. He could only say in a small voice, "Then... I want to learn the highest-ranking Light Element magic."
This time, Serie did not refuse.
After teaching the highest-ranking magic to Alvin, Serie looked at the other disciples with varying expressions and added flatly, "It is not that I am unwilling to give you the Immortality Magic, but that you will never learn it. In fact, let alone you... no one in this world, except for Rhodes... can learn it."
Leaving behind these meaningful words, Serie said no more and left the training ground directly.
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