Serie had originally wanted Rhode to create all kinds of magic and then teach them to her. That way, she could learn the magic of every race in this world.
She could even learn magic that did not exist in this world.
However, she quickly dismissed that idea.
By the time Rhode had become proficient in Ice Magic and taught it back to her until she had learned the basics as well, half a year had already passed.
Time was passing a little too quickly.
It felt as though she had met Rhode for the first time only yesterday.
It was then that Serie realized she could not learn every spell in the world from Rhode, because his lifespan was not long enough to support such a thing.
For the first time, she felt powerless in the face of a short life.
As she watched Rhode sparring with Erik in the distance, Serie's gaze grew complicated.
Naturally, the two people currently sparring noticed none of this.
"Ha ha ha! Rhode, take this!"
Erik, who had been steadily improving along the path of magic, could now skillfully use Light Arrow magic. Coupled with his agile movements, Rhode could no longer defeat him immediately.
Erik cast his spell, and three Light Arrows flew toward Rhode in a triangular formation.
Unlike Rhode and Serie, who preferred to win through sheer numbers, Erik seemed to favor an overwhelming-power approach.
The destructive force contained in those three Light Arrows was several times greater than that of ordinary Light Arrows.
Rhode remained unhurried and raised two layers of Magic Barrier. The Light Arrows exploded against the barriers in a dazzling burst of color, and the first Magic Barrier was quickly shattered.
Rhode was somewhat surprised.
Just how much magic had Erik poured into those Light Arrows?
Wasn't he afraid he would run out of magic?
Fortunately, the second Magic Barrier blocked the Light Arrows. Seeing this, Erik laughed and leaped into the air, forming a Light Lance in his hand. "Try this!"
"Damn, when did you learn that?" Rhode's pupils widened sharply.
This brat had been hiding a trick from him!
The lance of light tore through the air and stabbed toward him.
Rhode no longer hesitated. With a backhanded motion, he threw out an identical Light Lance. The two lances collided, and following the ancient principle that the one on the left always lost in a beam struggle, Erik's Light Lance was quickly dispersed.
Rhode's Light Lance, meanwhile, continued charging toward him.
"Serie, take down his Magic Barrier!" Rhode even found time to shout at Serie.
It seemed Erik's hidden trick had really pissed him off.
If he had been even slightly careless, he really might have suffered a humiliating defeat. Of course, by defeat, he meant losing the spar.
Both of them had Magic Barriers cast by Serie on their bodies, which was an important reason Erik dared to attack without restraint.
Serie nodded after hearing him and removed Erik's Magic Barrier.
"Hey, hey, hey! Someone's going to die!!!"
After hastily raising a Magic Barrier to block Rhode's Light Lance, Erik urgently cried out.
"This is what you get for hiding a trick from me! You'd better dodge properly from now on! Don't die."
Rhode raised his hand, and a dense mass of Light Arrows appeared out of thin air.
If he didn't teach this brat a lesson, he really wouldn't know his place.
Erik's face instantly turned pale as he looked at the Light Arrows filling the sky.
The next second, every Light Arrow shot toward him.
He hurriedly rolled aside, but the Light Arrows poured down like a torrential downpour, blasting a series of craters around him.
"Rhode! You're seriously going all out?!" Erik scrambled to his feet in embarrassment. Seeing that the Light Arrows had not weakened in the slightest, he hurriedly spoke.
"Why didn't you weaken the power earlier, then?!"
For Erik to break through his Magic Barrier, he had definitely been using his full magic power without holding anything back.
"Ahem, it's just that I thought with your strength, Rhode, I couldn't beat you unless I used everything I had." Erik explained with an awkward grin.
"Too late. Take it up with my Light Arrows!"
Rhode's voice was merciless as the Light Arrows rained down again.
Erik immediately raised a Magic Barrier. After barely blocking that wave of Light Arrows, he was about to stand when he discovered that, somehow, the corner of his clothes had been nailed to the ground.
A Light Arrow had precisely pierced through his Magic Barrier and pinned him down, forcing him to collapse onto the ground.
"This is called tactics." Rhode slowly walked over. "In a real battle, you should pay attention to every single attack from your enemy. Even the slightest oversight can become a major reason for your defeat."
The Magic Circle in Rhode's hand showed no sign of stopping, clearly preparing to launch another attack.
Erik swallowed. "Wait! I surrender—"
Before he could finish, he suddenly noticed frost spreading up from the leg of his pants.
At once, he felt as though his body had fallen into an ice pit.
"There's more?!" Erik looked up in shock and met Rhode's mischievous gaze.
"A double killing move!" Rhode snapped his fingers, and the frost instantly melted away.
His frost was still rather cold. It would not be worth it if he gave Erik a cold.
Serie quietly watched the scene from afar.
She noticed how smoothly Rhode moved when using composite magic, switching between the two types of magic without the slightest obstruction.
"Can he already skillfully switch between two elemental spells after only half a year?" she murmured softly, her expression complicated.
She felt that if things continued like this, perhaps she might no longer be able to defeat Rhode.
But probably not.
She was an elf, while Rhode was merely a human. His lifespan was less than a hundred years. She would grow stronger with the accumulation of time, while he would not.
But why? Why did she feel so upset?
Serie did not know what was wrong with her.
Perhaps she was ill.
At that moment, Rhode's actions interrupted Serie's thoughts.
A slight fluctuation of magic appeared around him, a sign that he was using magic, yet for some reason, she could not tell what kind of magic Rhode had used.
Was it her imagination?
Rhode extended a hand toward Erik, who was sitting on the ground. "Come on, get up!"
Erik did not think much of it. He took Rhode's hand and was about to stand when, for some reason, the moment their palms touched, a wave of weakness spread through his body.
It made him sit back down on the ground.
"Strange? Why do I suddenly feel like all my strength has been drained?"
The smile on Rhode's face froze, and a trace of barely noticeable panic flashed through his eyes. "You probably used too much magic in that fight just now. Rest for a while and you'll be fine."
Erik thought Rhode's words made sense, so he did not dwell on it. He simply got to his feet and strode toward Norn, who was preparing the food.
"Yo! Norn, what are we eating later?"
Only after Erik left did Rhode drop the smile from his face, but when he turned around, he saw Serie watching him.
"What is it?" Rhode forced another smile.
"Nothing."
Although she had her suspicions, Serie did not say them aloud.
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