The Beginning Was Strangely Familiar

On a vast, unobstructed, milky-white platform, the blond boy sprinted and weaved at breakneck speed, his nimble figure radiating murderous intent like a leopard in pursuit of its prey.

Ryan knew that the moment his duplicate successfully cast the sixth-circle spell Globe of Invulnerability, the battle had already shifted into a position extremely unfavorable to him.

With ranged spells rendered useless, Ryan could only close the distance and use physical means to interrupt his duplicate's casting, preventing him from unleashing another spell that could turn the tide.

If he stayed where he was, all his spell attacks would be blocked by the Globe of Invulnerability, while his duplicate could cast spells at his leisure and counterattack without a care.

Rather than stay put and slowly die, he might as well use the half-dragon transformation and fire resistance he had gained by a stroke of luck from the Dragon Blood Potion. He would endure the burst of his duplicate's Fire Shield at close range, then rely on his brute strength and powerful physique to find an opening and attack his duplicate's weaknesses.

Although his thoughts raced as he searched for a way to break the deadlock, the Mage never stopped trying to disrupt his duplicate's casting.

As he closed the distance at high speed, Ryan took a repeating crossbow from Traveler Space, aimed at the shadow within the shimmering barrier, and fired a volley of sharp bolts that whistled through the air.

As a proper (in his own opinion) Mage, Ryan's aim wasn't bad. He couldn't match a master marksman who could hit a target a hundred paces away without ever missing, but striking a person from within a hundred feet was child's play. It was basic Mage-priest discipline.

Having inherited Spark and the memories of his past life, Ryan had never worried that he wouldn't reach the ranks of the strong. His only concern was how to survive the dangerous early stages of growth.

Everyone knew that even the most powerful and ferocious creatures had feeble claws and fangs when they were young.

So the Mage, who had little sense of security, did everything he could to expand his means of self-defense:

He trained his body from childhood, laying a solid foundation.

He pursued the path of the monk to improve his close-combat skills.

He secretly bought and stockpiled dangerous alchemical bombs and biochemical toxins.

And he mastered a ranged alternative to magic—bows and crossbows.

During the apprentice or low-level Mage stage, all sorts of unconventional tricks offered far more peace of mind than one or two Spell Slots.

Combined with Ryan's rapidly improving computational abilities in this life, his varied methods let him assess an enemy's direction of attack, angle, force, and surroundings, then respond accordingly.

Add in his flexible use of low-level spells—a simple illusion or a small patch of controlling mist—to complement poison gas, crossbow bolts, bombs, and traps, and Ryan often managed to survive until the end of a fight.

As the weak, you needed to understand your place.

Use clever illusions to muddle sight and disrupt the battlefield. Aim deadly hidden arrows at weak points and reap lives. Control the battlefield with alchemical bombs and destroy your enemies.

Create home-field advantage, seize the initiative, divide and conquer, avoid attacks, protect yourself—and, if things looked bad, don't hesitate to flee the battlefield.

Ryan's success in overcoming one deranged trial after another devised by Yefalin, and becoming the personal disciple of a legendary archmage specializing in divination and evocation, favored and cherished by the blue-haired beauty, had not been a mere coincidence of fate.

Unfortunately, the opponent Ryan faced this time was also an expert in these tactics.

As the Tower Spirit endowed Ryan's duplicate with a mechanical mind, it had also loaded him with advanced combat intelligence and the standard abilities of an outstanding Tower of Babel student.

With his formidable combat skills and access to the Tower of Babel's vast database, the duplicate easily calculated the trajectories of the bolts streaking through the air. He dodged them with a few sidesteps, entirely at ease, without so much as disrupting the spellcasting gestures of his hands.

Ryan cursed inwardly. The difficulty of the second trial was absolutely insane!

An opponent who considered every possibility and never made a mistake was simply the worst!

The Mage seriously suspected that some Tower Spirit had secretly tampered with the difficulty. Otherwise, judging by the situation, every low- and mid-level Mage Ryan knew would be doomed if they came here.

What the hell was the point of this inheritance trial? What inheritance was there to inherit?!

In the blink of an eye, Ryan abruptly halted his sprint. He stared at his duplicate in the distance, his expression darkening.

"Damn it, the timing's off. He even copied the Quicken Spell feat. Are they deliberately trying to keep me from passing?"

Ryan felt an invisible barrier in front of him. Even his usually steady temper was fraying after one unexpected complication after another.

An invisible Wall of Force enclosed Ryan. If his keen senses hadn't alerted him that something was wrong up ahead, he might have run headfirst into the indestructible wall. It wouldn't have killed him, but it would have left him bruised and battered.

"Fifth-circle spell—Wall of Force. The caster can summon an invisible wall of force at a point within range.

The caster can choose the wall's direction and shape:

It can be a horizontal or vertical barrier, or set at an angle.

The wall can float in the air or stand on the ground.

It can be shaped into a hemisphere or sphere (with a maximum radius of ten feet), or formed into a flat surface.

Once summoned, nothing can pass through the wall by physical means.

The wall is immune to all damage and cannot be dispelled by Dispel Magic."

In an instant, information about Wall of Force flashed through Ryan's mind.

He remembered this spell well. When he'd looked through the spell compendium in the Magic Crystal, he'd marveled at how many sneaky tricks it could be used for.

It was especially useful when fighting a boss: disable its ability to teleport, trap it, and then focus fire.

Ryan looked up. As expected, the Lightning Bolt in his duplicate's hands was ready to fire.

One mistake led to another. The Quicken Spell feat let his duplicate cast so quickly that Ryan's attempt to close in had failed at the final moment.

As soon as the Wall of Force was in place, his duplicate immediately began preparing Lightning Bolt.

Even if Ryan started casting Dimension Door right away, there wasn't enough time for him to escape the cage before the blazing lightning struck.

The battle seemed to be over. This time, Ryan clearly saw a trace of mocking satisfaction appear on his duplicate's stern face.

The blond boy sighed silently. He looked toward the duplicate, who seemed certain of victory, his gaze proud and defiant, like an enraged lion surrounded by watching wolves. Flames burned in his crystal-blue eyes, setting the sky and sea ablaze.

A gorgeous, exquisite card appeared silently at Ryan's fingertips. Looking down at the dazzling bolt of lightning hurtling toward him, the boy murmured:

"I guess I'll have to give it everything I've got."

P.S. I've seen everyone else doing bonus-chapter events. Should I do one too, with extra chapters for a certain number of votes? I'm still undecided...