Similar Beginnings

On the milky-white platform, vast and devoid of cover, the golden-haired youth sprinted and maneuvered at high speed, his agile form radiating a murderous aura like a nimble leopard stalking its chosen prey.

Ryan knew that the moment the replica successfully cast the 6th-circle spell Globe of Invulnerability, the battle had shifted into a situation extremely unfavorable to him.

Faced with a scenario where ranged spells were rendered ineffective, Ryan had no choice but to close the distance and use physical means to interrupt the replica's casting, preventing it from unleashing further spells that could alter the tide of battle.

If he remained where he was, his spell attacks would be completely blocked by the Globe of Invulnerability, while the replica could sit back and cast spells with ease to counter-attack him.

Rather than waiting for a slow death in place, it was better to leverage the semi-dragon form and fire resistance he had gained by chance through the Dragon Blood Potion, charge in to endure the burst damage of the replica's Fire Shield, and rely on his barbarian-like physique and immense strength to find an opening to strike the replica's weak points.

Though his mind raced with thoughts seeking a way to break the deadlock, the mage did not stop his efforts to disrupt the replica's casting.

While closing the distance at high speed, Ryan pulled a repeating crossbow from his Traveler Space, aiming at the phantom within the shimmering barrier and firing a series of sharp bolts that whistled through the air.

As a proper (in his own estimation) mage, Ryan's aim was not bad; while he couldn't claim the marksmanship of a sniper who never missed a shot from a hundred paces, hitting a human-sized target within a hundred feet was a trivial matter—a basic requirement for Ryan as a "mage-lord."

Having inherited the Spark and the memories of his past life, Ryan never worried about his inability to enter the world of the strong; his only concern was how to survive the weak and dangerous early stages of accumulation.

It is common knowledge that even the most powerful and ferocious creatures have tender and powerless claws and fangs during their infancy.

Therefore, the insecure mage exhausted every means to enrich his self-preservation methods:

Tempering his body during childhood to lay a foundation, Pursuing the path of a monk to strengthen his close-quarters combat abilities, Secretly purchasing and hoarding dangerous alchemical bombs and biochemical toxins, And mastering ranged alternatives to magic—the bow and crossbow.

During the apprentice and even low-level mage stages, various unconventional tricks provided far more peace of mind than one or two spell slots ever could.

Combining these complex and diverse methods with the massive, rapidly advancing computational power he possessed in this life, Ryan would comprehensively judge and analyze the enemy's attack direction, angle, force, and the surrounding environment to formulate corresponding countermeasures.

Coupled with the flexible use of low-level spells—a simple illusion or a small, crowd-controlling mist, paired with poison gas, crossbow bolts, bombs, and traps—Ryan was often able to survive until the end of a battle.

As the weak, one must have the self-awareness of the weak.

Use clever illusions to confuse vision and disrupt the battlefield, use deadly hidden arrows to target weaknesses and reap lives, and use alchemical bombs to control the battlefield and destroy enemies.

Create a home-field advantage, seize the initiative, divide and conquer, pick them off one by one, evade attacks, protect oneself, and even flee the battlefield without hesitation if the situation looks grim.

It was no coincidence of fate that Ryan had broken through the various insane assessments set by Yefalin to stand out, eventually becoming the personal disciple of the legendary archmage of the divination and evocation schools, and winning the favor and affection of the blue-haired beauty.

However, unfortunately, the opponent Ryan encountered this time was also an expert well-versed in these very tactics.

While the Tower Spirit had endowed Ryan's replica with a mechanized mind, it had also loaded it with high-level combat intelligence and the basic quality templates of an elite student of the Tower of Babel.

With superb combat instincts and the support of the Tower of Babel's massive database, the replica easily calculated the trajectory of the bolts whistling through the air. With a few sidesteps, it dodged the arrows with ease, its spellcasting movements remaining completely undisturbed.

Ryan cursed inwardly; the difficulty of this second trial was simply off the charts!

An opponent who was comprehensive, meticulous, and never made a mistake was absolutely terrible!

The mage deeply suspected that some Tower Spirit had secretly adjusted the difficulty; otherwise, judging by this situation, any low-to-mid-level mage Ryan knew would be utterly crushed if they came here.

What the hell kind of inheritance mode is this? Inheriting nothing but air?!

In the blink of an eye, Ryan, who had been silently complaining, suddenly slammed on the brakes, staring at the replica not far away with a grim expression.

"Damn it, the timing is off. It even replicated the Quickened Spell feat? Is it trying to make sure no one passes?"

Feeling the invisible obstruction in front of him, even Ryan's usually calm demeanor was stirred into annoyance by the endless stream of surprises.

An invisible Wall of Force had enclosed Ryan. Had his keen perception not warned him that something was wrong ahead, he might have sprinted headlong into the indestructible wall. He wouldn't have died from the impact, but a bruised and bloody nose would have been inevitable.

"5th-circle spell—Wall of Force. The caster can summon an invisible wall of force at a designated point within range."

"The direction and shape of this Wall of Force can be determined by the caster:"

"You can decide for it to be a horizontal or vertical barrier, or set it at an angle."

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

"The Wall of Force can be shaped into a hemisphere or sphere (up to 10 feet in radius), or shaped into a flat plane."

"Once the Wall of Force is successfully summoned, nothing can pass through it physically."

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

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

Ryan had a deep impression of this spell; when browsing the encyclopedia of spells within the Magic Crystal, he had marveled at how it was a spell with the potential for many devious applications.

It was especially useful when fighting a boss, trapping them after disabling their teleportation abilities to focus fire.

Ryan looked up, and as expected, the Lightning Bolt in the replica's hand was already primed and ready.

One wrong step led to another; the ultra-fast casting brought about by the Quickened Spell feat caused Ryan to fail at the very moment he was about to close the distance.

As soon as the Wall of Force was established, the replica had wasted no time in preparing the Lightning Bolt.

Even if Ryan started casting Dimension Door immediately, there was not enough time for him to escape this cage before the scorching lightning arrived.

The battle seemed to have ended, and this time, Ryan clearly saw a trace of mocking satisfaction appear on the replica's cold face.

The golden-haired youth sighed silently, looking at the replica that seemed to have victory in its grasp. His gaze was as defiant as an angry lion surrounded by a pack of wolves, and the flames burning in those crystal-blue eyes ignited the sky and the sea.

A gorgeous and exquisite card appeared quietly at Ryan's fingertips. As the youth watched the dazzling electric light rushing toward him, he lowered his eyes and whispered:

"Time to go all out."

ps: I see they all have events for extra updates based on votes; should I do that too? Hesitating...