The Duel

Zeno's face was flushed; he was delighted by Caleb's praise.

After that, no one talked about anything meaningful; they all complained about their bosses or mentors, Fran couldn't get a word in edgewise.

After everyone had finished their food, Caleb suddenly made a suggestion.

"I suppose everyone's done with their own things, so how about we do something fun?"

"Oh, what kind of entertainment activity? Is it Magic Duel?"

Zeno's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, placing his hands on his chest.

Magic Duel are a form of duel between mages. Specifically, both mages cast shields and wait for each other to be ready before the duel begins. Depending on the rules, victory is achieved by breaking the opponent's shield or dealing damage to the opponent.

Ultimately, this is just a form of entertainment for mages; their true way of enhancing themselves is through the study of spells.

In real Battlefield, mages are equipped with a large number of trigger-based items, maintain distance, and bombard each other with spells. They find the distance in Magic Duel too close.

Therefore, it is not as useful to mages as dueling is to warriors; it is merely a form of entertainment.

"No, that's so unfair! How can we possibly defeat Mr. Zeno, a fellow of the University Association researchers?"

Caleb responded slowly, spreading his hands as if Zeno were truly invincible, and no one noticed the hint of ruthlessness in his eyes.

Daphne frowned, extended her hand, and said:

"Then what should we compete in?"

Caleb chuckled a few times, then stood up, turned around, walked to the ornament on a longsword, reached out and gently stroked it, saying:

"How about we have Sword-Grip Duel between knights?"

Caleb's proposal surprised both mages, but after some thought, they agreed.

"That's good, this way no one will be affected, it's fairer."

"I have no objection; I think most people wouldn't participate in this activity."

Fran's expression was complicated, but she ultimately agreed.

Caleb led the group into a rather spacious room, where some armor and weapons were placed on shelves.

However, those things were all rusty, as if they had been abandoned there a long time ago.

Caleb turned his head and said to the crowd:

"Let me add a prize to today's competition: whoever wins in the end will receive something I unexpectedly receive."

"Oh? What is it?" Zeno scratched his head, somewhat curious.

Caleb turned and took out a square object from the room next door. It wasn't very big, but the decorations on it made him a little curious.

In the center is a red lens, while the other surfaces are covered with a light yellow color.

"This is a token; even I didn't know what it was when I received it."

"I know this thing must correspond to a certain switch or a certain door. I've been in Gede Town and haven't been able to use it, so let's see who's lucky enough to get it today."

Zeno said confidently:

"Haha... that must be me. I think I have quite Talent for warrior duels."

"Don't let me win this back later," Caleb joked, watching Zeno's movements with amusement in his eyes.

"Then let me explain the rules: offensive and defensive spells are not allowed, but spells that enhance the body are permitted. Victory is achieved when the opponent's sword falls. Is that alright?"

"No."

After discussing it, the four mages decided to divide into pairs, determine the winners, and then have another match. The final winner would take 'that thing'.

Zeno stood casually on the ground, holding a wooden sword, while opposite him stood Caleb, the host of the place, who was ready to go all out.

After it began, Fran witnessed an even more horrific scene; she simply couldn't bear to watch the duel between the two sides.

Neither of them understood what footwork was in combat, and neither knew how to adjust their position to keep the other within reach of their wooden sword.

Both sides launched attacks, either because the opponent was too far away and missed, or because they were too close and couldn't land a swing.

The entire competition had been going on for twenty seconds, and the two sides hadn't even touched each other, let alone their wooden swords had collided more than a few times.

Fortunately, they realized they couldn't keep hiding like that, so they started to fight at a closer distance.

Finally, a minute later, a sword struck the hilt of Caleb's sword. In that instant, it was as if some kind of magic had been used, making the attack suddenly more powerful, causing the opponent to lose his grip on the sword and lose the duel.

"That's amazing... May I ask what spell you used to enhance your attack?"

Caleb rubbed his wrist; the blow had stung him, and it took him a while to recover.

"It's nothing. I had the evil spirit I summoned assist me from behind, pushing my arm directly when I attacked."

Zeno made no attempt to hide his secret, directly revealing the trick to the trade, which made both of them burst into laughter.

Then it was Fran's and Daphne's turn to fight.

As soon as Fran picked it up, she sensed something was wrong. Why did this sword seem to be ignoring her commands?

I wanted to slash forward, but the sword kept tilting backward, making it hard to control.

She glanced at Daphne across from her and saw the smile on the other woman's face, which suggested that Daphne had probably done something.

However, Fran didn't bother with her. After stalling for thirty seconds, she stepped forward and stabbed her opponent's hand with her sword, forcing her to drop the wooden sword.

Daphne gave a wry smile upon seeing this:

"Do you have some kind of superhuman strength? Why can't I control your wooden sword?"

Fran, however, made up an excuse and said:

"I found a Body Tempering Method when I was an apprentice, practiced it for a while, and then I mastered it."

The final battle with Zeno was as expected. Although Zeno and his evil spirits tried their best, each attack carrying considerable force, Fran's stats rendered them useless. She finished the battle in thirty seconds with just ordinary basic attacks.

"Hey, are you still a mage? How come you're so strong? My evil spirit can't take it anymore."

He reluctantly accepted his defeat and then handed the token to Fran.

Then Zeno suggested:

Are you also going to the Antir Region? Would you like to travel together?

"No, I have some very important matters to attend to in Antir, and it's inconvenient for me to be with others..."

Fran took the token, turned it over and examined it, but found nothing.

None of the three mages noticed that their host Caleb, was wearing a strange smile.