Seth the Melee Mage (Seeking Follow-ups)

"I surrender. I surrender." The man forced the words out from his throat.

That worked? Hadn't they said you only counted as out once the Absorption Magic barrier completely disappeared?

Lynn looked at Barton beside him in confusion, only to see the old man looking awkward as he shouted a rebuke at the young man in white.

"Seth, didn't I tell you to stay away from the training field as much as possible? Have you finished all the assignments I gave you?"

The young man in white, Seth, jumped in fright. He first turned his head to glance over, then quickly dispelled the magic he had cast on his staff, and the staff returned to its original state.

He trotted over to Barton with the staff in hand and asked meekly, "Teacher, what brings you here?"

Teacher? This person was Barton's student? Lynn quietly sized him up.

He was of medium build, with healthy wheat-colored skin, short dark-brown hair, regular features, thick brows, and large eyes. He wore a short white jacket on top and black trousers below, the lines of muscle all over his body faintly visible.

With that outfit and that air, if Lynn hadn't known in advance that the other man was a mage, he would have thought he was a martial artist...

Seth smiled in an ingratiating way as he explained, "Teacher Barton, I've finished all the research assignments you gave me. I'll send you the paper this afternoon. I was just feeling so pent up I came here to get a little practice..."

Barton gave an angry snort, his beard trembling. "You wicked disciple. You never give me a moment's peace. If this goes on, my mailbox will be stuffed full of letters reporting you!"

Lynn understood Barton's feelings very well. Seth's fighting style was simply far too un-"mage"-like.

The rule of using an [Absorption Magic] barrier as a health bar was originally meant to decide victory and defeat by the strength of magic, but he went in close, hit people, disarmed them, and covered their mouths...

What mage could possibly accept that?

After all, a caster's advantage did not lie in close combat. Controlling the battlefield, creating openings, assisting teammates, suppressing with firepower... those were what they were truly good at.

"Good morning, Mr. Adolph!" Seth gave Adolph a salute as well, and only then looked at Lynn curiously. "And this is?"

He was secretly curious. The young man before him looked utterly inexperienced, yet he had been brought along by two highly respected old men. Who knew what his background was?

Barton's expression eased a little as he introduced him. "This is Lynn. He's very interested in practical magic training, so I brought him here to have a look."

Then he turned to Lynn and said, "Lynn, this is my student, Seth. He's very talented in the field of 'magic weapons.' You two can talk more when you have time."

Lynn nodded politely, but in his heart he felt that the old man's words sounded somehow like he was introducing him to a future senior brother.

Seth clearly had the same feeling. He immediately grinned and patted Lynn on the shoulder. "Did you only join the White Tower Society today? If you have any questions, just come ask me."

"No, Mr. Seth," Lynn said with a smile, shaking his head. "I'm still only an apprentice mage. I'm not qualified to join the Mage Tower for the time being."

"Ap... apprentice mage?" Seth froze for a moment and gave his teacher a puzzled look.

Barton snorted angrily. "When did I ever say he had joined the White Tower? Get back and revise your paper already. Don't cobble together a pile of garbage and throw it at me!"

Seth's already swarthy face immediately darkened by several more shades, and he was about to leave with his head hanging.

"Wait a moment, Mr. Seth," Lynn suddenly called out to him.

Under the gazes of the three of them, he said very calmly, "Could I ask you to fight a match with me?"

Seth immediately opened his mouth, originally wanting to blurt out, "You're an apprentice mage. Wouldn't fighting me just be me bullying you?"

Fortunately, he realized in time that it was inappropriate and didn't say it aloud.

Barton suppressed the surprise in his heart, his expression turning slightly displeased. He only felt that Lynn was being far too reckless, far too unaware of his own depth.

Adolph, meanwhile, looked at Lynn with a meaningful gaze, no one knew what he was thinking.

Of course Lynn knew what being an entry-level mage meant, but after hearing the rules of the training field, a question had arisen in him.

Were the rules for magic battles set by the training field too idealized? In real combat, situations where both sides prepared defensive magic in advance and then bombarded each other with magic were few and far between.

More often, mages even found it very hard to chant their spells smoothly to the end.

Moreover, he was not only a mage, but also an adventurer. What he faced were Demonic Beasts even more vicious and bizarre than humans.

After watching Seth's battle just now, he had suddenly grown interested. He very much wanted to spar with this "melee mage," who cared little for conventions yet was instead closer to real combat conditions.

Lynn had no intention of explaining too much. He merely said to Seth, "Mr. Seth, I believe a duel with you would be more meaningful."

Hearing this, Seth's eyes lit up. Was this man a kindred spirit? He hadn't expected that besides himself, there would actually be someone else who liked such a savage way of fighting.

Interest immediately rose in him, and he asked Barton for permission. "Teacher, I think this little brother looks quite agreeable. I won't use second-ring magic when I fight him. How about it?"

Barton's lips moved. Whether one had mastered second-ring magic was indeed the greatest difference between entry-level and apprentice, but the gaps built up over time in experience, understanding, and technique were also objective facts.

Only after a long while did he say, "Don't hurt him."

Seeing that his teacher had agreed, Seth nodded excitedly again and again, then hurriedly dragged Lynn to the side of the field to prepare.

"Junior brother—oh, no, Lynn, have you learned any defensive magic?"

Only after seeing Lynn nod did he feel at ease and explain, "I'm good at weapon-enchantment magic, but because the magic attaches to a physical weapon—" He waved the dark-brown long staff in his hand. "—when attacking, it's hard to avoid making people hurt. Those are things 'Absorption Magic' can't defend against."

"Don't worry, Mr. Seth," Lynn said with a slight nod. "If it's below the second ring, I should be able to defend against it. You don't need to worry too much about me."

Hearing this, Seth clapped Lynn heartily on the shoulder. "Good kid. You've got some nerve. Much better than those mages who can't speak proper human words. Let's have a good fight."

...Was that a compliment or an insult? For a moment, Lynn really couldn't tell.

With that said, the two separated and stepped into the dueling field from either side.

Lynn immediately felt a layer of mana enveloping the surroundings, an invisible barrier condensing over the surface of his body.

So this is first-ring defensive [Absorption Magic]? This field really is intelligent.

At the edge of the dueling arena, the two mages who had originally been spectators, along with the blue-robed man Seth had previously forced to concede while gripping him by the throat, had been planning to leave together. At the sight, all three stopped in their tracks.

Colin Town's mage circle was very small, and since all three of them were novice mages who had joined the Mage Tower, they naturally knew one another.

One short-haired woman looked at Lynn and asked curiously, "Who is that? How come I've never seen him before?"

Although both the Magic Association and the Mage Tower encouraged mages to strengthen their real combat ability, for professional mages who had secured stable work and generous annuities after joining the Mage Tower, battle training was the sort of thankless, strenuous thing that remained niche.

As a result, the few people who came often were relatively fixed, and they all knew one another's roots and depths.

Another tall, thin man beside her had some connections in the Magic Association. Thinking back, he said, "I think I have some impression of that kid. He seems to be a... apprentice mage?"

"Apprentice mage? Why would an apprentice mage be able to get up to the third floor?" Hearing this, both the short-haired woman and the blue-robed man froze.

The blue-robed man in particular, who had just suffered a loss at Seth's hands, frowned and said, "Has Seth gotten addicted to fighting? He won't even let an apprentice mage off."

"Don't say that. I've never seen an apprentice mage fight here before. Maybe that kid really has some ability?" the tall, thin man said in a casual tone.

But the short-haired woman gave a cold snort. "Don't joke around..."

The gap between mage ranks was obvious. Every additional ring mastered meant one's mana pool, mental control, and magical tactical reserves had climbed a great step.

Under such a gap, a clash was like a rabbit wrestling an eagle; it could only end in crushing defeat.