Training

"I watched your Spiral Missile. It was indeed highly creative, with both practicality and beauty fully on display." Belo'vir stood with his arms folded, his voice unhurried and deliberate. "Many times, mages stumble upon inspiration in a haze. You get an idea, follow your instincts, then refine it. That is how it works."

"Runology is inspiration made permanent. No matter how many times you look at it, you cannot deny its beauty." With a wave of Belo'vir's hand, several runes condensed from magic in the air. Lister could sense the power contained within them. "Runes are born from a deep analysis of the arcane. In fact, we may regard spells as more complex runes. Runes are merely the distilled essence of spells."

"Runes are the product of analyzing mana structures. We must learn to observe things on the microscopic level." Belo'vir picked up a microscope. "What results will different arrangements of mana produce?"

Under the microscope, arcane energy darted about like fireflies. Yet once it formed a fixed shape, the arcane could be guided and controlled, producing all manner of effects. But in battle, guiding and shaping mana took time. Every second counted on the battlefield, while runes could drastically shorten the process—or even make spells instant.

That was why even someone as ambitious as Darkan had to acknowledge that Belo'vir was an undisputed master in the field of using magic in combat.

"This is the simplest defensive rune." Belo'vir guided Lister. Following his instructions, Lister gathered tiny arcane particles together, solidifying and compacting them into a triangular shape. Then, starting from that tiny point, he enlarged it bit by bit, until it formed a solid little triangular plate. Small and exquisite, it was incredibly difficult for Lister's mana to penetrate. "This is the simplest."

Even for the simplest process, Lister worked without sleep or rest for an entire hour. He was drenched in sweat, as though all the weight in his body had been absorbed into that tiny triangular plate.

In return, its defensive power was certainly far greater than an Arcane Shield. Arcane Shield was the simplest defensive spell, capable only of blocking magical attacks and useless against physical attacks. Only when combined with ice magic could it gain physical defensive effects, such as an Ice Barrier.

Belo'vir gently released a ball of flame. Ebony Chill behind Lister suddenly stirred, and Belo'vir raised an eyebrow. As Lister soothed it, he carefully sensed the artifact's thoughts. After a long while, it finally calmed down, albeit reluctantly.

"Ready?" Belo'vir's little fireball landed on the triangular rune, and the rune did indeed resist the attack well. "If it had been an Arcane Shield, leave aside the three seconds needed to cast it—even one second could lead to grave consequences in battle."

"But if you fix the rune in place and carry it with you, activating it the moment it is needed, then while your opponent is still preparing their defense, you are already preparing an offensive spell. You seize the upper hand from the very start. That is the advantage." Belo'vir took out two staffs, one crystal and one jade. "Which one will you choose?"

Lister looked them over, then picked up the green staff. "What do I need to do?"

"Fight." Belo'vir maintained his smile. A shrill whine of compressed air sounded around them, and silver-white light swallowed them both.

It was difficult to describe the sensation caused by teleportation. It felt as though one had been trapped in a tiny cage, then kneaded and stretched. Lister recalled a Titan monster from Greek mythology. He tied his unfortunate captives to an iron bed. If they were longer than the bed, he cut off the excess. If they were shorter, he stretched them. If they fit exactly, then congratulations—you could be his dinner.

When Lister realized his feet had landed on solid ground, the dizzying sensation made him vomit repeatedly. Then, a thick crystal staff barred his way.

"See? In battle, you would already be dead." Belo'vir smiled. "During the Troll Wars, one of my good friends failed to overcome the dizziness and nausea caused by teleportation. The moment he arrived on the battlefield, he had no time to cast a defensive spell before a troll's thrown spear pierced him straight through."

Lister stubbornly forced himself to stand. He was on an open high platform, surrounded by vast forests. The gentle warm breeze felt unreal, while the songs and dancing below left him thoroughly confused.

"This is Quel'Thalas. We are atop my mage tower. This place can host balls, and it is also an excellent training ground." Belo'vir raised his crystal staff. "Come! Let me test your strength!"

Arcane radiance flickered over Lister's body. He gripped the jade staff tightly and poured mana into it, but the sensation was unreal and laborious. Ebony Chill, floating beside him, bounced anxiously up and down.

"You cannot adapt even after changing weapons?" Belo'vir did not attack, but he remained fully focused. The gesture of his right hand showed that he had already prepared a spell and could strike at any moment. "Ebony Chill is a powerful artifact, but it does not belong to you. If an enemy steals it from your side or snatches it away, what will you do? Give up fighting?"

Lister gritted his teeth and did his utmost to channel mana into the jade staff. A staff made of jade could transmit mana of any nature, though with a certain amount of loss. Mana flowed through the staff with difficulty, but at least it was much better than getting no response at all.

"Very good. You are calm." Belo'vir praised him. "We will fight using the most basic spells and begin training from the foundations."

As he spoke, he raised his hand. Purple-red light from an Arcane Missile shone at the tip of his crystal staff. As a renowned archmage, Belo'vir had long since cast off the shackles of incantations and gestures. With a single thought, several Arcane Missiles shot rapidly from the crystal staff's tip.

"If your opponent has mastered the rune for Arcane Missile and fires it instantly, what will you do?!"

"Arcane Shield (Mana Shield)!" Lister's jade staff blazed with light. One second later, a faintly visible translucent shield appeared in the air, barely blocking the Arcane Missiles in time.

Each impact from an Arcane Missile forced Lister back a step. Belo'vir shouted sternly, "Completely wrong! Your mastery of Arcane Shield is still far too clumsy! Arcane Shield can completely cancel out an opponent's spell! Yet you cannot do it!"

Lister defended with difficulty, sweat pouring down his face as he poured all his strength into the jade staff. Belo'vir continued firing Arcane Missiles. His spells were both swift and powerful, utterly beyond what apprentices could compare to. "It seems you have yet to develop Arcane Shield to the point where it can negate force. That is your failing."

"With such crude defenses, forget counterattacking—you cannot even protect yourself."

Sure enough, after seven successive impacts, Lister's footing became unsteady. If not for an awkward roll, he would have been knocked to the ground. But even though he dodged that Arcane Missile, Belo'vir still seized the opportunity. He rushed forward, wielding his staff like a long cudgel, and struck Lister's leg with a heavy blow. The child screamed and fell to the ground. What kind of attack was that, so utterly lacking in martial honor?

"You died again." Belo'vir looked at Lister and could not help sighing. "That is enough for today. You still have much to learn."