"Yeah, he must have cheated! Otherwise, he couldn't have casted a spell that fast!"
"Boo! Cheater!"
Just then, a domino effect started when a few people heard someone say that Claude cheated. After all, seeing a spell casted that fast was rather unbelievable.
Furthermore, they betted their money on Rain, so naturally they were quick to make allegations in order to get their money back.
'Cheated?' Claude can't help but chuckle upon hearing this. He didn't defend himself; instead, he kept quiet and continued listening.
Rain stared at Claude with an unconvinced expression. He also heard the comments of the crowd but he didn't take it to heart. Biting his lip, he said, "Let's try again."
Truth be told, he too was a bit dubious of Claude. Even in Myriad Kingdom's Magic Academy, there were only some people who could cast a spell that fast.
Those people are either the Geniuses of the school, or the teachers with decades of experience. Apart from the teachers, most of them required an artifact specially produced in other kingdoms to recreate such an effect.
Therefore, to cast aside his and the crowd's doubt, he proposed to try again.
Fortunately, Claude wasn't against this, "Sure. Do we do the same spell or do you want to change to another one?"
"Let's change to another spell!" Rain said decisively.
This sudden change of spells has its own purpose. For one, it can prove whether or not Claude was cheating by using external means such as Talismans.
Secondly, even if he wasn't cheating, he might have just spent all his time in practicing the Fireball Spell. Therefore by changing spells, it will eliminate this advantage of his.
"Which spell?" Claude asked.
In any case, he has an array of spells in his arsenal. If he were to be the one to choose the spell, there's a chance that his opponent doesn't know it.
As a result, he directly gave the power to his opponent.
Hearing this, Rain was quite surprised. He initially thought that Claude would take this opportunity to choose a spell that his 'talisman' can do.
However, he quickly regained his composure and said, "Okay, then. I won't be polite and choose the spell. What do you think about 'Wind Blade'?"
The Wind Blade spell is rather complex for a Low Unranked Spell. It stems from the fact that creating a blade from wind is difficult in itself.
To make an analogy, it's like trying to create a circle using squares. It is by no means impossible but it's too time consuming to actually do.
Needless to say, Claude wasn't opposed to this, "Sure!"
And so, both people got into positions.
'This time, I'll surely win!' Rain muttered as he closed his eyes and relaxed himself, 'I'll show you that, in front of absolute power, no tricks are useful!'
By this point, it isn't just about the book. It's about withholding his reputation.
"3..."
"2..."
"1..."
"Go!"
A gleam flashed through Rain's eyes as he opened them. After which, he quickly formed a Mana Circle and started inscribing runes. Oddly enough, the pace in which he writes runes was completely different from before.
'That's right. Even though I said this was a friendly match, I didn't say that both parties have to limit themselves.' Rain's lips formed a smirk.
"This...What kind of inscribing speed is this!?" Soon, a person from the crowd noticed Rain's actions.
"T-This is Three Runes at a Thought!"
"What? Three runes at a thought?"
"Yes, exactly! I have seen this technique in a book before." The person quickly replied, "As its name implies, it allows the user to inscribe three runes instead of one. It was stated that this technique is impossible to perform unless one has mastered the spell in question. Furthermore, one must be incredibly proficient in Rune Inscribing to be able to do this technique."
Most people in the crowd often stay in the library. As such, they were extremely knowledgeable in numerous areas, this naturally includes Magic.
"Wait, isn't there an adverse effect when a Mage does something wrong in Rune Inscribing?"
"Yes, that is why most Mages go through the normal route of spell casting. Frankly, the Three Runes at a Thought is just for show unless one is extremely good in all the aforementioned things."
...
Due to the crowd's discussion, Claude couldn't help but glance at Rain's magic circle.
When his eyes landed, it instantly contracted, "Isn't this... Isn't this that nonsensical technique I tried earlier? It is indeed a viable technique but it simply requires too much mental strength."
Previously, when he was practicing spells, he thought of something so absurd that it baffled him. It was exactly like this 'Three Runes at a Thought' technique.
After trying it, he noticed how much mental strength it required. So even though it adds efficiency, it's not practical. It's akin to doing those 'Life Hacks' he had seen in social media.
"But... Since this is a 'friendly duel', I suppose I can use it..." Claude muttered silently.
With that said, he began using the Three Runes at a Thought technique.
Unlike the Fireball Spell, the Wind Blade requires twenty five runes to cast. Roughly speaking, both parties are about even in the number of runes they wrote.
However, after using the Three Runes at a Thought technique, Claude's Rune Inscribing efficiency sky rocketed. It didn't take long for him to finish completing his magic circle.
Shing!
The Magic Circle in front of him suddenly rang a crisp sound, and it shone a brilliant white light. Pointing his palms towards the open field, Claude didn't hesitate and shot it.
Whish!
A blade made of air materialized in front of the Magic Circle and flew out from it at speeds the human eye cannot possibly follow. After which, it collided with a tree and cut it in the blink of an eye.
As though it was a raging beast, it continued cutting the trees behind it with no signs of stopping.