Rol's inquiries were temporarily brushed aside by Lynn, but private discussions continued without end.
As a special envoy from the Wizard's Council, Tike wasn't in a rush to evaluate Lynn's abilities. Instead, he showed great interest in discussing arcane knowledge. Lynn had no intention of hiding anything. The wider the dissemination of basic mathematical knowledge related to the arcane, the better. He didn't want to propose a theory in the future that nobody could understand.
(TL/n - arcane => understood by few; mysterious or secret. It was mostly used during mid 16th century.)
A delightful feast ended quickly, and after the fairies cleared away the leftovers from the table, Tike instructed his assistant to bring a transparent crystal ball, about ten centimeters in diameter, filled with a mysterious liquid.
"Give it a try, Professor Lynn." Tike handed the crystal ball to Lynn.
Lynn took it, examined it for a moment, and curiously asked, "How do I use this?"
"It's quite simple. You just need to sense it and cast a spell as you normally would, then judge based on the change in color," Tike casually explained.
Lynn nodded and attempted to infuse it with magic. Through his sensory vision, he perceived the peculiar nature of the liquid inside the spherical container. This liquid was composed of an element he didn't recognize and had accumulated in the crystal ball in a rather inert state. Controlling it was challenging. Even with his full effort, he only managed to make these elements vibrate at a specific frequency, causing a faint red light to emanate within the transparent crystal ball.
"That's how you use it. You can start now..." Tike reminded, thinking Lynn was still figuring out how to use the item and unaware that Lynn had already exerted his full power.
"Then, let's give it a try." Lynn took a deep breath, gaining some confidence.
He had already realized that driving this crystal ball was a test of a wizard's computational power, or, in other words, their mental strength. Indeed, the higher a wizard's level, the more their mental strength would grow, enabling them to control more potent and complex magic. This was a reasonable way to assess a wizard's strength.
In this regard, with the assistance of the AI, he shouldn't be any less competent than an official wizard. What he was most concerned about was directly testing the upper limit of magical capacity in his body, which he probably wouldn't meet.
[Commence Overload Mode]
Lynn silently recited in his mind. His gaze became incredibly sharp, and the crystal ball in his hand rapidly vibrated, with the red light growing more intense until it turned completely crimson.
The professors seated around the table displayed various expressions – surprise, seriousness, and some looked like they had anticipated this.
In just two seconds, Lynn stopped, having expended one-third of his magical power. If he couldn't pass even this test, he wouldn't have any solution.
"Professor Lynn, I never expected you to be a third-tier wizard," Tike said, looking at Lynn's somewhat youthful face with emotion.
Third-tier? That seemed a bit high...
Lynn glanced at the crimson crystal ball in his hand. Although this somewhat matched the other people's perception of him, he currently couldn't inscribe higher-tier spells in his mind. So, even though the AI's computational power was sufficient, he had no intention to study second-tier or third-tier magic. Without being able to create spell slots, it would be too inefficient.
Just then, Rol, who was sitting nearby, suddenly asked, "May I be so bold as to ask, Professor Lynn, are you over twenty years old?"
"Not yet, but I'll be soon," Lynn replied vaguely. He wasn't sure if there was a magical way to test one's bone age, so he had to be cautious with his answer.
"A third-tier wizard under twenty..." Rol's expression changed, and he couldn't help but stand up, saying, "Professor Lynn, please allow me to challenge you."
Lynn paused, not entirely sure why Rol suddenly initiated this challenge.
"Master Ogest, the Star of Magic, is, in fact, Rol's teacher." Tike lowered his voice and whispered.
With this reminder, Lynn immediately remembered this person.
Ogest, the most renowned prodigy in the land of wizards, became a Grand Wizard at the young age of about twenty-four. As for when he broke through to become a third-tier wizard, Lynn hadn't inquired. However, judging by Rol's reaction, it seemed Lynn's existence might have a chance to break that record.
Lynn inwardly cursed himself. If only he had said he was just a bit younger than his actual age, perhaps twenty-five or twenty-six. For this sudden challenge, all the wizards present were quite intrigued, especially Philip, Theodore, and others who were eager to witness the legendary Hellfire that Lame Laut mentioned, which once ignited could never be extinguished.
With Rol's insistence and the encouragement of the professors, Lynn had no choice but to agree. The location was set at the training grounds of Iyeta Academy. Due to the morning's flight experiments and the need to host two distinguished guests, Herlram had given the entire school's staff and students the day off. Nonetheless, even with this opportunity, the apprentice wizards practising magic diligently at the training grounds were numerous.
After all, in the land of wizards, becoming an official wizard through evaluations was the fastest path to changing one's circumstances and reaching the pinnacle of life. However, even the diligent students couldn't resist the urge to watch the excitement, especially upon hearing that their professor of arcane studies would be duelling another wizard. After all, battles between official wizards were rarely seen.
"Jenny, I heard you came overseas with Professor Lynn. Do you know what level of wizard he is?" Elok asked, looking at the two standing in the field, her curiosity piqued.
The silver-haired girl hesitated for a moment, then shook her head without answering. In theory, Lynn should be a first-tier wizard, but in the Harbor town, he defeated the Archbishop of the Church, so she couldn't be sure.
Seeing Jenny's uncertainty, Elok turned to Pierce and others, engaging in gossip about the reasons why Rol, hailing from the Wizard's City, would engage in a showdown with Professor Lynn.
No matter what the apprentices thought, once Lynn and Rol entered the training ground, they stopped at a distance of twenty meters from each other.
"I am Rol, a second-tier wizard and a disciple of Ogest. I challenge Professor Lynn of Iyeta Academy," Rol announced, placing his hand on the wizard's badge on his chest and slightly bowing, following the customary etiquette for duels among wizards.