Chapter 37: You Two Truly Are Master and Disciple (Please Keep Reading!)

Vivian was dragged out of the room by Wigfart. The two reached the third floor of the Mage Tower, a space specifically designated for magical duels. With a flick of her hand, Wigfart tossed Vivian across the room. Guided by a tether of mana, Vivian landed slowly. Watching Wigfart brandish her staff, Vivian whimpered, "Teacher... you're going to beat me again..."

Wigfart raised an eyebrow. "I am merely verifying the fruits of your recent training."

"I knew you were going to beat me!" Vivian insisted.

Seeing Vivian’s certainty, Wigfart grew frustrated. She tapped her crystal staff against the floor. "Enough talk! Bring out your staff!"

Wigfart’s gaze was searing as she stared at Vivian, who was slowly rising to her feet. She was deeply curious as to how Vivian had managed to be the last one standing during the incident at Sola Town. She had to verify the extent of Vivian's current strength.

Vivian, unafraid, drew her own staff. As flames ignited, she was bathed in their glow. In the next second, she cast a "Self-Silence" spell instantaneously, without any wind-up. Recognizing the intent to cast, Wigfart immediately applied a "Purify" to herself. Her spellcasting speed was immense; even for a spell that required an incantation, she managed to execute it before Vivian’s silence could take effect.

Just as Wigfart opened her mouth to speak, she looked up to see Vivian rushing toward her, staff raised high. The girl leapt into the air, her staff held aloft, her entire frame appearing monumental against the backdrop of fire. Aware of the properties of Vivian’s "Burning Body" magic, Wigfart did not attempt to block her with any defensive spells. Instead, she gently stroked her own staff. As mana infused the wood, the entire staff radiated a faint, violet-blue light.

*Bang!*

With a swing of her staff, Wigfart intercepted Vivian’s downward strike. The battle between the two mages resembled a knight’s duel. This was the signature style of the Wigfart lineage.

Watching these lines, Ron finally understood the origin of Vivian’s melee-mage style. Yet, there was a reason for this combat style to exist. Although the mana cultivation method Ron had invented was primarily designed to siphon half of a mage’s mana, it was still far more efficient than traditional methods.

After the Mad Demon King died, the mana cultivation method he left behind became a mandatory course for all mages. Consequently, the backdoor Ron had embedded in this method gradually became the universal weakness of every mage. A single "Silence" could instantly disrupt the flow of mana, even leading to magical backlash that could kill the caster.

Battles between high-level mages often targeted these very weaknesses. It was precisely for this reason that, as times grew more modern, mages leaned increasingly toward high-speed magical combat. The elegant, long-distance duels of the ancient era, where two mages would recite incantations and trade massive spells, were becoming increasingly rare. In modern magical combat, such exchanges usually happened beyond line-of-sight. Once two mages locked eyes, instantaneous spells became the primary mode of combat, meant solely to seize the opening to exploit a flaw.

The Wigfart lineage was the extreme embodiment of this style. Mage combat is brutal; both sides exhaust every means to prevent the other from casting, while trying to unleash more magic themselves. Wigfart’s solution was simple: "If that's the case, let's stop using magic! I'll just beat you to death with superior melee technique!" Silence and Anti-Silence were essential subjects for all of Wigfart’s students.

Wigfart pushed her staff forward, parrying Vivian back. She looked at Vivian, still bathed in fire, with a look of admiration. In this state, Vivian was virtually immune to any debuff or defensive magic. She was the perfect specimen of Wigfart’s theory of magical combat.

While Wigfart pondered, the magic in her hands never ceased. She began to chant. Before Vivian could react, the spell struck her. Vivian’s body trembled slightly, and the effects of her "Burning Body" vanished instantly.

*Interruption?!*

Vivian immediately recognized this as Wigfart’s favorite spell. Unlike "Silence," "Interruption" was a curse specifically designed to attack the magical circuitry, causing a sustained spell to fail instantly. If the caster were ruthless enough, this spell could shatter the opponent's magical circuits entirely, leading to a mana-induced collapse and death.

Of course, Wigfart would never deal a lethal blow to Vivian. As her mana circuit was severed, Vivian’s body went into a brief state of paralysis. By the time she regained her senses, Wigfart’s staff was already pressed against her forehead.

"I lost, Teacher," Vivian said, biting her lip.

Wigfart retracted her staff and smiled. "You cannot blame yourself; this is an inherent weakness of the mana circuits themselves."

Vivian’s combat experience was still too shallow. With the speed granted by "Burning Body," she should have been using high-speed movement to evade such spells. "Interruption" was not a target-seeking skill.

You stood to the side, watching the two mages fight in silence. What Wigfart said seemed to imply that the weakness of the magical circuits was unavoidable... It appeared that after five thousand years of inheritance, these mages had come to view the backdoor you left in magical cultivation as an inherent flaw of mages themselves. They accepted it, and they utilized it.

*Truly ignorant and amusing,* you scoffed inwardly.

Seeing your own thoughts surface, Ron had grown accustomed to them. He truly felt this group of mages was overly foolish. Knowing that the magical circuits had a flaw, why did they not seek a way to repair it?

However, this gave Ron a new line of thought. The defects in these mages were caused by the backdoor he had left behind; naturally, he had the means to eliminate these hidden dangers. For instance, the incantation he had previously made Vivian recite had successfully allowed her to tap into her reserved mana.

"Your strength is already quite impressive," Wigfart said, beckoning Vivian forward.

The Empire was beginning to grow restless. Even a brat like Trevor was making constant moves. Since Vivian had found her own path, as her teacher, she needed to learn to let go and allow Vivian to fully unleash her talent.

"The most important thing for a mage is experience, Vivian," Wigfart said earnestly. "Your constitution is unique. I have nothing left to teach you here; you should go out and see the world."

"Is Teacher trying to chase me away again?" Vivian’s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

Seeing Vivian’s teary-eyed expression, Wigfart softened. "Your strength is not yet sufficient; you can train in the surrounding areas for now. But sooner or later, you must go out and see the world..."

"Yay! Teacher isn't chasing me away!" Vivian cheered.

"Don't just listen to the first half of what people say!"