"Hahahaha! Begone, trash!"
Almost immediately after the duel began, Agon pushed both hands forward, his palms facing his opponent as a blue magic circle appeared.
From it emerged a small water serpent, hissing as it dove straight for Hal.
The three-star student excitedly watched his spell approach the one-star trash.
However, to his surprise…
*Boom!*
He suddenly felt pain in his chest as something exploded, causing Agon to lose balance and fall on his butt, groaning:
"Arrghh!"
The water serpent continued on its way, but it suddenly burst into droplets as white smoke billowed out from another unexpected clash.
Everyone fell silent in utter bewilderment and disbelief.
This time, they clearly saw it: a translucent-blue sphere of mana shot forth from Hal's white, slightly strange magic circle.
They all knew what that spell was—it was the most common of all spells.
A mana blast...
It wasn't too unbelievable that the one-percent mana affinity wastrel could cast such a basic spell.
What stupefied them was its power and speed.
Even the four-star students who had taken the time to watch the spectacle were shaken, fully aware that they couldn't shoot a mana blast of such caliber.
Perhaps they could, if they focused on it for an entire month and slightly neglected mana meditation, though doing such a thing would have been somewhat foolish.
This was the only feasible explanation for how Hal Fennec was able to fight back and even gain the upper hand.
Agon, on the other hand, was slightly alarmed and swiftly made an effort to stand up despite the pain in his chest.
He couldn't lose…not to a darned one-star student like Hal.
By the time the white smoke cleared, Agon was already back on his feet.
"You got me that time, trash. So this is the source of your confidence? Heh, a mana blast… how clever…"
Everyone, including Deputy Headmaster Korvus, who was watching from afar, couldn't help but agree with the three-star student's words.
Hal was indeed clever for dedicating an entire month to refining his mana blast to the point where it could threaten Agon.
While a mana blast wouldn't be too useful in the long run, it could help the one-star wastrel get through this sticky situation.
Who said he had to accept another wizardry duel?
He could simply defeat Agon this one time and never accept another challenge, allowing him to showcase his courage and cleverness to the academy while avoiding further humiliation.
They all agreed that, despite his garbage talent, Hal Fennec was a smart individual.
All said and done, Korvus was somewhat disappointed.
He had expected more, given how confident Hal was and how bold his claim had been.
Sure, cleverness was also a weapon, but it would never be enough to overcome the vast difference in raw talent and was certainly far from enough to warrant treatment as a five-star student.
Even promoting him to a three-star was already quite a stretch.
'Sigh... I'll talk to him honestly about it later…'
Meanwhile, at the Main Stage, Hal and his now slightly disheveled opponent circled each other.
He was here not only to win but to perform.
Hal couldn't end things too quickly, even though he had the capability to do so.
Agon's gaze turned colder as he decided to reveal his trump card.
He once again pushed both hands forward, but this time, there was ample space between them.
Two blue magic circles appeared in front of the three-star student's palms, each firing an aqua serpent.
Hal's brows raised at the dual casting.
…He somehow felt he could do it too…
The two aqua serpents hissed at their target, zigzagging through the air as they approached menacingly.
To everyone's surprise, Hal formed claws with both hands and mimicked Agon's actions, clearly attempting to replicate what the three-star student had just done.
"Hahaha, dumb! It's my mana-bound artifact that allows me to dual cast!" the red-haired three-star student laughed in disdain. "Why else do you think your trashy mana blast could contend with my aqua serpents? It's because I don't have a boost-type artifact!"
Sure enough, Hal failed.
Only one [Weak Mana Blast] shot forward from his right arm, clashing with one aqua serpent and leaving the other untouched.
Hal was viciously struck by the remaining serpent and fell onto his back.
He felt as though a few of his ribs had broken from the impact.
"Hahahaha!" Agon laughed in triumph, using what remained of his mana to cast two final aqua serpents and end the duel before his opponent could stand. "I win, trash!!"
Two magic circles appeared once more, each launching an aqua serpent toward Hal, who had just managed to get back on his feet.
To their stupefaction, he tried the same crap again, although this time, there was a noticeable difference.
One hand was formed into a claw, while the other was an open palm.
"Hahaha, fine then, showcase your stupidity!"
But in the next moment, a bit of magical f*ckery unfolded…
Two slightly unusual magic circles appeared—one plain white, the other silvery blue.
The former fired the familiar mana blast, while the latter launched an unexpectedly thick, lethal shard of ice that tore through the air even faster than the translucent-blue sphere.
The [Weak Mana Blast] exploded into a thin white smokescreen as it collided with the first aqua serpent.
The glacial shard, on the other hand, easily obliterated the second serpent and continued its ferocious momentum toward the flabbergasted and horrified Agon.
Before anyone could react, the icy projectile struck the red-haired three-star student square on the forehead, sending him sprawling onto his back, limbs splayed.
The thin, translucent barrier protecting him then shattered before everyone's disbelieving eyes, scattering into the four winds as mana fragments.
Everyone went silent.
The duel was over, and the one-star wastrel was the victor.