Two young men—one with curly ashen-gray hair and the other with straight black hair—stood across from each other beneath the dark skies, the dry, dusty, and pebbly ground dimly illuminated by the distant campfire inside a massive natural cave.

Hal and Clive locked eyes, a fair amount of anger evident in both pairs.

"I guess being regarded so highly by the empire at such a young age messed with your sense of reality, huh, brat?" the latter said coldly.

"Your breath stinks from talking all that crap, yet you still continue to talk." Hal sneered in response, fixing the eyes of his Aethersight Goggles and activating them.

"Hmm? What is the meaning of this, Headmistress Isolde?" questioned Raiz.

She could sense that the rather goofy artifact Hal was using boosted his perception, which she thought was unfair.

"What? My disciple is simply using an artifact he crafted himself.

What's wrong with that?

If you don't believe me, I can swear on a Soulvow Contract right now. But if you insist, then we will raise the stakes to compensate for your doubt.

And besides, if you call this unfair, isn't your subordinate relying on those superior-grade [Epic]-tier Thunder Gloves made by a Master Arcanist and bought with his parents' money, far more unfair?"

Raiz fell silent at the bold but logical reply.

The other S-ranked wizards of the guild wanted to dare Isolde to do so, but they feared that raising the stakes meant they might be returning to the empire without any gains, possibly even at a loss, despite going through such a deadly escort mission.

It also didn't seem like she was lying, which meant that the young Magna Prospect in front of them was also an arcanist!

Such a matter was difficult, if not impossible, to believe.

But if they wanted to find out for sure, they would have to agree to raise the bet again.

How could the master and disciple duo be so confident?!

Due to the repeated, casual, and slightly eager mention of wagering more, as though victory was certainly theirs, the confidence of the onlookers from the Imperial Wizard Guild wavered.

They now started to regret allowing their youngsters to provoke Hal Fennec.

Who would've thought things would end up this way?

Ultimately, they decided to allow the young Magna Prospect to use his artifact.

It seemed that he wasn't using any other weapon-type artifact, anyway, so a utility-type one that enhances perception was still acceptable.

Thinking about it, they even believed they were at a great advantage here.

What use would a utility-type perception-enhancing pair of goggles be if the user's spells wouldn't be able to keep up in power against their opponent?

Wouldn't Hal be stuck on the defensive like this?

And then it struck the female S-ranker—Hal Fennec might be aiming for a draw, and perhaps he was extremely confident in pulling it off with those goggles!

'Heh, fine then. Go for a draw.' Raiz sneered inwardly.

Things ending in a draw would be perfect for them, as not only did they feel reluctant to humiliate a former Magna and the Headmistress of the Grand Magic Academy, but their youngsters being on the offensive the whole time would give them the perfect ammunition for a verbal war later on.

The S-ranked wizards would sure as hell not stop Clive and the others from repeatedly mocking Hal after this.

This should teach the overconfident brat a lesson about real-world experiences.

He might be an extremely talented Magna Prospect, and perhaps the secret of his being an arcanist was the reason why the empire was regarding him so highly.

However, this should also mean that he probably wasn't as strong in combat, reinforcing the narrative that he might be settling for a draw here.

Having "figured out" the Magna Prospect's plan, Raiz's confidence returned.

"Hmph, no need. I believe the Headmistress. The duel shall carry on. However, please do note that if this battle doesn't reach a satisfying end, then I will not hold my subordinates back," the S-ranker warned.

Isolde was slightly confused at her words, but responded anyway:

"Worry not, the results will be clear as day."

"Now, since both competitors are ready, I shall activate the protection talismans."

The headmistress then infused her mana and crushed the two talismans in her hands, each shooting a thin ray of blue light towards both youngsters, enveloping them in a thin layer of protective energy equivalent to their vitality.

If the barrier shattered, then it meant they "were killed" and lost the battle.

By this time, Hal's "plan" had already made its way to the ears of the other S-rankers and even the A-rankers of the Imperial Wizard Guild, and their confidence quickly returned.

What a pathetic poser this Magna Prospect was!

After all that talk, he was going for a draw?

Meanwhile, Isolde glanced at both competitors, none the wiser about the delusions in the minds of the guild wizards.

She then raised her hands and announced after confirming that Hal and Clive were ready:

"Begin!"

Almost immediately after hearing the signal to begin, the latter turned into a blue and purple bolt of lightning, dashing to Hal's left, then to his back, then to his right, running circles around him using Thunder Rush.

The youngsters of the Imperial Wizard Guild cheered.

Even they would find it difficult to defend themselves from Clive's onslaught, especially if he went all-out this early.

Hal only sneered inwardly, though.

It wasn't too difficult to follow the idiot's movements with his Advanced Aethersight.

In fact, he was already calculating Clive's position in his mind.

"Hahahaha! Petrified?" mocked the young representative of the Imperial Wizard Guild, his voice echoing from all directions, accompanied by crackling thunder. "Perhaps now you understand wh–"

*BOOM!*

Unfortunately, Clive couldn't even finish his words as a translucent-blue blur suddenly exploded in his face, perfectly catching him mid-dash.

He then skidded to a halt as the thin blue layer of mana protecting him scattered to the four winds of the night.

The smiles on the faces of the adventurers of the Imperial Wizard Guild instantly froze.