Right at that moment, two mages were engaged in a magical duel at the center of the arena. From the badges pinned to their chests, it was clear that both were low-rank mages.
The mage on the left brandished his wand. The temperature of the air soared rapidly, and a massive surge of fire elements came rushing toward him.
The moment the spell condensed, an enormous fireball materialized at the tip of his wand, surging violently toward his opponent!
Such power was several times greater than the Fireball Zelier could cast.
Not to be outdone, the mage on the right manipulated his mana, and a powerful spell took shape just as quickly.
He held his staff level before him. A missile formed of pure magic emerged in front of him, blasting straight toward his opponent's oversized fireball.
*Boom! Boom!*
The two forces violently collided in midair, erupting with dazzling white light.
Surges of mana accompanied by rolling gusts of wind rippled outward, crashing heavily against the protective barrier array encircling the arena.
Although no magical power leaked through, Zelier and Bev still reflexively raised their arms to shield their eyes, and the other spectating mages ducked or turned aside as well.
The thunderous roar lasted several seconds before gradually dying down.
"Both of them are incredible..." Zelier marveled under his breath.
At that moment, two lines of text appeared beneath Formula Deduction:
*Fire Dragon, analysis progress: 1%.*
*Arcane Missile, analysis progress: 1%.*
Yet, the progress for Fire Dragon suddenly trembled, then began skyrocketing!
Under Zelier's astonished gaze, Fire Dragon's progress shot all the way up to 54% before finally stopping.
Wh-what was this? A free 54% progress bonus?
Zelier furrowed his brow, pondering for a good while before sorting out a line of reasoning.
It was probably because the spell structures of Fire Dragon and Fireball were highly similar. When analyzing the spell, overlapping structures were directly skipped over, causing the progress bar to leap forward all at once.
To think Formula Deduction had a feature like this...
In the arena, once all the shockwaves dissipated, the mage who had cast the magical missile was in noticeably better shape than his opponent.
If both sides had gone all out, that Arcane Missile might well have finished off the opponent.
He rightfully claimed victory in the spar.
"Just as I thought. Compared to elemental magic, spells of the Arcane School pack a lot more punch," Bev remarked with an "as expected" expression.
"The Elemental School and the Arcane School... What's the difference between these two traditions?" Zelier asked.
Bev had received formal magical education and possessed a wealth of magical theory—knowledge that Zelier lacked completely.
"Of course there is. Simply put, elemental magic leans toward using mana to channel natural elements, like Fireball, Wind Blade, or Water Ball."
"Arcane magic, on the other hand, relies purely on one's own mana to cast spells, just like the magic missile you saw a moment ago," Bev explained.
"In terms of raw attack power, the Arcane School is definitely stronger. But that kind of magic has its drawbacks: it consumes far too much mana, making it difficult to cast repeatedly. Elemental magic, meanwhile, excels through low consumption and greater versatility."
"I see..."
Zelier nodded thoughtfully. He suddenly remembered Grand Creation sitting in his analysis queue.
From its name alone, one couldn't tell in the slightest what kind of magic it was.
"By the way, Bev, have you ever heard of Grand Creation?" Zelier asked.
"Huh?"
To his surprise, a look of distinct distaste crossed Bev's face upon hearing the name.
"Why would you ask about that...? Did you get duped by those wandering Visionary Mages?"
"Uh... no. What even is a Visionary Mage?" Zelier asked tentatively. "I just heard of it in passing. Does the spell not exist?"
"Of course it doesn't... How could such a spell even exist?" Bev sighed.
"Well, it's better to explain it clearly to you now so you won't get scammed later."
"The concept of Grand Creation comes primarily from mythology. The gist of it is that the realm we once inhabited was a ruined, dilapidated Old World, overrun by evil gods and swarming with demonic beasts—a living purgatory. It was under those circumstances that Grand Creation burst into being."
"According to the legend, Grand Creation is an omnipotent magic. Whatever your heart desires, whatever your mind conceives, any wish can be realized, and any enemy can be erased in an instant. You could just as well call it the Wish-Fulfillment Spell."
"It was precisely by relying on Grand Creation that the Creator God wiped out all the evil gods and abominations of the Old World, fashioning the New World we live in today."
*So there's a legend like that...*
Zelier nodded slightly and asked further:
"Then how do you know Grand Creation is fake?"
"Because it's flat-out impossible! Use your head—how could a spell like that possibly exist? Legends are just legends." Bev tapped Zelier on the forehead.
"That said, there really are people who believe Grand Creation exists and are constantly trying to recreate it."
"Are those the Visionary Mages you mentioned?"
"Yes. They were given that name because their heads are filled with impractical fantasies. If you had received formal magical training, you'd know that every spell's structure is entirely rational and rigorously logical. Take the simplest low-tier elemental magic, for example."
Bev traced gestures in the air with her fingers.
"The spell structure of an elemental spell consists of many minute components. From the mana interface to the positioning of the base plate, followed by the frame that shapes its form, and the stabilizing anchors that prevent mana from going wild. The placement of every single rune, the curvature of every single conduit—everything has a strict purpose."
"They're like interlocking gears working together in precision; only then can the final effect be achieved. It's an art. Without decades of devoted study, there is no way to comprehend it, let alone invent new magic."
Zelier closed his eyes and reflected for a moment, unable to help nodding in agreement.
Indeed, the spell structure of magic was remarkably intricate, with each small pattern representing a different effect. If one failed to follow the established pathways, casting could never succeed.
"Yet those Visionary Mages don't see it that way. They believe the supreme Grand Creation isn't something that can be recreated by following rules rigidly; one has to blaze a new trail," Bev said.
"So what do they try to do?" Zelier asked curiously.
"What do they do? Scribble blindly," Bev said, curling her lip.
"Huh?" Zelier was caught off guard.
"Don't be surprised; that lot really is that ridiculous. They completely ignore the requirements for creating magic and disregard the logic between spell structures. They just doodle like children, hoping to recreate Grand Creation and pinning all their hopes on a miracle."
Chapter 17