By the time the gigantic stone giant crawled out of the rubble, the battle itself had become meaningless.
"Level 5? Level 6? "
"It should still be level 5. The mage's mana waves can't be faked. However, this summoned creature should already be level 6 or 7."
"Even Anthony wouldn't be able to defeat this monster under normal circumstances, and he's using so much mana … Let's just wait for him to lose. Wait a moment, with this old man's temper, he won't self-destruct, right? Let's just watch from afar."
"I can more or less understand now. This new foreign mage should be an expert in summoning and creating creatures. Perhaps he also has self-discipline, restrictions, and Soul Imprints that limit the types of spells he can cast. Otherwise, it's impossible to explain why his summoned creature is so powerful … If you ask someone like him to bring out any extra spells, he probably won't be able to."
His power level wasn't fake. The reason for this battle was to see if this new mage really had the level 5 power level that he claimed to have … Most of the audience had already believed him before the battle started. After all, his mana waves were far too obvious, and there were few benefits to faking his power level. Nobody would be so bored as to do such a thing.
Actually, this wasn't even a problem to begin with. It was fine to be stuck by this inflexible rule. Later on, he could simply find a place or organization to learn three level 4 spells to prove himself.
It was only because Rorschach was too impatient that they started this conflict. His vicious words only made the conflict worse. Of course, Rorschach's fiery temper was also the reason for this … Rorschach's mouth was probably 90% of the reason.
But now, seeing how the gigantic combat puppet was slapping the archmage as if he was a mosquito, accurately hitting him with every slap, and causing the archmage to continuously spit up blood while struggling within his mana shield, the audience couldn't help but ask, "Why bother?"
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the victor of this battle had already been decided.
It was quite difficult for the archmage to stay alive when this seemingly gigantic but actually incredibly agile combat puppet closed in on him. He could only forcefully maintain his mana shield and barely survive. He didn't even have a chance to cast any high-level spells that could pose a threat to the puppet. If he wanted to use his Supreme Magic Technique to instantly cast a high-level spell … he still hadn't recovered his mana and mental power from before. If he forcefully cast a high-level spell, that would probably consume his life force.
Is it worth risking his life for a battle without any stakes? Recalling Old Anthony's explosive personality, the audience silently retreated to a safe distance.
And judging from the fact that this gigantic puppet that obviously wasn't a friendly creature didn't use any killing techniques, and was simply playing around by smacking its opponent's shield, this seemingly young archmage was actually going easy on it … None of the archmages would have thought that such a ferocious-looking gigantic puppet was actually just a newborn. Not only was it unarmed, it didn't even have any combat techniques.
"… I think I've already won."
Perhaps having had enough fun, and knowing that asking the old mage to surrender was the same as forcing him to die, the young mage walked out of the smoke before the situation worsened.
This action left a good impression on many of the audience. After all, there were very few people who were Anthony's mortal enemies. Most of them just wanted him to lose face or be taught a lesson. It was also good news that outsiders were not bloodthirsty.
Rorschach also didn't wait for the referee's reply … The referee was currently hiding behind a wall in a safe zone in the distance, carefully peeking at Rorschach. He had no intention of coming over at all.
With a snap of his fingers, the gigantic puppet was reduced to rubble and dirt just like that. Such a powerful puppet, and the giant was only a temporary summon. This scene once again refreshed the audience's opinion of the outsider's strength.
"He should be a pure combat mage. This type of combat ability obviously exceeds the limits of power level."
"Ha, didn't you guys notice? He really did fulfill his' big words' from before. No, I should say that he's telling the truth now."
"Beat up an ordinary sixth-rank mage? Did he go easy on his right hand? That's right, he really didn't use his right hand. Ha, pitiful Old Anthony. This time, he became a stepping stone for the newcomer to climb up the ladder. "
"Is the situation in the 442nd Street about to change? If that organization succeeds in recruiting him, they'll immediately be able to do whatever they want in the 442nd Street. "
"Don't be an idiot. Can't you tell? How could he possibly be someone who's only here for a bit? He's just here to pass the time …"
"That's right. Didn't you guys notice how he used a combat technique to trick Old Anthony into wasting his mana? His daily necessities were turned into weapons. Old Anthony is already considered a veteran who's been through hundreds of battles. He was simply toyed with. His opponent is obviously a professional … a professional combat mage."
"Yeah, that explains why he doesn't have many spells. He probably doesn't need them at all."
Previously, a new archmage would have been the target of all the major guilds. However, after confirming Rorschach's strength, especially since he was obviously a combat mage, most guilds gave up on this idea.
On one hand, a small temple wouldn't be able to accommodate a great Bodhisattva. On the other hand, the 442nd Street was a relatively "peaceful" environment. Forcefully inserting a high-level combat mage into the area might not be a good thing.
In the eyes of most people, mages were wise, mysterious, and lofty. Their combat methods were clever and logical. However, in a true mage society, such a view was obviously biased.
The most obvious difference was the difference between academies and combat mages.
To be honest, the difference between the two was so great that they could be viewed as two different job classes.
The former were of the theoretical type. They spent most of their lives in safe zones, carrying out their main job as a mage — research and training. Perhaps there would be times when they needed to fight, but most of them would only do so after they became relatively high-level mages.
Their combat methods were also in line with other combat job classes' prejudices against mages. No matter who the enemy was, they would just throw all their spells at them.
Since the environment they lived in lacked a sense of danger, it was quite difficult for mages to become qualified warriors. The moment they entered a battlefield, they wouldn't be able to adapt, and would often die to random arrows or accidents. They also didn't know how to control their mana. They would often use up all their mana as cannon fodder, and would only be able to watch from the sidelines when it was time to explode.
The most fatal part was that most mages' job class advancement happened in a relatively safe environment. Mages' job class advancement path was relatively academic rather than practical … Although it was quite possible for mages to become weaker in actual combat as they advanced, it wasn't impossible.
A negative example of this would be combat mages.
Most combat mages were mages who grew up in harsh environments. The moment they became a job class, they would have to pick up weapons and fight.
To them, the identity of a mage wasn't a high-level researcher who searched for the truth. Rather, it was something they relied on to survive. As long as they could obtain power, mages, thieves, and berserkers were all the same.
Without a doubt, Rorschach, who worked hard to survive from the moment he became a job class, and thought of ways to convert everything he had into actual combat strength, was the purest combat mage of all.
And as they advanced, combat mages would work hard to pursue even stronger combat strength. Academic research? The truth of the universe? What was that? Could it be eaten?
The closer one got to the middle and late stages, the greater the differences.
Both mages were mages, and there wasn't much difference in what they learned, so there wasn't any difference … Of course, this was impossible. Actually, in a mage society, combat mages with higher combat strength weren't that popular. Before they could prove themselves, they would even be faintly discriminated against.
This didn't seem logical at all. However, this was a necessary trend for a peaceful society.
Mage society was relatively peaceful. Most mage societies were purely academic societies. What they needed were new talents who were well-read and had sharp academic abilities, not assassins who only wanted to kill or blow things up.
And even if this was what was needed on the battlefield, although low-level and mid-level mages had an overwhelming advantage in combat, the situation would be reversed in the later stages.
Mages were a job class that focused on research. As they accumulated theoretical knowledge, scholar-type mages would become stronger and stronger, and their advancement would become smoother. Meanwhile, combat mages who focused on actual combat would be more addicted to combat techniques and destructive spells, and would easily neglect the principles of magic and accumulate theoretical knowledge. It would be easy for them to reach a bottleneck.
And after a theoretical scholar became a top-level archmage, they would have outstanding research results, and it would only be a matter of time before they could transform their research results into actual combat strength. As for those highly difficult theoretical results involving space, time, black holes, and so on, it was likely that combat mages would never be able to comprehend such things in their entire lives.
Of course, this distinction wasn't absolute. Combat mages could also take theoretical classes and develop their own research results … But in most cases, a warrior would be the first to be unable to handle academic research.
Rorschach's desire to further his studies wasn't wrong. A rank 5 mage was already considered a member of the archmage class. No matter if it was practical needs on the battlefield or the accumulation of knowledge necessary for advancement, Rorschach would have to find a place to make up for it.
Now that things had reached this point, it was only natural that things would come to an end.
The old mage who refused to admit defeat shouted "I haven't lost yet" and "Brat, I can still fight, just you wait …" as he was carried away by the guild's staff. Meanwhile, the exhausted Rorschach finally completed his mage registration.
Next, he intended to find a mage society to join. While earning some living expenses, he would also fill up his empty spell list. However, another accident disrupted all his plans.
A staff member handed him an envelope. Apart from the registration card that was bound to his spiritual power, there was also a bronze key inlaid with a ruby.
"This is your identity card. If you don't have a mage society, you can use this to receive 30 gold coins a month as a basic security allowance from the guild. Please keep it well."
"Then, this?"
Rorschach pointed at the key and felt that it was rather strange.
"Oh, this is an item of deposit that was locked to your spiritual power when you registered. It says that it will be given to you when you register as a mage. Don't you know? Perhaps it's a gift left behind by your elders at the mage society. "
Rorschach fell silent. He felt that there was definitely a problem somewhere, but the next moment, he noticed the main point.
"30 gold coins already? I want to receive my basic security allowance now, I'm starving to death! "
"… Um, I'm sorry, but the deposit fee for your item has already been deducted. Also, you still owe the guild 3000 gold coins. Please pay up within three working months, or else your mage registration will be canceled …"
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