Mystic Power, it's a new kind of source energy that works on the same principle as inner energy like Qi. But unlike Qi, mystic power is pretty violent that caused an average human body to reject or resist it subconsciously if they couldn't adapt to it. It was for that reason it was dubbed as violent energy or in some other case, wicked. But if one was able to adapt to it, their body will slowly grow stronger by its influence. Of course that doesn't mean the energy becomes docile enough for them to fully control it as pleased. If they even make a small mistake in channeling the mystic power within their body, they will have to suffer the consequence of it.

For a small mistake they would just fainted as a consequence but, it could result in their death if the mistake is too huge for them to bear. That's why conjuring a spell might take them a while since they have to be careful. But for Mia, she didn't need to put any concern in it like the other mage and can conjure the spell without any worries.

Perhaps it might be the work of the system as Sheila had thought but, if one acquired the card that would give them access to the Trial Tower, their body won't get influenced by the violent element within mana. Sheila didn't investigate this kind of thing at all since she didn't have the information regarding the fact that mana in reality actually has a violent element in them.

The violent element came from the void where it is eternally nothing but endlessly pitched black. There's a reason why if a human somehow found themselves in it, they can only helplessly watch their body being torn apart by the violent energy in the void without having any power to resist against it. It all started with a single mistake made from a parallel world which caused the invisible protection barrier of the current world to weaken as a result.

A rift opened up somewhere around the world from time to time was also the byproduct of the barrier weakening. People with a strong instinct or sixth sense could foresee the trouble heading toward them, or rather the world in some way or another. But it is also up to them whether to believe it or just shrugged it off as a mistake and moving on. The nightmare that Sheila had back then is that very signal but, due to the interference of a third-party, it feels so real and apparent as if she was there witnessing the world crumbling to pieces in person.

If not for that, she would only feel that something is amiss yet unable to tell what it is like the others.

"H-How do you do it? Is it that wand? That must be it, isn't it?!"

It is not hard for one to assume that the wand must have been the very reason why Mia could conjure a spell without having to utter the embarrassing long encantation. Or rather, that was what everyone that had witnessed thought of after further consideration. Never in their mind did they consider that it was by her power alone instead of borrowing the wand's power. Mage use wand because it helps in smoothen the channeling process before one conjuring a spell but, Mia didn't need to worry about that anymore. She can wave her hand or snap her finger, whatever her action is, all she needs is to will it in her heart for the spell to begin taking effect in reality.

But that's like asking for needless trouble coming after her. She isn't like someone with a trouble-seeking syndrome, so she would rather enjoying herself with a peaceful life than one where she had to worried about safety every day. Fortunately for her, they misunderstood it as the power from the wand instead of her own power. It seems no one can think outside the box since they influenced too much by the common sense they learned from the Mage Academy, it must have rooted deep into their mind already. But it can't be helped, isn't it? In a way, if not for the meeting she had with Sheila and Angelica, she would have been on the same page as them.

Her common sense had long scattered into oblivion the moment she stepped into the magical world known as the Trial Tower, after all. Mia shook her head to remove the long idle thought since she had to focus on the battle, even when she's sure she couldn't possibly lose. Though it looks like her idle thought took a lot of time, it only has been a few minutes in reality. But that doesn't mean her opponent thought the same as no one would like having their question disregard. But before Adalia could say anything, she saw a fireball speeding toward her. Clicking her tongue, she immediately put all of her strength into her legs before jumping backward, putting a distance from her previous location so that she won't get caught from the explosion.

She needs to figure out a way to steal that wand away from Mia's hand. But that required her to close the distance between them and, Mia definitely won't let her get any closer even by chance. While she's thinking about her current predicament, she also keeps on moving from place to place and if she were any later, the fireball would have hit her. The aftermath of the many explosion left a small pitched-black spider-like crater on the ground here and there. Just that alone caused the crowd to swallowed a mouthful of saliva due to nervousness just by imagining whether they could survive getting hit by that fireball.

"Why are you only evading it this entire time? Where has it gone, that brave and prideful persona of yours? This isn't even my full power, you know? I can do this all day~."

'That's a lie but, there's no way she could tell whether my word held any truth in it since she's busy dodging my fireball, hehee~. Ora! Another one for you!' Mia sent another fireball at Adalia when she saw the latter trying to say something, interrupted her from speaking.

"You...Tsk!"

Adalia clicked her tongue in annoyance at Mia's provoking sentence. The thing that gets on her nerve so much is the smile on Mia's face. 'That smug expression splattered on her face! If only I can get closer, I would remove it from her face with my bare fist!' Because she keeps on avoiding every attack from Mia, her stamina has started to decline. Without any other choice, Adalia stopped her futile action when she finally decides to bring out her trump card.

"Hmm? Are you finally going to surrender?"

Mia decides to hold back from conjuring another fireball when she saw Adalia standing still on her spot. She thought the latter is finally going to surrender after realizing that she couldn't win against her, but upon looking closer on her face, Mia realized the latter hasn't given up. Or rather, she looked like someone even more determined to obtain the unreachable wall, and that is winning against her. Mia had to admit that her current expression looks much better than the one filled with arrogance and scorn for the other people.

[Ah, Salamander—

"I won't let you!"

When Adalia started muttering an incantation of a spell, Mia immediately summoned another fireball before sending flying toward her. But to her and every surprise, Adalia didn't avoid it at all as she continues.

—The Great Fire Sprite, I beg thee—

Boom!

When everyone except Mia thought she was finally defeated by that single explosion, they were once again surprised upon hearing her voice within the smoke. Mia wasn't sure whether what she just witnessed was accurate but, it seemed her fireball had hit something she can't perceive and exploded way earlier before it can get any closer to Adalia. And before she could investigate further, her instinct suddenly started ringing bell inside her mind as she immediately took off.

—to lend me your strength! Explosion!]

If she has been any later, she would have been caught in that big explosion. Mia was really surprised. She didn't expect Adalia to know such a powerful spell. Even more, to be able to conjure it with her meager skill, she must have used some kind of trump card on something on the same level as that. Although the spell seemed familiar to a particular crazy-head characteristic, it is not by any means that it was on the same level. No, if that were the case, Mia wouldn't be able to escape unscratched otherwise. Mia was only at level 14. Although her vitality triples that of average people, she isn't some kind of immortal vampire that can recover even when they were reduced to mere flesh.

"Do you know if that spell had hit me or someone else, they won't have any chance of survival, did you know that? Or is it me that mistaken this for a normal bout? Are you...seriously going for the kill?"

Mia spoke with a grim tone, gone were the joking expression on her face, replacing it with a frown. Although she had been planning only on beating her to repay the unjust treatment she received from her, it doesn't mean that she won't do anything if the latter were aiming for her life. Sheila had told her that if she hesitates even for a moment in that kind of situation, it would only give her enemy a chance for them to exploit her weakness upon learning about it. The most sensible choice to do in that kind of situation is to fight them. If you don't want to get yourself killed, either you beat them unconscious, or simply immobilize them from making any strange movement.

She could try immobilizing Adalia with her full strength but, it would be much easier to knock her out than doing the former since it required a lot of energy. But it appeared she didn't need to do anything of the sort.

"I..."

It seemed Adalia just realized that she had accidentally used another one of her trump cards when she became desperate to obtain victory. The first trump card she had used was a ring that would release an invisible protective barrier around her for a few seconds, it was gifted from her mother. The second one was the shattered orb in her hand, it's a one-use item which could fire a powerful spell contained within it to her enemy. Both of the gifts were actually given as a safeguard for a situation if she happened to be under attack by a powerful mage. But who would have thought that Adalia would use it in her duel? If her parents happened to learn about this information, especially about her opponent in the duel, they would have freaked out for but a single reason.

Seeing that her question brought Adalia to her sense, Mia heaved a sigh. 'Ah, I don't feel like beating her anymore when looking at her pathetic appearance upon realizing she had almost killed someone by her own hands. I'm really too soft for my own good, aren't I? But that's simply how I am.' Just when the crowd thought the moment of silence would continue, Mia opened her mouth and said.

"Now, this can be said to be my win, right?"