The past four days, Liam relentlessly practiced the level 1 spells, trying to cast them without using hand signs. He succeeded seven times out of ten and was on his path to complete mastery. Apart from sleep and food, he did not take any breaks. If his body cooperated, he would have happily forgone them.

Jade and Dunn evolved a day after him. All three of them practiced like madmen, but their training wasn't as effective as Liam's. Their bodies resisted mana, hindering them from having a smooth experience. Dunn had the hardest time as his stats were the lowest.

Gathering his thoughts, Liam let mana flow into his fingers. A constant stream of fire surrounded him, increasing the temperature and causing him to sweat under the midday sun. He broke the flow of mana and repeated the process.

The spellbook mentioned every element apart from light and dark had a single tier 1 spell. The name of the first level — release, perfectly explained their function. It amounted to freely letting the element flow. Spells became more complex and had more functions at the second and third levels.

"I like the dedication with which you practice."

Hearing the voice, Liam knew trouble had come knocking. Turning around, he saw two evolved following Mitch.

No matter how many times he saw the deputy commander, the spell over his right eye confounded him. It was always active, but at the same time, Mitch wasn't using any mana.

He casually placed his hand on the sword, ready to react at a moment's notice. "I was anticipating this day for a long time. I am sure the excitement will wear off, and I won't be so relentless anymore."

"Don't sell yourself short. I can identify talent and commitment when I see it." He inspected the surroundings. "The commander hasn't assigned you a training partner? While practicing alone is well and good, a training partner can do wonders in improving your skill."

"I think the commander is planning to assign one when I have better mana control. At the beginning stages, there is not much I can learn."

"Nonsense! You will have the most gains if you spar at the current level. Why don't I assign a partner? Ned, can you teach young Liam how magic is used?"

One of the people standing behind Mitch came forward. A sword lay at his waist telling Liam his evolved ability. The swordsmen in the army had mutated arms allowing them to swing their weapon with greater force.

"Can I use my sword, or is it magic only?" Liam asked.

"You can use any weapon you want. Before you begin, remember you are using real swords. Take care not to critically injure your opponent."

Mitch and his remaining subordinate moved out of the way, giving them plenty of space for a battle. Liam preferred being closer to his opponent, but there was no way he could request that. At his level of mastery, magic was ineffective at long ranges.

"Begin!"

Liam dashed at the opponent using the level 1 wind spell. In recent days, he tried channeling mana into other parts of his body. The process took some time to get used to, but he mastered it without any difficulties. Unleashing a burst of wind from his back, he rushed at the opponent.

Ned released waves of flames and moved back. Getting into close-quarter combat wasn't part of his plan. Liam's battle exploits were well known, but no one had seen him fight, making it difficult to estimate his skill. As long as he stayed at a distance, there was no need to test his experience with the blade.

The flames didn't bother Liam. They weren't hot enough to injure him, and he used mana to coat himself in water. Fire brushed past him, causing zero damage.

The distance between them gradually reduced, but before he could get close, the opponent completed a spell. With a smile on his face, Ned hurled icicles at Liam.

Wind burst deflected most of them while Liam shattered the remaining ones with his sword.

"You are fast, but you will have to try harder if you want to catch me," Ned shouted. "Take this. Wind bullet!"

The attack was silent and invisible, but to mana vision, its movements were plain as a day. Liam dodged the attack with ease. Ned smiled as the action was within his estimates. He activated the trap, releasing a blast of wind and pushed Liam into the air.

"You are mine!" Unsheathing his sword, he attacked Liam without any intention of holding back. Halfway through the movement, his feet slid on the ground putting him off balance.

Using controlled wind burst, Liam straightened his body midair and swung his sword at Ned.

The sword did not bite into the neck and stopped after drawing a single drop of blood.

When he didn't feel any pain, Ned opened his eyes and stared at the sword resting on his neck with terrified eyes.

Liam pulled the sword back, making sure the opponent felt the cold metal brushing past his skin. "It was a good fight. I learned a lot."

His voice was earnest, but everyone understood he was mocking Ned.

"You are skilled and talented, but there are some things you need to learn," Ned said after controlling his racing heart. "If I hadn't slipped, I am sure you know as well as I do that victory was mine. Don't be discouraged by it and keep practicing."

"You don't know?" Liam smiled when he heard Jade's voice. His friends watched the battle from the beginning.

She walked towards the contestants with a blank look on her face.

Ned was confused. "Know what?"

"Liam uses these fancy plans that simple people can't understand. Isn't it easy to learn a bunch of spells and throw them at your opponent? I don't understand why people use their brains so much." Jade patted Ned's back, sympathizing with his plight.

Not wanting to appear rude, Liam swallowed his laughter. In the three sentences she spoke, Jade insulted Ned three times.

"While you were weaving spells in the middle of the battle, Liam used the level 1 earth spell to turn parts of ground muddy. Using flames, he partially hardened the mud, so you wouldn't notice it even after missing a few of them. In the final move, he knew you set a trap and baited you into falling for his trap."

After finishing her explanation, Jade glared at Liam. "Didn't I tell you not to use these cheap tricks? Ned was so proud of his victory and I had to burst his bubble. Do you know how humiliating that is?

"Also, Ned proudly uttered his spell name in the middle of battle, telling everyone he was using a wind bullet. Don't you think it's a bit unfair you didn't shout sludge? For that reason, this match is a draw."

By the end of her rant, Ned's face was burning with shame. He wanted to disappear, but Jade's hand on his shoulder kept him seated.

The battle happened exactly as Jade described. Liam could send his mana in a 50-meter range centered around him. When Ned fell back, Liam implemented the plan and baited him into taking action. With mana vision activated, there was no way he would step on a trap.

Mitch arrived at the location with a strained smile on his face. "Good battle. I don't think Ned can teach you a lot. Why don't you keep practicing? The commander must have thought of a suitable sparring partner."

Jade silently watched the retreating trio with narrowed eyes. After they walked some distance, she shouted in a loud voice. "I forgot to mention something. Why doesn't Ned teach us how to learn spells from a book while Liam teaches him how to apply them. I think it's a fair trade."

Her voice reached half the camp, making Mitch freeze. Unable to retort, he hastily left.