Chapter 1343: First Magic Combat

[A Few Months Later]

"Huu..."

Neron felt his muscles tense up as his gaze focused on the only thing standing in his line of sight—the only thing that currently mattered to him.

About a dozen meters from him was a Golem. It didn't look particularly fancy or anything, but Neron knew full well that it was capable.

The Golem was made out of Earth, but even that was constructed with none other than Mordred's Magic within the space they were in.

In essence, the Golem was simply an extension of that Magic.

"Tell me when you're ready." A voice echoed from behind Neron—one he knew belonged to his father.

Right now, Mordred was watching him... waiting to see the result of his few months of training.

Neron could feel saliva form at the back of his throat. Over the weeks—which soon became months—he had learned a lot from this man.

Slowly, a certain desire had formed within him.

'I don't want to let him down!'

Neron, above all else, desired to prove his strength to his father/master.

'If I do that, we'll have to spend more time together!'

A small grin appeared on his face as he felt his heart race in excitement.

The tension within his body was soon gone, replaced by a simmering heat that rose from the depths of his Mana Core.

"I'm ready." Neron finally spoke out.

He didn't know what face Mordred was making behind him, but Neron thought he heard a slight chuckle.

"Very well..."

The moment he said this, the Earth Golem whirred to life.

Its earthen body was about two meters tall—slightly bigger than a full-grown adult.

For the six-year-old Neron, though, it might have as well been a giant.

"... Begin!"

~BOOOM!~

The moment Mordred said this, the earth beneath the Golem cracked as it swiftly launched itself at Neron.

It sliced through the wind like an unstoppable projectile, and within the blink of an eye, its massive arm attempted to crush Neron where he stood.

Fortunately, the kid was nimbler.

~WHOOSH!~

Neron was able to dodge the devastating blow of the Golem by shrouding himself in Mana.

Thanks to that, he avoided the earth-shattering strike that his foe now dealt to the ground.

Neron felt his body shake as the earth trembled, doing best to maintain equilibrium despite the immense pressure he was experiencing.

'Calm yourself...'

This was Neron's first spar since he started learning Magic some months ago.

So much had changed about him—especially his approach to the utilization of Mana.

For one, he was able to properly infuse his body with Mana at a fast rate, which was what allowed him to evade his opponent's assault so quickly.

His entire body was pulsating with Mana, and that included all his senses.

His eyes glowed blue as his sight became extraordinarily sharp. Not only could he see the flow of Mana—as per usual—but every detail of the world around him became much clearer.

He could properly discern the next action of the Golem based on its body movements, and he could also analyze the flow of its internal Mana to predict what attack it would use.

For example...

'It's about to generate a Spell from its hand!'

Neron, upon realizing this, was swift to prepare a countermeasure.

"[Ground Shift]!"

He pressed his hand on the floor the instant the Earth Golem pointed its bulky hand at him.

The ground beneath the Golem shifted, causing the bulky thing to stumble violently mid-attack.

~PEW!~

~PEW!~

~PEW!~

Several bullets made of Earth scattered from the Golem's outstretched hands, but none were able to reach Neron thanks to its bubbling state.

All the bullets flew into the air, causing Neron's eyes to narrow in satisfaction.

'I can detect the area where a Spell is about to be used, but not the Spell itself.'

Since the Golem he was facing was Earth-based, it's offensive power had to be especially impressive.

The fact that it had shattered the earth upon impact proved that.

'Instead of expending my Mana creating a shield that I'm not certain can block its attack, it's better to disrupt its aim so I'm not affected.'

Neron wasn't sure the Golem's attack didn't have a homing function, which was why he didn't try dodging.

He also knew that he had enough Mana to create a sturdy enough barrier to defend himself from whatever the Golem could dish out, but that would take time.

Complicated Spells—like those belonging to the stronger Tiers or Levels—required more time, alongside Mana, to Cast.

He had considered all of these factors before deciding to go with the most optimal solution.

Thankfully, it worked.

'Now that it's stunned, this is my chance!'

Neron's body glowed with even brighter hues of blue as he sprinted towards the recoiling Golem.

Earth Golems had vast arrays of abilities, but none of those mattered if they couldn't hit.

Besides, even if it had a homing attack, with Neron already closing the distance between them, he wasn't too worried.

Most importantly, he had a split-second window to counterattack.

'I'd be a fool if I didn't utilize it well!'

Neron's lips murmured a Spell as he approached the Earth Golem, who was already preparing another attack.

There were quite a few Spells Neron could cast on the fly like this; especially considering their compatibility with the kind of opponent he was facing.

However, since he had already displayed his tactical abilities, Neron decided to forego all the 'smart' options.

Instead, he would simply utilize brute force.

"[Fireball:Burst]"

Fire Spells were every effective on Earth-Based Golems, and Neron knew that very well.

However, he cast the Spell for one reason and one reason alone.

'Hope you're watching, old man!' Neron grinned internally.

The burst of flames appeared right in front of Neron, swiftly conversing to form a massive ball.

~WHOOOSH!~

In an explosive rush, it darted towards the Earth Golem before the thing could complete its follow-up attack.

As earlier iterated, Fire Spells weren't advisable against Earth Golems. Earth was a naturally strong element, and it required an equally strong—blunt or piercing—attack to properly do damage.

Lightning would have been a nice choice—or even Earth Magic as well.

But... when it came to overwhelming power, no one cared about which was compatible with what.

The only thing that mattered was results.

In essence... which one was stronger.

~BOOOOOOOMMM!~

The intense explosion that swallowed the Earth Golem, sending its multiple body parts into several corners of the field, was enough to give the answer.

"I win." Neron smiled as he watched his flames engulf everything that surrounded his foe.

In the end, things like compatibility or tactics didn't matter to someone like Neron.

He was just naturally stronger.