Above the mage

Chapter 453 French Fighting Tournament

The farce is over.

Theodore felt an overwhelming sense of defeat.

But at the same time, he still had a great deal of doubt in his heart.

Theodore understood that the reason he had been defeated so quickly was due to the strange shockwave generated by the first spell, [Magic Missile], cast by God.

It was this shockwave that led to the subsequent chain reaction.

Moreover, this shockwave was the only one he couldn't understand at all; he didn't know where it came from or how it was generated.

Even though he was extremely curious, Theodore wisely refrained from asking any questions.

A monk's privacy is paramount.

On the other hand, now that the outcome was decided, Gao De had a sudden thought and lifted the restriction on [Tidal Net].

The water chain that had been tightly binding Theodore vanished into thin air in an instant.

The key to victory that Theodore couldn't understand was actually quite simple in principle.

—He didn't release [Magic Missile], but rather [Magic Missile+].

Additional: If all three darts hit the same target, it will cause a force field tremor, and the target will be knocked back a short distance.

This is an additional effect of [Magic Missile+] after adding points to Wind Spirit Moon Shadow.

It was the force field oscillation effect, which the original [Magic Missile] lacked, that interrupted Theodore's [Colorful Sphere] casting, allowing God to quickly end this magic duel.

It seems that the victory in this magical duel depends on Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, but in essence, it is due to Gao De's ingenious use of magic.

After all, the extra effects of [Magic Missile+] seem quite ordinary at first glance, and are by no means super-powerful.

However, because the [Magic Missile] is so classic, this extra effect can often be the finishing blow.

If you start with [Magic Missile], and your opponent starts with [Shield], then you're doomed.

However, if you start with [Shield] and then encounter God's starting [Magic Missile+], the outcome is completely reversed.

Because of the absolute counter effect of [Shield Spell] against [Magic Missile], no mage will fear [Magic Missile] when protected by [Shield Spell], and will not dodge or avoid it, because there is no need to.

Then, like Theodore, you'll be caught off guard.

Any mage with extensive combat experience will avoid using [Magic Missile] as their first spell, because [Shield] is one of the most classic opening spells.

Gao De understood this point, so he did the opposite and chose to start with [Magic Missile+], using the variable of [Magic Missile+] to win the magic battle in one fell swoop.

It sounds mysterious, but for Gaode Maps, it's actually just very simple "logical" reasoning, nothing to brag about.

Such a victory in a French bout did not even bring him any joy.

"I knew you were incredibly strong, but I never imagined that Theodore couldn't even last three moves against you." On the other side, Lieutenant Colonel Graylin picked up where his wife left off, expressing both admiration and praise for God.

He could tell that Gao De's [Magic Missile] was different from others, but he wouldn't ask any more questions.

Because of the existence of "specializations", the same spell can have countless possibilities among different mages.

Not surprisingly.

"Are you convinced now?" After praising God, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling looked at his son, who was still hanging his head and no longer had the same high spirits he had shown before, and asked.

"It's because I'm not as skilled as others," Theodore said through gritted teeth, his expression stiffening slightly.

If it were a fierce battle where you fought back and forth and he ultimately lost, he might even make excuses for himself.

But with this kind of performance and this kind of gap, there's really no point in struggling or being stubborn.

"Don't be too discouraged. Although the students of your Vandrolen Magic Academy are somewhat behind our Sea Sentinel Mages in terms of combat skills, the gap isn't that big. Warrant Officer God is an exception." Lieutenant Colonel Graylin comforted Theodore, seeing his dejected appearance.

"Let's move to the banquet hall first, it's getting late," Mrs. Emily reminded him at the opportune moment.

The battle ended so quickly that it didn't take much time and didn't disrupt the rhythm of the banquet.

The group left the underground fighting arena and arrived at the banquet hall on the first floor.

The ebony table was covered with a tablecloth embroidered with silver thread, and a magic crystal chandelier hung above it, illuminating the entire banquet hall.

In the center of the long table sat an ice bucket filled with the finest champagne.

"Please have a seat," Lieutenant Colonel Grayling said, taking his seat in the main seat while Mrs. Emily sat at the other end of the long table, gesturing for the butler to pour wine.

The golden, slightly transparent wine was poured into an exquisite wine glass. In front of each person, three silver knives and forks were arranged in order: a fish knife, a main course knife, and a dessert knife, from the outside in.

The dishes are of extremely high quality, with most of the ingredients sourced from leyline creatures, including the lizard egg and caviar tart as an appetizer and the roasted rock antelope as a main course.

As for the taste, it's not that it's significantly better than regular ingredients.

Even the meat of the chamois is a bit too tough compared to that of farmed chamois, making it difficult to chew, but its main selling point is its rarity.

At this kind of banquet, it's not about the taste, it's about the prestige.

Halfway through the banquet, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling, seated at the head of the table, put down his wine glass and asked Gao De, "Is Master Gao De sixteen years old this year?"

"Yes," Gao De nodded and explained, "I was born a beggar, so I don't know the exact date of my birth, only the year."

He doesn't shy away from his background and is quite open about it.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling already knew about Gao De's background, so he naturally didn't feel any surprise.

He looked thoughtful, and after a moment's hesitation, said, "Although it's somewhat inappropriate, I still want to confirm with you whether the feat you awakened upon advancing to the second ring is also a combat feat?"

The word "also" indicates that Lieutenant Colonel Grayling has already tacitly accepted that God's first-round specialty is a combat specialty—with such an illustrious military record right in front of him, how could he have done it if it weren't a combat specialty?

Gao De thought about it for a moment and finally nodded.

The 【True Ice Bloodline】is essentially a special skill, but it does possess extremely strong combat attributes. Calling it a combat skill is somewhat close, but not entirely unrelated.

"Sixteen years old, second-ring mage, dual combat specializations." Lieutenant Colonel Graylin reviewed God's information in his mind and solemnly said to God, "I have something to tell you. Listen to it first."

"Is there some important mission?" Seeing Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's tone, Gao De knew that what he was about to say must be something important, so he immediately straightened his back and sat up straight.

"No, not at all," Lieutenant Colonel Grayling chuckled. "It's actually a good thing, you could say."

"Our dynasty has thirteen prefectures, and each prefecture has a military mages organization similar to our sea sentinels."

"Including our Sea Sentinels, there are thirteen elite military mage organizations in this dynasty, all of which are directly under the control of the royal family. This allows us to avoid the influence and interference of local nobles in our respective prefectures."

"However, at the same time, because of the direct control of the royal family, the salaries, benefits and other treatments of us sea sentinel mages are also distributed by the royal family, rather than being taken from the local area."

In addition, there are many other precious resources, such as the second-level upgrade potion, Green Vine Dew, which you exchanged for; these were all allocated to us by the royal family.

"Resources are limited, so competition naturally exists."

It's impossible for the royal family to treat everyone equally and distribute all resources equally among our thirteen military mages.

Because there will always be a hierarchy among us, it's only natural that those who are more capable should receive more resources.

"However, the distinction between superior and inferior is constantly changing. For example, in the last few decades, our Sea Sentinels may have been stronger, while in the next few decades, the neighboring Rockwind Guardians may have been stronger. The allocation of resources must naturally keep up with these changes in strength."

"After careful consideration, a tradition has been formed: our thirteen military mages organize a military mage competition every ten years."

"The French Bulldog competition is divided into three groups, from the second to the fourth ring. Each group is scored according to its ranking, and the scores of the three groups are added together to get a total score."

This total score will determine the ranking of our thirteen military mages for the next ten years, and then the allocation of resources each year will be determined based on this ranking.

Isn't this just like the fighting tournaments that were so common in novels from my past life? It's that classic. Gao De suddenly realized this and felt like vomiting.

These kinds of tournaments usually take place in various academies, such as the "Academy Competition" or the "Taoist Palace Exchange".

He had already joined the Sea Sentinels and taken the "in-system" route that was rejected by most protagonists of biographical novels, yet he still couldn't escape this arena competition.

However, upon closer examination, there is some logic to it. After all, in the country where he lived in his previous life, there was a military-wide martial arts competition. It would be reasonable for the military mages here to hold a military mage magic duel.

"From this you can see how important this military mage fighting tournament is," Lieutenant Colonel Graylin continued.

Gao De nodded silently.

This French fighting competition is no longer just a battle for honor, but a direct struggle for interests.

Then it will receive more attention than most "ring matches".

"According to the rules of the Mage Tournament, each military mage organization can select up to two mages to fight in each group. That is, the maximum number of mages a military mage faction can have is two second-ring mages, two third-ring mages, and two fourth-ring mages, for a total of six people."

"Now that I've said that, you probably guessed what I meant, right?" Lieutenant Colonel Grayling suddenly asked.

"Lieutenant Colonel Graylin wants me to represent the Sea Sentinel Mages in the Magic Fighting Tournament," Gao De replied immediately.

"Yes," Lieutenant Colonel Grayling nodded, "You've only advanced to the second rank. Compared to other second-rank mages, you're at a huge disadvantage, both in terms of mage level and spells..."

The French Fighting Tournament is held every ten years. It's currently Nolan's year 9658, and there's still a year and a half until the next tournament.

"Under normal circumstances, a year and a half would be of little use; it wouldn't be enough to close the gap."

"But I have some additional expectations for you. Your talent as a mage and your talent as a mage fighter are both outstanding. I'll give you a year and a half, and perhaps you can give me some unexpected surprises."

"In fact, this spot in the French Fighting Tournament isn't something I can decide. After all, the results of the French Fighting Tournament are related to the resource allocation of the Sea Sentinels for the next ten years, and it's determined by..."

Mage Graylin pointed to the ceiling, not saying it directly, but the meaning was clear: he was referring to the highest-ranking mage in the Sea Sentinel rank, "who will decide."

"All I have is a recommendation right. Whether you can ultimately get this spot depends on your own performance."

"What I mean is, if you are confident in yourself and have this idea, then spend the next year and a half preparing in this direction, and I can recommend you then."

"What are your thoughts?" Lieutenant Colonel Grayling asked.

He genuinely wanted to mentor Gaode.

From the moment he personally recommended Gao De to become the youngest warrant officer mage in the history of the Sea Sentinels, he became largely bound to Gao De, becoming a stakeholder.

Gaode performed well, and he also benefited from the glory.

If Gaode's performance is unsatisfactory, it will inevitably become a reason for others to attack him.

"I'm very interested." Gaode's answer was undoubtedly yes.

"There are no prizes for the French Fighting Tournament, but if you achieve a good ranking, we, the Sea Sentinels, will certainly not hesitate to reward you after the tournament ends."

More importantly, if you can get into the top three in your group, it will be a huge advantage for you when you join the Sentinels of Light, Vanguard of Justice, and Silver Dragon Riders in the future.” Lieutenant Colonel Graylin added.

"I understand. I will do my best to prepare. Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling."

"Haha, it's a year and a half from now. You should start preparing. I'm just mentioning it to give you some direction. Okay, let's continue eating!" Lieutenant Colonel Grayling raised his glass and laughed heartily.

Gao De didn't dwell on it and immediately focused his attention back on the banquet.

This attitude made the other four subconsciously look at Gao De with even more respect.

This shows that Gaode has great confidence in himself, which is why he is not easily bothered by other things.

that's the truth.

A year and a half is indeed too short, especially for a second-ring mage.

But for Gaode Maps, it's perfectly adequate.

It's hard to say how far one can progress in cultivating the "Qingmu Changsheng Jing".

However, with the [Zhenbing Bloodline], as long as he is willing, it will definitely not be a problem for him to push the "Zhenbing Secret Manual" to the second ring of perfection within a year and a half.

As for magic, the speed at which he masters magic is beyond the realm of ordinary understanding.

After everyone had finished their meal, the servants removed the main course and presented a silver handwashing bowl filled with warm water and flower petals for everyone to wash their hands.

After washing their hands, the servants brought out an exquisite fruit platter.

These fruits are not ordinary; they are fruits grown by magical plants.

Although they are all fruits from zero-level magic trees and do not possess any magical effects, they are excellent in taste. Served in silver fruit platters and garnished with mint leaves or icing sugar, they offer both visual and gustatory enjoyment.

This fruit platter might be worth as much as a dozen or so gold coin coins, which is quite extravagant.

Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Mrs. Emily gently lifted her skirt and stood up, nodded to Gord and Captain Merrick, and then left her seat.

Upon seeing this, Gord and Merrick quickly took their leave from Lieutenant Colonel Grayling.

According to aristocratic banquet etiquette, the hostess's rising and leaving her seat is the key signal that the banquet is over.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling did not try to stop them, but escorted them to the door and arranged for his own private carriage to take them home.

(End of this chapter)