Three minutes had passed since the start of the eighth match.
Adela was now in ecstasy.
Normally, her expressionless face was her default, so it didn't show outwardly—but her eyes gleamed more brightly than ever before.
'Strong.'
Adela's long-lost milestone had returned.
The supernova of the Archmage family had been reborn.
That fact alone filled her with pure joy.
'Flame Revolver.'
The 3-circle spell she cast, Flame Revolver, veered off its trajectory under the influence of Shin Hayul's Wind.
He had calculated the bullet's speed precisely and twisted its path with wind of just the right intensity.
He had used the very advantage and flaw of Flame Revolver—its light rapid-fire nature—against her.
'Earth Needle.'
Spikes of earth surged upward from the ground.
It was an attack aimed with perfect timing—
But Shin Hayul, as if expecting it, leapt high into the air to evade the Earth Needles.
'Aero Impact.'
Adela, who had already anticipated that he would dodge, immediately unleashed her next spell.
A wind-attribute impact spell that strikes and hurls the air itself—
its defining trait: incredible speed.
It roared straight toward the airborne Hayul.
A person is defenseless when in mid-air.
Knowing that, Adela had used Earth Needle to force Hayul to jump.
'If my opponent predicts all my spells, I just need to make prediction meaningless.'
Everything was going according to Adela's plan.
However—
'Barrier.'
Of course, Hayul wouldn't have failed to read such a plan.
A translucent barrier formed under his feet.
Using it as a stepping stone, he jumped even higher.
"...!"
Aero Impact tore through the space beneath his feet, kicking up a fierce gust.
'He used the barrier… as a foothold!?'
A genuine chill ran down Adela's spine.
She got goosebumps at his absurd mastery of magic.
'This isn't the time to be stunned!'
Having double-jumped with his magically reinforced legs, Hayul now dove down toward Adela from quite a height.
'With the sun at his back…!'
As if everything had been calculated, Hayul was descending with the sun behind him.
Because of that, Adela couldn't look directly at him.
'Great Shield.'
She had no choice but to defend.
A massive shield materialized in front of her.
She didn't know exactly what Hayul was planning, but a 1-circle mage like him couldn't possibly break through a 3-circle defense spell like Great Shield.
It was a safe move—or so she thought.
'Earth.'
Hayul used earth magic to create soil in his hand.
In an instant, it formed into the shape of a sword.
At the same time, he invoked Wind to accelerate his descent.
BOOOOM!
The earthen blade and Adela's Great Shield collided, producing an earth-shaking roar.
The impact was powerful enough that Adela winced for a moment.
'Strong—but not unmanageable.'
As expected, the Great Shield held.
Now that his attack had failed, it was her turn to counterattack—
But—
'Earth Bind.'
Hayul's movements were faster.
Swinging the earthen sword hadn't been his goal at all. As he dropped low to the ground, he slammed his hand onto it and instantly cast the 1-circle binding spell.
'When did he lower his stance…!'
Looking upward, Adela failed to catch his sudden shift in position.
"Kh!"
As a result, she was ensnared by chains of earth.
Snap!
Hayul seized the opening and launched himself behind her.
The Great Shield only protected her front—her back was wide open.
That was the gap he aimed for.
However—
Crack!
Hayul's attempt was rendered meaningless.
"You can't restrain me with something as trivial as Earth Bind."
Adela broke free in an instant and turned to face him.
Naturally, the Great Shield turned with her, blocking Hayul's path again.
He didn't care. He simply fired another spell at her.
'Water Missile.'
Four Water Missiles slammed into her Great Shield.
Of course, the shield didn't even tremble.
The difference between 1-circle and 3-circle magic was that vast.
"With this level of power…"
Just as Adela was about to speak—
BOOOOM!
"Kyaaaah!"
A thunderous explosion erupted behind her, and she screamed.
A scorch mark from a magic hit was clearly visible across her back.
Inside the VIP showroom.
Shin In-hyuk, watching the match with a grave expression, suddenly stood up.
His eyes trembled in shock.
"His combat sense is beyond imagination."
Kim Kang-in wore the same astonished look.
Anyone who understood how much high-level calculation had gone into that brief exchange couldn't help reacting this way.
"To think that even dodging the first Earth Needle was part of his design."
Every move Hayul made—from leaping over the Earth Needles onward—had been part of a plan.
"When he jumped to dodge, I thought even Hayul made a mistake sometimes… but I was wrong."
He dodged in the air, baited Adela's follow-up, then used a Barrier as a stepping stone to climb even higher.
From there, he placed the sun behind him, blocking Adela's vision.
And in that moment, Hayul prepared his hidden dagger.
"I never imagined he'd hide a Wind Spear with delayed release inside the sunlight itself."
He had concealed a Wind Spear between Adela and the sun.
Then, as if nothing were amiss, he created an earthen sword and struck her Great Shield with Wind-boosted force.
That strike was meant to be blocked—it was just to draw her gaze.
"He drew Adela's attention with the sword, forced her eyes downward with Earth Bind, then moved behind her so she'd turn her back to the sun. Perfect."
And at that very instant, the Wind Spear hidden in the sunlight plunged toward her exposed back—
striking her squarely.
That was the truth behind the fight.
"'First-Circle Archmage.' Whoever coined that nickname, nothing could suit him better."
Kim Kang-in clicked his tongue.
No one in the world likely wielded 1-circle magic better than Shin Hayul.
In terms of pure 1-circle application, even Kim Kang-in himself couldn't compare.
'If I had to fight him using only 1-circle spells… I might actually lose.'
If both sides were limited to equal output and equal rank of spells—
could anyone defeat Shin Hayul?
Absolutely not.
His mastery was flawless.
"You have a remarkable son."
"A remarkable son, huh…"
Shin In-hyuk looked at his son with a complicated expression.
Even now, Hayul pressed his advantage relentlessly after landing that one decisive blow—an effort worthy of admiration.
"But at the end of the day, he's still a defective mage who can only use first-circle spells."
That was all.
No matter how precise or calculated his movements, Hayul was still a half-complete mage limited to the first circle.
"As proof, even with all that dominance, he still can't finish the fight."
In-hyuk's eyes darkened as he stared at his son.
"Not to mention, Miss Adela hasn't even used her secret arts yet."
To him, his son's limits were clear.
Eighteen years old, at the fourth circle.
A new combat style using the outdated Memorize magic.
Meticulous battles with refined spells.
Impressive—but that was all.
"Tactics, strategy, analysis—no matter how much you hone those skills, they mean nothing before overwhelming power."
Shin Hayul lacked that power.
The overwhelming strength that crushes opponents—
shield and all.
"No matter what you do, first-circle magic will always be first-circle magic."
As long as that remained true, Shin Hayul could never become the greatest mage.
And the proof came immediately.
"It's starting."
Mysterious mana surged around Adela's body.
"The pride of the Arcane Council — lunar-attribute magic."
The probing phase was over.
Adela had begun to use her true secret arts.
"Three-circle spell — Halo."
Halo.
Literally meaning "moonlight ring."
A spell that looked as though moonlight itself was radiating outward from her.
With that single spell, the tide of battle shifted instantly.
The offense and defense between Shin Hayul and Adela reversed in the blink of an eye.
"That's the answer. Hayul will never be the best."
Shin Hayul could not become the greatest.
Shin In-hyuk was convinced of that.
"Indeed. As long as Miss Adela exists, it's impossible for Hayul to become the best in Korea.
Let alone in the world."
Even though Shin Hayul was extraordinary, for now he couldn't measure up to the top prodigies of the world.
That only made it all the more regrettable.
If only Hayul weren't an Incompatible One.
That thought filled Shin In-hyuk with frustration.
He grimaced slightly as he slipped on his coat.
"Where are you going?"
"There's no point in watching a battle that's already over."
Shin In-hyuk had already concluded that this fight was decided.
Watching any longer would be a waste of time.
"Hmm. I suppose you're right."
Kim Kang-in quietly agreed.
"Maybe it's because he lacks information on secret magic, but Hayul's movements aren't as sharp as before. It'll be hard for him to win."
"Then I'll be taking my leave."
"Yes. I'll see you again soon."
Just as Shin In-hyuk turned to go—
"Waaaaaaaah!!"
Suddenly, the roar of the crowd erupted from beyond the VIP showroom.
"...Impossible!"
At the same time, Kim Kang-in shot to his feet, shouting.
Startled, Shin In-hyuk turned back around.
And the moment he looked through the glass wall at the arena—
"...!"
His eyes widened wider than they ever had before.
"Second-circle… magic?"
In Shin Hayul's palm burned the vivid shape of a second-circle fire spell—Flame Vulcan.
And considering the nature of Memorize, the fact that Hayul was using a second-circle spell meant—
"Hayul… connected the fifth ring?"
It meant Shin Hayul had become a fifth-circle mage.
"This is absurd…"
Kim Kang-in and Shin In-hyuk's eyes trembled as if shaken by an earthquake.
"Second-circle… magic…?"
"Why are you so surprised? I told you earlier—
I was late because I was preparing to defeat you."
I smiled at Adela, whose eyes were wide like a startled rabbit.
"You really… reached the fifth circle?"
She asked, dazed and speechless.
"You can see for yourself, can't you?"
The Flame Vulcan in my palm burned with a brilliant crimson hue.
"Why… why did you hide this until now?"
She was asking why I had concealed the fact that I could use second-circle magic all this time.
"For the same reason you held back your secret arts."
At first, Adela had fought me using only general open-source spells, not her arcane ones.
Why was that?
"…A probing match. You were observing me too, weren't you?"
"Exactly."
It was for information gathering.
Secret magic consumed immense mental energy—unsuited for reconnaissance.
Thus, she used common, low-cost spells to probe and collect data.
Once she gathered enough and believed victory certain, she unleashed her secret magic to overwhelm me.
I had done the same.
My second-circle spells also required heavy mental power.
I couldn't just use them recklessly without a sure opening.
So I spent the earlier battle using only first-circle magic to analyze Adela's spells.
And now—
"Then the reason you're using second-circle magic now is…"
"It means the probing phase is over."
I was certain of victory.
That's why I brought out my second-circle magic.
"…I see."
Adela's eyes gleamed sharply—my words had pricked her pride.
"Then here I come."
I lowered my stance and triggered the Flame Vulcan I had prepared.
Dozens of fire rounds erupted like a Vulcan cannon, hurtling toward her.
'Great Shield.'
Just like before, Adela raised her 3-circle defensive spell to block my attack.
The continuous barrage of second-circle firepower—far more destructive than first-circle magic—made her flinch.
'Fixed Battery.'
I immediately locked Flame Vulcan in midair.
Freed from my control, the flaming weapon became a stationary turret that rained fire down solely on Adela.
At the same time, I swung around to strike from behind her.
"...!"
With Flame Vulcan pinning her down, Adela couldn't move or cancel Great Shield.
I took advantage of that and, from point-blank range, cast another second-circle fire spell—Flame Shock.
Just as my flames were about to hit her—
'Halo!'
Moonlight exploded around Adela's body.
The luminous aura radiating from her center erased both my Flame Vulcan and Flame Shock, then surged rapidly toward me.
Beyond that encroaching light, I saw Adela's back—
her head slightly turned, one eye visible, smiling as if victory were certain.
The spell, a fusion of light and darkness attributes, was nearly impossible to counter and immensely powerful.
At this range, successfully casting Halo was enough to ensure triumph.
Her confidence wasn't unfounded.
However—
How naïve.
She should have wondered why I'd approached her despite knowing exactly what Halo was.
She should have realized that provoking Halo was my intention all along.
She should have noticed that I'd been observing that spell from the start.
[The second ring of the Vaitener-style magic system is also called the Ring of Resonance.]
Ziiing—!
"Let's do this."
The second Infinity Circle within my body began to resonate with the mana around me.