Ludger silently stared at the man who had addressed him.

A young man, radiating confidence, with a rather slick, well-groomed appearance.

Ludger had never seen his face before, and the clothes he wore weren’t of Imperial design either.

Ludger glanced at Arfa, silently asking if this person was worth remembering. Arfa shook his head.

In other words, not even worth considering as a threat.

‘He’s not going to back down with words alone.’

The fact that a young, hot-blooded mage had come all the way here to pick a fight was telling enough. His intentions were obvious.

In a place full of mages, he wanted to raise his reputation.

‘A theory-only academy teacher must look like easy prey to someone like him.’

Ludger wondered if he should just twist him up a bit with some Source Code magic and send him packing.

But before he could decide, a third party intervened.

A mage who looked like a homeless beggar stepped between them.

“You’re Ludger Cherish?”

“Who the hell are you? Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?”

The young mage frowned, irritated by the interruption, only for the beggar-looking mage to turn his head toward him.

“Eek!”

The young mage’s face instantly went pale.

“Is there a problem?”

“N-no. If you have business... well, I can yield. I don’t mind...”

He stammered an excuse, then quickly turned and fled without looking back.

The man who had scared him off turned back to Ludger.

This was one of the mages Arfa had told him to pay attention to.

‘Sempas, wasn’t it?’

He looked like a vagrant, but upon closer inspection, the ragged thing draped over him was indeed a robe.

At least he wore proof that he was a mage.

But there was no insignia or emblem—he had no affiliation.

A free mage, then.

Why would someone like that approach him?

“You’re Ludger Cherish, right?”

“And if I am?”

He had asked, so Ludger answered simply.

“I want to fight you.”

“...”

Even knights of the Middle Ages didn’t walk up to strangers and say things like that upon first meeting.

Was this some kind of Mystic Night tradition, to challenge new arrivals?

But Sempas’s eyes burned with naked fighting spirit. His intent was clear—he simply wanted to test himself against Ludger.

“Let’s have a match.”

Ordinary mages would never say something like that, but instead of shock, the crowd’s reaction was one of interest.

It wasn’t surprising anymore why the young mage had bolted at a glance.

Sempas was well-known around here as a lunatic in battle, but Ludger Cherish was not.

Especially mages from other nations—they didn’t recognize Ludger’s reputation.

Sure, in the Exilion Empire, especially in Rederbelk and Seorn, his fame was considerable.

But to outsiders, rumors were often exaggerated and inflated.

‘If I refuse, they’ll call me a coward. I won’t be able to avoid this.’

Ludger glanced at Arfa, standing at his side.

“Arfa, step back.”

“But...”

“This won’t take long.”

Becoming a performer on a stage wasn’t to his taste, but if it was necessary, he would do it.

The other mages stepped aside naturally, creating an open space for them.

Sempas spoke first.

“I heard you can cast magic faster than anyone.”

“Nothing impressive about a bit of speed.”

“Word is, someone quite famous in our field lost to you.”

Ludger thought for a moment, then quickly recalled who it was.

That time at the banquet, he had clashed with someone from the Luk Corporation and demolished their guard mage using [Source Code] in front of everyone.

‘So that person was well-known, then.’

Perhaps this had stoked Sempas’s fighting spirit.

Sempas’s eyes burned hotter under Ludger’s gaze.

“I want to see it for myself—if your magic is as great as they say.”

It was a clear provocation.

Ludger let out a quiet sigh.

After exchanging a few words, he understood that Sempas had no ulterior motives. No scheming, no hidden agenda.

Only pure, transparent ambition.

‘He and Phantos would probably get along.’

Not that they’d ever meet.

Ludger raised his staff.

Sempas followed suit, drawing his own.

Ludger’s staff was clean and simple in design, while Sempas’s looked like a battered stick of wood—scratched, worn, and dirty, carrying the marks of countless battles.

“Who goes first?”

“I’ll let you.”

“You’ll regret that.”

Sempas spoke and immediately cast his spell.

Lines of mana streaked through the air, forming the spell structure in an instant.

It was fast and precise.

Even the mages watching murmured in awe.

In the blink of an eye, a spear of lightning shot toward Ludger.

It flew at a speed twice that of an ordinary mage’s spell.

‘A standard spell, but enhanced with acceleration.’

Now Ludger understood why Arfa had deemed Sempas worth remembering.

Sempas didn’t have a vast amount of mana or overwhelming power.

But he knew how to maximize what he had.

Even this single {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} spell demonstrated that.

[Source Code]

With a single line of mana drawn in the air, an identical lightning spear appeared and shattered Sempas’s attack in midair.

The onlookers’ eyes widened at the terrifying speed.

“That’s the famous [Source Code], isn’t it?”

“Sempas had the first move, his attack was about to hit, and yet Ludger blocked it.”

“All he did was draw a single line in the air...”

“So the rumors were true.”

Even after yielding the first move, Ludger had neutralized the attack.

At that moment, it was clear who cast faster.

Most mages would have lost their will to fight upon realizing the gap, but not Sempas.

His eyes burned brighter than before.

He quickly began constructing multiple spell formations in the air to pressure Ludger.

The spells flew at a similar speed as before, but there was a key difference.

They were much smaller.

But smaller didn’t mean weaker.

He had compressed his mana, making them far deadlier.

The speed was slower than the lightning spear from before, but—

‘He realized he can’t win in a speed contest. If I’ll just nullify them quickly, he might as well compress and increase their power to force a direct clash.’

He didn’t panic when his spell was countered—he adapted instantly.

Ludger found himself impressed by Sempas’s judgment.

Acknowledging his disadvantage and giving up so cleanly was something rarely seen.

But what Ludger liked most was Sempas’s attitude.

Even when faced with a wall, he didn’t despair—he analyzed, searching for a way forward.

There was no sign of his fighting spirit breaking.

Ludger respected those who did their best within the circumstances given to them.

“But that doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you.”

Ludger immediately used the exact same spell Sempas had cast.

The spell formation was completed faster.

The mana was compressed to the same degree as Sempas’s, increasing its destructive power.

Boom!

Mana scattered through the air as the spells collided.

Two spells with equal compression couldn’t overpower each other.

For the first time, cracks formed in Sempas’s confident expression. He had been certain he would win this exchange.

“Fast casting and that level of compression...”

Sempas muttered, but there was a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

Strong.

And his instincts hadn’t been wrong.

Ludger Cherish was no ordinary academy teacher.

Fighting him proved that the rumors were, if anything, an understatement.

‘How long has it been since I’ve met someone like this?’

It had been far too long since he faced a true powerhouse.

His nickname—mad dog, battle maniac—meant nothing before a man like Ludger.

But that didn’t matter.

One of his weapons had been broken, but he had plenty more.

Sempas slammed his foot into the ground with a heavy thud.

The surrounding mages looked puzzled at the sudden action.

But Ludger knew it wasn’t meaningless.

Focusing, he saw mana spreading from Sempas’s sole into the earth.

‘Channeling mana through the ground?’

The mana seeped into the soil, flowing beneath it until it gathered right under Ludger’s feet.

Then, forming a spell formation on its own, it burst upward—a stone fist shooting straight for Ludger’s chin.

It was impressive. A sneaky, unexpected attack.

If he hadn’t been concentrating, it might have caught him off guard.

But now that he had seen it, there was no way he would let it hit.

Ludger immediately raised a mana barrier, blocking the strike.

‘This is getting interesting.’

He realized what Sempas’s magic was.

He had channeled mana into the ground, connected it back to himself through a mana path, and cast a spell remotely.

At first glance, it was very similar to Ludger’s own coordinate-designation magic.

The difference was that Ludger’s method was wireless, while Sempas’s was closer to wired control.

It was, essentially, an inferior version of Ludger’s technique.

But to others, it would have looked as though a spell had activated out of nowhere.

Even more impressive was that Sempas hadn’t relied on this sneak attack to win—he was already charging at Ludger.

‘Close combat? Now?’

Even after casting magic of that level, he wasn’t confident enough to stop there.

Even though this was only a spar, he was preparing for the worst-case scenario.

‘The world is wider than I thought.’

Ludger welcomed him.

He dodged the swinging staff, lightly redirected Sempas’s kicking leg to the side.

Sempas’s eyes widened as Ludger avoided his attacks so effortlessly.

He had confidence in his close-quarters combat.

In that split second of imbalance, Ludger hooked Sempas’s leg, tripping him.

Sempas tried to spring back up immediately, but before he could, Ludger’s black staff pressed lightly against his throat.

“That’s enough.”

Sempas glared up at him from the ground.

His eyes said he wasn’t finished, but Ludger ignored it.

“The expedition is leaving soon. I don’t have time to keep entertaining you.”

“...”

“Ambition is fine, but I’d appreciate it if you chose the right time and place.”

The watching mages snickered inwardly.

Sempas was called a mad dog because once he bit down, he never let go.

Even if his limbs were broken and his body covered in blood, he would keep fighting until he got in a hit.

If someone ended a match with mere words, Sempas would never stop there.

That’s how he got his nickname.

And Ludger had just humiliated him, pressing him to the ground and bruising his pride.

At this point, things should have escalated into a fight that bordered on life and death.

But—

“...I lost.”

To everyone’s shock, Sempas admitted his defeat without protest, withdrawing his fighting spirit.

Ludger glanced at him, then withdrew his staff.

Sempas rose, brushing dirt from his robe.

He hooked his staff back at his waist, his demeanor calm—completely unlike his usual reputation.

Mages who knew him well were visibly shocked.

“So, are you satisfied with the spar?”

“I am. It’s my complete loss.”

“You say that, but you don’t look fully satisfied. I’m guessing you didn’t use every trick you have.”

Sempas nodded.

If this had been a real fight, he would have used every method at his disposal.

“Judging by your movements, you use martial arts too. You’ve got artifacts hidden in that ragged robe. And you’re more suited to ambushes and dirty fighting than direct duels, aren’t you?”

“...!”

Sempas’s eyes widened—how had Ludger known?

But realizing Ludger wouldn’t explain, he let his expression relax.

“...I acknowledge you.”

“Good. I enjoyed the match as well.”

Ludger felt a rare sense of satisfaction—he had found a kindred spirit.

Sempas’s fighting style was similar to his own.

Magic was just a tool.

Winning mattered more than methods.

Yet, he didn’t neglect magic either.

From his mana acceleration to compression, he was every bit the skilled war mage.

He had his limits, but pushing himself right up to them required tireless effort.

Sempas, too, held Ludger in high regard.

Ludger had countered every trick he used, reading him completely.

He wasn’t an ordinary mage.

They were alike.

No—Ludger was on another level entirely.

“And you... you’re wasting your time teaching students? Or maybe Seorn really is that great.”

“Interested?”

“A little.”

“Good to hear. With your skills, you could probably teach practical combat classes yourself.”

“I’m not suited to teaching just yet.”

Even so, Sempas looked satisfied, almost relieved.

“If there’s a chance someday, we’ll meet again.”

Leaving those words, Sempas walked away.

Ludger watched him go, amused.

Then he turned his attention to the watching mages.

Most were staring at him now, their expressions a mix of awe and wariness.

It seemed his debut here had made quite an impression.