"I can't teach every gifted person in the world. Sometimes, they have to develop themselves through other means." ~Shallies Mythernal

Yoshelle understood what she had to do. Her objective wasn't to utterly defeat, destroy, or especially kill Shallies' students. Nothing that sinister. The goal of the duel was merely to give these potentials a taste of a real raid.

Sub-raids, or raids, it didn't matter which. Both always involved a lot of powerful monsters that required next to perfect coordination. Long-running parties that had cleared a few dungeons together would always develop a sort of confidence in terms of their teamwork and individual strengths.

Yoshelle's goal was to shatter that confidence, and to show them a world far harsher than a simple Advanced Dungeon.

She engaged her Focus, triple-casting Lightning Beam without words or gestures. She hadn't even summoned her staff.

Three thin rays of straight lightning shot towards her three opponents. Shallies, Valor'el, and Phey'lan were still beside them, but Yoshelle was confident with her aim. She wouldn't break her father's rule on the first Spell, nor the last.

Yoshelle wanted to show her three opponents that they weren't the only ones capable of surprising their enemies. Without showing a hint of casting a Spell, she would certainly have the upper hand. Especially since they were still beside their mentor.

But her father already announced the beginning of the duel, so everything was on the table.

What she didn't expect was their reaction.

Tayin matched the beam with her own twin-casted Shooting Star. Though she had to use her wand, she was able to summon it in an instant and cast the Spell without words. With both beams of her own, along with the mana-bolts that came from her wand, she managed to fend off the Lightning Beam coming her way.

Ren deflected his own by simply raising his shield. He was confident in his own protection, which he could certainly back up. He brought his balance forwards and dashed with Shield Charge.

Grace simply ducked at the exact moment before she got hit. She kicked off the ground, attempting to close the gap with Improved Haste.

With two melee combatants closing in on her, Yoshelle took advantage of their obvious weak spot. In a blink, she Sight Stepped behind Tayin as she enveloped her fist with flame mana. But before she could unleash her close-ranged Spell, the halfling was already gone.

Shallies, who was now beside the Elemental Archmage smiled smugly, pointing a thumb behind her shoulder.

There, Yoshelle found Tayin landing exactly where she had been. The halfling had a small shield, ready to use it as an improvised weapon, but was just as surprised when her target was gone.

The Elemental Archmage saw Grace land on Ren's shield before kicking off of it. The half-orc sped through the gap, closing at an alarming rate, with both Mana-Edges ready to strike.

Yoshelle clicked her tongue as twin-casted Shooting Stars went straight towards her. She sent her flaming fist forwards, attempting to counter Grace.

"Mana Slash!" the half-orc yelled.

Not only Grace, but Ren was also on his way towards her. She could also sense Tayin casting a Time Slow Spell.

But what ticked off Yoshelle the most, was the half-orc still being reckless. Sure, from their perspective, she could understand that they thought they had her. But she was flaunting concentrated flame mana in her right fist, and the half-orc didn't even have the slightest hint of caution.

Guess you really trust your teammates… But you're really going to die early if you keep this up.

So Yoshelle Sight Stepped ever so slightly, using her peripheral view. It changed the angle significantly for Grace and Tayin, and Ren had no choice but to keep dashing. For the Elemental Archmage, however, she was able to adjust her punch enough so that it connected, landing straight on the half-orc's face.

"Flashfire Strike."

The explosion engulfed Grace's entire body in a huge flash of flame. It caught Ren, who was just behind her. Then just as quickly, the fire was gone.

Grace was on the floor, with minor burns on her face. She had managed to tap or engage her Constitution to mitigate the damage. Yoshelle didn't know which, but she had held back her mana just enough to make sure the half-orc didn't burn into a crisp.

"That's a point," Shallies declared. "Nineteen to go."

"Darn it," Grace said as she got up on her feet. "I thought we had it. What sort of Spellcasting Class fights with a punch?"

"You read through my mana-flow before the duel even began," Yoshelle started. "You guys are no pushovers, I'll give you that. But your tunnel-vision is a little too much for your own good."

The Elemental Archmage brought her hands up close to her face and lowered her balance. If her opponents wanted to force her into melee combat, then she'll show them how futile their strategy actually was.

With a step, wind mana carrying her legs, Yoshelle dashed towards her opponents.

"A close-combat Spellcaster, now that's impressive," Shallies mused as she made her way towards Maxims while the duel went on. "You don't see that everyday."

She could tell the difference in the two Spells that Yoshelle used. The Elemental Mage's Lightning Beam was cast intentionally sloppy compared to her Flashfire Strike.

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"Surprised?" Maxims asked smugly.

It was a rare combination indeed. And with her choice of Equipment, Yoshelle could successfully deceive anyone who tried to gauge her at face value. But Shallies could already tell that there was something more underneath this layer of fighting style.

"They sure are," she said, feigning ignorance while pointing to her students. "With Yoshelle, being a purist, one wouldn't be blamed to assume she would specialize as a ranged fighter."

"Yoshelle initially wanted to be an Ascendant rather than a Chronoadept," Coraline began. "She has a gift of getting into fist fights as a child, but her fiery temperament was easily shadowed by her talent with mana-control."

"So she found a way to mix both aspects," Shallies concluded. "But I don't see why having a gift with mana-control would push you away from Ascendant. It would've been really easy for her to master and weave both it and Elemental Archmage with her fighting style."

"We're not sure either," Maxims admitted. "For some reason, she just decided to get Mage again as her second Base Class. It's her career, so we didn't exactly deny her that choice. Though we did warn her multiple times about it."

"Well, if it's her choice, then she figured out a way to make the combination work. It's not like she chose something impossible. The Class System's pretty flexible after all."

Another Flashfire Strike exploded, but this time, Ren was there to defend.

"You know," Maxims started, amused by the duel. "When I made the entire headquarters as their duel arena, I made that as an option for your students to use. They could've used it as a hit and run tactic, which is something we sometimes employ in raids."

It was Shallies' turn to smile smugly. "My students don't know the first thing about running away, Guildmaster Maxims. It took Grace a White Dragon to collapse in fear, and that was the only time her courage ever wavered. As for Ren and Tayin, as long as they're together, they're prepared to face anything."

"That's honestly pretty impressive," Maxims mused. "Though, courage can only bring someone so far."

"Courage is the impetus for action," Shallies began. It wasn't to argue with the Guildmaster, but to elevate the importance of courage. "Without the ability to push past the fear, there would be no action. It's my favorite trait, so you'll have to forgive me for being a little too biased."

"True enough," Maxims agreed. "In most of the other duels we've conducted, our opponents were always intimidated. They feared our prestige and the gaps in levels. But your students never even wavered. They're actually treating Yoshelle like a Dungeon Boss."

"I didn't see any shred of hesitation," Coraline added. "Personally, they already passed my evaluation."

"We must honor the duel, Vice Guildmaster," he reminded her. "I, too, am already satisfied with their performance, but this is a condition that a Divine Authority already asked of us. If they fail, then we'll have no choice."

"You didn't ask Yoshelle to take it easy on them, did you?" Shallies asked. "If this task was given by a Divine Authority, surely you have some form of reward regardless of the result, yes?"

"I was specifically instructed not to make it easy," Maxims replied. "And I mentioned nothing to Yoshelle. It's her discretion how difficult the test she wanted to give. And yes, we'll get a reward regardless of the result. Though I must admit, it would be awkward to accept a reward after denying their favored people the chance at experiencing a sub-raid. But the Divine Authority was cunning in that reward anyway, since it still involves your students regardless of whether they win or not."

"Don't worry, Guildmaster Maxims," Shallies began, turning to him with a smile. "My students will make sure not to put you in an awkward spot."

Grace was getting used to Yoshelle's moves. But in exchange for that, they had already become ten points behind. They couldn't afford to give up one more, or they would be totally behind.

She had accepted that close combat was the Elemental Archmage's actual fighting style, despite how difficult it was to believe. She also had no idea why her opponent wasn't using any Chronoadept Skills at all.

But whether it was to give her and her partymates a fighting chance, or it was a condition of this particular duel, it didn't matter. If they failed, they would lose a great opportunity. It would be such a waste to let go just because the opponent was taking it easy.

No, Grace decided to take full advantage of the window she was provided. Her teammates were of the same mind. Though the tactics they had used to get a hit on Valor'el hadn't worked, they still had a few strategies they could work with.

The first one to strike was Ren, and Grace made sure she followed up at the exact moment. Their strategy always worked like this, so long as she didn't get absorbed in the heat of the moment. Tayin would always be their cover.

But the difference this time was how they made their approach.

It was like back during their very first training with Shallies. The Godkiller hadn't even worn anything combat appropriate, and had easily deflected this particular approach. But one thing had stuck to the group since then. She had applauded their effort for figuring out such an effective strategy.

The moment Ren got close, he immediately stopped, forcing Yoshelle to use a split-second to analyze what was happening. Grace grabbed that moment of confusion, engaging her Agility as much as she could. And this time, she had Tayin's twin-cast Fire Lances and mana-bolts as her smokescreen.

The Elemental Archmage caught the moment a step too late, but she was quick to react and adapt. Rather than forcing a counter that she would certainly lose, Yoshelle placed a foot backwards and shifted into a defensive stance. Water mana flowed through her limbs, ready to divert any attack coming her way.

That was the first stage of their plan.

Now that Grace was close, she unleashed her Thunderclap the moment Tayin's projectiles shot past her.

Yoshelle deflected them all, her arms moving just at the right moment to guide the water. She either doused the projectiles, or directed them to the side, away from her. When the Thunderclap followed, she immediately stiffened and pushed the water forwards, letting the electricity flow safely away from her.

Grace waited for that exact moment, slipping inside Yoshelle's extended arm. Without hesitation, she unleashed Blade Flourish. It was the only Skill that covered a wide area in a radius, making sure that the Elemental Archmage had no choice but to either defend, Sight Step, or accept the hit.

Yoshelle chose the second option.

But because of Tayin and Grace's combination of attacks, the only option for Yoshelle was to turn around and quickly choose a spot behind her to Sight Step away.

And when she did so, Ren was already waiting there. He had engaged both Agility and Focus at the right moment, catching the Elemental Archmage as soon as she appeared. His training sword swung, hitting her cleanly in the midsection.

Yoshelle staggered backwards, then fell to her knees. At the moment of impact, Ren had also engaged his Strength.

"Clean hit!" Maxims announced. "The score is now ten to one."

Grace didn't even hesitate. She dashed at Yoshelle, who was still in the middle of recovering, attempting to get the second point as fast as possible. Even Ren was doing the same.

But they froze.

Yoshelle's fist was suddenly on her face, and weirdly enough, also on Ren's. Flashfire Fist exploded. The next moment, they were on the floor.

"Clean hit," Shallies announced. "Two more points for Yoshelle."

"So that's how it is…" Grace said, standing up. "Now that we have a point, you get to use your Chronoadept Skills."

"Raid Bosses have multiple stages to them, Grace," Yoshelle said.

She assumed a different pose, standing straight with an arm extended behind her. Her staff appeared from that hand, spinning as she twirled it around her body. Her robes extended, surging with mana. She extended another hand, summoning her witch hat that had dropped at some point during the duel. Mana surrounded it, fixing it on her head and making sure it wouldn't fall off anymore.

Now, Yoshelle truly looked like a Spellcaster. Grace fought through the confusion. She didn't know which style was actually the main one anymore.

The surging mana finally calmed, resting in an aura that made Yoshelle float. She looked even more dangerous now. Extending her staff forwards, she made her declaration.

"This is stage two."

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