How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game

It was late at night when Karl, having left the library earlier, was summoned once again by Seindal.

"A duel...?"

Karl repeated the word with a confused look.

"I—I thought you said it was just a simple evaluation?"

"Things took a turn," Seindal replied with a laugh. "But thinking about it now, this might actually work out better for you."

He chuckled warmly.

"You don’t need to worry too much about winning or losing. Even if the outcome isn’t great, it won’t affect your acceptance."

"Then what’s the point?"

"It’s part of the process to bring you in as a full member. Might as well skip straight past the apprentice stage, right?"

After hearing the full explanation, Karl wore a thoroughly unamused expression.

‘Apprentice, full member—whatever. Doesn’t matter to me.’

All he really needed was the fancy label of “Altius” on his name. That alone was enough.

But from the way Seindal explained it, things were already in motion. Too late to pull back now.

And besides, it was a stage Seindal had set up for his sake. Refusing now would just embarrass the guy.

Not that Karl cared much either way.

It was a bit of a hassle, sure—but if it was just a duel, he could deal with it.

And if it came with a higher rank, well, that wasn’t a bad bonus.

He nodded, choosing to look on the bright side.

"Alright. So how’s the duel going to work?"

"It’ll be in the format of a one-on-one magic match... though the details haven’t been decided yet. The elders will meet a few hours before the duel tomorrow to finalize everything."

Then, as if remembering something, Seindal added:

"Oh, and your opponent will be Sharon Rachel—Elder Hurst’s granddaughter and disciple. She’s considered a genius around the main branch here. Not that the name would mean much to you, I suppose."

At that, Karl tilted his head slightly.

‘Sharon Rachel? That sounds familiar...’

And then it clicked.

She was that weird girl he ran into earlier in the library.

What a coincidence.

* * *

The next day at noon.

As planned, Karl followed Seindal to the lower floors of one of the magic towers.

Several elders were already gathered in one area, waiting.

"That’s the boy."

"Hmm, let’s see..."

They murmured one after another as they observed Karl.

On the other side stood Elder Hurst and Sharon.

Karl glanced briefly in their direction.

But Elder Hurst was glaring daggers at him, so Karl quickly turned away.

‘Man, he’s seriously pissed.’

Well, fair enough. Karl was basically swooping in and snatching the spot meant for his granddaughter. No way that would go over well.

"Since everyone’s here, let’s get started. The two of you—take your positions."

At the Elder Council Chair’s command, Karl and Sharon stepped forward.

Wuuuung...

A magical circle lit up beneath their feet, and a hemisphere-shaped barrier rose around them, enclosing the space.

The Elder Council Chair then began explaining the rules.

It wouldn’t be a no-holds-barred magic battle.

They weren’t going to let two people throw lethal spells at each other just for the sake of deciding a rank.

This wasn’t a duel to the death—just a test to gauge magical superiority.

"You’re limited to three spells: Magic Missile, Force, and Shield."

Magic Missile, Force, and Shield.

The absolute basics—spells every mage should be able to use freely.

"And the win condition is..."

He handed each of them a bracelet.

Karl raised an eyebrow, wondering why, but the explanation followed.

"It’s a magic tool with a single-use defensive spell. It activates only when a direct hit is taken."

Whoever lands a clean strike and activates the opponent’s bracelet first—wins.

Both Karl and Sharon nodded.

‘Not a bad setup. No risk of getting hurt.’

Then, it happened.

[A Sudden Quest has appeared.]

<Sudden Quest: Prove Your Skill>

Defeat Sharon Rachel completely in this duel to prove your abilities to the Elders.

Reward: 10,000 SP

‘Hmm.’

A quest, again?

And the reward was solid—10,000 SP.

Karl felt his motivation spike slightly as he glanced over at Sharon.

Then, out of nowhere, she spoke.

"You can’t beat me."

"..."

What now? A provocation?

But the look on her face didn’t suggest anything like that.

No tension, no edge—just total confidence. Like the outcome was already decided in her favor.

Karl raised an eyebrow.

"Pretty confident, huh?"

"My grandfather told me about you. I’ve got experience. You don’t."

"...?"

"You helped your master with research, didn’t you? I bet you’ve never even been in a real mage duel. Just because our Circles match doesn’t mean we’re equals."

Karl suppressed a laugh.

"Mind if I ask you something?"

"...?"

"Have you ever left the main branch and fought in actual combat? I’m not talking about mock duels with the other mages here, waving your hands around pretending it’s serious."

Sharon’s brow twitched slightly.

"...You’re arrogant."

"You’ll see."

Karl shrugged and grinned.

Did she even know?

What it meant to start from zero-circle and claw your way up in this screwed-up world just to survive?

He might be a fake mage—but in battle, he was anything but fake.

"Prepare yourselves. The match begins when the mana orb in the air bursts."

The Elder Council Chair stretched out his hand, and a small mana orb formed between the two of them.

A moment of silence.

Meanwhile, among the elders, predictions were already flying.

"Of course Sharon will win. Isn’t it obvious?"

Most of them nodded at Elder Hurst’s firm declaration.

"Probably. Didn’t they say that boy Karl just lived with his master, never faced any real battle? Hard to imagine he’d have any duel experience."

"Their mana levels are said to be close, but beyond that... I doubt Jeron’s disciple can actually win this."

Hurst, satisfied by their agreement, nodded with a smug look.

He turned to glance at Seindal with a hint of scorn.

"Well, Seindal? What’s your take? You did set this all up, didn’t you?"

Seindal, who had been listening quietly, shook his head.

"Honestly, I don’t know."

"...Hmm?"

"Logically speaking, yes—your granddaughter should win."

"Hah. And yet you went through all this trouble? What for?"

Seindal gave a faint smile.

"Just a feeling."

"...?"

"I sensed something strange from that boy, Karl. Nothing more. That’s it."

"Tch. Feelings? What kind of mage relies on that crap..."

Hurst clicked his tongue and turned his head.

In his field of vision was Karl—the thorn in his eye.

‘If that brat pulls any underhanded tricks, I won’t stand for it.’

And so, with everyone watching intently—especially Hurst, whose glare could probably bore a hole through stone—

BOOM!

The mana orb burst.

The duel began.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

As soon as the match began, Sharon immediately gathered her mana.

Shushushuk!

More than ten Magic Missiles burst forward, all aimed straight at Karl.

He quickly raised a Shield.

Kwaaaang!!

The missiles crashed into the barrier but failed to pierce it, disappearing on impact.

A light exchange of offense and defense to open the match.

‘Her casting speed’s impressive.’

Karl was mildly surprised—and so was Sharon.

‘...His casting speed is on par with mine?’

She had planned to end the match quickly and show him the difference in level.

But now she found herself slightly revising her evaluation.

His casting ability was comparable to hers.

‘That’s all he’s got, though.’

In terms of mana control and battle experience, she was sure she had the upper hand.

With that confidence, Sharon raised a Shield of her own.

Karl, in the meantime, launched a counterattack with Magic Missiles.

Kwagwagwang!!

After deflecting his barrage—

‘Let’s see how you handle more this time.’

She began concentrating an even larger number of missiles.

And then—

Crack!

“...?!”

Her Shield suddenly shattered.

Feeling something at her feet, Sharon quickly looked down.

A Force spell had slipped through beneath her defenses and snared her ankles.

Kwadang!

She fell flat onto the floor.

“...!!”

Gasps spread among the watching elders.

They had seen exactly what happened.

Karl had bombarded her with Magic Missiles, waited for the Shield to weaken, then slipped in a sharpened Force spell right through the gap.

The tactic itself wasn’t unusual.

That wasn’t what had shocked the elders.

In magic, spells are typically cast through ritual structuring and proper mana flow.

Casting rituals consume mental energy, and once mana direction is fixed, it takes time to switch to another spell form.

So naturally, there’s always a delay between spells—especially for high-level mages.

If you rush it, you risk magical backlash, either mentally or within your own mana flow.

But that last move...

“...There was no delay between his Magic Missile and Force spell!”

“To chain spells that quickly—can a 4th Circle even do that?”

Even though Magic Missile and Force were lower-tier spells, that kind of seamless chaining was beyond 4th Circle—it bordered on divine.

The elders were astonished.

But for Karl, it was easy.

He didn’t need to construct spells manually or manage his mana flow.

The system did all of that for him.

There was no backlash, and as long as he had the mana, he could chain spells indefinitely without pause.

To the others, it looked like a superhuman feat.

Karl, unbothered, stood there calmly and looked down at the fallen Sharon.

He didn’t even follow up with another spell.

Sharon got up, staggering slightly, and glared at him like she wanted to kill him.

“...Are you messing with me?”

Karl answered nonchalantly.

“What?”

“That Force spell! You could’ve won right there if you aimed to hit instead of just knock me down!”

“Oh, is that so? But I figured if I ended it that way, you wouldn’t be satisfied.”

<Sudden Quest: Prove Your Skill>

Defeat Sharon Rachel completely in this duel to prove your abilities to the Elders.

Quest Complete Reward: 10,000 SP

The quest’s condition was a “complete defeat.”

Karl had seen this kind of trick before.

Just winning wouldn’t fulfill the “complete” part.

‘I have to make her acknowledge the difference.’

Shwaaak!!

Visibly pissed, Sharon shot a straight-line Force spell.

Karl responded instantly.

The two Force spells clashed midair with a thunderous boom, locking in a power struggle.

Grrrrnnngg...

Karl glanced across the gap at Sharon.

She was pouring all her strength into trying to push back his Force.

"Why are you pushing so hard?"

He suddenly curved the shape of his Force spell into a concave arc.

“You’ve gotta maintain your mana center at all times.”

Twisting the flow mid-cast, he redirected her spell entirely.

Sharon’s Force shot flew harmlessly off course due to its own inertia.

The elders gasped again at the precision of Karl’s mana manipulation.

Kwadang!

Another Force spell in whip form struck her down again.

That was the second knockdown.

Still, Karl didn’t press the attack.

Sharon staggered to her feet, now clearly shaken.

Her belief that she had superior mana control had proven to be just another illusion.

“...Ugh!!”

A flurry of Magic Missiles rained from her hands.

Karl responded in kind.

Kwagwagwagwaaaang!

Their missiles collided midair, creating chaotic explosions.

Even if Magic Missile was just a 1st Circle spell, the two who wielded it were 4th Circle mages.

The shockwaves from the clashes rippled across the arena, violently shaking the air.

It became a chaotic battle lasting far longer than expected.

But over time, Sharon’s casting speed began to drop.

Mental fatigue was taking its toll.

Meanwhile, Karl hadn’t shown a hint of exhaustion.

‘This should be enough.’

He decided it was time °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° to end it.

Boom!

A Magic Missile struck Sharon cleanly.

The magical bracelet on her wrist activated, shielding her body.

She stared blankly down at it, stunned.

A complete loss, without a single moment of superiority.

"This duel is concluded. The winner is..."

The Elder Council Chair stepped forward to announce the result.

Naturally, it was a flawless victory for Karl.

[Sudden Quest: Prove Your Skill — Completed.]

[Quest Reward: 10,000 SP acquired.]