By Zephyria 
“Ray?”
Herman made a greatly embarrassed expression after confirming my face. He had only caught my presence because I was hiding tightly among the bushes, so he didn’t seem to know it was me.
He quickly released his guard and jumped down the tree. Even though the height was quite high, his movements seemed very light.
‘Unexpected.’
Well, the higher the achievement, the stronger the body becomes. Even so, it should be at a similar level to my current self… Herman was using his physical abilities quite skillfully. It was proof that he had been training steadily on a regular basis.
“Are you okay? Are you not hurt?”
Herman approached with concern. But that was just a welcome gap for me.
As I pretended to reach out my hand and swung it diagonally, a lump of red Mana that was formed in an instant was shot towards Herman. It was an attack that took advantage of the gap as naturally as possible, but Herman quickly activated Magic as if he wasn’t being careless.
“Reflecting Dry Tower.”
The moment he spat out the activation Formula, the Magic Circle was formed, and at the same time, a ‘transparent barrier’ unfolded in front of Herman, offsetting the attack.
Yellow Mana swirled when the Magic Circle was formed, so that barrier seemed to be a Magic belonging to the Transformation System.
‘Right. That guy was a Transformation System.’
Transformation System Mana, which is specialized in changing the properties of Mana. Humans belonging to the Transformation System fight like that. Thanks to that, I gained another experience.
“You’re not thinking of just passing by without seeing me, are you?”
Herman, with a troubled face, asked me with his mouth pursed. In response, I nodded my chin to mean that it was obvious, and he let out a small sigh. He seemed to have expected the answer that would come out of me to some extent.
“I forgot for a moment. You also had a personality that secretly hates to lose.”
Then, he took a stance as if he was going to do it properly. As he dragged his foot on the floor, sparks flew around his body.
“Now that we’ve decided to do it, I won’t go easy on you.”
I raised the corners of my mouth and smiled.
You have to come out cocky like that.
Otherwise, things would become boring.
“That’s what I want to say, you servant.”
Sparks like Herman’s flew around my body as I provoked him with my arms wide open as if telling him to come if he dared. It was a direct imitation of the Formula he used.
Herman’s eyes widened as if he was surprised to see that.
But it was too early to be surprised by this much.
As I waved my hand and struck down a lightning bolt, Herman, who had predicted the location in advance and flew away to avoid it, started running.
Kung! Kwaang!
Small and large lightning bolts collided with the ground, scattering roars. I chased after him and continued the attack. Herman also ran away while parrying the same way, and because I had to avoid it as well, the distance between him and me did not decrease.
It wouldn’t end like this. Whether he thought the same way, Herman twisted his body around while running away and activated another Magic.
“Ice Arrowhead!”
Immediately after, a tremendous number of ice arrowheads were created in the direction Herman’s finger was pointing. Then, as he flicked his finger, they all poured towards me in that direction.
Of course, I wasn’t flustered. Because I wasn’t careless.
I expected him to come up with another method.
‘He’s thinking of freezing me to make my movements dull.’
I chuckled and immediately activated the same Magic with Instant Cast on the spot.
The same amount of ice arrowheads were created, and the colliding arrowheads clung to each other, scattering cold air before being destroyed.
“What…!”
Herman, who had landed on the tree and was watching the situation, seemed quite embarrassed. It would be nerve-wracking to have everything he did copied every time.
That was my aim. A small pebble that disturbs the mind will eventually create a gap.
“Is this all you’ve got!”
As I provoked him and shot another lightning bolt, Herman quickly kicked off the branch of the tree and dodged, then ran again.
I could vaguely see him biting his lower lip anxiously as he glanced back. He didn’t seem to realize that he was gradually falling into the pit I had dug.
‘Unfortunately, I’ll take the mark.’
Immediately after, Herman, who was running away while being conscious of me, turned his body back to activate another Magic.
“Transformation Designation!”
The tree near me, which was designated by him, stretched out strangely and stretched out its stems as if trying to grab me. And I could see him preparing the next Magic right away.
He was trying to prepare a countermeasure in advance, assuming that I would follow his Magic this time as well. Even if I didn’t follow him, it would be enough if it made me pause for a moment.
‘Then, about here.’
I stopped and moved the nearby trees in the same way. But the direction it was heading wasn’t towards Herman.
The vines of the tree I transformed were entangled with the tree vines that were trying to grab me, and thanks to that, a natural ‘wall’ was created between Herman and me, blocking the view. I, who had become free, hid my body behind it, and Herman, who didn’t know the situation here, soon activated Magic.
“Ammonium Nitrate Explosive!”
The tree burst into flames, and the vines began to burn with a loud explosion. He was going to trap me there and make me a whole roast. You cruel bastard.
I, who was hiding in the bushes and watching, quietly smiled and flicked my finger.
Crack.
The skeleton’s hand bone that popped out from under Herman’s feet, who was distracted by watching the burning vines, pulled Herman’s ankle, who still hadn’t noticed.
“Uh…!”
Herman, who had been completely off guard, was greatly surprised and fell on his butt. Herman was also thoroughly tricked by this simple trick that I had used on Melicsa as well.
It was all due to a lack of combat experience.
Not missing the moment when his posture collapsed, I succeeded in destroying the mark by launching an attack this time as well.
[Raymond Valentasia has acquired the mark.]
[1 point has been counted.]
[You have a total of 2 points.]
“Ah….”
Herman finally turned to look at the bushes. From the moment he was restless and overly conscious of me, he was no different from having already lost.
If it was an actual combat situation, his heart would have been pierced.
“You shouldn’t have let your guard down until the end.”
Herman’s mark, which had been destroyed once, was newly created and attached to my chest as I revealed myself from the bushes. Herman, who was looking at me with a face that had lost his mind, soon sighed and lowered his head.
As I reached out my hand so he could get up, he hesitated for a moment and looked at my hand before grabbing it. Herman, who got up and dusted himself off, burst into a bland laugh as if the wind had been let out of him.
“This is the second time I’ve fallen to you.”
“It’s proof that you’re still weak.”
“That’s too much. But who’s the other one?”
“Melicsa Cecil.”
“Ah. I see.”
As I turned around first, Herman slowly followed behind me. I wasn’t letting my guard down, as he might be after my mark again, but he didn’t seem to be showing any signs of that for the time being.
“I wonder what the others are up to….”
“Who knows. More importantly, shouldn’t you not be slacking off?”
“That’s true. If we don’t want to get points deducted.”
Herman, who let out a soft chuckle, stopped walking, perhaps intending to go the opposite way from me after all.
“Take care and see you later.”
He waved his hand lightly at me and disappeared, and I immediately concealed my presence and moved away from the spot.
It wasn’t long after that.
‘Hmm?’
I felt a strange sense of incongruity and looked around, and then I heard someone’s footsteps coming from the front. I held my breath and watched to see who the footsteps belonged to, and I was greatly taken aback by the figure that appeared a moment later.
Because the person who appeared was clearly Herman, who had headed in the opposite direction from me.
As he emerged from behind a tree, Herman, who had been walking towards me, was startled and went on guard, but his eyes widened when he recognized my face.
“Oh? Ray. Why are you here?”
That was what I wanted to say.
“Didn’t you feel anything strange?”
“Strange feeling? Hmm… I don’t know.”
Herman didn’t seem to have anything specific in mind. I was lost in thought for a moment, then raised a finger towards the front. As I gathered red Mana of the Evocation System, Herman, who was standing in that direction, widened his eyes and slowly moved to the side.
“R-Ray?”
I condensed the Mana enough to easily travel several meters and shot it forward.
Bang!
The Mana mass cut through the air with a sonic boom and was shot out… and just as it seemed to disappear into the distance, the Mana mass I had shot came flying back from behind me.
Boom!
The Mana mass collided with a tree next to me, creating a loud explosion. The hem of my clothes fluttered busily in the backdraft.
‘I had a hunch, but.’
It seemed my guess was right.
“What… what is going on…”
Herman was looking back and forth, utterly failing to understand what was happening. For his sake, I explained the current situation in one sentence.
“Someone has trapped us in a Möbius strip.”
A space where lines and lines of a certain point are connected. A space that can never be escaped unless the caster is killed or a trigger that exists somewhere in this place is found and destroyed.
We had been trapped there… from some point on.