Multiverse: Dimension Hopping Mage

Chapter 106: Advancement

Just as Rex had suggested, the Sky Arena proved to be an excellent training ground for Alex. According to Rex, the arena was divided into three zones: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The beginner zone had ten sections, the intermediate had five, and the advanced zone had only one. To Alex, it felt similar to different servers in an online game.

Currently, Alex was in the last "newbie server" of the beginner zone. Most participants here were apprentice mages who had recently joined the White Tower, while those in the intermediate zone were full-fledged mages who had left their apprenticeship behind. The advanced zone, meanwhile, was reserved for the truly powerful mages.

Though Alex often heard the saying, "There are no useless spells, only useless mages," the reality wasn't so simple. Some spells reveal their strengths and weaknesses only through actual combat, allowing mages to adapt them to their battle style accordingly.

Although Alex specialized in evocation, he had cunningly chosen divination as his initial combat tool, as its spells complemented his time manipulation abilities perfectly. Among the spells, his favorites were the first-level Insightful Defense, the second-level See Invisibility, and the fourth-level Misfortune Suppression.

Insightful Defense was a spell that allowed the caster to understand the defensive properties of their opponent. For Alex, who was both a paladin and a mage, this was invaluable—it was like a "scan" ability in games, letting him identify an opponent's attributes and then attack their weaknesses. He had incorporated this game tactic into his combat style.

See Invisibility was self-explanatory. Although Alex could use his enhanced senses to detect subtle changes, mage invisibility was complex and difficult to perceive. Many mages preferred to secure an advantage before launching attacks, making See Invisibility essential for Alex.

As for Misfortune Suppression—that was purely for Alex's enjoyment.

Misfortune Suppression was straightforward: it reduced the target's luck to the lowest point for a set period, making them encounter the most unfortunate outcomes in every action. Since it wasn't a direct "attack," it was seen more as a "curse" or "blessing." Many mages neglected to cast protective spells against such effects at the beginning of a match, resulting in them inexplicably stumbling, falling, or even botching spells, causing magical backlash.

With these tools, Alex's typical combat routine involved first using Future Sight to gauge his opponent's opening move—whether offensive or defensive—and then tailoring his response accordingly. He would either counter their spell or break through their defenses, followed by a swift cast of Lesser Magic Missile Storm. By the time he'd completed this cycle, most opponents had already surrendered. For the rare few with unyielding resolve, Alex simply stepped forward and kicked them off the platform—as a paladin, his close combat skills were as sharp as his spells.

As Alex climbed the ranks in the Sky Arena, word of his prowess spread among the mages, and he became a hot topic of discussion. The reason was simple: Alex's methods struck them as utterly bizarre.

Thanks to the combination of Time Stop and Future Sight, Alex's opening spell was almost always instantaneous. Since he didn't chant, many mages assumed he'd mastered both "instant casting" and "silent casting"—advanced techniques generally reserved for senior mages. Yet, Alex had never shown any spells above the fourth level.

Furthermore, what baffled the other mages the most was how Alex perfectly countered their spells at the start of every duel, whether they were attacking or defending. While the divination school did have spells like Insightful Defense and Foresee Counter, Sky Arena's rules required everyone to wait until the match began to cast any spells.

This meant that if Alex and his opponent began casting spells simultaneously, Alex's would invariably counter their opening move.

This was intriguing, to say the least.

Even more remarkable was that Alex maintained an undefeated streak in the Sky Arena.

Unbearable!

A novice mage with an unbeaten record? Among the Sky Arena participants were many senior apprentices of the White Tower, and while they knew Alex wasn't part of the White Tower, they couldn't accept him effortlessly besting its members.

After all, almost all of Alex's matches ended with quick knockouts, which the other mages found hard to swallow. Were they truly so weak that he could dispatch them with ease?

In reality, this had much to do with Alex's combat philosophy.

Through his study of magic, Alex likened mages to guns, with spells as bullets. Some bullets were ordinary, some armor-piercing, and some incendiary for area attacks. In theory, a mage could fire spells endlessly, only stopping when they jammed or overheated. But, practically speaking, a mage's "carrying capacity" was limited. Like a special forces soldier, they couldn't carry unlimited ammunition; they had to select specific "magazines" based on the anticipated fight.

After all, the human body has its limits.

Through his battles in the Sky Arena, Alex noticed a common flaw among nearly all the mages—they loved to first secure an unassailable position, then slowly and steadily chip away at each other, hoping to ensure victory.

It was like a movie scene where the protagonist and the boss shoot at each other until they're out of bullets, without a scratch on either side, only to wrestle in hand-to-hand combat. Finally, the hero manages to grab a gun and deliver the fatal blow to the boss… Who fights like that in reality?

If most mages could be compared to machine gunners, then Alex was more of a sniper—one shot, one kill, and then he'd disappear without a trace. Spraying bullets wildly just wasn't his style. This efficiency meant his battles ended so quickly that it often left the watching mages stunned.

"Number 652 defeated, Number 684 advances to 652," echoed the arena announcement.

"Looks like that kid won again," a mage in the stands remarked with a smile as he watched Alex turn and leave the arena. He had fiery red hair, slicked back meticulously, giving him an oddly mature air despite his youth. The red-haired mage then glanced at his companion.

"I heard he came from the Tower of Thunder—seems that mentor of his has found a worthy successor."

"But he isn't a White Tower apprentice."

The bespectacled, black-haired mage beside him snorted, watching Alex's retreating figure with a glint of disdain.

"A mere rogue mage—getting this far is already an achievement for him… but this is as far as he'll go. This arena belongs to White Tower apprentices; we're not here to be hunted."

"Oh?" The red-haired mage looked at his companion, intrigued.

"Don't tell me you're planning to take him on yourself?"

"Of course."

With a confident smirk, the bespectacled mage stood up.

"I'll show him who's the hunter and who's the prey."

As he turned to leave, the red-haired mage chuckled, watching him go.

"Ah, still as proud as ever… but…"

A smug smile appeared on the red-haired mage's face.

"Since we've got ourselves a newcomer slayer, let's see just what that little mage is truly capable of."

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