I Swear I'm Not a Demon Masquerading as a Human

Ferrat’s expression remained unreadable, though the big vein on his forehead pulsed twice. He nodded stiffly. "Very well."

He couldn't tell if the boy was truly ignorant of the stakes or deliberately provoking him. It didn't matter, however. He could simply vaporize him. High above, he slowly opened his hand. Every movement of his fingers felt like an immutable law that allowed no questions or changes.

Instantly, the look in his eyes grew as deep as the starry sky, and immense magical power gathered around him, heralding a grand spectacle. As Ferrat began to quietly chant a series of arcane incantations, the surrounding air temperature spiked, thick with the aura of violent flames.

A wave of invisible magical energy swept across the grassland, whipping up roaring gusts of wind. In a brief moment, the green blades of grass beneath him began to wither and smolder, scorched by the intense heat of his magic. Even without using enchanted cards, the spells Ferrat commanded were powerful enough to instantly obliterate both of them.

However, he knew very well that underestimating a weaker opponent was never a wise move. When a lower ranked combatant faced a higher one, their only hope for a turnaround lay in taking advantage of "special mechanics." Mechanisms like a massive damage reflection could easily cause a higher ranked fighter to suffer a disastrous defeat.

Before arriving, Ferrat had exhausted every intelligence resource available to him, yet he found no record of Lance ever engaging in actual combat. His history was as clean as a blank slate. That, coupled with his unusual way of thinking, made Ferrat wary. It was why he hadn't wanted to attack the boy right away. He was concerned about triggering an enchanted card with a special mechanic.

It would have been ideal if he could simply talk Lance into backing down, but since the kid was dead set on stirring up trouble, there were plenty of other ways to deal with him. For instance, he could give Lance a memorable death, like letting him slowly burn to death.

Furthermore, Ferrat was certain that Hyperion possessed a temperament that would never yield, even in the face of death. In this artificial Shadow Realm where death in the dungeon didn’t translate to a permanent end, once he had burned away the wild card that was Lance, he would have plenty of time to deal with her at his leisure.

Ferrat had finally made his move. Hyperion’s nerves were screaming that danger was rapidly approaching. That, coupled with the quickly elevating temperature, made her realize something. Her eyes flickered as she quickly whispered, "Ferrat was likely guarding against the possibility that you possess a damage-reflection ability, but we can't withstand his Tier 3 spell for long!"

She could tell that the spell Ferrat was currently chanting wasn't a Tier 5 pure damage area of effect (AoE) spell. Instead, it was a Tier 3 damage over time AoE spell that hit less powerfully on impact.

A card appeared in Lance’s hand as he responded, "Don't worry. I told you, I’m a White Mage specialized in utility."

He had already formulated a countermeasure the moment Ferrat began chanting. This spell card had been crafted based on the principles Talia had taught him about toxins used by demons, and it was finally ready to make its debut.

***

In the conference room, most of the faculty believed the outcome was already set in stone. However, they were still intensely focused on the unfolding battle. They had long been curious about what kind of role Lance would demonstrate.

"Is Lance finally going to make a move?"

To be considered a White Mage, the person had to have over seventy percent of their spell repertoire devoted to healing spells. Therefore, most were specialized healers. Any remaining spell slots were usually dedicated to providing various forms of team support.

If a caster's spell structure was specialized for utility rather than pure healing, they generally wouldn't be classified as a White Mage. Instead, the ratio of their spells would lead to them being categorized under a different support-oriented profession. The teachers knew Lance carried a vast array of healing spells, but they didn't understand his specific school of magic or what kind of spells occupied his non-healing slots.

"Even if he has spells capable of hard crowd control, he’d only be able to interrupt Ferrat’s casting once. Besides, given his rank, it’s highly likely he wouldn't be able to affect Ferrat at all."

The instructors discussed this while keeping their eyes glued to the magical display screen. Generally, the more potent the crowd control effect, the harder it was to apply. For instance, hard crowd control effects like Stun or Freeze would be impossible for a Rank 2 caster like Lance to inflict upon a Rank 5 powerhouse like Ferrat.

The only soft control effect with a chance of landing and interrupting the casting would be Silence. However, any Silence Lance could inflict on Ferrat would last only a split second, which was barely enough time to pause him before he simply resumed casting.

On the screen, the battle raged on. The teachers knew this was likely the decisive moment. If Lance and Hyperion could weather this, there would still be room for further tactical maneuvering. However, if they lacked a countermeasure, it would all be over right here.

"Flame spirit, deep within the earth's veins, unleash the wrath of molten lava—" Just as Ferrat was chanting an incantation in an ancient human magical tongue, the sound came to an abrupt halt.

His previously cold eyes shifted, landing on the enchanted card in Lance’s hand. It was a card wreathed in a purple aura. Clearly, the boy had used this rare spell card to interrupt his incantation. Ferrat’s demeanor was stern, yet his expression remained utterly impassive.

***

One instructor watching from the conference room remarked, "So, he really did use a Silence spell. It certainly managed to interrupt Ferrat once, but that’s merely a stopgap measure."

A Tier 2 Purple card could only affect a Rank 5 expert for a fleeting instant before the effect wore off on its own. Moreover, spell cards capable of inflicting Silence typically came with long cooldowns. Ferrat would be able to cast spells again in no time. Once that happened, the outcome would remain unchanged.

The teachers were on the verge of looking away when... One second passed. Two seconds passed. Five seconds passed, and Ferrat still couldn't make a sound! Lance was even standing casually in the distance with one hand on his hip as he gazed up at Examiner Ferrat like a seasoned veteran official.

It was just a Tier 2 Purple spell card. Even if it were incredibly overpowered, there was no way it could suppress a Rank 5 combatant! Ferret was utterly stunned, his face frozen on the screen.

Even the teachers watching from the conference room finally grasped the gravity of the situation. The instructors’ eyes widened. "Holy shit! How is the Silence lasting this long? What kind of card can inflict such a potent Silence spell? That’s absolutely impossible!"

Inside the artificial dimension, Ferrat wanted to confront Lance, but could only manage to make strange, garbled sounds. In that moment, he realized the truth. The reason he couldn't continue chanting his spell was precisely because of that bizarre spell card Lance had used to interrupt him!

Amid the exclamations of surprise, the teachers finally saw the screen display the attributes of the card Lance had just used.

[Friendly Exchange]

Category: Spell Card

Grade: Purple (Rare)

Attribute: Curse/Poison

Tier: 2

Inflicts minor damage to the enemy's throat using a curse and poison, applying the Mute status. Causes searing, knife-like pain in the throat and renders the target unable to speak.

Cooldown: 15 seconds.

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