The moment he entered, he could already feel the dense mana filling the air. Of course, he couldn't really sense mana, but he felt the coldness within the room and assumed that it was the mana…

Soon, dozens of apprentices, all wearing simple blue robes, were walking through the halls carrying scrolls and crystal rods. Some were chatting about spell rune models, others were discussing alchemical breakthroughs.

It was a place for real mages, and Rayven knew he wasn't one of them.

Still, he didn't come here to prove anything today.

He approached the reception counter quietly.

The lady behind it, a young woman with long black hair tied behind her head, greeted him with a polite smile. Although he doesn't look like a mage in his clothes, he still looked respectable with his coat.

"Good morning, sir. How may I help you today?"

"I was wondering if the Association allows visitors to watch spell demonstrations…" Rayven said. It was a straightforward request, and he wasn't really sure if this would work here.

However, Thyruze, the Tier 3 Mage, mentioned this matter before.

"Not as a participant, just… an observer." He added.

The woman behind the desk realized that Rayven was indeed a Mage or he wanted to be one.

"Oh, that's actually a common request. Many aspiring apprentices and scholars come here for that. You're in luck, there will be a public demonstration this afternoon by a Tier 3 Mage. It's open to guests, though the seating is limited."

Rayven raised a brow. "A Tier 3 Mage, huh?"

"Yes…" she said with a small nod. "His name is Mage Wallace Faldren, an Elementalist from the Capital. He's demonstrating spell construction for Tier 1 students. Registered and unregistered mages alike are welcome to attend. I heard he's part of the exploration team in the 17th Dungeon."

"Right… The exploration is still ongoing… I heard that they were also being delayed due to the nature of the Dungeon Boss or something." Rayven muttered as he heard these rumors from the customers themselves.

"That's true… All the dungeons take years to be fully explored. Even the 16th Dungeon took four years. In any case, should I list you as an attendee?"

"Yes, please…"

A Tier 3 Mage's live demonstration meant dozens of spells, maybe more, being cast in sequence.

With his newly unlocked system feature… this was exactly what he needed.

"I'd like to reserve a seat then…" he said without hesitation.

The receptionist smiled and handed him a small brass token. "You're early, so you'll get a front seat. Just present this token at the hall later. The demonstration starts at the fourth bell after noon."

"Understood."

As Rayven pocketed the token, he couldn't help but ask. "Is this free?"

"Yes…" The receptionist said.

"It's one of the Mage Association's outreach efforts. Demonstrations like this not only inspire aspiring mages but also help our lower-ranked members improve their understanding. Seeing how a Tier 3 Mage manipulates mana and constructs spell runes… it motivates them."

Rayven nodded slightly. "That's generous of the Association."

She chuckled. "Well, we benefit too. The more young people grow interested in magic, the more recruits we get later. Consider it… an investment in the future."

Rayven understood perfectly. It was good business, just like his.

He gave a polite nod, then asked, "Would it be fine if I looked around in the meantime?"

"Of course," the receptionist replied. "You won't be able to enter the members-only sections, but we do have a public practice ground behind the west wing. It's open for both registered and independent mages. The fee is fifty copper coins for three hours."

Rayven's interest perked up.

"A public training ground?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "It's protected with a layered barrier array, so you don't need to worry about accidental damage. There are also conjured targets that automatically regenerate when destroyed. Perfect for practice or observation…"

"I see. Then I'll head there for now."

After paying fifty copper coins at the side counter, Rayven received a small wooden token that granted temporary access.

He thanked the staff and followed the corridor leading outside the building.

The moment he stepped out, his eyes widened slightly.

The training field was enormous, it was a vast, open courtyard enclosed by an almost invisible barrier.

There were about eight mages scattered across the ground, each standing at their own marked circle.

He immediately noticed the rows of thirty or so floating targets arranged in different distances, some shaped like armored dummies, others as floating cubes of stone. Whenever one shattered, the fragments scattered into light and reformed seconds later.

'Whoa… That looks awesome…'

It was efficient and beautiful to watch.

Rayven leaned against the nearby railing, silently observing.

He didn't need to cast anything himself. He only needed to watch.

As he saw someone cast a spell, his system was triggered, and he could see it from the corner of his vision.

[ Coinbound Archive: Active. ]

[ Recording visual spell data… ]

The system had already begun to record.

In front of him, a young mage raised her staff and took a deep breath, and cast her spell.

"Oh blazing barrier that devours--

Flame Wall!"

A crescent-shaped surge of red fire appeared before her, expanding into a wall of flame that touched the barrier harmlessly.

Then, the nearby targets glowed faintly, registering the damage…

[ … ]

The system, on the other hand, was taking a bit of time to analyze the Spell.

At this time, another mage, perhaps older, stood a few meters away. His chant was faster…

"Oh ember that hungers for air--

Fireball!"

Just like that, a ball of molten light burst from his palm…

Bam!

It slammed into a floating target that immediately shattered before reforming again…

'That's his Fireball…' Rayven's eyes lit up as they had a very different Fireball!

The man's fireball was a lot slower than his fireball… Furthermore, the size was also smaller than his.

'My Fireball's bigger… But I wonder if he can control its direction like mine.' Rayven mused as he couldn't help but consider asking the man himself…

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