Chapter 63 - Dekan Wouldn’t Counter Mages?

"You, are you an animal?!!!"

Flatta was dumbfounded.

He could only shout angrily at the frozen Dekan.

The last card Dekan had used was a spell card that Flatta, as a mage, was very familiar with.

Although it was quite expensive, many mages chose to carry one with them.

It was a crucial life-saving card.

[Ice Block]

[Category: Spell Card]

[Rarity: Purple Rare]

[Tier: 3]

[Effect: Freeze oneself and gain an ice armor that cannot be breached by attacks below tier 7 for 30 seconds. During this time, you cannot attack, move, or cast spells. Cannot be used again for 1 minute after release.]

[Note: Can also be used as utility magic during the summer.]

Dekan had borrowed this card from Croix.

Although Dekan could buy one directly or craft one himself, there wasn’t a need for it yet.

The market price of this card was approximately 300 gold coins; purchasing it directly would deplete Dekan's savings.

If he wanted to make it himself, Dekan would need to spend time studying the card's crafting process.

Furthermore, because Dekan wasn't skilled in human-script card crafting, he would need to make significant modifications to the card designed by an ancient archmage.

As for the specific translation into demonic script card crafting and how to incorporate new designs, he had no clue.

If he were to get started, he would need to consult his master extensively.

Moreover, the required materials were also expensive. As such, he currently had no urgent need to craft this card.

So, he borrowed a ready-made one from his reliable tier 6 teammate.

...

Flatta clenched his fists, seemingly trying to calm down.

In each of Dekan's previous battles, he had shown a high reliance on the "Ruined Poet" card.

It was to the point that it gave Flatta the illusion that Dekan couldn't play without that core orange card.

He hadn't expected that, besides the pain return archetype, Dekan had such a mana-draining strategy that didn’t rely on Orange Epics.

Now, the three Living Armors could only stand dumbly in front of the ice sculpture and wait for Dekan to thaw.

Flatta felt that his mana was depleting at an uncontrollable rate!

Flatta was effectively maintaining the equivalent of 12 tier 5 summon creatures!

Even a tier 5 summoner would find it challenging to withstand this continuous mana drain.

Moreover, as the Living Armors had been equipped with "Cursed Soul Masks," it was impossible for him to dismiss their summoning!

He could only continue to deplete his mana like this.

In this situation, there were two possible outcomes.

The first was that Dekan's 30-second freeze would end and he would successfully defeat Dekan to end the battle.

The second was that Dekan would manage to survive again, continuing to cause him to waste mana in vain.

His intuition told him that Dekan had an ace up his sleeve.

Dekan's tactics were clear: to drain Flatta of mana until his body collapsed!

Flatta couldn't afford to take that risk!

For a mage, being forced to consume a large amount of mana while already depleted was lethal!

Even in the Phantom Valley, continuous mana deprivation like this would cause the magic circuits in his body to collapse!

He would also suffer nerve damage that would cause irreversible disabilities.

If he lost the gamble, he could easily become a cripple!

So Flatta gritted his teeth and consecutively activated his most powerful spell cards, personally obliterating all three Living Armors.

He also used fire attribute spells to incinerate their remains, finally stopping the mana drain.

In this way, in just a short ten seconds or so, Flatta had needlessly expended more than half of his mana.

Flatta clenched his teeth and took out his tier 5 spell cards, "Thunder Spark" and aimed it at Dekan.

He was prepared to deliver the first blow the moment Dekan's freeze ended.

With the speed of lightning, Dekan had no chance to draw a card to respond to this strike.

...

"Why are there so many hidden dangers in the Phantom Valley..."

Many of the mage college students watching the battle felt a chill down their spines and a tingling sensation at the back of their heads when they thought about the fate of having their mana mercilessly drained even in a depleted state.

This was undoubtedly the cruelest torture for mages.

"The Phantom Valley can only exempt damage caused by both sides' attacks, but this guy Dekan specifically targeted internal destruction..."

"I'm afraid only someone like him, an expert in dark arts, would read the instruction manual to look for hidden dangers..."

"But how will Dekan deal with Flatta after coming out of his frozen state?"

Hearing the discussions around him, Teacher Cat, feeling anxious, nudged Croix.

"Don't worry, Teacher Cat. All of Flatta's actions so far have been anticipated by Dekan."

In the Phantom Valley.

Dekan was shrouded in ice and frost, and the ice was about to thaw.

Just as the freeze was about to end, a blue, snake-like arc of electricity shot from Flatta's hand, engulfing Dekan's entire body.

"Thunder Spark" entered cooldown.

Then, Flatta took out a tier 5 spell card, "Wind Slash," which allowed for rapid casting, and once again aimed it at Dekan.

However, just as his spell was about to be released, Dekan, who should have been unable to move, calmly summoned a cute, chibi version of himself.

Flatta couldn't control it and accidentally directed the spell at the doll.

A howling gale passed through, but Dekan emerged unscathed.

The doll, "Captain Durrkan" (Taunt and Confusion debuff), was only a tier 1 card. Dekan had managed to double Flatta's mana cost for a minimal price.

"Why?!"

Flatta roared in disbelief.

He couldn't understand it!

"Thunder Spark" not only failed to paralyze Dekan but also didn't inflict any damage on him!

"Hehehe."

Dekan didn't explain; he just extended his hand and mockingly pointed to his temple.

The eyes under his protective mask were filled with mockery.

This caused Flatta's forehead veins to bulge, and his expression gradually contorted.

By now, he had probably guessed what was going on.

Dekan's immunity to tier 5 lightning magic must be due to the strange equipment he had equipped from the beginning of the duel!

"Your lightning magic is nothing like real lightning with a voltage of a million volts. Of course, it can't penetrate my rubber explosion-proof suit," Dekan said disdainfully.

He was actually quite afraid of being countered.

So, he had made equipment to guard against lightning magic early on.

He had also considered that in this duel, Flatta might use a paralysis-effect lightning magic.

So, Dekan had specifically bought this card.

[Insulated Bomb Suit]

[Category: Equipment Card]

[Rarity: Blue Uncommon]

[Tier: 2]

[Effect: Has some reduction in fire attribute damage and immunity to voltages below fifty thousand volts.]

[Note: If you have the ability, try to hit me with a hundred million volts.]

Not only did it block "Thunder Spark," but it also used the residual cooling from the "Ice Block" and the suit's inherent fire resistance to dissipate the heat generated by the lightning!

"What in the world is a volt?!"

Flatta had previously appraised this card.

He knew that this equipment might have some effect against lightning magic.

But how could it completely block a tier 5 lightning magic? This didn't conform to the principles of magic!