Advent of the Archmage Chapter 63

Battles between Magicians differ slightly from that with other classes.　　

The major difference, being high-level spells, would rarely be used in a one-on-one Magician duel.　　

The reason was simple. The higher the spell level, the more complex its spell structure. Magicians would then have to spend longer time on both constructing the magic and gathering enough energy to release the attack, inevitably increasing the time needed to cast spells. 　　　

This was almost an iron-clad rule.　

A Magician had to be extremely focused during spellcasting and would be vulnerable to any incoming attacks. In most cases, Level-1 Spells would be more than sufficient to defeat the opponent, which was why Magicians rarely used high-level spells when they were not under protection.

The most commonly used spells in duels are Level-0 and Level-1 Spells, Level-2 Spells would also occasionally be used either for ambush attacks or when a lead had already been secured.

Currently, the black-robed Magician was hiding in the undergrowth with a Level-3 Invisibility Spell cast over himself.　　

This Invisibility spell was extremely strong, blending the user completely into the environment and even erasing most of the user's Innate Aura. Naturally, this was not something detectable by Link's Level-0 Aura Detection Spell.

Without a doubt, he had gotten the pre-emptive strike advantage in this duel. 　　

Being able to land the first hit was a huge advantage, in fact, it was usually the deciding factor in a duel. This advantage often gave Magicians a change to release a high-level spell which would otherwise be difficult to pull off!　　

This duel might be over in just one hit!

In order to hide his trails, the black-robed Magician chose a hiding spot around 240 feet away from Link. This distance had already exceeded his spellcasting range.　

He also took a huge risk by not casting a high-level defensive spell on himself in order to enhance the effectiveness of the Invisibility spell. The defensive spell would have created a concentrated magic aura around him making him easily noticeable, rendering the Invisibility spell useless.　　　　

The strongest defense was usually not one which protects you from a powerful attack, but one which conceals you from your opponent. With this knowledge, the black-robed Magician chose the Invisibility spell over the defensive spell without any hesitation.　

And that decision had now bore fruit by providing him a chance to strike first using a high-level spell.　

"Should I use a defensive spell or an attacking spell first?" The black-robed Magician weighed the pros and cons of the two choices. His strongest defensive spell was a Level-3 Mid-Level Guarding Barrier with a casting time of 2.5 seconds, which could effectively protect him from a Level-3 magic attack.　　

As he had the pre-emptive strike advantage, he should have been able to successfully cast the spell. However, the Mid-Level Guarding Barrier spell could only defend against elemental attacks and was not effective against physical ones. Based on his previous observations, the long distance attack his opponent released had a strong piercing effect; his Guarding Barrier might not be strong enough to withstand the impact.　

His next defensive spell was the Magician's Armor, a Level-2 spell. This spell performs well in the face of both physical and magical attacks. However, his opponent was using a Level-1 spell enchanted with Supreme Magic Skills, which might easily break through his Level-2 defensive spell. He did not harbor much hope for this too.　

His opponent's spellcasting speed was way too fast—Magician's Armor would disintegrate in an instant if he focused on offense. Furthermore, his attacks would most surely be blocked by the loyal Warrior at his side.　

The result would be his life in exchange for that of his opponent's follower. It was not a worthwhile exchange. 　　

It seems like offensive spells are the way to go! the black-robed Magician weighed his options and came to a conclusion.　