Geometric Mage: First Spell, Circle

Lian reopened his eyes, the sword still enveloped in flames. This time, instead of attacking directly, he feinted, moving the blade upward as if to strike the dummy's head.

The artifact reacted, raising both arms to parry. "Got you!" Lian gave a small smirk. With a quick change of direction, he lowered the sword and struck the exposed side. The blade sank into the gray material, and the flames erupted, enveloping the dummy in a vortex of fire.

The target staggered, the runes on its body flashing frantically as they tried to neutralize the flames. With a final effort, it stabilized, returning to a combat stance.

The dummy was damaged, slightly, but the wound was visible.

"Damn, Lian!" Rick shouted, running his hands through his hair. "You really hit it! You were supposed to take it down, not damage it! I remind you that thing costs at least 50,000 gold coins!"

Lian cursed, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. But before he could say anything else, the visible wound on the dummy began to regenerate. The runes glowed more intensely as the gray material of its body returned to its peak within seconds.

"Oh—" Rick observed the scene, his hands still in his hair. "Looks like there is no problem! The dummy regenerates on its own; we do not have to fork out 50,000 gold coins!" Rick seemed happy as he shouted these things into the air.

Lian sighed, but before he could take a breath, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. "Damn!" he muttered as he tried to dodge to the side, but the blow hit him in the side, sending him flying a few meters.

"It moves! Lian, watch out!" After taking Lian's hit, the dummy seemed to have entered phase two. Now it was not just passive but also active.

"You idiot, you do not need to tell me; I felt its punch on my skin!" Lian got back into position, ready to receive the dummy's next blow, which this time moved more aggressively.

With a leap, the dummy raised an arm, its outstretched hand ready to strike like a blade. Lian cursed under his breath, parrying the blow with his sword. The flames clashed with the hand, producing an explosion of sparks that lit up the field.

Lian took a step back, panting. The dummy was relentless, every movement fluid and precise, like an experienced opponent. "Okay, Rick, want to give it a try?" he said, turning to his friend with a grin. "Since you are so enthusiastic, let us see what you can do with this sword."

Rick's eyes widened, a mix of excitement and terror on his face. "Really? You are letting me try it? You are not joking, right?" He approached, his hands already itching to grab the artifact.

Lian handed him the sword with a smirk. "Be careful, though. It is not like wielding a normal sword. You have to connect with the enchantment, feel the flames. And do not mess up, or you will burn yourself."

Rick took the sword, gripping it with both hands. "Relax, I am a Mage too. Maybe my main element is not fire, but I can handle a bit of flames!" he said, trying to sound confident.

He channeled his will, and the blade ignited with flames, but they were weak, flickering, nothing like Lian's controlled glow. "Okay, I got this!" he shouted, charging at the dummy.

His first strike was clumsy, a poorly calculated thrust that the dummy dodged effortlessly. Rick stumbled, trying to keep his balance, but the dummy gave him no respite. With a quick movement, it hit him in the chest with a light but firm punch, making him fall backward with a thud.

"Ouch!" Rick got up, rubbing his chest. "This thing does not mess around! How are you so precise in your movements, not to mention with the artifact itself?"

Lian burst out laughing, crossing his arms. "Before I was a Mage, I was a Knight. In fact, I still am. Do not compare yourself to me. I can only tell you that you have to feel the enchantment, guide the flames with your will."

Rick tried again, this time focusing harder. The blade ignited again, the flames hot but not like Lian's. After all, there was a rank difference between them. Lian was Bronze 4, Rick Bronze 3.

He made another thrust, but the dummy anticipated him, hitting him with an elbow to the side that sent him rolling to the ground. "Damn!" Rick shouted, spitting out some dust. "This thing is a monster—"

Lian burst out laughing, crossing his arms. "I told you, Rick. It is not enough to swing the sword. You have to feel the enchantment. And maybe stop moving like a headless chicken."

Rick got up, his face red with embarrassment but with a fire in his eyes. "Oh, you want to see? Now I am getting serious!" He gripped the sword, trying to focus.

If one had low affinity, or even no affinity, for an element, it took a lot of practice to make an artifact work.

"If I cannot beat it with flames, then I will try with my magic," he muttered. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the mana flow through him. He was ready to use his abilities.

"Umbra Velum, Silentium Passuum!"

He whispered, channeling mana to his feet. A dark mist wrapped around them, muffling every sound of his movements.

His steps became silent, almost imperceptible, as he approached the dummy. "Let us see if you can catch me now," he said, a smirk curling his lips.

Observing this, Lian was instantly intrigued. He did not know if in the future the system would allow him to use other geometric shapes beyond the four basic ones, and thus other types of spells.

"Interesting… I wonder if there is a specific shape to replicate shadow element spells… well, that is for the future."

The dummy, unlike Lian, did not seem impressed. It had no eyes or ears, so it did not hear Rick's steps, but it sensed them. Thus, Rick's spell was simply… useless.

Rick attempted another thrust, the flaming sword tracing a flickering arc, but the dummy spun on itself, parrying the blow with an arm. The flames crackled against the gray material, but they did not leave a scratch.

Before Rick could react, the dummy hit him with an elbow to the side, making him stagger again.

"Ouch! Bastard!" Rick shouted, gritting his teeth. "You can still sense me, huh!"