Chapter 538: Training Ground
Chapter 538: Training Ground
"Reducto! (Sectumsempra)"
"Stupefy! (Stupefy)"
"Protego! (Protego)"
In the Training Ground of the Underground Chamber of the Wizarding Market in Knockturn Alley, dozens of Wizards were engaged in one-on-one battles. Various spell beams flew in all directions, and occasionally, defeated Wizards would fall to the ground, groaning or simply unconscious.
This kept Dawgert, the sole Wizard proficient in healing magic, extremely busy. He had to rush around, tending to the injured without a moment's rest.
Ivan, of course, was not idle either. He wandered around the Training Ground, occasionally pointing out mistakes and issues in the Wizards' spell casting. Despite his young age, his legendary experiences over the past three years and his diligent studies had made him far more skilled in spells than the average adult Wizard. His expertise in Transfiguration Spells was even sufficient to qualify him for a Professor's position at Hogwarts, so correcting these average Wizards was no problem for him.
Ivan walked to the center of the Training Ground and happened upon Grace, who was battling a Tall and Slim Wizard. Within just a few rounds, she had sent her opponent flying.
Having watched the entire fight, Ivan slowly approached the two.
The Tall and Slim Wizard, after being hit by a spell, crashed into the wall behind him, clutching his chest as he struggled to get back up. When he finally stood, he was startled to see Ivan standing right in front of him. He stammered, "L-Lord Hals!"
The Wizard lowered his head, looking tense, clearly worried about being punished for his poor performance.
"Hmm", Ivan stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and brushed off the dust, smiling. "Relax. Losing in a duel is a normal part of training. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes and avoid falling into the same traps in real battles."
"Do you know why you lost?" Ivan asked.
"It's because I'm too weak. The Magic I know can't break through Protego's protection!" The Tall and Slim Wizard hesitated, then replied with a dejected tone. He believed his defeat was primarily due to Grace's mastery of Protego, which he lacked, thus creating a significant gap.
In most Wizard duels, Wizards who could cast Protego often held a distinct advantage. After all, this Protective Charm could deflect most spells and even bounce them back.
As a result, he had felt constrained during the fight, seeing no path to victory.
Ivan shook his head and offered a reminder. "No, it's not about having powerful Magic. Your thinking is too rigid! With the right application, even seemingly non-aggressive minor spells can have a significant impact!"
The Tall and Slim Wizard nodded, appearing to have learned something, but inwardly, he was skeptical. In his mind, there were only two ways to break through Protego.
One was to use high-intensity spells like the Explosion Charm to instantly surpass Protego's protective limit and shatter it. The other was to use spells like the Killing Curse, which Protego could not defend against, to defeat the opponent in one strike.
As for other Magic, it doesn't work well and might even be reflected back to injure the caster.
Ivan, who had already mastered Legilimency, naturally saw through the male wizard's hidden emotions. However, he didn't intend to contradict him and instead turned to Grace with a smile.
"Grace, since you've already defeated your opponent, how about we have a match?"
"Ah? This..." Grace's face turned pale. She thought about how the young witches and wizards had transformed into a Giant, easily crushing Res Nott in one hand and killing him with a snap of his fingers. She was on the verge of tears.
"Can I forfeit? Lord Hals?" Grace asked weakly.
"You need to have more confidence in yourself, Grace! How about this: in the next battle, I'll only use the most basic spells", Ivan said, shaking his head in exasperation as he tried to reassure her.
Grace shrank back, lacking the courage to refuse, and could only mutter a few complaints to herself. Even Protego, a difficult Magic to learn, was considered a basic spell in Ivan's eyes, so she didn't hold out much hope for his promise.
"Protego! (Protego)"
Although she was secretly nervous, Grace steeled herself and quickly cast a Protego spell on herself.
On the bright side, this match could also be an opportunity, and if she performed well, she might even have a chance to join the Auror Squad.
A monthly salary of sixty Galleons was truly enticing to Grace, and if she joined the Auror Squad, she wouldn't have to live so frugally anymore; perhaps in a few years, she could even own a house of her own outside of Knockturn Alley.
The conversation between Ivan and Grace was not hidden, and everyone in the Training Ground heard it clearly.
The Wizards who hadn't finished their battles all stopped and turned their curious gazes toward the two.
Compared to regular practice, they were more interested in this uneven match. Some of the Wizards who had just surrendered were even speculating how long Grace could hold out against Ivan.
"Are you ready?" Ivan asked casually.
Grace gripped her wand tightly with her right hand and nodded nervously. She didn't dare to attack first, only hoping to defend herself for a few more rounds to showcase her abilities.
On the other side, Ivan didn't immediately move to attack. Instead, he turned his gaze to the onlookers, pausing for a moment on a tall, thin Wizard, and said,
"Protego is a very practical defensive Magic that can create an invisible magical barrier around the caster, providing all-around protection."
"However, its protection has limits and can only repel specific types of Magic beams! We can exploit this weakness!"
As he explained to the crowd, Ivan quickly raised his wand and pointed it at Grace.
"Impediment Jinx!" Grace, who had been nervously watching Ivan, reacted instantly, quickly erecting a sturdy wall in front of her.
With this double layer of protection, Grace felt confident that she could withstand even some high-level spells!
However, to her surprise, no spell beams came from Ivan's wand. Instead, a loud whooshing sound came from behind her.
At the same time, Ivan's voice rang out.
"Accio Chair!"
The square chair placed not far behind Grace was summoned the moment Ivan raised his wand, flying at high speed like an arrow released from a bow.
(End of Chapter)
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