The Challenger's Return: Rebirth of the Rainbow Mage

Otto thumbed the stack of spell formulas in front of him.

They numbered 18 in total.

His mouth curved up into a small smirk as he mumbled to himself,

"Clatenis is really efficient."

It had only been a few days in the outside world since Otto had made his request.

Clatenis had delivered quite quickly this time.

Otto's eyes lit up as he read the names of the spell formulas in his hands.

Of the buffs Otto had asked for, every single one was present.

The [Tower] wasn't actually trying to pit the typical mages who could only use a single element.

In fact, each element had a corresponding 'basic buff spell.'

Mages could use these buffs on themselves or others in combat.

Each buff temporarily increased a different attribute.

The fire element buff increased energy compression and magic power, the wind buff added speed, the water element buffed stamina, and earth raised a challenger's sturdiness.

Even the light element which was closely tied to buffs in general, had a specific basic buff that added maximum health while the dark element buffed strength, and the space element reduced skill and spell cooldown times.

Clatenis had procured all seven of these, and had even added the rare null-element buff that temporarily increased Otto's maximum mana.

The spells he provided were not limited to this.

He had also added a stack of formulas that essentially ran the gamut of what could be considered 'rarely found Area 1 spells'.

Moreover, Otto was also still working on learning the unlimited versions of all the spells he'd bought at the Golden Club auction.

He realized that for this training session, his intuition practice would largely be spent on learning these, in total, 29 spells.

Otto wasted no time in getting to work.

First, he categorized the spells by element.

Wind Element

[Basic Wind Buff]

[Static Shock]

[Updraft]

Fire Element

[Basic Fire Buff]

[Burning Wound]

[Flame Blast]

[Explosive Lift Off]

Water Element

[Basic Water Buff]

[Water Bullet]

[Shooting Geyser]

[Lesser Area Submerge]

Earth Element

[Basic Earth Buff]

[Stone Hammer]

[Lesser Tremor]

[Sandstorm]

Light Element

[Basic Light Buff]

[Light Release]

[Lesser Dispel]

Dark Element

[Basic Dark Buff]

[Agonizing Pain]

[Bloodletting Soul]

[Shadow Whip]

Space Element

[Basic Space Buff]

[Lesser Area Delay]

Null Element

[Basic Magic Buff]

[Lesser Arcane Missile]

[Lesser Arcane Shield]

[Immaterial Mana Bolt]

[Lesser Mana Vulnerability]

There were spells of every kind, useful in myriad situations.

Otto was particularly excited about five spells in particular.

[Static Shock] was a wind element spell that utilized the basics of the higher order wind sub element of lightning.

It was a spell that covered a large area, extremely suitable for attacking many targets.

Damage was added based on the distance between his enemies.

The more tightly his enemies clustered together, the more damage they would receive from this spell.

Since it used the wind elements to rub rapidly together, spreading out a painful 'shock' that grew in proximity to more bodies.

If Otto were to face those 100,000 Throskarts in the forest once more, he would have no trouble.

He would easily be able to use only this spell to take a good portion of health off almost all of his enemies at once, as long as he supercharged it with enough mana.

[Explosive Lift Off] was a spell that allowed Otto to fly without wings.

This fire element spell essentially equipped Otto with two jet packs that were attached to the bottom of his feet.

While it didn't add as much maneuverability as, say, Otto's [Winged Escape] formation, or the tiny wings on his boots that greatly enhanced his speed, it made up for it with its low mana cost and quick cast time.

He could also use it in conjunction with [Wind Jump] to 'jump' from platform to platform without moving his legs in the slightest.

And the best part was that should he encounter a man like Rufus who jumped at him and tried to take him down from below, Otto would be able to directly blast him back, attacking him with the same fire that would normally be used to maneuver.

Third was the water element spell, [Lesser Area Submerge].

[Lesser Area Submerge] was also a rare find, as one of the spells he'd won at the Golden Club auction.

It enabled Otto to, at any point in time, completely change the landscape of a battle, turning an area of a certain radius into an entirely underwater environment.

Better was that Otto could be said to have a significant advantage in an underwater battle.

His spells [Finned Foot] and [Underwater Breath] would allow him to fight almost as dexterously as he did on land.

On the other hand, his enemies would be forced to swim as fast as they can, helplessly stranded in the water.

In the end, they would only flail, awaiting Otto's deadly approach.

He couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces once they were fully submerged...

[Light Release] was a godsend to have should Otto find himself in battle with another magic caster.

This spell could be cast on himself or a target of his choosing.

Making him completely immune to control skills or spells that affected his speed for a short duration.

Otto knew how magic casters tended to fight.

Controlling the enemy was at least half of the battle.

Making himself immune to such control, even for a brief duration, could be enough to swing the tides of a disadvantageous fight towards him.

Finally, the fifth spell Otto was excited about was also the rarest.

The dark element spell: [Bloodletting Soul].

It was another spell he'd won at the Golden Club auction.

It was also probably the most impressive spell he'd ever seen sold.

This spell had two effects.

It separated something called 'soul power' from a target.

Otto actually wasn't entirely clear on what this was or how this was done.

His understanding of the soul was, in general, woefully inadequate.

He didn't think he'd be understanding the mechanics anytime soon, either, because this spell required a whopping 203 intuition to learn.

After this soul power was separated, the target would be slowed and weakened by a certain amount, depending on the target's 'soul strength'.

Then, the soul power he stole temporarily would be injected directly into Otto, granting him both additional health, and the speed he took from the target.

It weakened the enemy and made him stronger at the same time.

Honestly, Otto found it slightly surprising that this spell was still only in the 1st circle…

Otto sat down on the grass and immediately got to work on studying the spells in front of him.

His eyes narrowed.

These would be learned in no time.

**************************************************************************

Jason directly collapsed onto the ground.

The sweat that poured from his skin formed a small puddle beneath his body.

His shirt and pants were both completely soaked through.

But Jason was far too exhausted to care about anything like this.

Honestly, he wanted to give up.

He worked day in, day out with basically no rest at all other than an hour a day which was kept for a traditional meal and a half-hour nap.

Even these, apparently, were special considerations given to him by Ramesthes considering he'd only just arrived from Earth.

Jason was beginning to doubt that it was actually possible to complete his training regime.

It wasn't like the workouts that he was used to that were hard at first, but got easier as time went on.

No.

This regime seemed to be specifically calibrated to slowly increase in difficulty, no matter how much stronger he became.

Jason laid on the ground.

Minutes passed.

He knew he was supposed to get up to complete the next set…but he really couldn't.

He was too tired!

Jason decided then and there.

This was too much!

He needed a break.

Unable or unwilling to move, Jason fell asleep on the floor.

Eight hours later, he awoke with a start, only to hear a heated discussion above him.

Otto and Ramesthes stood over his body.

They whispered loudly to each other.

Jason kept his eyes closed and pretended to be asleep as he silently eavesdropped.

Ramesthes was growling at Otto,

"Are you kidding me? Putting him in that chamber? He's 16! He'd be scarred for life! Otto, it's fine, I'll just supervise him more."

Otto retorted,

"And take time away from the others? They need you to be there, don't they? It's your job to direct them and plan formations and scenarios they can use to practice."

He continued harshly,

"No. I'd rather have my brother be tortured in the chamber than for him to die in the tutorial and waste one of his lives because HE wasn't working hard enough."

Otto's voice choked up a little as he spoke,

"Ramesthes,"

His fists clenched,

"Yes, he's my brother. That's all the more reason why we have to do this."

"Just say it was my decision. I'm willing to be hated for the rest of my life if it means he can live on and thrive in the tower."

"So please…follow my instructions. I need him to work harder. I need him to be stronger."

Otto's eyes seemed to bore deep into Ramesthes.

"And he will be. No matter what I have to do to make sure of it. He. WILL. Live."

Jason's eyes inadvertently widened in alarm as he listened to the conversation.

A torture chamber? He would be sent to a torture chamber for his own good! No way!

Jason was so caught up in his shock that he missed the inadvertent glance Otto sent in his direction as soon as he 'woke up,' as well as the tiny smirk that played on Otto's lips for nary an instant.

Otto inwardly guffawed at his brother's reaction.

What chamber?

What torture?

What hated for life?

Hehe.

Jason was still too naive.

Maybe it would take him a few more floors to take a gander at his brother's tricks…

Also, if Otto really wanted to send Jason to get tortured to make him shape up, why would he want to discuss it directly above him...

As it were, Jason shot up from the floor in horror.

He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Err… it was an accident, I swear!"

Otto raised an eyebrow at him, his eyes stern, and continued to listen.

"No no no, Otto. I've been really giving my all so far. Just now was an exception, just an exception."

Ramesthes looked at Otto 'meaningfully.'

"Should we give him another six months and see how he does?"

Coincidentally, there were only six months left until Jason had to leave for the [Tutorial].

Not that Jason was keeping track.

He nodded vigorously.

"Yes, sir! Otto, I guarantee I'll prove it to you. I'm absolutely giving it my all here."

Otto narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"Really?"

He held out his hand, and Jason's eyes lit up.

He'd gotten a chance!

Jason immediately promised using the 'secret handshake' the two brothers developed when they were little.

Otto had to turn his face away to keep himself from laughing at the earnest look on Jason's face.

He schooled his expression.

"Very well. Six more months, and that's it."

Jason breathed a sigh of relief, and patted his chest as they left.

He barely made it out of that one alive.

He would never dare to slack off again!