Davis was a mage who specializes in fire magic.

Never getting the chance to graduate in the magic academy after getting humiliated by both teachers and peers for only specializing in one attribute, not to mention only one spell, which was the fire spell: sunder spear, he was severely mocked by the whole class and bullied maliciously for it.

And no matter how Davis tried, he just couldn't cast any other spell except for sunder spear. It wasn't like he couldn't learn it. In fact, he studied more diligently more than anyone else to learn a variety of spells. Even the simple ones like water ball or wind blade. But even those couldn't be conjured with his own power.

And to make matters worse, the sunder spear spell wasn't suitable as a combat magic but more on tactical offensive. Meaning he was only as good as launching missiles but not as good as an infantry unit fighting with an assault rifle. Which, from a perspective of the mage community, was seen as incompetence.

It was like Davis was only loved by fire spirits but these spirits like to tease him to an excessive degree.

Not being able to master any magic beside fire magic, Davis couldn't graduate much to his frustration.

Davis later on joined the army as a combat mage. Seeing that his limited magic was only useful in the battlefield.

He was fine in the army for a year despite the meager salary. Neither seeing any prospects of promotion but not getting into any trouble, Davis was fine with it. Until warfare changed to a complete new face to the point Davis couldn't possibly adapt to it.

Guys like Davis should only be fighting stationed at a distance and firing off spells while the close combatants engage the enemy. This strategy works quite well for Davis. But if the enemy starts aiming at him first, then he was helpless.

Not knowing other kinds of spells left Davis with limited options. Sometimes he was so helpless that he became a liability for his fellow comrades.

One time Davis was reprimanded severely by the captain for his incompetence. Saying that if he knew how to at least cast the fire magic: sun javelin, then there wouldn't be so many casualties.

It's not my fault! I can't use any other spell! Davis made excuses but his superiors weren't having any of it. So, he was revoked of his military rank and discharged of duty.

Davis could only blame his lack of talent and his career as a magic soldier came to a close. He then started working as mercenary.

With a young life that was oppressed and bullied and experienced in deadly combat, Davis's life was full of violence. And he never saw any other potential in him except fighting.

But mercenary work wasn't a job for the innocent. And Davis had been through a lot of gigs that would make him question his own morality.

Escort, rescue, guarding, murder, pillaging and raping in the battlefield, then get paid afterwards was the life of a mercenary. And Davis started to enjoy it. Sometimes a bit too much. And slowly, his life falls from grace from all the wine, women and greed for wealth, Davis started acting like a real criminal after killing off a noble due to the pay being too little.

Now with a criminal background, Davis became a bandit. He got himself gigged with other bandits and made himself a leader. He pillaged villages, raped the women, and stole their money. A repeated cycle of violence and vulgarity and Davis lived such life that could only be called a scum.

Davis once regretted being born to only cast sunder spear magic. But now he had long forgotten such regrets.

Tonight, Davis was celebrating a successful kidnapping of a noble's daughter. They were just targeting a carriage being escorted by knights. But Davis didn't fear the nobility and boldly ambushed them, killing the knights, and kidnapped the noble's daughter.

The only strange part was that afterwards, an assassin came chasing to kill the noble's daughter but with Davis's skillful leadership, he was able to kill such assassin with a sunder spear.

Later on, they rested on a campfire and his men were eager to sell the noble's daughter to a brothel for a large sum but little did they know Davis was not only planning to sell the noble's daughter as a sex slave, but also sell such information to the noble and all the criminals involved except for him.

If successful, it would be hitting two birds with one stone! And obtain more money to splurge later on.

And just as Davis was going to let the boys play with the noble's daughter without damaging her chastity, he suddenly sensed a massive concentration of mana far away yet close by.

Investigating while having a bad feeling about it, he approached the place where the mana was coming from and had a good look at figure that was the source.

The figure looked young. Wearing lavishly dark robes that suited his black hair. His presence and appearance puts nobility to shame as he exuded so much mana that Davis doubted his senses. However, Davis knew guys like that existed.

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Mages who have so much mana at their disposal that they can have it seethe out of their bodies and perform magic so calamitous, they could level the battlefield alone were dubbed as master wizards.

There were only a handful of master wizards out there in the world but Davis had the opportunity to witness the magic they operated back in the military and it was appalling. Who could summon a giant tidal wave to wash an entire army and later on freeze the water in solid ice? How much mana does one need to cast not just one disaster level spell but two in a row? In comparison to Davis's sunder spears, those spells were truly tactical offensive.

The figure gave the same feeling towards Davis who could only stare numb in shock.

What is master wizard doing all the way here?! Aren't they suppose to be at the capital or the frontlines?! Davis couldn't help but doubt the master wizard's presence and notice the figure slowly waking away with panicking steps.

No way? Does he know we're here?! Davis grew pale the possibility.

No one must know that we were here. Davis resolved himself to take action.

Davis had a lot of combat experience under his belt but if he had the choice, he wouldn't want to fight against a master wizard. But fortune never favored him. If it did, he never would have become a bandit.

He and his subordinates tried to sneak up on the master wizard. With him making the first strike, chanting his forever relied magic spell:sunder spear, he launched one, and it flew as it could.

Normally it was very difficult dodge a sunder spear as the flaming spear spell traveled faster than sound and could go faster the more distance it flew. Although to even target the enemy, the caster must close in within 50 meters for the sunder spear to find its target. Once it did, then the only thing stopping a sunder spear is another spell or obstacle in the way. It was virtually impossible to dodge it once the spell flew especially in an ambush.

But as if the master wizard had eyes at the back of his head, he started moving by reflex and dodge the sunder spear. Letting it zip pass but then blown away from the resulting blast.

Shit! I missed?! I can't believe I miss! Davis eyes widened in disbelief but that didn't stop his men from chasing down the master wizard. He grew worried that once the master wizard gained his footing, he'll level them with an annihilation spell.

The only hope Davis has in betting that the long chants of master wizards need to cast a spell would buy them some time to kill him.

The master wizard seemed to be alone as well. Why was he alone? That didn't matter. Davis was hell bent on killing the master wizard even if it mean his men would die.

But out of Davis's expectations, the master wizard ran the opposite direction as if fearing to engage the enemy. Not what he planned but he too gave chase.

Once they surrounded the master wizard, Davis confronted the man who looked fairly young to be a master wizard with his absurd mana gushing like a geyser. The master wizard pleaded to be spared as fervently spoke that he didn't want to get involved with them.

Davis was familiar with this kind of tactic. To surrender to the enemy when the odds were against them only to take advantage when their guards were down to strike back. Davis also used this kind of strategy too. It never worked most of the time but once it did, his enemies would be burned to cinders.

Davis wasn't gonna fall for the master wizard's acting but just in case, he needed to gain the advantage in case his enemy does something tricky. So he activated his magic tool that allows him to read a person's surface thoughts.

The tiara with a magic jewel embedded to it attach on Davis's crown lit up as his mana circulates into it. And the master wizard's thoughts were then becoming clear to him as if reading a book.

This magic tiara was a magic tool Davis stole from another noble's daughter he kidnapped long ago. Once he found out about its uses, he used it like crazy to take advantage of any situation like negotiations or battles. One time he actually found out one of his subordinates was gonna betray him later so Davis killed him first.

The tiara was just as reliable as his sunder spears and even more so under certain situations. Just like this moment.

I really have to get out of here.

These guys are going to kill me?

I don't know what to do?

Master wizard? What are they talking about?

I don't want to die!

This guy's really scared shitless! Davis was shocked to discover such cowardly thoughts were running through a potentially powerful being's head. But that made Davis relieved and resolved himself.

"Kill him."

Davis maliciously ordered his men.

The master wizard or so Davis thought pleaded even more but he and his men weren't having any of it and began their assault. They didn't forget to keep their guard up in case the enemy pulled any tricks but Davis was confident that as long as he knows the surface thoughts of his enemy with the magic tool tiara, then he had nothing to fear.

That was until the master wizard's thoughts suddenly started propagating exponentially as if he was thinking a thousand things per second.

He's doing something! Davis became alarmed and began chanting sunder spear with his wooden staff.

But then Davis notices something odd about the master wizard as his mana gushes and weaves a somewhat complex but very unstable spell. But it completed almost instantaneously as a layer of thin film surrounds the master wizard like a barrier. And it got even weirder when Davis's men attacked the enemy, their strikes couldn't reach him.

It wasn't like Davis's men were fooling around. They were earnestly attacking with their weapons again and again. But even when they shot an arrow, the shot merely fell near the master wizard's feet.

What kind of barrier is that?! I didn't even see him chant. Is that spell supported by some kind of magic tool?! Davis's thoughts ran wild in a panic but he manages to stay compose and conjured two more sunder spears above his head.

If he couldn't defeat the barrier then the master wizard will turn the tables on them and then it would truly be over. Davis resolves himself gravely and launched the three sunder spears in one go.

The master wizard braces himself as the tension on his face stiffened. The enemy still stood in the same place and not even a second later there was a loud boom that sent shock waves and hot searing flames everywhere.

"Did that get him?" one of Davis's men couldn't help but mutter, which only cause the rest including Davis to glare at him.

Motherfucker jinxed us! Davis anger flared as his subordinate raised a flag along with feeling the terror as he turned his head to another direction where master wizard had just suddenly appeared.

The master wizard, having escaped Davis's men, made a run for it as if his life depended on it. Davis and his men immediately gave chase.

They were able to chase him down before but this time it was different. As they were picking up speed, the master wizard got farther until the distance between got absurd.

What the heck?! Is he using the blink spell?! Davis could no longer keep up chasing the master wizard but even so, that massive amount of mana couldn't be hidden at all.