Having such an apprentice who could almost teach himself and extrapolate from a single point, Hen felt an unprecedented ease in teaching, along with a hint of frustration.
During Karl's learning process, there was basically nothing he could teach him.
He only needed to provide the correct direction of knowledge and necessary resources, and Karl would digest and absorb them at an astonishing speed, even coming up with some unique insights.
After Hen understood that Karl's genius was perhaps beyond common sense, he gradually felt relieved.
However, Hen didn't truly let go and ignore him.
Every few days, he would specifically come to check Karl's learning progress, having him demonstrate the spells he had recently mastered one by one.
Then, he would carefully examine details such as the stability of the energy structure and control, trying to find possible flaws or misunderstandings.
However, the results always left him with mixed feelings; on one hand, there was immense satisfaction.
Every one of Karl's spell casts was perfect, with precise energy control and flawlessly constructed spell circuits.
In some detailed aspects, he even performed better than his mentor had anticipated.
On the other hand, there was an indescribable sense of disappointment and frustration.
It seemed his teacher had far less to teach Karl than expected, and it was learned much faster.
After these conflicting emotions accumulated for a period, Hen made a decision... On this day, on the familiar practice plain outside the academy.
Hen calmly said to Karl, "Alright, your theoretical knowledge and spell practice on fixed targets are good enough."
"Today, I will personally test how well you have mastered your spells when facing an enemy."
He motioned for Karl to stand in the center of the open space, while he himself retreated about ten meters.
This distance, for a spellcaster, was already considered a dangerously close combat range.
"Come on, use your full strength! Don't hold back at all."
"And don't be afraid of hurting me. Let me see your combat ability."
Hen's voice was steady, carrying a hint of encouragement, and an undeniable seriousness.
Upon hearing this, Karl raised an eyebrow slightly, a little surprised, use full strength? Was Hen serious?
He knew very well how extraordinary his current strength and speed were; even a casual blow was enough to shatter stone.
But seeing Hen's confident and serious gaze, Karl no longer hesitated. He took a deep breath, and his leg muscles instantly tensed.
The next moment, his figure blurred like a ghost.
In Hen's vision, Karl was almost a blur, and when he became clear again, he had crossed the distance between them as if teleporting.
He rapidly approached Hen, at a speed that exceeded the limits of normal human vision.
Karl could now clearly see that under such a sudden and extreme close approach.
A clear look of surprise flashed in Hen's deep eyes.
Then, beneath that surprise, there seemed to be a faint smile, as if his plan had succeeded.
Just as Karl's palm was about to touch Hen's collar, preparing to end this test with a grappling control rather than harm, an unexpected change occurred.
The seemingly ordinary patch of grass beneath Hen's feet, where a pre-engraved and hidden hourglass-shaped rune had been placed, suddenly lit up, emitting a faint purple glow.
A powerful and strange field of deceleration instantly enveloped Karl.
He felt as if he had suddenly rushed into extremely viscous glue, and the air resistance around him increased exponentially.
His speed, which was far greater than a leopard's, was instantly slowed by more than half, and his movements became sluggish.
"What?" Karl was startled and immediately used his biological force field to try and counteract the deceleration field.
And in that flash of lightning, as his speed plummeted and he exposed a weakness.
Hen calmly raised his hand and, with a seemingly casual flick of his middle finger, gently tapped Karl's chest.
"Bang!" A condensed and massive magical impact, far exceeding the gentle motion, struck Karl's chest like a battering ram.
But Karl only retreated half a step. Seeing this, Hen narrowed his eyes and immediately increased his magical output.
Only then was Karl unable to resist this force, and he flew backward like a kite with a broken string.
He arced through the air, finally falling heavily onto the grass several meters away, kicking up a spray of grass and dust.
However, Karl was not injured; he merely patted his backside and got up.
Hen stood in place, the purple hourglass rune light beneath his feet slowly fading.
He looked at the somewhat dazed Karl, who had climbed up from the ground, and a mischievous smile appeared on his face.
"How was that, Karl? It's clear you've never fought an experienced sorcerer before, have you?"
"Especially when facing an old Witch like me, who's been around for who knows how many years."
"How dare you close in so rashly without any probing or understanding of your opponent's background?" Hen's tone carried a hint of instruction.
He stepped forward and explained, "When you first arrived at the academy, you mentioned that your physique was far stronger than a Witcher's."
"As a sorcerer who is accustomed to being fully prepared, I naturally kept an extra lookout."
"This deceleration rune was something I set up in advance, specifically to deal with enemies who rely on speed or pure strength but lack effective anti-magic means."
Hen looked at Karl, his eyes filled with the care and guidance of a teacher for his apprentice.
"Remember this lesson, child. Strength and speed are your advantages, but wisdom and experience..."
"Especially when facing an unknown opponent, are often more important than pure strength."
"Battles between sorcerers are never simple contests of power."
Karl patted the non-existent dust from his chest, looking at the gentle yet unfathomable Hen before him.
The slight impatience that had quietly grown within him due to his rapid increase in strength dissipated at this moment.
He deeply realized that he still had a long way to go to become invincible; at the very least... he was no match for Hen yet.
Karl nodded solemnly, "I understand, teacher. Thank you for your guidance."
At this moment, Hen composed his breathing, and a smile reappeared on his face.
He said to Karl, "That was just a warm-up. Now, let's continue... This time, I won't stop to give pointers midway."
"I will continue casting spells until you can't hold on and actively call for a stop. Let me see where your limit is."
Karl nodded, his eyes sharpening. He admitted that he had indeed been too careless just now.
He had charged straight ahead, relying solely on his speed, without even using auxiliary abilities like Super Senses and Heat Vision.
Subsequently, the two once again distanced themselves, and this time, Karl gave no warning.
His figure suddenly launched an attack, darting out like a leopard, his speed still astonishingly fast.
At the same time, he secretly used his Super Senses, and his Heat Vision penetrated Hen's robe, closely locking onto the subtle movements of his wrists and fingers.
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