Chapter 41
The operational methods I know.
When combined with the essence of the Archmage’s teachings, the power was far beyond what I could have imagined.
‘At this level of speed and power…’
Even an Expert-level mid-tier knight would cross the River of Death instantly if hit.
Of course, I would also be left half-exhausted as the price for using it.
But so what?
With the power to outright kill even an Expert-level mid-tier knight using only a 2nd Circle spell, isn’t it worth it?
The difference between an original and a copy.
Since I had perfectly mastered the method of firing the arrow and raising the heat, it was now time to create a hybrid operational method.
Although the current spell was incredibly powerful, it was essentially a one-time use spell.
“Phew.”
After sitting down to take a brief rest, I immediately began comparing the operational method of Fire Arrow with the one I knew.
It was clear that 2nd Circle spells had a much more complex structure than 1st Circle spells.
If 1st Circle spells were as simple as addition and subtraction, then 2nd Circle spells felt like multiplication and division had been added into the mix.
Although I had significantly expanded my knowledge of magic by understanding numerous 1st Circle spellbooks,
‘Can they be combined?’
I couldn’t help but question this.
When I created a hybrid operational method with 1st Circle spells, it was only thanks to Heart Eye that I avoided a mana explosion and becoming disabled.
2nd Circle spells, being far more complex than 1st Circle spells, would naturally be more challenging.
Should I attempt it or not?
After some deliberation, I made my decision.
‘I have to at least try.’
The 2nd Circle spell I had just cast was overwhelmingly powerful.
But using magic in the basic way described in the spellbook was unsatisfactory in both power and speed.
After tasting the sweet honey of enhancement, how could I ever be satisfied with such basic spells again?
Whether it would work or not, I’d only find out by trying.
Thanks to my diligent studies, I had a rough idea of the method.
I thought that combining the two operational methods like this might just work.
After assigning Leonhardt to guard me,
I sat in the lotus position and began manipulating mana according to the method I had envisioned.
When I attempted to subtly merge the two methods,
[Warning! Insufficient understanding!]
[The caster’s current knowledge cannot analyze an efficient pathway.]
[Heart Eye has ceased operation.]
The message that appeared before me stated that Heart Eye had stopped functioning.
‘…Insufficient knowledge?’
I tilted my head in confusion at the message.
Fire Arrow.
This spell had already been fully analyzed to 100%.
Yet, it claimed that I needed more knowledge.
‘…Do I need to understand the principles of other spells as well?’
That seemed to be the only conclusion.
Since Fire Arrow had been completely mastered,
it appeared that from the 2nd Circle onward, understanding the theories of other spells was also necessary to create hybrid operational methods.
Of course, it probably wasn’t necessary to understand every single 2nd Circle spell.
After all, 2nd Circle magic wasn’t on the level of an Archmage.
‘Would understanding about five spells suffice?’
I couldn’t be certain how many spells needed to be mastered for Heart Eye to create a hybrid operational method.
But it was unlikely that understanding just one or two more spells would be enough, so I decided to set the minimum number at five.
I nodded at the thought.
‘Well, it’s true that it’s been too easy so far.’
I had been breezing through spellbooks that took others months to study, effortlessly memorizing them and using my existing knowledge to strengthen magic with ease.
It was as if honey had been raining from the sky my entire life.
Of course, even with such a sweet life, I was still far weaker than the truly powerful villains, so I had no intention of giving up this honey anytime soon.
‘Still, I’ll need to prepare myself.’
It seemed likely that as my Circle level increased, the amount of knowledge required for creating hybrid operational methods would increase as well.
At that point, I’d need to deeply analyze not only spellbooks but also all kinds of magical theories.
But even so,
since Heart Eye was doing the understanding on my behalf, all I had to do was supply the mana necessary for the process.
Of course, just doing this was already so much easier than how other mages learned magic that they’d curse me out if they knew. But I had no complaints.
‘For now, I’ll have to seal Fire Arrow.’
There was no need to reveal that I had reached the 2nd Circle, and its current power was far too strong.
The moment I demonstrated this spell, even Adolf and various other groups would come rushing at me like madmen.
Having made my decision,
‘I’ll need about ten days.’
I estimated that it would take about ten days to create the hybrid operational method for Fire Arrow.
Understanding around five 2nd Circle spells would likely require that much time.
Now that I had a clear goal, it was time to act quickly.
***
Nine days passed.
In the meantime, I completely pierced through the barrier near the crown of my head.
The moment I broke through that barrier,
I experienced a sensation that I had never felt in my entire life. If I had to describe it in words, it felt like the ultimate ecstasy.
It was as if an ice pack had been placed directly on my brain.
Cool and refreshing, with the heat trapped in my head flowing out in a rush.
‘And it feels like my thought process has sped up…’
It was hard to put into words, but it was an undeniably pleasant feeling.
Afterward,
everything progressed more quickly.
From the process of mana being refined within the Circle to the speed and form of mana flowing through my body—everything felt accelerated.
It was as if a wall that had been blocking my progression had been shattered.
I had suspected there might be something beyond the summit of this uphill climb, but I hadn’t expected the results to be this effective.
‘As expected.’
Breaking through the crown was undoubtedly the right decision. It even sped up the process of interpreting spellbooks through Heart Eye.
As my mind became clearer during the interpretation process,
I found myself understanding the content of the spellbooks more deeply.
It felt like I had transitioned from rote memorization to self-directed learning.
Additionally, the ability to generate high-purity mana quickly seemed to enhance the efficiency of Heart Eye as well.
As a result, over the past nine days, I managed to fully analyze four 2nd Circle spells.
Today, as usual, I arrived at the library.
There, I received another 2nd Circle spellbook handed to me by the librarian.
[Hold: On the Methods to Immobilize a Target.]
It was such a simple and intuitive title.
When I activated Heart Eye, I was disappointed to find that it wasn’t an original copy.
Well.
If original copies were so easily found, everyone and their dog would have one.
The last time was just pure luck.
Since I had gained a decent understanding of the efficiency of original copies, I decided to search for them whenever I had the chance.
Occasionally, original magic books appear in auctions, and when that happens, I could even compete with antique book collectors in bidding wars.
I didn’t have much money now, but in a few months, the gold from selling wheat would start pouring in.
Rustle.
As I flipped through the pages, the content began to come into view.
“This spell, first introduced by the Archmage Lauriel, is one of the 2nd Circle spells that immobilizes a target. Hold has two activation methods…”
Hmm.
As expected, the first page was easy.
It was the process of explaining who created the spell and the methods of activation it employed, one by one.
It was like how the first chapter of a math textbook introduces the author and their credentials.
It gave off a similar vibe.
Two pages.
Three pages.
The pages of the book began turning faster and faster.
I was understanding it fairly well.
Hold, with its 150 pages of description, was detailed.
I had understood over 80 pages of it.
I hadn’t perfectly grasped it, but I could roughly comprehend what the author was trying to convey.
Compared to when I first opened the magic book for Fire Arrow, this was remarkable progress.
Back then, I couldn’t make sense of what was written after barely getting through 30% of the book.
Page 81.
From this point onward, the difficulty increased noticeably.
Wow.
To activate just one spell, why are the formulas so convoluted?
This must be why mages are much rarer than knights.
The book was explaining strange equations reminiscent of cubic equations, and understanding it was proving to be a challenge.
From here on, progress started to stall.
After twenty minutes of struggling, I immediately activated Heart Eye.
It would have been nice to understand everything, but who knows how long that would take?
Unless I had an endless amount of time, investing more effort here felt burdensome.
As Heart Eye activated, I began to understand what the author was trying to explain.
‘Wow.’
Heart Eye.
It was such a lovable ability.
Thanks to the beautiful combination of effort and a cheat-like ability, my understanding of the book gradually increased.
[Heart Eye is activated.]
[Current book comprehension: 45%.]
[47%.]
The parts I couldn’t understand were forcibly interpreted.
After gaining this understanding, I started analyzing the material and organizing it in my mind to grasp its meaning more deeply.
This was a slightly different study method compared to when I studied 1st Circle magic.
Back then, when Heart Eye reached 100% comprehension, I thought I had fully understood the book.
But as I delved deeper into studying 2nd Circle magic, I realized the limitations of the comprehension displayed by Heart Eye.
‘It’s more like superficial understanding.’
Exactly.
It was understanding, but only on the surface.
That’s why I took the time to thoroughly read through it again.
This was because I felt that creating hybrid operational methods for higher-circle spells required a deeper understanding.
Relying solely on superficial comprehension would likely lead to limitations in the future.
Perhaps because I was already at a stage of basic understanding,
the contents of the magic book were being absorbed into my mind much faster than before activating Heart Eye.
Heart Eye.
It truly was an excellent ability.
***
Ten days.
The duration I had set for myself had passed.
During this time, I managed to thoroughly analyze six 2nd Circle spells.
I also read through them carefully, gaining a fairly deep understanding.
‘Maybe because it’s been so long since I last studied, my head hurts.’
Since entering this delinquent’s body,
I had been riding a wave of success, which gave me unwarranted confidence in myself.
Well, honestly, that’s still somewhat true now.
But spending the last ten days pouring over magic books, I came to understand myself a little better.
I realized once again that while talent is important, my own effort matters just as much.
‘This should be enough.’
Honestly, ten days was quite an effort.
I couldn’t keep obsessing over just Fire Arrow forever.
Moreover, over this time, I had filled in a significant portion of the theoretical gaps I had before by thoroughly reading various magic books.
I felt a sense of confidence growing within me.
Now, it was time to create a hybrid operational method for a 2nd Circle spell.
The first spell I chose to work on was, of course,
‘Fire Arrow.’
The fiery arrow spell that I had refined into perfection through practical learning.
Closing my eyes, I began to focus my mind.
As Heart Eye activated, it started analyzing the contents once again.
This time, there was a noticeable difference.
[Two operational methods have been combined.]
[Analyzing the activation methods…]
[Analyzing efficient pathways.]
[Hybrid pathway analysis complete.]
Using my understanding as a foundation, Heart Eye had successfully analyzed the pathways.
‘It worked.’
From here, the process was simple.
I just needed to avoid the red-highlighted explosion points and activate the spell.
That part wasn’t difficult.
I already had exceptional talent.
Once I identified the minefield, reaching the destination wasn’t challenging.
As before, the destination was my right arm.
While the target destination for the mana remained the same, the way the mana moved had changed significantly.
To activate the spell, the mana needed to move in a specific systemized way.
As I guided the mana, creating necessary shapes with rotations and other movements to trigger the hybrid operational method,
Fwoosh!
Once again, a fiery arrow materialized above my right hand.
[The two operational methods have been successfully combined.]
[This is a degraded version of the operational method.]
[The operational method is being memorized.]
The pleasant message that appeared was just a bonus.
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