Chapter 38
The circle had increased from one to two.
It wasn’t just a simple increase in numbers.
It meant that the number of usable spells had grown, and so had the amount of mana that could be refined within the circle in a single day.
‘It turned out better than I expected.’
I nodded in satisfaction as I looked at the circles within my body. In fact, when I created the first circle, I had only attempted it with the mana I could gather from the surroundings.
At that time, I didn’t have the means to gather mana stones, and I thought it would be easy to achieve just one circle.
However, this time, I had squeezed out mana from ten low-grade mana stones to create the circle.
Starting from my bare fists made a significant difference compared to this.
Typically, after a mage creates a circle, it takes a considerable amount of time to shape it. However, since I already had the structure mostly set, it was different for me.
That’s what they mean when they say the buds are different.
Now, it seemed I just needed to continuously circulate mana here and steadily train the circle.
‘It should be possible to break through the crown faster now.’
Since there were now two circles instead of one, the speed at which I could break through the passage would naturally double.
The mana stones I had placed on the magic circle were now pale white.
They had lost their color because I had drained the mana inside them.
It was also true for the intermediate mana stones that had continuously supported the mana while I formed the circle.
After collecting those into my magic pouch and erasing the traces of the magic circle, I opened the door right away.
“Are you done?”
“Sort of. Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
In response to Leonhardt’s question, I smirked and answered.
“To the library.”
It was time to seriously challenge the realm of 2nd circle magic.
***
“Welcome, young master.”
The librarian welcomed me, now very familiar with my presence.
Since I had been coming here every day since this body came to be, it was only natural.
“Can you help me find a book?”
“Of course. What kind of magic book are you looking for? You’ve almost seen all the 1st circle magic by now…”
“That’s fine. Just bring me any book on 2nd circle magic.”
“…You mean a 2nd circle magic book?”
The librarian’s eyes widened in surprise at my words, and soon disbelief began to fill his expression.
Could it be?
Just by seeing that expression in his eyes, I could guess.
“Oh, I wanted to look at it in advance. I’ve finished reading all the 1st circle magic books.”
It was better to hide that I had actually achieved 2nd circle magic. It was too fast.
Achieving 2nd circle magic in less than two months after accomplishing 1st circle magic?
That could be counted among the fastest in the continent, truly a remarkable speed.
I would suddenly become a super rookie worthy of everyone’s attention.
That would be a bit troublesome.
I needed to build my reputation quickly, but if I drew that much attention, it would become quite exhausting.
Building a reputation could be controlled through various means, so I didn’t need to announce that I had reached the 2nd circle.
I could just reveal it at an appropriate time.
For now, I just had to pretend to be a 1st circle mage.
As I casually answered, the flames of shock in the librarian’s eyes slowly began to extinguish.
Surely that couldn’t be the case.
Understanding my response in that manner, he nodded and soon brought me a book.
“This is the most famous magic among 2nd circle spells.”
The book he handed me was old and tattered, with stains all over it. It looked like it had been around for hundreds of years.
I quickly checked the title after receiving the book.
[Fire Arrow: How to Use Fire Arrows Effectively]
[Author: Henderson Raidryon]
The book the librarian brought was related to Fire Arrow magic.
How interesting.
Even though the books in the library were generally protected by preservation magic, this one was in such a state, indicating it was quite an old text.
Speaking of Henderson, he was one of the famous grand magicians from the past.
Having left behind many foundational magic texts for future generations, this Fire Arrow must be one of them.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all, young master. If there’s any book you wish to find, please let me know anytime. Then, I’ll take my leave.”
The librarian bowed politely and returned to his place.
‘Shall I read this without any foresight this time?’
Having been immersed in the first-circle magic book, I had read many passages by this point.
Of course, my understanding was mostly facilitated by the Heart Eye, but still, there’s a saying that even a dog at a school will bark a verse after three years.
So, I thought at least some understanding might be possible.
If not, I could always use the Heart Eye as a trump card.
With Leonhardt guarding me, I quietly began to read the book.
[Fire Arrow. This magic creates a fire arrow by rotating the mana within the body…]
The first line of the magic book started off quite friendly, but as I turned the pages, the content became increasingly complex.
It was not just any ordinary magic book, after all.
“Wow, damn.”
My understanding hit its limit at about page 30.
Considering the book was around 100 pages, I could say I understood about 30% of it.
Still, compared to the bleakness I felt when I first opened the book, this was quite a significant improvement.
So, I might as well use my trump card.
There was no need to take the hard path when an easier one was available.
[Heart Eye activates.]
At that moment,
[This is a special book.]
[Heart Eye analyzes the book.]
[This book is authentic.]
[Fire Arrow. Effective methods for using the fire arrow.]
[Author: Henderson Reidryon.]
[Authentic]
[One of the books directly authored by the grand wizard Henderson Reidryon.]
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, information began to float above the book, as if it were some sort of artifact.
Authentic.
That means it was a real book written directly by the author, not a copy.
Whether it was authentic or a copy, the content was mostly the same, after all.
Since it was transcribed, there was no reason for it to be different.
Occasionally, a sentence or two might differ, but honestly, that could be overlooked as mere triviality. A couple of altered phrases wouldn’t cause a disaster.
Thus, most wizards typically used copies to learn magic.
Of course, the authentic version was better, but acquiring one was as hard as plucking stars from the sky.
With countless related magic books exceeding tens of thousands for just one magic, how could one find the genuine ones among them?
Authentic versions probably didn’t even make up 0.1% of the total.
Moreover, even if an authentic version were to be found, it would undoubtedly attract the attention of crazed collectors, driving the price to astronomical heights.
In the end, they were exceedingly expensive, and the authentic versions didn’t differ significantly from the copies.
Authentic.
What’s the big deal that information floats above it like it’s some artifact?
As I stared blankly at the book,
[This is a highly regarded book.]
[Interpreting the text.]
“Huh?”
Just like before, the Heart Eye started interpreting the text on its own.
At that moment,
“Gah!”
The mana that had filled the two circles began to rapidly drain away.
It was an enormous consumption of mana that I hadn’t felt until now.
Ultimately, Fire Arrow was merely a type of fire magic.
To enhance its firepower…
It wasn’t that I was rotating the mana in a circular motion…
With every single phrase stored in my mind, the mana within the circle was evaporating.
The more mana vanished, the more a terrible feeling of exhaustion began to wrap around my body.
Damn it!
Even with two circles, how could the mana disappear so quickly?
It was truly a mana-sucking hippo.
After it devoured every last drop of mana from my circle…
[Insufficient mana.]
[Stopping interpretation.]
[Current interpretation rate of the book: 10%.]
The Heart Eye automatically ceased its activation.
“Huff.”
This damn eye…
If it had absorbed just a bit more mana, the circles would have been on the brink of collapse.
I almost ended up submerged in the Jordan River thanks to my talent.
Was it because of the noise I made?
Leonhardt, who was on guard, rushed over to me.
“Milord? Your complexion… I’ll immediately call for the healer…”
“Phew. No, it’s fine.”
Apparently, my face had become quite pale.
Shaking my head, I began to calmly organize the phrases I had understood through the Heart Eye.
It felt like I had obtained something, but it also seemed like the phrases were floating around in my head without any clear organization.
I had the impression that I couldn’t settle them properly.
To organize this properly, I would need to increase the interpretation rate of that book.
‘…It’s an authentic copy.’
For now, I had to take that.
After concluding my judgment, I approached the librarian.
“About this book.”
“Yes, milord. Have you already finished reading it?”
“No. I want to take this with me.”
“…Pardon?”
“I want to take this book. I liked it. Is that alright?”
“Ah… Yes, you may take it.”
The librarian, who was momentarily flustered, nodded immediately.
Though it was an old book, the librarian probably couldn’t tell if it was an authentic copy or not.
Among the copies, there were plenty that were just as old.
Moreover, since it was merely a 2nd circle magic book, there wouldn’t be much concern about taking it.
If that chubby baron, who had glared at me last time in an attempt to cause trouble, heard about this, he might foam at the mouth.
In truth, since it wasn’t a high-level magic book, attempting to pick a fight over a mere 2nd circle magic book would probably lead to public criticism against the chubby baron instead.
Acquiring a 2nd circle magic book was extremely easy.
Of course, obtaining a 3rd circle magic book required quite a bit of effort.
Besides, I wasn’t some commoner.
I was the youngest son of the illustrious Seltarion family.
I could make such a decision independently.
After smoothly taking the magic book, I strolled through the garden to recover some mana, then immediately picked up the general Fire Arrow magic book.
I wanted to find out the difference between the authentic copy and a regular one.
As I activated the Heart Eye once again, the contents of the book began to become clear in an instant.
[Current interpretation rate of the book: 40%.]
[The head is in an overload state. Stopping the activation of the Heart Eye.]
‘Is it because it’s a 2nd circle?’
When I looked at a 1st circle book, I could typically interpret it perfectly in one go.
It seemed I would need to invest quite a bit of time to understand a 2nd circle magic book.
‘By the way.’
After interpreting another book, I realized what the actual difference was between an authentic copy and a replica.
With a replica, the mana used in the interpretation process was minimal, and the interpretation rate achieved in a single activation was also high.
However.
In comparison to the interpretation process of the authentic copy…
‘There’s definitely a difference in depth.’
The authentic copy felt like it was truly sinking into a swamp, while the replica didn’t give that feeling at all.
It felt more like a clean understanding.
This meant that the content of the authentic copy was much deeper.
Why was that?
The content wasn’t that different.
I didn’t know the reason.
But one thing became clear.
If I could interpret the authentic copy I was holding at 100%, I would gain far more valuable knowledge than interpreting a replica.
It was truly an unexpected windfall.
—
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