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“Can I be your subordinate now?”

“…”

I was momentarily speechless as I looked at Palge, who was proudly puffing out his chest.

The mana fluctuations, the shape, the incantation…

It was undoubtedly a Mana Circle.

How in the world did he…?

No, more importantly, why, why in the world…?

“Why did you create it, fatty? You said you’ve been accumulating Mana Cores for 3 years.”

“I don’t have any prejudices, you know. You seem touched. And don’t call me fatty.”

“…”

“Now that I’m your subordinate, let me formally introduce myself.”

Fatty extended his hand and, with a solemn expression, revealed his name.

“Palge Jugmund.”

‘This damn bastard.’

Even his name is displeasing.

I feel my mind growing increasingly hazy.

Barely holding onto my fading consciousness, I glared at Fatty.

====================

ㅇ Palge Jugmund – Fatty

ㅇ Talents: Weapon Skills [F], Elemental Affinity [Light (S), Fire (A)]

ㅇ Traits: Stamina [S], Mental Strength [A], Mana Resonance [S], Mana Core [3rd Stage]

ㅇ Disposition: [Gullible], [Golem Enthusiast], [Magic Addict], [Genius], [Curious], [Pushover], [Possessive], [Loyal]

ㅇ Overall Rating: Magic [A]

====================

“This is crazy…”

Even if he’s gullible, to create a Mana Circle just from a few words?

Suddenly, while checking Palge’s information, I was once again startled.

‘Light attribute Elemental Affinity?’

This was definitely Pelleier’s curse on me.

He must have been pissed off that only I was reincarnated, so he played dirty tricks from the afterlife.

The light attribute was a rare one, with very few mages in the past possessing a good affinity for it.

The image of Palge chanting a light attribute incantation flashed through my mind, sending chills down my spine.

“Why are you staring at me like that? Are you touched?”

I slapped the back of Palge’s head and asked,

“…What’s ‘Golem Enthusiast’?”

“Oh? Are you interested in golems too, Ruin?”

Seeing Palge’s eyes light up as if he had met a dear friend, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“How did you create the Mana Circle?”

“I’m a genius. One day was enough!”

“Whether you’re a genius or not, how did you know how to create a Mana Circle?”

“Th-that’s…”

Fatty suddenly started to stutter, his eyes darting left and right.

It was the expression of someone who had been caught hiding something.

“No answer?”

After hesitating for a while, Palge went into the dormitory and came out with a book.

It was a book titled [The Basics of Mana Circles].

After receiving it and reading through, I found that the basics of circles and incantations were explained in great detail.

“…I’ve never seen this before. Where did you get it?”

It was a type of book I hadn’t seen even after rummaging through the dormitory for days.

“It’s mine.”

“Yours?”

Seeing my expression, Palge waved his hands.

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s my personal possession. I’m also interested in old books, so I brought it with me when I came here. I’ll lend it to you if you want.”

Suddenly, I tilted my head and asked,

“Weren’t you a beggar?”

“A beggar? What a hurtful thing to say!”

Palge’s face flushed red as he said,

“Our family is one of the most prominent merchant families in the West. Something like this is nothing. And the reason I came here in the first place was because I got information that the Vice Tower Master of the Red Magic Tower was coming. Otherwise, why would I be in such a filthy place… Ah, I misspoke, quack! Sorry, sorry!”

Thwack— Thwack—!

“…Quack! W-wait a minute. I just want to ask one thing!”

“What?”

“Why is my incantation worse than Ruin’s? It’s not much different from a beastman’s.”

I could sense the apprentices eavesdropping, their ears perked up.

I looked around and said,

“Of course it is.”

“Why?”

“Mana Circles and Mana Cores don’t have good compatibility. The more impure mana you accumulate in your body, the harder it becomes to sense the pure mana in the atmosphere. Simply put, the Mana Core inside you hinders incantations using the Mana Circle.”

It might have been a difficult concept, but Fatty nodded as if he understood immediately.

“Is there no way?”

“There is. You have to destroy your Mana Core.”

“That’s a bit…”

Instead of explaining, I channeled 2nd Circle mana and shot a Fireball.

It was several times larger and more powerful than Fatty’s.

The eyes of the watching apprentices grew wider and wider, their jaws dropping in amazement.

It was no wonder.

The ‘Fireball’, which initially manifested as a sphere, gradually sharpened into the shape of a ‘Fire Spear’.

It was a transformation of shape using atmospheric mana.

“This is something only possible with a Mana Circle.”

The sight was imprinted in everyone’s eyes.

* * *

“Haaaaah!”

The sound of shouting from outside woke me up.

A ray of sunlight streaming through the open window was refreshing.

When I went out to the yard, the apprentices were already drenched in sweat.

Without being told, Zion, Makan, and a few other apprentices were all training together.

“Blazing flames, Fireball!”

The sound of an incantation made me turn my head. Someone was chanting in the corner.

It wasn’t Palge, Makan, or Zion.

‘Ain?’

The smallest apprentice among them.

I hadn’t paid much attention to him before.

“…Haah, haah.”

Seeing him panting with a proud expression, I felt proud of him, my ass.

Suddenly, the memory of my past life, struggling to create a Mana Circle, flashed through my mind, and I felt irritated again.

What kind of apprentices can create Mana Circles in a day like it’s nothing?

As I approached Ain with a glare, he unconsciously took a step back.

I leaned in close to his face and asked,

“And how did you create your Mana Circle?”

“I, I already had it?”

“What kind of nonsense… Wait a minute.”

Suddenly, looking at Ain’s eyes, I remembered someone unpleasant.

Looking closer, the unpleasant scent became even stronger.

“What’s your last name?”

“…Ain Samael.”

So it was a bastard from the Samael bloodline.

In the past, the powerful Samael family had numerous branch families besides the direct line, and they supported the family as members of the White Horse Order or as elders.

This kid seemed to be a descendant of one of them.

I heard that he had learned Circle magic as a child, but after starting to learn magic from the Red Magic Tower, he had been accumulating Mana Cores.

“So you had it from the beginning.”

“Yes.”

“How long did it take you to create your first Mana Circle?”

“…About 10 months.”

“Excellent. Keep up the good work.”

10 months meant he was among the least talented of the branch family members.

He wasn’t that much different from my past self, so I was pleased.

A few hours passed as we resumed training.

The sun was slowly rising to its zenith.

As usual, the instructor appeared from below the ridge, but today there was one more person beside him.

‘He’s here.’

It was a familiar face.

Tiger eyebrows, Hector Kart.

He had returned from his outing. The promised month had passed.

* * *

I physically blocked the apprentices who were rushing to greet him.

I couldn’t just stand by and watch them act like that in front of me.

“Where’s your focus during training? Start the routine!”

“One! Two! Three! Four!”

The apprentices instinctively followed the routine they had ingrained in their bodies and started running around the training ground.

It was a training routine where they ran around the training ground in sync with the count, shooting Fireballs on the count of ‘three’.

Hector’s eyes twitched slightly as he watched the apprentices perfectly following my commands.

I slowly approached Hector, crossed my arms, and stopped.

I spoke with my eyes.

‘You can see how things are going here, right?’

Hector’s pupils dilated slightly as he scanned my body with a disbelieving expression.

“You’ve changed, Ruin.”

When his frown relaxed, the first emotion he showed was surprise.

His eyes were even trembling slightly, as if he hadn’t expected this at all.

“You really did create Mana Circles, just like Dyke said. Two of them, no less.”

The next emotion he showed was admiration.

It was no wonder, considering I had created two circles in less than a month.

I savored Hector’s changing expressions with glee.

Needless to say, the bet was mine.

I was curious to hear what would come out of his mouth next.

However.

“So the Samael bloodline is indeed something special.”

After a while of admiration, a hint of pity appeared on his face.

It was clearly pity directed at me.

Seeing that expression, my elation instantly subsided.

“Abandon your Mana Circles right now. I’ll teach you myself.”

Whoosh—!

His aura flared up like a flame, and I unconsciously took a step back.

His presence was more threatening than I had imagined.

After creating the circles, I could vaguely sense Hector’s skill.

Was it because he was the Crimson Mage?

Was he truly one of the most skilled mages of the current era?

I resisted the growing pressure, my eyes wide open.

It felt like my knees would buckle at any moment, but I endured, tensing my entire body. It was much more bearable than last time.

“Stop blabbering. I won the bet.”

“I admit it, you did.”

“Then stop interfering. And don’t worry about the apprentices’ training. A Samael mage will teach in the Samael way.”

“That’s not possible.”

I sneered.

“Are you saying you can’t accept the bet now? Is the great Crimson Mage going back on his word?”

Hector’s expression remained unchanged.

“This is a separate matter from the bet. I can’t just watch you walk down the wrong path. That’s also the Head’s order.”

“What?”

“You seem to think you’re something special. Mana Circles have clear limitations.”

“Limitations… You seem to know a lot about Mana Circles.”

“Of course. More than you could imagine. Do you think you’re the only one who has researched Mana Circles? I’ve watched countless Samael mages fail because of them.”

Before I could respond, Hector continued with conviction.

“Resonance, elemental conversion, incantation.”

“….”

“You can never surpass the beastmen with such inefficient methods.”

“Bullshit.”

I immediately chanted Fireball, aiming at a distant tree.

At the same time, I manipulated the mana in the atmosphere, transforming the Fireball into a sharp shape.

The Fireball, launched from my fingertips, sharpened and pierced a clean hole in the tree.

I raised my chin and looked at Hector.

See? This is impossible for beastmen.

But Hector’s expression remained unchanged.

In fact, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.

“That’s just a trick.”

As Hector declared this, a Fireball flickered at his fingertips.

A deafening roar echoed as the Fireball launched from his fingertips collided with the tree.

FWOOSH—!

Its power was several times greater than the Fireball I had created through incantation.

Hector’s gaze slowly returned to me.

With the same expression I had given him, his chin raised high. As if looking at a mere puppy.

Seeing his unwavering demeanor, a chuckle escaped my lips.

“What’s so funny?”

“What did you just do?”

“The power of beastmen magic is not inferior to incantation magic. That alone should be enough explanation.”

“….”

“No matter how much you deny it, there’s an unchanging truth. Incantation through Mana Circles is cumbersome, complex, and inefficient.”

“Indeed. You’ve really changed.”

No matter how many times I checked, the conclusion was the same.

The moment even the slightest possibility was eliminated.

Looking at Hector’s expression, I could be certain. The mages of this world didn’t deserve the radiant pride that the mages of the past held dear.

The glory of magic, so radiant, built up by the Samael, had completely vanished.

“I see you’ve resigned yourself. Do you understand now?”

“….”

I raised my head again, facing Hector, who was looking down at me with an imposing expression.

“You said you knew a lot about Mana Circles?”

“Of course.”

“You’re wrong.”

Resonance, elemental conversion, and whatnot?

He’s just spewing fancy words without knowing anything.

————