Chapter 18

I took a deep breath and sent my mental energy outward, sensing my magical circuits and activating them, allowing me to better sense the energy world around me.

Focusing on my goal, I begin to concentrate the boundless energy flowing throughout the world, slowly and gradually gathering it near my body to form a circular magical energy field around me, making sure it is stable enough to not collapse and not waste too much mental energy gathering too much power.

Then, moving my slender fingers, I draw a 40-centimeter circle with one hand and then write a series of runes in the air with the other. I don't need to concentrate on physically drawing them perfectly; I simply need to have a solid enough image of what I want the energy to form. The movement of my hand simply serves as mental support for this goal.

After completing the formation of all the Runes, combining them, I create a complete runic circle and with my will, the magic contained within is activated–

Prasss

"..."

I sighed somewhat frustrated as I watched myself fail to cast class 3 spells for the fifth time in a row, seeing how only the black smoke that had once been a runic circle formed and helplessly remembering that strange sound that declared my failure to the world.

What went wrong this time? I was confident I had correctly condensed the necessary number of Runes and charged them with the corresponding image and intention in each rune. I also made sure to properly combine them into a magic array according to the established formula for constructing a stable Rune Circle...

So the problem was the amount of mana he'd collected from the atmosphere? Was it insufficient to maintain the magical functioning, and did he need to collect more at the risk of expending more mental energy?

I don't think so... I was confident that I had created a strong mana field that sustained the magical operation (Spell) without overdoing it or having any shortcomings. Perhaps it was my anxiety that negatively affected the flow of magical energy, causing the rune circle to completely collapse?

That was definitely it...Haaa...

Seeing me sigh, Arthur, who was examining the parameters that appeared on the magic screen in front of him, turned and looked at me with a serious expression, saying in an emotionless tone, "Ekaterina-sama, I suppose you've already realized what you did wrong that caused the casting of the class three spell [Fireball] to fail."

I nodded slowly, responding with some disappointment in my voice.

"I let my emotions alter the flow of magical energy... right?

"That's part of the reason the spell didn't work," he said, looking at the data the machine displayed and shaking his head, "...but the main reason is that the circle containing the runes was a little crooked. You need to make sure you have a stronger image and a steadier hand."

By the gods!

I'm speechless. It only takes one small mistake in forming the circle for the magic to fail!

Isn't that too much?

In the HAD game, all you needed to do was press an icon to select the magic you wanted to cast!

The system was responsible for executing the spell, creating a magic/rune circle at a speed dependent on skill level. The character simply shouted "Fireball!" and a cannonball-shaped mass of thermal energy blew a horde of globins to pieces.

How comfortable!

I shed imaginary tears every time I think about the huge difference, the advantage of being a real player with a system that actually helps you use your skills!

<Life isn't a video game. While this world is based on one, it would be too convenient for it to work exactly the same. The player must learn to adapt like everyone else to how the abilities of this world work.>

Light!

<Rude...>

"As you continue to practice, you may eventually master the correct drawing of the rune circle. It's simply a matter of repeated practice to perfect the art of spellcasting and become a true magician."

"It would be great if there was a way to cast spells that didn't rely on something like this. Shouldn't we make a magic staff to make this whole process easier after all? Using magic gems sounds good too..."

I remembered Arthur's powerful master, that terrifying Archmage Merlin, who combined a series of gems filled with magical power to destroy hordes of demons. He was truly different from the rest...

"Relying on magic gems like my master does is only possible because he's an Archmage. Not only does he have the knowledge and skill to use magic in battle even with limitations, but he also has the money to spend thoughtlessly on any gem he can get his hands on. I like him because of his contributions to science..."

Still, I feel uneasy. Even though I know that magic is a science in this world, when I hear that magicians make a contribution to the science of humanity, it still seems completely incompatible to me.

I guess I still have to get used to it.

Magic is science!

"Furthermore, crafting a magic staff that effectively aids in spell formation using nothing but internal mana would require extensive research, which we have no need to undertake for now, regardless of how interesting and integrative the idea is."

"I see..."

He grunted a little in response.

"Either way, if you still have enough mental strength to continue, you should try it one more time. This time, try to regulate your emotions and, as much as possible, visualize the magic formula clearly."

"Good," I nodded, did what he told me, and focused again.

We were inside a large room filled with gadgets and various devices intended for use in various magical trials. There was a mana density meter that looked like a thermostat for some reason, a magical crystal ball that projected what looked like holograms next to Arthur, some potions and raw materials for certain spells, as well as what was clearly a blender...

For decoration there was nothing but a large table made of high quality wood with some natural resistance to magical damage, a few chairs, a statue of a horned rabbit which is the only thing Arthur allowed me to use as personal decoration in this place, the luxurious cushion where Drupi sleeps like a King, as well as several pieces of arcane technology of not very large size that were partly used for precise analysis of magical fluctuations and magical calculation.

The interior of the room was larger than its dimensions should have been based on the exterior, and its walls were reinforced with arcanothene so that they wouldn't be easily destroyed by the various magical experiments being conducted inside. In the corner, Jessica remained silent, having been sent to my side by my overprotective father, as usual.

This was a makeshift mage's workshop within the confines of the Great Dranalian Palace, built at astonishing speed on my father's orders and my guardian's instructions.

Why do you say improvised? you might ask.

Well... because despite using excellent resources to build it, this workshop lacks the most important protection elements that a good wizard workshop has, since other wizards could easily feel the energy waves emitted by the spells and magic experiments, and the most skilled in magic who even surpass Arthur in magic knowledge could even use that to deduce what is being done inside.

It was like being naked in front of any greedy magician who happened to be passing by, you know?... Although that wasn't a problem since we weren't conducting any important experiments I had imagined anyway.

And what magician with skills superior to Arthur's would waste his time wandering around here? These people preferred to be locked in their own workshops 24/7, conducting extremely dangerous magical experiments.

Arturo's words, not mine by the way.

Anyway, right now I was standing in a circle of fine dirt that extended about 5 meters around me, with an honestly poorly designed farmer's-like practice target, which almost made me laugh at first because of its unnecessarily thick lips and bulging peachy eyes...

Pfff!

It still makes me laugh...haha

"Focus"

"Ah... yes"

Arthur's strict reminder brought me out of my unnecessary thoughts and I focused again on drawing mana from the surroundings with the help of my Magic Circuits.

This was one of the most effective ways to attract magical energy from the world. Magic circuits have the ability to concentrate mana from the atmosphere near them to facilitate its absorption when they are most active, and magicians use this ability to facilitate the attraction of surrounding mana to create the magical energy field for performing magic.

Although this meant you had to focus on learning how to do two things at once: creating the mana field with your consciousness and keeping the magic circuit active so that the surrounding mana would become denser due to absorption. However, once you got used to it, it became easier to do.

It's been two months since I've been diligently learning magic with Arthur's help. Thanks to his guidance, I've gotten used to keeping my magic circuits active while creating a proper mana field.

Once again, I rebuilt the mana field around me so I had the energy needed to design the rune circle. I generally make sure the energy field isn't too thin, but also not too dense, as that could overpower the spell and cause it to explode.

I wasn't at all interested in knowing what would happen to me if that happened. Arturo's repeated warnings about it were warning enough.

Completely focused on successfully carrying out this magical operation, I drew the rune circle with my mind, using my left hand as a support. The energy circle, which glowed softly with a red light as if reflecting the type of magic I planned to use, while with my right hand I drew seven runes to create the basic structure of the fireball spell.

Why am I practicing obviously offensive magic?

Because [Fireball] is the simplest magic of class three magic, and I, who am a class four magic user, needed to learn this simple spell of a higher class to qualify as a class three magic user.

Besides... basic combat magic is the easiest way to practice your skill in the magic every mage performs. It was strange given combat magic's reputation among the magical community, but when you see those complex spells used for arcanotheology or magical experimentation... you can only nod when you're told it's the best way to master the skill called "Magic."

For the sole reason that it is easier to learn....

Taking a deep breath, I combine the 7 runes into a magic array within the circle, creating a rune circle that seems quite suitable, and send my will into the rune circle to activate the magic...

Wait...

A sudden thought filled my head.

As I understand it, the mana gathered to create the energy field is both the building material for the rune circle and the fuel that powers the spell in question...

But wouldn't it be better to use the mana field only to build the rune circle and use my internal mana to fuel the spell? That way, I don't have to waste mental energy trying to keep the energy field from dispersing...

Well, let's give it a try. Anyway, I won't lose much if I fail...

With the full intention of carrying out this simple yet intriguing idea, I send a mental command to my magic circuits to release my internal mana and inject it into the rune circle.

I learned that I could use mental commands to have my Magic Circuits perform certain operations on their own. However, it's highly recommended not to use this frequently, as the Magic Circuits could overdo the operation they were ordered to perform, such as drawing in too much magical energy from the surroundings to absorb before they could respond—a very dangerous thing to do. Therefore, it was more useful to actively control them with mental concentration rather than a simple command.

But there shouldn't be any problems. The magic circuits would immediately stop any mana release when it became too depleted, so on top of that, I'd feel more tired.

Right now what interests me most is the outcome of this idea of ​​mine!

With the mental command given, the mana within me flows into the rune circle rapidly, nourishing it, as I once again focus on imposing my will upon it.

This time, instead of fading away while making the strangest sound, the rune circle released a relatively bright crimson light as flames suddenly began to burst out of the circle itself before gathering at its center... Forming! A blazing fireball that immediately shot towards the amused scarecrow!

It exploded with such force that it slightly lifted my skirt, as it burst into flames, its face melting unevenly in a hilarious horror show!

In turn, when my magic circuits stopped releasing mana, I fell to my knees on the floor. Arthur, thoroughly annoyed, rose from his chair and came toward me along with Jessica, who was visibly shocked.

Wow, it's weird to see his expression change!

I thought distractedly with a tired mind and body, which gave me a strong feeling of discomfort.