Chapter 56
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(432F) : A twenty-kilometer radius is fucking almost 400 million pyeong lololololololol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : It's fucking amazing that it even has an end…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : So that's something you can figure out because it's not the Black Sea…
Amid the uproar, Seol Harin asked a question.
ㄴ Seol Harin : How big are your circles… exactly?
Size, huh.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F)(Author) : My First Circle is about one meter in diameter, and my Second Circle is 70 centimeters. And the Third Circle I just obtained was about 1.5 meters.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(461F) : What..
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : That's a fucking massive one ㄷㄷ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : A 1.5-meter one… fits inside your dantian?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F)(Author) : It shrank when it went inside. But I could still feel its size.
ㄴ Seol Harin : Wow… that's impossible.
ㄴ Seol Harin : Your smallest one is the same size as my largest circle…
‘It was worth searching every last one.’
I was satisfied once again.
The Third Circle I had obtained this time was literally the largest one.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(324F) : The mana output and mana absorption must be insane…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : Being able to pick one based on its circle is seriously fucking broken.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(433F) : But even among those, you searched every last one to find the biggest lololol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(324F) : That's something people going to the Black Sea really can't even imagine ;;
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : We just have to take whatever the waves give us…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(249F) : No, but seriously, why is Newbie the only one who goes somewhere different? Explain, sensei.
ㄴ Seol Harin : I don't know, since I'm not a black mage…
Then someone threw me a question.
ㅇㅇ(249F) : So when you get your next circle, can't you just pick up another big one you've already got your eye on? What a sweet deal.
It wasn't as if I hadn't thought of that.
But.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F)(Author) : I don't think so. The place I went for the First and Second Circles seemed different from the barren land I went to for the Third Circle.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(249F) : Why?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F)(Author) : The circles were spaced much farther apart than they had been when I got my Second Circle.
The moment I posted that comment, Seol Harin began pouring out excited messages.
ㄴ Seol Harin : Huh… really?! Seoyoon! Then you've just proven something incredible!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(249F) : ?
ㄴ Seol Harin : My theory was that each circle level would be placed in a different orbital!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : What the fuck are you even talking about…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(324F) : Excuse me?
ㄴ Seol Harin : You black mages should have noticed this sooner! The ‘Black Sea’ you go to is also a separate space in a different dimension for each circle level. Seoyoon was the one who proved it!
She was pouring out her own theory of magic.
ㄴ Seol Harin : Thank you! You just proved one of my long-standing research projects!
I received her fervent thanks, but the gallery users' reactions were lukewarm. I was confused too.
Seol Harin spoke again afterward.
ㄴ Seol Harin : All right, now that you've obtained your Third Circle, I'll teach you Mental Fork!
‘Finally.’
ㄴ Seol Harin : Mental Fork is a technique that divides the flow of consciousness into two.
ㄴ Seol Harin : Once you learn it, you'll be able to dual-wield the artifacts you wanted, and you'll also be able to use double casting!
She began explaining the specific method.
ㄴ Seol Harin : To explain it in terms of the human brain, you need to practice compartmentalizing the activity of your left and right hemispheres.
ㄴ Seol Harin : Draw a magic circle while chanting the incantation for the same spell at the same time. Then alternate your focus between the magic circle and the incantation. That's how you train.
She added the key point.
ㄴ Seol Harin : The important thing here is that the spell has to fail to activate.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F)(Author) : Fail? Ah… I see.
After thinking about it for a moment, I understood what she meant.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F)(Author) : Because if it activates successfully, that means the two haven't been separated?
ㄴ Seol Harin : Yep. Exactly. In other words, failure is success in this exercise!
ㄴ Seol Harin : To do that, you need to practice with a spell that can barely activate at your current level unless you perform the incantation and draw the magic circle simultaneously, right?
Seol Harin left an encouraging comment to finish her explanation.
ㄴ Seol Harin : Give it a try. You can do it!
“Huh?”
I was puzzled.
“Now?”
I wasn't ready yet.
Because.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F)(Author) : I have a question…
ㄴ Seol Harin : Yes! First question!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F)(Author) : How do you perform an incantation? Do I just say the name of the spell? And how do I draw a magic circle?
Magic circles and incantations were both concepts I was encountering for the first time.
“……”
ㄴ Seol Harin : …Huh?
ㄴ Seol Harin : What do you mean?
ㄴ Seol Harin : Saying the name of the spell is the final activation word…
She seemed quite flustered.
Apparently, she had assumed I had learned both of them.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F)(Author) : I've never done an incantation or drawn a magic circle. I didn't even know magic needed those in the first place.
ㄴ Seol Harin : What?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F)(Author) : The only black magic I've learned is Death Mark and necromancy… and neither of them ever needed that.
ㄴ Seol Harin : …
She seemed to have been rendered speechless.
That was when it happened.
The anonymous users stepped in to explain.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : First of all, the Blood Spirit Tea Ceremony is a top-tier, incantationless necromancy… And the corpse itself serves as the magic circle, so there isn't one.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : The strokes of Death Mark are themselves the magic circle.
After hearing that explanation, Seol Harin burst out incredulously.
ㄴ Seol Harin : You really haven't learned a thing…!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(234F) : LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ Seol Harin : No, you guys… Did you really teach Newbie all those tempting high-level spells without teaching them even the basics?!
When Seol Harin pressed them like that, the anonymous users protested as if they were being treated unfairly.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : What the fuck were we supposed to do when Newbie kept jumping straight to the advanced courses? lololololololol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : I actually prepared a standard black-magic curriculum at first because I thought Newbie wouldn't be able to learn Death Mark…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : Their talent kept them from building a foundation lololololololol
ㄴ Seol Harin : …I'm sorry on their behalf, Seoyoon. In that case, I'll tell you about a spell you can use to practice Mental Fork.
Apparently, I needed to make a sandbag before practicing my punches.
[Title: The basics of the First-Circle Dark Magic Missile.]
A new post from Seol Harin went up immediately.
Inside the post was a complicated pattern and the pronunciations of certain words transliterated into Hangul.
They appeared to be the magic circle and incantation, respectively.
Seol Harin added this in the comments.
ㄴ Seol Harin(Author) : This might actually be for the best. If you can practice with a First-Circle spell, the mana cost will be low.
ㄴSeol Harin(Author) : Since it's the first spell you're learning, it should only activate if you perform the incantation and draw the magic circle perfectly. First, try to get a feel for successfully activating it!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(249F) : If you don't even use black magic, how do you know Dark Magic Missile?
ㄴ Seol Harin(Author) : Dragon Magic also has basic spells of the dark attribute.
“An incantation and a magic circle…”
I rose from my seat and adjusted my grip on my scythe.
Normally, magic circles are drawn in practice by channeling mana through a finger and tracing them in the air, but since this was my first time, she recommended drawing one on the floor for stability.
I placed the tip of my scythe against the floor and began tracing the pattern Seol Harin had posted.
‘Is this how you do it?’
Then, just as I was about to channel mana into that magic circle(?) and memorize the pronunciation written there,
Fwaaaash-!
“Huh?”
It was before I had even pronounced the first syllable of the incantation.
Mana flashed along the lines I had drawn on the floor,
BOOOOM-!!
and a black sphere shot out of the empty air in front of me.
It slammed into the ceiling of the 100th-floor hall.
“……”
I stared blankly back and forth between the ceiling and the tip of my scythe.
‘She said that since it was my first spell, it would be difficult to activate with only the magic circle, and that I'd need the incantation too, right?’
But it had activated the moment I drew the magic circle.
I immediately reported what had happened.
ㅇㅇ(100F) : I didn't chant anything and only drew the magic circle with my scythe, but it just went off.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(554F) : Huh.
ㄴ Seol Harin(Author) : Oh… I thought that might happen! You really are talented! Seoyoon can activate a First-Circle spell with only the magic circle, even on the first try!
It seemed I needed to learn another spell.
I needed one that only activated when the magic circle and incantation were combined.
ㄴ Seol Harin(Author) : Then a First-Circle spell won't work for training. I'll teach you something a little more difficult. Let's go straight to a Second-Circle spell!
Excited, Seol Harin posted an explanation of one of the Second-Circle spells.
[Title: This is the Second-Circle spell Shadow Spear!]
Just like before, it included a diagram of the magic circle and the incantation.
ㅇㅇ(100F) : I'll try it right away!
This time, I put down my scythe to increase the difficulty.
I thought I might succeed immediately again.
I gathered mana at my fingertip and drew the magic circle in the air.
Swoosh, swoosh.
The pattern of purple lines was completed.
Just as I inhaled to speak the incantation,
Whoooosh-!! KWA-BOOOOM-!!
a shadow spear shot out of the magic circle floating in the air and drove into the wall I had scorched earlier.
“……”
It had activated directly the moment I drew the magic circle again.
I submitted a dispirited report.
ㅇㅇ(100F): Shadow Spear just activated too…?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(543F) : ;;;;
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(439F) : Seriously?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(377F) : The sandbags keep getting blown up lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : Is it because of the size of the circles or something…?
Seol Harin soon left a comment.
ㄴ Seol Harin(Author) : Wow… that's incredible. How are you activating a spell you just saw for the first time with only the magic circle? ㄴ Seol Harin(Author) : Then this time, can you try drawing the magic circle after floating it in the air?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F) : I already did that…
ㄴ Seol Harin(Author) : What…?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(543F) : LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(463F) : You'd already made it harder on your own lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(246F) : That's difficult even the first time you try it ;;
Seol Harin spoke as if she were presenting her last resort.
ㄴ Seol Harin(Author) : …Then I'll teach you a Third-Circle spell…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : What? LMAO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(249F) : Didn't you just settle into the Third Circle? LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO Are you sure it's stabilized?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(461F) : This makes no fucking sense.
ㄴ Seol Harin(Author) : Seoyoon said it's stabilized, so I guess…
And Seol Harin was trying to raise the difficulty one more step.
ㄴ Seol Harin(Author) : And this time, let's use an attribute other than dark altogether.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(702F) : ?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(543F) : That probably won't work?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : It must be tough to use a Dragon Magic elemental spell with black-magic circles.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : No, you just got the Third Circle. How can you use a spell right away?
A spell of another attribute + a spell from the circle level I had just obtained.
To find a suitable training spell, we decided to add those difficulties.
[Title: This is the Third-Circle wind-attribute spell Wind Blade.]
ㄴ Seol Harin(Author) : Wind isn't an element you're weak against as a Reaper, but you shouldn't have any elemental affinity for it at all, so this really should require both the magic circle and incantation to activate! Then you'll finally be able to train!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(351F) : It's not that it'll require both; I don't think it'll activate at all…
“This one does seem different.”
The magic circle Seol Harin posted differed from the previous ones in its lines and arrangement.
It looked more complicated.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F) : I'll try it!
I raised my finger again. Since this was an attribute I had no affinity for, it should definitely be difficult.
I drew lines in the air with a few quick strokes.
Vooooom-! Fwaaaash-!!!
“Ah.”
KRAAAAAAANG-!!!!
A razor wind was condensing inside the magic circle.
Once again.
It had succeeded the moment I drew the magic circle.
I scratched my head and typed into the gallery.
ㅇㅇ(100F) : …This one went off too.
The moment I posted the report, the gallery turned upside down.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : Holy shit
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(248F) : A spell from a circle you just obtained? LMAO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : Is a one-try clear for real?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(431F) : No, seriously, what is this?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : A Reaper is using a wind-attribute spell with only a magic circle?
Even I was at a loss.
Since the spells kept activating with only the magic circle, I couldn't meet the conditions necessary to train Mental Fork.
ㄴ Seol Harin : Seoyoon… you're seriously incredible… This time, can you try the incantation first instead of the magic circle?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : If it activates with the incantation, doesn't that mean it'll be ready for actual combat immediately? LMAOOOOOO
Seol Harin told me about one more way to increase the spell's difficulty.
She said I should try the incantation first instead of the magic circle.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F) : Got it. I'll try that.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(731F) : I doubt even a Second-Circle spell will come out with just an incantation…
A little while later.
Whiiiiiiirl-!
I managed to cast the spell I had just seen using only the incantation.
I reported it, and everyone was shocked once again.
But even then.
No one could have imagined what would happen over the next two hours.
*
Two hours later.
“Phew…”
I sank down and stared at the wall, which had been reduced to a ragged mess.
“What the…”
To cut to the chase, I couldn't train Mental Fork.
That was because I had already cast every spell I currently possessed from the First, Second, and Third Circles.
Every basic spell of every attribute Seol Harin threw at me was immediately launched with only the incantation the moment I saw it in text.
Even the spells said to be the most difficult in the Third Circle were no exception.
At some point, Seol Harin stopped reacting, as if none of it were unusual,
but when I posted my final success,
ㄴ Seol Harin : You… this… what… this makes no sense… How are you able to do all of this…
she finally seemed to have lost her soul.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : A legendary situation has occurred.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(435F) : The spells are so easy I can't train lolololololololololololololol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(354F) : Is it for real that they learned everything in two hours…?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : I knew this would happen from the moment Newbie one-shot Death Mark;
I immediately proposed the next solution.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F)(Author) : Hmm… Since I can't fail, training is impossible, so I'll just go get the Fourth Circle.
And I added,
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100F)(Author) : There are difficult ones among the Fourth-Circle spells, right?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : Buddy.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : There are difficult ones, my ass lololololololol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(249F) : This is seriously fucking dizzying.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : Ah, tell them to bring a sturdier sandbag lololololol