Chapter 38

The Marquess Family's Magic Genius - Chapter 38 (38/324)

38

The fact that the circle increased from one to two.

This was not just a simple increase in numbers.

It meant that the number of spells I could use and the amount of mana I could refine in the circle within a day had also increased.

'This turned out better than I thought.'

I nodded in satisfaction as I looked at the circle inside my body. When I created the first circle, I only had the mana I could gather from the surroundings.

At that time, I didn't have the conditions to gather mana stones, and I attempted it thinking that achieving the first circle would be easy.

But this time, I created the circle by squeezing out the mana from ten low-grade mana stones.

Starting from scratch and not starting from scratch made a significant difference.

While it usually takes a considerable amount of time for a regular mage to stabilize the shape of a newly created circle, I already had a substantial framework in place.

The saying "different from the start" must exist for such moments.

Now, I just needed to keep circulating mana in this place and steadily train the circle.

'I can probably break through the crown of my head more quickly now.'

With the circle increasing from one to two, the speed of breaking through the passage would naturally double.

The mana stones I had placed in the magic array.

The blue mana stones had already faded to a pale white.

Since the mana inside them had been completely drained, it was a natural occurrence.

The same went for the intermediate mana stones that had steadily blocked the mana while I formed the circle.

After collecting them into my magic pouch,

I erased the traces of the magic array and immediately opened the door.

"Are you done?"

"More or less. Let's go."

"Where to?"

In response to Leonhardt's question, I smiled slightly and answered.

"To the library."

2nd Circle Magic.

It was time to seriously challenge that realm.

* * * * *

"You've arrived, young master."

The librarian was now very familiar with my presence.

Since I had been coming here every day since I entered this body, it was only natural.

"Can you help me find some books?"

"Of course. What kind of magic book are you looking for? You've almost finished with the 1st Circle magic books..."

"Never mind that. Just bring me any 2nd Circle magic book."

"...A 2nd Circle magic book?"

The librarian's eyes widened in surprise, and then a look of shock appeared in them.

I doubt it.

If I had just that thought in my eyes, I would probably look like that.

"Oh, I just want to take a look in advance. I've already gone through all the 1st Circle magic books."

It was better to keep the fact that I had achieved the 2nd Circle a secret. It was too fast.

Achieving the 2nd Circle within two months of achieving the 1st Circle?

This could be considered one of the fastest, if not the fastest, in the entire continent.

It would turn me into a super rookie that everyone would pay attention to.

That would be a bit troublesome.

While I do need to build my reputation quickly, being the center of attention like that would be exhausting.

I can control my reputation in other ways, so there's no need to announce that I've reached the 2nd Circle everywhere.

I just need to reveal it at the right time.

For now, I'll pretend to be at the 1st Circle.

As I answered nonchalantly,

The shock in the librarian's eyes began to fade.

It can't be.

He seemed to understand that and nodded, then brought me a book.

"This is the most famous 2nd Circle magic."

It was an old, worn-out book, as if it had been around for hundreds of years.

I immediately checked the title.

The magic book the librarian brought was about Fire Arrow.

Well.

Even though the books in the library have preservation spells, this one looked very old.

As for Henderson,

He was one of the famous arch-mages of the past.

Given that he left many foundational magic books for future generations, this Fire Arrow book was probably one of them.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, young master. If you need any other books, just let me know. I'll be on my way."

The librarian bowed politely and returned to his post.

'I'll try reading this without using my mind's eye this time.'

I had read many passages while mastering the 1st Circle magic books.

While my mind's eye helped with understanding, the saying "even a dog can recite poetry after three years" applies.

I should be able to understand at least the basics.

If not, I can always use the mind's eye.

Under Leonhardt's guard, I started reading the book quietly.

The magic book began with a rather familiar tone, but the content became increasingly complex as I turned the pages.

It was clear that this was no ordinary magic book.

'Wow.'

My limit of understanding was up to page 30.

Since the book was roughly 100 pages, I could understand about 30% of it.

Still, compared to the darkness I felt when I first opened a book, this was a significant improvement.

So, I'll just use the mind's eye.

There's no need to take the hard way when the easy way is available.

At that moment,

'...Huh?'

Suddenly, information began to float above the book as if it were an artifact.

Original.

It means it's a genuine, directly written book, not a copy.

While the content is almost the same whether it's an original or a copy,

since it was transcribed, there's no reason for it to be different.

Occasionally, a sentence or two might differ, but that's just a minor difference. A few different words won't cause any problems.

Therefore, most mages learn magic using copies.

While originals are better, they are as hard to obtain as stars in the sky.

There are tens of thousands of magic books related to a single magic, so how can one find the original among them?

Originals make up less than 0.1% of all books.

Moreover, if an original is discovered,

antiquarians will rush from all directions, driving the price sky-high.

In the end, originals are extremely expensive but not much different from copies.

Original.

I wondered why it was emphasized like an artifact.

While staring at the book,

'...Huh?'

As usual, my mind's eye started interpreting the text on its own.

At that moment,

'Gasp!'

The mana in the two circles began to rapidly drain.

It was an enormous mana consumption I hadn't felt before.

Ultimately, Fire Arrow is just a type of fire magic.

To increase the firepower...

Instead of rotating the mana in a circle...

As each phrase was stored in my mind, the mana in the circle evaporated.

The more mana disappeared, the more I felt a terrible sense of fatigue.

Damn!

Even with two circles, the mana drained so quickly?

It was like a mana-sucking leech.

After draining the last drop of mana from my circles,

my mind's eye automatically stopped.

"Phew."

These damn eyes.

If they had sucked a bit more mana, my circles would have been on the verge of collapse.

I almost drowned in the Jordan River thanks to my talent.

Was it because of the sound I made?

Leonhardt, who was guarding me, hurried over.

"Young master? Your complexion... I'll call a healer right away..."

"Huh. No, it's fine."

My face must have looked quite pale.

I shook my head and began to calmly organize the phrases I understood through my mind's eye.

I felt like I had gained something, but the phrases were still floating in my mind.

It felt like they weren't fully organized yet.

To properly organize them, I needed to increase the interpretation rate of the book.

'...Original.'

I decided to take this book.

I approached the librarian.

"About this book."

"Yes, young master. Have you finished reading it already?"

"No. I want to take this book with me."

"…Yes?"

"I want to take this book. I like it. Is it okay?"

"Ah... Yes, you can take it."

The librarian, who was momentarily taken aback, immediately nodded.

While it was an old book, the librarian probably didn't know if it was an original or not.

There were many old copies.

Moreover, since it was just a 2nd Circle magic book, it didn't matter much if I took it.

If it were a high-level magic book, the fat noble who glared at me last time might foam at the mouth.

But since it's just a 2nd Circle magic book, trying to find fault with it might backfire on the fat noble.

2nd Circle magic books are quite easy to obtain.

Of course, 3rd Circle magic books and above require considerable effort to obtain.

Moreover, I'm not a commoner.

I'm the youngest son of the Marquess family, basking in its glorious light.

I can make this decision on my own.

After taking the magic book,

I recovered some mana by walking around the garden and then picked up a regular Fire Arrow magic book.

To understand the difference between the original and a regular book.

As I activated my mind's eye again, the content of the book began to be understood instantly.

'Is it because it's a 2nd Circle book?'

When I read 1st Circle books, they were mostly interpreted perfectly at once.

But it seemed that 2nd Circle magic books would require a considerable amount of time to understand.

'However.'

After interpreting another one, I clearly understood the difference between the original and the copy.

The copy required less mana to interpret and had a higher interpretation rate with a single activation.

But compared to the original,

'There's a clear difference in depth.'

The original felt like sinking into a swamp, while the copy didn't have that feeling.

It was just a clean understanding.

The content of the original was much deeper.

Why is that?

The content isn't that different.

I didn't know the reason.

But one thing was clear.

If I could interpret this original to 100%, I would gain a much more valuable reward than interpreting a copy.

It was truly an unexpected gain.