Chapter 55

### Chapter 55 (55/324)

55

It has been six days since I met Abel and started practicing magic. During this time, quite a lot has happened.

Leonhard, who had mastered the new Storm Sword, was teaching Saron the modified sword techniques, helping to improve his skills. Meanwhile, I managed to create a mixed activation method for three of the second-circle spells.

These were the Cure spell for healing wounds, the Sharpness spell for making weapons sharper, and the Stone Skin spell for hardening the skin. All three were closer to support spells.

There was a reason I was able to quickly create a mixed activation method for these spells. The rebellion that was about to happen. I believed that support spells would be highly effective in that rebellion.

My magic is undoubtedly powerful, but it is not without its drawbacks. The biggest problem is endurance. I should be able to somehow deal with lower-level knights using the mixed activation method. However, to face mid-level and high-level knights, I would need to use the true activation method.

The issue is that, using this method, I could only manage to cast about two spells at best. The enormous mana consumption and dizziness would inevitably hold me back. Even with Ersiel's buffs, three spells would be the limit.

‘That won’t be enough to turn the tide of battle.’

Just three spells. Moreover, even with the true activation method, the maximum power I could achieve would be around the fifth circle. While this could inflict fatal wounds on mid-level knights, it would be a different story with high-level knights.

The top 3% of knights. They could likely defend against even powerful spells.

‘And it would be difficult to hit them, too.’

This isn’t a fight between clumsy knights; it would be a fierce battle between experts. Hitting an attack spell amidst rapid movements would be extremely difficult. Even with a tracking spell to designate a target, there is a significant chance of a miss.

‘Increasing the circle level is practically the answer, but...’

Unfortunately, it’s not something that can be easily increased just because I want to. I would need some time to prepare for the next level, which is why I chose support spells as my breakthrough. Spells like Haste and Mental Cleaning, which can assist knights.

Support spells consume much less mana than typical attack spells and, despite the lower consumption, have a much greater ability to create variables.

Mixed activation method. If the support spells were to use this method, they could certainly provide significant assistance to the knights. Additionally, I could cast them before the battle, so there would be no risk of the spells failing.

Within the limited mana pool, this would allow me to use magic with the highest efficiency.

The number of support spells I could learn at the second circle had increased significantly. Therefore, I planned to learn as many as possible.

‘It’s tomorrow, right?’

The day we set off for the magic city of Helena. The group consists of Leonhard and me.

I wanted to bring Saron and Ersiel as well, but that would consume too much mana stone, making it difficult to travel together. It would be best to keep the group as small as possible.

Before leaving, I had given instructions to both of them on what to do while I was away. In summary, they were to train hard.

Especially for Ersiel, I had already informed the surrounding servants that she could practice freely in my room. I had assigned her a few tasks, so she would be spending a lot of time in my room.

As long as the forces of evil, including Adolph, have not been eliminated, my room is the safest place for her to practice.

‘I have also assigned knights to defend the annex.’

Lord Remington. He must be grinding his teeth by now. There was a possibility that he might send an assassin, so I had requested knights from the marquis.

It wasn’t difficult to provide a reason. The ongoing magic experiments. To maintain the secrecy of these experiments, I had asked the marquis to strengthen the defenses of the annex while I was away.

The marquis had no doubts about my request. It was a common practice for a magician to secure defenses for their laboratory, especially for someone with my talent.

When Leonhard and I were away, the family knights would take over the defense of the annex. Additionally, I had set up alarm spells in various places.

So, if an assassin were to come,

‘We could defend ourselves sufficiently.’

The preparations to protect the future of the family were nearly complete.

The next morning, as soon as we opened our eyes, Leonhard and I headed towards the castle.

Upon entering the office, we saw the marquis. Near him were large mana stones, specifically mid-level and high-level ones.

“Follow me.”

Lord Remington, holding the mana stones, began to move towards the inner part of the office. There was a bookshelf filled with books. When he touched something, it made a creaking sound.

The bookshelf slowly slid open, revealing a space inside. Inside was an arched gate.

This was a state-of-the-art item, a product of advanced magic engineering. It was an incredibly expensive item, which is why it was stored in the inner part of the office.

The marquis then looked at me.

“By using the gate, you will be transported to the Emerton Dukedom.”

The Emerton Dukedom. One of the top families in the vast Alton Empire. Known for its mastery of magic, it was a prestigious family that governed the massive magic city of Helena.

“You have already been informed, so you can rest and participate in the tournament comfortably.”

Indeed. The marquis’s influence was great. Since the tournament was hosted by the Emerton Dukedom, I would naturally participate in the preliminary rounds with ease.

Considering that ordinary magicians would arrive in Helena a week before the tournament to break through numerous waiting lines before submitting their preliminary application forms, this was a luxury.

“Thank you.”

“Right. This is your first time using a gate, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

I had used it many times in the game, but this was my first time in this world. The marquis nodded and began to explain a few precautions.

The gate would activate as soon as the mana stone was placed, and the time for activation was very short, so we needed to move quickly. Additionally, we might feel dizzy upon arriving on the other side, so we should be mentally prepared.

That’s not a big deal. It’s not like my body would be disintegrated while using the gate; a bit of dizziness wouldn’t be a problem. Of course, I nodded with a serious expression, despite my light-hearted thoughts.

“Then, have a good trip.”

“Yes.”

The moment I inserted the mana stone into the arched gate, a blue aura began to rise inside the gate’s frame. It looked similar to the portal I had seen when entering a dungeon.

Without hesitation, Leonhard and I stepped into the gate. The scenery in front of us began to blur, and for a moment, my vision turned white.

When I opened my eyes, the scenery in front of me had completely changed.

“Ah. So you are Kyle?”

Who else would it be? From the way he called out, he seemed to be one of the high-ranking individuals.

I turned to the source of the voice and saw a red-haired noble. He was the first son of the Duke, Helton. As the designated heir, he was essentially the second-in-command of the vast dukedom.

He was indeed a person of higher status than me. His indifference, as indicated by his zero affinity, suggested that he had never paid attention to Kyle.

Well, a troublemaker would only draw attention if they could influence him.

If it were the real Kyle, he wouldn’t have dared to speak to this guy. Helton had achieved the fourth circle at the age of 15, making him a powerful magician. With his superior status, a troublemaker like Kyle wouldn’t stand a chance.

I slightly bowed my head.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Kyle Seltarion.”

He greeted me formally.

“So, you plan to participate in the upcoming magic tournament, specifically in the theoretical category?”

“Yes.”

“Gate. It seems the marquis has high expectations for you. I’ve heard the rumors. You overcame Hermemul, right?”

“To some extent.”

“Then you haven’t participated in vain. I hope you achieve good results.”

From his eyes, it didn’t seem like he had high expectations. Even renowned magicians found it difficult to win in the theoretical category, as creating new magic was extremely challenging.

Of course, that didn’t apply to me.

“Thank you.”

“I will show you to your room. Rest for a while. You can move when the preliminary rounds start.”

Helton then led Leonhard and me to a grand room.

After sitting down, I looked around and whistled.

“Definitely a dukedom. It’s spacious, even more so than our family’s.”

“One of the three strongest families in the empire. It’s natural. While our marquis family is known for our swordsmanship, we do lack in reputation compared to the three dukedoms.”

He was right. The perception was indeed like that.

These prestigious families had been around for hundreds of years, so they had a significant amount of influence. The difference between a duke and a marquis was more significant than one might think.

Seeing the dukedom, I could feel how impressive it was.

Since I had only visited the Nairon Viscount’s family, it was difficult to feel a sense of superiority over someone below me.

But the dukedom was different. Just by looking at the grand buildings outside the window, I could feel that they were a step above the marquis family.

‘Is it because they are a magic family?’

The buildings looked like multiple magic towers placed together.

Below the vast land of the dukedom, magicians were bustling about. If I didn’t have the golden connections, I would be struggling in the crowd.

‘One hour left.’

There was only one hour left before the preliminary rounds.

As I toured the dukedom,