Chapter 37: First Circle [2]

Sitting on the floor of the training camp, legs crossed in the lotus position, Adam kept his back straight as pain coursed through his body like a restless animal looking for somewhere to bite.

His ribs, still poorly healed, protested with every deep breath, sending sharp jabs of pain through him.

Behind him, Alaric placed both hands on his back, firm and warm, a solid presence that contrasted with the internal tremor that was beginning to form.

Earlier, he had asked who would start. This time, Adam didn’t hesitate to volunteer first, not out of bravery, but out of curiosity.

He wanted to understand it.

He wanted to feel the exact moment when a circle formed in his heart.

“Young master… from now on, listen carefully to my instructions.”

Alaric’s voice sounded too close to his ear, low and controlled. Adam felt a slight shiver run down his neck.

“Bring your mana to your heart.”

Adam closed his eyes.

The outside world faded away, replaced by internal perception. The channels of mana unfolded before his consciousness like rivers of dim light flowing. Without hesitation, he began to redirect the torrent.

The mana shifted obediently. It was living, vibrant energy, and as he forced it toward the heart, the pressure increased immediately. The heartbeat grew heavier.

Each pulse seemed to strike against the accumulated energy, like a hammer against red-hot metal.

“Now… begin.”

The command was almost a whisper.

Between heartbeats, Adam began to weave.

Not with his hands, but with his will.

The mana compressed in his heart began to draw invisible lines, forming a diagram. Line after line, rune after rune, the structure unfolded with surgical precision, like a spider web built in the center of an organ that never stopped moving.

The pain increased.

It wasn’t in his ribs.

It was internal.

Each stroke drew a fraction of energy, draining his reserves at a rate that would have alarmed anyone. However, his mana pool was vast, more than it should have been for someone in his condition. The loss did not frighten him.

Each line was precise. Each angle is impeccable, as if his heart had been waiting for this structure for a long time.

The circle continued to form under Alaric’s steady guidance, growing in complexity as night slowly fell over the training ground.

The last rays of daylight faded on the horizon, and a cold breeze began to blow between the wooden structures, barely stirring Adam’s hair.

But he didn’t feel it.

He was too focused on the amplified sound of his own heart… and on the figure that was beginning to glow faintly inside it.

A few minutes later, he finally finished creating his first circle.

Inside Adam’s heart, the circle floated suspended between the heartbeats, completely formed. It was not a simple structure. It was… vast and complex.

Too complex.

Hundreds of fine lines crisscrossed, forming overlapping geometric patterns, layers upon layers of tiny runes spinning in opposite directions without ever touching.

It was like looking at a constellation compressed to the size of a coin.

The circle anchored itself around the heart.

The mana now flowed through the diagram with an unsettling smoothness.

It circulated with near-perfect efficiency.

Adam observed the internal construction with concentration; finally, he had created his first circle.

He slowly opened his eyes, noticing that night had fallen. He sat up and stretched his body with a grimace of pain.

“Congratulations, young master, on becoming a first-circle mage.”

Alaric congratulated him with a pat on the shoulder and a smile. Then he looked at Renna, who was shivering slightly in the breeze.

“Tomorrow we will create your first circle.”

Renna nodded vigorously, causing her hair to ruffle innocently.

So, without further ado, Adam and the others left the training ground; they had been there practically all day.

…

Walking through the halls of the mansion was much more pleasant than he had expected. Adam wasn’t entirely comfortable because he was now a wizard; it was a strange feeling…

He continued walking through the halls, chatting with Asterin, until he reached the dining room, where his mother was already waiting for him.

Dinner was quiet.

His mother talked more than usual, perhaps relieved to see him walking better again after his injuries.

Adam responded and laughed with her; of course, they also talked about the business, which was experiencing explosive growth… although they didn’t go into too much detail.

He knew that the danger was not yet over; there were still more waves of monsters to come. And he wasn’t sure if they would get bigger; he also had to consider a possible attack from the two kingdoms, Kamelot and Aragon.

Adam sighed inwardly.

’There are too many variables…’

However, unlike in his first life, he was now much better prepared and was not defenseless; he was a novice knight and a first-circle mage, with five affinities.

Something unique in the continent’s entire history.

After dinner, he said goodbye to his mother and returned to his room.

As he closed the door behind him, the atmosphere changed. Domestic calm was left behind. Adam leaned against the wood for a second.

He walked to the center of the room and sat down at the desk.

In his past life, he had seen hundreds of spells. Some were simple. Others were capable of destroying entire fortresses. He couldn’t replicate the most advanced ones yet—his circle wouldn’t allow it—but the basics…

The basics were another story.

He spread a small portion of mana from the newly formed circle and began to structure it in front of him, in the air, just as he remembered.

First, a basic ball of water.

The pattern was simple: compression, controlled friction, precise release.

The diagram formed in miniature, barely visible to the naked eye. His memory had not betrayed him. He adjusted the pressure, stabilized the energy output…

A small ball of water appeared on his palm.

“This is incredible…”

Adam couldn’t be more amazed by the SSS-rank talent in magic; it was too good.

With just a memory from his past life, he was able to understand the basics and replicate a basic spell; that was too incredible.

Now he has other weapons to face the next waves of monsters that ravaged the city of Arkham.

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