The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 4

The sensation of sunlight on my eyelids slowly pulled me awake.

Birdsong chirped clearly outside the window.

“…Morning?”

I quickly sat up and checked the time.

[April 15, 2054]

[AM 7:42]

Since I last checked the time at 10 PM yesterday, a full ten hours had passed.

‘I maintained mana circulation for ten hours?’

Despite that, my mind is crystal clear.

Normally, I should have collapsed from mental exhaustion after pushing myself this hard, but I feel as refreshed as if I had slept soundly for ten hours.

‘No, that’s not the important thing right now.’

I immediately went back into inner contemplation.

I needed to check if the circle was successfully woven.

I closed my eyes and focused inward.

I could feel something new, something that hadn’t been there yesterday, filling my body.

“This is the Infinity Circle…”

My body had become a single, vast circle.

It was so immense that it couldn’t even be compared to the previous circle, which was the size of my heart.

‘It’s so huge, but the mana circulation efficiency is this good?’

In fact, a large circle isn’t always better.

A large circle would increase the absolute amount of mana that can be absorbed.

But simply increasing the volume is meaningless.

A large circle means that the time it takes for mana to complete one cycle (mana circulation time) is longer.

A longer mana circulation time means that the processing speed of magic is slower.

That’s why mages weave the mana loop around their hearts.

By creating a circle in the heart, the organ that sends blood throughout the body, the mana refined by the circle can be carried in the blood to any part of the body.

The disadvantage of a small circle can be offset by weaving multiple circles.

This is the basic common sense of modern magic.

But what about my Infinity Circle?

Even though it’s a vast circle encompassing my entire body, not just the size of my heart, the mana circulation speed is no different from other circles.

It’s like running on a track that’s ten times longer than others in a race, yet arriving faster than them.

‘It feels like the rotation rate is even better than normal circles?’

It’s like everyone else is using motors for electric scooters, but I’m using a motor from a high-end sports car.

‘Is this the difference between going through the brain and not?’

I wondered if the presence or absence of a control tower made such a difference.

‘But it’s going to take some time to handle this properly.’

I scratched the back of my head.

What’s the point of having a state-of-the-art sports car motor if you don’t know how to use it?

Learning how to use a state-of-the-art motor requires its own time and effort.

Fortunately, I have a way to minimize the investment of time and effort.

I immediately picked up [Ray Bell Byteiner], which was lying on the floor.

I turned the page and checked after page eight, which was originally blank.

[Welcome to the formal initiation into Byteiner’s magic.]

“As expected.”

As I expected, this book seemed to be structured so that new pages would be updated with my achievements.

[There are many things I want to say, but I won’t mix in unnecessary chatter. I know that what you want is not my chatter.]

I suppressed my pounding heart and read the next sentence.

[From now on, I will teach you the basics of Byteiner’s magic.]

Byteiner’s magic.

Ray Bell Byteiner’s secret magic.

[The first step and the foundation of Byteiner’s magic. I call this first step ‘Intent’.]

Intent.

The short two-syllable word made my heart race.

* * *

After that, my daily routine revolved solely around learning Byteiner’s magic.

[The symbol of Byteiner’s magic is freedom.]

[Think freely. That will become your strength.]

The Infinity Circle symbolizing infinity.

Byteiner’s magic symbolizing freedom.

The synergy between these two was greater than I had imagined.

[Byteiner’s magic has no set formulas.]

[My magic requires no incantation, magic formula, or algorithm.]

It’s not just the performance aspect of magic that creates synergy,

but also the difficulty of learning, where the two are intertwined to create a synergistic effect.

In short, it’s incredibly difficult.

[It’s like how people don’t calculate when they move their arms, move their legs, breathe, or blink.]

It’s easy to say.

In soccer, you just kick the ball into the goal.

In basketball, you just throw the ball into the hoop.

[Mana is your arm. Your leg. Your heart, and your head. Move it as you please.]

This is like telling a swordsman to use their sword like their hands and feet,

or telling a shooter to handle their gun like their hands and feet.

I’m saying it twice because it’s important; it’s really easy to say.

If using something like your own limbs was as easy as it sounds, sports wouldn’t have been invented in this world.

[Think freely. That’s the beginning and the end of Byteiner’s magic. It’s everything about my magic.]

Freedom is such a vague concept that it was hard to establish a clear definition.

After numerous trials and errors, three days had passed.

Today is April 18th.

It was Saturday.

“With the feeling of conveying exactly what the brain is thinking…”

Today, I was also diligently training my magic, rotating the Infinity Circle.

I had been working hard for five hours since morning to acquire ‘Intent,’ but I still hadn’t properly formed a magical shape.

And the current time is 1 PM.

It was time to go to my part-time job.

‘I feel like I’ll get the hang of it if I just do a little more…’

It goes without saying, but I’m a black sheep.

Family support was cut off a year ago.

I have no choice but to earn everything myself, from food expenses to textbook costs.

I can’t survive without a part-time job.

The only saving grace is that the Obelisk Academy adopts a system where tuition is paid in full before enrollment.

Thanks to that, I avoided the worst-case scenario of having to earn tuition.

If I had to earn tuition as well, I might have really chosen to drop out. Or I might have resorted to illegal activities.

“Poverty is a sin, a sin.”

I have to work hard today and tomorrow to pay for tomorrow’s food.

I smiled bitterly and got up from my seat.

You need money to learn magic too.

I changed into appropriate clothes and headed outside.

“The weather is nice.”

The sky was very clear.

Just like my heart.

* * *

I finished my part-time job safely.

I went straight back to the dormitory.

And as always, I devoted myself to learning Byteiner’s magic.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

It feels like it’s within reach, but I can’t quite grasp it.

It’s like a thin, transparent barrier is blocking my hand.

In magic studies, this transparent barrier is called the ‘Wall of Enlightenment.’

I need to break through this wall, but I can’t think of a good way to do it.

“What’s the problem?”

The theory is already perfect.

Theories written on the newly updated pages, combined with theories I’ve gathered from new information, make the theory of Byteiner’s magic as perfect as it can be.

I’ve actually understood everything.

The analysis of the Infinity Circle’s structure is also complete.

I’ve even figured out how the Infinity Circle and Byteiner’s magic interact with each other.

“But why isn’t it working?”

The problem is that despite all this, the magic isn’t properly activating.

How can I not go crazy and jump up and down?

I don’t know what else to do.

‘Did I miss something?’

I reread the organized content step by step.

There are three notebooks filled with theories, totaling over 100 pages.

It took over an hour just to review them.

“…It’s perfect.”

No matter how I look at it, I haven’t missed anything. I scratched my head. It’s frustrating.

“Ugh…”

Then, I suddenly noticed the mountain of notes and documents I had organized.

They were worn out in places from being handled, and hundreds of sticky notes were attached here and there, making them very messy.

“This scene…”

Looking at that scene, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

I felt like I had definitely seen this scene somewhere before.

“Ah.”

It came to mind.

“…The day I tried to weave a second circle.”

Twelve years old.

Back when I was still called a supernova.

Back when I was still the center of my family’s expectations.

I prepared for months to weave the second loop.

I researched the concept of circles, how they are woven, what chemical reactions occur, what size of circle is efficient, and so on.

I collected all sorts of information.

‘I’m going to weave the second circle perfectly!’

I was full of such arrogant thoughts.

And of course, I failed to weave the second circle.

It was the first failure of my life.

I remember crying my eyes out in frustration.

‘Hayul.’

Back when my whole family was still kind to me.

My father hugged me gently and said.

‘The word perfect is just a chain that binds you.’

‘It’s good that you think a lot, but sometimes you need to be able to go straight ahead without hesitation.’

At that time, I couldn’t understand what he meant.

But somehow, I felt like I could understand it now.

I immediately got up from my seat.

And I sat in the most comfortable position possible and focused my mind.

I emptied my brain and erased all distracting thoughts.

I focused solely on the rotation of mana, and even the thought of erasing thoughts disappeared.

‘I took too long of a detour.’

Nowhere in my teacher’s message did it say to understand Byteiner’s magic and the Infinity Circle.

It only said to think freely.

I thought too deeply about this simple sentence.

‘Perfection is a fictional word created by human arrogance.’

In terms of magic studies, the word perfect does not exist.

I, who had narrowed my vision under the name of urgency, seemed to have not even realized such a basic thing.

I smiled faintly and rotated the mana.

Hum, hum, hum.

A clear resonance rang out.

There were no distracting thoughts in my head.

[It’s like how people don’t calculate when they move their arms, move their legs, breathe, or blink.]

Only my teacher’s words lingered in my mind like a haze.

[Mana is your arm. Your leg. Your heart, and your head. Move it as you please.]

It was an enlightenment.

A small but intense enlightenment.

[Think freely. That’s the beginning and the end of Byteiner’s magic. It’s everything about my magic.]

The world can look completely different just by tilting your head slightly.

Enlightenment is such a trivial thing.

Whoosh!

Flames rose on my palm.

Without any warning.

The flames rose simply because I thought of it.

There was no need for the eight-step activation formula of old magic, nor the two-step activation formula of modern magic.

Instant cast.

Just like how you don’t think about moving your arm.

Just like how you don’t calculate when you breathe.

Mana followed my will and bloomed a flower of flame.

[The first step of Byteiner’s magic. I call this first step ‘Intent’.]

“I succeeded…”

It was the moment I succeeded in taking the first step as a Byteiner mage.