Chapter 20 : Circle (3)

There was a performance evaluation in the morning.

A smile subtly pulls up the corners of my mouth.

Gathering muscles, a show of force.

It’s ridiculous.

Cute provocation.

Even while I sleep, this body is constantly training, so what’s so difficult about lifting a steel bar?

“Our terrible twins are China’s strongest gym rats!”

“You little brat. We’re here to avenge our last defeat. It’ll be different this time!”

“Well, try lifting this too.”

Deadlift.

“Ugh!”

Maximum weight.

The iron cried out.

The steel bar bent, unable to bear the weight on both sides.

The muscles in their thighs bulged.

Veins popped out, and sweat spread.

Even while trembling.

There’s nothing they can’t say in front of a small girl.

Overwhelmed by a sense of triumph, their yellow teeth spread into a wide grin.

Ernian was calm.

As long as my eyes are open.

I immediately understood the principle.

The central axis of gravity.

The contraction and relaxation of muscle fibers.

The principle of torque (rotational force) and leverage.

They were bearing the weight only with their arm and back muscles.

It was inefficient.

Lifting like that builds up muscle fatigue and pushes joints to their limits.

I could immediately grasp that it would be different if I did it.

‘Is this difficult?’

Moreover.

I’ve obtained the Cheonmajiche.

If this body moves as I intend, what is there to fear?

I opened my core.

Ideation moves.

Whoosh!

My body responded.

My diaphragm tightened.

Intra-abdominal pressure increased.

The erector spinae muscles locked tightly.

A sensation I hadn’t felt before.

Strength overflows in all my limbs.

Simply.

Ernian lifted the weight with a precise trajectory.

Perfect hip drive.

Pushing my knees out, squeezing my glutes, and straightening my back.

My latissimus dorsi tightened, and my gluteus maximus burned.

Not a bad feeling.

The force came up from the floor, traveled through my entire body, and was transmitted to the barbell.

Truly.

A perfect deadlift.

Thud!

The barbell hit the floor.

For a moment, the surroundings fell silent.

“No way!”

“How could that little brat?”

“Next is the bench press!”

It didn’t matter what kind of exercise it was.

The principle is the same.

“Hahahaha! Well done. This is what I expect from my disciple!”

The professor was also satisfied.

Proudly receiving full marks.

Next was magic class.

‘What are you staring at?’

But.

The face I encountered was unusual.

The nerd who cheated last time was glaring at Ernian.

The academy’s exams are broadly divided into three categories.

Midterms, finals, and performance evaluations.

Performance evaluations are conducted every month.

It was an important test that evaluated students’ practical response and quick thinking while also checking their academic achievement.

How do you evaluate magic?

It’s simple.

Simulation.

Perhaps that’s why.

This was the most popular test among all the first-year major courses.

The reason is simple.

There’s a lot to see.

But.

This time, a special reason was added.

Buzz buzz.

“Is this an opportunity to witness the magic of Manheontap?”

“I heard it’s amazing. I heard he can control shadows.”

“Haha. It’s astonishing enough that a first-year is a 3-circle, but is he also using techniques that haven’t been disclosed to the academic community?”

“He’s Man-sin’s disciple, after all.”

Arkeus.

The interest in him extended all the way to this practice area.

“Whatever it is, it’s clear that Arkeus will take first place, unlike the entrance exam.”

“No one will be able to compete with him.”

“Of course. Even second-years are no match for him, so there’s no way a classmate in the same year can compete.”

The test is conducted with two people at a time, and their scores are compared.

There’s only one reason for adopting a confrontational format.

To push the students’ potential to the limit.

All eyes turned to the sky.

Targets appear.

One at first.

But.

No one touched it.

As time ticked by.

The two magic students were preparing their respective strategies.

The first to move was the male student.

“1-circle?”

“It’s not a bad build. Moving first in the early stages to secure as many targets as possible.”

“Yeah, it’s better to multiply in advance, so it’s easier to maximize damage output later when you have time to deal.”

Calculating the spell according to the blueprint of magic.

As the formula was completed, a single circle began to resonate with the surrounding mana.

Whoosh!

Energy is not created.

It merely changes form.

That.

Humanity realized this more deeply through the [System] and [Skills].

Through the circle.

The mana scattered in the air was converted into heat.

Red flames gathered.

The flames wriggled and rotated.

The airflow was distorted.

What was created as oxygen was sucked in was a form on the verge of explosion.

Its name is.

“Fireball.”

Launch.

It flew towards the target.

Fast and intense.

At the moment of impact, the surface burns, and residual heat remains.

Kaboom!

Accurate hit.

The target disappeared.

But.

Instantly, a new target appeared.

Twice as many as before.

From 1 to 2.

Now, the formula must be adjusted again.

Resetting spatial coordinates.

Rapidly transforming the circle.

Calculating the optimal launch angle considering thermodynamics and fluid dynamics.

And.

Once again-

Kaboom-!

‘So this is how it works.’

A competition where each side vies for targets.

In the end, the opposing female student, who handled two circles, won.

But.

It was a narrow margin.

And.

Time passed.

The last turn.

It was Ernian’s turn.

The opponent?

The genius magician.

Arkeus.

The reaction was intense.

“The freshman representative is facing Arkeus.”

“I heard there were rumors of her getting in through connections, but it doesn’t seem like it. I heard she got a perfect score in the martial arts performance evaluation in the morning.”

“……What? She’s in the magic department?”

“Yeah, she’s double majoring.”

A moment of silence followed.

Some were impressed.

Some looked as if she was out of her mind.

Theory and calculation, complex formulas and research.

This discipline is burdensome enough on its own, but to pursue it alongside martial arts?

This is either genius.

Or………

Insanity.

Someone snorted.

“Hmph. Double major? That’s impressive, but…”

“You can’t be good at both.”

“As expected, Arkeus will win.”

The students nodded.

It was understandable.

Martial arts and magic.

It is possible to train in both.

The talent and passion to converge the two.

That alone was commendable.

But.

Becoming the best at both is impossible.

The expectation that if achievement in martial arts is high, magic will conversely be poor.

An invisible prejudice had already taken hold.

Pitter-patter.

Small body.

A cute sound was made every time her toes grazed the floor.

She wore glasses.

A doll-like child, nonetheless.

But—

Curves that somehow didn’t match her physique.

They jiggled lightly with each step she took up the stairs.

“El! Do your best! Fighting!”

At that time.

A clear and cheerful voice cuts through the surrounding noise.

A strangely beautiful face.

Jeong Chaemin.

She cheered for Ernian.

But.

Ernian didn’t react.

‘It’s doable. In this way.’

Focus.

I was planning my strategy for the future.

The surrounding noise faded away.

Unnecessary things disappeared one by one from my mind.

Jeong Chaemin’s voice, the murmuring people, even the mechanical sounds of the simulator.

All that remained was-

Distance.

Temperature.

Wind.

Angle.

Target.

Airflow and density.

Movement patterns.

Gravity.

And.

Circles and magic.

Although.

I wasn’t holding a gun.

‘No matter who the opponent is, I can win.’

She.

Was a sniper.

‘It takes time to prepare a circle.’

If it were an A-rank certified hunter like Kim Chunbok?

He could generate seven circles in an instant.

And manifest magic at an unbelievable speed.

But.

It’s unreasonable to expect that at the student level.

That’s why I prepared this strategy.

‘Because I’m a sniper.’

A short, low sound.

Beep!

It’s started.

The simulator was activated.

As soon as the target appeared, I opened my eyes wide.

Now.

My eyes see everything.

“Crazy. The circle implementation speed is ridiculous.”

“She completed a 1-circle in an instant.”

“This is pro-level.”

“I guess she didn’t get first place for nothing.”

Ideation.

It gathered.

And soon, it took form through mana.

Black.

Circle. A rotating outline.

The noise floating in the air disappeared.

All my senses were directed towards the circle.

This is my territory.

From here on, it’s ‘my world.’

From now on, my spirit is contained here.

‘Because I’m good at handling ideation, the implementation speed is fast. But, more than 2-circles is impossible.’

To handle multiple circles, you have to split your mind.

It’s a realm I haven’t reached yet.

But.

Based on what I saw with my eyes.

One circle was enough.

The circle moved.

Without any warning.

Straight towards the target.

Whoosh!

“What?”

“Did I see that wrong? Why did she throw away the circle she just made?”

“She didn’t throw it away. Her score went up by 1 point.”

“That’s throwing it away, you idiot. You need a circle to use magic.”

“Is she crazy?”

People were buzzing.

Looks of disbelief.

It’s understandable.

A circle is the source of magic.

The framework that implements magic.

To shoot it away.

It meant throwing away the potential that the circle held.

The possibility of becoming countless constellations by resonating with the mana in the atmosphere was buried in a mere magic missile.

But.

It was intentional.

Even though I can’t handle multiple ones yet.

Because I’m good at handling ideation, I can quickly regenerate circles.

“Is she an idiot, really?”

“Is she going to take the performance evaluation by throwing 1-circles one at a time?”

“Arkeus is a magician who can implement 3-circles, even if it takes a little time. Even, once he starts implementing 3-circles, she won’t even be a match.”

“As expected, it’s a problem when ignorant people who train in martial arts try to do magic.”
“Even, I heard she usually shoots guns”

“Is that why she shooting one at a time?”

“Aww come on. How will she be able to get any points one at a time.”
“Tell me about it”

The surroundings were buzzing.

Mockery. Disregard. Sneers.

My body was so good that I could hear it all automatically.

But I don’t care.

From now on.

It’s the real deal.

Arkeus’s circle was formed.

3-circle.

He was taking his time, building a perfect spell.

A magic I’ve never seen before.

But once I saw it, I could understand it.

‘Shadow magic?’

Shadow.

A dark space formed when light is blocked.

It has no mass, no substance, no energy.

It’s just a name given to call something that doesn’t exist.

That is, shadows do not exist.

But.

This boy made shadows exist.

How?

‘All wavelengths are suffocating inside. It’s erasing information and blocking electromagnetic waves. Like an event horizon.’

I read the changes in electromagnetic waves in the air.

The place where visible light should reach is disappearing.

Light is not reflected.

It’s not refracted either.

If light (electromagnetic waves) is not reflected?

We see it as black.

As if space is distorted.

A structure where light is not reflected even if it reaches, and is completely absorbed internally.

‘A magic that absorbs electromagnetic waves to isolate and convert energy.’

In other words.

The true nature of this magic is.

It’s not about manipulating shadows.

It’s a light absorption magic that ‘converts’ light.

The basic structure is a combination of 3-circles.

The 1-circle is responsible for Spatial Distortion.

It adjusts the Refractive Index of the surrounding space to focus light to a specific point.

The 2-circle is a Mana Filter.

It converts mana into a particle state, forming a filter that traps light.

The 3-circle is Energy Stasis.

As energy exchange with the surroundings is blocked, light and mana are kept in an isolated state.

As a result, the three circles are organically combined.

Trapping light.

Using mana as a medium, it stops the flow of energy and closes off space.

After that, this is freely manipulated through advanced calculations.

The name of this magic is.

“Abyss Cradle!”

The target’s identity was confirmed.

Then.

All that’s left is to snipe.

A 3-circle magic that is maintained by trapping light.

But a single circle shattered that law.

The black circle I created.

It tore through the void and flew in a straight line in silence.

Whoosh!

Instantly, the air cried out.

The 1-circle that penetrated the elaborate structure of the 3-circle shook its phase.

Like dominoes falling, an inevitable collapse.

It induced Phase Instability by shaking the mana phase.

As a result, the mana filter that was trapping the wavelength of light collapsed.

The harmony that trapped the light was twisted.

The result?

Flash!

Explosive brilliance.

The trapped light is released all at once.

Vision momentarily flashed.

And-

All the shadows disappeared.

The elaborate magic constructed with 3-circles.

Was sniped by a single circle of mine.

“What?”

As if he couldn’t believe it.

The boy’s eyes shook.

The reactions of those around him are also mixed.

“What? What happened?”

“It’s not like he can freely hit the targets now, why did he cancel the magic?”

“No. Arkeus canceled it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s not ordinary magic. It’s Manheontap’s magic. How could he break a formula designed by Man-sin?”

“F*ck, if I knew that, would I be standing here?”

The magic I created.

The only magic in this world that only I can use.

Actually, it’s not even magic.

But if I had to name it.

“Cancellation.”

The score appeared.

The score?

1:0

Still.

I was winning.