Descent of the Legendary Archmage

Saturday 3:30 PM.

I cheered.

''Success.''

After 12 long hours of hardship, I passed the second test.

[Congratulations on passing the second test.]

At the start of the 32nd page, which had been blank, my master's congratulatory message was written.

That message made my spine tingle with joy again.

[Passing the second test must have been quite difficult.]

[I expect it would have taken at least 2 months.]

“As expected it was a test that should have taken 2 months to pass.”

I thought that had I not found Mimir's tome, it would have taken me roughly 2 months. My prediction was just right.

[You've gone through a lot. All that's left now is to cherish the fruits of your hardship.]

Hardships are bitter but their fruit is sweet. I think that's a wise saying.

[Then I will explain how to weave the third circle.]

The third circle.

I felt those sweet words with my entire body and read on.

[The third stage of the Bytenor style and the third infinity circle.]

[In the Bytenor style of magic, the third circle is called the circle of interference.]

The circle of interference.

I wonder what kind of power this circle holds. My heart was pounding with anticipation.

* * *

Two days after passing the second test, I spent most of my time weaving my third circle.

[As its name suggests, the circle of interference allows one to interfere with the mana of others.]

[In order to interfere with other people's mana, you must first assimilate your mana perfectly with theirs.]

[It's something that's very difficult, but as someone who has passed the second test, it should pose no problems.]

I thought the test was stupidly hard for no reason, but it seems my master had planned everything out.

To think the second test was preparing me for my 3rd circle. I honestly didn't expect this.

[If this problem has been dealt with, then weaving the circle of interference will be easy.]

[Resonate the circle of deliberation and the circle of resonance, and assimilate the mana around you.]

[You're not trying to fight it, don't overdo it. Make sure to avoid straining your body and your circles. All you have to do is literally make the two circles the same.]

[If you continue to resonate with them like that, the third circle will naturally settle down in your body.]

By synchronizing the mana overflowing in the air, the mana settles not in the circle saturated with mana, but into the body. And soon, this creates a house for them to live in. That's how the third infinity circle is formed.

The circle of interference.

I could only understand this theory thanks to the books on the circle of interference I had read at Mímisbrunnr.

“This time I'll succeed.”

Ultimately, it all boils down to how long I can maintain resonance.

I should use as little energy as possible, and maintain it for as long as I can. I can maintain resonance for as long as possible by adjusting the resonance's mana amplification to gather less than 1%.

“Whew."

I took a deep breath and spun my circle.

'Naturally. I must allow the mana to settle down into my body as naturally as it floats around.'

I spun the two circles very carefully and delicately, but not awkwardly.

I wonder how much time had passed by as I did that.

Finally, the first signal came.

'Giggle!'

'I like it here.'

'Let's play together.'

I could hear the whispering of mana. As if they were in the middle of running around my body, I could feel my body being swiftly revitalized.

This was the first sign that I was forming the circle of interference.

Maybe it was because I was wearing my master's robe, but much more mana than usual was being absorbed into my body.

'It's cramped.'

‘It's cramped but I don't want to leave.'

'I like it here.'

The mana my circle couldn't absorb, blindly wandered around as they started to complain.

'Then let's make a new playground.'

'Yeah, okay.'

'Let's do that.'

The mana that had fully settled in, created a new place for themselves.That was the second signal.

Since I had managed to make it this far, I've done pretty much half.

'Whew. The real test starts now. Let's focus.'

However, in other words, I was only halfway there. I couldn't check what time it was because I was too busy concentrating, but judging from my previous failure before this, at least 3 hours must have gone by.

'I have to maintain my resonance while the mana builds a new ground in my body.'

In other words, I have to maintain my resonance for another 3 hours. In my previous attempt, I failed as I couldn't hold out for 6 hours.

4 hours and 11 minutes.

That's how long I could maintain my resonance last time.

Even with the very small mana amplification rate of 1%, 4 hours was my limit. However, if I lower the amplification rate to below 1%, the mana will not settle in my body.

It's a complete disaster.

'If I didn't have Mimir's tome, I might've suffered a bit.'

Mimir's book contained a clue which helped me to avert this crisis.

'By making the implication rate 1%, I can allow the mana to settle in my body and once the mana has completely settled down, I can gradually lower the amplification rate to downwards of 0.01%.'

To make sure the mana that's forming the circle doesn't become aware that I'm doing this, I must do it gradually but not slowly. This greatly increases the amount of time I can maintain resonance for.

'Whew. Let's not choke now.'

Vrr, vrr!

As I felt the trembling of mana, I lowered my resonance's amplification rate.

Bit by bit.

One minuscule bit at a time.

Gradually for 1 hour. I divided it into 100 steps and reduced the amplification rate little by little. Unbelievably precise control going beyond what was thought to be possible.

In order to achieve that control, I poured all my focus into it. I fell into a trance and around the time when I had forgotten I was even thinking.

'It's a success.'

'I like it here.'

I woke up to the feeling that something foreign was swirling in my body.

A circle with a unique trait different to the other two. If I were to compare it to something, it was a circle with the playfulness of a child.

"...This is the circle of interference.”

The third ring of my infinity circle had taken its place in my body.

* * *

About 1 week had passed.

Despite weaving the circle of interference, nothing much changed.

After waking up in the morning, I work out at the gym, take my classes until the evening, and after eating dinner, I enter Mimisbrunnr with my master's robe on and train my magic.

The only thing that's changed is that since I don't have to sleep, I can now focus on my magic training through the night.

Thanks to this, out of the 24 hours I had in a day, I spent 9 hours at school, 1 hour physically training, and the rest of the 13 hours excluding meals and breaks into mastering the circle of interference.

No. Truthfully, even during my theory classes, I devoted myself to studying to master the circle of interference, so I spent an average of 17 hours a day on the circle of interference.

“Mimir. Is there another book?"

"What's this? You've read everything already?"

"Yeah."

1 hour before class started, as per usual, I began my day at Mímisbrunnr.

"You're fast. At that point, the theory books are meaningless, aren't they?"

Mimir handed me a book in admiration.

After I gently received the book, I opened it up right away.

"You've understood all the theories regarding interference, right?"

"So why would you read anymore?"

I turned the page.

“Nothing bad ever came out of having more knowledge, right?”

From the very start, it was said that knowledge is power.

"I guess that's true."

“It’s also fun.”

The Bytenor style of magic can be compared to the finest tea leaves: the more you read it the more its flavor deepens, and a new flavor is felt every time you give it a taste.

I don't know how it can be packed only full of such instructive and fun knowledge, but thanks to it I couldn't even feel the time passing by.

Since I no longer need to sleep, I'm definitely awake for 24 hours a day, yet it feels like the day is going by faster than before.

“Sigh. Like master, like disciple...”

Mimir looks at me as if I was a pervert.

"What?"

“Your greed for knowledge is the same as Ray's.”

"I see. Thanks for the compliment."

"...It's not a compliment."

Mimir shook her head as if there was no helping me.

"Fine, whatever. Since as you said, knowledge is power.”

Mimir chuckled.

“More importantly, is the stuff other than the theory going well? Have you got used to using interference?"

“I wouldn't say that I'm at the stage where I can say I've got used to it. But I suppose everything's gotten a lot better than before?"

“How much better?”

"Enough to slightly bend the trajectory of 2nd circle magic?"

"Oh? What's this, successor? You can already interfere with 2nd circle magic?"

Suddenly, Mimir petted my head.

“That’s great. I'll give you some praise.”

“Thanks for the praise, but why do you have to pet my head?"

“Because I like petting your head?”

Mimir continued to pet my head as she faintly smiled.

"...It's distracting me from reading.”

Mimir snorted.

“Distracting? Once you've started to concentrate, you wouldn't even notice if you got kidnapped."

"..."

I couldn't deny it.

In fact, since I've started wearing my master's robe, my concentration's risen to another level, so much so that I've reached a stage where I don't even pay any attention to outside distractions.

Last time, you have no idea how surprised I was when I came to notice Mimir glued to me.

Mimir said that she wanted to see how long it would take for me to take notice, but apparently, I didn't notice for 5 entire hours.

"Why? Don't like it?"

Mimir suddenly made a sullen expression.

“I see. You don't like it. Then I should stop it. I only wanted to because it was so nice to meet a successor for the first time in 10,000 years and since I was all alone for those long years, I had missed the warmth of the human body. But if you don't like it then it can't be helped. I get it. I won't do it again.”

"Wow. You're just making me out to be the bad guy."

When she put it like that, how could I refuse her.

"Do as you like."

"Okay! I'll do as I like!"

Mimir, who had her head lowered, smiled broadly as if she had never been gloomy and pet my head again.

She looks genuinely happy.

'It may be true that she missed the warmth of humans.'

Because she did say I was the first successor. It must be true that I'm the first person she's met in 10,000 years.

I felt sorry for her.

I'll be better to her.

How could letting her pet my head be a big deal when she's helping me so much?

“By the way, successor. Isn't it time for you to get going?"

“Yeah. I was just about to get going.”

It's just that I couldn't get up because Mimir was petting my head as if she was having the time of her life. I knew that it was time to leave.

I closed the book I was reading and got up.

“Then I'll be back.”

"Take care. You have to master interfering with 2nd circle magic before coming back."

''....I'll try."

"Just trying won't get you anywhere. You said the test was 2 days and 1 night long. You'll be able to use interference multiple times, so you must master it.”

Mimir said firmly.

“And while you're at it you might as well take first place. I don't want to see the official successor of the Bytenor style lose to anyone.”

“Don’t worry about that. I'll never lose.”

There's a 0% chance that I won't take 1st place.

“Then I'll be back.”

"Hm. You're taking Ray's robes as well?"

"Yeah. I'm going to use it in the test.”

Today's training is the ‘2 days 1 night survival training’. Since it's a test that requires one to stay up the whole night, my master's robes are bound to be of great help. And since it looks so awful, it won't get noticed.

"Wow. Sneaky. To think that you would try to give yourself an unfair advantage while others are staying up the night without a wink of sleep.”

“Then should I not take it?”

Mimir looked at me with a serious expression.

"No. You must take it."

Didn't you say that it was sneaky?"

"Successor. Don't you know that being sneaky is a compliment?"

Mimir wickedly laughed.

''Vulgarly and nastily run them over and take first place by a landslide. Got it?”

"Ah."

That's my speciality.