Geometric Mage: First Spell, Circle

"Exactly, kid, nine. But do not worry! I know what you are thinking. How can there be so many artifacts out there if there are only nine Rune Masters?"

Lian had thought about it, but honestly, it was not one of his questions.

"The answer is simple. Humanity does not rely on the individual to thrive, but on the collective. It is thanks to humanity's unity that we prosper! It is true, here there are only nine of us, but that does not mean there are few Rune Masters in the entire empire. However—"

Lian frowned. The air became tense, too tense.

"However, the current situation across the entire continent is desperate. Artifacts are not enough, and in border cities like ours, the consumption is incredible. So every additional Rune Master can make a difference…"

"…but do not worry too much. If the sky falls, there will always be someone to hold it up. Do not worry too much and focus only on becoming stronger. Right now, you are too weak to think about these things!"

A laugh echoed through the entire structure again as the man began walking toward an object in the center of the room. Lian tilted his head as he observed the man acting so… flamboyantly.

"Come here, kid. Do you know how to see if you have an affinity for runes? Simple, you just have to be able to break down a Mana Core into its purest form."

Lian furrowed his brows. His voice held some doubt about the absurdity of the test. "As a first test, I should break down a Mana Core? Is that not a bit too difficult? I do not even have the slightest idea how to do it—"

"Kid, stop wasting my time! The runes will guide you through the process, but only if you have the necessary affinity. Otherwise…"

The man pointed to himself, brushing off the soot from the previous explosion. "Otherwise, the Mana Core will explode. And trust me, kid, it will not be pleasant—"

In front of Lian stood the Core Extractor, a cylindrical structure. It was made of glass, or at least, of a material that allowed one to see inside, while the whole was reinforced by a metallic material.

Inside the cylinder, a luminous sphere glowed with a soft blue. Inside it, the Cores were inserted, and through the Rune Master, these were broken down into runes.

An external hole, capable of closing and opening, allowed the operator to insert the Mana Core, and consequently, the release of the runa.

The runes were nothing but fragments of pure energy that could be embedded in weapons or objects to create artifacts.

Before Lian could ask about the specific functioning of the tool, the man had already extracted a Mana Core from his hand.

"It is simple, you only have to insert your mana core inside, like this-" The man inserted the Core inside the cylinder. The next instant, the blue light captured the Core, while its energy began to be analyzed.

Beep-

Next to the extractor, a screen lit up brightly while the information about the core was displayed in real-time.

"Huh? What does it mean?"

On the screen, several titles had appeared, each described differently.

"What did you expect, boy, that the runes would come out already complete? Obviously not!"

The man smiled as he selected one of the titles on the screen. "Do not worry about it now, I will explain everything in due time. As long as you have the affinity-"

Lian alternated his gaze between the man, the screen, and the extractor. He truly had no idea what to do, but the man had stopped talking. Taking a step back, he closed his eyes while nodding slowly toward the boy. Now it was his task.

Well, shall we begin? He thought as he placed his hands directly on the extractor. What should I do now-!

The exact moment he placed his hands, a surge of information crossed Lian's mind. The mana inside his body moved almost instinctively as it entered the device and rushed into the luminous globe, where the Mana Core was being analyzed.

"Huh?" The man widened his eyes, incredulous. He did not expect the boy to succeed!

Lian felt the mana flow like a raging torrent through his meridians. His hands, placed on the smooth and cold surface of the cylinder, vibrated slightly as the blue glow inside intensified, vibrating and responding to the rhythm of his mana.

The Mana Core began to vibrate intensely as its entire being was broken down and reformed into something different, unique.

The blue glow began to turn crimson, as the Mana Core began to disintegrate. In its place-

A Runa!

A crimson glow shone faintly and pulsed as it floated inside the extraction device.

"Boy! You did it-" the man shouted with surprise as the screen indicated the complete extraction of the runa from the mana core.

Lian opened his eyes as he observed the crimson runa. He could not see it clearly, but one thing was clear. He had succeeded! He had an affinity with runes!

A sigh left his lips as a smile filled his face. "So? Am I a Rune Master now?"

Lian was slightly distracted. His thoughts were entirely focused on the sensation he felt before, on his mana entering the device and beginning to break down the mana core into a runa.

The man, who at that moment was observing the screen with excitement, was stunned for a moment. "What? A Rune Master? What the hell are you talking about, boy?! You only managed to extract a runa from a mana core. To become a full-fledged Rune Master, you must first create an enchantment and then manage to insert it into an object. And trust me, that is another challenge-"

"But before we continue, let me introduce myself. I am Master Corvan, a Silver 5 Mage."

Listening to his words, Lian momentarily recovered from his thoughts. He shook his head, leaving behind useless thoughts. "I am Lian, Bronze 4 Mage… pleasure to meet you, Master Corvan!" he said politely, bowing slightly.