“What on earth have you been talking about since earlier?”

Kim Songcheol asked, belatedly closing the entrance.

Honestly, he hadn’t understood half of what Cha Sehyeon was saying.

She wasn’t having a conversation; she was just saying what she wanted to say.

She definitely wasn’t drunk.

Her pronunciation was clear, and her eyes were sharp.

“The first part was the introduction. Now for the main point. You only need to understand the main point.”

Cha Sehyeon shrugged her shoulders and continued.

“This notebook contains a method to quickly advance circles.”

Only then did Kim Songcheol’s eyes change.

He was already dissatisfied with the speed of his advancement.

If there was such a method, he was willing to try it immediately.

“I’ve read it a few times, but honestly, I don’t know if it’s possible. I wonder if it’s a method a person can achieve.”

“That…”

“But I believe you can do it, brother. You have to do it.”

Cha Sehyeon glared at Kim Songcheol, her eyes almost threatening.

He didn’t know what the method was, but he felt that if he failed, she wouldn’t leave him alone.

“First, explain it.”

Kim Songcheol thought he had shown enough respect and subtly dropped his formal speech.

Of course, Cha Sehyeon didn’t seem to care at all.

“So… oh, wait a minute. I forgot because I was buying chicken feet.”

Cha Sehyeon created a magic circle beneath her feet and disappeared with a brilliant light.

The notebook that had been floating in the air dropped to the floor.

“What?”

Kim Songcheol first put down the bag he was holding and crossed his arms.

He couldn’t tell when Cha Sehyeon would return.

Just as he took a step, thinking of opening his notebook.

Cha Sehyeon, who had disappeared, reappeared. Kim Songcheol feigned ignorance and took a step back.

A large stone slab floated above Cha Sehyeon’s head.

It was a simple stone slab with nothing drawn on it.

She just placed the stone slab with a thud in the center of the thread.

A huge impact, enough to send vibrations through his feet.

The stone slab was about 2 meters in diameter.

It seemed to weigh several hundred kilograms.

And it was thick, too.

“…Did you carve a rock from some mountain?”

“No, I bought it with points. It only cost 160 points.”

As Cha Sehyeon lightly swung the chicken foot bone, the notebook lying on the floor flew over and opened with a rustle.

She read a few pages of the notebook and then stepped onto the stone slab.

“Just a moment.”

Small magic circles appeared around Cha Sehyeon. The magic circles were parallel to the stone slab, and a red light was cast from their center onto the stone slab.

Kagagak!

As the red light touched the stone slab, stone fragments scattered, creating grooves.

Six or seven palm-sized magic circles revolved around Cha Sehyeon, ‘printing’ a magic circle onto the stone slab.

‘How many is she casting at once?’

Even in that situation, Kim Songcheol was interested in Cha Sehyeon’s magic.

Even with multi-casting, organically controlling multiple magic circles to draw a single magic circle is almost like acrobatics.

Cha Sehyeon also possessed extraordinary talent.

“Alright, it’s done.”

Cha Sehyeon quickly drew the magic circle on the stone slab and stepped down to the floor.

The surroundings were full of stone fragments and dust. Kim Songcheol used clean magic to tidy up the area and examined the completed magic circle.

“A 5th Circle spatial magic…?”

As Kim Songcheol mumbled, this time Cha Sehyeon’s eyes widened.

“How did you know? Brother, you’re 2nd Circle?”

“It’s not like they don’t use the magic formulas that are currently in use just because the circle is higher, so roughly… But spatial magic? How do you quickly accumulate mana with spatial magic?”

“That’s the crazy part of this training method. Actually, this magic is just a safety device.”

Cha Sehyeon snatched the notebook floating in the air with her hand and handed it to Kim Songcheol.

“The key is the direction of the circle’s rotation.”

Her explanation was this.

Originally, the 1st Circle and 2nd Circle rotate in opposite directions, and the 2nd Circle and 3rd Circle also rotate in opposite directions.

Odd-numbered circles and even-numbered circles rotate in different directions.

However, in this training method, the rotation direction is forcibly unified.

When Kim Songcheol heard that much, he couldn’t help but interject.

“That doesn’t make sense, does it?”

“You’re right. That’s why I said it, didn’t I? I don’t know if this is even possible for a human.”

The reason why the rotation direction of the circles is set in reverse is explained by thousands of years of magic history in Arcadia.

When circle magic first appeared, direction wasn’t very important.

Because at that time, the very concept of creating multiple circles didn’t exist.

But as magic gradually developed, naturally, one more circle was added.

Because there was a limit to how much a single circle could grow.

At the same time, the side effects that occurred when two circles rotated in the same direction were also revealed.

That is the circle merging phenomenon.

It was a phenomenon where two or more circles spontaneously merged, and it was also the reason why there was a limit to the growth of a single circle.

If the circle merging phenomenon occurs, a circle explosion will inevitably happen.

Even if a single circle is forcibly enlarged, an explosion will occur.

If a circle explosion occurs, the mage dies with a 99.9 percent probability.

The remaining small percentage, that is, the cases of survival, were those where the circle was somehow completely dismantled.

They would become cripples who could never learn magic again, but it was a way to save their lives.

But now Cha Sehyeon was directly refuting that thousands of years of history.

No, to be precise, she was making Kim Songcheol refute it directly.

“By the way, this method was left by a descendant of a Great Sage before you, oppa. That person succeeded. So you will too. Read it yourself.”

“…Really?”

Kim Songcheol opened the notebook.

Neat handwriting was the first thing that caught his eye.

It was Cha Sehyeon herself who had copied the magic book inside the dungeon.

He could tell how serious Cha Sehyeon was about this training.

Kim Songcheol read through the training method while standing.

The core of this training method is to intentionally create the circle merging phenomenon.

But it does not cause an explosion.

This is because the practitioner suppresses the explosion with their unconscious mana control.

If an explosion is not triggered, the mechanism leading from circle merging to circle explosion is interrupted mid-way.

Then all that remains is circle merging.

Multiple circles simply become ‘one giant circle’.

This is the gist of this training method.

If it becomes a single circle, the effect is beyond imagination.

To quote the author of this book, it was ‘a method where the circle itself absorbs mana and grows, rather than mana being supplied through breathing techniques’.

The danger of explosion is blocked by control, and only the benefits of the explosion are taken.

‘I think I can do it?’

Kim Songcheol, who had read the entire notebook, felt even more confident than before he started reading.

Because there were several hints.

Hints that he possessed stronger control than the descendant of the Great Sage who wrote this book.

Moreover, the training method itself is not difficult.

Circle merging is possible right now, and if it proceeds according to the scenario, separating them again is simple.

The problem was the tug-of-war between the circle trying to cause an explosion and his control.

“Let’s do it.”

As Kim Songcheol took a step onto the stone slab, Cha Sehyeon abruptly pulled his sleeve.

“Now? Why don’t you think about it a little more?”

It was unexpected.

That Cha Sehyeon would try to stop him.

After rushing him so much.

“You told me to hurry.”

“No, that’s true, but you could get screwed, oppa. Once you start, even I can’t stop you. Read it one more time.”

“The content itself is nothing special. Reading it again won’t change anything.”

Kim Songcheol shook off Cha Sehyeon and stepped onto the stone slab.

“Damn it.”

Cha Sehyeon, who was always so headstrong, bit her nails and looked uneasy.

Having always lived as the one ‘out of control,’ experiencing it indirectly made her quite anxious.

If Kim Songcheol were to die like a sunfish here, Cha Sehyeon’s plan to hand over first place would completely fall apart.

Yet, there was no suitable reason to stop him either.

“Damn, I’m thinking of Director a lot today.”

She had no choice but to drink soju straight from the bottle.

Kim Songcheol listened to the sound of soju going down his esophagus, sat on the stone slab, and closed his eyes.

First, he activated his circle and infused mana into the magic circle.

He felt a significant amount of mana drain as the magic circle activated.

If Kim Songcheol’s Circle hadn’t been large, his Mana would have run out before he even began training.

“Whew…”

Kim Songcheol exhaled deeply and adjusted the rotation speed of the second Circle.

The rapidly spinning second Circle gradually slowed down and then stopped.

As the Circle, which had been holding Mana with its rotational force, stopped spinning, the Mana began to spread out.

Of course, Kim Songcheol did not just watch. The second Circle began to rotate in the opposite direction according to Kim Songcheol’s will.

He matched the rotation direction with the first Circle.

Whirrr…!

The first Circle and the second Circle began to spin faster and faster.

Both Circles in the same direction.

Kim Songcheol adjusted the positions of the two separated Circles and slightly overlapped them.

Whirrrrr!

Then, as if they had been waiting, the two Circles stuck together like a north and south pole brought close.

At that moment, the unified Circle began to spin with a fierce Aura.

‘Ugh…!?’

An enormous burden was placed on Kim Songcheol’s body. Even though he had prepared, he momentarily missed the expansion of the Circle.

The Circle forcefully expanded and burst out of Kim Songcheol’s body.

It was a precursor to a Circle Explosion.

That was also when the Magic formation on the Stone Slab shone brightly.

The 5-Circle spatial Magic severed the inside and outside of the Stone Slab, preventing the Circle’s expansion.

Kagagagagang!

The Circle collided with the spatial severance plane, scattering countless sparks of light.

Kim Songcheol exerted his maximum strength to push the Circle towards the center.

Spatial severance is not omnipotent.

If it collides a few more times, it will be dangerous.

Because it will cause an Explosion in three dimensions, not two.

In that case, Kim Songcheol would have no solution either.

‘Let’s see who wins.’

Kim Songcheol stared at the Circle with his eyes wide open.

The Circle repeatedly expanded and contracted.

When control was strongly applied, it contracted, but as much repulsive force acted, it grew larger again.

It was no different from a tug-of-war between Kim Songcheol and the Circle.

A long time passed during which Cha Sehyeon couldn’t even breathe, and Kim Songcheol couldn’t even blink.

Then, at a certain moment.

Kagagang!

As if making a final desperate effort, the Circle slightly scraped the spatial severance plane and then drastically shrank inwards.

There was no more tug-of-war.

The Circle began to rotate cleanly around Kim Songcheol.

He had finally stabilized it.

It was quiet.

Around the planet Kim Songcheol, a single ring rotated majestically.

Only then did Kim Songcheol close his eyes again.

‘A person can actually do that…’

Cha Sehyeon, who had been biting her nails, also let out a belated sigh of relief.

If it had been Cha Sehyeon, it would have ended with the first Circle expansion.

It was a dizzying moment even thinking about it now.

Cha Sehyeon slowly walked to the sofa and plopped down.

She clearly felt what was happening on that Stone Slab.

The Circle was creating its own suction and absorbing and storing the surrounding Mana.

Its speed was incomparable to Breathing Technique.

Breathing Technique has a high Mana loss rate, but this method was almost 99 percent efficient.

Cha Sehyeon belatedly wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a sip of soju.

Once stability is maintained, there will be no major risks in the future.

The first time is difficult, but the second and third times are easy.

It was also written in the Notebook.

‘…’

Kim Songcheol continued to maintain his Concentration.

Kim Songcheol felt as if only the Circle and himself existed in this world.

It was the first time he had concentrated on the Circle to this extent.

The fact that there was only one Circle.

Rather, it felt stable.

It was different from having multiple Circles existing, changing their rotation directions.

It was hard to explain in words.

It wasn’t a feeling that could be explained in a few words.

Then, suddenly, he remembered a passage he had read in the Notebook. It was the last passage written.

‘By discovering this Training method, I took another step forward in the field of Magic. This time, I intend to research Circle Magic itself and take another step.’

As that passage came to his mind, his Concentration immediately wavered.

This was because he had distracting thoughts, as he felt he understood why he had begun researching Circle Magic itself.

The Circle began to shake finely.

Kim Songcheol hurriedly began the separation process.

Trying to balance it was rather futile.

One Circle divided into two, and the outer Circle gradually slowed down and stopped. Then it began to rotate in the opposite direction again.

The two Circles clearly divided their territories.

Also, the second Circle was noticeably larger than it had been initially.

The Circle gradually shrank and disappeared into Kim Songcheol’s body.

Kim Songcheol opened his eyes.

Cha Sehyeon was nowhere to be seen.

Outside, it was already dark.

‘How many hours have passed?’

Looking at the clock, a full 5 hours had passed.