Chapter 39- A Wise Summer Vacation (6)
After he activated his magic successfully, he felt a sense of collapse within him. It was as if ether had burst free from its cage. Thus, he inferred that since his activation had been successful, what comes next become easier.
He shouted the same mantra four times in a row and suddenly felt drained. He tried it again, but on his fourth attempt, he thought that his ether had been utterly exhausted. Regardless, he ignored the dizziness that came and performed the spell once more. He was quite desperate to clean the baggage and to finish his disciplinary task once and for all.
Suddenly, Promise sent a warning.
[The remaining amount of ether is insufficient.]
He then felt a wave of vertigo stronger than before.
Jeongjin recalled that textbooks in the story always warned readers to avoid depleting their ether whenever possible. He likewise remembered how Behemoth had laughed at this, and said, “Indeed… However, even if you used up your ether, you still won’t die. But these textbooks had been written conservatively to keep the kids like you safe.” He divulged to Clayo, thinking the boy was his apostle.
‘But it’s still a little risky.’ Jeongjin thought.
He felt stiff and deaf as if a bucket of ice cubes had thrown on his head. His vision became cloudy, leaving him no choice but to sit as he felt fainting any sooner now.
A few minutes later, another golden letter appeared in his sights when he had just barely recovered his breathing.
[The total amount of ether has increased. Ether level 3 has reached. Magic slots increased to 3.]
“… What? Is it possible to get to level 3 with something like this? Tidying up a bunch of papers?”
After this, he became more drained, and his head hurt.
‘I guess some congratulations are for my level-up… My physical strength has improved; otherwise, I won’t have these perks.’ Jeongjin thought, commending himself for his advancement.
His level went up, but his ether still wasn’t as strong enough to make a circle that could spread out throughout the floor. Hence, he needed to regenerate and circulate his ether in a sitting position for thirty minutes. But he was impatient to continue focusing his magic.
He wanted to see what a level 3 magic circle looked like even when his body had barely filled up enough ether to continue the spell.
Therefore, he summoned a magic circle again.
Wow!
The circle was significantly more extensive than before, and it seemed to be stretching five meters in diameter. It covered all the remaining books left in the ample space. The magic before him was such an impressive and beautiful sight. Jeongjin felt thrilled, seeing it all alone as he stood in the middle of a golden circle.
What is it now? Is this how being a ‘wizard’ feels like?
His voice had already gone hoarse when he uttered the last mantra. Fortunately, it still worked well. The previous mass of waste materials had been removed entirely – the feat looking too cool for his eyes. Soon, the circle disappeared, and Jeongjin stooped down to lay on the floor.
With his eyes closed, he breathed out a long sigh at his efforts.
He once heard that if a magician’s circle grows, the ether consumption likewise grows in proportion. But he was thinking about what makes summoning it challenging. And soon, he went to the conclusion that it was perhaps only possible through persistent effort and will to invoke magic.
‘Or, could it be as Jevedi said – that my magic so powerful?’
Even after the final exam, Jevedi had called up Jeongjin alone and did some experiments with him. And the dean had highlighted his points that he ought to bear in mind.
‘Every magical spell that you trigger gives you twice as much power as normal.’
That’s why he tried to take his chance and gambled. And as a result, the average [Wind] spell had given off the power of a typhoon.
‘Rather, he said that it was possible to fine-tune magic power by increasing the level more. However, should I necessarily increase my level while I’m here?’
When he leaves school, there was no need to bother looking for anything since he had already learned magic. He also heard that prosecutors and wizards of level 3 and higher should report their residence to the government. It was an idea he detested, for he had no intention of living under their scrutiny.
He continued lying down, waiting for his headache to ease, and his heart rate return to normal. Sometime later, Jeongjin slowly raised his body and dusted his face. When he moved his limbs, he could barely contain the laughter that came from his heart.
“I’ll never come back to this school again. At last, I am free now!”