How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 78: 6-Circle (9)

After finishing his conversation with Uldemir and returning to his lodgings,

Karl immediately pulled out a magic tome from his inventory.

[Ancient Lost Magic Tome]

[Includes circlings and various spells. Each must be learned by paying SP.]

Let’s have a look.

Sitting on the bed, he carefully reviewed the information in the tome.

There was no need to actually open the book, since he wouldn’t be able to understand the contents anyway.

All the information was read through the system.

[Summon Earth Golem (150,000SP)]

[Growling (150,000SP)]

[Holy Shelter (160,000SP)]

[Dark Armor (170,000SP)]

.

.

.

The ancient 6th-circle spells that couldn’t be viewed before were finally revealed.

Just under ten of them.

Karl’s eyes lit up as he read through the descriptions one by one.

Maybe because they were ancient—these spells were definitely unique and unlike anything found in the current age.

“...Hmph.”

Though seriously, they’re damn expensive.

Even the cheapest one costs over 150,000 SP.

Of course, he wanted to learn them all, but that was impossible.

‘I’ll have to stick with just one for now.’

Clicking his tongue with regret, he went back through the list.

‘Summoning-type magic stands out too much, and the buff-type spells are kinda meh.’

Eventually, he made his choice.

<Dark Armor – 6th Circle, Secret Spell>

A secret defensive spell created by Sheric Deias, the head of the ancient Deias School.

Cloaks the entire body in darkness that absorbs and stores all types of damage up to a certain limit.

Stored damage can be re-released externally.

Dark Armor.

A kind of defensive spell that could absorb damage and retaliate.

The moment he read the description, something popped into his mind.

‘Feels like the kind of skill that bastard Zakan used.’

Zakan, the Archdemon.

One of the top-tier named monsters that showed up when playing as a warrior.

Karl remembered all too well how that goddamn reflect ability had made that fight a complete nightmare.

“Guess I’ll go with this one.”

Even if not for the reflect part, it’d give him an extra layer of defense on top of his shield.

Right now, this seemed like the most stable and efficient option.

Sure, the other spells were tempting, but he could always learn them later if needed.

[You have learned ‘Dark Armor (Secret Spell)’.]

And just like that, he acquired a new ancient spell.

He needed to test the effect, so Karl cast the spell right away.

A jet-black energy wrapped around his entire body.

Karl cast a force spell and focused it on the arm enveloped in shadow.

Crunch...!!

With a grim sound, the darkness clamped tightly around his arm.

Even as he pushed the power level close to full strength, he felt zero shock transmitted to the limb.

Just as the description stated—the damage was completely absorbed.

‘So that’s how it works.’

Now for the release?

Karl pulled a coin out of his inventory.

If he released all the physical force absorbed earlier, it would’ve caused a disaster, so he released only a tiny fraction. Just enough to test with the coin.

Crack!

The coin instantly shattered, its fragments clattering onto the floor.

Brushing the dust off his hand, Karl muttered,

“I like this.”

Seeing the effect firsthand, he was thoroughly satisfied.

Seemed like it’d be useful going forward.

With a touch of lingering curiosity, Karl browsed through the other spells.

One in particular caught his eye by name alone.

<Polymorph – 6th Circle, Secret Spell>

A secret spell said to have been used by dragons of old for amusement.

Allows free transformation of one’s appearance. When in contact with a target, more precise transformations become possible. Can copy appearance, body shape, and voice.

Unless the target is overwhelmingly superior to the caster, the spell cannot be detected.

Polymorph.

He couldn’t help but be intrigued.

Of course, he wasn’t planning to learn it.

He wasn’t about to blow hundreds of thousands of SP on a curiosity that wasn’t even immediately useful.

‘That’s enough for now... hm?’

Just as he was about to return the magic tome to his inventory, Karl paused and looked at it again.

[Mihaym-Type Circling]

[Desimon-Type Circling]

[Arzak-Type Circling]

.

.

.

Beneath the magic list, there were new entries related to the circlings he’d already learned.

Turns out, there were special spells that only those who had learned a specific circling could use.

Arzak-Type Circling had one such exclusive spell.

[Overload (200,000SP)]

Overload? Like, overcharging?

He read the description right away.

<Overload – 6th Circle, Secret Spell>

An exclusive spell for those who have learned the Arzak-Type Circling.

Consumes triple the mana to overcharge lightning magic. Overcharged lightning gains massively increased power.

Also passively enhances affinity and control over lightning. Conditional requirements for lightning-based spells are nullified.

“......”

Karl made a strange face after finishing the description.

‘This is a first.’

It was the first time he’d seen a spell that had both an active effect and a continuous passive one.

Guess ancient magic followed a different set of rules.

One detail in particular stood out.

The clause about removing environmental requirements for lightning spells.

“This is talking about Calling Thunder, isn’t it?”

Basically, learning this spell meant he could cast Calling Thunder without needing storm clouds.

He could drop a thunderbolt from a clear blue sky.

‘And the active effect is...’

Tripling the mana cost to massively boost lightning magic’s destructive power.

Just how much power does it add to justify that much extra cost?

“......”

Karl debated briefly, then decided to learn Overload too.

It didn’t have some fancy gimmick, but it could boost the power of all his lightning spells. Plus, it improved his control over them.

[You have learned ‘Overload (Secret Spell)’.]

He tested it immediately.

Same coin experiment.

He pulled out a coin and let a faint electric charge flow from his fingertip. A crackling blue spark.

“...!!”

Then he activated Overload—and the lightning turned red.

Startled, Karl dropped the coin.

Despite the tiny current, the coin melted and dripped to the ground.

“...Ha.”

He let out a dry laugh.

The amplified ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) power had exceeded his expectations.

‘No wonder it eats up so much mana.’

Even with Arzak Circling’s effect already boosting his lightning spells, adding Overload on top of that pushed it to terrifying levels.

He probably wouldn’t even get a chance to use this unless it was against something truly monstrous.

Dark Armor and Overload.

After learning those two new spells, Karl returned the ancient tome to his inventory.

It was still a long way off, but once he reached the 7th Circle, there’d surely be more spells to unlock.

Fwoosh...

Karl lay down on the bed where he’d been sitting and stared up at the ceiling.

6th Circle. Archmage.

A level of mastery that didn’t fall short by even continental standards.

The thought struck him—he’d become so absurdly powerful in just a single day.

There were no side effects to Circle awakenings through the system, so he didn’t need time to adjust... but the strange feeling lingered.

‘Just who...’

And why?

It was the same question that always loomed deep in his mind.

What kind of godlike being had dragged him into this game world and given him such ridiculous powers—and for what purpose?

By now, though, he cared less about the answer and more about one thing:

Getting back to Earth.

‘Two pieces left.’

He was halfway there.

Just two more Dimensional Fragments, and he could go home.

Assuming the quest actually kept its promise, anyway.

“Juraine Marhagel, huh...”

From what he’d learned while traveling through the Sehton Kingdom, Juraine was the fifth prince of the Marhagel Kingdom.

Although it was a neighboring region, it was a different continent altogether—so he hadn’t been able to find out much more than that.

Anyway, according to the clue, Juraine possessed the third Dimensional Fragment.

‘Good thing I hit 6th Circle before dealing with royalty.’

Facing a royal figure always carried extra risk.

Especially since Marhagel was one of the most dominant powers on the Mon Continent.

In this brutal world, power was the only shield.

Suddenly, an old man’s face came to mind.

‘I wonder if he’s still tracking me?’

A senior officer of Aranhel.

The guy who’d shown up in the forest—and again at the auction. Someone Karl had plenty of debts to settle with.

He’d even lost his sword at that auction, so the guy was probably still on his trail.

‘His level was... 62, wasn’t it.’

Karl thought to himself.

Next time they met... he’d make sure to give that old man some rest.

A very peaceful rest he’d never wake up from.

* * *

"......?"

The old man, Gerok, stopped walking down the dim corridor.

Standing behind him, Herild looked back with a questioning glance.

“Is something wrong, sir?”

“...It’s nothing.”

Gerok resumed walking.

Whistling as he followed, Herild spoke up as if something had come to mind.

“Ah, come to think of it—have you made up with the young lady? Or are you still giving each other the silent treatment?”

“......”

“Haha, seems I shouldn’t have asked.”

Even with Gerok’s clearly displeased expression, Herild went on shamelessly.

“To be honest, even I think you went a little too far back then, Sir Gerok. I mean, giving up the young lady just to kill some bratty little mage?”

“......”

“She barely survived, so it turned out fine, but if she’d returned as a corpse, the Master would’ve been furious... Alright, alright, I’ll shut up—please stop glaring at me like that.”

Clicking his tongue, Gerok turned his gaze away from Herild.

Truthfully, he wanted nothing more than to slice off that arrogant tongue right then and there—but he restrained himself. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Despite his young age, Herild was one of the core pillars of the organization, holding a top executive position. In other words, he wasn’t a subordinate to be disciplined lightly.

Ever since that incident at the auction, the organization’s response had been the same across the board.

They disapproved of Gerok’s decision to abandon the heir for the sake of chasing a dangerous mage.

Only a few people—including Herild—were bold enough to say such things to Gerok’s face.

‘How aggravating.’

Of course, Gerok’s authority and prestige within the organization weren’t so fragile as to be shaken by mere gossip—but that didn’t mean he wasn’t irritated.

What annoyed him most was how little concern the organization showed regarding that young mage.

No matter how promising the boy seemed, he was still “just” a high-level mage. The general belief was that if they mobilized proper force, they could track and eliminate him easily.

They had simply concluded that, with the organization already busy with other affairs, there was no need to go out of their way and risk clashing with Altus by forcing a confrontation now.

But Gerok, who had confronted Karl face-to-face, knew better.

He knew—that boy was dangerous.

That was why the only people currently tracking Karl were Gerok’s own direct subordinates. And for Gerok, that was a deeply unsatisfying state of affairs.

“What’s your take on it?”

Though it was an out-of-the-blue question, Herild understood it instantly.

He was asking about the proposal discussed in the meeting they’d just left.

Gerok stayed quiet for a moment, then replied.

“Judging by the proposal alone... it’s not bad.”

“Keh keh... Really, living long enough, you see all sorts of things. Who would've thought a noble royal would come begging for help from rebels?”

“What’s your opinion?”

“For me, the Master’s will always comes first. I expect he’ll accept the proposal. The Marhagel Kingdom should make a suitable partner for our future plans.”

Herild grinned slyly.

“Either way, looks like we’ll be heading over to the Mon Continent soon.”