Lira moved around the room for a short while, gathering five books and confirming whether they were the ones she required.
She returned to Noctis, who appeared lost in thought with an expressionless gaze.
'Even the young master is feeling the pressure of the entrance exams,' she smirked internally.
Noctis snapped back to reality as he noticed the stack of books placed in front of him.
He glanced at the titles of the books:
- 'Magic Circle Analysis'
- 'Spells for Beginners'
- 'Introduction to Circle Integrations'
- 'Construction and Deconstruction of Magic Circles'
- 'Introduction to Mathematics for Mages'
Noctis steeled himself as he opened the first book and began to read.
The text commenced with a historical overview of magic itself, particularly focusing on how humans learned to control mana and magic circles.
To understand the essence of magic, we must explore its origins by asking:-
how did humans create the first magic circle?
In the early days of magical exploration, humans could merely sense mana, storing it within their cores as an unrefined energy source. Without refined techniques, they had to rely on rudimentary methods, either expelling bursts of mana forcefully or channeling it through their bodies to envelop objects they touched, like weapons or tools.
These primitive approaches were inefficient, depleting significant reserves for minimal outcomes, yet they laid the groundwork for humanity's initial foray into the magic domain.
As human's curiosity grew, they aimed to enhance their manipulation of mana, developing techniques that were more accurate and less exhausting.
This advancement ignited a ambition in them to replicate natural phenomena, such as igniting fire without flint or freezing water without winter's breath.
Noctis paused for a moment, reflecting on a line he had read, 'this seems similar to Earth, where humanity began in the Stone Age and progressed to inventions like the wheel'.
He carried on reading,
Initial attempts to recreate these phenomena faced numerous failures, but a breakthrough was achieved when mages managed to manipulate mana into two solid spheres that spun in opposite directions at high velocities and then collided to create faint sparks.
Despite the mana expenditure far exceeding the results, this rudimentary spark ignition offered hope, demonstrating that natural phenomena could be replicated through magic.
Noctis observed the rough sketches depicting the early form of mana manipulation utilized to generate sparks alongside the text.
With renewed determination, the mages banded together and after several years of relentless experimentation, they developed basic spells that did not require magic circles.
While functional, these spells remained highly unstable to any alterations and another drawback was their excessive consumption of mana, leading to a search for alternative solutions beyond conventional techniques.
Following years of trial and error, the mages explored various avenues to create a breakthrough in the field of magic, ultimately leading to a crucial discovery in geometrical mathematics that opened a new route.
Mages began integrating precise calculations into their work, sketching crude magic circles filled with chaotic lines and intricate equations.
The first magic circle spell ended in a failure, collapsing after briefly manifesting an unstable version of the desired effect.
However, this failure shed light on the future, unveiling magic circles as the cornerstone for the advancement of magic.
Noctis meticulously read each word, not skipping a single one.
Over the following 300 years, the development of magic circles flourished, transitioning magic into a structured discipline.
Yet, a new impediment emerged, once again challenging the mages, casting circles without pre-drawn designs demanded the calculation of planetary spherical coordinates based on pre-mapped regions, a procedure too sluggish for practical application.
In straightforward terms, there were two approaches to utilizing magic circles- one involved sketching the spell configuration on paper and infusing it with mana to produce the desired effect of launching a fireball.
The other method required mages to memorize the spell structure and construct it mentally, then projecting the spell out in the air using their mana.
The challenge lay in the mage projecting the spell in mid-air while simultaneously calculating the necessary values for the spell.
As mana exited the body, it began's to disperse into the atmosphere unless infused with the mage's planetary coordinates.
Noctis frowned, scratching his head as he tried to grasp what the mages of that era had to endure. 'I'm okay at math, but if this magic involved all that calculation, I might as well start planning my funeral now.'
Noctis sighed in gratitude to no one in particular that he hadn't been transmigrated to that era.
The next section dealt with another land colliding with theirs, resulting in minor wars between them.
'This seems to be the period of the first continental collision.'
The Elven mages, boasting thousands of years of experience, introduced staff and wands inscribed with spatial spells to swiftly compute coordinates.
Although the humans had similar tools before the elves arrived, they lacked an understanding of the spatial spells. However, these spells also had a limitation- they required a physical medium to maintain stability in the air, limiting their versatility.
Long after the second continental collision, humans, elves, and dwarves united-pooling their expertise to overcome this barrier and once again achieve a miracle.
The next hundred years of research yielded no progress, leading some to abandon the quest for a miracle.
After nearly four centuries of joint research, the miracle finally emerged. They presented the universal foundation spell, a groundbreaking system, to the entire continent. The effort they had invested over hundreds of years was certainly worth it.
The Universal Foundation Spell, or UFS for short, was categorized into nine types, each aligning with a specific elemental resonance.
Noctis exhaled a sigh of relief.
This spell formed the outer layer of every magic circle, automatically calculating the required coordinates.
Mages provided values for the inner spell to shape the desired effect, then infused the spell with the necessary mana and guided the structure with their mana, allowing for dynamic adjustments.
This innovation revolutionized magic, unlocking numerous possibilities, from intricate spell combinations to large-scale enchantments, and solidifying magic circles as the foundation of modern magic throughout the Eldarlea continent.
He gazed at the Complex diagrams in the book, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Shaking his head, Noctis flipped to the next page.
The content ahead was intended only for those who had mastered C-rank spells and higher.
Noctis stared at it for a moment before closing the book and setting it aside for now.
'This is completely new to me, while the game lore mentioned aspects of this, as a player, all you had to do was click a button and your character would instantly learn the spell.'
'The same applied to casting magic- just press a key and your character would perform the spell,' Noctis rubbed his temples, 'all this rubbing is bound to give me wrinkles.'
"Pffts," Lira let out a small laugh; seeing Noctis's troubled expression reminded her of her first steps into the world of magic.
She had repeatedly struck her head against tables while trying to grasp the intricacies of magic circles and their complicated structures.
The equations were not the hard part, it was the structures of the magic circles- each spell had its own different formations.
Understanding the concept and the process were relatively easy for most mages.
She winced at the recollection of her younger self.
Realizing she had just chuckled at her master, Lira immediately bowed and was preparing to apologize when Noctis interrupted her.
"It's alright, Lira it doesn't matter anyway," Noctis replied with a shrug, his smile conveying complex emotions.
"Moving forward, you'd better assist me in studying this material for the coming year, Lira," Noctis said to her with a warm smile.
To Lira, the smile wasn't warm; it felt intimidating, so she quickly bowed again, replying, "Yes, Master."
Noctis redirected his attention to the second book, Spells for Beginners.
"Now, let's see how magic truly works, the previous book touched on some aspects of it."
He flipped the cover and began to read.
It started with an introduction to mana and various resonance elements.
Mana is a pure energy that flows throughout the world.
Many wonder about the origins of mana? is it finite? Was it bestowed by a higher being?
The answer to those inquiries is—there is no answer.
Nobody knows where mana comes from? we only know it exists, and that's that.
Is it finite?- Who can say? I certainly don't know
Was it a gift from a higher being? Perhaps, but it seems unlikely.
"Hmm, intriguing," Noctis chuckled at these questions as he flipped to the next page.
How magic works—
Noctis's eyes sparkled as he concentrated.
Magic spells are categorized into numerous ranks, with each rank of spells having different layers.
The layers within a magic circle indicate the rank of the spell.
E-rank spells consist of a single layer, but by adding the universal foundation spell, they become two-layered spells.
D-rank spells consist of three layers, and so forth.
A magic circle contains two components: the inner and outer circles, with the Universal Foundation Spell (UFS) located in the outer circle.
The inner circle is where the spell equation is represented in the form of a spell structure.
Spell structures are now more advanced than in the past; mages must comprehend the structure and commit the entire model to memory.
Now, let's examine an E-rank spell as an example-
Fireball- it's a straightforward and simple magic spell that transforms mana into the fire element, creating a sphere and propelling it toward a target.
The structure of this spell will inherently include the equation necessary for the conversion process.
The mage's first task is to construct the spell structure mentally, then use their mana to project the structure into the world.
The next step requires the input of their desired values and other additional commands based on the mage's intentions.
The final step involves calculating the precise amount of mana needed to fuel the magic circle.
Overloading the magic circle in an attempt to amplify its power could cause the circle to either collapse or explode.
To enhance a spell's potency, the mage must adjust the values in the respective spell equation and supply the necessary amount of mana.
Even magic adheres to its own rules; careless endeavors to break those rules will lead to consequences.
Noctis paused at that point, attempting to digest all he had read thus far.
'The equations behind the spells are relatively simple and easy, memorizing the spell's circle would the challenging part'
"This is enough for today, I still need to work on my physical training later."
Noctis rose from his chair and addressed his maid, saying, "Lira, leave the books right here."
He surveyed the library one more time before making his way back to his room.