Geometric Mage: First Spell, Circle

"I need to know who requested it and how to contact them."

Another listless sigh escaped the woman's lips. "What a pain—"

This time, Lian clearly heard the curse. Damn Karen, I hope I never see you again—

Karen took the parchment, scanning it with a disinterested glance. "Give me a second."

She passed the parchment through a device Lian knew nothing about.

All he saw was a faint blue glow, as if the parchment had been scanned.

A moment later, she turned to a screen beside her, brushing it with her fingers. The screen lit up, displaying various information.

"The mission was requested by a certain Darien Holt, Bronze 5 Mage, Earth element. He belongs to the Yellow Tiger."

"Huh?" Lian raised an eyebrow. He did not know the guy's name, of course, but he was familiar with the faction he belonged to.

Yellow Tiger.

He had not interacted with them, not even once, but he had seen some of their members participate in the arena fight on the same day as his debut.

"Here you go," Karen continued in her monotonous tone. "Darien left a contact crystal. If there is nothing else, then goodbye."

Lian ignored the woman's words as he stared at the crystal on the counter. What the hell is this? Okay, maybe Torin is right. I absolutely need to take a basic course. I know nothing about this world, yet I am almost a Bronze 5… it is embarrassing.

Lian gave a faint smile as he asked, "How do I use this crystal?"

Karen blinked several times while staring into Lian's blue eyes. "I cannot believe it, what a shitty day—" she whispered faintly, but not so faintly that Lian could not hear.

No, seriously. What is wrong with this woman?! His eye twitched again. He never wanted to meet this person again in his life.

"You just pour your mana into it, and you will connect with him." Before Lian could even say thank you, a slight shout from the woman stopped him from uttering any words. "Next!"

Without looking back, Lian walked away quickly.

After taking a few hurried steps, he finally let out a helpless breath full of curses. "Damn Karen, I have never felt so much frustration in my life. I curse you!"

Right after saying those words, an embarrassed expression covered his face. He was not alone in that place. Numerous gazes fell on him, making him feel awkward.

Some pointed at him while talking to their friends; others simply laughed. "Damn it, damn Karen! You made me look like an idiot!" Before the situation could worsen, Lian decided to rush out of the place.

"Hey, friend, do not worry about that woman!" A haughty-looking boy positioned himself in front of Lian. "She has been acting like a jerk since her boyfriend dumped her."

And what do you want now— Lian thought, his brows furrowed.

A light laugh burst from his lips and those of the companion beside him. "I like the way you cursed. I'm Sebastian," the boy extended a hand toward Lian.

Lian stared at the haughty boy. He did not seem bad, just a bit of a jerk. The typical guy who loved to tease others, basically.

"I'm Lian," he replied, grabbing his hand before sighing again. "I have never met such an annoying person, I swear."

Lian paused for a second, thinking of Rick. He was annoying too…

What the hell am I doing? Am I comparing that jerk to my friend Rick?

"I'm Viren, you're a cool guy—" the friend behind Sebastian shook Lian's hand in a gesture of friendship. "Want to join us on a mission? So we can get to know each other better—"

"No, sorry. I have an urgent matter." Without waiting further, Lian passed the two boys with a frown on his face. "I will not get scammed again… damn swindlers. They are everywhere—"

The two boys stayed behind, looking at each other, stunned. They had never encountered a situation like this… but before they could stop him, Lian had already left the building.

"Big cities are really different from my little Dustwall… so many scammers around." Lian exhaled a breath, then took a deep breath of fresh air.

Observing his surroundings, Lian's brows furrowed into a frown. "That is strange… the sky was not like this before."

Gray clouds covered the sun, casting a vast expanse of darkness over the academy. Of course, thanks to the lights illuminating the streets and buildings, the entire area was always lit.

"Good, we will think about contacting that guy with the crystal tomorrow. Now I need to find Rick, or at least, try to."

With resolve in his eyes, Lian headed toward the last known location. The training fields.

It was a terrible strategy, but he did not know where else to look for him. The only other thing that came to mind was waiting outside his room. He would return eventually…

"I wonder if he went to class today. I could also ask someone if they saw him heading somewhere specific…"

After about ten minutes, Lian reached the training fields, exploring the surroundings for any clues. Of course, he would not search aimlessly. His intention was to ask the students training there if they had seen anything.

But none of them knew anything or had seen Rick pass by. Lian did not give up; he kept asking around until someone finally recognized the boy.

"Yes, I know Rick. We attend the same course. But no, he did not come to class today. Which is strange… sure, he is always late, but he has never missed a lesson." A tired-looking boy with puffy eyes was answering Lian's questions. He had been training for hours without rest, trying to improve his control over the Water element.

"He is not in his room; do you know where he might have gone?" Lian asked hopefully.

"No idea. That guy has always been weird. He seems to be hiding something, but no one knows…" he replied, shaking his head, before adding, "Actually, it is strange that someone like you is looking for him. You do not seem like you want to harm him, like Marcus's group."

The boy smiled faintly as he thought of Rick's antics. Somehow, he always managed to escape any ambush successfully.

Before Lian could thank him, the boy raised an eyebrow in surprise, tilting his head to the side.

"Hey, friend…" he murmured, almost doubting himself as he stared at a point behind Lian's shoulder. "Is that not Rick? He is coming toward us…"