Geometric Mage: First Spell, Circle

A/N: a small mass release of chapters!

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"Umbra Velum, Simulacri Vani!"

Rick whispered faintly. A moment later, a shadow made of pure darkness, capable of absorbing light to render itself invisible, took form before him.

It had no features, only a human shape identical in build and clothing to Rick.

"Incredible—" he murmured, observing the shadow clone with rapt interest.

The mana consumption for the spell had decreased compared to before, while its power was several times greater. Of course, Rick's rank was still a limitation, but it would not be difficult to face one or two enemies of a higher rank.

"Now I will not embarrass Lian during the event. I will destroy a ton of monsters. Of course, I will leave the stronger ones to him." A satisfied smile rose from Rick's lips as he imagined being the protagonist of the battle. Perhaps co-protagonist…

"Also, Lian said he will make me a custom artifact, but we will need Shadow element Mana Cores… let us hope we come across some tonight."

Rick continued practicing his spells while waiting for the appointed time.

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The room filled with a low hum, and the staff began to glow with red sparks dancing on its surface.

A moment later—

The glow on the staff faded, and with it, the breath Lian had been holding.

"Yes!" he shouted, hopping happily around the room. "I did it!!"

A few seconds later, he picked up the staff from the desk, examining it closely. "My first artifact, made with my own hands!"

Lian was truly happy as he summoned the artifact Torin had given him that morning from his spatial ring. Well, more than given, Lian had earned it by trading ten Runic Tablets.

He placed the sword next to the staff, comparing the two.

"Now that I think about it, Torin said that when one becomes a Rune Master, they must create a signature, something to represent them," he said, observing the symbol on the sword.

It was a signature, a mark indicating Torin as its creator.

Torin's symbol was simple, perhaps too simple… a T placed on the sword's hilt.

"I have no ideas about this…" Lian muttered, a hand under his chin. "I cannot be as simple as Torin… an L to identify me does not represent me at all."

Lian looked around the room, searching for something that embodied his essence, but nothing seemed to catch his attention.

"Huh?" Surprise hit him as he looked at his scribbles on the desk, recalling what had defined him from the start.

"How did I not think of it! A circle!" His eyes lit up at the incredible idea. "But that is not enough… although the circle was my first geometric shape, it is not the only one that represents me."

Lian continued staring at the papers.

There was everything.

Circles, with their variants. Triangles, with their variants. Squares, with their variants. And the oval, with its variants.

They were all there; each defined an element. They were different but could be connected.

Observing the symbols, Lian thought of combining them all into one sign.

A signature, something that represented only him.

Lian was not just a circle; he was also a square, a triangle, and an oval.

Taking paper and pen, he began combining the geometric shapes into one.

It did not need to be complex, but simple enough to define him from now on.

"I think I understand how to do it—"

After dozens of attempts, Lian perfectly visualized the symbol to create.

"First, we create the oval. It is the most difficult of the four shapes, not for its creation, but for the challenge of fitting it within another figure…"

The oval took shape, drawn horizontally.

"Good, now the triangle. Its edges will touch the oval's borders. Of course, the triangle will not have equal sides… pity—"

The first two shapes were successfully created.

"Now, inside the triangle, a square will be inscribed. They will share the same base!"

Lian drew the square too. A smile formed on his face; he was satisfied with how it was turning out.

"And to finish…" He brought the pen to the paper, his eyes hyper-focused as his hand prepared to draw the first geometric shape Lian had ever created with his mind.

"A circle inside the square, the beginning of my birth as a Mage!"

The moment the symbol took shape, a slight mental tremor struck him, like an invisible wave passing through his mind.

A moment later, the image he had just drawn seemed to come to life, detaching from the paper, rising, and heading straight toward Lian's glabella.

Before he could even think about the absurdity of it, Lian fell from the chair, hitting the ground.

He had fainted.

The symbol on the paper had vanished, absorbed directly into Lian's mind. Or rather, into his system—

---

"All right, I am ready!" Rick murmured, giving himself one last look in the mirror. He had sweated a lot practicing his enhanced spells in his room.

"Let us go get Lian," he said, leaving the room and heading toward his friend's.

"Could the gray clouds from earlier really be linked to me, to my enlightenment?" Rick murmured thoughtfully, observing the clear, starry night sky, with the moon shining brightly.

A few minutes later…

Knock—Knock—

No response.

"Lian, it is me, Rick."

Knock—Knock—

He knocked again, but no one answered.

"Buddy, do not tell me you are still showering! You told me not to be late, but now you are the one running late?"

Rick tried knocking again, but nothing. He pressed his ear to the door, trying to figure out what Lian was doing that was so demanding.

But no sound came from the room.

"We agreed to meet here, right? I do not think I have gone deaf…" he muttered with a frown.

"Maybe he stepped out for a bit? Perhaps he had something come up."

After waiting a few more minutes, Rick lost patience.

"Fine, then I will break down the door. Repairs are on you, of course—"

With a well-aimed kick, Rick broke down the door and decisively entered.

"Buddy, are you—"

His words caught in his throat at the sight of his friend lying motionless on the ground.

"Lian!!!" he shouted, rushing toward him. "Are you still alive?!" he murmured, grabbing him, placing one arm behind his head and lifting his legs before carrying him to the bed.

"Wake up, come on!" Rick started slapping the boy, and after a few hits, Lian woke up from the pain.

"Huh?" he murmured, only to see a terrified Rick slap his face two more times.

"Huh?! What the hell are you doing, leave me alone!"