Geometric Mage: First Spell, Circle

"Yes, my path is to become a Rune Master. I just need to read books about monsters and study them on my own. The same goes for spells; after all, I master them differently. I only need to draw the correct geometric shape."

As he crossed the main courtyard, thinking about all these things, a familiar voice called out to him. "Lian!!"

Lian turned around, immediately recognizing the exuberant figure of Bibo, the Dean's disciple. His green hair, as always, seemed to shine under the sunset light, and his smile was so contagious that Lian could not help but return it, despite his fatigue.

"Finally! I have been looking for you all over the academy! Where have you been?!" Bibo immediately started shouting, scrutinizing Lian from head to toe. "Why are you in such a state? Do not tell me you do not have water at home—"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Lian matched the boy's tone, shouting back. "The water works perfectly; in fact, I was just heading to take a shower…"

He gave a cough before continuing.

"…why were you looking for me?"

"The Dean told me to tell you that you do not have to worry about attending any classes."

"Huh?"

"Yes, I thought it was strange; even I have to attend them, so why not you? That is what I thought at first, but then he told me that you, in fact, have a great affinity with runes! You have Master Corvan's personal recommendation. He may not be the strongest, but he is very skilled at creating artifacts. Anyway, the Dean told me to tell you that you can dedicate yourself to the Rune Master activity full-time! Is that not fantastic? You do not have to attend those boring classes…"

Lian nodded thoughtfully. News travels fast, huh?

"Great, that was exactly my thought."

"Since you agree—" Bibo pulled out a spatial ring from his pocket. "I do not know what is inside; the Dean told me not to look. But, friend, even though I am the Dean's disciple, I wonder if you are not the one with the special treatment—"

"How could you say that without seeing the contents?"

Bibo put a hand over his mouth, giving a slight shrug. "I do not know what you are talking about—" Bibo had spoken too much… as usual.

"Forget it, do not worry." Lian grabbed the spatial ring while taking a curious look inside.

What he saw left him speechless.

A few seconds passed in complete silence.

"See? I was not lying when I said that, in my opinion, you are the one with special treatment here!"

Lian did not respond. He was truly shaken at that moment… "Being favored is the best!" he said distractedly, still staring at the spatial ring.

"Well, if there is nothing else, I am off! A tough training session awaits me today—" a sigh left Bibo's lips as he turned around. "See you next time, Lian! Get strong quickly so we can fight!"

A moment later, Bibo vanished in a flash.

Lian's face lit up for a moment as Bibo disappeared in a flash. His body could no longer be seen.

"What the heck!?" Lian looked around like an idiot, but there was no trace of Bibo. "Incredible! He is really strong."

---

Lian continued heading toward the dormitory, thinking about the spatial ring sent by the Dean.

Inside, there were countless Mana Cores, not only of Bronze rank but also of Silver rank.

Moreover, there were tons of Runic Tablets, Runic Seals, and several Runic Styluses.

And to top it off, potions and magical pills.

Potions of all kinds, from mana recovery to energy and stamina recovery. There was everything.

Pills to improve the effectiveness of meditation and cultivation, for every available rank. Some were even Silver rank.

Potions and pills were quite common.

Everyone used potions or pills, both the strong and the weak. The only difference was that the strong could consume potions or pills with fewer restrictions, unlike the weaker ones.

This depended heavily on magical abilities. After all, it took time to process the substances.

"Interesting… the Dean wants me to become strong, and quickly. My rank does not depend on these things, however…" Lian smiled slyly. "I could take advantage of this to advance in my path."

After a few more minutes of walking, Lian finally reached his room.

Without thinking about anything else, he took off his clothes and stepped into the shower.

Lian let the hot water flow over his body, relieving the accumulated tension. "Finally…" a slow but steady exhale relaxed his entire body. "I should find a way to clean myself anywhere, not just when I am in my bathroom," he murmured as he ran a hand through his hair.

After the shower, he wrapped himself in a towel and returned to his room, putting on a new white robe with bronze veins. He sat on the bed, pulling out the spatial ring to examine it again.

"I should start absorbing as many Mana Cores as possible… the sooner I reach Bronze 5, the better—"

At that moment, a knock on the door made him jump. "Lian! I know you are in there, open up!" Rick's cheerful and slightly teasing voice echoed everywhere.

Lian laughed, getting up to open the door. "Lower your voice, or they will come knocking on my door for disturbing the peace!"

"You are always such a killjoy!" Rick entered carefree, throwing himself onto the bed with his dirty robe, as always.

"Damn bastard! Why do you always have to dirty my room! I had just put clean sheets on!" Lian frowned, observing the same scene as the day before.

"Relax, friend. You cannot spend all your time cleaning your stuff. It is weird…" Rick huffed, scratching his black hair. "By the way, when will you start classes?"

Sitting on the chair, Lian decided not to think about Rick's actions, or he would just get angrier. "Speaking of that, I no longer have to attend any classes. From now on, I will focus only on becoming a Rune Master—"

"You are really lucky… not only do I not have a talent, but I also do not have an affinity for runes. Really, what did I do wrong!" He buried his head in the pillow, muffling a fake scream of despair.

Lian stood up, a smirk on his face. "Stop acting like a child; today we are going somewhere!"

"Huh?" Rick stopped screaming, turning his head toward Lian. They had not known each other long, but Lian had never taken the initiative to go anywhere. He preferred to stay home meditating. "Where are we going?" Rick asked curiously, jumping off the bed at high speed.

"We will go to the training grounds." Lian made a gesture with his hand. In his right hand appeared a sword emanating a unique energy. "The payment for my services today. Is it not fantastic?"

As Lian smiled with an expression of happiness, Rick looked at the blade with envy. He desperately wanted to rush toward it, grab it, and run away. But he could not. Not only was he weaker than Lian, but they were also friends.

Yes, he could not!

Those were Rick's thoughts, but his hand was sliding on its own toward the sword, ready to grab it!