Chapter 30: Breaking Through the 2nd Circle: A Chaotic Advancement

Breaking Through the 2nd Circle

“Now, sit at the center of the magic circle.”

“Alright.”

Sion obediently followed Professor Rhonda Margaret’s instructions.

The moment he sat down on the magic circle, a cold sensation beneath him made him flinch.

What was this? A cooling magic circle?

“As you’ve probably noticed, this circle continuously lowers the surrounding temperature. It’s called Cooling Down, a 4th Circle spell.”

“Ah…”

“At the same time, it also facilitates mana control. Most professors have one—it’s practically essential for Circle advancement.”

Sion nodded in understanding.

It assisted in mana control while also preventing the heat generated during the formation of a new Circle.

It was hard to imagine a better magic circle for this purpose.

“Alright… shall we begin?”

“Yes. I’ll be monitoring from the side in case anything goes wrong.”

“I appreciate it.”

Sion crossed his legs and closed his eyes.

“Oh, one more tip…”

“Yes?”

Just as he was focusing, Rhonda Margaret spoke again.

When he opened his eyes slightly, he saw her watching him with a serious expression.

“With your potential, I doubt you’ll stop at the 2nd Circle. 3rd, 4th, even 5th Circles… The higher you go, the more Circles you’ll have to engrave onto your heart.”

“I suppose that makes sense…?”

“When stacking multiple Circles, they often interfere with each other. That’s why it’s crucial to create them as thin as possible.”

“Ah…”

Sion nodded.

If his heart was like a sketchbook and the Circles were drawings, then the smaller the drawings, the more he could fit.

“Sorry for interrupting.”

“No, thank you for the advice.”

“Then… good luck.”

He saw her clench her fist slightly in a quiet gesture of encouragement.

With that, Sion closed his eyes again and focused.

Inhale… Exhale…

He steadied his breathing.

‘I’ve done this before. It’s not difficult.’

He gradually controlled the mana flowing through his entire body.

Rather than forcibly grabbing and twisting it, he guided it gently, like redirecting a stream of water.

The mana, which had been circulating throughout his body, began to concentrate near his heart.

Thump-thump-thump-thump!

His heart pounded rapidly.

At the same time, his fingertips and toes felt icy cold.

Was the Cooling Down effect intensifying as his body temperature rose?

‘No, focus!’

He couldn’t afford to fail again.

He shaped the gathered mana into a single, elongated strand.

He bent the strand into a loop and prepared to inscribe it onto his heart.

If he completed it like this, it would be almost too easy.

‘But I can’t stop here.’

Professor Rhonda Margaret had provided the magic circle for him.

And just a moment ago, she had personally advised him.

She had said that making the Circle as thin as possible would help in the long run.

So, Sion made a decision.

He would compress the Circle even further.

He would make it as thin as possible.

Vrrrmmmm!!

“S-Sion…?!”

The clash between Sion’s will to compress the mana and the mana’s resistance—

The resulting energy surged wildly, engulfing Rhonda Margaret’s research lab.

Rhonda Margaret’s Internal Struggles

Ever since that incident where she was publicly humiliated in front of her students—

Rhonda Margaret had found it difficult to hold her head high.

The event had become a major topic on Vizanity, the community app used by Byzantium Academy students and faculty.

[Title: A Student Splashed Water on a Professor—Full Story Inside]

She had stumbled upon it by accident.

The HOT Board of Vizanity was displayed on the app’s main page.

When she realized that the post was about her, she was utterly shocked.

‘This has already spread among the students…?’

She reluctantly clicked on the post.

It detailed everything that had happened between her and Sion.

She feared her identity might be exposed, but fortunately, the comments were indifferent.

The students had a strong culture of skepticism—if there wasn’t solid proof, they didn’t believe rumors so easily.

‘But… are there other posts too?’

Taptap!

Her fingers anxiously typed on her faculty ID.

She knew that searching would only bring her more distress, yet she couldn’t stop.

It was a vicious cycle—she kept searching, only to hurt herself in the process.

The textbook definition of ego-searching.

Luckily, the gossip about her soon faded.

Replaced by the constant, ever-growing legend of a certain Magic Department freshman.

Ironically, it was Sion—the very student who had embarrassed her—who had inadvertently buried her scandal.

[Title: The Magic Department Freshman Stirs Up Trouble Again LOL]

[Title: Wait, He Literally Took Over a Lecture? And Taught Better Than the Professor?]

[Title: So You’re Telling Me There’s a First-Year Who Excels in Magic, Swordsmanship, AND Silent Casting—And He’s Only Been Here for a Week???]

[Title: Who IS This Kid? Someone Tell Me His Name Already]

Every time things settled down, Sion’s name popped up on the HOT Board again.

At this point, he was practically a full-fledged troublemaker.

But oddly enough, every rumor about him was about him proving his skill.

That was the strange part—he wasn’t causing trouble.

He was simply showcasing his abilities.

Rhonda Margaret was grateful that his presence had overshadowed her own disgrace.

Yet, deep down, she also felt uneasy.

‘So my instincts during the orientation were right after all…’

During the Fundamentals of Magic orientation—

She had performed a visually impressive but ultimately impractical spell.

Most students had been dazzled by the spectacle.

But two students had remained indifferent.

Byzantium’s top freshman, Seren Camillea.

And Sion.

Only those two had seen through the fact that her magic was all show and no substance.

She regretted underestimating him simply because he was a commoner.

‘Ugh… What do I do now?’

Her relationship with Sion was already terrible.

He hadn’t even been paying attention in her class.

He had dared to argue about the definition of magic.

She had tried to put him in his place—

Only for him to completely humiliate her instead.

Her authority as a professor had suffered, while his reputation had skyrocketed.

Even now, he continued proving his talent.

At this rate, he might one day become a giant in the magical world.

And if he held a grudge, he could make her life very difficult.

Maybe even threaten her position as a Byzantium Academy professor.

‘Ugh… what should I do…?’

It was all speculation.

Just worry and overthinking.

But the fact remained—

It could happen.

That was enough to drive Rhonda Margaret insane.

If only there were magic to turn back time, she’d use it in a heartbeat.

Sigh…

Step, step.

The Path to the 2nd Circle—A Chaotic Breakthrough

Professor Rhonda Margaret walked toward her research lab, lost in thought.

She had no idea what she would say when she met Sion again next Monday.

Even the academy’s usually picturesque lake seemed dull and gray today—a reflection of her troubled mind.

…Wait.

The back of the head she spotted on that bench looked familiar.

‘Sion…?’

His small frame and unkempt black hair were rare sights at the academy.

Black hair was more common among commoners than nobles.

And that red tie—he was a first-year.

That meant the chances were even higher.

‘This is my chance. I have to apologize and mend our relationship.’

She couldn’t turn back time.

She couldn’t just sit around doing nothing.

So she had to muster the courage to approach him.

Of course, she feared his resentment.

She had looked down on him for being a commoner.

Now that he had proven his skill, she was only approaching him?

Even she felt guilty about how pathetic that sounded.

Deep breath… Okay, go!

Rhonda hesitated behind him before finally gathering her courage and sitting beside him on the bench.

Sion, completely unaware of her presence, was scribbling something down with intense focus.

Curious, she glanced over.

It was a list of professors who taught first-year classes in the Magic Department.

‘Why is he marking them with X’s…?’

One by one, Sion was crossing names off with a careful, serious expression.

“First priority… I need to reach the 2nd Circle.”

“…!”

“The only one left is… Professor Rhonda Margaret.”

He was looking for a professor to help him break into the 2nd Circle.

The reason was obvious.

‘He needs help with his Circle advancement…!?’

Rhonda’s eyes sparkled.

She had found the perfect way to apologize and repair their relationship.

If she helped him reach the 2nd Circle, she could naturally regain his favor.

“…No, Professor Rhonda Margaret is a bad idea.”

“What’s a bad idea?”

“…?!”

Sion froze.

Before he could escape, Rhonda quickly spoke.

She had to get straight to the point.

A sincere apology.

“I’m sorry.”

“…What?”

“To be honest, I severely underestimated your abilities. When a commoner enrolls at the academy, more than half the time, it’s because they got in through donations… and those types usually bring down the quality of lessons.”

Her face burned with embarrassment, but the words came out smoothly.

A professor apologizing to a student.

If the academy’s veteran faculty saw this, they would throw a fit about how she was undermining her own authority.

But in her mind, there was something more important—

She had to stay on good terms with Sion, a student who might one day become a major figure in the magical world.

She even made sure to add a compliment.

“But you were different, Sion. The Barrier Magic… you really learned that for the first time on stage, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. Do you believe me? No one else does.”

“You don’t seem like someone who would lie. And seeing things like this, I have no choice but to believe it.”

She showed him a post about his feats on Vizanity.

For a brief moment, her search history—filled with keywords like Sion, Magic Department freshman, legendary student—flashed across the screen.

“…Did you see that?”

“Huh? See what?”

“My search hi— Never mind.”

Thankfully, she had closed the screen quickly enough that Sion didn’t seem to notice.

Maybe because she had taken the first step and apologized—

Luckily, Sion accepted it.

“Professor… I should also apologize.”

“There’s no need for that, Sion.”

“No, I mean… When I was learning Barrier Magic, I accidentally splashed water on you, and your clothes—!”

Thump!

Rhonda quickly clamped her hand over his mouth.

For a moment, there was silence.

Sion blinked up at her in surprise.

She, on the other hand, felt her face heating up.

Her voice came out stiff.

“T-That… Let’s just pretend that never happened.”

“…Mmm?”

“Yes. It was just an unfortunate accident. A regrettable mishap. So, let’s forget about it, shall we?”

Still trapped beneath her hand, Sion could only blink in confusion.

Even if he forgot about it…

All the other first-years had seen it.

But as Rhonda insisted, he eventually nodded.

“Good.”

She let go of him.

A faint scent of mint lingered in the air.

Was it her natural scent, or perfume?

The thought made Sion oddly aware of it.

Then—

“Now then, let’s go, Sion.”

“…Go? Where?”

She extended a hand toward him, motioning for him to get up.

As Sion hesitated, staring at her outstretched hand, she tilted her head slightly.

“Didn’t you want to reach the 2nd Circle?”

“…!”

The 2nd Circle Advancement Begins

Rhonda led Sion to her research lab and immediately guided him to sit inside the Circle Advancement Magic Formation.

According to what he had told her on the way, he had already attempted it once before and nearly succeeded.

‘If he got that close without a magic formation… the 2nd Circle is a given.’

A magic formation made Circle advancements much easier.

It cooled the heat generated by mana compression and stabilized mana flow.

In other words, there was no way he could fail.

That meant Rhonda could earn his gratitude for helping him reach the 2nd Circle.

Then, she could gradually bring him into her research.

Eventually—

If things went well, she could even recruit him as a graduate student under her.

‘Ah, wait. Focus.’

She shook off her daydreams and turned her attention back to the present.

Sion sat in a meditative posture, deep in concentration.

The magic formation hummed to life, indicating he was near the final stage.

Then, something unexpected happened.

Vrrrrmmm…!!

“S-Sion?!”

Inside the sealed research lab, Rhonda’s hair whipped around wildly.

A surge of scorching energy radiated from Sion’s body.

It pushed outward, shaking everything in its vicinity.

‘The formation’s output has increased. This shouldn’t happen just from reaching the 2nd Circle… Could he be—?’

For low-tier Circles, Circle advancements usually didn’t cause any external issues.

At worst, a student might overheat and collapse.

But destruction? Chaos?

That only happened in two cases:

When a high-level mage of 5th Circle or above faced backlash from their existing Circles—

Or—

When someone compressed their mana to the absolute limit.

‘Did he… listen to my advice too well?’

Rhonda recalled what she had told him earlier.

—“With your potential, I doubt you’ll stop at the 2nd Circle.”

—“As you stack multiple Circles, they’ll start interfering with each other. That’s why you should make them as thin as possible.”

Her advice wasn’t wrong.

Even veteran mages often struggled with the Circles they had formed in their youth.

But—

That was advice meant for experienced mages.

For a 1st Circle student to attempt such extreme mana compression?

Any normal mage would call it absurd.

Because a 1st Circle mage simply shouldn’t be capable of compressing mana to such an extent.

But Sion wasn’t normal.

His overwhelming talent made the impossible possible.

‘I have to stop him…!’

Gritting her teeth, Rhonda stepped forward, forcing her way through the heat.

This was her responsibility.

Her advice had caused this, so she had to handle it.

Even the 4th Circle spell Cooling Down had its limits.

Thin wisps of steam curled up from Sion’s body.

The spell wasn’t enough.

At this rate, his body temperature would become uncontrollable.

There was no time.

“Sion—!! S-Stop—ugh—!”

Even as the crushing energy choked her lungs, she pushed forward.

It felt like she was walking headfirst into a dragon’s breath.

Finally, she reached him.

She just had to extend her hand—

And then—

Thunk.

The storm of heat and energy abruptly ceased.

“Haah… I did it. I reached the 2nd Circle!”

Sion beamed brightly.

Indeed.

Even amidst the overwhelming pressure, he had succeeded in engraving an incredibly thin 2nd Circle into his heart.

His body was unharmed.

But—

“W-Woah?!”

“G-Professor?!”

With the force holding her back suddenly gone—

Rhonda Margaret, who had been pushing forward—

Lost her balance.

And then—

Crash!

She tumbled forward, landing directly on top of Sion.

‘…What a disgrace.’

Dazed, she blinked up at him.

Thankfully, she wasn’t in pain.

Because there was a soft cushion beneath her.

“Professor…?”

“Ugh… Sion, are you… w-wait—?!”

She finally realized.

The cushion she had landed on…

Was Sion.

And—

She was sitting on top of him.