The sensation of sunlight striking my eyelids stirred me awake.
Outside the window, the sound of birds rang clear and bright.
"…Morning?"
I shot up, fumbling for the clock.
[April 15, 2054]
[AM 7:42]
The last time I'd checked the clock was 10 p.m.—which meant ten whole hours had passed.
'Did I maintain mana circulation for ten hours straight?'
Even so, my mind was perfectly clear.
Normally, after that kind of strain, my mental energy should've been completely drained—
yet I felt as refreshed as if I'd slept soundly for ten hours.
'No, that's not what's important right now.'
I hurriedly entered inward observation again.
I needed to check whether the circle had formed properly.
Closing my eyes, I turned my focus inward.
Something new—something that hadn't existed yesterday—filled my entire body.
"This is… the Infinity Circle."
My entire body had become a single, unified circle.
Compared to the heart-sized one I'd had before, this was colossal.
'To think something this large could have such efficient mana circulation.'
In truth, size alone didn't make a circle superior.
A larger circle did increase the total amount of mana it could absorb, sure—
but if the capacity increased without efficiency, it was meaningless.
A bigger circle also meant mana took longer to complete a single circuit—
and the longer the circulation, the slower the spell processing speed.
That's why modern mages form their circles around the heart.
The heart distributes blood throughout the body,
so a circle engraved there lets refined mana ride the bloodstream anywhere in the system.
The drawback of a small circle is offset by weaving multiple ones together.
That's basic modern magical theory.
But my Infinity Circle?
It wasn't heart-sized—it encompassed my entire body.
And yet, its circulation speed was just as fast as any conventional circle.
In racing terms, it was like running a track ten times longer than everyone else's—
and still crossing the finish line first.
'Actually… it feels like the turnover rate is even higher than normal.'
It was as if everyone else had installed motors from an electric scooter,
while I alone had an engine from a high-end sports car.
'So this is the difference made by routing through the brain…'
The presence—or absence—of a "command tower" must make that much difference.
'But… it'll probably take some time to learn to handle this properly.'
I scratched the back of my head.
What good was a brand-new sports engine
if I didn't yet know how to drive it?
Mastering the control of such a machine would require time and effort.
Fortunately, I had a shortcut—something that could drastically cut down both.
I picked up the [Ray Bell Bytener] from the floor.
Flipping past the blank pages, I checked what lay beyond page 8.
[Congratulations on formally entering the realm of Bytener-style magic.]
"As expected."
Just as I thought—the book's pages updated themselves in real time,
recording new teachings in response to my growth.
[I have much to say, but I'll skip the idle talk.
I know you didn't come here to read my chatter.]
Suppressing my pounding heart, I read on.
[From this point forward, I shall teach you the fundamentals of Bytener-style magic.]
Bytener-style magic.
The secret magic of Ray Bell Bytener.
[The first step—the foundation—of Bytener-style magic.
I call this very first step "Heart's Will (心意)."]
Heart's Will.
Just two syllables, and yet my heart thudded wildly.
From that day onward, my entire routine revolved around mastering Bytener's magic.
[The symbol of Bytener-style magic is freedom.]
[Think freely. That will be your strength.]
The Infinity Circle—symbol of infinity.
Bytener-style magic—symbol of freedom.
The synergy between them was far greater than I'd imagined.
[There are no fixed formulas in Bytener-style magic.]
[My magic requires no activation chant, no spell array, no algorithm.]
The synergy wasn't just about performance—
it also made the learning process absurdly difficult.
To put it simply: hard. Unreasonably, impossibly hard.
[Just as one moves their arms, walks, breathes, or blinks without calculation—
so too should mana move.]
Easy to say.
Soccer's easy, too: just kick the ball into the goal.
Basketball? Toss it through the hoop.
[Mana is your arm. Your leg. Your heart. Your mind. Move it as you will.]
For a swordsman, that meant treating his blade like a limb.
For a gunslinger, it meant treating his weapon as part of his own body.
And I'll say it twice, because it matters—
it's easy to say.
If mastering that kind of control were simple,
sports wouldn't even exist.
[Think freely. That is both the beginning and the end of Bytener's magic.
It is everything my art encompasses.]
Freedom—a vague, elusive concept,
hard to pin down, harder still to embody.
After countless trials and errors,
three days had already passed.
It was now April 18th.
Saturday.
"Transmit what the brain imagines—directly."
Once again, I was rotating the Infinity Circle,
immersed in refining Heart's Will (心意).
I'd trained for five hours since morning,
but it still hadn't solidified into anything resembling a proper spell.
The clock read 1 p.m.—time for my part-time job.
'Damn… I feel like I'm this close to getting it.'
No need to say it, but I was the family outcast.
Support had been cut off a year ago.
Food, textbooks—everything came out of my own pocket.
If I didn't work part-time, I couldn't survive.
Thankfully, Obelisk Academy required full tuition upfront before admission.
At least I didn't have to worry about earning tuition money on top of everything else.
If I'd had to pay tuition too, I might've dropped out—
or worse, turned to something illegal.
"Poverty really is a crime, huh?"
To afford tomorrow's meals, I had to work hard today.
Smiling bitterly, I stood up.
Magic required money, too.
After changing into casual clothes, I stepped outside.
"The weather's nice."
The sky was clear and dazzling.
Just like my mood.
I finished my shift without incident.
Then, without delay, I headed straight back to the dormitory.
And as always, I devoted myself completely to mastering Bytener-style magic.
'This is driving me insane.'
It felt so close—like I could almost grasp it—yet something invisible kept it just out of reach.
Like a thin, transparent veil blocking my hand.
In magology, they call that veil the Wall of Enlightenment—the final barrier before comprehension.
I needed to break through it.
But how?
"What am I missing?"
The theory was already flawless.
I'd merged the updated pages of the Ray Bell Bytener with every bit of knowledge I'd gathered on my own.
The theoretical foundation of Bytener-style magic couldn't possibly be more complete.
And I understood it all, too.
I'd analyzed the structure of the Infinity Circle,
and even deciphered how it interacted with Bytener's magic.
"Then why the hell won't it work?"
That was the problem.
Despite perfect understanding, the magic refused to activate properly.
How could I not go crazy?
I had no idea what more I could do.
'Did I miss something?'
I flipped back through my notes, reviewing everything again, line by line.
Three full notebooks—over a hundred pages—filled with neatly organized theory.
Just re-reading it all took more than an hour.
"…It's perfect."
No matter how many times I checked, there was nothing missing.
I ruffled my hair in frustration.
"Ugh…"
Then my gaze fell upon the mountain of papers and notes piled in front of me.
The edges were worn, stained with use, hundreds of post-its sticking out at odd angles—an utter mess.
"This sight…"
Something about it felt eerily familiar.
I'd seen this before.
"Ah."
It came back to me.
"…The day I tried to weave my second circle."
I was twelve then.
The days when they still called me a prodigy.
When my family still looked at me with pride and hope.
I'd spent months preparing to forge my second circle.
I'd researched everything—
what a circle truly was, how it was structured, what chemical reactions occurred,
what size and ratio yielded the most efficient result.
I gathered every scrap of data I could find.
'I'm going to make the perfect second circle!'
That was my mindset.
Arrogant. Naive.
And, of course, I failed.
My very first failure in life.
I remember crying my eyes out in frustration.
'Ha-yul.'
Back then, my family still spoke to me gently.
My father hugged me and said—
'The word "perfection" is nothing but a chain that binds you.'
'Thinking deeply is your strength—but sometimes, you must learn to move straight ahead.'
At the time, I didn't understand what he meant.
But now… I think I finally did.
I rose from my seat.
Then I sat back down comfortably and closed my eyes.
Emptying my mind, clearing away every stray thought.
Focusing only on the rotation of mana—
until even the thought of focusing disappeared.
'So that's it… I've been going in circles.'
Nowhere in my teacher's words did it ever say
to understand Bytener-style magic or the Infinity Circle.
He'd said only one thing—
"Think freely."
And yet I'd overcomplicated that simple sentence.
'Perfection is a lie born of human arrogance.'
In magology, perfection doesn't exist.
Blinded by impatience, I'd forgotten something that basic.
A small laugh escaped me as I set the mana in motion.
Whummm… whummm… whummm.
A clear, resonant hum filled the room.
My mind was completely empty.
[Just as one moves their arms, walks, breathes, or blinks without calculation—]
Only my master's words echoed faintly in the back of my mind.
[Mana is your arm. Your leg. Your heart. Your mind. Move it as you will.]
And then—
Understanding.
A small, simple, but blindingly powerful realization.
[Think freely. That is both the beginning and the end of Bytener's magic.
It is everything my art encompasses.]
Tilt your head slightly, and the entire world looks different.
That's all enlightenment is—something simple, almost trivial.
Fwoosh!
Flames burst to life in my palm.
Without warning.
No chant. No circle.
Just thought—and fire bloomed.
No eight-step activation of the Old Era.
No two-step structure of modern magology.
Instant cast.
Just as I don't consciously think to move my arms,
or calculate how to breathe—
Mana moved naturally with my will,
and blossomed into a flower of flame.
[The first step of Bytener-style magic.
I call this very first step "Heart's Will (心意)."]
"…It worked."
At that moment, I had succeeded—
taking my first true step as a Bytener-style mage.