Kalin told Fan that since the witch had already been killed, the village could finally recover. The undead would no longer attack them.
Nevertheless, the village was still located near monster territory, so being completely safe from attacks was never guaranteed.
Two days passed.
By then, Kalin had recovered about seventy-five percent of his strength. Fortunately, during those two days, the village wasn't attacked by any monsters.
At first, most of the villagers didn't believe what he said. Some even thought Kalin was imagining things after being badly injured. In their minds, the undead were simply a strange phenomenon of the world, something that appeared naturally rather than being created by a witch.
While resting in his room, Kalin spent his time reading one of the books he had taken from the cave.
The book talked about magic.
More specifically, it explained how to use magical power and how a mage could increase it. One particular topic quickly caught Kalin's attention.
Magic circles.
According to the book, every mage possessed something called a magic circle within their body. It was like a core that controlled their magical power.
The number of circles determined everything.
The more circles a mage had, the stronger their spells became. At the same time, their capacity to store and use magic would also grow.
Because of that, magic circles became the simplest way to measure a mage's strength.
For mages, the circle within their body meant everything.
Based on the book, in order to reach the first circle, a person must first develop a proper understanding of magic and how to materialize it within their body.
A mage had to circulate their magical power throughout their entire body, guiding the flow carefully. Then, little by little, that power had to be gathered and transferred to the heart to form a circle.
Once a mage successfully formed the first circle, they would immediately notice the change. Their spells would become stronger, and their overall magical power would increase as well.
Nevertheless, forming a magic circle in the heart was extremely dangerous. A single mistake during the process could easily cost a person their life.
Kalin wanted to reach the first circle. He knew it would become an important advantage for surviving in this world. However, this time he wasn't planning to rush things. He had no intention of putting himself in another life-threatening situation.
I should take precautions. On top of that, when I finally try it, I must be one hundred percent certain that I can succeed, Kalin thought to himself.
Even though he couldn't attempt forming the first circle yet, that didn't mean he couldn't use magic.
To be precise, he could still practice his Creation Magic to improve his proficiency and increase his magic capacity.
The first time he had seen a spell cast in this world was during his encounter with the witch. She had used a strange incantation while casting her spell.
In Kalin's mind, it would be far better if someone in the village actually knew how to use magic and could teach him.
With that thought, he went to ask Fan.
However, Fan simply shook his head.
None of the villagers knew how to wield magic. If someone in the village had been capable of using magic, they wouldn't have struggled so much against the monsters in the first place.
Kalin was somewhat disappointed.
"It seems like I have to learn this magic by myself."
Based on the description shown on the screen, Creation Magic required two important things in order to produce better results.
First, the caster needed stable mana and a sufficient amount of it, since the skill consumed a large amount of magical power.
Second were the materials. The quality of the materials directly affected the result and the stats of the created item. With better materials, it was even possible to produce an outstanding item.
Kalin was already somewhat familiar with the concept of Creation Magic. After all, it wasn't the first time he had heard about it. Creation Magic often appeared in the novels and manhuas he used to read.
If he remembered correctly, Creation Magic was usually based on imagination. The caster would shape the result through their creativity and visualization.
Because of that, Kalin wondered if the same principle applied in this world.
With that thought in mind, Kalin stepped outside the house and walked to a nearby area where several logs were stacked. For now, he could use those logs as materials for his Creation Magic.
Since he couldn't handle the larger logs himself, he asked one of the villagers to cut them into smaller pieces.
"What are you trying to do, young master?" Herin asked in confusion as she watched Kalin holding a piece of wood in his hands.
Kalin sat down on the ground and placed the piece of wood on his lap.
"I'm trying to use magic."
Herin was taken aback when she heard that.
She had never once seen Kalin use magic before. More importantly, learning magic was not something that could be done overnight. It wasn't as simple as waking up one day and deciding to use magic.
"Are you sure you're okay, young master?"
Herin couldn't help but think about Kalin's mother. When she was alive, she had been a mage. Because of that, there was a chance that Kalin had inherited that ability.
Still, Herin quickly shook her head.
Magic was not something a person could learn without long practice and proper guidance. Most talented mages started training at a very young age. If Kalin wanted to learn magic now, it might already be too late.
Of course, she didn't think it was completely impossible.
However, even if Kalin managed to learn magic, his growth would likely stagnate. It would be as if a large wall stood in front of him, blocking his path.
To put it simply, it was like trying to teach an old dog new tricks.
Kalin had already expected Herin to react this way. To others, it would indeed seem strange for someone like him to suddenly start learning magic.
Nevertheless, he didn't pay much attention to her reaction and focused on the task in front of him.
For several minutes, he stared at the piece of wood in his hands, wondering how he should begin using Creation Magic.
If he remembered correctly, most mages in this world used incantations when casting spells.
The problem was that Kalin didn't know a single incantation.
He sighed in frustration.
"Let's just do what I can for now."
Kalin placed both of his hands on top of the piece of wood. He then closed his eyes, trying to calm his senses and concentrate.
Based on the book he had read, mana resided within the body. A person would know they could utilize mana once they felt a warm sensation flowing throughout their body.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Kalin kept trying to sense the magical power inside his body. However, no matter how much he focused, nothing happened.
"It's harder than I thought," he muttered.
He rested for a few minutes while thinking of other ways to activate his skill.
"Should I just recite the name of the skill?"
The idea suddenly appeared in his mind. After all, it was something he had seen many times in novels where the main character was transmigrated to another world.
Once again, Kalin placed his hands on the piece of wood.
Then he quietly spoke.
"Activate Manifestation Skill."
All of a sudden, a faint blue-white light appeared around his body. At the same time, Kalin finally felt a warm sensation spreading through him.
Although the light wasn't particularly strong, it still shocked Herin.
Kalin had actually used magic.
Two minutes passed.
However, the magical power around him slowly began to fade into the air. Kalin wasn't guiding the mana to any specific place, causing it to disperse.
Since I can't control it, my mana is being wasted. I should gather it in my hands, Kalin thought.
He didn't dare move too much, afraid that even the smallest movement might break his concentration.
Kalin understood what he needed to do.
The problem was that doing it was far more difficult than he expected.
Bam!
The blue light covering his body disappeared in an instant.
Kalin leaned forward, gasping for breath after using his mana for nearly five minutes.
"I feel exhausted," he said weakly, as if all the strength in his body had suddenly disappeared.
Despite failing on his first attempt, a wide smile slowly appeared on his face.
At least now he understood how to activate his spell.
More importantly, he never expected to successfully use Creation Magic on his very first try.
He clearly understood that mastering a spell required countless hours of practice.
Now that Kalin could activate his mana, the next step was to gather and control it in a specific location.
He also realized something important.
If a caster failed to complete a spell, the mana consumption would be far greater than the normal cost of that spell. On top of that, once mana was released, it had to be controlled immediately. Otherwise, it would simply disperse into the air like smoke.
"Let's practice until the last drop of mana," Kalin said excitedly.
As he spoke, he began thinking about a better way to gather his mana. He felt like he had missed something important during the process.
On the other hand, Herin could hardly believe what she had just witnessed.
In her mind, it should have been extremely difficult for someone Kalin's age to release mana for the first time. Yet he had managed to do it without much trouble.
Even though the spell had failed, it was still an incredible achievement.
"Y-Young master... how did you possibly do it?" Herin asked in confusion.