Magic Genius of the Fallen Dukedom - Chapter 4.1
Neutral mana
“Both of you are going in together?”
“It’s a field trip.”
The staff member at Hevriata crossed his arms.
Both were diligent students who frequented the practice hall tirelessly, but their statuses were completely different.
One was an exemplary student who even complained about professors in unpopular departments.
The other was the most senior student in the history of Hibernium, lingering in the lowest circle.
It was surprising that they were attending together, and even more so that the top student was giving a field trip on mana manipulation to the low-performing student.
It might not be particularly impressive to watch, but it wasn’t something typically done for just anyone.
“Is it for solidarity?”
“It’s not like a rumor of a failed Myon would be in dire straits.”
Although curiosity arose, if the two had agreed, there was nothing for him to meddle in.
“The setup?”
“Please base it on me.”
The girl stepped forward and spoke.
The staff member, whose level he remembered from her frequent visits, adjusted the setting of one training room to match the 4th circle-attribute alignment.
The 4th circle represented mana density noticeable to a 4th circle mage. He added an obvious remark with a sigh.
“I understand, but you must never open the channel.”
“I don’t want to die while training at the tender age of 18.”
The staff chuckled at Aden’s joke and pointed to the end room.
The two students soon disappeared into the room.
Click-
“Really, are you seriously going to do it?”
Izein asked nervously.
It’s that dangerous of a task.
It wasn’t just a joke; he could really die.
Practicing mana manipulation at a slightly higher density than one’s own level maximizes training efficiency for a mage. Hevriata, with its high-density training rooms enabling such practice, was a source of pride for Hibernium and a reason why novice mages longed to enter Hevriata.
However, if one were to open a channel in a location with excessively high mana density, separating the internal and external environments?
Particles would diffuse from high density to low density.
Mana would behave the same way.
If an uncontrollable amount of mana were to pour in due to the channel being opened in a high-density area, the fragile circle would break apart.
Next in line would undoubtedly be the heart.
Aden replied calmly,
“I have to.”
“Is that really possible?”
“The Master’s words cannot be wrong.”
“But-”
“Izein. You have already made a promise. I heard it, and even then, I made my decision. So, what is your role now?”
Izein bit her lip.
When Aden resolved to enter the academy and decided that she would follow him and serve as her lord, even then, she still sometimes acted like an older sister looking after her younger sibling.
But Aden, now, couldn’t tolerate any more indulgence beyond that which he had allowed in the past.
“I will be vigilant. Please don’t let me be disturbed during the process.”
Aden nodded, taking his seat. Despite his tone, he was incredibly tense.
He was confident in his control, but a difference of two circle densities was significant. If he lost focus for even a moment or fell behind in power, it would be over.
“Open.”
He minimally opened the channel, the barrier between internal and external necessary mana.
Mana within the room began to surge.
* * *
[Can you believe this! Unprecedented Swift Mana Manipulation Technique]
—Ugh. What kind of naming sense is this…
—Aren’t you even a little curious to read it? It’s a revolutionary mana manipulation technique that starts off a bit challenging but accelerates significantly as you progress!
—Even if I wanted to see it, I’d close the book.
—Does it matter? After all, you’re the only reader here. Either shut up and read it or just give it back if you don’t want it.
—Ah, fine. Give it here.
Ironically, the hobby of the archmage Silion, who doesn’t take on apprentices, was writing.
“The greatest genius. The youngest archmage in history relentlessly poured out vast knowledge and expertise of unknown origin.
The only reader of it was Aden himself.
Aden was amazed by Silion’s naming sense and was thrilled to see rare contents recorded in the book that could not be found anywhere else.
Even though reading and forgetting and then reading again was a routine.
No matter how much information he entered, could it have been stored somewhere in reality, just like how the contents of ‘Magic Taxonomy’ came back to him?
Just as the contents of ‘Magic Taxonomy’ came back vividly, Silion’s writings remained in Aden’s mind.
As vivid as if I’ve read it dozens of times before.
[Neutral mana refers to mana without attribute bias.]
[I hypothesized, what would happen if a circle was composed solely of neutral mana?]
[Mana attributes are broadly divided into negative and positive spectra. At the apex of the negative spectrum lies the water attribute, and at the apex of the positive spectrum lies the fire attribute. While other attributes have differences in degree, they all have biases. Mana in its natural state cannot be perfectly neutral due to being imbued with the qualities of the surrounding environment.]
“And as a mage practices, they naturally absorb more of the attributes they are comfortable with or consciously seek. The circle created in this way also possesses attributes. In my case, it’s the fire attribute.”
[Ordinary mages absorb and process mana as it is absorbed, refining it through mana washing when outputting. Superior mages focus on absorbing specific attributes to reduce losses during processing.]
“However, to construct a circle with perfect neutral mana, processing during absorption is necessary. It involves colliding mana with opposing attributes to reduce the attribute level to 0.”
“It’s an absurd difficulty. There’s no way a novice mage could do that.”
Then, is it possible for a skilled mage?
Skilled mages already possess circles.
Changing the attributes of an already constructed circle is in the realm of impossibility. As circles pile up, the probability diminishes to decimal points.
Even Silion never attempted it.
—But if it were me, a mage below 3 circles and I would have tried even at the risk of my life.
—Is it worth that much?
—As mages reach higher circles, they often extract and discard only mana of their own element during spellcasting. Processing mana into the opposite attribute requires too much energy. In contrast, processing only up to neutral is much easier.
—So, as you progress…
—Exactly. You may struggle at first, but the efficiency in the later stages becomes exceptionally high. You don’t even need to deliberately seek out training places that match your element.
—Wow.
—If you had practiced magic in this way from the beginning, you might have reached 9 circles by now. Of course, having a lot of mana alone doesn’t guarantee reaching higher circles.
—That’s impressive. To have such thoughts…
—Well, in the end, it’s just a hypothesis. Can you imagine any novice mage being able to control the process of detecting mana with different attributes and making them collide until they reach neutrality? It’s rare even among skilled mages.
It’s all here.
Novice with experience.
“Moreover, I’m quite confident in my control.”
The circle is densely packed with mana.
To penetrate through and exchange energy, much denser mana of the opposite attribute is needed.
Just like now.
“Let’s go.”
