A mage must observe, investigate, and uncover the truth behind phenomena.
That’s why they must possess a unique perspective on the world.
They should question why the forest changes color with the seasons, why today’s wind blows stronger than yesterday’s, and wonder why a ripe apple falls so effortlessly from a tree.
This is the mindset a true mage must carry.
Therefore, they must not tremble in fear when faced with the unknown, and more than anyone else, they must see the world without prejudice.
Of course, this is no easy task.
But only by accomplishing that difficult task can one truly grow as a mage.
And for that reason, right now, Jun’s mind was working more furiously than ever before.
And understandably so.
This was not a normal dimension born of reality, but one twisted into existence by a broken human psyche.
Nothing here operated according to common sense.
Yet even so, Jun calmly analyzed every aspect of this phenomenon, piece by piece.
Derman doesn’t have full control over all the mana that exists in this dimension.
The very fact that Jun was able to use magic was proof of that.
To draw an analogy…
You could say I’m inside a fish tank.
No matter how much water is inside a fish tank, it’s not something a person can control at will.
At most, they can shake the tank or put something into it.
And those monsters must be the dye Derman added.
Meaning: Derman added dye into the tank, and when the fish (Jun) bursts the dye, the water becomes colored according to Derman’s intent.
But affecting such a vast area of mana like this?
Mana isn’t something that yields so easily.
Even mages must impose countless restrictions just to craft a single spell.
And it’s not just mages either.
A shaman governs their power by offering something in return, and a swordsman must endure the long and tedious process of absorbing mana directly and making it their own.
And yet here, even if it’s a temporary construct, someone is exerting influence over a dimension filled to the brim with mana like that?
It’s absurd.
Even if a dragon’s grandfather showed up, controlling mana to that degree would still be impossible.
No matter how much this mental projection ignores natural laws, even it has limits.
If mental projection were truly omnipotent, Jun would’ve already been dead.
But that wasn’t the case. And the fact that the enemy was still summoning monsters meant—
He’s also operating within certain constraints.
The moment those constraints are broken, this mental projection will surely shatter like glass.
Boom—!
Another grotesque sea monster exploded, flinging chunks of flesh everywhere as it met its end.
And once again, the density of the mana grew sticky and oppressive.
But even so, it doesn’t explain what I’m experiencing right now.
Every time he cast magic, his heart groaned under the strain.
At this rate, even casting a first-circle spell would become impossible soon.
Boom—!
The flesh of a massive fish and a spiny sea urchin attacking from both sides burst into chunks.
But the enemies gave him no room to breathe and kept coming relentlessly.
Then what if I completely change my perspective?
What if the issue doesn’t lie with the man but within himself?
Crack—!
The [Shield] he barely managed to cast blocked a newly emerged shark-like monster. Had he been a moment slower, his arm would’ve ended up inside that thing’s gut.
It’s entirely possible. I’m human. The [Mana Body] might be flawless, but I, the one using it, am not.
There’s no doubt that the [Mana Body] is incredible, but the one wielding it is still just a human.
Just because a colossal hammer capable of slaying a dragon is placed in someone’s hands doesn’t mean they can actually wield it.
Screeeeeeech—!!!
A siren, its entire body covered in burns, let out a hoarse cracked scream.
There was no time to cast a proper spell, so Jun barely managed to defend himself with [Predator], which had finally recovered to full capacity.
Then what kind of problems could be arising within me?
In an instant, countless possibilities flashed through his mind.
Mental attack?
In theory, it was possible, but not for Jun. After all, he possessed [Steadfast Will] and [Unwavering Heart].
These two skills didn’t grant full immunity to mental attacks, but at the very least, he should’ve felt them resisting.
But Derman… you’re not that good.
If it wasn’t a mental assault, then could it be poison?
That one’s… actually possible.
With that in mind, he immediately cast a detoxification spell.
He had embedded mana into some of the poison-related data Aiden once shared with Javier during their fight against the Poison Master.
“Ugh…”
The spell tore a chunk out of his already limited mana reserves.
The moment he faltered, a shark-like monster with a long, spear-like snout grazed past his side.
No… it’s not poison.
If it were, the spell just now would’ve had some kind of reaction.
Then what else could it be?
It wasn’t a mana issue, nor an illusion, nor poisoning.
The more he reasoned through it, the more trapped he felt, like every path was blocked. And in the meantime, the number of monsters continued to grow.
Let’s change perspectives again.
If there’s no issue with the mana, and no issue with himself…
Then.
Then…
The environment.
Eureka.
A flash of insight sparked through his mind.
That became the trigger for his [Excellent Memory] to activate.
Mana intoxication. That son of a… So this is what it was.
Mana intoxication.
A condition caused by absorbing mana at an excessively high density.
In other words, the mana in this dimension was highly refined.
But that leads to another question.
Jun had just declared that even a dragon’s grandfather couldn’t exert influence over all the mana spread across this dimension.
So was it really possible to increase the density of mana like this?
To cut to the conclusion: Yes, it was.
You… you’re not actually here, are you?
Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—
As if responding to Jun’s words, the monster’s roar spread throughout the entire space.
Yes.
The only one who had entered the mental projection was Jun himself.
Derman’s true body was still outside, relentlessly absorbing the ocean’s mana.
That was exactly why the mana density had increased each time Jun killed one of the monsters crawling up from the abyss.
Those creatures were manifestations of the sea’s mana, twisted and corrupted by Derman’s own mind.
“Haha, hahaha!”
Jun burst into laughter as he drew closer to the answer.
Unbelievable.
Worried because there’s too much mana?
How utterly ridiculous.
Of course it was.
Any ordinary mage would have been completely overwhelmed by a situation like this.
“An excess of mana?”
Wasn’t that something he dealt with every single day?
Jun understood this phenomenon better than anyone….and just now, he had thought of a way to solve it.
***
Mana intoxication.
How could one resolve it?
The obvious answer was to release the mana.
In other words, simply discharge it.
But right now, even casting a single spell was difficult enough.
And yet he was supposed to expend mana? The thought was almost laughable.
Don’t look at the result. Look at the process.
It wasn’t using magic that caused mana intoxication.
It was using mana wrongly that did.
I thought I was absorbing ten units of mana as usual…but the concentration was different. In reality, I absorbed thirteen.
That was why spellcasting had become so difficult.
So the solution was simple.
I just need to reduce the amount of mana I absorb.
To do that, he had to sense mana with greater precision.
[The influence of the spell, ‘Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim’, is reduced by 5 percent.]
He reactivated the seal he had halted when he transformed into a mutant.
Starting at five percent.
“Hoo…”
Then seven percent. Increasing again to ten.
At the same time, he focused on [Keen Eyesight].
Yeah. Now I can see it clearly. The mana density has definitely increased.
As the bearer of [Mana Body], Jun could perceive the flow of blue mana with his very eyes.
At first, it had been difficult to distinguish anything in the darkness, but now that he focused, he could clearly see the difference.
Idiot. No wonder your heart was under strain.
[Fireball]
A crimson flame burst forth like spurting blood.
[Volcanic Tornado]
A storm of blazing red fire swept away the swarm of small monster fish.
[Flame Rage]
A spiral of roaring flames spewed forth a torrent of fire, surging toward the incoming enemies like a burning tide.
Jun conjured walls of fire and unleashed his mana without restraint.
“Huff… huff…”
Bright blue lines pulsed vividly across his skin.
The overheated state he had barely recovered from was worsening once more.
That’s what battle is.
Was there ever such a thing as a perfect victory without a single wound?
Though he had figured out a theoretical way to deal with the creature, Jun was far from holding an overwhelming advantage.
His opponent was a raid monster nearing level seven—
A being that, in the original game, could only be defeated through the coordinated efforts of several characters specialized in underwater combat.
And yet, Jun was facing it all alone.
I won’t let my guard down for a second.
He poured everything he had into the fight.
[The influence of the spell, ‘Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim’, is reduced by 25 percent.]
“Huuuuuh…!”
His heart pounded like mad.
Mana surged through his circuits along the flow of his blood.
The once-blue lines glowing on his body deepened into violet, and the taste of iron filled his mouth.
Even so, he didn’t stop casting.
Because he wasn’t the only one in pain.
Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—!!!
Derman too was drawing mana from the sea to sustain this space.
The amount he was pulling in must have been enormous, and maintaining it for long was undoubtedly a crushing burden.
And unlike me, you don’t have any tricks up your sleeve.
There was a reason Jun was only using fire-element magic.
Every flame spell he cast carried the property of Devouring Flame.
Burn. Burn hotter!
Fire was greedy.
Following Jun’s will, each flame spell that bloomed refused to extinguish, illuminating the dark space in a sea of blazing light.
Thus began the deadly game of chicken.
Jun’s magic, imbued with Devouring Flame, continued to absorb the additional mana, growing in size.
In response, the number of monsters rising from the depths of the abyss increased exponentially.
Then, the one who underwent a change was Jun.
Ah…
A manifestation of magic pushed to its absolute limit.
In that process, a new ring began to form within Jun’s heart.
***
When a warrior reaches Level 8, they begin to use Will and manifest the truth established within themselves into reality.
Then what about a mage?
Unlike warriors, mages materialize their mental image at the Seventh Circle.
This was due to the difference in how warriors and mages utilize mana.
Whereas warriors build up the truth that resides within, mages seek to comprehend the truth of the external world….of the universe itself.
And now, standing before the door of the Sixth Circle—
Jun was beginning to understand the difference between the fifth and sixth circles.
A reorganization of all the knowledge I’ve built up until now.
To compare it to architecture:
The mental domain shown by Sergey, the seventh circle master of the Volcatornic Magic Tower, was a completed building.
In contrast, what Jun needed to do at the Fifth Circle was to gather the materials for the building he would construct.
That’s why I didn’t advance to the next stage back then.
Most mages would have entered the Sixth Circle the moment enlightenment struck.
Ordinary mages tend to focus solely on the field of study they’re digging into.
With no need to reorganize anything, once they reach a certain level of knowledge and insight, they naturally progress to the Sixth Circle.
But I was different.
The magical knowledge Jun had built up had gaps here and there, and he had resolved all of them on his own.
Naturally, the knowledge he had accumulated was unstable to that extent.
Even so, the reason Jun had once been able to knock on the door of the Sixth Circle was because he had accumulated such a broad range of knowledge. Moreover, it was a kind of “error” made possible by the [Mana Body], which allowed that knowledge to manifest.
But now that he had restructured his magic, things were different.
By learning enchantment magic through Shylock and applying it to his existing magic, he had refined his understanding.
However, since he had never used it in actual combat, a few pieces were still missing.
Now, as he poured out magic while pushing himself to his limits, those missing pieces had been filled in.
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