Chapter 259: Consolidating Mana
Shortly after Spencer received the command and exited the room, Leonard continued to close his eyes to consolidate his mana.
A smile slowly crept up on his face when he could sense a magic circle was forming. Although not quite a successful magic circle, it was evidence that he was close to succeeding in the formation.
The situation was vastly superior to the time when he knew a magic circle was impossible to form.
He clenched his fist, his eyes burning with the desire to take control of his own life.
When he was fascinated by the fantasy element of this world, he thought he would have some cheat-like ability.
Alas, reality always shatters one's expectations.
He spent another half an hour consolidating the mana within him.
'Looks like I have to practice more.' His forehead was covered in sweat. As for his clothes, they were completely drenched.
The smell was starting to linger and corrode the room. Moreover, he felt sticky everywhere.
"Men, prepare for bath water!" Leonard called out to the guards outside.
Although magic could create water, he much preferred natural water to bathe in.
It was just like how some preferred pure pH 7 water over some other water that was a little bit over or less than the desired pH level.
Sometime later, Leonard got up from the ground, took a small glance at the sleeping Eleanor.
Her sleeping posture was fine, and there was no snoring. But one look was enough for others to know she was exhausted to the max.
'Without those schemes, she just looks no different than a regular woman.' He shook his head and sighed. This world's cruelty was something he still found hard to adapt to.
Part of him retained the natural demeanor of the original host.
Another part of him retained the world he was originally in.
Unlike his original world, where laws stood absolute, and killing wasn't the norm. Here, killing was the same as breathing air.
Sometime later, he stripped his clothes and entered the large shower room.
Despite the vast space, it was very quiet and empty. Almost nobody was present except him—a feeling that he was used to in his previous world.
Loneliness was something the top of the pyramid often felt.
Gradually, such feelings became the norm, and your senses would turn numb.
As he bathed in the large tub, Leonard could feel the pores of his skin tremble slightly.
Indeed, how could a bath be so simple?
The water was enhanced with magical properties used to boost a mage's mana and vitality. The longer one soaked and simmered in it, the greater the effect.
"Seems like I can absorb a large amount to help me consolidate my mana further." He didn't know when or how he figured this information out. It was almost like it was natural for him to know, despite not studying this aspect.
Subconsciously, Leonard began to close his eyes and follow the flow of water.
In a sense, mana operated similarly to water. When it was in the correct current, the process was smooth and steady.
Yet when the current was incorrect, the process was arduous and difficult to advance.
If that wasn't enough to understand the feeling, then a simpler explanation was that he now grew wings as a bird and could fly to the sky.
The ripples in the water intensified as Leonard gradually rose. The surrounding mana began gathering and swirling around in a vortex-like formation.
Upon closer inspection of the vortex, one could see a ring-like substance growing.
That was the base ring, otherwise known as the containment layer.
"The base ring is completed…" Leonard muttered. The anatomy of a magic circle was a constructed circle consisting of three primary layers: the base ring, the geometric core, and the runes/glyphs.
The first step was completed smoothly, and now it was time for the geometric core layer, also known as the function layer.
In the past, Leonard always failed to succeed in this layer because of a blockade. He was unable to construct a proper shape and keep it intact for more than 5 seconds.
However, with the blockade now opening a slight gap due to Eleanor's Blood Essence, he could now construct a shape.
'Is Circle the easiest shape?' Because Leonard didn't have an in-depth conversation with Mirelle regarding the shapes' aspect, he didn't know which was easier.
He reckoned the circle should be easiest because there were no edges.
With that in mind, Leonard extended his palm and began swirling the mana to form a perfect round circle. The process was very smooth.
"Aha, it really is the easiest!" He smirked and finally began tackling the final layer.
'But wait, I don't know any Runic Tongue??!' A problem quickly arose when he wanted to chant the verbal command. Glyphs acted as the verbal command, whereas runes acted as the physical command.
And he just so happened to lack both.
Was he supposed to give up here?
No, that would be too ridiculous!
"I may not have Runic Tongue, but I have this language." He gritted his teeth and decided to gamble a bit.
Truth be told, the language he had been speaking actually varied from his original world. It was just never mentioned because he retained the original host and could speak the language of this new world fluently.
So in his own language, Leonard softly spoke [Heal].
Whoosh!
Like a tyrannical storm, the circle began to glow brightly. Of course, that was an exaggeration. Rather than being a storm, it was more like the calming wind that was healing Leonard's wound.
"Hoh, I didn't even know the explosion had scraped my skin a little." His eyes widened slightly at the healing spot on his arm. It was being graced by the water particles, which made him realize the small wound.
As the healing process was completed, Leonard could feel something from within him.
The magic circle.
His very first magic circle!
"I'm an official Mage now." Leonard slowly descended to the water and smiled briefly. Though his smile soon disappeared when he realized the crystal clear water had turned murky and dark.
"Who polluted my bathing water?"