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Hector Kart frowned deeply.

A 7-star mage.

Since stepping into the realm of the superhuman, no one had dared to openly defy him like this.

“You’re wrong.”

Wrong…

No matter how ignorant of the world one might be, who would dare to say “you’re wrong” to his face?

However, Hector felt more pity than anger.

Compassion surged within him before rage.

The Samael bloodline.

Those born with both a blessed, brilliant talent and a cursed, foolish stubbornness.

That unique trait had been passed down even to this ruffian, who was no better than a wastrel.

‘Strange.’

No one would have taught him, so why did he awaken that cursed trait on his own?

Could it be true that all those with the Samael bloodline are destined for this?

He sighed.

What had become of all the Samael stubborn mages who clung only to Mana Circles?

Why had the Samael fallen so far?

Their brilliant talent had gradually faded under the shadow of foolish arrogance, and Samael failed to adapt to the changing times.

If not for the Head’s decision, the family would have long since vanished into the annals of history.

That’s why he wanted to enlighten the boy.

To tell him to abandon Mana Circles immediately.

That if he taught him personally, he too had the potential to become a high-ranking mage.

But the moment he met Ruin’s blazing eyes, Hector had to swallow his words.

Where did that confidence come from?

“No matter how talented you are, you cannot surpass Mana Cores with Mana Circles.”

He saw Ruin sneer at his declaration.

It was probably born from the arrogant talent of someone ignorant of the world, just like countless Samael mages before him.

“Foolish boy. Are you saying you’re different from the others?”

“It’s not that I’m different. It’s that you’re all fools.”

“What?”

“You don’t even know about Ifrit.”

Hector let out an involuntary sigh.

“…Do you really believe in such superstitions?”

“You truly know nothing.”

Realizing that further lecturing was pointless, Hector glared at Ruin.

“If you’re so confident, prove it.”

The corners of Ruin’s mouth lifted.

“How should I prove it?”

“Regular mages. If you can defeat a 4-star mage in actual combat, I’ll respect your foolish choice. Since you call all other mages fools, half a year should be enough. Don’t you think?”

No matter how brilliant the Samael talent, defeating a 4-star mage in six months was impossible.

Especially with Circle magic.

Nevertheless, he made this proposal to break the boy’s stubbornness.

And as expected.

Hector thought Ruin would refuse.

If that were the case, he had planned to force Ruin onto the path of Mana Cores, even if it meant canceling the bet.

It wasn’t just to repay the debt owed to Kart and Samael.

It was out of a lingering compassion for Samael.

Even if it was barely holding on, he didn’t want to see the Samael completely fall.

“No. That proposal is absurd.”

At Ruin’s answer, Hector nodded as if he had expected it.

“As expected. It was just talk after all. Sophistry without the backing of skill is not worth listening to.”

“I don’t need six months.”

Ruin sneered, holding up one finger.

“I’ll surpass them within a month.”

“….”

Hector stared at Ruin for a moment without saying a word.

Ruin’s still youthful face came into focus…

‘Tsk.’

Hector realized then that he had been getting genuinely worked up over a kid who hadn’t even shed his apprentice status.

‘Just a fledgling.’

A month…

Did the boy even know how absurd his words were?

Hector didn’t feel the need to explain.

“We’ll see.”

A month wasn’t a long time.

That stubborn boy would soon realize the weight of his own foolish words.

* * *

“Did you see that earlier?”

“…I did.”

“What was that about Ruin?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Damn it.”

Frustration welled up inside Zion, and he stamped his feet.

He prided himself on being quick-witted and having good judgment, but even he couldn’t understand what had happened that morning.

The Crimson Mage.

The aura Hector intentionally unleashed made his knees tremble just watching from the sidelines.

No matter how much guts someone had, it wasn’t an aura anyone could withstand.

He wondered if this was truly the Vice Tower Master of the Red Magic Tower.

The level he had achieved filled him with awe.

But.

Ruin had faced it head-on. The oppressive aura that felt like it would sear his flesh just by watching.

It didn’t seem easy for him to endure.

His legs trembled as he planted them on the ground.

Blood even trickled from his lips.

But he straightened his body and preached his beliefs.

Why? How?

A ripple of emotion stirred within his small chest. Ruin was just stubbornly insisting like a madman, but for some reason, Zion started to feel a sense of exhilaration.

‘Where did this crazy bastard come from?’

Zion found himself rooting for Ruin.

It wasn’t because he agreed with what Ruin was saying.

Zion had clearly seen Ruin’s eyes.

Conviction.

The conviction to tell the Crimson Mage that he was wrong.

The star-like conviction filling Ruin’s eyes made Zion’s heart pound.

‘He said you can beat a knight if you create a Mana Circle?’

Ruin’s words suddenly came to mind, and Zion’s heart sank.

It was a heavy feeling, like a lead weight settling in his chest, but it also felt like a strange excitement.

He never thought he would seriously consider such an absurd statement.

“…Sigh. What do you think, Makan?”

“He’s definitely impressive.”

“But even so, the Mana Circle thing sounds a bit crazy… Are you listening to me, Makan? What are you doing?”

Zion’s eyes filled with questions.

Makan was closing his eyes and muttering something continuously.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to create a Mana Circle.”

“You’re not actually believing that Ruin guy, are you?”

“I don’t know.”

Zion looked at Makan with a puzzled expression.

“If you don’t know, why are you doing it?”

“Zion, your problem is that you think too much. Too much thinking is poison.”

“….”

“Just do what your heart tells you.”

Makan replied, flexing his chest.

A satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

“It’s time to run.”

“What?”

“One! Two! Three! Four!”

Zion stared blankly at Makan as he ran off, shouting at the top of his lungs.

“…I think the crazy is contagious. By the way, where did that Ruin guy go?”

* * *

The summit of Mount Khaoto.

It was a peak that could only be reached after hours of climbing the sharp cliffs halfway up the mountain and scaling a narrow rock face barely wide enough for a child to pass through.

A place where the eastern continent’s coast and the vast ocean could be seen at a glance.

Red Summit.

That was the nickname given to the peak of Mount Khaoto.

True to its name, the rocky terrain of the summit was covered in a deep red color, as if blood had been splattered across it.

The blue sky and sea, contrasted with the red rocky ground, held a natural mystique that might be quite attractive to middle-aged people, but the summit was desolate.

It seemed to have been abandoned for quite some time.

Probably due to the rugged terrain, making it quite difficult to climb.

“Uwaaaah!”

At the edge of the Red Summit.

I gathered all my strength into my hands, gripping the rock face, and leaped onto the summit.

Then, I immediately sprawled out in a large ‘X’ shape, gasping for breath.

“…Phew.”

The mountain terrain was frustrating.

It took me more than half a day to get here from the middle of the mountain.

And that was even with using Wind Step intermittently.

There wasn’t a single area that wasn’t dangerous.

“….”

I turned my gaze to the Red Summit.

The summit was dotted with rocks that emitted a mysterious red light.

In the past, there was an altar here to honor the ancestors of Samael, the great heroes.

…Yeah. I knew this would be gone too.

But I knew.

That the red rocky ground was not a natural wonder or a mysterious phenomenon.

It was a trace.

A trace of the heroes who fought the Dragon King on the summit of Mount Khaoto hundreds of years ago, shedding countless blood.

The traces of the fierce battle between the Dragon King and humans, which lasted for a month, had seeped into the rocks and remained red to this day.

Suddenly, I turned my gaze to the distant sea, and the vast blue, unchanged from the past, came into view.

For a moment, my chest felt clear.

Then, the words of the instructor and Hector came to mind.

— Just like a Samael.

— Ha, the Samael bloodline is indeed something special.

“Bullshit.”

The Samael were the only mages who clung to Mana Circles until the end, and the result was the decline of the family.

The current Samael, barely holding on thanks to Kazen accepting new magic through the Red Magic Tower.

How did it come to this? How?

Not only has the orthodoxy of magic been compromised, but they’re also receiving pity.

These people know nothing about the gods, the demons, the Dragon King, the Ancient Dragons, or the Crazy Mage.

They don’t even know what their ancestors accomplished.

“Damn it, you idiots… Huh?”

Suddenly, my heart started to pound.

Thump.

Thump-thump.

The Mana Circle in my heart was contracting and expanding frantically.

I knew this phenomenon.

I immediately clutched my heart with both hands and collapsed.

Mana from the Yin dimension.

I could feel the foreign mana mana from the Yin dimension in my senses.

I quickly relaxed my entire body. If I lost control, it was clear that all the circles in my body would be destroyed.

“Not yet. Not yet.”

With such a faint amount of mana from the Yin dimension, it was difficult to rotate the circles.

If I failed to achieve resonance, a runaway would surely occur.

I needed a richer, more powerful stimulus. Moreover, this body wasn’t yet suitable for reacting to Yin mana.

“Phew. Phew.”

After taking a few deep breaths, a wave of energy passed through me.

Immediately, I felt the Mana Circle in my heart reach its saturation point.

It seemed the Mana Circle had fluctuated, pulling in the surrounding mana beyond its limit.

Fortunately, this time it was a good sign.

Whirr—

A thin ring formed next to my heart, and the saturated mana flowed into it.

It seemed like I would be able to complete the 3rd Circle soon.

“Lucky me.”

One circle for a bit of annoyance was a good deal.

“Good thing I came up here. Now, let’s go have a talk with the Head.”

As I hummed a tune and descended the mountain, I saw an old man slowly climbing up from the opposite side.

A gentle impression. Long white hair reaching his waist.

He definitely seemed like one of the old men who watched me from afar while I was running in the training grounds…

‘A master? Are there still masters left in Samael?’

An emptiness that seemed to feel nothing. A faint mana fluctuation flowing out subtly.

He definitely had the same features as the high-circle elders I had seen in my past life.

Oh ho.

I was slightly excited.

“Huh huh. I thought it was someone, but it’s Ruin.”

But the moment the old man spoke, I knew.

This old man was a 1st Circle mage.

————