Alec had a good feeling about his insights. He needed to change his mana and remove the bubble-like outer layer to fulfill the first layer of the Hollow Gale method and condense his first circle.

Doing so would, presumably, unleash the mana within. That mana would then be vigorous enough to form the magic circle around his heart.

From what he had read and heard from Taryeon and the others, a catalyst wasn't necessary, and neither was some sort of surge of mana or whatever. It was possible to condense a circle as long as one was ready or had the necessary talent.

But Taryeon had made it pretty clear that his mana and magic circle right now were a lot stronger than they would have been if he hadn't taken that bolt of lightning to the face.

'The more exciting the process, the stronger the circle.' Alec drew a conclusion.

But it didn't come without drawbacks.

Stronger magic circles and martial stars meant a heavier load on the heart.

Laying a solid foundation with powerful magic circles would make it easier to cast more powerful magic. Mages with greater magic circles wouldn't run out of mana as quickly, and they would have an easier time condensing their next circles.

That was the conclusion Alec drew after comparing everything he had read in this world and his previous one.

However, being stronger meant being at greater risk for heart failure.

Still, Alec planned to lay a solid foundation. He could not afford to be scared of a little heart failure when he had to replace the original protagonist of this story he was trapped in.

He knew his brother.

'This isn't absolute.'

This powersystem wasn't without solutions.

'Alex would want a hurdle that the original protagonist could overcome through grit, ingenuity, hard work, and by risking their life. He would also want other characters who can threaten the original protagonist every step of the way. That means there are multiple ways to overcome this.'

Alec slowed his breathing and focused on the Aether around him. The others were busy with their own things. He might as well take the opportunity to condense his mana as much as possible before breaking through.

After all, he already had two possible solutions. They were completely theoretical as of now, and it would take a while for him to confirm the veracity of both.

But even with his limited knowledge and experience, he had still come up with two plausible-sounding solutions to a problem that had the Aether-condensing world stumped.

He hadn't found anything about them in the library. Either he didn't have access to that kind of literature yet, or it didn't exist.

The fact that he had already come up with two methods could also simply mean that he had underestimated the problem.

But he still had some confidence in himself.

The first method was something that would be extremely difficult for other mages to think of doing since they had neither his element nor his magic circle condensation method.

The second method was even more unlikely to have been tested and rejected. It was something no sane person would do in this world.

It was something Alec had to do anyway.

***

Over the next few days, Alec continued amassing mana while thinking about how to go about the first method.

It wouldn't be easy.

He filled his bubble of mana until it was stretched taut. It no longer had the gentle sway of a soap bubble clinging to existence while resting on a counter for a few seconds before popping out of existence. It resembled a balloon filled to the brim more than anything else.

Since he needed absolute focus for what he was going to do, he had made sure to borrow a soundproofed study room in the library. He asked Sarah just to confirm, but it added a pretty penny to the tally.

If he didn't find a way to repay it during his time at the Academy, he would have to work for the Kingdom to pay it off, just like with the rest of his expenses that he needed to rely on the Academy for.

Still, it was a necessary expenditure. He was also confident that he would solve that problem when it became relevant.

Right now, he needed to figure out how to do two things at the same time with one mind.

The first, but technically second method, since he thought of it after the other method, to protect his heart from the load of a magic circle, was to take the skin from his bubble and wrap it around his heart. It would act like a buffer of sorts and reinforce his heart, protecting it against the storm of mana that would surround it at all times.

Alec didn't know what would happen when he popped the bubble, or if it would pop on its own if he waited long enough. He was treading uncharted waters with what he was doing right now.

There was a risk that as soon as he tried to make a hole in the bubble, the entire thing would burst, and, if he were unlucky, dissipate, leave his body, and force him to start over. If he was very unlucky, he might even explode on the spot.

That was how volatile mana could be. He was also working with formless mana, which was an academic unknown.

He probably shouldn't be doing this.

He couldn't resist.

What if it worked?

The allure of discovering something completely new and figuring out the bounds of magic was too attractive. Alec couldn't stop himself, even if he had to control the bubble's outer layer and its contents at the same time.

Alec took a deep breath, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth.

He visualized his mind—the coalescence of willpower he used to control mana—stretching in two directions. He froze after an instant.

This was a bad move.

The mind was not meant to split.

He took a quick breath and continued.

After a few moments, he was working with a sausage-shaped mind. It was the best he could do for now.

It wasn't perfect, but it would at least let him use two points of contact. One for the bubble and one for the mana within.

Alec tried to let his mind cool down before continuing, but his headache showed no signs of leaving, so he advanced toward the bubble.

If he was going to turn back, it was now. In a second, it would be too late.

A second passed. He did not turn back.

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