[Magic Pioneer I]

[Someone who has paved a new path within the mysterious world of magic. Although the owner of this Title is but a novice little baby who has just taken their first steps, they still deserve a bonus to their Energy and Intelligence.]

"Did you write this description?" Alec asked the System with a frown.

[No.] The System answered curtly.

'I think that might actually be a lie.'

[It isn't.]

"Right. You read my thoughts."

[Only the ones directed at me.]

"That feels arbitrary."

[If anything's arbitrary, it would be your thoughts that are.]

"Whatever. By the sounds of it, this Title can be upgraded?"

[Correct.]

'I guess I just have to continue exploring and discovering new magic stuff. Easy peasy.'

That was the plan anyway. He wasn't the first mage born without an affinity for the elements. But according to what he and Reina had found in the library, he would be the first to pursue a path with non-elemental magic. Every step of the way would most likely be another step for his Magic Pioneer title.

'But I probably got it because of the heart bubble.'

Merely condensing a formless magic circle shouldn't have been enough.

"Stop distracting me. I need to talk to an expert about this."

Although Alec felt good about his heart and magic circle, he still wanted to double-check with someone who had a little more experience than him on the subject.

He tidied up, left the study room, nodded at Sarah at the desk on his way out of the library, and headed over to Reina's office.

She looked like she was busy, but she still welcomed Alec inside when she heard who it was.

"Here to ask for help? I heard your friends had all condensed their circles already. Before you say anything, though, I should point out that they are fast. You are not slow."

"Uh, no. I actually just condensed my circle."

"So, you're here for the spell formation for Scan."

"Well, not just, but I'll take it."

Reina sighed and grabbed a paper sheet from a drawer in her desk. She handed it over to Alec, who grabbed it and entered a trance almost as soon as he looked at it.

He couldn't stop [Reader] from taking charge and translating the gibberish runes to understandable nonsense.

It was the first kind Alec laid eyes on a spell like it. It was the only life-attribute spell he knew about, and he was finally seeing it with his own two eyes. Scan was likely also the key to figuring out his condition.

"Hey." Reina snapped her fingers to wake Alec from his daze.

"You said you had something else?"

"Yeah, I…Uh, actually, I'm not sure how to explain it." Alec was stumped, and his head tilted to the side as he thought about how to verbalize what he had just done.

Reina looked at Alec with a concerned look as she pressed her fingertips against each other while leaning her elbows on the desk with several stacks of papers around. She was worried about Alec. But she was busy. She didn't have time for nonsense.

"Is it about your circle? Does it feel weird?" She asked patiently.

"It feels pretty good, actually. But, uh…You know how magic circles and martial stars put pressure on the heart, which increases the risk for early heart failure?"

"..." Reina looked at Alec like she couldn't believe the nonsense coming out of his mouth. Of course, she knew about it.

"Well, I might have done something about that."

"...What do you mean?"

"I, uh, put a protective layer of sorts around my heart that protects it from the pressure of the magic circle."

"...What do you mean?" Reina echoed, her brain too normal to understand what Alec was talking about.

"What I just said. I don't know how else to explain it."

"If you just wrapped a layer of mana around your heart, that won't work. The mana will still pressure your heart, and you'll run out of mana before long. Not to mention how you're supposed to keep it up while casting magic."

"That's not it." Alec shook his head.

"Before condensing my magic circle, my mana was like one big bubble. I took the outer layer and covered my heart in it, and I used the 'air' in the bubble to condense my magic circle."

"...What do you mean?"

"Like I said, I don't know how else to explain it!" Alec said in exasperation.

Reina sighed and held out a hand.

"Show me."

Alec blinked.

"...What do you mean?" He asked.

"Just give me your hand."

Alec hesitantly obeyed.

"Why…?"

"Alec, this isn't something you should do with someone you don't trust."

One of Alec's eyebrows rose.

"Especially not someone who's skilled with mana."

"?"

"But I'm going to need you to trust me right now and not react."

"Alright…?" Alec had already decided to trust Reina when he told her and the others about his condition and the fact that he ate a monster.

"I'm serious."

"Yeah."

"Dead serious, Alec. Do not move a muscle."

"What happens if I do?"

"If we had been equally strong, or the difference had been smaller than it is nothing. Since I'm a lot stronger than you, though. Pain."

"That doesn't sound nice."

"Exactly. So, don't move."

"What happens if someone I don't trust does this?"

"I'll tell you when I'm done."

Reina's smooth and slender fingers slid into Alec's palm, and she held his hand, pressing their palms together.

'Woah.' Alec had to admit. Her hands were very nice.

A second later, he felt her mana enter his body through where their skin was touching. Tendrils of pitch-black mana, like sentient streams of ink, slipped into him and through his body. Snakes of shadow moved through his body, scrutinizing it.

Eventually, they found their way to his heart.

Reina blanked when she sensed what Alec had done. It took her a while to analyze and figure out what it was exactly. When she did, she immediately withdrew her mana and grabbed Alec by the shoulders.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?!"

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