A wealth of knowledge flooded into my head. I had experienced the sensation of information flooding my brain before, this time was different. It wasn’t like any of the other techniques I learned through the system. I didn’t need to assimilate the knowledge; It was like my body already knew how the technique worked.

I had no time to waste.

Taking out the Molten Spear of Mutilation, I unconsciously circulated my mana through the spear in a unique fashion. It wasn’t just mana though. I could tell that there was something else at play but I didn’t know how to explain it.

‘Sweep.’

I aimed the grey crescent at a couple magic circles and it cut through them like soft tofu.

I knew I was imbuing my attacks with some sort of power. But what was it?

I tried sweeping with my left arm but the grey crescent only passed through the magic circles without cutting them.

Did it only work by channeling this mysterious power through a weapon or an object? It looks like I will have to do some experimenting later.

Countless elementary level Fire Balls flew toward me at that moment. It seems I had almost forgotten the situation I was in as I was preoccupied with understanding the newly obtained technique.

Seeing that a majority of the Fire Balls were aimed from the same direction, it shouldn’t be too huge a problem.

‘Pierce.’

The grey needle burst straight through the Fire Balls which somehow stopped them.

After the needle had penetrated through a Fire Ball, the Fire Ball would implode on itself and it would then revert into magic particles while dispersing into the air.

How did that work? It was a mysterious process that I couldn’t really understand.

How do you transform mana into magic? Imagination? Although that answer would work in a web novel, this was reality. Sure, as someone who had cast spells before, imagination definitely helped in constructing the magic circle, but it was still too vague of an answer.

In front of me, I just canceled magic, a force formed by imagination. That sounded stupid. How do you cancel imagination? It was unscientific to say the least. Anyone would call me crazy for using science in a world of magic. But the fact stands that the Fire Ball was reverted into magic particles which suggested that there was something more to it than just imagination. It was something I was certain about.

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There was a process in everything. It can’t be explained off as imagination, chanting, and magic circles. Even to this day, no one has figured out how to create their own original magic circles which are said to be the foundation of all spells. All this led to an impossible question for the current me. Why can’t new spells be invented?

As I had completely sidetracked, a burning heat woke me from my internal rambling.

‘Sh*t.’

I sidestepped and slashed backward, cutting through a Fire Blast. Had I not reacted in time, I might’ve died right there.

No matter how illogical it was, the moment the flames touched the edge of the spear was also the moment it reverted into harmless magic particles. It made little sense, but I could only accept it as it was.

Now that I had focused my mind on surviving the barrage of spells, it was time to get serious.

Laying my eyes upon the giant magic circles with six and more circles, I knew I had to destroy them as my priority. If any of those were successfully cast, I was dead meat. As for the much simpler and smaller magic circles, I could shrug them off for now as they don’t immediately kill me.

—Merlin’s PoV—

Anti-Magic? No, it was similar but it was not Anti-Magic. Spear intent? It could also cut through magic but that wasn’t it either. If it was cutting magic and degenerating it, that could be passed off as some combination between weapon intent and Anti-Magic. But what was this? He could also disrupt the magic circles themselves? That shouldn’t be possible!

Does the word impossible not exist in this kid’s dictionary? Just thinking about it made my head hurt. Ever since meeting this kid, I had been surprised at every single turn of the corner. I was humanity’s first 9th Circle Wizard, nothing should be able to surprise me! Yet here I was...

‘Forget it.’

It doesn’t even matter anymore. With how talented this kid already was, there was no point in trying to put him in his place. He deserved to be arrogant. Just like I was. But he wasn’t. He differed from me.

After meeting this kid, I realized the reason. The reason I did not have a successor.

Sure, I had disciples, but none of them met my high expectations to become my successor. I became too prideful. Like a dragon that has lost its way. I was powerful at my time, but that was it. Just because I was powerful and knowledgeable did not mean there was no one above me. I became conceited because I had never met another human that was better than me. Even when I created the Square Order with Hero Arthur and the other two, I only thought of them as equals that walked a different path. And here I was now, hundreds of years later...

‘How did I fall to such a sorry state?’ I thought as I watched the kid destroy the last magic circle.

‘I stopped.’

‘I stopped growing.’

I had thought I was already at the top. Maybe I was wrong. Now that I thought of it, was 9th Circle Wizard really the highest realm in magic? I should not have stopped trying. Even if the path was an unknown one, I should have kept going.

I lost sight of the true goal. The moment my mindset changed, was the moment I lost myself in indulgence. I shouldn’t have stopped. My ambition for growth turned into arrogance.

So what if I reached the pinnacle of magic? There was so much more than just magic. There was swordsmanship, archery, soul arts, physique. I was too narrow minded.

‘I should just rest in peace like the old man I am.’

I realized it too late. I died before I got to live.