To build a Halo, the Immortal Function needed to be expanded infinitely.
But once the concept of a perfect circle was understood, there was plenty of room to simplify the mechanism from the second time onward.
Lifting targets react sensitively to mental changes. Therefore, if the mind maintains absolute stability, the target won't move.
This meant that a perfect circle could be drawn without entering the infinite realm.
From then on, Shirone focused on creating a state where the target wouldn't move instead of normal Lifting training.
After a month, results began to show.
The sight of a target with maximum repulsion floating quietly in the Spirit Zone was always fascinating.
It was only possible because Shirone had grasped the sensation of a perfect circle through the Immortal Function.
The students kept exclaiming in admiration, but they didn't understand why he was training like this.
Closer: "He's been doing that for a month now. Even so, he can't last 10 seconds."
Sabina: "He's not a monk. Does he really need to go that far? What's the point for magic?"
The target above Shirone didn't move at all. It meant there was no change in his mental state.
It was almost like brain death, a state no normal human could maintain. Only Shirone, who had reached the state of Vajra, could do it.
But even Shirone couldn't last more than 10 seconds. Eventually, the target shook violently and flew out of the Spirit Zone.
Dante: "It seems… a bit bigger."
Student 5: "Huh? What's bigger?"
Dante: "The Spirit Zone. It seems bigger than last time."
Closer and Sabina also scrutinized Shirone. It was clear to the eye that it had grown.
Sabina: "No way. If it were that easy to expand the Spirit Zone, there'd be no one who wasn't a grand mage. Usually, it takes ascetic practices or enlightenment… huh? Enlightenment?"
Sabina realized something from her own words. While mages could awaken, the Spirit Zone, being a pure mental entity, was more closely related to the pursuit of enlightenment.
This was why Ethela, a bishop of the Carcassonne Monastery, was also a renowned monk in the kingdom.
Sabina's assumption was correct.
Shirone, who had reached the state of Vajra, had no limits to expanding his mind. While continuously drawing perfect circles, his Spirit Zone was strengthening at an incredible rate.
While Closer and Sabina poured out disparaging remarks, Dante silently watched Shirone.
Icheon class time had returned.
Ethela, Siana, and Sade, three teachers, were in charge, and the students now accepted it as a matter of course.
Siana stepped forward to lead the class.
Siana: "Starting today, we'll be learning one-on-one combat. It's different from tactical training, so please follow the instructions carefully."
One-on-one combat had several differences from tactical training.
First, powerful magic exchanges meant the gauge depleted much faster. In other words, anti-magic intensity increased.
Moreover, passive skills could also cause knockback effects on people, which was a problem.
A classic example was when two mages casting teleportation collided mid-way.
In such cases, even in a virtual reality, it could lead to serious injuries.
Siana: "The reason three teachers are observing is due to the dangers of one-on-one combat. Since today is the first day, we'll start with practice. If there are any volunteers…."
Boyle: "I'll do it."
Boyle, who had been waiting for this day, raised his hand.
Siana: "Good. Then Boyle's opponent will be…."
Boyle: "Teacher, can I choose my opponent?"
It wasn't good to let personal feelings interfere, but Boyle was already glaring at his chosen opponent.
Dante: "Me? You want to fight me now?"
Boyle: "Yeah. You've been acting all high and mighty, so you won't back out, right? If you're so great, prove it with your skills."
There was no reason to refuse a challenge, but the position of being the top in the nation wasn't something just anyone could challenge.
Dante: "You really want to beat me that badly? No matter what?"
Boyle: "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm the top of the advanced class, and you're the one challenging me. So, how about stepping up? I'll fix your rotten personality."
Dante: "Hahaha! Nice words! Then how about this? The loser kneels and admits defeat to the winner."
Ethela: "Dante, this is part of the class…."
Dante: "It's fine. Let them do it, Teacher Ethela. In fact, it's what I wanted."
Boyle pleaded with desperate eyes. The memory of being beaten by Closer was a lifelong shame. He was almost grateful for the chance to redeem himself.
As the duel was set, Shirone wondered how Dante would handle Boyle. Photon attributes had no attack magic. Of course, someone like Dante would have learned other attribute magics, but he had clearly called himself the Shining Boy, a light mage.
While Shirone was lost in thought, Boyle and Dante stood 50 meters apart in the Icheon training ground, waiting for the duel to begin.
Initial distance was crucial in one-on-one combat.
Once the fight started, variables would abound, but it always began with both parties facing each other, so deploying a sequence formula for the first strike was key.
Of course, summoners had a different style from other mages, giving them more freedom in early tactics.
The standard approach was to forgo the first strike and summon creatures as quickly as possible to defend against the opponent's attacks.
Knowing this, Dante declared.
Dante: "Let's start by summoning and take it easy. I'm not the type to get worked up from the start."
Boyle couldn't believe Dante's words.
But it didn't seem like Dante would lie and leave room for complaints.
For a summoner, who had to be defensive early on, this was an advantage.
Boyle: "Do what you want. I'll stick to my style."
It was a response that avoided being swayed by psychological tactics while shackling the opponent's words.
Dante remained composed but scratched his eyebrow awkwardly. He thought Boyle was a greenhouse flower, but it seemed the kid had some brains.
'Summoning magic. That's definitely tricky.'
Summoners could summon creatures through a unique and difficult process called Sangsa.
The first creature a summoner summons is themselves.
This is called a doppelganger, and once successful, the doppelganger gains the potential to transform into a third entity.
Summoning something means knowing it completely.
This is Sangsa, which goes through three stages.
The first is the Imprint Stage, where the summoner observes the target using all five senses and etches the image into their mind.
Since the summoner must perfectly remember the creature's form, their observational skills far surpass those of ordinary people.
A representative training method is the Arrangement Technique.
It involves arranging 30 sticks, each differing by 1 millimeter in length, in order within one minute.
The second is the Empathy Stage, where the summoner studies the target's behavior to gain complete understanding.
Some achieve this through vast knowledge, but most mages live with the creature to understand its traits.
Any creature, after living together in isolation for over a year, will have its traits imprinted.
The less intelligent the creature, the simpler its reactions are and the easier it is to understand.
The third is the Extinction Stage, the most crucial step.
The summoner kills the imprinted target, erasing its existence.
If the target still appears in reality, the summoner can manifest it through the doppelganger.
It doesn't necessarily have to be killed. The key is creating a state where it can never be seen again.
The stronger this state, the clearer the summon becomes.
Killing a creature after forming a bond over years is horrifying but keeping it alive is also dangerous.
For example, a female mage tried to summon an Ophoi, a monster that heals, but hesitated during the Extinction Stage.
She eventually sold the Ophoi to a monster collector to complete the stage, but five years later, she lost her summoning ability upon hearing it was still alive.
Summons are classified into 10 tiers, with Tier 10 being the lowest and Tier 1 the highest. According to the Magic Association's research, there are 13,872 types of Tier 10 summons, but only 3 in Tier 1.
One of the Tier 1 summons is the Lich, a grand mage of the undead monster class.
It's famous that Zulu, a grand mage from the Middle East, commands this summon. This revelation turned the academic world upside down.
To complete the Extinction Stage, the target's existence must be erased, but a Lich is a monster that has lost the ability to die.
Some speculate that Zulu herself became a Lich and merely summoned a doppelganger, but without her confirmation, no one knows the truth.
Boyle stretched his neck arrogantly and spoke.
Boyle: "Last semester, I was second in the advanced class. By a narrow margin, you know. Do you know why I deliberately didn't move up to the graduation class and stayed here? Because I thought I wasn't ready yet."
Dante: "Yeah. That makes sense."
Boyle: "But not anymore. I've been training for four whole years. And during this break, I finally succeeded. My summon will tear you apart."
Dante: "Looking forward to it. Honestly, Merces was a bit disappointing."
Boyle's lips curled into a smirk. At this moment, he wasn't a mama's boy or a model student who valued principles—he was a summoner, through and through.
Boyle: "Don't worry. This time will be different."
When Siana announced the start of the battle, Boyle and Dante simultaneously entered the Spirit Zone.
As the sequence unfolded, their minds were reinforced, and the Spirit Zone transformed according to their individual styles.
Boyle was defensive, while Dante was target focused.
Boyle: "Come forth, Chaos."
Where Boyle extended his hand, another Boyle was born. Following the principle of the Trinity, where a mage's doppelganger transitions into a summon's doppelganger, it transformed into Chaos, a tier-6 summon.
Kwaaaaang!
A monstrous humanoid creature, three meters in length, took a quadrupedal stance. Its smooth, hairless skin was blue, and its muscles were cracked like rocks.
Its body resembled a human's, but it had no eyes—only a bandage-like covering where they should be. From the bridge of its nose to its jaw, there was nothing but a mouth.
Inside its sparse fangs, straw-like tongues tangled together, and electrical tentacles extended along its spine, starting from its neck.
It had four fingers, and its nails, as hard as diamonds, grew ten centimeters long.
Student 1: "Ch-Chaos. He actually summoned Chaos."
The students were stunned. They had heard he trained during the break, but they never imagined it would be Chaos.
Chaos was among the top-tier summons in tier-6, and in terms of physical ability, it could rival even tier-5 monsters.
The teachers were equally shocked.
There were no summoners in the current graduating class, and only a handful of students had ever reached tier-6 before graduating.
Ethela: "Good heavens. When did he learn such advanced summoning magic? There's a limit to what you can achieve during a break."
At Ethela's words, Sade gave a bitter smile.
Sade: "He must have been planning this for a long time. That kid, he's been preparing for this."
The cunning of today's kids was truly something to marvel at.
Whether in the advanced class or the graduating class, mages were generally weak in physical combat. Summoning Chaos, whose physical abilities were on par with tier-5, would make passing the graduation exam much easier.