Reincarnated as a Genius Prodigy of a Prestigious Family - Chapter 22

7. Teach Me Some Magic (2)

Sidraine ended up staying at Count Sogress’s estate for longer than expected.

Not only did he need to recover, but he also had to accept Dane’s proposal.

He cursed the pride of a tower master at times like this. It was his own doing for promising to repay the favor…

“Damn, I thought he was going to be my disciple!”

The feeling of humiliation was hard to shake off.

Getting tricked by a kid.

Usually, Sidraine would ignore the wizards who came to him begging to be his disciple.

But this was the first time he had offered to form a master-disciple relationship himself.

And he had promised anything!

Yet, instead of gaining a disciple, he found himself writing a recommendation letter and teaching second-chain mana rearrangement codes.

“What a cheeky little brat.”

But Sidraine wasn’t about to give up.

He hoped to build enough rapport to get a favorable answer eventually.

The boy’s talent and mana were just too extraordinary.

He even felt a noble sense of duty.

“A kid like that should focus solely on magic.”

Creating a core instead of a circle—so what?

The fact that he could cast chain-level spells without a circle was what mattered.

Such pure and dense mana was something Sidraine had never encountered. And it seemed like this was only the beginning.

Dane might become the first wizard to reach an unprecedented level without circles.

“The rearrangement codes for second-chain spells are incredibly complex. Many people give up on magic at this stage because of how complicated it gets. So, listen carefully and keep your eyes wide open.”

“Yes.”

Sidraine began explaining the second-chain mana rearrangement codes as difficultly as possible, trying to emphasize how challenging they were.

“Second-chain spells are fundamentally more complex than first-chain spells. The formulas go beyond simple calculations and require considering the surrounding conditions, the density of ambient mana, and the caster’s physical state. This is why many give up on magic—because it’s extremely complicated…”

He was emphasizing that he was teaching something very special.

Sidraine watched Dane’s expressionless face and felt sure.

‘Soon, he’ll ask me to explain it more simply.’

As an 8-chain wizard, he could lecture on theory all day long.

“The first thing to know is that mana in its natural state…”

After about an hour of Sidraine’s tedious lecture, he concluded the first part.

“That concludes the first chapter of the basics. Do you understand?”

Dane nodded immediately.

“Yes, I understand. I feel like I’ve learned a lot about the definitions of magic, mana, and rearrangement.”

“Huh?”

“I was only expecting to learn the rearrangement codes for second-chain spells, but this was a very thorough knowledge session.”

Sidraine was taken aback by the unexpected response.

“Tell me about the principles of mana rearrangement.”

“The first principle is coexistence. Mana can always coexist with materials in space or other mana. This allows wizards to cast spells by combining ambient mana with their refined mana.”

Dane continued, accurately recounting Sidraine’s explanation and even adding his interpretation.

“The second principle is conservation. A lump of mana retains its amount unless more mana is added. Thirdly…”

Sidraine was speechless.

‘He didn’t seem to be daydreaming or slacking…’

In his experience, kids got restless within 30 minutes, especially during boring magic theory classes.

But this boy had been sitting still and taking notes the entire time, without showing any signs of distraction or boredom.

In other words, he had been attentively listening to the lecture.

Sidraine once put an entire class to sleep with a single theory lecture.

“Hmm, I see.”

Sidraine glanced at Dane’s notes. They were filled with the theories he had explained, without any irrelevant content.

‘What an unusual kid.’

Gifted individuals often neglected theory and fundamentals, relying too much on their talent.

They would eventually be surpassed by those who worked hard. True talent combines effort and luck.

But Dane was different.

He had unparalleled talent and a strong desire to learn.

Even more, he had the patience to sit through a theory lecture.

That meant…

‘I must make him my disciple.’

Sidraine was even more determined.

“Ahem. Your understanding is excellent. Did you study this on your own?”

“My sister taught me some, and I studied independently in the library.”

Studied independently.

From a young age, wizards typically had dedicated tutors for close supervision and education.

The list of reasons to recruit this boy only seemed to grow.

Sidraine had no reason to continue with theoretical explanations and moved on to explaining the second-chain spell rearrangement codes.

“Generally, what we call ‘magic’ involves basic mana manipulation. It’s about sensing and releasing mana, which is why spells like mana bolts and simple air purification are so straightforward.”

He referred to the mana bolt Dane had used to deal with the Thyren brothers.

“But the complexity of chain-level spells is incomparable. The codes get exponentially more complex with each chain level.”

Sidraine demonstrated.

He waved his hand, and strands of mana appeared, intertwining with each other.

“For instance, a first-chain spell looks like this.”

The strands formed a simple grid pattern, not seeming very complicated.

It wasn’t.

The rearrangement code for first-chain spells was based on simple rules.

Of course, magical knowledge was necessary, but it wasn’t difficult.

Second-chain spells, however, were different.

“The complexity is incomparable.”

As Sidraine moved his hand, the strands of mana twisted and intertwined in a dizzying pattern, forming an indiscernible shape.

“This is the rearrangement code for a second-chain fire spell, ‘Flame Arrow.’ To cast multiple arrows, you need to create this code multiple times.”

“…”

Dane silently observed the strands. Sidraine smiled inwardly.

Of course, it would be surprising. He had never seen second-chain spell codes before.

He would soon frown in confusion, like all the others before him.

Sidraine was willing to wait, eager to see this gifted boy struggle.

“Pretty complex, right? Most people need at least a year after mastering the first-chain codes to understand the second-chain codes.”

Sidraine smirked inwardly.

At best, he might grasp a part of the code.

But the key was the rules.

The strands seemed chaotic but followed specific rules, formulas that were crucial for understanding.

‘I’ll wait a week before subtly teaching him the trick.’

Sidraine wasn’t being mean; it’s how wizards were taught. The rules and formulas were valuable knowledge.

But Dane spoke up sooner than expected.

“Can I try constructing the rearrangement code?”

“Huh? You?”

“Yes.”

Sidraine nodded involuntarily.

Dane immediately began manipulating the strands of mana.

Even the initial steps shocked Sidraine.

Creating uniform strands of mana was inherently difficult.

It didn’t serve any physical purpose but was used for teaching and demonstrating.

The complexity itself made it hard, requiring a good sense and experience.

“This is the first-chain code.”

Dane effortlessly created the grid pattern. It was flawless.

Each square was a perfect, identical size.

Sidraine swallowed hard.

What was he witnessing?

Constructing and showing were two different things.

But the surprises didn’t end there.

“And this is the one you showed me…”

The grid pattern twisted, forming a messy shape like Sidraine had shown.

‘Good heavens…’

The strands moved with clear rules.

And finally, the code took shape, identical to the ‘Flame Arrow’ code Sidraine had demonstrated.

“This is the ‘Flame Arrow’ rearrangement code, right?”

“…”

It was correct.

A perfect rearrangement code.

Sidraine asked, dumbfounded.

“How did you… make it?”

“I noticed the pattern after watching closely. Once I saw the rules, it wasn’t hard to arrange it.”

Some wizards could cast third, even fourth-chain spells at 14.

But even they couldn’t replicate a second-chain rearrangement code after seeing it just once.

Sidraine himself was proof of that.

But this boy had done it.

Without a circle, understanding the rules of a second-chain spell after one demonstration.

Moreover…

“Can I cast it?”

Dane dispersed the strands.

Soon after.

Whoosh-!

A flaming arrow materialized in the air.

“Wow, it works.”

Dane smiled innocently.

Sidraine was left in a state of astonishment.

And envy.

If he had such talent—

He could have reached the legendary 9 chains.

‘A wizard without circles… The world will be shocked.’

Sidraine decided to keep this a secret.

If word got out, everyone would come pestering.

At least until he secured Dane as his disciple.

‘I should think about how to write this academy recommendation letter.’

Sidraine, the tower master of Nirksion, made a decision he had never made before: to voluntarily write a recommendation letter.