The Money-Obssessed Archmage's Second Life As A Broke Duke-Chapter 66 - The Theory Of Mana And Magic

Chapter Sixty-Six

"Do you all understand?"

I scanned the faces of the four individuals seated on the snow. They looked like they’d just been struck by lightning, their mouths hanging open in a collective daze.

Looks like I gave them too much information in one day.

"Master, I feel... sort of lightheaded," Kaelen groaned. He gripped his hair tightly, looking as though he might actually rip it out just to anchor himself to reality now that the ground beneath his feet has been snatched by me.

[Ping!]

[Host, We feel something is wrong.]

Don’t talk to me. I don’t think I asked for a yapper system.

[Ping!]

[Can Host stop this?]

No. Not unless you tell me why you lied to me, Sysi. I’ve been honest to you since the start of our relationship. I answered everything you asked with honesty.

But, how do you repay me? By lying?

[Ping!]

[Host is not strong enough to know certain things.]

So, what? I tell you everything I do. Even if it doesn’t concern you. But, this concerns me, Sysi. I deserve to know.

[Ping!]

[Host is not strong enough to know.]

Know what? I’ve already figured out half. I’m cursed by that Goddess because I come from another world and invaded this body. That’s why I cough blood, isn’t it?

...

Sysi. Just tell me.

[Ping!]

[It’s exactly that. You are cursed by that Goddess.]

What else, Sysi?

[Ping!]

[We don’t know either. You already figured out what we know.]

Haah... You’re lying again. There’s no way you don’t. Forget it. It was a waste of time.

...

Yeah. A waste of time.

Crunch. Crunch.

"Let’s do a pop quiz to check your understanding," I sighed, pacing before them. "Zein, what is mana?"

"The life-force running the world," Zein replied instantly, his eyes focused despite the shock.

"Garrow, what is magic?"

Garrow straightened his posture, beaming from the fact he knew the answer. "The use of spells and runes to manipulate mana into different forms for specific tasks, My Liege."

"Kaelen, name two ways to store mana."

Kaelen took a shaky breath, forcing his hands away from his scalp. "The Core Method, where mana is stored in rings around the heart. And the Circuit Method, where mana is stored in circles outside the body after connecting 108 mana points using blood vessels as a passage. The Circuit Method is superior because it offers physical enhancement and lacks a centralized core, making it harder for an enemy to find a fatal weak point."

"Smart. Eatassh, why is it vital to form the circuit before the circles?"

Eatassh leaned forward, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Because of the property of mana attraction. Circuits must come first because the points are connected through blood vessels, which provide a physical shell to prevent the mana from fading immediately. Since mana attracts mana, if you tried to form the circles outside the body first, they’d simply dissipate into the air without that internal anchor."

"Okay, rapid round!" I clapped my hands, the sound echoing through the clearing. "Anyone. What decides a mage’s potential?"

"The color of mana present in them at birth," Zein shouted out.

"That’s one factor," I countered, "since different colors have different degrees of attraction. Basically, their purity. But what else?"

"The thickness of their mana circuit?" Garrow guessed.

I shook my head. "Not quite. You can’t have a rope-thick circuit in a fragile body. Think."

Kaelen’s eyes lit up as he found the clue in my answer. "Body structure! The vessels determine how thick the circuit can be. Even if a person’s natural mana is low, they can draw from the environment. But the amount they can handle is limited by the strength of their physical frame."

"Exactly!" I pointed at him, grinning.

Veryon had An Extrensial Body Structure which could hold the purest form of mana as mana circuitry. Purple Mana. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Haah... He could have been an excellent emperor if only he wasn’t stupidly kind.

He had a gift from fate even SSS Ranks couldn’t have. But, also a curse of heart.

Garrow frowned, his heavy features darkening with a lingering doubt. "I have a question, Your Grace. Why do people call themselves pyromancers or necromancers if everyone can technically use all spells? Can’t we all just be mages?"

I stopped pacing as my lips curved upwards.

This was the question that separated the scholars from the masters.

"Because, having access and having talent are two very different things. It also comes down to passion. When you take control of your path after forming a circuit, you can never blame fate. Mages carve their own destiny with their own hands."

Zein tilted his head, processing the thought. "Like... like reading every book in a library, but choosing only one subject to master? Researching and crafting runes for that specific field?"

"Exactly." I snapped my fingers. "Anyone can learn a spark of fire magic. But a pyromancer is someone whose temperament, spirit, and grueling training make fire their most efficient path."

Eatassh nodded slowly, the gears turning. "Specialization improves efficiency, control, and casting speed. It’s about refinement."

Kaelen let out a sudden, mischievous grin. "So I could learn healing... I’d just be absolutely terrible at it."

"Precisely," I grinned at his deciphering speed.

"Can everyone truly perform all types of spells and rune formations?" Garrow asked, still sounding skeptical.

"Yes. But only an Archmage can solve a spell with maximum efficiency and speed. They possess the incredible mental capacity to memorize massive, complex spell structures and solve them in seconds. That’s how true talent ranks are decided."

I held up a finger. "Last question. What is the number one reason for using the Circuit Method?"

"SAFETY FIRST!"

"YES!"

Mission successful!

It sure is easier to teach bright students.

"One last thing, Master," Kaelen said, raising a hand. "In that case, is every mage also a swordmaster?"

"No. That’s a separate branch entirely. It takes a specific talent to calculate exactly how much mana to transfer into a tool to enhance it without shattering the blade. Beyond that, unlike mages, swordmasters, spearmasters, etc. develop skills rather than spells, using the aura they channel into their blade."

"So, an Archmage can do everything? Even be a swordmaster?"

"There are levels to Archmages," I explained, holding up three fingers. "If you can control four elements, congratulations, you’re Level One. A Level Three Archmage, however? They can do everything. There is no field they haven’t mastered. It’s terrifying."

"Then, doesn’t that mean—"

"Daddy! Sister Lune is missing!"

...What?