Enrico continued lying on the cold floor of the cave, completely unconscious. The silence around him was almost deafening, broken only by his weak and unstable breathing, which fluctuated between moments of calm and small lapses.
[Enrico...?]
The system's voice sounded low. For the first time, there was no sarcasm or any attempt to provoke him, only clear uncertainty.
[Are you still there...?]
The system remained around Enrico's body, watching and searching for any sign of the Nartheis. It tried to find any mark, curse, rune, or any kind of manipulation, but there was nothing. No trace of magic could be detected. Only the boy's destroyed body remained on the ground, with the necklace still emitting a faint glow.
[She... didn't leave anything? No magic, not even a curse...? What did she want with you?]
Time passed slowly. The hours turned into half a day, and the night was swallowed by the cave without any sense of time for anyone inside. Enrico remained motionless, breathing weakly, without opening his eyes.
[I can't do anything except watch. All I can do is wait...]
As time passed, the system realized that Enrico's plan to increase his Circle seemed to be working. The Mana Zone's poison, which still coursed through his body in minimal doses, continued acting mercilessly, but without stopping. The internal pain had stopped, but the reaction of the mana inside his body continued.
The percentage of his Fire Circle Zero began to rise slowly.
77%.
82%.
88%.
Time seemed frozen inside that isolated cave, which was part of a different dimension from reality. Even unconscious, Enrico's body continued absorbing mana, fighting against the poison and, above all, resisting.
92%.
95%.
97%.
99%.
Then, finally, it reached 100%.
A silent explosion of magical energy coursed through Enrico's body. A perfect magic circle formed around his heart, pulsing in reddish and orange tones.
The limit of Enrico's magic had been broken.
His first circle had formed, and his mana capacity increased as a consequence.
Name: Enrico Solcren Ferreira
Magic: Fire — Circle 1 — 0%
Mana Capacity: 134
Unique Ability: Elemental Clone
Soul: 60
Enrico's body trembled slightly, even while he remained unconscious. However, along with that advancement came the collapse.
The mana that now existed inside Enrico began to destabilize. His body could not withstand that sudden transition, and his magic began to disappear, slowly falling apart like sand carried away by the wind.
[No!]
The necklace responded immediately. For the last time, it shone brightly, emitting a warm, steady, and intense light. The energy traveled through Enrico's body, restoring everything damaged by the poisoning and healing every corrupted cell and affected nerve.
Then, as its final act before completely losing its energy, the necklace created a small magical barrier around Enrico's body. The protective field completely isolated him from the Mana Zone, preventing the poison from continuing to affect his body.
Finally, the necklace's light disappeared.
The system remained silent for a few seconds.
[You... survived. Still be— I mean, not that I was worried about him.]
Then, time continued passing while the small barrier around Enrico remained active. However, as the hours went by, its strength weakened more and more.
[He needs to wake up soon, or his mana will become poisoned again.]
Some more time passed until Enrico finally opened his eyes. The first thing he felt was pain. Not in one specific place, but in every muscle in his body. It was as if he had been crushed and then hastily put back together. His eyelids were heavy, his arms trembled, and every breath seemed to cut through his body from the inside.
"Gah..."
He forced himself to sit up. His head throbbed like a drum, and cold sweat ran down his neck. But the worst part was the feeling of emptiness taking over his body. A feeling of helplessness that he knew all too well.
[Finally awake, hero.]
The system's voice sounded with an unusual tone, seeming sarcastic but also clearly relieved.
"How... long was I unconscious...?"
[Almost two days. You broke the limit of your mana and formed the First Circle... but you almost died in the process. If it weren't for the necklace...]
Enrico brought a hand to his chest. The necklace was still there, but now it remained completely quiet and cold, without emitting any light. It was exhausted.
"...Her?"
[Gone. Like smoke. She didn't leave anything behind.]
Frustration tightened Enrico's heart. He clenched his hand and slammed his fist against the stone wall, ignoring the pain that immediately traveled up his arm.
"Weak... I'm still weak."
He gritted his teeth and supported himself on his trembling legs. The echo of that battle, or rather, the massacre he had suffered, still remained in his mind.
"That wasn't even a fight. I just... tried to run. Tried to survive."
Enrico closed his eyes tightly.
'Maybe if I had at least used the Unique Ability Elemental Clone...'
But he soon shook his head.
"...No. She would have destroyed the clone with a glance. I would only have been more exhausted. It would have been just another useless trick."
[It was obvious that she didn't want to kill you. She wanted to evaluate you. You endured long enough. That is already an achievement.]
"I endured? Please. I couldn't even touch her. My magic... was like wind against a wall."
Enrico crawled toward the cave wall, where his bag was still lying. He slowly pulled it toward himself, almost without strength, and spent a few seconds looking at it.
"If I continue like this... those words..."
Tolen's face appeared in his mind, along with his final gaze.
"Get stronger."
Enrico lowered his head.
"...They'll never be fulfilled."
[You're in the First Circle now. It's a beginning.]
"Yes... but only the first three are considered easy. From the Second onward, everything becomes slower. The Third as well, and the others can take a year if you don't have potential...! How am I supposed to continue like this if I had to almost die just to climb one step?"
[You still have paths. You still have pacts, strategies, and knowledge of the future.]
Enrico took a deep breath. The anger in his chest grew, but it wasn't directed at the Nartheis. That anger was directed at himself. He punched the ground hard, feeling the pain travel through his fingers.
[You survived. And she let you live. For some reason, she saw something. Perhaps...]
"It doesn't matter why. If I continue like this, she'll kill me next time."
Silence fell for a few seconds. Enrico closed his eyes and murmured:
"...Tolen, I'm still not strong. But I won't die without trying to fulfill your last order."
He looked at his own hand and clenched it into a fist. His eyes burned with a new flame.
"That pain... I'll remember it. Every muscle screaming. Every blow. Every second I ran like a coward. I'll remember."
[Heh... that's the part I like about you.]
"I'm going to use that anger. I'll grow with it. Even if I have to carve a new path through monsters, mages, gods, or curses."
Enrico slowly stood up. He was still staggering, but he managed to remain standing. The First Circle pulsed faintly in his chest as he left the hole and began walking through the cave.
When he reached the entrance, he saw Serenya and Valença training. The two immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at him. Upon seeing Enrico's condition, their expressions changed.
Serenya ran toward him.
"Hey, what happened to you, subordinate?"
Valença approached more slowly, observing him from a distance and trying to notice whether there was anything different about him. And there was. The two could feel a different aura around Enrico.
He stopped in front of them and smiled.
"Let's just say I failed while trying to perform the magic my family sent me."
The two were surprised. Serenya looked concerned and immediately tried to comfort him.
"It's okay. You'll manage it in the future, subordinate. I'll make sure to help you."
Valença, on the other hand, continued looking at Enrico in surprise.
'So even a prodigy like him can fail?'
She looked at her own hand and clenched it.
'Lately, I can't perform the magic I want... but if even he couldn't do it yet...'
Valença's eyes lit up with determination.
'I'll get mine before him.'
While the two were thinking, Enrico's eyes also changed for a moment, taking on a determined expression.
'I'll make sure I become stronger.'
He had to.
Because if he didn't, he would die, and everyone around him would too.