Chapter 144
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Non-Circular Magic Circles
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Though it wasn't a particularly high-grade spell, the magic had undoubtedly activated through the magic circle. Strangely enough, it worked perfectly despite using far less Demonic Energy than originally required.
Do magic circles really need to be outlined in a circle?
Before learning in this world, I'd always seen magic circles starting with a circle as the base. Even here, the borders were circular, so I'd taken it as a given...
Apparently, it doesn't have to be a circle after all.
"How is it, oppa? Does it look okay?"
"No idea why, but it works even without drawing a circle? The magic activated fine even without one."
I still didn't know why it consumed less Demonic Energy than a standard magic circle, but resolving one of its major drawbacks wasn't a bad thing at all.
"Really? That's wild. I just asked because I thought other shapes might look prettier than a plain circle."
"This might actually be worth researching. I'd been stuck on the idea that they had to be circles. But they don't, and it even seems better in some cases."
It occurred to me that experimenting to find the optimal shape for magic circles might not be a bad idea.
I wasn't sure how often I'd use them, but since this addressed one of the drawbacks I'd always considered, it could turn out to be genuinely useful.
"Um, Master. If I learn to draw magic circles, does that mean I can use magic right away too?"
Seo-yoon, who'd been quietly listening to my conversation with Yejin, spoke up hesitantly.
"Pretty much. Though you won't be able to cast just any spell—only ones within your level of Demonic Energy control."
"Even so... it might be faster than learning to cast spells normally?"
"Hmm... could be?"
Using magic isn't just about handling mana or Demonic Energy; it requires a certain understanding of the spell itself.
Like some kind of enlightenment, I suppose?
You have to sense how the mana or Demonic Energy flows in your mind, how it gathers and transforms into something else.
But a magic circle skips that by drawing the process out visually, so it could be easier.
"You still need to understand the patterns and how they function, though. It's like... the difference between imagining something theoretically in your head and drawing it out versus actually performing it?"
Take a baseball player, for example. There's a proper way to throw a fastball.
The theory behind it would be laid out, and drawing that as a diagram would be like a magic circle. Actually throwing it with your body? That's casting the spell.
The gap between theory on paper and real execution is like night and day.
There's no guarantee your body will follow what you know in theory, so you need endless practice to make it your own.
That's why using a magic circle might actually be an easier path than casting directly.
The various drawbacks I'd mentioned were the only reason I hadn't bothered with them.
"I still recommend learning to cast directly over relying on magic circles, but this approach isn't bad either? There aren't many people in this world who can use black magic besides you and me anyway."
"We still need to learn what these patterns mean, right? I have no clue."
Yejin, listening from the side, pointed at the magic circle she'd drawn on Seo-yoon's body earlier.
"Obviously. Trying to use a magic circle without knowing these is like trying to write a novel without knowing the alphabet."
"Right? And since it requires Demonic Energy anyway, it'd be pointless for me to learn."
Yejin looked disappointed, but Seo-yoon's eyes seemed much more alive than when she'd first entered the room.
"Master. If you teach me magic circles, I'll study hard and learn to cast spells quickly. Especially if this path gets me there faster."
"It might be faster... Sure, no harm in teaching you. I'll do it whenever I have time."
"Thank you, Master!"
Magic circles just require tracing a preset form accurately, so she could probably pick it up fast.
How she expands on it from there is the real key, but I had a feeling Seo-yoon would handle that well on her own.
"For today, I'll draw them all. Turn around again."
Seo-yoon turned to show her back.
"Whoa, this is... "
Yejin, watching from the side, covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide in shock.
Until now, we'd mostly seen scars on her arms and legs, but the ones on her back were far worse.
They ranged from slashes by something sharp to imprints from objects—and even what looked like burns from cigarettes.
They'd really turned her into an emotional punching bag, beating and scarring her indiscriminately.
All I could do now was hide these hideous scars with a magic circle.
I treated her back as the border of a single magic circle and drew various patterns inside it.
"Wow, since I don't know what the characters mean, it just looks like a really pretty picture."
"I focused on patterns that look nice to the eye."
This magic circle didn't have any special effects, but I'd chosen visually appealing patterns so it'd look good to outsiders.
"It looks completely different from her back just now! Probably because you can't see a single scar."
"R-really? That's a relief then..."
"There. Now just two spots left?"
I'd covered most of the scars on her body with magic circles. Only her face and lower abdomen remained.
"Um, Master. Can we do my face later?"
"Later? Doesn't matter to me... Why?"
"I want to show it off. To that bitch Joo Hye-ri."
Ah, I got the idea.
She'd endured so much because of those scars and wanted to make damn sure Joo Hye-ri saw who she really was. So she planned to keep the facial scars until revenge was done.
"Fine by me. You can draw it yourself once you learn anyway. That leaves just below your navel."
The scars below her navel were serious in a different way from her back.
They looked like her skin had been mangled by a sharp blade, and without proper treatment, the scarring was severe.
I pondered what kind of magic circle to use here when Seo-yoon spoke first.
"Master. Sorry, but can I pick the design for this part?"
"Huh? Sure, but it won't be a magic circle then."
"It's just to cover the scar anyway, so that's fine. Unnie Yejin, can I see that thing you showed me earlier?"
That thing from earlier today? What was she talking about?
Yejin jumped up at Seo-yoon's words, dashed to the storage area, and returned quickly.
"We were talking tattoos today and picking designs together, and Seo-yoon chose this one. Can we use it?"
"What the... You want this?"
The design they picked was something I'd often seen in adult comics back in the day.
I think it was called this in my memories.
Uterus tattoo.
I couldn't replicate the colors in the picture, but drawing a similar shape was possible. Never imagined she'd pick this.
"You really okay with this? A uterus tattoo, of all things."
"Yes. It suits this spot the best."
Suits? More like it'd make anyone insanely turned on.
I figured most women would find it off-putting, but apparently not her.
"If you're sure, I can do it. This is really what you want?"
"Yes. Please do this one."
Never dreamed I'd be drawing a uterus tattoo—one totally unrelated to magic circles—with my own hands.
Then again, who could predict something like this?
I covered the scars below her navel completely with what looked just like a uterus tattoo, drawn as if it were a magic circle.
"Then I'll head back to my room."
"Already? Stick around a bit."
Thanks to Kim Jaehwan, Lee Seo-yoon now had almost no visible scars on her body except her face. She bowed her head and stood.
Han Yejin sounded disappointed, but Seo-yoon dressed, said she was fine, and returned to her room.
Once there, she stared at her reflection in the mirror, examining her body.
All the scars that had covered her from head to toe—except her face—were gone.
To a stranger, the patterns hiding them might even look pretty, making it impossible to tell scars had ever been there.
"It really works..."
She murmured in awe at her dramatically changed body.
"Meeting Master was probably... the greatest stroke of luck in my life."
From saving her when the Taker nearly killed her, teaching her black magic to survive the zombie apocalypse, providing food, shelter, and clothing—he'd done it all.
And now he'd erased her body's hideous past too.
"Master really is my benefactor..."
As she looked herself over, a sudden curiosity struck her.
"The rest are magic circles, so injecting Demonic Energy activates black magic... but what about this one?"
She meant the uterus tattoo.
It wasn't a magic circle at all, so probably nothing would happen, but curiosity got the better of her. She quickly channeled Demonic Energy into it.
"Hngh! W-what is this?"
Even though it wasn't a magic circle, pouring Demonic Energy into the uterus tattoo made her body heat up intensely.