For most people, once a spell was chanted, it was hard to keep it ready. It took immense focus, and even the slightest distraction could cause it to dissipate. But for Damian, it was less of a challenge. Once he drew the runic circle and connected his mana thread to it, he could keep the spell in place as long as he wanted without activating it. However, maintaining it came at a cost—it consumed a significant amount of mana and strained his mind just like normal chanting but less demanding. The mana regeneration in his body would slow down considerably, making it impractical to keep spells prepared at all times. But if his mana pool were to increase significantly one day, maybe he could walk around with a dozen spells at the ready. That would be the day.