I went back home. I got what I came for, so I left. I didn't know where the dungeon got its source, but the river near the village originated from the dungeon, or at least the same person relocated it.
This time, I flew through the mist. There was always the off-chance that a monster attacked, but I couldn't be bothered to make the trek back. I was careful, but sometimes my patience outweighed my sense of danger, making me often impulsive.
The same thing caused me to initiate the Hydra battle while under-leveled. I was way too impatient to be careful at times like this. So far, it'd worked out somehow, but it wouldn't always be like this.
My gamble paid off this time, and I returned safely to the village. It was night by the time I got back, but I didn't go to sleep. I was too busy and low-level previously to study teleportation magic, but now I have time and knowledge.
Garth was going to sleep, so I went into the planning room to study the magic circle. Just copying it wouldn't make the magic work. Some magic circles worked by copying, but you had to research and learn for others.
You need to know the will and intention behind the magic before you can cast it. You could often know simpler circles, but this was high-level and of the space element.
Arclen has eight base elements: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Black, Light, Lightning, and Spirit. You have a natural talent for these affinity-based elements based on your magic circuits.
There were also the knowledge-based elements: Space, Time, Mind, Soul, and Energy/Mana. These were the elements you only needed knowledge to use. The energy element was just mana manipulation, but the rest required knowledge.
It was common knowledge that the knowledge-based elements would be more complicated for most magicians to learn. Understanding others' magic was even more challenging for the knowledge-based elements because everyone had different understandings.
I didn't know the viewpoint of the person who made the teleportation magic, so I didn't know how they applied their understanding of space to this magic. It would be harder to decipher this magic, but it was also easier than creating my own magic.
The proper elemental elements just rely on the strength of your magic circuits. The mana you use goes through specific circuits to become that element's mana.
People were born with stronger and weaker circuits, so they had natural affinities they could use better. My magic circuits were constantly improving, so my affinities increased with them.
My cultivation technique strengthened my circuits. My technique only worked if you didn't have a mana core or a broken one before cultivating it. That's why it only worked for me and Oshan. Other people couldn't do it.
My study of magic circles relied on deciphering the symbols and text making up the circle. It wouldn't tell me the whole story of the magic, but the rest could be supplemented with my own knowledge and experimentation.
Most circles communicated their purpose using geometric shapes, runes, and symbols. This was similar to the Egyptian hieroglyphics, which used arbitrary but reasonable images to communicate worlds.
I'd never personally made any circles as it was too dull, but plenty of scholars made their living by inventing new magic that they sold. Some simple circles would be parts of textbooks, but more complicated ones would be sold as scrolls for people to use.
The scrolls were limited-use or one-time-use items. It was always better if you knew the magic, but using scrolls could be helpful in high-ranked magic or things that required preparation.
-----
I stayed up pouring over a copy of the circle I'd drawn out for the rest of the night. I was always more of a visual person, even in my previous life. I couldn't be sure, but that was the impression I got from my limited memories.
Garth was the one to break me out of my zen. He had come up for breakfast. Besides functioning as the town planning center, this room also served as mine and Garth's lunch table. It was big and had seats around it, so it was the perfect spot.
It also had big windows to allow natural light. Since we didn't have Glass yet, the windows had wooden shutters. We had access to sand, but the beach wasn't the correct type of sand for Glass blowing.
We didn't have any glass blowers in the village. Glass was a high-ranking item, so it was hard to get, but I doubted it would be too long before we reached that level of civilization.
"You were up all night?" Garth cooked some eggs for breakfast. We didn't have much agriculture, but we had rounded up some wild and tame animals and some bought from the city.
"Yeah, found something interesting yesterday."
"Ohh, what is it?"
"Magic."
"Is magic the only thing you care about? You're either experimenting, training, or lost in thought whenever I see you. You only go out when you're bored or I tell you to do something."
"Well, magic is the only exciting thing in the world."
"You don't care about people or even your family?"
"Well I care, but their not as interesting. Besides, even if I'm curious about my family, it's not like I can go back."
Garth fell silent as he finished cooking up his breakfast. He got a plate and came over, sitting on the opposite side of the table.
"Show me."
I turned over the piece of paper I was using.
"Advanced." Garth nodded his head as he took a bite.
"Did you expect anything else?"
"Well no, but it is very advanced. Is it tenth circle?"
"No… at least I don't think so. There's only so much it can do." The magic circle only worked in high-density regions like the peaks or the dungeon; otherwise, you needed to provide the mana.
I looked back up from the paper to look at breakfast.
"Tasty?"
"We got a fresh import of salt and spices."
"But can you cook?" Most of the village's cooking was done by other people. There was a communal lunch every day, but breakfast and dinner were left up to the individuals.
Garth shook his head. I cut a slice of the eggs for myself and flew it into my mouth.
"Defintely need to work on your skills." The eggs were way overcooked in certain places and still raw in others.
"I'd like to see you try." dryly remarked Garth.
"Sure."
"... really? You never cook." Garth was skeptical.
"Doesn't mean I can't cook." I'd spent considerable time in the dungeon. Of course, I'd picked up something about cooking.
'Don't underestimate the skills of a broke college student."
"I'll cook break fast tomorrow." It wasn't like I was going to sleep anyway. This magic circle was a multi-day problem.