Impossible. That was the first word that came to mind when Leonard learned how magic functioned.2

To even think that mere humans could reduce everything in existence into mere principles and use them to become all-seeing and all-powerful was arrogant in itself. Heavenly Demon Dan Mok-Jin had harshly criticized the Ten Directions as an impossible feat because its ultimate aim was to unlock these countless possibilities, but for magic, the ability to do anything was an inherent presupposition. 0

“But, well, that’s not something I should be concerned about as a Class 4 mage,” Esther said, as if reading his thoughts. She extinguished the flame flickering above her finger. “Natural laws and principles are obviously fundamental when using magic, but Circles are also important. The extent to which a mage can influence the world through Circling dictates what types of principles they can master and to what extent.”0

“Circling?” Leonard asked.0

“Oh!” Esther realized. “I forgot to explain Circles to you. Sorry. That was my fault.”0

The number of Circles a mage could use decided their Class in the same way mana cultivation decided the Tier of a knight. But rather than dividing them minutely into Major Tiers and Minor Tiers, the magic hierarchy was much more simple. All it took was counting the number of Circles that formed around the heart, which ranged from one to ten. 1

A fresh-faced mage was Class 1. A rookie was Class 2. A Class 3 mage was the equivalent of an apprentice...0