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"I wish life was as simple as some of the novels made it out to be,

" Layn muttered under his nose as he continued to weave his mana in complicated structures. Soaked to the bone and exposed to the surprisingly cold winds of the grassy desert, even Layn found it hard to focus.

n'It would be great to just said

"he went back home

" and skip over to that part already,' Layn continued to grieve. The first of his spells soon started working. Now that the energy was no longer a problem for him, Layn rarely concerned himself with the efficiency of what he was doing.

nAnd that's how, rather than creating a simple, levitating spell to fly back, Layn spent thrice as much time as needed in the water to construct a magical platform on which he could stand up and dry his clothes!

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"Ah,

" Layn moaned when all his spells finally came alive. He was warmed up by a constant hot wind created by one of the spells. Rather than standing on the shapeless mass of magic, Layn sat in a comfy chair while pushing it through the endless expanse of the sky.

"Now that I think about it,

" Layn continued speaking to himself, hoping that it would make thinking easier for him.

"Just where could those artifacts come from?

"

nThe question sadly remained without an answer. Layn's spells made his return relatively short. The only reason why he took the boat in the first place was because of possible anti-magical traps in that strange structure.

n'Aliens? Or maybe the ancients of former eras were more advanced than we imagined,' Layn still attempted to tackle the issue even when he stepped back at the camp.

nA small commotion erupted in the instant he returned.

n

"Where have you been for so long?!

" Irea screamed out as soon as she arrived at the scene before grabbing the archmage in a desperate hug.

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"I'm sorry, it took longer than I expected,

" Layn excused himself, trying to ward off the attack. Against Irea's attacks though, he was powerless.

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"Did monsters attack while I was away?

" Layn asked after a prolonged moment of silence.

nIrea didn't reply to him at all. She just buried her face in his chest while locking her arms behind his back. And no matter how Layn attempted to talk her up, she remained in place.

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"Sir, if I may,

" Antion spoke up, moving a step closer. By the time Layn had any mind to pay attention to him, the entire group already gathered around.

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"Speak,

" Layn ordered with a deep sigh. 'Looking at them, it wasn't one or two monsters but a whole bunch,' Layn thought while squinting his eyes.

nThe state of the mercenaries was tragic. As if the monsters detected Layn leaving, they picked the perfect timing for their attack on the camp.

nNo one was missing. That was the most important part. But Layn couldn't say the same about the number of hands, legs, and eyes.

nThere were seven injured. Two of them got away easily, just with life-threatening wounds. The remaining five was generally in a better state…

nBut they were missing some parts. One of them lacked a right hand. Another one missed an entire left arm. The third had to learn how to live without his legs, while two others only kept half of their vision.

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"Sir, we were attacked. Right at the darkest hour of the night you left, sir,

" Antion reported, keeping his head low.

n'Fuck,' Layn thought when all the joy of the discovery from before was washed away by the sorrow. The consequence of his choice was dire.

n'No matter how much I despair, I won't change it,' Layn bit on his lips. It wasn't the first time when people under his command were injured. It wouldn't even be the first time for him if some of them were to die.

nBut in no way, did Layn enjoy experiencing this feeling in this current life of his.

n

"Everyone,

" Layn started, perfectly aware that this moment was crucial. Even if he could keep all of them attached to him now, it would be of pure calculation, not devotion. And this wasn't the means he wanted to use when creating a stable following.

nThis post-disaster moment was the most important to reinforce the morale of the group, to make them feel strong in defeat. And Layn had no intention of letting this opportunity, as bloody as it was, to pass.

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"I won't give you sweet words. What you tasted now, is a taste of partial defeat.

" Layn stated openly. If the relationship between him and his students was to be clear and true, he had to be honest from its very beginning.

"And there is only one question that I need you to answer right now,

" Layn said, looking at the small group of people around him.

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"Is this going to break you?

" Layn asked, looking calmly in the eyes of the mercenaries. He looked into Pavrien's eyes, noticing fear, confusion, and discomfort on his face. He looked at Antion's face, observing how uncertainty played with despair in his eyes. He then looked Irea in the eyes, only to be overwhelmed with devotion and loyalty.

n'Now that I think about it, just how did I earn it?' Layn suddenly posed a question in his thoughts, unable to break the eye contact with the girl. 'Just what did I do to make myself so dear to her?'

nLayn shook his head. This wasn't the time for this kind of thought.

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"I will ask again,

" Layn voiced his question out again after a moment of silence.

"Is this disaster going to break you, or reinforce your souls?

" Layn expanded his question before putting a wide smile on his face.

"If you think that it can help you grow, then be my guest!

" he suddenly shouted before placing the stone from that strange location on the ground.

nIn an instant, the insane power emanating from the stone infused itself in the ground. Unable to withstand such a force, the earth below Layn's feet started to purify. Just like honey which was basically a mixture with more sugar than it should be possible, the ground obtained new properties when infused with such an insane amount of energy.

n'Now,' Layn hurried himself in his thoughts. Back when he was returning from the middle of the lake to the camp, he wasn't only trying to figure out the origin of those artifacts. He also put his mind into figuring out the potential use of the one crystal he brought back.

nLayn infused his own mana in the ground. Now that it was oversaturated with magic, rather than infusing itself into the matter, Layn's mana only increased the speed at which the energy was circulating in this strange matter. By carefully adjusting the speed, force, and direction of his energy, Layn continued to draft a massive formation, directly in the magic-infused ground.

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"What are you doing?

" Irea asked, confused by Layn's silence. He started his speech on such a high note, only to turn silent the moment later, seemingly focused on something.

n'Will this work? Well, I guess I will find out,' Layn thought, modifying his original plan. When he first thought about the usage of the stone, the choice was pretty obvious. By setting up a large powering array, he could force this small camp to transition from a simple settlement into an advanced fortress.

nBut after seeing the effects of his absence in the camp, Layn no longer harbored such hurry to develop this place. 'If I allow my followers to get hurt, there will be no end to the problems with manpower in the future!' Layn thought grimly as his mind spun to modify the formation he originally had in mind.

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"If you want to be reborn stronger, heed my words,

" Layn whispered softly, ignoring Irea's inquiry.

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"Sit down,

" Layn gave his first order, activating the first ring of the formation he was drafting. As the entire thing was split into seven different circles, he was free to activate them gradually rather than trying to do it all at once.

nNormally, it would be almost impossible to create such a complicated formation. Not because of the theoretical limits of computing require to draft one on paper first, but because there was no medium in existence that could hold such a complex structure. Given how the increase in power to the formation was gradual and bound to the increase in the number of its rings, a formation that Layn was currently constructing was on the same level as the Gran Arcana he used to traverse through the expanses of time!

n'While that might be true,' Layn thought to himself while preparing to activate the second ring, 'only the scale of complexity is comparable. The Gran Arcana was special in more than just this way.'

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"Close your eyes,

" Layn gave his second order at the same time as he activated the second ring. Then, before anyone could even notice, he activated the third one.

nAs the mana started to circulate through the formation, the energy within its sphere of influence started to adjust. As if following some kind of grand, natural order, all the mana in the surroundings started to tune in to it.

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"And now, cultivate as if your life depends on it,

" Layn said, finishing the preparations for his gamble.

nHe wasn't an expert on cultivation. But he knew that it was all based on circulating one's mana through one's entire body.

nAnd in a formation of seven rings, Layn was more than capable of bringing forth enough power to turn the magical laws of cultivation into physical laws of flesh and bones!

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