Return of the Fallen Nobleman With an SSS-Rank Talent-Chapter 36: First Circle [1]

Adam blinked several times.

His fingers tightened around the handle of the staff until his knuckles turned pale. He felt his jaw tense, betraying him... and forced it to relax before anyone noticed.

The earth affinity stone did not react at all.

The crystal remained inert beneath his hand.

Adam slowly withdrew his hand, as if the movement could change something. But nothing changed.

It wasn’t possible.

Does he have a damn talent for SSS-rank magic? Then... why didn’t the stone respond?

Adam tried to remain calm, but doubt had taken root in his mind, unable to fully understand why the earth affinity stone did not react to his touch.

...Well, it was obvious that he had no affinity with the earth element, something he had not expected in the least.

Adam slowly withdrew his hand, as if the movement could change something. But nothing changed.

He sighed and said,

"Let’s move on to the next one."

Alaric nodded gravely and took another affinity stone. This time, the shadow one.

The crystal was darker than the previous ones, almost black, but not completely. Inside, something was moving. Thin, undulating shadows slid over each other, like tentacles made of smoke, entangling and separating in a silent, constant cycle.

Adam reached out his hand. His fingers brushed the cold surface of the crystal.

And the reaction was immediate.

The shadows inside stirred violently, spreading toward the edges as if they had been waiting. The light around them dimmed, absorbed by the stone in a dark pulse that made the air grow thicker.

"Affinity with shadows."

The surprise was evident in Alaric’s voice.

It was not a common thing. It was not something you saw every year. Not even every decade.

Shadows were not as simple an element as fire or water. They were rare...

Adam said nothing, and a slight, almost imperceptible smile played on his lips.

Shadows.

It made sense.

And yet, at the same time, it didn’t.

The doubt lingered, stuck like an invisible splinter.

The earth stone had not reacted at all.

Adam looked down at his own hand.

SSS-rank talent for magic... but maybe it didn’t work the way he thought it did. Perhaps the talent amplified an existing affinity, but it didn’t force the elements to respond.

Or maybe...

His eyes darkened slightly at that possibility.

I see...

Adam held Alaric’s gaze for a second longer than necessary before speaking. His expression was calm.

"Let’s try the next one."

Alaric nodded without saying anything, although his expectations were no longer the same. He then took out the lightning affinity stone, a crystal crossed by pale veins that resembled frozen scars inside, and held it out in front of Adam.

When Adam’s fingers touched it, the response was violent and immediate.

A golden and silver glow burst from the crystal’s core, expanding in irregular pulses that lit the room with brief, almost irritating flashes.

For a moment, the air vibrated with a faint hum, as if a distant storm had found an echo in that small stone.

Adam calmly withdrew his hand.

"Next."

This time it was the ice stone. The crystal seemed harmless, opaque, and silent, but as soon as his skin touched the surface, a piercing cold spread from the point of contact.

The blue glow that emerged was not explosive like the previous one; it was deep, steady, spreading with the inexorable slowness of frost advancing over still water.

Three.

Three clear affinities.

That was no longer talent.

It was an anomaly.

Adam kept his face impassive, but inside, the silence was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

And yet...

"Next."

...

Several minutes passed before Adam was able to move.

The smile that appeared on his lips was neither broad nor childish. It was restrained. Tense. So rigid that the skin at the corners began to crack slightly from the pressure.

Inside, however...

He laughed.

Five.

Five affinities.

For centuries, three was already considered an anomaly that only appeared in records.

And he...

Shadow. Lightning. Ice. Light. Water.

They were not common elements, except for water, which was the most common of the four.

Adam inhaled slowly, trying to contain the flood of thoughts threatening to overwhelm him. These were not mere affinities. It was a breach of the continent’s known rules.

He looked up.

Alaric was muttering to himself, his eyes wide open, as if he had seen a deity descend. His lips were trembling.

"Five... f-five affinities... It’s the first time in all of history..."

Renna watched silently. She knew it was something big, but she didn’t understand how big.

Adam exhaled.

The excitement died in his eyes, replaced by calculation.

"Alaric."

The man jumped.

"Yes, young master!?"

Adam’s expression turned cold.

"This stays within this training camp. Not even my father must know."

The silence that followed was heavy.

It took Alaric barely a second to understand.

It wasn’t a secret out of modesty.

It was a secret for survival.

He straightened up immediately.

"Yes, young master."

Adam held his gaze for a few more seconds, making sure.

Five affinities are not only a great blessing, but also a great deal of trouble that, with his current strength, he cannot imagine.

Sighing again, he clapped his hands softly to get Renna and Alaric’s attention.

"Now that we know our affinity, what’s next?"

Alaric composed himself completely and said:

"Now comes the hardest part, the part where countless people have lost their lives, and that is the creation of the first circle."

Renna frowned and tilted her head.

"Why is it the most difficult?"

"Because it is done in our hearts."

Alaric pointed to his chest and added:

"Since when do we create a magic circle? We do so with the mana we have, which means that a single mistake will not cause death. That is why it is the most dangerous part and also the reason why magicians are so rare."

He paused and continued:

"Now, sit on the floor, and I will help you create your first circle so that you can become first-circle magicians."