Roger's method was Ethan's only hope and everything he had taught him.
The gears inside the dark core moved as his Construct tried to find the right pieces to complete the Circle.
Each Circle consisted of Patterns. Ethan's Circle had three, which spoke to the complexity of his First Circle.
"Something's wrong."
Ethan frowned as he watched the gears stop again and again. None of the hundreds of ghostly patterns could perfectly fit his damaged circle.
"I've been trying to find a perfect match for two months, but nothing works. How is that possible?"
Each Construct was unique, but Ethan didn't need a whole Circle. His Circle was damaged in three places, and in total, he was missing just under half of it. That meant he needed to find someone whose circle was at least 50% similar to his.
"Roger said that a lot could depend on the elements and features of my circle. But... as a Broken Mage, I don't even know my element."
All this time, Ethan only ate, trained, and rotated the spectral circle. He didn't distract himself with anything else, but his time was running out.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Suddenly, the gears stopped with a crash, and a cascade of sparks burst from the Construct as a spectral copy of another, complete Circle hovered over his Broken Circle.
The runes and lines matched Ethan's perfectly — he found his donor.
The door opened, revealing Ethan's frame as he stepped out into the backyard.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Sweat dripped from Roger's sculpted body as he did a one-armed push-up, his muscles trembling, but his breathing calm.
Seeing Ethan's tightly clenched fists, he grinned.
"Hah, you did it after all, you little bastard."
Ethan nodded. "Yeah, it took longer than I expected, but it happened."
"Good."
---
A piece of cloth was on the table, and something was wrapped up.
"Go on." Roger pointed, drinking beer from a bottle.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Hah, my guarantee that you won't come back here and let me live in peace. You know, I'm retired, I want to relax and booze, not babysit someone like you."
A flash ran across the red blade, a dagger with a wide blade met him.
"It's yours. I got it as a gift after I retired from the army. For me, it's more of a trophy than a weapon, but you might find it useful. I'm sure you spent all your money on the Ascension Crystal, right?"
Ethan nodded. "Yes. There wasn't much time, and I only had enough money for the gray one.
Tap.
"Forget about it. That's in the past." Roger patted him on the shoulder as he headed for the courtyard. "Unlike me, you still have a chance to change your life. And, for heaven's sake, don't bother me anymore."
[Blood Seeker
Circle: First
Projection: ???
[Not connected. Connection to the Construct carrier is required to unlock full potential.]
[A blade saturated with mana, made of metal imbued with monster blood through extensive smelting. A weapon thirsty for blood, capable of revealing this side of itself even without a connection.]
Ethan's face was reflected in the blade as he closed his eyes.
The gears started moving again. His mind drifted to distant lands, paving the way for him to his donor.
"Alright, I'm ready. It's good that Grandpa had a friend like that. Keeping Roger's request as a trump card was the right decision."
Without further ado, Ethan left Roger's house, not noticing his intense gaze.
"Eh, Edgar, instead of letting this guy live a normal, peaceful life, you led him down this thorny path." Roger shook his head. "You were a good friend, but you're not the best grandfather."
Gathering everything he had, Ethan quickly left his city — Orsire, and headed west toward the mountains, straight to the Rotten Forest.
"Tsk. It's not my place to complain, but why is my donor here? Who is this monster? A human? Another mage? Shit, the last thing I need is to die here."
Ethan raised the collar of his long coat in an attempt to hide from the miasma.
This forest got its name not from the corpses, but from the foul-smelling yet beautiful flowers spreading their scent among the purple trees with bare, sharp branches.
A thread of energy showed Ethan where to go. As long as he maintained the spectral copy of the circle, he knew where to walk.
Suddenly, a shadow burst out from behind a rock as a beast lunged at Ethan. Long claws dug into his shoulders, knocking him to the ground.
"RGH!"
Jaws closed over Ethan's face while two crazed eyes trembled with hunger and rage.
Thrust.
The dagger pierced the neck, coming out the other side.
The blood didn't have time to fall on Ethan as he rolled over to avoid the toxic liquid.
Roger's training paid off, but this wasn't the first time Ethan had found himself in a dangerous situation. He was used to it, as he wouldn't be able to save up for the Ascension Crystal by the age of 18 using safe methods.
"Okay, I'm close." Ethan nodded as he lunged forward.
He didn't have parents, but his grandfather had taught him a lot before he disappeared at the end of Ethan's childhood. He could stand up for himself, although, like others, one mistake could lead him straight to death.
Tap.
Ethan stopped at the tree as his eyes narrowed.
Dozens of bodies encased in armor lay in pools of their own blood, covering the lifeless field.
A monster with green skin and an elongated jaw licked its crooked fangs as if after a hearty meal. Its full belly, covered in short fur, twitched.
'Crooked Growon... The First Rank, Bronze Tier. He's not a Broken One like the beast I killed earlier. Shit, the energy points to him. It's his Circle that contains the parts I need. Perfect match.'
There was nothing to be done.
The Crooked Growon was not a monster that a young Broken Mage like Ethan should be facing, but...
Did he have a choice?
"Gha-ha?!" the Crooked Growon chuckled, fixing his gaze on Ethan.
For one of them, this fight was an opportunity to get a meal, and for the other, it was the only chance in life.
They were not on equal terms.