With a soft sound like shattering glass, the gradually forming image of the sword broke into countless fragments and vanished into the air.
Rin felt her body go weak and stumbled forward, barely catching herself on the table to avoid falling. With a wry smile, she habitually reached to scratch her head, but upon touching her hair, she realized she was wearing twin-tails, so she smoothed her sideburns instead.
She had tried no less than thirty times, all failures. As expected, it wasn't that easy. Well, it was advanced magic after all, and I'm not some genius... Rin sat on the floor, leaning against the table, her right hand holding the tome of sorcery on her lap, her left arm propped on her knee, covering her forehead, her expression dim as she pondered. In the dimly lit stone room, illuminated by faint jewels, Rin sat alone in the shadow of the table, overwhelmed by endless worries, and let out a deep sigh.
I am not a genius after all, nor am I a protagonist with any cheats. The benefits I've gained from transmigration are already the limit. If I were to meticulously study magic step by step, I believe I wouldn't be inferior to Barthomeloi Lorelai Ya. But, I don't have time... Time is truly running out. In less than four years, Sakura will be sent to the Matou Family. Four years, 1460 sunrises and sunsets. What can I achieve? Can I truly change anything... Facing the merciless reality, Rin began to doubt herself, a sense of powerlessness permeating her entire body. What should I do... Closing her eyes, she focused her mind and circulated her Magic Circuits to absorb the Greater Source life force and convert it into magical energy. When she felt her Magic Circuits were full, she opened her eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. It was already one in the morning. A two-year-old child should have already been asleep in their parents' arms.
Feeling tired, she rubbed her eyes, got up, and began to practice Jewel Magic with the crystals on the table. Rin felt she couldn't sleep, or rather, she didn't have spare time to sleep. She had to force herself to become stronger every moment, at least strong enough to make a difference.
Jewel Magic isn't simply about transferring magical energy into a gem carrier. The amount of magical energy that can be stored by careful injection is pitifully small. Further compressing the magical energy reserves is the difficult part of Jewel Magic.
The amount of magical energy naturally absorbed by a gem buried in a spiritual pulse for a year is called one year's worth of magical energy. The crystals Rin was using for practice at this time were not suitable magical energy carriers themselves; they were merely for practice.
Ten days' worth... one month's worth... four months' worth... seven months' worth... "Crack." With a crisp sound of cracking, the palm-sized crystal shattered and flew into thousands of pieces. The magical energy exposed to the air rapidly reversed into life force and dissipated into the air.
Rin's body went limp, and she leaned against the table. After the weakness passed, she reached for a raw crystal on the table, then picked up the grinding tools nearby, and began to grind the crystal while recovering her magical energy.
This is why the Tohsaka Family places such importance on the use of Greater Source magical energy. Because whether it's for practice or storing magical energy, Jewel Magic consumes an unparalleled amount of magical energy. If it were entirely supported by the Lesser Source magical energy converted from the human body's own life force, the human body would simply be overwhelmed. Only the inexhaustible Greater Source magical energy can bear it.
But there's no free lunch in the world. While Greater Source magical energy can be converted endlessly, it is the life force inadvertently emitted by all things in the world, and its heterogeneous composition is imaginable. Too many impurities place an enormous burden on the Magic Circuits, not only causing great pain but also posing the risk of burning out the Magic Circuits if overloaded.
While concentrating on grinding the crystal and enduring the pain of magical energy conversion, she unconsciously muttered, "Am I a masochist, am I a masochist, am I a masochist..."
Rin didn't know how many times she had muttered this. After all, in her previous life, he was just a pampered shut-in, who had embarked on a journey to another world purely out of a momentary impulse driven by his love for the 2d world (anime/manga world). But when the dream ended and he truly faced this real world, he couldn't help but feel regret.
In the two months since she began learning magic, Rin didn't know how many times she had muttered like this, but she always continued practicing magic while muttering. No matter how much she complained, she never gave up on the idea of saving Sakura, never gave up on the dream of changing the tragedy.
Whether this was the deep love from her previous life or the lingering stubborn and unyielding character of Rin herself, she didn't dislike her current self, enduring pain for her dream. The monotony of grinding crystals and the burning pain in her Magic Circuits made her feel the fulfillment of effort and the happiness of approaching her dream.
I must save Sakura! I cannot fall here! I must change! I must... As Rin's emotions fluctuated intensely and unconsciously, the magical energy circulation in her Magic Circuits also began to accelerate sharply with her emotions. All 473 Magic Circuits surfaced outside her body, like an overloaded current. The magical energy current on the emerald green network flowed erratically, without direction. In the language of Chinese wuxia novels, this was a sign of Qi deviation!
Rin, however, seemed oblivious and continued. The grinding blade in her hand moved back and forth so fast it created a blur. Her overheated Magic Circuits seemed to have burned out her brain, making her unable to detect the abnormality in her body. The output of magical energy grew larger and larger.
Until finally, the Magic Circuits on her right arm suddenly flashed brightly, turning a hot red. The instantaneous intense pain made Rin's vision go black, and she lost consciousness.