Chapter 109: The Ring of Magic

The count paid no mind to where Borne used [Teleportation] to send that chunk of iceberg; what truly caught his attention was that Borne could actually teleport such a massive piece of ice. Although the count himself was capable of the feat, the time and energy it consumed were several times greater than what Borne expended.

Spatial teleportation was an incredibly perilous art—any slightest miscalculation could cause the destination to be missed, or worse, the traveler could become lost in the void between worlds.

Yet Borne never suffered such errors. While others had to painstakingly perform detailed calculations and derivations, he relied solely on intuition to arrive at precise results. The difference between them was monumental.

To have transported such a colossal fragment of iceberg—even with the amplification granted by the magic network—was far beyond the count’s expectations.

If such a massive block could be teleported, then surely objects of comparable size, or even people, could be as well. And as the creator of [Teleportation], Borne’s abilities, even if confined to a smaller range, would still suffice to transport a small elite force or a squad of spellcasters.

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Dawn broke.

At the edge of the vast ocean, the sun slowly rose amid towering icebergs.

When the first rays of sunlight touched Borne, a faint mist seemed to hover around him.

The count quietly stood nearby, watching Borne with bright eyes, a subtle gleam of excitement flickering in them.

That faint ‘mist’ enveloping Borne was, in truth, an overflow of magic power made visible.

Every individual possessed a fixed threshold—an upper limit to their magical capacity. Borne’s magic had long stagnated because this limit had been locked, representing the maximum magical energy his body could contain.

This was commonly known as a limiter.

(It might remind one of a certain bald elder.)

The purpose of this limiter was to allow living beings to operate safely and efficiently, preventing catastrophic collapse or death caused by excessive exertion.

For instance, when a person faints from overexertion, it is a self-protective mechanism of the body—a form of limiter at work.

This was a safeguard, yet it was possible to break through it by certain means.

One such means was sheer willpower.

But any breakthrough had to remain within the body’s tolerable limits. Each time the body’s extremities were exceeded, damage was inflicted on the organism, necessitating rest and recovery afterward.

To forcibly overload beyond this could cause permanent harm, even heart failure or organ breakdown.

Magic power operated under the same principle—everyone had their own upper limit.

This limit was not absolutely fixed; as one’s bloodline strengthened and power grew, the ceiling would rise. Thus, only a rare few ever approached their magical maximum.

Surpassing this limit did not inherently mean one’s magic would increase. The limiter existed to maintain the body’s functional integrity. If broken, and magic exceeded what the body could handle, it was akin to water intoxication from drinking too much water.

Excess magic would not enhance the body but instead erode it, causing the life form to begin elementalizing, potentially transforming into an elemental being—provided the host could resist the consuming force of the world’s power; otherwise, it would be their end.

Legend held that elemental creatures of the elemental planes were born this way.

Moreover, upon ascending to higher tiers, the very nature of life underwent a transformation, raising the magic ceiling and bolstering resistance against magical erosion.

Of course, there were exceptions—some could forcibly raise their magic limit without undergoing life transformation or suffering erosion.

That was with the aid of the world’s ‘Source’ magic network.

A loophole.

The magic network rewarded creators of magic: when they cast their own inventions, their spells were not only more potent but consumed almost no spell slots.

Casting a new spell brought them into close contact with the core magic network, accelerating their magic growth—these were the world’s gifts to creators.

Interestingly, when a creator had already reached their magical limit, the magic network would not cause them to explode from overload; instead, it would raise their magic ceiling directly (after all, the ‘world’ would not grant a gift that killed its recipient).

This surplus magic was the faint ‘mist’ surrounding Borne.

“This… is truly magic power!” Borne murmured.

He extended his hand gently, and the magical mist instantly gathered there, forming a glowing, blue orb about the size of a basketball. He could distinctly feel that this was his magic, but the external aura was somewhat extraordinary.

The orb shifted shape at his whim, becoming flowers, then grass, various animals—even people.

As if a profound blessing had descended upon him, Borne suddenly understood something.

A slender thread extended from the orb, dancing swiftly around him. At his command, it traced out an enormous, intricate three-dimensional magic array—the very magical framework of Borne’s [Teleportation].

“So this is the maximum range I can teleport now!” he thought.

With a flicker of intention, the array contracted rapidly into a ring hovering around his waist.

“A magic aura ring…” Borne mused silently, then controlled the ring to shrink further, forming a tattoo-like pattern on his waist.

“A magic tattoo!”

Instantly, Borne’s pupils contracted sharply, a hint of surprise in his heart.

“So this is how the later magic tattoo program originated.”

“Surprising, isn’t it?”

The count, unaware of Borne’s thoughts, assumed he was marveling at the magic aura ring’s wonder.

“This is a gift from the world, and an honor as well!” the count said with emotion. He was immensely pleased with his grandson.

“Honor?” Borne asked, uncertain. He knew he was not the most exceptional, and guessed that his grandfather must know more.

“The magic aura ring was an extremely special honor even in the ancient Maierli Guild Tower,” the count said calmly.

Borne sensed his grandfather’s yearning—a sentiment shared by all who knew Maierli, the pinnacle of elven artistry and advanced magic.

“The magic aura ring, an external manifestation of magic overflow beyond one’s limit, not only serves as a reserve to replenish magic in emergencies but also forms a permanent spell that can trigger automatically when the caster faces danger.”

“By the gods…” Borne’s eyes lit up.

An automatic trigger?

Now that was a true lifesaving skill!

Before the development of such trigger technology, adventurers went out armed with bows, crossbows, armor, and greatswords—not just for offense, but because even protective magic could not be maintained continuously.

This situation would only improve once trigger technology was developed, allowing casters to respond better in emergencies.

“After you ascend to higher tiers, do not retract the magic aura ring. Continue to expand it. With this external source of magic, theoretically your magic is limitless.”

The count sighed regretfully.

“According to elven records, even the greatest archmages of ancient Maierli could maintain only three spells simultaneously. Unfortunately, all technology and documentation on the magic aura ring were lost in the wars, and even the elves today have no detailed records.”

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