Chapter 39: Second Circle!

"I, Emilia Smith, hereby declare my support for the grandson of the current patriarch, Ethan Smith, to become the patriarch!"

After she took the lead in declaring her support, the other Smiths soon followed suit.

"I, Nathaniel Smith, hereby declare my support for the grandson of the current patriarch, Ethan Smith, to become the patriarch!"

"I, Vivian Smith, hereby declare my support for the grandson of the current patriarch, Ethan Smith, to become the patriarch!"

"I, Adrian Smith, hereby declare my support for the grandson of the current patriarch, Ethan Smith, to become the patriarch!"

"I, Victor Smith, hereby declare my support for the grandson of the current patriarch, Ethan Smith, to become the patriarch!"

"I, Lucas Smith, hereby declare my support for the grandson of the current patriarch, Ethan Smith, to become the patriarch!"

One by one, tempted by new power and greater strength, they began to declare their support for Ethan.

Some did it to maintain their status when the apocalypse came.

Some did it because they were curious about this new power called magic.

Others did it simply because everyone else did it!

Whatever the case was, Ethan didn’t care too much, as long as they obeyed his orders and supported him.

In fact, the Smiths, knowing just how much they had to gain, were so enthusiastic that even George, who was against this and wanted to be patriarch himself, had no choice but to join the others and raise his hand.

"I, George Smith, hereby declare my support for the grandson of the current patriarch, Ethan Smith, to become the patriarch!" said George, his tone extremely unwilling.

However, for that tiny detail, Ethan didn’t care much.

Rather, he just took a glance at George and turned to face the others.

Now that he had won over most, if not all of the family, he could begin sharing jobs individually.

"Vivian, you’ll be in charge of coordinating the suppliers and transporting the materials to the warehouse."

"Uncle Adrian, as a military veteran, you can be in charge of the guard recruitment and training as well as shelter defense."

"Uncle Victor, you can help Vivian in procuring the supplies. As we don’t have that much time, we have to buy as much as possible, even if it causes a price hike."

"Uncle Nathaniel, I need you to be in charge of recruiting talent. Be it healthcare, education, music, anything; they have to be the best of the best."

One by one, Ethan began to tell them what to do.

He seemed to have integrated seamlessly into the role of the Smith family patriarch.

So much so that the meeting went on for three more hours before finally coming to a close.

Now the Smiths, like the well-oiled machine they were, had begun to move in full, ready to prepare for the upcoming apocalypse.

And Ethan, having concluded the meeting, stood in the empty meeting room, gathering mana at the tips of his fingers and looking down at it with a smile.

’Alright then, now that everything has almost been taken care of...’

’Should I put breaking through the second circle on the agenda?’

Feeling the mana circle in his heart, Ethan felt it was reaching its limit.

Even if he fought another person, the feedback would probably damage his heart or even kill him.

He needed to find out how to make the second circle first.

’However, it’s not like I’m without a clue.’

’After days of studying my own circle as well as referencing the circles I created for Elena and the others, I’ve come to an understanding.’

’The circle I created back then wasn’t created just because I circulated mana in a circle.’

Making sure that the room was empty, Ethan found a place to sit cross-legged and began to sort through his thoughts.

To take the undisputed lead when the apocalypse came, he absolutely had to break through to the second circle.

’Thanks to my analysis of the Clown’s ability, I’ve gained a deeper understanding.’

’Behind every ability and spell, there’s something that allows them to act on reality.’

’A sort of key, if you will. Unfortunately, my level is too low to understand it right now, but I’ll call it logic or principle.’

’By studying and understanding that principle, then following the required mana paths or shapes, I can copy and use those abilities as spells.’

Activating his low-level strengthening technique, Ethan felt the principle of strength hidden within.

’The same thing applies to the mana circle.’

’This first circle contains the principle of energy, my understanding of the fact that mana can be sensed, gathered, and controlled.’

’It is this principle that allows the circle to maintain its structure constantly.’

’And the people whom I helped create circles formed theirs through this principle of mine, which was passed onto them through my mana.’

As Ethan’s thoughts continued, his max-level comprehension began to act.

’This means that to create another circle, I need to understand another principle regarding the existence of mana!’

Yes, Ethan had finally understood what was keeping him from breaking through to the second circle.

His mana was enough, his body was strong enough; what was holding him back was understanding.

’Fortunately, with feedback from every new practitioner, their insights when creating the circle are given back to me ten-thousand-fold.’

’With enough people, I should be able to understand it.’

’If not, my only hope would be to personally study some awakeners when the apocalypse starts,’ he paused, once again focusing on the mana in his heart.

The only dangerous thing about this plan was the fact that his circle was nearly full.

If he received too much feedback without understanding the next principle, he could cause his very circle to collapse.

’However, discovering the existence of principles has at least solved one issue.’

’By using myself as an item of meditation, wouldn’t others be able to resonate with my principle and form circles of their own?’

Thanks to this, he had figured out a way to help others create circles and receive feedback without personally assisting each person.

’Alright, that settles it. Next order on the agenda...’

’Create the Ethan Meditation Technique as well as break through to the second circle!’