I Can't Draw Circles

"Alright, after I show you guys around the Hall of Formations, you guys can try making your own formations. Come on now, we don't have all day." Formation Master Wade said.

He walked next to the side where there was a long glass wall and signaled for us to follow him. Behind the glass were a bunch of circles made up of mana lines.

"These are Magic Formations. They are extremely simple to the point where anyone can use them as long as they know how to activate it. I'm sure you all know that there are three types of formations. Just to recap, there are Augmentation Formations, Magic Formations, and Grand Formations. Augmentation Formations are formations that serve to augment; they are the formations found in augmented items. Magic Formations are formations that cast spells by using someone's mana, or by absorbing surrounding magic particles; these are the most common and can be found almost anywhere. Like the light bulbs for example, inside each one of those bulbs, is a Magic Formation that casts a level 2 Light Orb. For stove burners, they use a Magic Formation that casts a level 2 Flare. As for Grand Formations, those are the most complex and complicated of them all. You won't be needing to learn about it unless you become a Formation Master."

I looked at the Magic Formations behind the glass wall. I could even recognize a few of them.

'That was the magic circle for the level 3 Fire Ball and that one was the level 2 Smoke Bomb.'

After examining a couple of the Magic Formations, I realized they were exactly the same as magic circles. The only difference was that they were all made with mana lines which gave them all a chalky white color. The only reason I could recognize the Fire Ball and Smoke Bomb was because I had mastered them already which meant I also knew their corresponding magic circles.

"The reason why magicians who are not Formation Masters dabble in Magic Formations is because of how simple and versatile it is. Unlike normal spells, Magic Formations can be used by anyone regardless of their elemental affinity. Despite this, not many magicians at the early realms use Magic Formations in fights. Does anyone know why?" He asked.

"You with the red hair."

"That is because formations are heavily reliant on your stage of mana control." The redhead said.

"That is correct. It is impossible to sustain a formation with anything but mana lines. Formations, unlike spells, are not a single use item. If you could only activate a formation once, then what is the difference between a formation and a spell. Magicians of the Instant Cast stage can create temporary Mana Lines but those only last for a day. Only when a Magician reaches the Multi Cast stage can they create Mana Lines that do not deteriorate with time. On average, most magicians reach the Multi Cast stage around the same time they reach the False Sage realm." He stopped there and pointed at a Magic Formation.

"Watch closely."

The Magic Formation he pointed at started changing colors. The previous white Mana Lines started emitting a red color. A level 2 Flare appeared suspended next to the formation. In its activated state, the formation looked no different from a magic circle.

"Normally, you would need a Mana Stone to power them with mana but as a magician, you can also just use your mana. Also, don't try to send your mana through the air like I just did unless you have reached the Mana Sentience stage. Mana can scatter very easily when it is outside of the body which is why Mana Lines exist."

We walked a bit further and the hall finally reached an end. Formation Master Wade went over to the other side which also had a glass wall. The biggest difference between the two sides was in the strange objects that were displayed. I could see many weapons, clothes and jewelry on display. There were even flags as well. Why would these things be in the Hall of Formations? As i got closer, I noticed that there were formations next to the items.

"On this side, these are all Augmentation Formations. Ah, those over there are Formation Flags, they are used in Grand Formations. Augmentation Formations are a bit different from Magic Formations but for the most part, they are the same. Notice how most of the Augmentation Formations use non-elemental magic circles like Haste, Strengthen, and Harden. There are two things that make Augmentation Formations different from Magic Formations. One, the way they are created are different. And two, the spells that are used must have a buffing effect. The thing about buff effects, is that they are mostly only found in non-elemental spells."

"As for why only Formation Masters can create Augmentation Formations, creating Augmentation Formations is a difficult two step process. The first step is engraving the formation itself onto the object. Formation Masters use a utensil called a formation chisel to do this. It is possible to do it with other sharp utensils such as pocket knives but it is ridiculously harder to do than using a formation chisel. The second step after engraving, would be to fill in the engraved areas with Mana Lines. Once that is done, you only need to channel mana into it or use a Mana Stone to activate it."

"Alright, that is pretty much a general summary of Magic and Augmentation Formations. Let's head back out and I will let you all try "creating" your own Magic Formations on a piece of paper."

After heading out of the Hall of Formations, we went up to the next floor which was a free area meant for visitors. There were a bunch of tables and seats everywhere. In a way, it kind of reminded me of the kindergarten rooms in my past life.

He gave everyone a piece of paper and a pencil and told us to try "creating" a Magic Formation. It was obviously just a scam since all we were doing was drawing it.

Either way, I took the bait since everyone else also had to do it. I decided to try drawing the magic circle for the level 2 Flare spell...

There was only one problem.

I didn't know how to draw straight lines and perfect circles without a ruler and a compass.