Location: The same spot – A moment of despair.
Time: The same moment.Lirion was on his knees, trying to redraw the circuit again. The interference field shattered the lines as soon as they formed.[Warning: Repeated Failure. Risk of Fatal Injury: 80%.]
[System Suggestion: Modify circuit pathway to compensate for interference.]A new schematic appeared before Lirion's eyes. The circle was no longer perfectly round. It was polygonal, with additional lines sealing the leaks."This... will distort the spell," Lirion thought.[The alternative is death. Choose.]"Execute it," Lirion decided.He began to draw the "broken" circuit. It was painful, as if he were forcing mana through a rugged, jagged path.The leader rose in anger. "Die!"The sword swung toward Lirion's neck.At the last second, the distorted circuit completed above Lirion's hand. It didn't fire as a spear, but erupted as an unstable shockwave."Recoil!" Lirion shouted.The air exploded in front of him. The wave didn't just hit the leader; it blasted Lirion backward with immense force.The leader collapsed, knocked unconscious by the sheer impact. The arrows aimed at the team were scattered chaotically by the shockwave.[Spell Completed Successfully (Modified Version).]
[Mana Consumption: 90%.]Lirion fell to the ground, his nose bleeding. The modification had come at a steep price.Garek and Elara rose quickly, seizing the enemies' shock to defeat them within seconds.Lirion stood up, exhausted, looking at his still-trembling hand."The Stone... saved me," he whispered. "But it taught me that the perfect circuit does not exist in times of war."