- Marsil Pov -

  I exhaled slowly, letting my mind settle.

  Focus.

  I had already summoned one Red Globe, and controlling it felt effortless like moving my own hand.

  But that wasn’t enough.

  I needed to push further.

  To find my limit.

  To understand how far I could go before the spell became too dangerous.

  Without hesitating, I summoned a second Red Globe.

  The moment the sphere of condensed energy materialized beside the first, I felt nothing unusual.

  No strain. No loss of control.

  "This is fine."

  Summoning two at once was easy.

  But I didn’t stop there.

  I immediately focused again—pulling in more magical energy, compressing it, shaping it.

  A third Red Globe appeared.

  Still, I was fine.

  No resistance, no strain.

  "Keep going."

  I conjured a fourth.

  Now, I could feel something.

  It wasn’t overwhelming, but I could sense a slight pull—as if I was holding onto multiple threads and weaving them all at once.

  I remained calm.

  And if I lost control…

  The Red Globes would turn against me.

  So I steadied myself, controlling my breathing, and summoned a fifth.

  This time, I felt it.

  A weight.

  Like a pressure in my chest, in my mind, in my soul.

  "Still manageable."

  I conjured the sixth.

  My fingers twitched.

  Not from pain.

  Not from exhaustion.

  But from stress.

  I inhaled through my nose.

  "One more."

  I focused.

  Pulled in my magic.

  Shaped it.

  Compressed it.

  And then—

  The seventh Red Globe appeared.

  For the first time, I felt a considerable amount of strain.

  Not just in my body, but in my mind and soul.

  The seven floating, glowing orbs circled me, humming with barely contained power.

  They moved fluidly, responding to my will instantly, their red glow illuminating my surroundings.

  I gritted my teeth.

  It wasn’t painful—not yet.

  But I could tell.

  "Any more than this… and I’ll start losing control."

  It wasn’t just about energy cost.

  I still had enough magic power left in me to summon more.

  But the problem wasn’t energy.

  It was control.

  The Red Globes were like wild beasts each one obeying my commands only because I was stronger.

  But the moment I reached my limit, they would stop listening.

  They wouldn’t just fade away.

  They would turn hostile.

  And I would be their first target.

  I exhaled sharply, keeping my mind focused.

  "Seven. That’s my limit right now."

  “I know that if seven of these Red Globe turn to me and start attacking to me. Even I can not save my life at all.”

  Maybe with more training, I could push it to eight.

  Maybe even ten.

  But for now

  This was my boundary.

  I looked at the seven floating Red Globes,

  This was far beyond what I had expected.

  Before this spell, I had never controlled multiple magical attacks at once.

  At most, I could fire consecutive spells—but nothing like this.

  "This is an entirely different level of power."

  With seven of them, I could attack from multiple angles, overwhelm an opponent, and even set up complex strategies mid-battle.

  I no longer needed to dodge and counter everything head-on.

  Now, I could fight from a distance, command my magic like an army, and control the battlefield itself.

  This…

  This was real combat magic.

  A smirk crept onto my face.

  "This changes everything."

  I clenched my fist, focusing on holding the Red Globes steady.

  The pressure was still there, but I was handling it.

  My control was stable.

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  I wasn’t at my breaking point yet.

  I let out a slow breath and steadied my focus.

  "Time to test their maneuverability."

  My first order was simple.

  “Circle around me.”

  The seven Red Globes responded instantly.

  They began to orbit me, moving in a fast, controlled formation, their bright crimson glow illuminating the surrounding forest.

  As they spun around me, I carefully studied their movement.

  Their speed was impressive.

  If I could maneuver them like this in combat, I could use them to dodge incoming attacks, keep them moving unpredictably, and even create a defensive perimeter around myself.

  "They’re fast enough to evade spells or attacks from magical creatures."

  That alone made them an incredibly valuable asset.

  But I wasn’t done yet.

  Next test.

  I wanted to see if they could follow complex patterns.

  I ordered them one by one:

  “Triangle.”

  The Red Globes immediately repositioned themselves, forming a perfect three-pointed shape in the air.

  “Rectangle.”

  They adjusted, extending their positions to form a four-sided shape.

  “Up and Down.”

  The globes moved vertically, some rising while others descended, following my mental commands without hesitation.

  "Good. Very good."

  Their ability to change formations instantly meant I could use them for both offense and defense, shifting their positions to react to the flow of battle.

  It also confirmed something I had suspected—

  Seven was my absolute limit right now.

  Even though I could control them efficiently, I could feel the strain building up.

  Any more, and I knew my control would start slipping.

  And if that happened…

  I didn’t even want to think about the consequences.

  "I haven’t even tested their offensive power properly yet."

  I turned my gaze to a massive rock formation to my left.

  It stood five to seven meters tall, with a width of about three meters—a perfect target.

  "If they can destroy that, then I’ll know for sure how strong they really are."

  I took a deep breath.

  Then, I gave the order.

  “Attack.”

  The moment the command left my lips, the seven Red Globes pulsed with power.

  In a fraction of a second—

  Seven beams of red light shot forward.

  They moved faster than my own Energy Bolt spell faster even than the golden Energy Bolt I had faced before.

  "BOOM!"

  The rock formation shattered.

  Not just cracked—

  It exploded.

  Large chunks—some as big as one meter across—were sent flying in all directions.

  A thick cloud of dust and debris filled the air, obscuring the area for several moments.

  I narrowed my eyes, stepping back slightly as I waited for the dust to clear.

  When it finally settled, I inspected the aftermath.

  The entire rock formation was gone.

  Reduced to rubble.

  Even the surrounding ground bore deep scorch marks from the sheer intensity of the Red Globes’ attack.

  I ran my fingers over the broken pieces of stone, feeling the heat still radiating from them.

  "If that had been a magical creature… or a human mage…"

  They wouldn’t have stood a chance.

  Most magical defenses wouldn’t survive a direct hit from even one or two of these beams.

  But seven?

  Even a high-level Adept Mage would be overwhelmed.

  "I’ve never had this much destructive power before."

  I clenched my fists, a satisfied smirk forming on my lips.

  This was real power.

  Before now, I had always been forced to fight defensively, carefully choosing my battles and relying on tactics to outmaneuver stronger opponents.

  But now—

  With the Red Globes, I could stand my ground.

  Even if I was outnumbered, even if my opponent was stronger, I finally had something that could tip the scales in my favor.

  I took another deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.

  As much as I wanted to celebrate this new power, I knew there was still more work to do.

  I needed to train further, refine my control, and experiment with different strategies and tactics using the Red Globes.

  I needed to see how long I could sustain them in actual combat.

  But for now…

  This was a good start.

  I kept pushing forward with my training, continuously testing the Red Globes’ mobility, coordination, and attack patterns.

  I had six of them move in teams of two, splitting them into three different formations.

  The first team attacked from the left.

  The second team attacked from the right.

  The third team attacked from behind.

  Meanwhile, I kept one close to me as a defensive measure, ready to counter any hypothetical attack.

  With each attack command, the Red Globes responded immediately, striking targets from multiple angles, overwhelming and disorienting the imaginary enemy.

  "This level of coordination… it’s almost like commanding an army."

  Even though each Globe was just a single entity, their ability to act in unison made them feel like a group of intelligent, deadly soldiers.

  Then, I noticed something.

  Something I hadn’t realized before.

  At first, it was just a faint sensation, something barely at the edge of my awareness.

  But as I focused, I became more and more certain of it.

  "Wait… What is this?"

  There was a presence—not from me, but from the Globes themselves.

  I closed my eyes, shutting out all distractions, and focused on the subtle magical energy radiating from each Red Globe.

  And that was when I truly noticed it.

  Each Globe gave off a small, almost negligible magical aura.

  It wasn’t something I had created consciously, nor something I had been aware of while casting the spell.

  Yet, it was there.

  The aura extended roughly thirty meters in all directions, like a faint energy field.

  And when I focused on it, I realized something even more interesting—

  "I can… sense what’s around the Globes."

  It wasn’t the same as seeing with my own eyes, but I could feel the environment around each of them, as if they were extensions of my own perception.

  The trees, the rocks, even the shifting air—I could sense it all.

  This wasn’t just a combat spell.

  This was a scouting tool.

  I clenched my fists, excitement rising within me.

  "Which means that, I can use Red Globes for exploration and surveillance."

  I exhaled sharply, thinking about the possibilities.

  If I sent one ahead of me while traveling, I could detect ambushes.

  If I positioned them strategically in battle, I could monitor enemy movements.

  And more than anything—if I could control them at greater distances, I wouldn’t even need to be present to gather information.

  That thought led to another important question.

  "How far can I control them? How far can I sense their presence?"

  That was the next thing I needed to figure out.

  With a deep breath, I focused my mind.

  "Spread out."

  The Red Globes responded instantly.

  Each of them lifted ten to fifteen meters into the air.

  Then, like a compass expanding outward, they spread in every direction.

  I wanted to see how far I could control them.

  If they had a long enough range, they would be more than just weapons..

  I needed to know just how far I could push them before I lost control.

  I watched them move outward, and I could feel them as clearly as if they were still hovering around me.

  The first fifty meters were effortless.

  I could still see through them, hear through them, and sense the energy around them.

  I could even feel the subtle shifts in the wind, the rough textures of the trees, and the faint traces of lingering mana in the air.

  "So far, no problem."

  I pushed them further.

  At two hundred meters, I noticed something interesting.

  I had assumed that sending them too far would immediately weaken my link.

  But that wasn’t the case.

  Not only was my control still perfectly stable, but my awareness remained just as sharp.

  Through the Globes, I could feel a rabbit hiding beneath a bush, its heartbeat faint but present.

  I could see a group of birds flying over the treetops, unaware of the floating Red Globe passing beneath them.

  I grinned.

  "If I can maintain this kind of awareness, I might be able to use them for scouting entire battlefields."

  I kept pushing them further.

  At around five hundred meters, I felt the first sign of strain.

  It wasn’t difficult yet, but the difference was noticeable.

  The link was still strong, but I had to focus a little more to keep it that way.

  This was the first hint of a limit.

  "Good to know," I thought.

  If I ever needed to use this spell over long distances, I had to be careful.

  Even though I could push this far, it wasn’t effortless anymore.

  I kept going.

  At one kilometer, the difference became very clear.

  It was as if I was holding seven different threads, and the more I pulled, the thinner they became.

  I could still feel them—barely—but now, the strain was constant.

  It wasn’t unbearable, but I knew that if I pushed any further, I’d start running into real problems.

  "I can still control them, but I wouldn’t be able to fight while doing this," I realized.

  At this distance, I had to focus so much on maintaining the Globes that I wouldn’t be able to use other spells properly.

  I clenched my fists and forced myself to push further.

  If I wanted to truly understand my limits, I had to go until the connection broke completely.

  The Globes reached one and a half kilometers.

  And then, without warning—

  Snap.

  The link collapsed.

  In an instant, the furthest Globes vanished, dispersing into nothingness as if they had never existed.

  I staggered slightly, feeling the sudden loss.

  It was like having a part of my body ripped away.

  I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest, but the feeling faded after a moment.

  I let out a slow breath, gathering myself.

  "One and a half kilometers. That’s my current max."

  I had officially reached the limit of my control.

  Anything beyond that, and the Globes would simply vanish.

  But the most important discovery wasn’t the distance.

  It was the awareness.

  Within this one and a half kilometer radius, I could see, hear, and sense everything.

  A wide smirk stretched across my face.

  "This spell is better than I thought."

  And I wasn’t even close to mastering it yet.

  I sat down on a fallen log, thinking.

  What else could I do with this?

  If I had multiple Red Globes spread out, I could map out an entire battlefield.

  I could watch enemies from a distance and launch a surprise attack.

  I could even make them float above treetops, allowing me to have a constant bird’s eye view of any situation.

  "And if I combine this with my Blood-Aura spell…"

  I clenched my fists.

  The possibilities were endless.

  But more importantly

  This spell meant that I never had to risk my life in a direct fight again.

  If I mastered it completely, I could control dozens of these at once, sending them out to attack, defend, and scout while I remained at a safe distance.

  "I need to experiment more."

  I took another deep breath and stood up.

  My training wasn’t finished yet.

  Now that I knew the range, I needed to test other things.

  How long could I maintain them before my mana ran out?

  I looked at Sacril, who was sitting quietly nearby, watching me with curious golden eyes.

  I smiled.

  "Let’s keep going."

  I raised my hand, focusing my magic once more.

  It was time to push my limits even further.