Since that test, Rin, as expected, officially became the heir to the Tohsaka Family's magic and began to receive instruction from Tohsaka Tokiomi.
The nearly five hundred Magic Circuits completely overturned Tohsaka Tokiomi's understanding, making him believe that Rin was a treasure bestowed by heaven for the revitalization of the Tohsaka Family. However, Rin herself didn't find it that impressive, because she knew of an even more monstrous existence than herself.
Illya, Illyasviel von Einzbern, a monster whose entire body was covered in Magic Circuits, practically a humanoid Magic Circuit! Illya's total Magic Circuits numbered at least over a thousand, and there was no distinction between main and auxiliary. She could casually pull out a strand of hair and create a familiar, it was simply indescribable!
So, the Type-Moon World is full of abnormalities; you can't reason in this world! Those who abide by rules, within the bounds of common sense, will die without a trace. To do well in the Nasuverse (Moon World), the most important thing is to cheat! This is a world dominated by cheats!
The teacher crushes Rider head-on, punches Saber, and the useless protagonist directly confronts the King of Heroes. Ryougi Shiki and the killer princess possess the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception that can cut down all things. Even Gōzuka Satsuki, a tragic supporting character, can awaken overnight to become a candidate for an Ancestor of the Dead Apostles. One can only say that those who played by the rules died, it just depends on whose cheat is stronger.
Compared to the nearly five hundred Magic Circuits, the magical energy attribute of "The End" did not cause much stir. This kind of unconventional magical energy attribute, though rare in the history of Magicians, was not unheard of. There were usually two to three such existences in each era. This phenomenon occurs because a Magician's tendency towards their own origin.
Rin's magical energy attribute was an origin attribute, meaning that Rin would become an expert in one of her fields, and it was even more possible for her to reach an unprecedented level, further advancing the Tohsaka Family's progress towards the Root. Tokiomi would only be happy about this.
The Nasuverse (Moon World) is ultimately a cruel world, and the world of Magicians is filled with ruthlessness, indifference, and inhumanity. True Magicians are a group of beings who exhaust all means to pursue the Root, fundamentally abandoning human morality and thought.
The same goes for choosing an heir. Children chosen as successors are forced into rigorous training from a young age. Because the mental and physical requirements for performing magic are beyond common sense, the training to obtain a mind and body capable of enduring magic is extremely cruel. Even inhumane methods like brainwashing and physical modification are not uncommon.
And now, Rin, having been officially chosen as the heir to the Tohsaka Way of Magic, naturally began her training in magic.
At this moment, Rin lay flat in a magical array drawn with rose-blue gem solution. All three hundred sixty-five main circuits and one hundred eight auxiliary circuits, which permeated her entire body, emerged on the skin's surface under the operation of the magical array. One could even clearly see electricity flowing through each Magic Circuit.
Muscles, bones, flesh, and internal organs seemed to be caught in intricate machinery, turning like gears... All the circuits in her body felt like they were on fire, hurting... A pain unbearable even for an adult soul. The entire array was a precise instrument, and Rin at this moment was the core component of that instrument. The instrument operated for its purpose, not caring about the component's feelings, and Rin, being used as a component, had to endure this inhuman suffering!
In the magical array, Rin's eyes were tightly shut, her teeth clenched. Sweat, born from extreme pain, had soaked her dress, and the shrunken garment clung to Rin's body. The poor girl twisted in agony like a lamb awaiting slaughter, yet it drew no sympathy, not even from her own father.
At this moment, Tokiomi, who had fully entered his Magician state, looked extraordinarily calm, composedly watching his daughter in agonizing pain within the array, even with a slight smile. His gaze was like that of someone observing a component undergoing precise machining.
Rin endured the pain and slightly opened her eyes, looking at the smile of her so-called father as he watched her suffer. She smiled bitterly in her heart, 'Yes, this is the Magician of Type-Moon that I once yearned for. The information I gathered from paper or screens was so superficial. This pain I'm enduring now is entirely my own doing. Although I knew it would be painful, I didn't expect it to hurt this much.'
Do I regret it? Enduring this unnecessary, inhuman pain. I really want to go back, go back to watching anime and playing games in an air-conditioned room. Perhaps only when I yearned for the 2d world (anime/manga world) did it seem beautiful. Once I truly step in, I have to bear the reality of this world. Ultimately, people like me are just 'Ye Gong Hao Long' (a person who claims to love something but is terrified when confronted with the real thing).
No, it is precisely because of this pain that I can feel the reality of living in this world. Only then do I have the qualification to redeem and change those tragedies. True sympathy should be empathy, not a few tears of pity or a sad expression from a detached position.
Sakura, an innocent girl pushed into the worm pit, enduring the torment and humiliation of being devoured by countless worms... Illya, after welcoming the news of her parents' death and betrayal amidst anticipation, was dragged onto an experimental operating table, transformed from a near-Homunculus into a true Homunculus, a lesser grail. Her thousand-plus Magic Circuits were not innate but forcefully implanted into her body... Kohaku, forced to offer her young body to demons for her sister... And Karen... Asagami Fujino... Perhaps I, enduring pain in this array, am not even one-ten-thousandth of what you all suffered, but do I also count as one of you? If so, do I also have the right to save you all? "Rin, now comes the final stage."
Following Tokiomi's reminder, the rose-blue gem solution began to emit a mist-like glow. The magical energy flowing into her body almost granularly coursed through her Magic Circuits, as if sand were being poured into her veins! The array's operating power also increased by nearly ten times its previous rate!
"Ah ah ah! Urgh... Ah... Ah ah..." The pain of muscles, bones, flesh, and every cell being crushed was too much. Rin finally couldn't help but cry out in pain. Even with conscious effort to suppress it, screams still escaped through her clenched teeth. It wasn't until half an hour later, when the gem solution had completely evaporated and been absorbed by Rin, that the pain finally ended.
Rin lay on the ground, breathing weakly. At this moment, she felt like she didn't even have the strength to make her lungs move and breathe. Based on experience, she would probably have to lie on the ground and recover for half an hour before she could stand up.
This was not the first time; in fact, it had happened many times. For two months now, ever since Rin was chosen after that test, five hours of Magic Circuits Tempering had become a daily required subject.
"Rin, you have completed the Greater Source Magic Construction. I didn't expect it to take a full two months to complete this step. Although you endured more pain than others, this proves your excellence, Rin." Tokiomi said with a smile to Rin, who was lying on the ground, unable to get up.
The generation of magic relies on Magic Circuits, which convert vitality as raw material. There are two types of vitality that can generate magic: one is Greater Source, which is the vitality that fills the outside world, also manifested as the vitality of the planet, the vitality of the atmosphere, etc.; the other is Lesser Source, which is the vitality possessed by the Magician himself.
Although Greater Source is almost identical in nature to Lesser Source, it has a vastly different quantity compared to Lesser Source. However, the amount of Greater Source that a Magician can transform into magic at one time is limited by the Magic Circuits, so no matter how much is around, it cannot be used infinitely. Furthermore, there is a limit to the amount of magic that can be held, so Greater Source cannot be converted into magic in advance and stored in large quantities.
Compared to Greater Source, Lesser Source, being an internal entity, does not require an absorption process like Greater Source and is easier to manipulate. Many Magicians use Lesser Source to generate magic. Just by saying it's vitality, one knows that overuse will have adverse effects on the body.
The array purification Rin just underwent was a Tohsaka Family magical technique for communicating with and using Greater Source vitality. It relied on a magic array to thoroughly open the connection between the Magic Circuits and the atmosphere, allowing her to continuously absorb vitality from the atmosphere directly through her skin, and then convert it into magic through her own Magic Circuits.
The main part of this process was opening the connection between the Magic Circuits and the atmosphere. The more Magic Circuits one had, the longer it took. For Tohsaka Tokiomi, who only had thirty Magic Circuits, this process was completed in one go, while Rin took a full two months to open them.
After half an hour, Rin sat up from the ground, feeling that all the Magic Circuits in her body had reached a saturated state, with verdant Magic Circuits filled with flowing magical energy. At this moment, Tokiomi squatted down and smiled, handing a blue crystal to Rin. "Rin, try injecting the magic in your body into this crystal."
The Tohsaka Family's Jewel Magecraft involves injecting one's own magic into various jewels for storage. When needed, it allows for the direct activation of large-scale magic without expending magic, chanting, or complex procedures. It is an extremely useful, and extremely, extremely expensive technique!
Tohsaka Rin in the original story (yuanzhu) faced various financial difficulties due to practicing Jewel Magecraft, coupled with the death of her parents and the decline of the Tohsaka Family's assets. She eventually had to work part-time as a shrine maiden to supplement her household income. Alas, for a young lady of her status to fall to such a state, it truly brings tears to one's eyes.
Therefore, it must be said that the Tohsaka Family was incredibly wealthy. One must know that whether for use or research, the jewels in Jewel Magecraft are single-use consumables, and the Tohsaka Family has been researching it consistently for generations... How many jewels must have been wasted in between!