The skills required to interfere with an opponent’s magic circle are numerous.

The most essential is the ability to counter the opponent’s mana.

If one cannot manage this, any attempt to interfere with the magic circle will result in their own mana being overpowered by the opponent's, leaving them unable to make an attempt at all. Under normal circumstances, Joy would not be able to counter the creature’s mana.

It’s true that Joy possessed remarkable skill and was rapidly improving through hard work, never growing complacent. But she was still only a first-year at the Academy.

Although Joy had honed …