Simple magical circle problem

The girl was shouting and waving her right hand, which had the magical circle of the dimensional cube key drawn on it. This circle was used for storing and retrieving items from the dimensional cube. However, things got out of control, and bags stored in the cube started flying out, causing the horse pulling the carriage to become agitated and kick everything in its way. Eventually, the horse ran away and the carriage overturned.

Amidst the chaos, the girl was buried under flying bags and luggage, yet nobody came to help or knew how to assist her. A young man with white hair stepped forward from the crowd, and without warning, he grabbed her hand. He traced his finger in circles on the magical key circle and chanted some incantations, causing it to close.

The girl quickly pulled her hand back, seemingly embarrassed by what she had done. From beneath the bags covering her face, she spoke in a beautiful yet arrogant tone, asking if the cube's key was fixed. Alex sighed; he wasn't eager to help her, but it was the quickest way to reopen the path. "Hurry before the key breaks again. Focus and try to locate the living thing moving inside the cube."

The dimensional cube was sealed from all sides, and the only way to know what's inside was by sending one's spiritual energy into the key circle drawn on the hand. Alex's words alerted the girl that indeed there was something unstable inside the cube, moving rapidly and colliding with objects and walls. She immediately summoned the moving object, revealing a small red bird that quickly flew away. Alex stared at the bird and shouted at her, "Don't you know cubes aren't meant to imprison living beings? What's with all these bags?"

"Was that a bird? How did it get inside my cube?" The girl, now revealed with her long white hair, green eyes, and captivating childlike features, stood there with her left hand on her waist, looking at her right hand. She then spoke in a commanding and haughty tone, "Commoner, well done. Tell me your name."

Alex ignored her and called out to the people around him to help lift the carriage, noticing that she was still standing in place. He shouted at her again, "Hey, you! How long will you stand there like a tree? Quickly, move your bags so they can lift the carriage."

Everything about the girl, from her white dress to the numerous bags, her demeanor, and tone, indicated her high status. Despite not being respected, her beauty alone was enough to make young men go to great lengths just for a chance to talk to her and earn her favor.

For the first time, a young man didn't ignore her; instead, he spoke to her rudely, which ignited her anger. After returning the bags to the cube, she discovered that the bird had caused damage inside, preventing her from getting all her belongings back in and leaving some bags on the road. Some young men offered to help carry her luggage, and she smiled at them, capturing their hearts. Then she turned to Alex with the same smile, instructing him to take the remaining bag.

Alex looked at the bag and didn't hesitate to carry it. Seeing him follow her command made her chuckle to herself, thinking, 'In the end, everyone falls under the spell of my beauty.'

"excuse me" one of the volunteers who offered to carry her luggage spoke. "That white-haired boy, he took the bag and left."

"What?!"

At this time, Steve had completed the registration process and received two badges and documents detailing the competition's location, time, and task, all sealed with a basic magical circle. As soon as he saw Steve, Alex ran toward him, excitedly urging him to quickly open the sealed document.

"A sealed document with a simple elementary circle seal. To break the seal, all you have to do is read the small letters here and activate them with mana."

Mana is the magical energy present in nature and living beings. Magicians can harness this energy. The amount of mana is measured by the number of stars. A single-star is the basic mana level, sufficient for using common magic circles like instant short-range teleportation, cube key, and more.

Magic used for daily purposes requires two stars. Fighters born with higher mana, or those who enhanced their mana with elixirs, can use any pre-prepared simple magic circle at almost 40% of its magical strength.

Those with three-star mana have more than enough mana and can use simple magic circles at full power, as well as activate magical tools. They are considered beginner magicians in the human kingdoms. Being born with enough talent to become a three-star magician is enviable.

The document Alex was holding had a seal known as the elementary magic circle seal, requiring two stars to open. The seal breaks once you read the incantation and infuse a bit of mana into it. Alex noticed the gloomy atmosphere around him; some looked irritated and angry, while others, who appeared wealthier, were laughing and looking down on them.

"Scoundrels! They intentionally sealed the document with a stronger circle. They're trying to get rid of us even before the exam begins," one of them shouted, throwing the document on the ground in frustration. Others were equally upset, with some girls even shedding tears.

"What's going on? Why is everyone like this?" Alex asked the person closest to him.

"They're squeezing us commoners, so we won't participate. More than two hundred people will withdraw before the exam even starts. These scoundrels are trying to save money at our expense," the person replied.

The financial officials at the institute, aiming to make some money by reducing the number of participants, deliberately sealed the documents with a simple magical circle that requires a two-star mana user. They used this instead of the common magic circle that anyone can break. The trick here is that the affected individuals can't file complaints or objections, as the usual procedures state that a seal shouldn't require even a three-star beginner magician to break it.

The seal only needs the strength of two stars, just slightly more mana than what's required for common magic. Of course, fighters from wealthy and noble backgrounds enhance their mana strength with elixirs, and their mana strength often reaches two stars. However, mana-enhancing elixirs are a luxury not everyone can afford. The only remaining solution is to seek the assistance of licensed magicians, who are the wealthiest in the kingdom. They charge one hundred silver coins for consultation and an additional one hundred in urgent cases. But today, they raised their fee to three hundred silver coins for breaking an elementary seal. And of course, many of these young people who have given all they have to come here don't even have enough money for lodging and will end up sleeping outside.