Though he constantly had to stop and meditate to restore his magic, Saul was still the fastest among the newcomers in learning runes.
Many people couldn’t even draw their first rune by the end of class.
But Saul wasn’t arrogant about it.
He understood very well: if simply drawing runes was already this difficult, then who knew how many more obstacles awaited when it came time to actually cast a spell?
So, he didn’t rush. Instead, he repeatedly constructed a few specific runes over and over again, aiming to reduce the leakage of his magic power, hoping to build more runes with the same amount of energy.
Rather than constructing a single rune and having the magical fluctuation be as loud as thunder.
After class, Saul politely declined Keli’s invitation to walk together and went to test his current magical energy.
He wanted to know just how hopeless his aptitude really was.
Soon, he walked out of the testing room, looking dejected.
Even though he’d mentally prepared himself, the result of only 3 Joules of magic power still made his future seem bleak.There was absolutely no way he could reach 10 Joules in three months through conventional means!
“What happens if I fail the test? Death, most likely.”
Saul followed the East Tower’s slope up to the ninth floor’s library. The moment he stepped through the entrance, he made up his mind, “Rather than die from failing the test, I might as well risk everything to pass it.”
Near the library’s entrance, a man sat rigidly against the wall. Judging from his attire, he seemed to be the librarian.
Saul walked up, intending to ask about the borrowing rules.
But the man alternated between looking fearfully at the ceiling and glaring warily at the floor, as if something terrifying might burst out from above or below at any moment.
He didn’t respond to Saul at all.
Saul glanced where the man was looking but didn’t notice anything unusual.
Left with no choice, he returned to the entrance and warily scanned the rows of towering bookshelves.
A faint mist drifted through the library. Only the shelves near the entrance were clearly visible. The further in, the thicker the fog became—until it completely obscured the shelves in the distance.
Each bookshelf had a large label at its side, marked with terms like “Rank 0,” “Rank 1,” and so on.
Clearly, the books were organized by wizard rank—the higher the rank, the more advanced and dangerous the knowledge.
Saul walked along the library’s only straight path.
He stopped where the Rank 0 and Rank 1 shelves met.
Many of the books had visible titles on their spines. Some were written in the Noahic script, but most used other wizard languages, which Saul didn’t recognize.
The writing on the Rank 0 books merely caused some discomfort, not the intense vertigo he’d heard about.
Thinking about the new apprentice who’d been chopped into strips and planted in the flowerbed that morning, Saul didn’t dare linger on any of the unfamiliar scripts.
After a moment at the dividing line, he stepped further into the library, his figure soon vanishing into the white mist.
With the first person making the attempt, naturally a second and third soon followed.
More new apprentices entered the library, curiously looking around.
One tried to shake the seated librarian awake.
But the moment his hand touched the man’s shoulder, the figure vanished into thin air, his hand grasping only air.
As if everything they'd seen earlier had been a hallucination.
The newcomers glanced at each other nervously, suddenly reminded of how eerie this Wizard’s Tower was. They huddled together.
“Do we really have to go in? The atmosphere here is seriously creepy. It doesn’t feel as safe as the dorms,” said Jenna, a timid girl.
“That servant went in already. You’re not telling me you’re worse than a mere servant, are you?” a sharp-featured student retorted.
“We can wait here a bit. See if anything happens to him,” suggested Duke, who now seemed more subdued than before.
Ever since Saul had threatened him, Duke had toned down his arrogance.
Still, every time he looked in the direction Saul had vanished, a flash of resentment passed through his eyes like he was hoping Saul would just disappear forever.
Unfortunately for him, Saul soon reappeared from the mist, holding a book.
The anxious man at the entrance was now gone.
Aside from Saul and the few newcomers, the library was empty.
“How do I check out this book? Can I just walk out with it?”
Given how upperclassmen charged for teaching, Saul seriously doubted the library was free.
“Two magic crystals per day,” came a sudden voice.
An elderly man had silently appeared at the entrance.
Looking closely, he bore a strong resemblance to the man who’d been there earlier, just significantly older.
So expensive!
Saul had expected the borrowing fee to be high but not this high.
Still, he didn’t haggle. He handed over the two crystals and quickly left the library.
He was now in a race against time.
“Are you borrowing books too? If so, hurry up. Don’t waste my time.” The old man, now smiling from receiving the crystals, turned to the others with a stern face.
The newcomers quickly shook their heads.
No way. The evaluation was in three months. They hadn’t even finished learning the basics of wizardry study. Why would they waste two magic crystals on some obscure book?
That Saul was insane.
“If not, then get lost,” the old man barked, disappearing again.
Embarrassed, the others filed out in silence.
That afternoon, around 2 p.m., after a short rest, Saul arrived at the lab with his newly borrowed book and a blank notebook.
He chose an empty table and immediately began copying its contents.
Soon, Angela and Duke arrived, too.
The three sat far apart, minding their own business.
Near 3 p.m., Second-Rank Apprentice Mark strolled into the lab with a nervous-looking man.
As he chatted with the man, Mark’s eyes swept the room.
When he saw Saul sitting there safe and sound, a flicker of emotion crossed his face.
“You can go now. I’ll contact you if anything comes up,” Mark said to the man, then walked past Duke who had just stood up and approached Saul.
Duke awkwardly sat back down.
Focused on his copying, Saul didn’t notice Mark until a gentle knock on his desk made him look up.
“Senior Mark.” Saul immediately stood, respectful but slightly cautious.
“You did a great job cleaning yesterday. Even better than I would’ve done myself,” Mark smiled. “But I’ve reconsidered. I think maintaining the lab might be a bit much for you. You don’t need to do it anymore.”
Saul’s fingers slowly curled around the notebook.
Why the sudden change of heart? Could it have something to do with the Big Pink last night?
Or was there another reason?
Saul hesitated. Last night’s experience had been terrifying, but if he didn’t work, he couldn’t afford to ask Mark questions.
“But, senior…” he began tentatively.
Mark instantly understood and interrupted, “If you have any questions, just ask me directly. Mentor Kaz told me to look after you.”
“Thank you, senior!” Saul straightened his back, eyes full of gratitude.
The two looked like perfect mentors and students. Neither mentioned last night’s events.
Since Saul had survived the ordeal, he clearly wasn’t an ordinary person.
Without sufficient gain, Mark wouldn’t dare provoke him again.
He had no interest in being dragged into deeper trouble.
At the same time, he decided to offer Saul a small gesture of goodwill to bury what had happened.
“Copying a book?”
“Yes. I borrowed one, but it's only for a day, so I thought I'd copy what I can and study it slowly.”
“Let me take a look, see which parts are useful.” Mark enthusiastically picked up the book.
He glanced at the cover and froze.
Then looked at Saul in disbelief.
It was the very book he’d mentioned to Saul the day before.
A book on wizard body modification—
“Grimm’s Understanding of Sorcerous Body Modification.”
“You… actually want to read this book?”
Saul nodded calmly in reply.
(End of Chapter)