Skyler was greeted by another floor filled with bookshelves, albeit fewer and smaller, as he arrived on the 2nd floor of the library. Looking around, he saw that unlike the first floor, there were multiple librarians on the 2nd floor keeping an eye on the students.
An old woman in a loose-fitting dress noticed him and hurried to his side.
"Student, tell me your affinities. Or, what element spell books are you looking for? I will guide you to that section."
Skyler met the old woman's gaze. It looks like the academy had strict rules regarding the availability of spell books. This wasn't surprising because he knew spell books were restricted everywhere online.
Even when a rogue Light put them up for sale on Star-Net, the government instantly took them down or bought them. It was so no villain could buy or use them.
A thoughtful look crossed his face.
"I want to check the section with Light element spells. The Darkness too."
The old woman raised a skeptical brow.
It was rare to see someone with an affinity for both Light and Darkness. After all, they were opposing forces. Still, she nodded.
"Okay, give me your student ID. You can take it back when you leave. Also, phones are not allowed on this floor or higher."
Skyler complied, then trailed behind her as she turned and started walking, explaining the rules of the second floor to him.
"You can check any spell available on this floor. There are no restrictions, except that you can't take any of them out of here. Pick any spell to learn, but when you are leaving, hand it over to the counter with your name. So, when you come back you can continue learning that spell from where you left off."
She halted before a row of bookshelves marked with the words 'Light element.'
"After all, it sometimes takes a month for students to learn even a single easy spell."
The woman turned to him.
"Lastly, feel free to ask for help from the elders here if you find yourself struggling. We are here to help or guide you."
Skyler nodded, though inwardly he didn't think learning spells was that hard.
He had long since realized that the spell language came rather naturally to him.
Perhaps it was because his instincts still held traces of his life as the King of Spirits who learned numerous powerful spells? He really couldn't think of any other reason.
Regardless, what he wanted to know from the old woman was something different.
"Um, I will keep everything in mind, ma'am. There's just one more thing. Up to what tier of spells can I find on this floor?"
The old woman chuckled at his question.
"Young man, you have just come here and haven't even learned a single spell, yet you are already looking for high-tier spells?"
She shook her head, smiling.
What an ambitious youth.
Yet, the old woman knew very well that his ambition wouldn't last long. He wouldn't be able to grasp any spells above Novice tier easily, let alone any tier above Novice.
"Anyway, to answer your question, this floor contains spells up to Epic tier. For spells of higher tiers, you will need to go above."
Skyler's eyes lit up. Seeing the obvious glint in his gaze, the woman understood what he was thinking and quickly stopped him. She let out a sigh, seeing his crestfallen face.
"You won't be allowed to enter the 3rd floor or above. Students need to pay to enter the third and fourth floor in libraries here. I saw your student ID card has a zero balance."
He let out a faint 'Oh' and gave a reluctant glance toward the stairs leading to the 3rd floor before moving to check the spells in the section the woman had brought him.
The old woman left him alone.
Other elders noticed him, but their eyes were more attracted to the beautiful snake trying to get his attention as he scanned multiple scrolls and books one by one.
Skyler's ears twitched, catching the faint, mocking chuckles of the students around him. They whispered amongst themselves, calling him an idiot for trying to pick out a suitable spell on his own. Instead of asking for help from the elders, he was scanning the books as if he truly understood them.
Skyler clicked his tongue and ignored the annoying noise. He focused intently on the scroll in his grasp. After a while, he finally found a particularly good healing spell.
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Rejuvenating Touch: (Adept tier)
A spell that draws on the caster's Light Evol to heal injuries and restore health. It can only be used by touching the target. This spell is exclusive to Light elementists.
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He quickly returned the remaining scrolls and books to their shelves, then settled on the ground to study the healing spell. After only ten minutes, he was done. A satisfied smile played on his lips as he returned the scroll and began searching for new spells.
This time, he decided to focus on locating attack and defense type Light spells. The next spell he found was an offensive one.
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Light Spear Shower: (Epic tier)
A Light spell that conjures spears of pure, condensed light Evol. They surge out from behind the caster with fast speed, piercing through enemy defenses to deal damage. Upon impact, they explode into fragments, inflicting damage to all the nearby enemies. This spell is exclusive to Light elementists.
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This time, Skyler took about half an hour to learn the spell. It was because it was difficult and a higher tier one. He even got confused at some points, but fortunately, he figured them out after rereading them a few times.
Next, he looked for a good defense spell for his Light element. Unfortunately, his search yielded disappointing results. All the options available were Novice tier. Even those were very weak and limited to creating temporary shields or barriers around the caster.
"I guess I will look for a good defense type spell in the Darkness element category."
He caressed Riruru's head. She had been trying to get his attention for the past hour, only to give up when she failed. An amused chuckle escaped his lips at the huffing and puffing snake who refused to look at him.
Then, Skyler hurried to find the section with Darkness spells. As he scanned the space, his eyes were attracted to the bookshelves engraved with the words, 'Space element.' That area had the fewest spells available.
'Ah, I want to learn a space element spell so badly. Especially teleportation. I will sneak to that section when no one's looking.'
He soon found the section that contained spells related to the Darkness element. His eyes wandered from one book to another. A minute later, he noticed an old scroll placed on the upper shelf. He reached out and took the scroll out before unfurling it. His eyes lit up when he read the spell description.
It was exactly what he wanted!
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Shadow Shroud: (Epic Tier)
A Darkness element spell that envelops the caster in a shroud of shadows. The shroud acts as a strong barrier, absorbing incoming attacks and converting them into dark Evol. The caster can then unleash this Evol as a devastating blast, dealing major damage to all enemies within a radius. This spell is exclusive to Darkness elementists.
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Skyler settled down against the bookshelf with the scroll. The spell was both defensive and offensive in nature. A very good find. He read all the details and began understanding the language, unaware that the old woman who had left him earlier was watching him.
She had no idea what was going on with him. To her, he seemed to do nothing but flip through books and scrolls. She approached him from the left side and secretly peeked to see which spell he was studying, only to sigh when she saw just how complex it was.
Believing he would eventually ask for her assistance, she stood beside him, waiting for him to make a move. To her surprise, he never sought her help. He was so absorbed that he didn't even notice her presence.
'What a presumptuous student.'
She sighed, leaving him alone but keeping a watchful eye. After an hour, Skyler was done learning the spell. His eyes sparkled.
"This one was hard, but the best one. Now that I have learned it, I just need to advance my mastery so it can increase in tier."
Laughing to himself, he secretly made his way toward the section that held the space element spells. The old woman, keeping an eye on him, followed his movement with her gaze and frowned when she noticed him entering the space element spell section.
"Does he even have an affinity for the space element, or is he just here to cause trouble?"
She shook her head in disappointment, completely misunderstanding that he was one of those who only entered the library to mess around. She decided to not focus on him anymore. That's how Skyler easily got his hand on a good space element spell.