"You are already an Apprentice!" the librarian raised a brow at him.

The old man had all his reasons for the surprise. A month ago Rhys was merely an Initiate. Although he rented an Apprentice spell, the librarian never expected the young man to learn the spell at all.

An ordinary mage would take a month to copy the spell structure into their Spell Book. However, to master the spell, it would take them a lot more time depending on their control over mana application on that structure.

The old man didn’t know Rhys didn’t need to bother about mana control. He just had to memorize the spell structure for him to project it, and the required lifespan would be burned by the spell itself.

"Are my privileges the same as before?" Rhys asked.

The librarian gave him a deep look.

"You can choose an Adept spell, one Apprentice spell and five Initiate spells. There is an option to convert the five Initiate spells into one Apprentice."

’Not bad,’ Rhys murmured inwardly.

Enough for his plans to progress.

Giving the librarian a small bow, he went to choose the spells.

Psychic Ripple was very efficient in killing insects. But it was limited to his presence, and so his lifespan extraction had been limited during the last month.

This time he wanted a spell that bypassed this limitation.

This spell not only had to allow him to clear insects from his assigned garden, but from all the gardens in the outer courtyards and eventually from the whole city.

There was a type of spell that made this possible.

Summon type spells.

Last time he had skipped this group because his mind was occupied with finding a spell that wasn’t visible to human eyes. But now, staring at the spell structure in his hand, a smile appeared on his lips.

[Spell Name: Needle Beak Hummingbird]

Rank: Apprentice

Property: Fundamental

Type: Summon

Description: Summons a tiny, lightning-fast spectral bird that hunts and eats insects. It darts between plants at high speed, using its needle-sharp beak to pierce pest carapaces and clear out swarms instantly without damaging crops.

Rhys nodded in satisfaction.

Hummingbirds were common around gardens.

No one would find their presence strange.

He could release them into gardens, orchards, farms and even the forests surrounding the city. As long as he visited an area once and projected the spell structure there, the summoned birds could continue hunting on their own until the lifespan ran out.

To others, they would simply appear as ordinary birds.

He immediately rented the spell.

After fixing his problem of collecting lifespan, Rhys decided to choose his remaining spells purely for battle.

Because his next actions required them.

For the past month he had spent most of his time farming lifespan and avoiding trouble. But eventually he would have to leave the safety of the sect and enter the Untamed Lands.

And those lands were not a place where gardeners survived.

They were a place where fighters survived.

Rhys honestly had no idea what his battle style should be.

He wasn’t physically strong.

Nor did he confident enough to fight openly, nor in dark as an assassin.

However, after using Psychic Ripple for an entire month, one thing had become clear.

His compatibility with Mind spells was unusually high.

The spell was cheap, invisible and deadly against weaker creatures. But Psychic Ripple alone wasn’t enough.

Against insects it was terrifying. Against beasts and monsters?

Not so much.

His eyes moved through several shelves before stopping on a spell structure wrapped inside a silver scroll.

A few moments later a grin appeared on his face.

[Spell Name: Mind Edge]

Rank: Apprentice

Property: Fundamental

Type: Enhancement

Description: Channels psychic force into all attacks. Physical strikes, weapons and mind-based spells gain additional penetrating force capable of damaging both internal body and consciousness.

Rhys’ eyes brightened.

This was exactly what he needed.

Psychic Ripple lacked power against larger opponents because its effect was spread out.

Mind Edge solved that problem.

If he enhanced Psychic Ripple with Mind Edge, the mental shockwaves would become far more lethal.

Even a normal punch could carry psychic damage.

The spell was versatile.

Whether he fought with his fists, a weapon or his mind, it would strengthen everything.

Without hesitation he selected it.

That left the Adept spell.

This choice took considerably longer. Eventually his gaze landed on a dark blue scroll hidden near the back.

His eyes narrowed.

[Spell Name: Phantom Passage]

Rank: Adept

Property: Fundamental

Type: Movement + Defence

Description: Converts the caster into an intangible phantom for a short duration, allowing passage through obstacles and greatly increasing movement speed.

Rhys read the description several times. Then he smiled.

Perfect.

The spell lacked offensive power. It couldn’t kill enemies. But it could save his life.

If he encountered a monster stronger than himself, escaping would always be better than fighting.

Dead geniuses were still dead. A living coward could become powerful later.

He rented the spell structure.

When he returned to the counter, the librarian examined the selected spells. One eyebrow slowly rose.

"A unique selection."

Rhys shrugged.

"Is it?"

"A summon spell for scouting. A mental enhancement spell. And an escape spell."

The old man rubbed his beard.

"Most young disciples choose flashy offensive spells."

"Those disciples probably die first."

The librarian stared at him for a moment. Then unexpectedly laughed.

"Hahaha. Fair point."

After recording the rentals, the old man looked at him again.

"A unique type of spells you have chosen. Boy, are you planning to tame the Untamed?"

Rhys shrugged.

"What do you think?"

The old man gave him a pitying look.

"That will not be easy, boy."

His expression gradually became serious.

"There are two meanings behind the reason the lands beyond the Light Shield are called the Untamed."

Rhys listened quietly.

"The first meaning is obvious. Those lands are untamed."

"The second?"

The librarian’s eyes darkened slightly.

"The lands are untamable."

Silence filled the counter. The old man’s voice became lower.

"If this were a story told around a campfire, this is where the frightening music would begin."

Rhys couldn’t help smiling.

"Trying to scare me?"

"No." The librarian shook his head. "I’m trying to educate you."

The old man leaned back in his chair.

"Every few decades, some genius believes they can conquer the Untamed Lands."

"They fail?"

"They disappear."

Rhys remained silent.

"The beasts there are not the true danger."

"Then what is?"

The old man looked toward the distant windows of the library.

"The lands. The territory itself."

That answer surprised Rhys. "Territoy?"

The librarian nodded slowly.

"Trying to scare me?" Rhys asked with a grin.

The old librarian didn’t return the smile.

Instead, he slowly rolled up the scrolls one by one and placed them aside before looking directly into Rhys’ eyes.

"Do I look like I’m joking, boy?" The old man’s expression became even more serious.

"Many young mages think exactly like you." He tapped the counter with a finger.

"They reach Apprentice rank, learn a few decent spells, and suddenly believe they are destined for greatness."

"They think they can walk beyond the Light Shield, kill a few beasts, gather some resources, and return as heroes."

His gaze drifted toward the library window.

"But the Untamed doesn’t care about dreams."

Rhys listened quietly.

"The beasts out there don’t care what sect you belong to. They don’t care about your status, your talent, or your future potential."

"They only care whether you are food."

The old man let out a long sigh.

"In the past century alone, hundreds of disciples have disappeared beyond the Shield.

Some left willingly. Some were forced. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Most never returned."

Rhys remained calm on the surface, but his interest was steadily growing.

"Is it really that dangerous?"

The librarian fell silent. For a few moments, only the rustling of pages somewhere inside the library could be heard.

When the old man finally spoke again, his voice had lowered considerably.

"Tell me, boy. Have you ever wondered why our sect is built one only one peak of the ten mountain peaks? Why don’t we claimed the other nine peaks?"

Rhys blinked.

"I assumed it was just geography."

The librarian shook his head.

"Most people do."

His wrinkled hand slowly pointed toward the distant mountains visible beyond the library windows.

"The nine peaks existed long before human civilization reached these lands."

Rhys frowned slightly. The librarian continued.

"Thousands of years ago, when the first founders arrived here, they attempted to claim the mountains as territory.

They failed. Then they tried again. They failed again."

The old man’s eyes darkened.

"They kept failing."

Rhys suddenly found himself paying complete attention. A strange feeling appeared in his chest. The old man’s next words were spoken almost in a whisper.

"Once, many years ago, the Sect Master attempted to tame the Ninth Peak."

Rhys’ eyes narrowed.

"What happened?"

The librarian’s fingers trembled slightly.

"The battle lasted less than a minute."

The answer stunned him. A minute? The Sect Master was one of the strongest beings within hundreds of miles. Strongest in the Azure city. Someone like that losing in less than a minute sounded ridiculous.

Yet the old man didn’t appear to be joking.

"We’ve never seen the Sect Master appear in public after that day."

The librarian’s voice carried a trace of unease.

"If not for the Light Shield still standing, meaning the territory’s core consciousness remains under his control, most people would believe he had already died."

Rhys felt a chill crawl up his spine.

"What exactly lives on those peaks?"

The librarian stared at him for several long seconds. Then he answered.

"Nothing."

Rhys frowned.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing lives there." The old man slowly pointed toward the mountains once more.

"Because the peaks themselves are alive."

Silence.

For the first time since arriving in this world, Rhys genuinely didn’t know what to say. The librarian’s voice became almost a whisper.

"So listen carefully, boy. Never attempt to tame any of the Nine Peaks. Never accept a mission involving them. And if fate somehow drags you there..."

His gaze hardened.

"Run."

Rhys swallowed.

"Why?"

The old man looked toward the distant mountains.

His expression was filled with something Rhys had never expected to see on the face of such a grumpy man.

Fear.

"Because those peaks..." He paused.

"They are tails.

Tails of a Divine Nine-Tailed Fox."