The final lecture of the day ended not long before the evening bell began to ring across the academy grounds.

As soon as the instructor dismissed the class, the scholars began gathering their belongings and stretching their arms with groans of exhaustion.

"Finally. If that lecture had gone on any longer, I might’ve started seeing mana diagrams in my sleep."

"Forget the lecture. I’m starving. Do you think the dining hall still has anything decent left tonight?"

"If we hurry, maybe. If not... well, the bread and soup again it is."

Ruvian left the hall with the rest of them.

’It would be nice if I could eat something decent tonight, other than bread and soup... it has been a long time.’

’I haven’t had the chance to see Silvena lately either... hopefully everything went well on her side. I did leave her with quite a troublesome task, after all.’

Groups of scholars naturally separated into familiar directions once they stepped outside.

Many turned toward the dormitories with the relaxed pace of people whose day had effectively ended.

And there were some headed toward the dining hall, clearly more interested in warm meals.

Ruvian allowed the stream of scholars to pass around him before quietly turning toward a different path entirely.

His destination was the academy’s resplendent library.

Ruvian walked slowly along the path leading toward it while his mind was elsewhere.

Over the past few days, the academy’s lectures have not been without value.

That much he would admit.

The instructors explained the structure of mana in clear and methodical ways, guiding scholars through the principles of circulation, control, and the earliest forms of pure mana manipulation.

Each topic was presented carefully to ensure that even the slowest student in the class could follow along without becoming lost.

From the perspective of an institution responsible for educating hundreds of scholars at once, the curriculum was undoubtedly well designed.

But that did not mean it was satisfying for him.

Because what the academy offered was not the study of magic in its entirety.

It was the study of magic’s foundation.

And only the foundation!

Furthermore, it was arranged for the suitability of the Class E scholar.

The system worked well for the average scholar...

But someone like Ruvian, who was in a hurry to grow stronger, felt unbearably slow.

He had already spent countless hours outside of class experimenting with his own self-taught knowledge.

Because of that, by the time the instructors introduced a new topic in class, he often felt that he had already walked halfway through the subject on his own.

Which naturally led to a rather simple conclusion in his mind.

If the academy’s classes only covered the outermost layer of magical study, then the rest of the knowledge had to be found somewhere else.

And the most obvious place to add more additional knowledge was the library.

Ruvian pushed open the heavy wooden doors and stepped inside.

*****

The atmosphere within the library contrasted sharply with the lively courtyard he had just left behind.

Several scholars were already seated at the tables, their attention focused entirely on their work.

None of them paid any attention when Ruvian entered, which suited him perfectly well.

Without lingering near the entrance, he began walking deeper into the library, toward the rear section of the building where the academy stored the lower-tier archive.

A collection of books specifically accessible to first-year scholars.

He sighed.

’Obviously, this lower archive is the only portion of the library that is available to me...’

Still, Ruvian had no intention of dismissing it before exploring it thoroughly.

He eventually stopped beside the first shelf and began reading the titles printed along the rows of book spines.

[Introduction to Mana Flow]

[Fundamentals of Mana Circulation]

[Understanding Pure Mana Casting]

The titles alone already suggested what kind of material the books contained, yet he still pulled one free from the shelf and opened it to confirm his suspicion.

Ruvian studied the page quietly for a moment before turning to the next section.

The explanation was almost identical to the lecture notes distributed in his class.

He shook his head.

’This is not it... I need more advanced materials to read.’

Ruvian flipped forward several more pages, yet the overall explanation remained the same.

After a short moment, Ruvian closed the book and returned it to the shelf.

The next book produced a nearly identical result.

Then another.

Within a few minutes, the pattern had become painfully repetitive.

The majority of books within the lower-tier archive were essentially variations of the same introductory material, rarely moving beyond the level already covered in class.

Rubbing his forehead in disappointment, he stepped back from the shelf, as his gaze drifted along the seemingly endless rows of books stretching deeper into the archive.

Eventually, he paused beside another shelf and glanced upward toward the higher levels of the library where ornate railings separated the upper archives from the main floor.

Those sections undoubtedly contained the material he truly wanted to read.

Unfortunately, those shelves remained firmly beyond his reach for now.

Ruvian folded his arms while continuing to stare up at the higher railings.

’Should I ask Silvena to sponsor me into the upper archive?’

The thought lingered for a moment.

It was not entirely impossible.

Maybe he should.

Upper scholars occasionally possessed the authority to bring someone along as a temporary guest when accessing restricted sections.

With Silvena’s status, convincing the library attendants would hardly be difficult.

But the idea faded almost as quickly as it appeared.

Ruvian clicked his tongue quietly.

’No... I’ve already piled enough on her plate as it is.’

Between the errands, the plans, and the suspicious requests he had already handed her, asking for yet another favor would start pushing the boundary between cooperation and blatant exploitation.

Even someone as composed as Silvena had her limits.

Ruvian exhaled softly before lowering his gaze from the upper levels.

"With my current status, even the stairs probably won’t let me climb them."

With a quiet sigh, Ruvian continued moving along the shelves, one hand idly scanning the rows of titles while the other gradually accumulated a growing stack of books pressed against his chest.

’If I can’t somehow expand my damn knowledge...’

’...then there is still the option of polishing what I already have.’

It was not the fastest path to power, but it was still progress.

And progress, no matter how small, was always preferable to stagnation.

’Besides... there are still a few artifacts I can get my hands on next weekend.’

The corner of his mouth lifted faintly.

Provided, of course, if that one particular condition was fulfilled.

’I hope Silvena manages to secure that leave permission.’

Ruvian adjusted the pile on his hand before reaching for another one.

His fingers closed around the spine of another book, and he slowly eased it free from its tightly packed neighbors.

At that exact moment...

A pale white face abruptly appeared on the other side of the shelf.

White hair framed over her face, and two piercing blue eyes stared directly at him through the narrow gap between the rows of books.

For one single, catastrophic, soul-evaporating instant...

Ruvian was absolutely convinced that he had just seen a ghost.

A ludicrously, absurdly, unfairly beautiful, cute-looking ghost!

Because of that, his entire body startled beyond reason and recoiled backward.

’Shit!’

His heart slammed against his ribs with such violent force.

The carefully balanced stack of books abandoned his arm, and plummeted toward the floor like an avalanche.

Thud! Thump! Crash!

The sudden noise echoed through the aisle.

"Ugh, that surprised me..."

On the other side of the shelf, the ghost in question slowly blinked.

"...Are you alright?" she asked with a calm voice, soft and very much alive.

[You have received +100 Plot Points!]

Ruvian remained frozen for a moment, his breathing heavy as his heart slowly crawled back down from the brink of shock.

Slowly, Ruvian pushed himself upright and leaned toward the narrow gap between the shelves again.

The white ghost was still there.

Just... staring at him with a faint expression of puzzled concern.

Ruvian closed his eyes for a brief moment and released a long, exhausted sigh.

"...Calyra."

He leaned closer to the gap between the bookshelves, lowering his voice into a whisper.

"Why... are you here?"

[You have received +100 Plot Points!]

──────── ✦ ────────

[Chapter 123: A Ghostly Surprise]

Plot Points = 18,180