Zhu Yan
As the realization hit me, I felt my body burning with excitement. Without holding back, I dashed straight to the closest shelf next to me and started filing through the spell books feverishly.
"These are all spellbooks, I'm definitely not mistaken! I'm actually in the 'Great Library'... but how can that be? Wasn't my cultivation too low? Wait - come to think of it, back then in the toilet, I did manage to power up into tier-7 of the Freelance stage... Maybe that's the reason why I'm able to come in here - " I contemplate.
As I scan through the numerous spell books on the shelves, I'd noticed that almost all of the spells were extremely expensive.
"Healing Sanctuary (Low-Tier): Cost 100..."
"Cure Bolt (Low-Tier): Cost 90..."
"Kyrie (Mid-Tier): Cost 210..."
"Healing Barrier (Low-Tier): Cost 70..."
The price of each book made me want to suffocate. Thinking back to the number of magic points I currently have, I should have approximately a total of 170 magic points. Since right now I'm currently a Tier-7 Freelance Cultivator, I should've accumulated 70 points from the tiers and an additional 100 points from awakening an element.
"Damn it, right now all I can afford are this measly low-tiered spells... and even then, I only have enough to barely acquire two decent ones..."
"Well, I can always wait and save up magic points for more powerful spells but... if I want to advance to higher tiers, just meditating alone would be far too slow and my poor financial status means I won't be able to afford any external aids to boost my cultivation - it's impossible for me to rise quickly without practicing magic! Then my only solution now is to acquire a decent spell and practice it thoroughly!"
Now full of determination, I focus all my attention into analyzing all the low-tier spells within my price range. Like before, every book I decided to read would hover in front of me and automatically flip through the pages by itself. Most of the spells were interesting but not unique, but it was to be expected as all of them were low-tiered ones.
Since my element was 'heal', the lowest ranked element under the Light affinity category, there weren't that many good choices, to begin with. Furthermore, my element focused more on the role of supporting and aiding others rather than for engaging in battle. It was a crappy role but that was the reality for me and besides, supporters were just as important as any mage in society, one could say that supporters were like the savior of other mages.
We are like their trusted backers, an important asset to their performance in battle. Without us supporters, the likelihood of non-supporting mages to end up dead in battle were much higher than those who do have one. To bluntly put it, we were needed in various ways during a battle. Some of the many ways were, for example, to enhance the mages' fighting capabilities so that they would remain formidable in the field, to protect them with our superior defensive spells when it was needed or when the situation turns extremely dire and most importantly, to treat their wounds in a short period of time or when they become severely injured.
That said, supporting elements were not completely in lack of offensive spells either. There were, but most of them were not even worth mentioning.
"Fuhhh... I really am unfortunate..." I sighed. "If it was another low ranked elements, I guess I won't be as disappointed - I don't even like working with others yet here it is, an element that ABSOLUTELY required the aid of others to be able to shine in..."
As I continue pouting, my eyes started to feel strained from reading too many spellbooks. I was positive that I'd have analyzed about at least a hundred spells now and yet not even one of them had managed to appeal to me. At this rate, I might just consider choosing a random low tiered spell and be done with it. As I was about to YOLO my pick, I suddenly noticed that a nearby floating spellbook was actually - diving towards me!
My body quickly darted away and it completely miss me, however, as it was about to crash into the floor the trajectory of the book - actually changed! It was now flying in a sloping angle, once again charging towards me! This was completely out of my expectation... my body couldn't react fast enough to the sudden situation and it landed a solid hit on my abdomen.
THUD!
"Guaagghh!" I screamed.
The impact was heavy beyond compared, it felt as if I was rammed by a cargo truck that was importing bulls to a local farm. I tried to hold back the urge of throwing up as I hugged my abdomen tightly. The pain of my body intensified every second.
"Give me a break!" I cried, feeling extremely frustrated. "Give me a break already... and what's up with this book!?"
I'd noticed that I was clutching the frenzied book as well. The book felt somewhat different than the others, not only was it heavier but it was also much thicker. Furthermore, there was the case where it had assaulted me and it couldn't have been a coincidence as I had just witnessed it deliberately charging towards me. As I pushed the book away from me, it started to hover in front of me and showing me its front cover.
"Bestow Weapon (High-Tier): Cost 0..."
When I saw the cover, my entire body froze and I become speechless. I remained like so for a long period of time before my body starts to quiver. I blinked my eyes several times, even rubbing it for good measure. I extended my arm and rubbed it with my hands just to reconfirm that the book was indeed real. I even pinched myself to make sure I wasn't in a dream.
"Ow!"
I'm definitely awake. I hesitantly look back towards the book which now looks too majestic for me to even bat an eye on. Such a godly existence must not be sullied by the gaze of a commoner such as I.
"Maybe a little peek won't hurt... " I murmured.
This book was really something else, just a few minutes ago I was feeling resentment towards it and now I am filled with deep respect.
"Hmm? Why is the book not opening?"
Usually, when the spellbooks hovered in front of me, it would always automatically flip through its pages. This one, however, was not opening whatsoever. I tried prying it open with my bare hands but it proved fruitless as there seems to be a magical lock of some sort that was preventing me from making it budge. I tried sending magic into it, but there was no reaction whatsoever.
"Strange? Could it be that high-tiered spells are somewhat different from the lower-tiered ones?"
All of a sudden, the book began to rumble comically and an archaic voice exploded out from within it.
"Thou must possess the key to be granted access - present me the key and I shalt hail thee with my wisdom!"
The voice simmered down and the book stopped shaking. Before I could even react, my chest started to glow a bright circle and a beam of light was projected from within it. The light collided onto the book, enshrouding it with a golden hue.
"Thou hath present me with the key and as promised I fain let thee acquire my wisdom!"
As it said that - the glow disappeared and the book finally starts to unravel itself. Within it was complex descriptions of the usage of the spell as well as its history and other trivial information. After briefly reading through the passages I was able to come up with a conclusion of how it worked and other side information that might be useful to know.
"Casting time: 5 - 10 Seconds... Mana Consumption: High... Effect: Gift an individual with a unique, light elemental divine weapon. The feature and structure of the weapons depend on the preference of the individual that is being granted the weapon... Max Number of Weapon: 3... Spell Duration: 30 min..."
The spell seems complex initially but it was quite simple to understand once you summarise it up clearly. Without wasting any more time, I placed my hand on the book and poured a little magical energy into it. As the book absorbed the energy, it glowed faintly and magical symbols flew out from within it. The symbols arranged itself in order horizontally, above the book and they suddenly morphed into modern words, making a sentence saying -
*WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN THIS SPELL?*
Few more symbols flew out of the book and hovered in front of me, like before they morphed into modern words. To my right, it spelled the word 'Yes' and to my left, it spelled 'No', I immediately touched the 'Yes' symbol.
As I did, a bright light enveloped me and I could feel it all rushing towards my head. My mind was filled with strange words and patterns and I could feel them imprinting themselves into my memories. As I finish ingesting the entirety of the spell, the light slowly disappeared and in response to that, the book closed itself shut as well.
The book wavered and disappeared, instead, in its place was an orange hologram that displayed the details of my 'transaction' in the Great Library and as well as the balance of my Magic Points.
[ You've acquired the spell 'Bestow Weapon' ]
[ Initial Balance: 170 / Current Balance: 170 ]
"Nice!" I smirked. "I'm not exactly sure why that spellbook cost nothing, but if that benefits me I'm not going to complain ~ "
"Hmm... Looks like I still have a few more points to spend on, and since I already have a high-tiered spell, I won't have to worry too much about saving up points to acquire a strong spell - and like the teacher said - versatility is also an important factor in being a mage!"
There was a couple of low-tiered spells that I was interested in getting, it was just that they were either too expensive for my previous budget or that they didn't seem that useful alone. However, now that I have 'Bestow Weapon' I'm free to choose one of them without worry.
"The 'Cure Bolt' spell from before was the most interesting low-tiered spell amongst its group." I murmured. "It's casting time is fast, it does not consume much mana and it only cost 90 magic points!"
"Furthermore, its ability allows me to fire a blast of healing magic at a target that either heals them or hurt them. I can even charge up the spell to multiply its effectiveness every second!"
"Although the offensive aspect of the spell is unreliable, it's better than nothing... Right, I'll go for this then!"
Once again I poured a little of my magical energy into a spellbook. Similar to before it shone brightly and magic symbols hovered above the book while morphing into modern words. Symbols that morphed into 'Yes' and 'No', appeared before me. I pressed yes and bright light enveloped me once again.
[ You've acquired the spell "Cure Bolt" ]
[ Initial Balance: 170 / Current Balance: 80 ]
"Goodbye sweet points..." I murmured, wiping a tear drop from my right eye. "Right - Now to figure out how to get out of here!"
.....
"Is he still sleeping, doctor?" A girl asked, her blonde hair swaying about as she rushed in the patient's room.
"I'm afraid so Miss, he has been like this for two weeks already - with all seriousness Miss - like we said, this boy might be in the state of a coma..." The doctor answered.
"That's impossible, he was only merely exhausted during that time!"
"I understand how you feel Miss, but we tried everything and nothing seems to work... our only conclusion is that this boy is in - "
"Have you really tried everything?" The girl interrupted.
"Miss please, for the sake of your father we are trying our best to cure him so you wouldn't be worried, but there's really nothing we can do at this state..." The doctor nervously replied. "Besides, we already did a background check on him and it seems like he's just a random nobody with a trash awakened element, it's best if Miss don't associate with this kind of people..."
"What are you suggesting here?" The girl asked once again, this time in a very serious tone.
"I - I - I'm... I'm suggesting that we should give him up as he is just merely a waste of resources!" The cried, his face is stern and resolute.
"You -!" Before the girl could finish speaking, she was suddenly interrupted by the sound of beeping.
Beep.. Beep.. Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep, beep... Beep, beep... Beep, beep.... BEEP, BEEP.... BEEP, BEEP...BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!
"Wha - What's going on!?" The doctor cried.
"Doctor, the patient - his magical signature had suddenly... it suddenly skyrocketed!" Replied a nurse who was stationed on a computer.
"It increased you say?" The doctor glanced at her. "By how much exactly?"
As he asked that, the nurse stood up and murmured a few words into his ears. The doctor then nods his head and the both of them walked off into another room. They seem to be discussing together in private for quite a bit of time before coming back out.
"What happened?" Asked the girl.
"You're in luck Miss! No - more like... this boy is the one who has tremendous luck!" The doctor replied enthusiastically.
"Did the sudden increase of magic in him have something to do with his awakening?" The girl asked again.
"In the matter of fact yes - " The doctor replied. "This sudden spike in energy - if I'm not mistaken is similar to, when someone had acquired a high-tiered magic spell."
"What!?" The girl cried in surprise. "Really?"
"Yes, we can't think of any other reason aside from that, given the circumstances." He nodded. "Therefore we concluded that this boy must have stumbled upon some kind of good fortune and had managed to acquire a high-tiered spell!"
"Good fortune huh..." The girl murmured to herself, her brows were creased as if she were trying to recall something in the past.
"Alright... but how does that have anything to do with him waking up?" She continued.
"Think about it Miss, if he had just acquired a spell, while his body is still here - then that means he must have acquired it through elsewhere in his mind - so where could he possibly be in right now?" The doctor smirked.
"Ah... I see!" The girl answered. "So what you're trying to say is that he's in the 'Great Library', and the reason why he's been sleeping for such a long time is that he's been in there the whole time!"
"Exactly, " said the doctor. "However, there's something that doesn't sum up, according to his record he had only awakened his element just a few weeks ago, how did he manage to achieve the level to able to enter the 'Great Library' so quickly?"
"Umm..."
"Furthermore, seeing the state he is in now, it is safe to say that this is his first time going into the 'Great Library', most people would naturally have difficulty in finding the exit on their first time - so usually we explain to them first about the ins and out of the place..."
"This kid, however, was obviously ahead of others and wasn't properly informed about it, thus his current issue."
The doctor sighed as he walked over to a nearby couch and gestured for the girl to sit down.
"According to my estimation, the boy would be able to find the exit out in a few minutes, so why won't Miss take a sit and wait until he wakes up?"
"I guess that's all I can do now..." She replied.
.....
"Hurrgh!"
Currently, I am climbing a shelf, I don't know why I'm doing so and I do not really care. I had tried everything that seems sensible, yet nothing works, I still couldn't find the exit... My impatientness got the better of me and I suddenly found myself doing extremely outrageous things.
"Right! I'm almost there!"
As I said that, I mustered all the strength I have left in my arms to grab the top-most part of the shelf and pushed downwards, dragging myself up as I land on top of it. Without a second thought, I leaped off the shelf and dived into the ground. Strangely, in response to my action, the floor below seems to be glowing gradually and from above it looks somewhat like a swirling magical portal.
"This is it! This is my ticket out! Alright - Finally! Hurrgghhh!"
I yelled loudly, I could feel the adrenaline in my body rapidly increasing as I sped closer and closer to the ground. Soon I was only inches away from the swirl and my face broke into a huge smile, I really couldn't hold in my excitement any longer. As my fingers touched the ground, the swirling light I saw before, suddenly disappeared!
CRASH!!!
My body slammed painfully on the floor. I continue to lie on the floor for a few seconds, before I reluctantly got up, groaning tiredly.
"Damn it... even my eyes are starting to play tricks on me!"
I stammered unsteadily towards a nearby pile of books, before dropping flat on top of them. I could still feel a burning sensation on my cheeks and as well as an uncomfortable buzzing, ringing sound in my ear.
"I'm so tired... It's hopeless, I'll never get out of here." I sighed. "How can it be so hard to find, when I'm in such a small room!? Ah - damn it!"
As I was busy venting my frustration, the swirly light from before reappeared before my eyes. However, all I did was snort at it, I didn't even bother giving any further attention.
"Tch... I must be really desperate to be able to hallucinate the same thing twice - ehehe... just wait and see, it'll disappear immediately just like the last time!"
...
...
"Hmm? It's still there?"
Although I was fully convinced that this was nothing more than a hallucination created by my mind, my body couldn't help but move closer to the swirl. When I finally reached there, to amazement, I was able to feel dense magical energy surging out from within it. I have the feeling that if I was to pour some of my own magical energy into it, something amazing will happen.
"No wait - pull yourself together Huang Fen! This might just be another fake like before... but - for some reason... this feels so real..."
In the end, I found myself gradually pouring a decent amount of mana into the swirl and as I did, a warm glow enveloped me and my vision grew blurry. I felt my consciousness fading away like I was suddenly being put into a deep slumber.
.....
"Huh!?"
Suddenly, I found myself conscious again, however this time, I could feel that I was lying on something soft. I brushed my fingers on the surface of the ground to identify and I immediately recognized the feeling.
"This is? A bed?" I whispered to myself.
"Miss, the boy is finally awake!"
"I was starting to get really worried about whether or not he was going to wake up... that was nowhere near 'a few minutes' like you said!"
"Ehehe... a minor miscalculation Miss..."
When I heard that conversation, I instantly recognized one of the voice. I immediately open my eyes and quickly scan around my surroundings, there to my left, was the same blonde-haired girl I had met back during the incident in the restroom. I continue to gaze at her and before I knew it, my eyes were fixated on her. The girl looked at me as well, and after a moment she smiled cheerfully.
"Sorry for everything that you've gone through, " The girl said. "I'm sorry for not being able to help you better back then..."
"Ah - no... it's fine - " I replied.
"Thank you very much for understanding!" She said while bowing her head.
"Umm yeah..."
This felt somewhat awkward, it was like she's a completely different person from last time. The 'polite and understanding' her right now, totally contradicts to the 'sarcastic and cunning' person back then in the restroom.
"Oh by the way... " The girl continued. "Since I already know your name, I guess it's only right if you know mine as well. My name is Zhu Yan, nice to meet you, brother Huang!"
The girl bowed to me once more, her courteous aura filling the entire room. My expression quickly darkens, and my breathing suddenly becomes heavy. My hands firmly tighten into a fist and I could feel the anger within me welling up. Zhu Yan was able to feel the change in atmosphere and my expression, she looked up at me with a worried expression.
"Is something wrong brother Huang?" She asked.
I didn't reply, I knew that if I did I won't be able to keep up my composure any longer, so I remained silent.
"Why...?" I thought to myself. "Why did she have to be from that - that - that scum of a family!?"
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