Micah had outlined three areas of study for me for this and future rounds.
The first was a directive to study under the System and have it run me through the most impressive Players that had attempted to beat Adovoria's Fall, what they had done well, and where they failed so I could learn from them.
"With 40,007 Players and many, many more attempted Games spanning years, it would be impossible to learn all the details," Micah had stated. "However, this System of yours isn't merely a recorder of events. It is intelligent and can help identify and dissect the most important information that could help you beat this Game. All you need to do is ask."
However, asking the System for such information during the day was unproductive. Communicating when I was alone and it was night was more efficient. After all, the System could produce its blue text screens before me even if my eyes were closed. Even when I was blind or on the brink of death, its screen would appear clearly. There was no need to waste precious daylight hours.
Micah's second directive was a continuation of my lessons with Professor Whistle, but rather than history, focusing on studying the existing nations, notable figures, and politics that drive them.
"Duncan Genuiver was a good start. But you must look further," Micah explained. "Understanding all the notable players on the continent, their trajectories, and what motivates them will help you secure much-needed allies and identify which enemies to cut down before they become thorns in your side."
This was a harder ask as it meant having to sit still through more lesson plans, something I struggled with while learning the history of the Arkangul family, but I managed to force myself to push through. Luckily for me, it was too late in the day already, and Professor Whistle was out, so the lesson plan was left for another day. Moreover, although Micah had initially offered to teach me, he was far too busy now to play the role of a teacher.
That left me with Micah's last directive.
"Learn magic," he had told me. "It doesn't have to be dark magic, but if that sheltered Golden Prince could learn to be a warlock, you can most certainly realize potential in some area as well so you can better protect yourself in the future. If your foe is as dangerous as I suspect, you must be prepared from the moment you wake up in future rounds."
While Micah's warning was a tad ominous, studying magic seemed the most intriguing of the three options.
"I'm sure I've said it before, but I do have a front door—oh, what does it matter—young man, what brought you in today?" Lisa asked. She stood behind the counter with her arms crossed and her eyes hidden from view behind her black curtain bangs.
After a long walk through the secret underground tunnel and a less-than-spectacular entrance through the coat closet, Fin and I now stood inside the warmth of Lisa's Books and Tea. I had initially considered bringing Micah's guards along but decided against revealing the secret passage to so many people. Besides, having all of them squeeze through the closet would seriously overstep whatever little decency remained. Nor did I particularly care for another carriage ride through the storm outside. Thus, Fin and I went alone through the tunnel, with the guards arriving on location to take me back to the manor later.
"Chase Daylan told me that he learned how to be a warlock through a book you own," I said, walking over and placing a few coins on the wooden counter in front of Lisa. "I'd like to learn magic as well."
Rain continued to pour outside, but the building's insulation helped block out most of the noise, and the dirty windows offered very little as far as their outside view. Contrastingly, the interior was quite warm and cozy.
"Did he now?" Lisa palmed the coins and pulled them toward herself. "Well, are you looking also to study dark magic? Or did you wish to learn a different form of magical energy source? Or is it the output magic that intrigued you?"
I stared blankly at her, tilting my head to one side. "Magical energy source? Output? What do you mean?"
Instead of responding immediately, Lisa poured green tea into three cups from a glazed white clay teapot. The scent of earthy tones and subtle sweetness filled the air, mingling with the smell of old books.
"For example, that boy behind you has talent in the traditional innate arcane," Lisa said, nodding toward Fin, who had bee-lined toward one of the bookshelves and was already examining a book he had found the last time we were here. His attention was already wholly swallowed up by the small purple book in his hands.
"That means his energy source is his personal mana core," Lisa continued. "As for output, typically, there's an aptitude toward one type of magic that one's mana core is pulled toward, be it fire, ice, light, or some other."
I nodded. In my original life, Fin was a considerably powerful mage not only because of the size of his mana core but also due to his aptitude toward one of the most powerful magic specialties.
"You, on the other hand, clearly lack a mana core," Lisa said.
"I have one," I interjected. "It's just very small."
Even if it was merely 2, it still existed.
Lisa's mouth widened into a smile.
"Of course you do," she said, pushing one of the three cups toward me. "Every living thing has some amount of mana. If you didn't, you wouldn't be alive. Worse, you'd be something else entirely. That said, your core is unimpressive."
I accepted the cup of tea from her and frowned at the single green tea leaf floating at the top.
"Does that mean even grass has mana?" I inquired, enjoying the warmth seeping into my fingers through the cup.
"Of course," Lisa replied. She tapped the wooden counter loudly and motioned for Fin to come forward and take his cup.
Whatever he was reading, he was completely absorbed into it. He took the cup and sat in one of the armchairs without looking up. It was unusually rude of him, but Lisa seemed not to care.
"Warlocks, on the other hand, rely on what is commonly known as 'dark magic' or the 'dark arts,'" Lisa stated. "Rather than sourcing magical power from their personal mana core, which replenishes with time, they burn through their life energy, thereby permanently cutting their life short."
I nodded. Chase Daylan explained much about this in our conversation. Given how life looped, for this reason, cutting away at his life energy wasn't a genuine concern to him.
"But even with the dark arts, the output type differs," Lisa continued. "As you probably know, Chase Daylan, for example, specializes in conjuring magic, although he dabbles in other fields of study as well."
Ah.
I recalled him producing items from seemingly thin air before me.
"Just how many types of magic are there?" I asked.
"Sources or specialties?" Lisa smiled.
"Both?" I sipped my tea.
"Dark magic, necromancy, crystallomancy, enchantment, songweaving, chaos magic, traditional mana magic… the list is extensive. And, of course, there are specialties like ice magic, wind magic, and more." Lisa waved her hand. "So many that it would be far too bothersome for me to list them all off."
"What…. do you recommend I start with, then?" I asked.
I couldn't make out her expression, apart from what she revealed with her mouth. We remained in complete silence, apart from Fin's occasional turn of the page behind me.
Finally, Lisa sighed. "Magic Studies 101, A Comprehensive Beginner's Guide."
A grin lit up my face. "Perfect."
However, my smile quickly evaporated.
Walking to the shelves behind her, Lisa selected a large, crimson book, its width spanning two of my fists.
THUMP.
She dropped it on the counter, with the weight of it sounding across the room. "Here you are."
I took in a deep intake of air as I absorbed the immense and intimidating size of the book. There was even an ancient scent to it, reminding me of the dragon cave before my grandmother's villa.
Just how old was this thing? And how many pages?
Micah had outlined three areas of study for me for this and future rounds.
The first was a directive to study under the System and have it run me through the most impressive Players that had attempted to beat Adovoria's Fall, what they had done well, and where they failed so I could learn from them.
"With 40,007 Players and many, many more attempted Games spanning years, it would be impossible to learn all the details," Micah had stated. "However, this System of yours isn't merely a recorder of events. It is intelligent and can help identify and dissect the most important information that could help you beat this Game. All you need to do is ask."
However, asking the System for such information during the day was unproductive. Communicating when I was alone and it was night was more efficient. After all, the System could produce its blue text screens before me even if my eyes were closed. Even when I was blind or on the brink of death, its screen would appear clearly. There was no need to waste precious daylight hours.
Micah's second directive was a continuation of my lessons with Professor Whistle, but rather than history, focusing on studying the existing nations, notable figures, and politics that drive them.
"Duncan Genuiver was a good start. But you must look further," Micah explained. "Understanding all the notable players on the continent, their trajectories, and what motivates them will help you secure much-needed allies and identify which enemies to cut down before they become thorns in your side."
This was a harder ask as it meant having to sit still through more lesson plans, something I struggled with while learning the history of the Arkangul family, but I managed to force myself to push through. Luckily for me, it was too late in the day already, and Professor Whistle was out, so the lesson plan was left for another day. Moreover, although Micah had initially offered to teach me, he was far too busy now to play the role of a teacher.
That left me with Micah's last directive.
"Learn magic," he had told me. "It doesn't have to be dark magic, but if that sheltered Golden Prince could learn to be a warlock, you can most certainly realize potential in some area as well so you can better protect yourself in the future. If your foe is as dangerous as I suspect, you must be prepared from the moment you wake up in future rounds."
While Micah's warning was a tad ominous, studying magic seemed the most intriguing of the three options.
"I'm sure I've said it before, but I do have a front door—oh, what does it matter—young man, what brought you in today?" Lisa asked. She stood behind the counter with her arms crossed and her eyes hidden from view behind her black curtain bangs.
After a long walk through the secret underground tunnel and a less-than-spectacular entrance through the coat closet, Fin and I now stood inside the warmth of Lisa's Books and Tea. I had initially considered bringing Micah's guards along but decided against revealing the secret passage to so many people. Besides, having all of them squeeze through the closet would seriously overstep whatever little decency remained. Nor did I particularly care for another carriage ride through the storm outside. Thus, Fin and I went alone through the tunnel, with the guards arriving on location to take me back to the manor later.
"Chase Daylan told me that he learned how to be a warlock through a book you own," I said, walking over and placing a few coins on the wooden counter in front of Lisa. "I'd like to learn magic as well."
Rain continued to pour outside, but the building's insulation helped block out most of the noise, and the dirty windows offered very little as far as their outside view. Contrastingly, the interior was quite warm and cozy.
"Did he now?" Lisa palmed the coins and pulled them toward herself. "Well, are you looking also to study dark magic? Or did you wish to learn a different form of magical energy source? Or is it the output magic that intrigued you?"
I stared blankly at her, tilting my head to one side. "Magical energy source? Output? What do you mean?"
Instead of responding immediately, Lisa poured green tea into three cups from a glazed white clay teapot. The scent of earthy tones and subtle sweetness filled the air, mingling with the smell of old books.
"For example, that boy behind you has talent in the traditional innate arcane," Lisa said, nodding toward Fin, who had bee-lined toward one of the bookshelves and was already examining a book he had found the last time we were here. His attention was already wholly swallowed up by the small purple book in his hands.
"That means his energy source is his personal mana core," Lisa continued. "As for output, typically, there's an aptitude toward one type of magic that one's mana core is pulled toward, be it fire, ice, light, or some other."
I nodded. In my original life, Fin was a considerably powerful mage not only because of the size of his mana core but also due to his aptitude toward one of the most powerful magic specialties.
"You, on the other hand, clearly lack a mana core," Lisa said.
"I have one," I interjected. "It's just very small."
Even if it was merely 2, it still existed.
Lisa's mouth widened into a smile.
"Of course you do," she said, pushing one of the three cups toward me. "Every living thing has some amount of mana. If you didn't, you wouldn't be alive. Worse, you'd be something else entirely. That said, your core is unimpressive."
I accepted the cup of tea from her and frowned at the single green tea leaf floating at the top.
"Does that mean even grass has mana?" I inquired, enjoying the warmth seeping into my fingers through the cup.
"Of course," Lisa replied. She tapped the wooden counter loudly and motioned for Fin to come forward and take his cup.
Whatever he was reading, he was completely absorbed into it. He took the cup and sat in one of the armchairs without looking up. It was unusually rude of him, but Lisa seemed not to care.
"Warlocks, on the other hand, rely on what is commonly known as 'dark magic' or the 'dark arts,'" Lisa stated. "Rather than sourcing magical power from their personal mana core, which replenishes with time, they burn through their life energy, thereby permanently cutting their life short."
I nodded. Chase Daylan explained much about this in our conversation. Given how life looped, for this reason, cutting away at his life energy wasn't a genuine concern to him.
"But even with the dark arts, the output type differs," Lisa continued. "As you probably know, Chase Daylan, for example, specializes in conjuring magic, although he dabbles in other fields of study as well."
Ah.
I recalled him producing items from seemingly thin air before me.
"Just how many types of magic are there?" I asked.
"Sources or specialties?" Lisa smiled.
"Both?" I sipped my tea.
"Dark magic, necromancy, crystallomancy, enchantment, songweaving, chaos magic, traditional mana magic… the list is extensive. And, of course, there are specialties like ice magic, wind magic, and more." Lisa waved her hand. "So many that it would be far too bothersome for me to list them all off."
"What…. do you recommend I start with, then?" I asked.
I couldn't make out her expression, apart from what she revealed with her mouth. We remained in complete silence, apart from Fin's occasional turn of the page behind me.
Finally, Lisa sighed. "Magic Studies 101, A Comprehensive Beginner's Guide."
A grin lit up my face. "Perfect."
However, my smile quickly evaporated.
Walking to the shelves behind her, Lisa selected a large, crimson book, its width spanning two of my fists.
THUMP.
She dropped it on the counter, with the weight of it sounding across the room. "Here you are."
I took in a deep intake of air as I absorbed the immense and intimidating size of the book. There was even an ancient scent to it, reminding me of the dragon cave before my grandmother's villa.
Just how old was this thing? And how many pages?
