Afterwards, Ivan arrived at the library of the academy.
From his previous missions, he recognized that he had many shortcomings, not only in strength but also in various fields of knowledge.
Lately, he had been clearing the contamination in his spiritual power through meditation, which required some time. It was a good opportunity to spend in the library to consolidate his knowledge and find ways to increase his Experience Points in Biology Expertise and Linguistics Skill.
Currently, his Biology Expertise was only at Level 2, and Linguistics Skill was at Level 1, both having considerable room for improvement.
As for the others, both Meditation Skill and Curse Skill at Level 2 had always grown slowly, especially the latter, while Study of Planes at Level 0 was utterly clueless, its Experience Points immovable.
[Apothecary Skill: lv4 (926/1000)]
Of all the disciplines, Apothecary Skill should be the first to advance to the next level, but that would have to wait until he had completely cleared the contamination from his spiritual power.
“I wonder if Wolban’s words can be trusted?”
Ivan was unsure if he could really have some downtime. On the way back, Wolban had taken the initiative to exchange Secret Method Seals with him, also hinting that the Hunting Team would probably stop bothering him, telling him to wait for his message.
This was undoubtedly a good sign. The Hunting Team’s fundamental reason for their displeasure with him was Toyennes; taking the blame for Toyennes was utterly worthless.
The library was an ancient and quaint building, its collection of books as vast as smoke, covering all subjects. Most books were tributes from nobility from all over, providing the greatest value to young apprentices in broadening their horizons and enriching their experiences.
And there was no charge.
Entering the library, he smelled a particular scent of books.
This wasn’t his first visit to the library, and the scent was especially profound to him, unconsciously compelling him to maintain silence, for fear of disturbing the atmosphere.
He went straight to the bookshelf that held books related to Tidal Island, seeing many books on languages, both elementary and complex, all of which were encompassed. The latter were the kinds of books that nobles in Flying Fish Port would rather let gather dust in the attic than share.
Yet here they were, casually placed on the shelves.
There were books on ancient Golgandar language, Tidal Language, Fernundo language, and more.
He took down a book about Tidal Language. It had a new interpretation of this language, its origin being the language of the Sea Race from the nearby seas, brought to the world of humans by the Centaurs. Not long after the Centaurs left, the Tidal Empire, covering the entire island, was born.
The ancient Golgandar language was indeed a language that humans have used since ancient times, developed by the ancestors of the Human Clan based on the shapes of objects around them.
The source of Fernundo language was the language of the Winged People.
On this half of Moon Pincer Peninsula, many more languages were similar to these three types, mostly branches of Sea Race language, Winged People language, or ancient Human Clan language. Or, they were branches of the same origin with some connections among them, allowing for comparative learning.
Such as Sangar language, Tuchel language, Quaidan language, and so on.
[Linguistics Skill Experience Points +4]
[Linguistics Skill: lv1(81/100)]
Three hours later, when he left the library, his Experience Points in Linguistics Skill had increased by a few points.
At the library entrance, Ivan received a message from Wolban, bringing him good news. The members of the Hunting Team would no longer bother him, and his spirits lifted.
“This Wolban actually has such power; indeed, strength is status.”
He knew that Wolban’s stature was likely as Cody had said, with his spiritual power exceeding 13 graduated degrees, classified as an apprentice of high concern to the academy, with a higher status. This made Ivan even more eager to improve his own strength.
He should prioritize obtaining mid-grade magic stone water as soon as possible.
The canteen, Ivan had just sat down when two figures appeared across the table.
“Ivan, haven’t seen you in days.”
“Long time no see.”
Those who sat down unceremoniously were Conley and Ed, two compatriots from the Aromatic Wheat Dukedom.
So many days had passed, and both had become 2nd Class apprentices. Conley’s aura was stronger, with an added sense of maturity compared to before,
Ed had changed even more. Only half of his left ear remained, likely bitten off by some magicalized wild beast, leaving behind an unsightly gap.
Unlike his previous bluster, he was now somewhat silent.
“You’re a 3rd Class apprentice now?” Ed suddenly widened his eyes. He had just sensed Ivan’s presence and immediately felt a strong oppressive force, just like when facing other 3rd Class apprentices.
Hearing his words, Conley also looked at Ivan in surprise.
Advancing to a 3rd Class apprentice was no easy feat; the credits required to move from a 2nd Class to a 3rd Class apprentice were considerable. To earn those credits, one often had to risk their life completing tasks, quite literally gambling with death.
“I was a 2nd Class apprentice when I enrolled, and I broke through not long ago.” Ivan nodded, “How have you been recently?”
“Congratulations.”
His casual mention belied the hardship the two knew he must have faced, especially since Ivan’s background was even humbler than their own.
The status of a 3rd Class apprentice was somewhat different compared to a 2nd Class apprentice; they had more authority when speaking in tasks.
“Still remember how many of us there were?” After a few seconds of pause, Conley continued.
“Nineteen.”
“Three have died; two on missions,” Conley lowered his voice, “and one is said to have died in the laboratory.”
Ivan understood; it seemed that person had the misfortune of encountering a mentor with a vile character. The sorcerers within the academy had various personalities. Some were kind to their disciples, and naturally, there were others who treated their disciples horribly.
There were even those who didn’t see their disciples as human, like the previous Toyennes, who harbored ill intentions from the start, keeping disciples as vessels to share the burden of curse power, never truly caring for their disciples’ lives.
“Recently, it seems to be rather restless with continuous news of apprentice deaths,” Conley added.
“Our Hunting Team just lost two members, the details of the task are vague, but the danger must be considerable. Our team’s well-known 3rd Class apprentice ‘Wolban’ was the leader, and he’s considered a potential sorcerer seed,” Ed chimed in.
“I know, the Enchantment Group was involved too; one person died.” Seeing both looking towards him, Ivan explained, “I was on that mission as well. The details of the mission need to be kept confidential but suffice it to say there was an unusual accident.”
After hearing this, both didn’t know what to say. Being involved in such high-end tasks was no wonder Ivan became a 3rd Class apprentice so rapidly; they assumed the process was fraught with deadly risks.
“Do you know about ‘Wayne’ with the 5th Class talent?”
“Seen him once.”
“His team members keep dying one after the other; everyone suspects he’s being targeted by external forces. Do yourself a favor and avoid teaming up with him on tasks; you’ll be the unlucky one. He’s different; he’s a key focus of the academy, from a sorcerer family no less, with plenty of life-preserving means at his disposal.”
The three chatted idly for quite a while.
It wasn’t hard to notice that the apprentice death rate had been on the rise. Whether there were any objective reasons behind it was unclear, but for them at least, this did not bode well, signifying increased risks with each task.
Returning to the dorms from the dining hall, Ivan felt an even more urgent need to enhance his own strength. He didn’t want to encounter setbacks like those in Swamp Forest City ever again; one such predicament was enough.