Chapter 19: Grimm's Understanding of Sorcerous Body Modification
Chapter 19: Grimm's Perception of Sorcerous Body Modification
Even though he had to stop and meditate frequently to recover his mana, Saul was still the fastest among the newcomers when it came to learning runes.
Many students couldn’t even complete their first rune by the end of class.
But Saul didn’t get cocky.
He knew full well—if it was already this difficult to simply draw a rune, who knew how hard it would be to actually cast a spell in the future?
So instead of rushing ahead, Saul repeatedly practiced drawing the same few basic runes to reduce magical leakage. His goal was to construct more runes using the same amount of mana, rather than letting his spellcasting thunder with wasteful power.
After class, Saul declined Keli’s offer to walk together and went to test his current mana level.
He wanted to know just how trashy his mana talent was.
Soon, he walked out with a look of disappointment.
Even though he’d mentally prepared himself, seeing a reading of just 3 joules still made the path ahead look impossibly dark.
It was absolutely impossible to reach 10 joules in three months using regular methods.
"What happens if I fail the test? Most likely… I die, right?"
Saul followed the spiral ramp in the East Tower and arrived at the library on the ninth floor. The moment he stepped through its doors, he had already made up his mind.
“If failure means death, then I’d rather gamble everything on surviving.”
At the library entrance sat a man pressed against the wall with perfect posture. Judging by his outfit, he seemed to be the librarian.
Saul walked up to ask about borrowing procedures.
But the man kept glancing up in terror at the ceiling, then sideways at the floor, as though something horrible was about to crawl out of both directions.
He didn’t respond to Saul at all.
Saul tried looking at the floor and ceiling himself, but saw nothing strange.
Left with no choice, he returned to the entrance, warily scanning the towering rows of shelves.
A light fog drifted through the library. Only the first two or three rows near the entrance were clearly visible. The farther back the shelves were, the denser the mist became—until they disappeared completely into white haze.
Each row had bold signage: “Tier 0”, “Tier 1”, and so on.
The shelves were clearly categorized by spell tier—the higher the tier, the deeper and more dangerous the knowledge.
Saul walked down the library’s single straight aisle.
He paused at the division between Tier 0 and Tier 1 shelves.
Peeking at the spines of the books, he saw that many were labeled with titles.
However, some were written in arcane languages. Other than Noah Script, Saul couldn’t read the rest.
The Tier 0 books merely gave him a sense of unease. They didn’t induce the intense dizziness higher-level texts might.
Recalling how a fellow student had just cut their own legs into roots and buried themselves in a flowerbed this morning, Saul dared not glance at any unfamiliar script too long.
After lingering at the divide, he stepped into the fog.
Where there’s a first, there’s always a second and third.
One by one, other new students arrived, cautiously surveying the eerie atmosphere.
Someone approached the dozing librarian and reached out to tap his shoulder.
But the moment their hand made contact, the librarian vanished—as though he’d never been there to begin with.
It had all been a hallucination.
The newcomers huddled together, visibly uneasy.
“Are we really going in? This place is creepy—it doesn’t feel safe like the dorms.” A timid girl named Jenna voiced her fear.
“That servant went in. You’re not going to tell me you’re worse than a servant, are you?” another bold one snapped.
“Let’s wait and see what happens to him,” said Duke, who now spoke more mildly after being intimidated by Saul earlier.
But each time Duke looked toward the white mist where Saul had disappeared, a flicker of venom crossed his eyes—like he was hoping Saul would simply vanish and never return.
Unfortunately for him, Saul soon reappeared from the mist, clutching a book.
He glanced around. The nervous man from before was gone. Besides himself and the other newcomers, no one else was in sight.
"How do I check this out? Do I just… walk out with it?"
Given how upperclassmen charged even to share knowledge, Saul doubted the library was free.
“Two magic crystals. One day.”
A raspy voice rang out beside him. An old man had appeared out of nowhere.
On closer inspection, he looked just like the nervous man—only decades older.
So expensive.
Saul had expected it to cost something, but two whole magic crystals for a single day?
He didn’t haggle. He simply handed over the crystals and dashed out of the library.
Time was against him.
“Are you borrowing books too? If so, hurry up. Don’t waste my time.” The old man pocketed the crystals and barked at the other students.
They all shook their heads frantically.
Borrowing books just weeks before a major exam? Spending two crystals for something they couldn’t even understand? That Saul must be crazy!
“If you’re not borrowing, then get lost.” the old man snapped, vanishing once more.
The newbies flushed in embarrassment and shuffled out in silence.
After a brief rest, Saul arrived at the lab at 2 PM, clutching the borrowed book and a blank notebook.
He found an empty desk, tossed the book down, and began copying like his life depended on it.
Soon after, Angela and Duke arrived.
The three of them sat far apart, minding their own business.
Near 3 PM, second-rank apprentice Mark strolled in with a visibly anxious man.
Mark chatted and scanned the room casually until his eyes landed on Saul, calmly scribbling away. A complex look flickered across his face.
“You can go. I’ll find you if I need anything,” Mark told the man, then walked right past Duke—who had already stood up hopefully and approached Saul instead.
Duke sat back down in embarrassment.
Saul, deep in transcription, didn’t notice Mark until a light knock landed on his desk.
“Senior Mark,” Saul stood immediately, cautious but polite.
“You did a great job yesterday. Honestly, better than I could’ve done.” Mark smiled. “But I’ve been thinking, maybe it’s a bit much to have you clean the lab. Let’s drop that job for now.”
Saul’s fingers clenched subtly on the notebook.
Was Mark backing off because of “Mr. Pink”? Or was there another reason?
Saul was conflicted. Last night had been terrifying, sure—but if he didn’t clean, he’d have no way to get lessons from Mark.
“But, Senior—” Saul began.
Mark waved it off with an easy grin.
“If you have any questions, just ask me directly. Master Katz told me to keep an eye on you, after all.”
“Thank you, senior!” Saul puffed his chest, full of enthusiasm.
The two looked like perfect model students—no hint of the horror from the night before.
Since Saul had survived, he clearly wasn’t ordinary.
Without a good enough reason, Mark wouldn’t risk making an enemy of him again.
This was also his way of offering Saul compensation—closing the chapter on what had happened.
“Copying something?"
“Yes. I borrowed a book, but only for a day. I’m transcribing the important bits to review later.”
“Let me see which parts are useful.” Mark picked up the book.
One glance at the cover, and he stared in surprise.
It was the exact book he’d mentioned to Saul yesterday.
A book about Sorcerous Body Modification
Grimm’s Perception of Sorcerous Body Modification
“You… actually want to read this?”
Saul nodded calmly.
(End of Chapter)
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