Green's Cognition of Wizard Body Modification

Although he had to keep stopping to recover his Magic Power through meditation, Thor was still the fastest among the newcomers at learning Runes.

Many people still hadn't managed to draw their first Rune by the end of class.

But Thor wasn't smug about it.

He knew that even drawing a Rune was this difficult. If he wanted to cast a Witchcraft spell later, who knew how many more obstacles he would face?

So Thor didn't rush. Instead, he repeatedly constructed a few Runes, reducing the amount of Magic Power he wasted so he could make more Runes with the same amount.

Rather than making a single Rune and causing his Magic Power to surge like a thunderclap.

After class, Thor declined Keli's offer to walk together and went to test his current Magic Power first.

He wanted to know just how hopeless his talent for Magic Power really was.

He soon came out looking dejected.

Though he had been prepared for it, a mere 3 joules of Magic Power still made the road ahead seem bleak.

There was no way he could reach 10 joules within three months by conventional means!

"What happens if I fail the test? I'll probably die, right?"

Thor followed the slope of the East Tower up to the ninth floor and entered the Library. The moment he crossed the threshold, he had already made up his mind.

"Better to risk everything and pass the test than fail it and die."

At the Library entrance, a man sat ramrod straight against the wall. Judging by his clothes, he seemed to be the librarian.

Thor went up to ask about the rules for borrowing books.

But the man kept glancing fearfully at the ceiling, then cautiously glaring at the floor, as though something terrifying might emerge from above or below.

He ignored Thor completely.

Thor followed his gaze, looking at the floor and ceiling, but didn't see anything unusual.

He had no choice but to return to the Library entrance and warily watch the rows of towering bookshelves.

A faint mist drifted through the Library. Only the two or three rows of shelves near the entrance were clearly visible. The farther back he looked, the blurrier they became, until they vanished completely beneath the White Mist.

Prominent signs stood on either side of the bookshelves, bearing labels like "Rank 0" and "Rank 1" in fist-sized letters.

The bookshelves here were organized by the ranks of Witchcraft.

The higher the rank, the more profound and dangerous the knowledge on the shelves.

Thor walked down the Library's only straight aisle.

He stopped at the boundary between the Rank 0 and Rank 1 shelves.

He scanned the exposed spines of the books. Many had titles printed on them.

Some were written in Wizard languages. Apart from Noah Language, Thor couldn't read any of the others.

The writing on the Rank 0 books only made him slightly uncomfortable; it didn't cause intense dizziness.

Thinking of the new Apprentice who had cut himself into strips and planted himself in a flowerbed that morning, Thor didn't dare look for long at the unfamiliar writing.

After pausing at the boundary, Thor stepped forward again, his figure disappearing into the White Mist.

Once someone had tried it, others were sure to follow.

Soon, a second person came, then a third.

New Apprentices trickled into the Library, looking around with curiosity.

One of them went over and tried to wake the librarian sitting at the entrance.

But the moment his hand touched the librarian's shoulder, the man vanished. His hand passed through empty air.

It was as if the whole thing had been an illusion.

The newcomers exchanged glances. Remembering how strange this Wizard Tower was, they hurriedly gathered together.

"Are we really going in? The atmosphere here is so creepy. The dormitory feels much safer," said a rather timid girl named Jenna.

"That servant went in. Surely you're not worse than a servant?" another newcomer with a bold look immediately retorted.

"We can wait here and see if he runs into any danger." This time, it was Duke, who seemed much gentler than before, who spoke.

After Thor had threatened him, he seemed to have reined in his hostility.

But whenever he looked toward the spot where Thor had disappeared, a venomous glint flashed in his eyes. He seemed to hope Thor would disappear for good and never come back.

To his disappointment, Thor soon emerged from the White Mist, a book in his hand.

Once outside, Thor noticed that the nervous man at the entrance was gone.

There was no one else in the Library besides him and the newcomers.

"How do I borrow this book? Do I just take it with me?"

Since the Senior charged money to teach people, Thor didn't think the Library was free.

"Two Magic Crystals for one day."

As Thor looked around, an old man suddenly appeared at the entrance.

A closer look revealed that he resembled the man who had been sitting there earlier, only about ten years older.

That was expensive!

Thor had expected borrowing a book to cost a lot, but he hadn't expected it to cost this much.

He didn't haggle. He handed the old man two Magic Crystals and hurried out of the Library.

Now he had to race against time.

"Are you borrowing books too? If you are, hurry up and get one. Don't waste my time." The old man pocketed the Magic Crystals with satisfaction, then turned and addressed the other newcomers with a stern face.

The newcomers all shook their heads.

Seriously? They had a test in three months. They hadn't even learned all the basics of Witchcraft. Who would want to read those obscure books, let alone pay two whole Magic Crystals for the privilege?

Thor must have been crazy!

"If you're not borrowing anything, get out," the old man snapped, then suddenly vanished again.

The newcomers' cheeks burned. They lowered their heads and jostled their way out of the Library.

After a brief rest, Thor arrived at the Laboratory at two in the afternoon, carrying his newly borrowed book and a blank notebook.

He found an empty desk, tossed the book onto it, and bent over to start copying.

Angela and Duke arrived shortly afterward.

The three of them still sat far apart, each keeping to themselves and leaving the others alone.

Just before three, Mark, a Level 2 Apprentice, strolled into the Laboratory with a nervous-looking man beside him.

Mark chatted with the man, smiling, while casually scanning the Laboratory.

When he saw Thor sitting there, safe and sound, a complex expression crossed his face for a moment.

"Go back. I'll find you if I need anything." Mark nodded to the man, passed Duke, who was closer to the door, and walked over to Thor.

Duke, who had already stood up, awkwardly sat back down.

Mark's arrival didn't distract Thor from copying.

Only when a hand gently tapped his desk did he realize someone was standing beside him.

"Senior Mark." Thor immediately stood up, respectful but wary.

"You did a great job yesterday. You cleaned up even better than I could have." Mark smiled. "But after thinking it over, I realized that cleaning the Laboratory might be a bit too difficult for you. You don't have to do it anymore."

Thor's fingers curled slowly around the notebook.

Had Mark changed his mind because of Big Pink, who had appeared last night?

Or was there something else behind it?

Thor felt conflicted. What had happened last night had been terrifying, but if he stopped cleaning the Laboratory, he wouldn't have any money to pay Mark for answers.

"But, Senior..." Thor hesitated.

Mark immediately understood what he wanted to say and answered readily, "If you have any questions from now on, just ask me. Mentor Kazi told me to make sure I looked after you."

"Thank you, Senior!" Thor immediately straightened up, looking very excited.

The two of them acted like close friends. Neither mentioned what had happened the day before.

Since Thor had made it through the night, he clearly wasn't an ordinary Apprentice.

Mark wouldn't attack an Apprentice without good reason.

He didn't want to get dragged into deeper trouble for no reason.

At the same time, he decided to offer this formidable newcomer a little compensation and let yesterday's incident pass.

"Are you copying a book?"

"Yes. I borrowed a book, but I can only keep it for a day, so I thought I'd copy some of it and read it slowly later."

"I'll help you figure out which parts are useful." Mark picked up the book enthusiastically.

The moment he saw the cover, he looked at Thor in surprise.

This was the very book he had mentioned to Thor the day before—the one about Wizard Body Modification!

Green's Cognition of Wizard Body Modification

"You... really want to read this book?"

Thor calmly nodded in response to Mark's question.