Time flew.
Time passed swiftly.
When a person's life was full enough, time seemed to fly by. Ian felt exactly that way. Compared to just a few days ago, he felt he had changed considerably.
[Runes Mastery (Level 1): 3/100]
As the saying went, hard work brought miracles.
When Ian temporarily stopped improving and training his other skills and focused on mastering Runes, the combination of his talent and the system panel produced devastating results.
Of course.
The reason he had managed to raise a skill with such a slow learning curve to Level 1 so quickly was also related to Language Mastery, which had improved alongside his Runes studies.
[Language Mastery (Level 5): 4/1600]
When this skill, which Ian had placed such high hopes in, reached the watershed of Level 5, its Extraordinary Trait naturally began to take shape.
[Language Mastery Extraordinary Trait—Tongue of Scripts: You will find it easier to learn scripts and languages you have never encountered before.]
A very simple description.
But the effect of the Extraordinary Trait was definitely no small thing.
As an Extraordinary Trait born from an ordinary skill, it had not granted Ian the earth-shattering ability to communicate that he had hoped for, but it had given him a brand-new talent.
His Runes studies had become much faster, and this Extraordinary Trait had also given him the unique ability to learn the languages of animals and Magical Creatures.
In his spare time.
Ian had tried learning the language of the sparrows outside. It was the sort of thing you couldn't understand until you experienced it for yourself. By listening and trying to distinguish their calls, he had quickly worked out the different tones and subtle changes in syllables the sparrows used to express happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy. This was a talent Ian had absolutely lacked before gaining the Extraordinary Trait.
"Maybe if I train it to Level 10 and awaken its Legendary Trait, I really might gain the ability to communicate with all things." Ian was filled with boundless anticipation for the Legendary Trait he had yet to encounter.
However.
He knew that.
His top priority was completing the homework the witch had left him.
After all.
He would be returning to Limbo in two days, and who knew what kind of medieval punishment the witch might inflict on him if she wasn't satisfied with his work?
"Luckily, I'm learning Runes faster now. By the next time I return to Limbo, I should be able to decipher the Ancient Runes and learn the spell."
Ian silently made his plans.
Now that Runes Mastery had successfully reached the entry level.
Ian had gained the basic ability to decipher simple Runes. The reason he could only manage simple interpretations was that the structures of Ancient Runes were completely different from those of most languages.
They were nothing like English, with its linked vocabulary, or Chinese, where characters were combined and arranged. After all, Runes were not only a language but also a medium for communicating with magic.
Simply recognizing and sounding out every Rune did not mean he could decipher the magic they carried. This particular trait was likely a major reason they were so difficult to learn.
Even when the same Rune characters were written in the same order, differences in the connections between each character could represent entirely different meanings.
If a wizard failed to fully understand how the characters connected and recklessly tried to interpret the Runes and cast a spell according to what they thought was right, they would most likely end up as another member of Limbo.
Well.
They might also end up permanently disabled, missing an arm or a leg or something.
Either way.
Ian had no desire to find out what that was like... which was precisely why he was being exceptionally careful as he deciphered the "homework" Mara had left him.
Naturally, this made his progress slow.
By now.
He had deciphered only most of the writing on the dress fragment.
[Fear Descent]
It was said that ancient wizards were best at weaving curses with Runes. Based on the information Ian had managed to decipher so far, the magic recorded on the dress fragment was clearly a curse.
Its principles even involved techniques for implanting thoughts. The effect was probably to plant an illusion in the target's mind that would plunge them into fear.
Perhaps it could implant other kinds of illusions too... What Ian found interesting was that this spell wasn't entirely unknown. It had once played a part in creating the well-known Magical Creature, the Boggart.
It was a Magical Creature that could change its shape at will, taking on the form of whatever a person feared most.
From what Ian had learned while searching in the village's Nameless Bookstore, Boggarts had originated from biological Alchemy. One of the Runes used in their creation was this very Fear Curse.
It was a fascinating piece of trivia.
It also made Ian realize that, as the laws of the wizarding world had been refined, progress in fields like biological Alchemy had seemingly ground to a halt. The situation was probably much like research into genetic engineering in the Muggle World.
"After all, it involves questions of ethics."
Ian wasn't particularly interested in biological Alchemy. What he regretted was that with its decline, spells like the Fear Curse had disappeared as well.
Of course.
With Mara, a witch from ancient times, teaching him, Ian might be able to bring many lost spells back into use. He just didn't know if such "archaeological discoveries" would earn him any kind of incentive bonus.
Well.
Fame was secondary.
Money was what Ian needed most.
"I wonder if the little money I have left will be enough to buy Professor Mara some Potions books." Ian naturally worried about money. He hadn't forgotten what Professor Mara had mentioned before.
Whatever his reasons, Ian would definitely have to take the book-buying seriously.
However.
In the wizarding world.
Knowledge was exceptionally expensive.
Snape had left him a few Galleons, but there was no way it would be enough to buy all the books on Potions. Perhaps buying some secondhand textbooks would be a reasonable compromise for now?
"The books may be secondhand, but the knowledge is the same."
With that in mind.
Ian grabbed his money pouch.
He picked up the three Ancient Runes books that were no longer of any use to him and hurried along the cobbled street once more, heading for the Nameless Bookstore behind Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop.
The shabby storefront was just as it had always been.
Inside the bookshop, where the awning kept out the sunlight, there still wasn't a single customer. Ian stepped inside and looked around, but he couldn't find the old bookseller.
"What are you looking for?"
Suddenly.
A young, curious voice rang out of nowhere.
It startled Ian.
He hurriedly turned toward the voice.
There.
Behind the counter where the books were recorded and the money collected.
A girl with delicate, well-defined features was sitting there, a book resting on her lap. Beneath her platinum-blond hair, a pair of mismatched eyes gazed at Ian.
"I've seen you before."
Those words hadn't come from Ian.
The girl had spoken first, her voice full of surprise.
The awning hung halfway down.
Sunlight dappled the girl's hair, making its already dazzling platinum strands shimmer even more brilliantly. Yet more striking than all that golden hair were the girl's eyes.
One was blue, the other white.
They were such distinctive mismatched eyes that anyone who saw them would never forget them. Now, the white one seemed to be slowly turning. Ian couldn't tell whether it was just an optical illusion caused by the sunlight.