A week swiftly passed.
Klyde was currently in the compulsory Magi lectures alongside his fields of magic he was studying.
It simply detailed knowledge about the world of Magi and the path of a Magus.
In front of the assembled apprentices, Professor Veran stood silently for a moment before speaking.
"Mana exists all throughout this world. It is in the breath of the wind, the pulse of rivers, and the drift of clouds."
"However," he continued, "not all are equal before it. The vast majority of humans are born with bodies unfit for its touch. To them, mana is nothing more than mist."
His gaze swept across the room. "However, everyone here is different. You are the chosen few. Those born with a mana affinity."
Klyde sat near the middle, resting his head comfortably on his right palm, his eyes clear.
"Mana affinity is the mark of one who can breathe in ambient mana. Over years, through unconscious breathing and natural instinct, your body refined this mana. It accumulated quietly, drop by drop, until it took shape."
"Your sea of consciousness is the results of your many years of accumulation."
The apprentices listened quietly.
"The sea of consciousness is your foundation. All the mana you have refined before Awakening now rests there."
He paused.
"After receiving the star sequence for your constellation, all of you should have refined your first star and became a Magus," the professor said.
The professor raised a single finger and continued, "That star is not merely light. It is intent. The creation of your first star would create a connection between you and your sea of consciousness, allowing you to wield mana that's stored from within."
"However, to refine more stars requires a similar yet different process. This is because the creation of the second star, third star, fourth star and so on requires the condensation of mana."
"Each constellation is made up of eleven stars. With every star you refine, you'll have a larger pool of mana to utilise. This is why battling a Magus of a higher rank is much more challenging."
Klyde listened absentmindedly, having already known about such things from reading the novel.
Of course, it was still useful to supplement his knowledge. While his memories were useful, the author couldn't possibly have went into detail about every single minor thing in the novel.
Thus, reinforcing his knowledge was something Klyde was quite open-minded about.
Professor Veran continued, "And, once you refine your eleventh star, you approach the next evolution of your constellation."
"Promotion to a higher Tier is not a simple matter. When a Magus advances from Tier 1 to Tier 2, the changes are profound. The sea of consciousness expands. The mana you command grows not just in volume, but also in quality."
"At Tier 2, your constellation is no longer a simple pattern of stars. It exerts pressure to your surroundings. It effects your body, your spells, even your presence. While many do not know why such changes happen, scholars throughout the years have believed that constellations were the blessings and gifts bestowed by the deities. To ascend and reach the higher Tiers of a constellation is believed as gaining the favour of a deity who had created that path," the professor spoke calmly.
Klyde smirked and shook his head inwardly.
He knew that what the professor said was simply false.
Of course, he wouldn't be correcting him.
After all, how could the words of an insignificant commoner even be remotely believable?
Moreover, there was no good reason for him to reveal such knowledge for free.
To do pointless things, Klyde was not such a person.
And he certainly didn't have enough free time to do favours for humanity.
The lecture went on quietly.
The last bits of the lecture mainly consisted of the professor explaining the strength of Magi at different ranks and Tiers.
All Magi were separated into ranks which corresponded to how completed their star sequence was.
Low rank being 1-4 stars, high rank being 5-8 stars, and peak rank being 9-11 stars.
"While geniuses may be able to overcome a Magus of a much higher rank, throughout history, it is almost impossible for a Magus of a lower Tier to overcome someone of a higher Tier. Of course, this applies to Tier 1 Magi as well. Under normal circumstances, even Magi at the lowest level are vastly superior to that of a mortal human."
Professor Veran let the domineering yet truthful words settle.
It was common knowledge that Magi were superior. When dealing with ordinary mortals, a Magus could steal, beat, even kill, and there would likely be no repercussions.
Such was the cruel but inevitable hierarchy of this world.
Klyde mused, 'Every world has its laws. Every system its constraints. But Magi are beings who challenge the natural order of the world. In this world, to have the talent to become a Magus is like winning the lottery ticket. Of course, Magi have their own set of issues to worry about like monsters and corruption.'
The path of Magus is one of risk, of knowledge, and of ascension.
In this world, strength was not simply for self-defense or pride.
It dictated the right to take, to survive, and to judge.
...
After the lecture ended, Klyde returned to his dormitory and closed the door behind him.
He sat down at his desk and opened a small wooden box on the side. Inside was a pouch containing his magic crystals.
Klyde opened it to reveal a single magic crystal and a small fragment which could hardly be called a magic crystal.
"Nearly four magic crystals this week. Half for meals, and 3 for rented books. That leaves me with this..." Klyde calculated briefly.
Mana crystals were the currency of Magi — crystallized forms of mana which grows naturally in the world.
It's quite useless for mortals, but Magi have a range of uses for it which was why it was the staple currency.
Klyde sighed faintly, leaning back in his chair.
He glanced over to the small tower of books stacked neatly beside his bed.
He had read every single one of them.
They were the one's recommended by Professor Ciel and Ophis.
They weren't high-grade or technical in nature, but they had laid the proper groundwork. Just like what Ophis said, after reading all of them, his foundation in potioneering was more than sufficient to attempt low-grade concoctions.
"But to concoct and improve my proficiency in potioneering, I'll need lots of ingredients. And to get ingredients, I'll need much more magic crystals."
Klyde exhaled again.
He was still troubled by the same issue a week ago.
Nevertheless, after a week, Klyde now had the means to begin his plans.
He hadn't been lazy during his time in the academy.
Alongside his lectures with Professor Cecilia and Professor Ciel, he had been constantly refining his second star, reading many books, whilst also reconstructing one of the spells which had been given to him.
After many hours, he had finally been able to use chantless casting on the Heat Combustion spell.
While the power was about 40% percent less compared to using materials, Klyde was still satisfied.
He now could cast a spell to defend himself.
Moroever, with more time, he can make the spell formula more efficient. Perhaps, by then, it might only be 20% weaker.
"I guess it's about time I go on a mission," Klyde muttered.
At this moment, what Klyde lacked most was simple — magic crystals.
Potioneering was a long-term investment. In time, it would become a stable source of income.
But to even reach that point, he needed materials so he can concoct potions and increase his proficiency, which also required magic crystals.
A frustrating paradox: he needed magic crystals to earn magic crystals.
Besides, potioneering was only a means to support his growth as a Magus, not an end in itself.
Right now, what he needed wasn't a future plan.
He needed an immediate solution.
Fortunately, buried in his memory, he knew just the place.
He stood, packed all the books into a leather satchel, and left his room.
...
Klyde walked through the academy.
Soon, he arrived at the grand library.
After returning the books to the old man at the front, he silently browsed through the bookshelves to select a few other books to read.
Apprentices can spend a single magic crystal for 48 hours of access in the library where they can return and rent out books.
With Klyde's eidetic memory and fast cognition, he naturally took advantage of this as much as he could.
Of course, he made sure not to overdo it so as not to bring in suspicion about his constellation.
While the academy doesn't particularly care about what constellation their apprentices pick at Tier 1, if Klyde began demonstrating abilities like chantless casting openly, it would definitely make people ask questions.
After all, the Scholar Constellation is something not many would know about in this continent. And knowing the greed of Magi, Klyde would rather not reveal such matters unless he was forced to.
Klyde picked out a few books.
"Trap formations and rune arrays... Should be useful and interesting," Klyde mumbled with a thoughtful expression. "Since Trap Magic is a derivative of Rune Magic, it likely shares similarities."
After selecting those, Klyde picked out a few more books.
However, as he reached for a few random books, on one of them, another hand had brushed the spine of the same one Klyde was going for.
The two paused.
Klyde turned his head slightly.
Silver hair. Golden eyes. An icy and composed demeanor.
Azalea Daviessi.
He recognized her immediately. The sole heiress of the Daviessi Royal Family, known throughout the continent as a lineage of Ice Magi. Her fame was widespread, even among the upper echelons of the academy.
Azalea gave him a cursory glance before speaking with a calm voice, "You're also interested in swordsmanship?"
Klyde shook his head mildly. "Not quite. I was only browsing absentmindedly. It seems this book wasn't what I was after. You can have it."
He let go of the book and caught the title properly.
"Sword Tempering and Mana Rhythm."
He mused in his head, 'Swordsmanship? As expected, in the novel, it was described that she was a sword fanatic.'
Azalea nodded in brief gratitude and turned to leave, her presence cool and sharp like frost.
But just as she took a step, Klyde spoke, his voice casual yet oddly discerning.
"You seem as if you're suffering," he said evenly, "Lady Azalea."
She stopped.
She turned halfway, her golden eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"
Klyde's dark irises met hers. They were deep and unfathomable, as if containing countless mysteries.
He smiled faintly. "During midnight, do you feel your body suffering unbearable heat? As if your blood is on fire?"
Her eyes widened slightly.
"How do you know that?"
Klyde didn't reveal anything in his expression, only saying, "I've been studying potioneering. I read a bit about alchemical incompatibilities and simply noticed an abnormality with you."
There was a brief silence between them.
Azalea was perplexed at how sharp Klyde was. She thought she had hidden it well. Ever since she had created her first star, she had been experiencing the symptoms that were described by Klyde.
"Do you know how to fix it?" she asked seriously.
"It's quite simple," Klyde remarked. "The temporary solution is merely to stop practicing the Daviessi sword style."
The air suddenly grew colder.
Her expression sharpened and a chilling aura began to form.
But Klyde remained indifferent.
"Don't take it to heart." Klyde lightly chuckled, acutely aware that she took pride in her family and their swordsmanship.
"It's simply a suggestion," he said casually, already turning to leave.
Behind him, Azalea stood still, her expression unreadable.
Klyde walked out of the grand library.
'Her body is unique. It is exceptionally compatible with fire mana, yet she was born into an Ice Magus clan. Their ancient techniques forced her to walk down the wrong path.'
Klyde contemplated.
'In the novel, it was only a month later that the protagonist would find out and reveal this to her, preventing her from becoming crippled, but I had told her in advance.'
Naturally, it wasn't so simple as what Klyde had suggested, which was why he had said it was temporary. But it would definitely reduce the speed of the worst case scenario from happening.
Klyde wore a thoughtful expression.
He knew after telling her this, it would only be a matter of time before she seeks his help.
With each day, whether she listened to his advice or not, the symptoms would become even more severe.
His lips curved slightly.
'Perhaps that transaction with the goddess might be completed faster than I'd expected.'
...
After making his way to his room and dropping off his books, Klyde went to the Mission boards.
To go to the place in his memory, Klyde first had to accept a mission so he can temporarily leave the academy.