Later that day, Himo found a place that left his eyes sparkling. The section of magic spells. After speaking with the receptionist at the entrance, he didn’t waste time and sped through the portal. Even while his stomach grumbled from the lack of dinner, he whipped his student seal in front of the scanner and entered the library—
“What’s this?!”
But he froze. Standing at the entrance, he stared, mouth agape, at the library—even the room he slept in was bigger. A single shelf and nine books filled the place, adorned by a single wooden desk and chair. No student was in sight. A door on the other side of the room seemed to laugh as it showed its letter C.
A deep sigh left his mouth as he shook his head. Left with no choice, he pointed weakly at the few paper-thin books and glanced at Phylia. “Let’s record them and return.”
-----
Once at home—the semi-empty bedroom—Himo sat on the bed and read through the introductory book on magic spells. Afterward, he directed his gaze to the spellbooks. He frowned. I’ve recorded eight spells, but I can’t learn all of them. It would be unbefitting of me to learn unworthy ones!
[Why doesn't the user just admit that learning all of them is too hard?]
It’s not! Ignoring the system, Himo focused on the books.
Fireball.
Earth Wall.
Bug Spray.
Electrolatum.
Red Fireball.
Earth Spear.
Lightning.
Blob.
“What’s wrong with these names?” Himo sprung off the bed. “‘Blob’? ‘Bug spray’? And what’s up with ‘red fireball’—that’s just a rip-off!”
[The user is too picky. Any spell can be strong when used decently.]
“Then describe their ‘strength’!” Himo humphed.
[Blob]
[Create a small ball of water in front of the caster. It can be shot or drunk.]
“Just call it ‘waterball’!”
[Bug Spray]
[Can kill any bug. Note: if the bug is a monster, it will work akin to laughing gas.]
“That’s something I would’ve liked back on Earth. Not now, though.”
[Red Fireball]
[Create a small ball of fire in front of the caster. It can explode.]
“I knew it was a rip-off!” Himo facepalmed as he waved his other palm dismissively. “Next? And skip the fireball, the earth wall, and the earth spear. I’ve already seen those.”
[Electrolatum]
[Creates a miniature tornado made of electricity. It can be maneuvered remotely.]
“Wait, isn’t this the one used by that other student? Put it away, quickly! I’m not going to use someone else’s spell!”
[Smoke Screen]
[Makes a smokescreen.]
“Ah! That’s not even a description, it’s a straight-up redundancy!” Himo frowned. “I’ve read about many characters that use this spell to defeat enemies, and I’m not impressed!” He waved a hand as though to punch a fly. “A spell should show its prowess by enhancing itself through combinations! For this, I’ll choose the lighting spell!”
[The system hasn’t even explained that one yet. Did the user just get another questionable idea?]
“My ideas aren’t questionable—they’re calculated!”
-----
The next day, Himo and Phylia returned to the training room.
First phase: the chant. He raised a hand toward the middle of the field and chanted, “Under my command, heaven’s chains shall shatter, revealing your true form. Turn all into nothing and view any metal as your goal.”
The second phase: the mana structure. Himo commanded his mana to ascend his arm and shape the frame of the spell.
And at last… the release! “Show yourself, for I call you upon our plane—Lightning!”
From his fingers boomed streaks of light that contorted amongst themselves. They darted forward in a mad dash, and they dissipated.
Himo sighed. “Another failure… am I perhaps not apt at using magic spells?”
[After seeing the user failing throughout the morning, even the system is starting to get bored. What about using the correct chant instead? It would be easier.]
“Never! That’s too lame! What ‘I request thee’, I’m not going to say that!”
-----
Starting that day, Himo began his training regimen: magic spells in the morning, reading in the afternoon, and formations in the evening. It was a harsh routine that started suddenly and ended just as quickly after two days. Left with no D-coins, all he could do was to stare at the C-coin.
“Where can I exchange this?” he muttered as he lay on the bed.
Phylia poked out from beneath the bed. She fiddled with broken pieces of the stall they had run.
Himo glanced at her and his eyes lit up. “Right! There was that ‘banker hall’ that student mentioned—let’s ask there!”
And so they did. After wandering through tens of portals, the two reached a spacious building that boasted a gold interior. Chandeliers, the carpet’s sides, the counter—everything had traces of gold. Several students formed a line to the counter, so Himo had to wait several minutes to speak with the receptionist. Finally, his turn arrived.
“Hello!” The receptionist glanced at him as she moved a stack of papers. “Are you here to get the monthly allowance?”
“Monthly allowance?” Himo froze.
She raised an eyebrow. “Every student is given twenty coins each month based on their current class. How come you don’t know?” She grabbed a paper from the bottom of the stack. “Oh. Are you perhaps… the newcomer, Shu Himo?”
Himo nodded. He showed her his student badge.
“The headmaster told me to give you sixty coins just for this time.” She wrote a few marks on the paper before passing him the money. “Do you need anything else?”
Himo gazed at the coins on his hands. What did I struggle to make money for?! But he soon snapped out of it. He showed the C-coin to the receptionist. “Is there any way I can exchange this for D-coins?”
“You’re in the right place. Each coin equals a hundred coins of the class below it.”
“I see.” Himo proceeded with the exchange. “Thank you!”
“It’s nothing. Good luck.” She smiled and waved at him. After Himo and Phylia walked out of the building, she frowned slightly. “Wait… how did he get that coin in just a week?”
-----
Standing at the entrance of the training room, Himo inserted a coin into the fissure. As the door opened, he smirked. Admire, this is the power of money!
[Opening doors? Now, that’s a fearsome power.]
…I don’t need your sarcasm. Himo rolled his eyes and stepped inside.
Armed with money, he resumed his training. The morning was spent by practicing magic, afternoon by reading, and evening by studying formations. He spent time like that as days quickly slipped away—even his birthday was skipped—and the day of the exam soon arrived.
“I can’t wait!” As soon as he woke up, Himo giggled as he jumped out of the bed. He prepared himself for the day and walked to the door. “Oh, right. I nearly forgot. Status!”
§-----------------------------------------------§
[Shu Himo, 11 Years old]
[Hp: 100%] [Mp: 824→1350!]
§-------§
[Strength: 72.4→137!] [Endurance: 41.8→115!]
[Agility: 87.4→150!] [Dexterity: 78→150!]
[Intelligence: 82.4→135!] [Perception: 91→150!]
[Realm: Dantian Core Formation] [Stage: 1st String][Foundation%: 100%]
[The maximum stats points at this realm is 150]
[The average cultivator’s stats points(in the proximity of the user) at this realm is 34]
§-------§
[Khenqi Quality: Low][Khenqi Amount: 0.058]
[???: Chaos][??? Grade: Locked]
[???: None]
[Skills: [Intimidation lv_1], [Hopper lv_2].]
[Unique Skills: [Steal Illusion].]
[State: Sigh.]
§-----------------------------------------------§
“Ooh!” Himo’s eyes brightened up. “Three stats have been maxed out! Three! The hard work I put during this month… was worth it!”
[Until the user reaches the second string, that is.]
Ignoring the remark from the system, Himo gave a high-five to Phylia. With a confident smirk, he traveled for sixty portals and reached the exam area: an enormous stadium.
Surrounded by green, ten square rings occupied the center of the stadium. Thousands of D class students in the stadium stared at the squares in silence, while C class students enjoyed the spectacle from the stands. Tens of teachers supervised the students—some were on the stands, others among the competing students.
