CH119 - CH120

CH119 

Helag didn't need to worry about textbooks for herbology and potion-making; Larry had them all, and Helag already had them in hand.

Course issues were also not a concern, as Larry personally taught him, treating Helag as a real student.

Helag checked his rune stone and saw that there were almost no courses available at the moment. Regular courses would resume in a few days.

Courses in Moonlight Forest were very affordable, mainly to benefit the apprentices. The formal wizards teaching these courses had task requirements, needing to hold a class every three months.

Moonlight Forest provided many resources to the contracted formal wizards, who in turn had responsibilities and obligations.

In the recent war between Moonlight Forest and Green Hut, several formal wizards died, a significant loss for both sides.

Helag urgently needed knowledge related to ancient magic, which wasn't available on the first floor of the library. He had to check the second floor.

The Moonlight Forest library had seventeen floors. Even third-level apprentices could only access the second floor.

Higher floors were restricted to contracted formal wizards.

Since Helag decided to make Great Dark Heaven his innate spell, he needed to learn more about it.

Early the next morning, just as dawn broke, Helag finished his meditation and headed to the library.

Larry had no orders for the next few days, giving Helag time to visit the library.

When Helag arrived, he found over a dozen people waiting outside the library.

The library would open soon, and some people were reading by the streetlights.

Helag thought of Leo, who still hadn't replied to his messages. Leo had few friends, so Helag couldn't inquire about his whereabouts.

Most of the people outside the library were like Leo, hardworking first and second-level apprentices. Including Helag, there were only two third-level apprentices.

At six o'clock, the library doors automatically opened.

The waiting apprentices entered orderly, without rushing.

Unlike crowded schools in his previous life, the Moonlight Forest library had plenty of space.

Helag first wandered around the first floor, scanning new books into Deep Blue.

The library updated slowly, with new books mostly written by Moonlight Forest wizards and added after approval.

Helag then climbed the stairs to the second floor.

The second-floor door was closed, with a slot for the rune stone. Helag placed his rune stone in the slot.

The stone lit up, the slot glowed green, and with a ding, Helag retrieved his rune stone, and the door opened.

The second floor was even larger than the first, with endless rows of bookshelves.

"Looks like there's spatial magic here."

Helag estimated the space, which was three times larger than it appeared from outside.

Only two people were on the second floor: a librarian, a third-level apprentice named Layton Porter.

Layton looked very old, with white hair and beard. The sign in front of him read, "Layton Porter."

Third-level apprentices typically lived between 120 and 150 years, aging slower than ordinary people.

Layton looked exceptionally old, likely over a hundred years.

Helag knew some elderly apprentices, unable to advance, would leave Moonlight Forest to retire at home.

Others, like Layton, chose to stay and spend their remaining years in Moonlight Forest.

Moonlight Forest didn't expel them, as there were always tasks needing people, like library work, suitable for the elderly.

Library work was easy, not even requiring book organization.

The library had spells that automatically returned books to their original places.

"Are you newly advanced?" Layton, though old, had sharp eyes and smiled from his chair.

Helag nodded. "Yes, I'm here to check out the second floor."

"Every newly advanced third-level apprentice rushes to the second floor, so I know almost all of them. Despite my age, I remember everyone. You're new to me."

Layton spoke slowly but clearly.

After chatting with Layton, Helag learned the general layout and categories of the second-floor books and headed to the history section.

Layton resumed reading, occasionally sipping his coffee, looking content.

Helag stood under a tall bookshelf, looking up.

The shelves were nine meters high, making it hard to see the top books.

But this wasn't a problem for Helag, who had Deep Blue to gather information.

For third-level apprentices, it was also easy, as they could use magic to sense and retrieve books.

Helag started scanning books from the first shelf in the history section, recording them into Deep Blue's database.

He didn't have time to read each book, focusing on scanning them quickly.

Given the second floor's size, Helag estimated it would take three to four days to scan all the books.

The second-floor books were richer and deeper in content than the first floor, with advanced versions of many first-floor books.

Four days later, Helag stood before the last bookshelf, flipping through "Geography of the Dragon Tribe," scanning it into Deep Blue.

"Finally done," Helag thought.

The second floor provided immense knowledge, enough to last a long time.

For ordinary apprentices, it could take decades to read everything here.

But Helag didn't need to read every book. With Deep Blue's database, he could access the information anytime.

After completing this task, Helag began reading seriously.

He focused on ancient history, ancient magic, and information on body-refining wizards.

He didn't need to stay in the library, preferring to read at home.

As he left, Layton was asleep, resting on a book.

CH120 

After leaving the library, Helag began planning his next steps.

With enough magic stones, he planned to buy many zero-level spells.

Zero-level spells come in various types, but most apprentices can't afford the time, energy, or money to learn many of them.

Helag, however, had Deep Blue's assistance, saving him a lot of time in learning these spells. With plenty of magic stones, he could buy as many zero-level spells as he wanted.

The more spells he mastered, the more options he had in different situations.

There were three ways to buy zero-level spells. The cheapest was the flea market, where apprentices sold spells they had learned to recoup some costs, usually at lower prices.

The second option was the official Moonlight Forest store, which had a wide variety but higher prices. Helag couldn't afford this place before.

The last option was direct transactions with other wizards, like Helag had done with Leo and Larry.

Helag decided to check the flea market first. Despite fewer people recently, saving money was always good.

Leaving the library near midnight, Helag meditated at home overnight and headed to the flea market the next morning.

The flea market was noticeably quieter, with fewer stalls and shoppers. 

After wandering for a while, Helag found a stall selling zero-level spells.

He crouched by the roadside, examining the spell models. After filtering out spells he already knew, he picked three good ones:

– Small Fireball

– Flame Shield

– Magic Missile

Small Fireball had decent damage. Once mastered, its casting speed and power would surpass using enchanted items.

Flame Shield was a unique fire-based shield with both defensive and offensive capabilities. The shield's surface was hot, allowing the user to charge into enemy formations.

Although Helag wasn't a fire specialist, he still bought it, as he could never have too many shield spells.

Magic Missile, a dark-element attack spell, was perfect for Helag, who had no dark energy attack spells yet. It was practical, with low mana consumption and decent damage.

"How much for these three zero-level spells?" Helag asked.

The stall owner, a thin second-level apprentice, glanced at Helag and said, "Two magic stones each."

"I'll take them all," Helag said, finding the price reasonable. He paid six magic stones and took the three spells.

The stall owner carefully accepted the stones, visibly relieved.

Helag knew six magic stones meant a lot to ordinary apprentices, enabling them to do many things.

He continued browsing other stalls but found few zero-level spells. He only bought one more, Ice Arrow.

"I need to check the Moonlight Forest spell store," Helag thought, finding nothing else valuable at the flea market.

The spell store was across from the Lion Café, a five-story building.

Once bustling, the store now saw few visitors.

The store mainly sold zero-level and some first-level spells, along with various casting materials.

Many spells required specific materials to cast, often consumable and needing regular replenishment.

Helag's current spells didn't need materials, so he rarely visited the store.

The store looked like a bookstore, with many shelves holding spell model books, each with a price tag. Zero-level spells on the first floor typically cost three to five magic stones, a bit more than at the flea market.

Fatigue Hand caught Helag's eye.

Fatigue Hand induced a state of fatigue in enemies upon contact. Though it seemed simple, it was highly useful in combat, where a single mistake could be fatal.

Its only drawback was the need for close contact, but Helag had plans for that.

Taking Fatigue Hand, Helag continued browsing and found another interesting spell, Mana Armor.

Unlike shield spells, Mana Armor enhanced physical defense, like wearing armor. Helag, always welcoming defensive spells, took it.

He then bought five more shield spells, nearly completing his collection of zero-level shield spells.

Helag also bought some enhancement spells:

– Fleet Foot: Temporarily boosts movement speed for one second.

– Rage of the Blood Bull: Greatly increases physical strength and power, requiring Blood Bull's blood to cast.

– Unyielding Will: Enhances resistance to charm, fear, and other negative effects.

– Blessing of the Mountain Spirit: Temporarily grants the strength of a mountain giant.

Next, Helag focused on dark energy spells.

As a dark energy specialist, he needed more spells in this category.

Dark energy spells were fewer, but Helag found Shadow Corner.

Shadow Corner allowed the user to blend into shadows, hiding their presence. It was like a thief's stealth technique but more advanced and effective.

Helag immediately liked this spell, perfect for ambushes.

However, it was only useful for surprise attacks. If the enemy used mana detection, the spell would be ineffective.