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C227 - Dreamscape (1)

Hours later, Leonel found himself in a library.

Leonel wasn't very used to normal books. By the time his era came around on Earth, such things had been completely fazed out. So, seeing the towering bookcases one could only use ladders to reach the top of, he felt a deep sense of awe.

The scent alone made his heart reach a state of calmness. He had never understood when he read about those who said there was nothing that could compare to a book one could flip through — his father being among them — but now he gained a small inkling.

The Mage Academy's library had many ledges and oddly placed staircases all around. Sometimes, the highest shelves of the obscenely tall bookcases could only be reached by climbing these stairs.

One of Leonel's privileges as a Holy Son was the ability to access information beyond his mage level. Usually, as a One Star Apprentice Mage, he would only be allowed to touch upon Level One Knowledge. But, he was allowed to read up to Level Four Knowledge.

As long as he was within the Mage Academy, it wouldn't be an issue to read books three levels above his own.

Leonel didn't mind this. He didn't expect to spend very long as a One Star Apprentice Mage. He wouldn't be surprised if it only took a few months to become a Three Star Magus.

Ignoring all the glances he received walking into the library, Leonel immediately picked out as many foundation knowledge books he could find. These were books so common that this library had several hundred copies of each so that those who needed them could always have one available.

'Foundational Crystallization'. 'Importance of Affinity'. 'Foundations of Magic Art Formation'. 'A Mage and His Spiritual Wood'. 'Breaking Through: The Ascension of Tiers'.

It wasn't long before Leonel's spatial bracelet was filled to the brim. Since Elys had all but kicked him out of her class, he could only study on his own. Plus, he somewhat preferred it this way. If he followed the normal study plan of the Academy, it would take at least five years to graduate, and even then, he would only be an Official Mage.

He didn't forget that he was still on a time crunch. This was a Zone, not a vacation spot.

However, Leonel was confident in himself. If this was only a matter of knowledge and gaining it, no one should be able to compare to him.

Leonel sat at a normal oak table and pulled out his first book.

'I have to find ways to use my ability more efficiently…'

Leonel's eyes narrowed for a brief moment. He didn't forget the shock Simeon had given him. He had been able to evolve his ability to the point gene manipulation had become a method of beast taming. This taught Leonel that he was relying too much on his ability to spontaneously evolve, he had to also come up with methods of improving it as well.

'I'll call this ability… Dreamscape.'

Evolving one's ability wasn't always about forming some completely new power. Sometimes, it was as simple as using the abilities you already have more cleverly.

Leonel wanted Dreamscape to become like a databank in his mind. He saw it as a fusion of his Dream Sculpt and Dream World.

What separated truly intelligent people wasn't always about knowledge. If two students were always attentive in class, they would of course have access to the same knowledge. So, why was it that even if they tried equally as hard, one person might ace the class, while the other might only receive an above average grade?

The difference wasn't knowledge, but in how one was able to apply it.

Intelligent people can have access to the same knowledge, but are unique in the way they use that knowledge. They see things the less intelligent can't see, connect dots a normal student never would. This allows them the ability to solve problems with the same tools someone else would fail with.

Leonel wanted his Dreamscape ability to supercharge his intelligence in the same fashion.

The way it worked was simple. First, he would save something into his 'database' using Dream Sculpt. With Dream Sculpt's ability to create a perfect memory of anything, he wouldn't have to worry about ever forgetting it.

Following this, he would fuse the Dream Sculpt into his Dream World. This would place his Dream Sculpt into his world of simulation. This was where the true fearsomeness of this ability would come into play.

Let's say Leonel added this book in his hand to his Dreamscape. This book was titled 'Friend of Light'. From Leonel's understanding after reading its summary, it was a book detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the Light Element, when it was most powerful, how best to absorb it and manipulate it, etc.

Now, if Leonel continued on to want to learn what this world called a 'Magic Art' and it happened to be one of the Light Element, the information he gained from Friend of Light would subconsciously meld into his thoughts, helping him to comprehend the intricacies of the Magic Art with much greater speed.

This was just the simplest example. What if Leonel instead added dozens, hundreds or even thousands of Force Arts to his Dreamscape? Would he be able to see the patterns between them, see through the unique quirks, and even become capable of modifying and creating new Force Arts using this method?

And what if he added just as many blueprints to his Dreamscape? If he had all sorts of Force Crafts floating in his mind, wouldn't he be able to optimize his crafts by compiling the strengths and weaknesses of many?

This was what he wanted his Dreamscape to be capable of. Almost like an advanced AI that was capable of learning through trial and error, he wanted his Dreamscape to consume all the knowledge in the world until he could deduce anything from even the smallest hints.

This was only the beginning. If he added the enemies he battled into his Dreamscape, it might even become possible one day to predict the next move an opponent would take even before the battle began!

Leonel wasn't certain if he could create a Dream Sculpt of a person's combat tendencies just yet, but now that the idea had popped up into his mind, he refused to let it die down.. If Simeon could evolve his ability, he could do so as well. Not only would he do it, but he would do it to an even greater extent!

To be continued