Path to Transcendence

Julius finally found the library. It was an entire massive building and reminded him of the Notre Dame Cathedral in many ways. Large, complex architecture and arches made up the structure, and gorgeous artwork was placed tastefully around the library, giving it just the right amount of elegance, sophistication, and coziness. There were multiple levels of bookshelves upon bookshelves. It was truly a library that deserved its renown.

When Julius walked in, he had to show the badge he had gotten when he had gotten his room key to the librarian. Julius thanked the older woman, who let him know that she was there if he had any questions.

“Do you know where I can find books on possible [Mana Manipulation] evolutions?” Julius thought to ask her.

The librarian directed Julius to the section where he would find some books detailing some skill evolutions. She did let him know that skill evolutions were private to most people and therefore there were fewer books discussing skill progressions than other books. Most of them were biographies of people who died long ago.

She also mentioned that not all skills were the same, even those with the same name. For example, someone with a [Mana Shield] may have a totally different version of another person also with [Mana Shield]. Names were just general descriptors, but skills varied from person to person, depending on how they used them and how they evolved. So she told him that he could find some useful information, but also take whatever he reads with an open mind.

Fortunately, [Mana Manipulation] was the most popular skill in the world, so there was much more information about that skill than others. There were even entire dedicated books that talked about certain versions of [Advanced Mana Manipulation].

Julius chose a few that seemed like they would fit his needs, and also a few that sounded interesting. Then he searched for a place where he could consume these books in peace. Luckily, there weren’t many people in the library. He did see several upperclassmen and even a girl his age, who he assumed was also a first year considering they both weren’t wearing a uniform. The lady who checked him in told him that first-years would receive theirs tomorrow morning.

Julius ended up finding a very comfortable chair sequestered in a private nook on the third floor. It had a small table and some lamps placed for convenience. There was also a window that overlooked a lush garden and a small pond just outside of the library.

It was as good a place as any other. So he dropped into the soft chair and picked a book at random. It was labeled Applications of Mana Layering by Richard Striker. For many hours Julius sat there as he read the book while munching on some of the cookies Rae had packed him. He was enjoying himself, it reminded him of the days back when he was young in his old world. After his parents died, he secluded himself from friends and found himself often alone reading a book. Reading became a place of solace, that helped him forget his own problems for that moment.

Julius didn’t usually read anything this dense though. The book was honestly beyond Julius’s level, it was like reading a scientific article from Earth. Many of the finer details he completely missed and could only follow a fraction of what Richard Striker was talking about.

However, what he did follow was that [Mana Layering] had many applications in combat and everyday magic use. It was like Orus said, [Mana Layering] skills that focused on combat were used to create more sturdy and powerful constructs. With that said, there was an entire field of study of how [Mana Layering] could be used for fields such as enchanting, blacksmithing, and other professions. There was so much that the skill could do, using it like Julius had been thinking about was only one part.

He finished the book and made sure to bookmark it to take another look at it at a future date. He wanted to come back to it once he learned more. He checked the clock and it said it was only early afternoon, he should still have a couple of hours before the cafeteria served dinner.

He thought he could get another book or at least be able to skim through it before then. He picked up another one, this time it was the one named Mana Manipulation Evolutions by Ghelisene Marks. It was the smallest book on his pile and he should be able to get through most of it before a couple of hours were up.

While he was reading an upperclassman wearing a black and gold uniform, with three dashes across his shoulder walked into his nook where he was reading, however upon seeing Julius, he apologized and walked just around the corner to another nook. It seemed like Julius wasn’t the only one who was looking to do some research before the semester started. Also, he had noticed that many of the students with uniforms had lines on their shoulders. Julius was thinking that those lines indicated one’s year, which would mean that upperclassmen was a third-year.

Julius forgot about the guy and focused back on his reading. The thin book was a fun read. It mentioned many of the skill evolutions of [Mana Manipulation], but it didn’t describe the ones he was offered in too much depth. He was hoping it would detail each skill and some of the potential pathing it might take down the line. He did learn of some funny skills though.

There was a skill called [Mana Moisturizer] which was a skill that a famous actress had used to keep her skin looking perfect. It replaced lotion and had the unique ability to revitalize and improve one's skin for optimal beauty.

Another one he found was a skill called [Mana Chicken]. A weird skill that created a construct that looked exactly like a chicken down to its feathers in intricate and precise detail. The man who used it was a farmer who was having problems with animals eating his chickens and learned the skill to create illusionary chickens as bait to trap the predators.

There were many other skills just as weird and unique. If you could think of it, it was there. Julius didn’t find much useful information, but he did find himself laughing at some of the skills and how they were used.

Once it was around six he collected his stack of books and put away the two he read. Then he walked down to the front counter where the librarian was still there reading a book of her own. Julius cleared his throat to get her attention and she put her book down and asked him, “What can I do for you, hun?”

“I wanted to know what your checkout procedure is like. Like how many books I can check out and so forth,” Julius told her.

“There is a limit of two books a person can check out at one time, you can request for more, but I or another library staff member has to authorize it,” she explained to him.

Julius looked down in his arms and counted four books. Two too many it seemed. He thought about which ones he would like to keep and which ones to leave here for another time. He chose to leave the ones on the bottom and take the ones on top. It wouldn’t matter too much, he could always come back once he was done anyway.

The librarian took out a sheet of paper much like the one he saw used during his exam and wrote down the books he was checking out under his name.

“You can keep them for two weeks, but after two weeks you either have to return them or extend your rental. Otherwise, a penalty will be enforced. Also, you may only keep them for a maximum of four weeks. This is to prevent students from hoarding books all year long. You would be surprised how many times that happened before we implemented that rule,” the lady said to Julius.

Julius did notice multiple copies of some books, but he also saw some with only one copy available, so he could see how that might be a problem, especially for a rare book.

“Oh, and each book is enchanted just in case it is lost or damaged,” she added.

Julius thanked her and placed the books in his bag for safekeeping. Then he left, heading toward the cafeteria. There was a dedicated cafeteria for first-years and second-years but since it was early in the school year, it wasn’t open yet. So Julius had to head over to the main cafeteria where staff and upperclassmen ate.

Technically, it was allowed for underclassmen to eat at the main cafeteria, as there was no rule stating that they could not. Underclassmen had a smaller but exclusive cafeteria built after some problems upperclassmen caused for the younger students. It became an unspoken tradition that the underclassmen would only eat in their dedicated area, at least that was what Declan told him.

However, for now, he would have to eat in the main one regardless. He walked through the doors, following a group of upperclassmen who had arrived back to school early. They were talking loudly, asking about how their breaks went and what they did.

Julius maintained some distance but followed them to the line where they each picked up a metal tray and started to choose their food. Julius was surprised at how good the food looked. He was used to awful cafeteria food back in his old world. Frozen pizza, overcooked chicken, and sad vegetables. He even once went to a school that had given him bagged milk, which was just milk in a sandwich baggie that you would punch a straw through.

The food at Goldencrest was much better than that. Declan said the food was pretty good, but Declan also wasn’t a picky eater. Julius was pretty sure Declan could live off of dried rations, so Julius didn’t take his word for it.

There was a wide array of food available. Everything from chicken and rice to fish and salads. They had it all. It was like a Las Vegas buffet. Julius was salivating as he waited for his turn.

Some of the boys ahead of him noticed him following them but didn’t pay him any mind. Once it was Julius’s turn, he piled his tray with something that looked like steak, a nice pile of crispy potatoes covered in herbs, some vegetables, and a drink that looked like lemonade.

He didn’t have to pay for anything. The one thing about Goldencrest was that other than the application fees, which Declan took care of for him, you didn’t need to pay any tuition. They were properly funded by former alumni, sponsors, donations, the city, and also events they held during the year, such as the Intra and Inter-School Tournaments.

Those tournaments raised a lot of money for the school, as many people from Heston and all over came to watch the students fight it out.

When Julius got his food he found himself an open cafeteria-style table away from some of the busier parts of the cafeteria. Although the year hadn’t started officially yet, there were still many students who wanted to come early.

Maybe, they wanted to avoid all the traffic and move back in before all the first and second years came back, Julius thought to himself.

The food tasted just as good as it looked. The steak was tender and perfectly seasoned, with a nice char all around. The potatoes were divine, he didn’t know how they kept them so crispy and fluffy even after sitting out for a while.

The “lemonade” wasn’t lemonade. It was a sweet fruity drink that reminded him of the liquid of canned peaches, but better. It surprisingly went well with what he was eating.

While he was enjoying his food, he was also observing the other students. Most of them were laughing and talking to each other, most likely describing their breaks and talking about what classes they were planning to take. Speaking of that, Julius still hadn’t taken a good look at the list.

With a mouth full of potatoes, he opened his pack and took out the list they provided him of the available classes.