A week had passed since the academy classes began, and William found himself becoming more involved in the activities happening within the institute.

He had completely engrossed himself in his classes doing his best on every course.

Knowing the importance of credit, William decided to showcase a small amount of his knowledge to gain as much as he could. Although he knew that he was basically cheating because he already knew most of the things being taught, he still had to act the part. He wasn't ever going to reveal that he had returned to the past.

He still had to complete presentations however, which took a big chunk of his time.

As his credit balance grew, William's opportunities expanded. He gained access to restricted sections of the library, where he discovered books he had never even heard of before. It was an excellent thing for him since now he could learn things that he indeed didn't have any knowledge of.

He also spent some time in the gravity training rooms as well as the other facilities in the academy. With all the credits he acquired through his classes, he was able to sustain a stable growth rate and even buy supplementary things like potions or ingredients for potions making and treasures for growth.

Using those potions he increased his life-span a few years, though they were extremely expensive to concoct. The after-effects of the forbidden spell he had used were almost gone.

One day, while browsing through the library's second level, William stumbled upon a tome that caught his attention. Its worn leather cover bore the title "Arcane Alchemy: Unveiling the Secrets of Transmutation." Intrigued, he carefully opened the book and began delving into its contents.

The name of the author became visible to him as soon as he opened the first page, prompting him to open his eyes wide in surprise.

"Marinus Lincoln…"

He muttered, clearly taken aback by the name.

Marinus Lincoln was known as the first God of the Thearchy of Bazilarar and also as the first Archmage, a mage who had reached the ninth stage and mastered all twelve elements. What was even more absurd was the fact that he reached that stage at the age of fifty-eight.

At the age of eighty, he became a demi-god and, later on, a deity.

He was nothing more than a monster, even to William. His descendant, Leonardo Lincoln, hadn't reached this stage yet despite being over a hundred years old, though he did come pretty close before the demonic invasion.

William was sure that if Marinus was still alive, fighting the Demon King would be a piece of cake. Sadly, it had been more than five thousand years since he disappeared. There was no way that a person like that wouldn't protect Roia when it was in danger, so William assumed he was dead.

Shaking his head to dispel any stray thoughts, William continued flipping through the pages.

The pages were filled with intricate diagrams, formulae, and descriptions of esoteric alchemical processes. William could tell that everything was thoroughly researched and confirmed, giving off a pretty solid vibe. He didn't know when the book was written, but it was apparent that it was a copy of the original.

"No, not even a copy; this book is probably a copy of a copy. There is no way the original or a first copy would be allowed here."

He muttered, examining the book's cover more thoroughly. The leather covering was artificially aged, and the paper was relatively new, but for a copy, it was superbly done. It was clear that the person who created the copy really enjoyed the original book.

Sighing, William headed over to a reading table and began flipping through the pages.

The book wasn't anything special, containing basic alchemy knowledge, but it was so well written that even complete beginners could reenact the recipes with great success.

'This book was written when Marinus was relatively young, probably around fifteen to sixteen.'

Thought William, having a great understanding of Marinus. In the previous timeline, he had multiple books written by Marinus. Not copies, but originals.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

He usually wouldn't have been able to afford even one of them, but as the world was already a hellhole by then, he was able to easily acquire them. Although it was his first time seeing this book, he had read multiple similar books by Marinus.

As William continued reading, he noticed a section on the transmutation of metals. It was a basic introduction with a fundamental method that would create "gold" through the transmutation of metals.

William was intrigued by it. He knew well that the gold referenced in the book wasn't real gold but rather a transformation of the metal to look similar to gold. The only way to truly transform standard metals to gold was to use a philosopher's stone or have an aspect like the Draconian Hero, [Transmute].

Awakening an aspect similar to [Transmute] would be incredibly rare since it was an aspect at the level of a "Hero". William wasn't sure if his aspect [Chronomancer] could be classified as a "Hero"-level aspect since he had only awakened the first form and was still far away from the second.

As for the Philosopher's Stone, only a maniac would use such a thing. Philosopher's stones were created by the merger of countless souls, using their pure Eather energy to transform the world. It was an incredibly evil thing.

William would much rather never have gold than use such a stone. Of course, transmuting metals wasn't the only function of the Philosopher's Stone. Such a vile thing had many different abilities, which was why Demons used them regularly.

If Dean had possessed a Philosopher's stone back then, the destruction of the World Tree would have been the last of William's worries. Thankfully, the number of souls required to create such an abomination was astronomical, to say the least. In the previous timeline, the demons had to kill an entire continent to even make one.

Closing the book, William got up and returned it to its spot. He was done reading it and thus decided to continue searching for other books. It was just another book in his path, just like the many other books that had affected his mentality so far.

Since it was Sunday and there were no classes held, he spent his entire day inside the library. Only when the sun was completely gone and the lights in the library began dimming did William get up.

He said goodbye to the librarian, who was reading a book at the counter, and exited the library.

As William stepped out of the library, he took a deep breath, savoring the cool evening air. The day had been both fulfilling and thought-provoking. Although he might not be spending his time as optimally as he should, by either increasing his mana rank or aura, the knowledge he acquired outweighed the disadvantages.

He wasn’t to going to push himself further than he needed when it came to advancing his strength. He believed that slow and steady progress was important when he didn’t have to rush things. Of course, if the situation required he would push himself over his limits to acquire the necessary strength.

As he made his way back to his dormitory, William quickly passed by the crowd and made his way to his room.

Entering his room, William settled down at his desk, surrounded by scattered notes and books from his previous studies. The room hadn't changed much from the first day, the only difference being the pile of elixirs and books in the corner. Since his small library was already filled up, he began piling up books just like he did in his previous timeline.

Although some may think that it was blasphemous to leave books like that, William had set up a conservation barrier that was maintained at all times. He was someone who loved books; after all, how could he let them rot?

Lost in thought, he considered the path he had taken, the knowledge he had acquired, and the power he had gained through his aspect [Chronomancer]. His aspect so far had only given him the ability of [Haste], be it mental or physical; it was still only an enhancement.

After his swordsmanship and Aura training with Raymond, he had come closer to activating the second form of his aspect, but for some reason, he was unable to breach the gap despite being so close to doing it. He calculated that it would take him roughly five more years before he was even able to activate it.

Sighing, he waved his finger and created a few dozen small magic circles.

[Tier Two Spell, Visualization]

In an instant, the desk in front of him changed as the wood it was made out of warped and transformed. A few hundred human miniatures appeared, creating a small but organized army.

William nodded at the sight, pleased by the results.

With the visual manifestation of his magic, William observed the miniature army on his desk. Each figurine represented a different aspect of the military, from foot soldiers to archers, cavalry to mages. It was a testament to his progress in mastering the art of visualization and his growing control over his magical abilities.

With his mind focused on the miniatures, William began to manipulate them with his magic. He moved them around the desk, arranging them into different formations and practicing strategic maneuvers. It was a way for him to sharpen his tactical skills and further enhance his understanding of combat.

Since he was a tactician and also a general in the previous timeline, he knew how vital tactics were in war. Since the races of Roia were weaker than the demons in almost everything, they had to use their brains to do things properly.

William has done this exercise often in the past two years since it has helped him digest things and relax. He knew that worrying about the world at every waking moment would depress him, so he exercised not only his body but also his mind.

Lost in thought, he began to envision different battle scenarios, strategizing and analyzing potential outcomes. The miniature soldiers on his desk moved with precision, carrying out his commands flawlessly. It was as if he could see the future battles unfold right in front of him.

Time seemed to slip away as he lost himself in the exercise. Hours passed, and the moon reached its zenith in the night sky. Only when his eyelids grew heavy and his focus waned did William realize how much time had passed.

Reluctantly, he set aside the miniature army and rubbed his eyes, feeling the strain from the intense concentration. It was time to rest, though the amount of rest he would get was questionable.