Returning to the dormitory, Rody found out that he shared the room with Tommy, the chubby boy, and the bootlicker named Terence, nicknamed Terry. Tommy called Terence a bootlicker because of his tendency to flatter, especially towards beautiful women, which made Tommy quite jealous. Thus, Tommy spontaneously nicknamed him 'bootlicker' upon their first meeting. As a retort, Terence called Tommy 'pighead'. Their initial encounter was marked by smiles, handshakes, and hugs, with each sweetly addressing the other by their nicknames, making outsiders think they were good friends.
"I'm called Leopold, or Leander, or Leonard, anything is fine, you can also call me Leo," introduced their last roommate, a down-to-earth swordsman with a rustic air about him. He had a greatsword beside him, broader than his own body, his muscles brimming with explosive power. To Rody, Leo seemed like a golden lion still growing. When Rody entered, Leo was drenched in sweat, guzzling water as if he had just come out of a bloody battle.
"Is this eighty-three copper coins your wage for today?" Rody glanced at the table, seeing a mercenary guild task confirmation slip and several copper coins scattered on it. Out of curiosity, he asked.
"Yes, if I hadn't accidentally broken off one of the bull's horns with too much force while stopping a mad bull, I could have earned an additional seventeen copper coins. At this rate, it'll be hard to earn two gold coins in half a month. This test is really challenging," Leo replied, startling Tommy with his strength and straightforwardness.
"If the test wasn't challenging, the academy wouldn't have arranged it," Rody commented, making Tommy roll his eyes. From others' perspective, the task might be challenging, but not for Rody, who earned at least five gold coins that afternoon. Tommy wanted to speak out but refrained, feeling uncomfortable keeping this secret.
Leo was surprised how this delicate-looking roommate could tell at a glance it was eighty-three copper coins. He himself had counted several times to be sure.
"When you're tired and drinking water, you should add some salt to quench your thirst better," Rody casually advised before heading to his room to rest. Tommy followed, nearly getting his nose squashed by the door.
"Really, adding salt does quench thirst better," Leo found out after trying.
"Hey, pighead, do you think Rody is a girl?" Terry peeked out of his room and whispered to Tommy, who was squatting on the ground, holding his nose. Even Leo pricked up his ears. Tommy stood up and replied seriously, "What kind of eyes do you have? He's a guy! Definitely a guy!"
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"Would you chase into his room if he's a guy?" Terry asked sarcastically upon hearing this.
"What? It's normal interaction between classmates. Bootlicker, you know nothing!" Tommy retorted, justifying his actions.
"Classmate interaction? Ridiculous, why don't you sit in my room then?" Terry laughed, "I think Rody might be using some disguise magic to change his appearance. His true identity is quite mysterious. I suspect he might be a girl."
"Unless there's a fire, I won't enter your kennel!" Tommy snorted, "Being a thief is fine, but remember not to overstep boundaries or talk nonsense!"
"Hey, I'm the safest thief in the world, no need for you, pighead, to worry about me," the skinny Terry slammed his door shut.
"I seem to have interesting roommates. This academy is indeed the right place," Leo eventually remarked after a long pause, by which time Tommy had already gone to bed, snoring loudly.
Rody didn't care what his roommates would say; the night was his precious time for cultivation. However, that night, he didn't practice for long. After meditating for only half the usual time, he got up and quietly left for the academy's library. His thirst for new knowledge was his biggest pursuit at the moment. Although he didn't have the magical key to the library, his wisdom was enough to bypass the magic doors and barriers.
He sent out two mantis familiars, swirling up to the top of the library's bell tower, the weakest point of the magical barrier. After scouting, he used the mantises and his qi to crack open the barrier slightly, sending one through to test the control. Finding the connection weak but manageable, Rody joyfully directed them into the top of the bell tower and then through the mechanical room into the storage, slipping in through the bottom of the door, thus avoiding the need to unlock it.
The magical door could stop humans and was sensitive to living creatures like rats, but it failed to detect the lifeless mantises, thrilling Rody.
Though the magical door didn't open for him, he found a way through his own ingenuity.
Once inside, Rody was astonished. The library was a hollow design, with circular inner walls lined with densely packed bookshelves, holding thousands of magic books. A magical defense device rotated slowly below, scanning the area with beams of magic light. The walls were adorned with various magical boxes, carvings of magical symbols, portraits of deities, and star maps...
Viewing through the dark vision of his mantis familiars, Rody was dazzled. He hadn't expected the library to house so many books, far exceeding his imagination and anticipation.
Rody carefully maneuvered the mantises to avoid the scanning beams while quickly scanning and memorizing books. It was exhausting to control the mantises through the barrier while reading and avoiding magical scans, more tiring than a battle.
After forcing himself to read a mid-level wind magic book and a beginner earth magic book, Rody felt dizzy, his control weakening. He quickly withdrew the mantises, giving his nearly collapsing mental power a rest.
This was more painful than a big battle, controlling the familiars through a magic barrier while reading and dodging magic scans.
Rody thought if he could endure a night controlling the mantises in the library, he might reach the level of a Moon Halo Magic King or a North Star Seven Star Magic Grandmaster.
"Rody, what are you doing here?" someone asked softly from behind.
Turning around, Rody saw Dean Buke, wearing a peculiar smirk that sent chills down his spine. How had the dean appeared behind him without his notice? Rody felt a cold shiver realizing he couldn't detect the dean's approach with his own psychic senses.
"I'm watching a beauty taking a bath..." Rody coughed lightly, suppressing his panic, trying to smile as he answered.