Micah had outlined three areas of study for me for this and future rounds.

The first was a directive to study under the System and have it run me through the most impressive Players that had attempted to beat Adovoria's Fall, what they had done well, and where they failed so I could learn from them.

"With 42,007 Players and many, many more attempted Games spanning years, it would be impossible to learn all the details," Micah had stated. "However, this System of yours isn't merely a recorder of events. It is intelligent and can help identify and dissect the most important information that could help you beat this Game. All you need to do is ask."

However, asking the System for such information during the busy day was unproductive. Communicating when I was alone and it was night with nothing to do apart from sleep was more efficient. After all, the System could produce its blue text screens before me even if my eyes were closed. Even when I was blind or on the brink of death, its screen would appear clearly. There was no need to waste precious daylight hours.

Micah's second directive was a continuation of my lessons with Professor Whistle, but rather than history, focusing on studying the existing nations, notable figures, and politics that drive them.

"Duncan Genuiver was a good start. But you must look further," Micah explained. "Understanding all the notable players on the continent, their trajectories, and what motivates them will help you secure much-needed allies and identify which enemies to cut down before they become thorns in your side."

This was a harder ask as it meant having to sit still through more lesson plans, something I struggled with while learning the history of the Arkangul family, but I managed to force myself to push through. Luckily for me, it was too late in the day already, and Professor Whistle was out, so the lesson plan was left for another day. Moreover, although Micah had initially offered to teach me, he was far too busy now to play the role of a teacher.

That left me with Micah's last directive.

"Learn magic," he had told me. "It doesn't have to be dark magic, but if that sheltered Golden Prince could learn to be a warlock, you can most certainly realize potential in some area as well so you can better protect yourself in the future. If your foe is as dangerous as I suspect, you must be prepared from the moment you wake up in future rounds."

While Micah's warning was a tad ominous, studying magic seemed the most intriguing of the three options.

"I'm sure I've said it before, but I do have a front door—oh, what does it matter—young man, what brought you in today?" Lisa asked. She stood behind the counter with her arms crossed and her eyes hidden from view behind her black curtain bangs.

After a long walk through the secret underground tunnel and a less-than-spectacular entrance through the coat closet, Fin and I now stood inside the warmth of Lisa's Books and Tea. I had initially considered bringing Micah's guards along but decided against revealing the secret passage to so many people. Besides, having all of them squeeze through the closet would seriously overstep whatever little decency remained. Nor did I particularly care for another carriage ride through the storm outside. Thus, Fin and I went alone through the tunnel, with the guards arriving on location to take me back to the manor later.

"Chase Daylan told me that he learned how to be a warlock through a book you own," I said, walking over and placing a few coins on the wooden counter in front of Lisa. "I'd like to learn magic as well."

Rain continued to pour outside, but the building's insulation helped block out most of the noise, and the dirty windows offered very little as far as their outside view. Contrastingly, the interior was quite warm and cozy.

"Did he now?" Lisa palmed the coins and pulled them toward herself. "Well, are you looking also to study dark magic? Or did you wish to learn a different form of magical energy source? Or is it the output magic that intrigued you?"

I stared blankly at her, tilting my head to one side. "Magical energy source? Output? What do you mean?"

Instead of responding immediately, Lisa poured green tea into three cups from a glazed white clay teapot. The scent of earthy tones and subtle sweetness filled the air, mingling with the smell of old books.

"For example, that boy behind you has talent in the traditional innate arcane," Lisa said, nodding toward Fin, who had bee-lined toward one of the bookshelves and was already examining a book he had found the last time we were here. His attention was already wholly swallowed up by the small purple book in his hands.

"That means his energy source is his personal mana core," Lisa continued. "As for output, typically, there's an aptitude toward one type of magic that one's mana core is pulled toward, be it fire, ice, light, or some other."

I nodded. In my original life, Fin was a considerably powerful mage not only because of the size of his mana core but also due to his aptitude toward one of the most powerful magic specialties.

"You, on the other hand, clearly lack a mana core," Lisa said.

"I have one," I interjected. "It's just very small."

Even if it was merely 2, it still existed.

Lisa's mouth widened into a smile.

"Of course you do," she said, pushing one of the three cups toward me. "Every living thing has some amount of mana. If you didn't, you wouldn't be alive. Worse, you'd be something else entirely. That said, your core is unimpressive."

I accepted the cup of tea from her and frowned at the single green tea leaf floating at the top.

"Does that mean even grass has mana?" I inquired, enjoying the warmth seeping into my fingers through the cup.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Of course," Lisa replied. She tapped the wooden counter loudly and motioned for Fin to come forward and take his cup.

Whatever he was reading, he was completely absorbed into it. He took the cup and sat in one of the armchairs without looking up. It was unusually rude of him, but Lisa seemed not to care.

"Warlocks, on the other hand, rely on what is commonly known as 'dark magic' or the 'dark arts,'" Lisa stated. "Rather than sourcing magical power from their personal mana core, which replenishes with time, they burn through their life energy, thereby permanently cutting their life short."

I nodded. Chase Daylan explained much about this in our conversation. Given how life looped, for this reason, cutting away at his life energy wasn't a genuine concern to him.

"But even with the dark arts, the output type differs," Lisa continued. "As you probably know, Chase Daylan, for example, specializes in conjuring magic, although he dabbles in other fields of study as well."

Ah.

I recalled him producing items from seemingly thin air before me.

"Just how many types of magic are there?" I asked.

"Sources or specialties?" Lisa smiled.

"Both?" I sipped my tea.

"Dark magic, necromancy, crystallomancy, enchantment, songweaving, chaos magic, traditional mana magic… the list is extensive. And, of course, there are specialties like ice magic, wind magic, and more." Lisa waved her hand. "So many that it would be far too bothersome for me to list them all off."

"What…. do you recommend I start with, then?" I asked.

I couldn't make out her expression, apart from what she revealed with her mouth. We remained in complete silence, apart from Fin's occasional turn of the page behind me.

Finally, Lisa sighed. "Magic Studies 101, A Comprehensive Beginner's Guide."

A grin lit up my face. "Perfect."

However, my smile quickly evaporated.

Walking to the shelves behind her, Lisa selected a large, crimson book, its width spanning two of my fists.

THUMP.

She dropped it on the counter, with the weight of it sounding across the room. "Here you are."

I took in a deep intake of air as I absorbed the immense and intimidating size of the book. There was even an ancient scent to it, reminding me of the dragon cave before my grandmother's villa.

Just how old was this thing? And how many pages?

<< System, I don't suppose one of your Players has read this book, so you could read it all out for me instead of me needing to list through the pages? >>

[ That is a negative. ]

Tch.

"This should give you a solid foundation to decide which path to explore further," Lisa patted the cover. "Just remember, magic is a vast and intricate field. The type of magic you produce matters as much as where the source of that magic is from. You might not have the mana core needed for traditional mana magic, but there are alternate sources."

"How do you know all of this? Are you a mage as well?" I asked.

"Hardly. At least not in the way that you consider someone to be a mage, but I supposed, in one manner of speaking, I am," Lisa replied elusively.

"Why don't more people learn magic then if there are alternative sources of magical energy?" I inquired, pulling the heavy book toward me. "The demand for mages is at an all-time high."

Mages were scarce, newly minted magical artifacts were laughably unimpressive, and even supernatural beings of the past, like phoenixes and dragons, were near-extinct. There was a lack of magic in my world. Demand was undoubtedly there, but the supply seemed to have been cut short.

"Just because there's a will, there's not always a way. And in many cases, either they don't know how to tap into alternative sources, or the cost is too high," Lisa stated. "It'll be up to you to determine what price you are willing to pay to learn the sort of magic you wish to learn."

I frowned.

There was the option of paying with my life span to obtain the powers of a warlock, but Lisa made it sound like there were other, higher costs.

I pulled the book toward me and flipped it open to the first page, listing the table of contents. With so many pages, it would have been difficult if the book was new, but it was well-weathered. The pages were of high-quality parchment and enchanted to prevent breakage, but it was still evident how old it was with how easily the page bent.

My eyes glazed over immediately upon seeing the book's text. However, I didn't even bother trying to distinguish the words.

<< Hey, System, can you provide the text for me? >>

[ Of course. ]

A blue screen appeared, hovering over the pages, providing the exact text as in the book, but it was easier for my mind to comprehend. In another instance, I might have requested that it be summarized, but I had a feeling this was an instance where Micah hoped that I would learn everything thoroughly. And flipping through all the pages just for the System to absorb the information would take all night on its own.

I rolled out my neck and took a sip of the green tea.

Here goes nothing.

[ Chapter 1: Mana and Beyond - Decoding Magical Energy Sources ]

[ Chapter 2: Casting Without a Core - Navigating Magic Without a Traditional Mana Source ]

[ Chapter 3: Life Essence - Understanding the Magical Essence in All Living Things ]

[ Chapter 4: Warlock's Choice - Delving into the World of Dark Arts ]

[ Chapter 5: Choosing Your Focus - Exploring Specialized Magical Paths ]

[ Chapter 6: Innate Mastery - Tapping into Personal Magical Potential ]

[ Chapter 7: Mastering Elements - Grasping Elemental Magic's Diverse Forms ]

[ Chapter 8: Illusions Unveiled - Demystifying the Artistry of Illusion Magic ]

[ Chapter 9: Chaos Mastery - Navigating the Unpredictability of Chaos Magic ]

[ Chapter 10: Enchanted Realms - Crafting Magic Through the Art of Enchantment ]

[ Chapter 11: Harmonic Weaving - Exploring the Magic Within Music ]

[ Chapter 12: Crystal Clear Insights - Unveiling the Secrets of Crystallomancy ]

[ Chapter 13: Life and Beyond - Exploring the Demonic Depths of Necromancy ]

[ Chapter 14: Dreamweaving Realities - Bridging Dreams and Magic ]

[ Chapter 15: Crafting Magic - The Art of Artificery ]

[ Chapter 16: Runic Arts - Understanding the Power of Rune Magic ]

I turned the page, and many more chapters followed in the table of contents. As I continued to flip through the pages, the sheer volume of magical disciplines became apparent. To my bemusement, after several more flips, I was still merely navigating the table of contents, not even delving into the actual chapters yet.

"How can there be so many types of magic?" I muttered. Half the ones listed I had never even heard of.

Three chapters caught my attention in particular: chapter 4 regarding warlocks, chapter 37 on summonings, and chapter 13 on necromancy. This final one, in particular, made me grit my teeth. The Kobar Empire's conquest of the continent had been fueled by the demonic art of necromancy, disturbing the peace of the dead and sowing chaos and despair among the living.

To see it listed out in an introductory book on magic….

"Ah, as a word of caution, young man. This is but an elementary book," Lisa remarked. "Each chapter merely scratches the surface, with more in-depth volumes dedicated to each magical discipline. And not all types of magic are possible within our realm due to the conditions not being properly met. Feel free to express your interest if there's a particular area you'd like to explore later on, and I can provide you with the right book."

I shook my head, completely dazed. It was as if all I had ever known was a scorched desert, and suddenly, I had come across an ocean. My gaze moved across the many, many shelves laden with books within Lisa's Books and Tea.

Finally, my eyes settled on Lisa, whose black-heeled boots casually rested on the counter as she reclined in her seat. She appeared to be reading her book, but I couldn't know for sure, given the black bangs covering her eyes.

Just who in the world is this woman?

My eyes narrowed.

And more importantly, what is her angle?