Illyan fell into a comfortable rhythm as days passed.

Every day, he sharpened the needle for two hours and then researched the breathing technique and [The Way of the Body].

He also used the guide to breed the centipedes during his free time, which caused his hidden room to be filled with jars of centipedes.

In the end, he had to put the centipedes together, which caused an unexpected result. They started devouring each other, which then ended up with the ultimate centipede.

The liquid Illyan extracted from it was actually two times more acidic than that of a normal centipede. This discovery made him even more enthusiastic about breeding these things as he studied the Darkglide Centipede’s Guide thoroughly.

However, most of the time spent during the day continued to be inside the library, where he read the books he hadn't finished yet.

It was also because he had it closer to Korin and Vael there.

Vael’s condition got a little worse after he expended himself to create the antiparasitic medicine for the town.

So, instead, Illyan decided to visit him. No matter what, the time he spent with the man made him actually enjoy it. The amount of information Illyan got from him was the most important to him, but the good company was a pleasant bonus.

Information from him was mostly about the plants, but Illyan felt that the man could slip up one day and tell him something about the supernatural side. The acolytes were saying he was part of the Heart Bearers, after all.

But that wasn’t important. If the man showed up to be an obstacle, Illyan wouldn’t hesitate to make a move against him.

On the other hand, his time with Korin wasn’t as enjoyable. The man didn’t know what he knew, so there wasn't a problem, but the more time passed, the more hurried and obsessive Korin seemed to be as he managed to overwhelm even Illyan with all the knowledge.

The topic they focused on the most was geometry. According to Korin, geometry was one of the most important branches of mathematics and also the one needed to finish this project.

Illyan didn’t disagree as he absorbed all the knowledge like a whale would swallow water with plankton.

However, that was only during the day.

Every third night, Illyan sneaked out of the town to fill the bathtub with the dark crystal powder and medicine solution. These nights, Illyan trained until his body gave out, and at dawn, he returned home to continue his routine.

As his body and mind grew progressively stronger, he spent less time sleeping.

At some point, he just meditated to recover.

Not even acolytes could achieve something like that without collapsing at some point.

But Illyan’s tenacity was on a different level.

Since the training outside the city was very taxing on his body, he spent the next two days recovering during meditation and also using [The Way of the Body] to get rid of blemishes on his body foundation.

Every time his body’s flaws got mended after training diligently, but during the next bath session, they once again showed up. It was an endless cycle.

But Illyan wasn’t disappointed at all. Not only did he completely stop the destruction of his foundation, but his body also became much stronger than he was before he entered the town.

The strength his muscles could muster, the flexibility of his tendons, and the hardness of his bones made him someone who could break stone walls with his fists and jump several meters into the air.

He also finally got rid of the external Cold Energy that was plaguing his body, which caused his body to be in even better shape.

His blood was circulating with force in his veins as every movement could cause destruction.

If Illyan faced Ezekiel once again, he felt confident he would come out in much better condition. Of course, that was under the premise that Ezekiel didn’t have any trump cards. Illyan feared that once the man used proper magic spells, it would be like hell on earth.

Aziro was very dangerous too. Illyan didn’t fear the undeads as they didn’t seem powerful enough, but just looking at the ghost flame that Aziro conjured showed the terror of strong acolytes.

That’s why Illyan was confident but didn’t become complacent.

Every single day, he put his all into everything he did.

Time passed so quickly that he didn’t even feel its passage, and soon the agreed-upon time knocked on the doors…

…….

Half a year had passed since Korin’s first visit to Illyan's manor.

This time, however, it went differently.

Illyan glanced at the man walking next to him. It was Korin who used the beautiful cane to support his walk. There was seemingly no change during that half year, but his eyes shone with an obsession that Illyan had never seen before.

He was curious why he was acting like that, but he didn’t ask. It was not in his nature to ask too many questions when he didn’t play his ‘friendly’ persona. In fact, he found this kind of acting even more tiring than his nightly training.

With the expedition just around the corner, Illyan was invited by Korin to visit his research room.

This was not the first time Korin guided him there, as Illyan had visited the place several times during this half year. Mainly to continue his study but also to test out certain theories to better understand mathematics.

They walked in silence inside the academy as the other apprentices greeted them respectfully along the way.

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Korin nodded at them with a smile and greeted them back.

Meanwhile, Illyan just nodded his head at them.

After becoming an academic, many people acted submissive in front of him, but he didn’t care.

This kind of authority didn’t give him any pleasure or satisfaction.

He sought knowledge and power, not validation and control over people he didn’t know or care about.

“Kaoran, I didn’t tell you yet, but there are already some of the people you’ll work with during the expedition.”

Just as they got in front of the research room, Korin turned around to say this to Illyan.

Illyan tilted his head in confusion.

“People? Are these the ones you made the contract with?” Illyan asked, while his eyes flashed with a cold glint.

But Korin didn’t notice as he kneaded his mustache with a smile.

“That’s right. The thing I want to accomplish is very difficult, and only a higher number of accomplished people could do that.”

Illyan was a little surprised.

He knew that Korin worked hard on this project and knew how knowledgeable the man was in this specialization.

In fact, Illyan was pretty sure that this man was a genius with a lot of experience in mathematics.

His brilliance was almost blinding. If Illyan couldn’t see something was wrong with the contract back then, he would probably even admire the man.

The way he solved the formulas, the way of his thinking. All of that, Illyan absorbed like a sponge, which made him progress at such speed that he could now become a junior academic with a mathematics specialization with ease.

When Korin suggested this, however, Illyan refused without hesitation.

He didn't need to do any more tests. The only thing he would get out of that would be attention and a worthless certificate.

Korin also didn’t bother him after Illyan refused, as there was no need for him to do the tests just to help him.

“Well, you don’t need to worry. All of them are good people. You’ll see.”

Korin smiled as he opened the door.

There, a room full of parchments covered in weird symbols and tools was strewn around as several people were working on something.

Things were messy, but the people around seemed to have an order in it, so they didn’t bother to clean it up.

However, in Illyan’s eyes, his impression of them was already at the bottom.

The older he got, and the better environment he lived in, the more his distaste for messy things grew.

The fact these people worked like this made him frown.

But nobody cared about this as they looked at Korin in surprise before greeting him in a subservient way.

“Well met, Mr. Korin!”

The first to greet him was a middle-aged man. He was nothing special. His hair was brown, and his eyes were brown. His face was plain and easily hidden in a crowd.

Illyan looked at him and imagined that this was the exact appearance of the average citizen of the Vanaras Kingdom.

But he didn’t underestimate him, as he had to have something in his head to be in this room.

“It is a pleasure to work again with you, Mr. Korin! My husband and I hope that we will soon achieve our long-desired goal.”

The person who spoke now was a woman who hugged the arm of the middle-aged man.

She had brown wavy hair to her shoulders and green eyes. She wasn’t the prettiest woman, but there was a certain mature charm to her.

Others also stopped doing whatever they were doing and came to greet Korin.

Illyan noticed that Korin was essentially their leader.

But Illyan didn’t see any resistance.

That meant they either didn’t know about the trap in the contract or...

Korin did something to them or gave them enough benefits for them to be satisfied.

One of these people was a messy old man who seemed to move erratically.

There was also a relatively young woman with dirty blonde hair and a sweet smile.

But Illyan felt she was somewhat weird, as if he were staring at an empty shell.

However, when Illyan looked at the last person, he was surprised.

The other person also looked at him in surprise before turning their head aside as the person’s cheeks turned red.

Illyan recognized the person.

It was Arun. The son of the knight.

It was the same person who had gotten angry at him during his time in the cafeteria.

‘What is this guy doing here? Don’t tell me Korin trapped this boy too? He doesn’t look exactly smart…’

Illyan was a little stumped. His first impression of this boy wasn’t the greatest. In fact, he had just thought of him as a fool before dismissing him from his mind.

There was no place for such people in his mind.

And he hadn’t met him again after that incident, so he didn’t think about him. But he didn’t forget, because Illyan never forgets people who antagonize him.

“Guys, come here to greet your new colleague! His name is Kaoran.” Korin smiled as he introduced Illyan.

“Oh, a new one to the family? That’s great! My name is Tami, and my husband’s name is Mufa.” The middle-aged female smiled as she introduced herself and her husband.

Illyan nodded curtly to them with a small bow.

Then, the old man came over and gave him a toothless smile.

“Greetings. The name’s Neddard.”

“Hey~ My name’s Vanda! Let’s hang out someday!”

The old man was shoved aside as the young female smiled at Illyan and reached out her hand, being the first to do so.

Illyan nodded to her and the man as he shook her hand.

“Weren’t you supposed to be a physician?”

At that moment, a slightly high-pitched voice resounded in the room.

Illyan turned his head toward Arun.

This time, Arun didn’t show any hostility. In fact, he seemed kind of shy and embarrassed.

But mainly, his face showed confusion.

And this question piqued the curiosity of the others.

“Now that you mention it, there was definitely a new physician academic named Kaoran recently. Even I heard about it.”

“Ohh?”

The others curiously looked at Illyan, wondering what he was doing here with them.

Then they looked at Korin, as it was Korin who had invited all of them.

Korin just smirked.

“Kaoran is a physician, indeed. But you all should know that academics can be knowledgeable in other specializations, right? Am I not proof of that?”

Saying that with a cheerful smile, he made the others nod in acknowledgment.

After all, he was one of the academics certified in at least three specializations.

No one could deny his deep knowledge.

“So, Mr. Kaoran, what is your other specialization? I’m into history, but I can do a little mathematics too.”

Vanda said with a teasing smile as she puffed out her bountiful chest. She seemed proud of that.

“Same here.”

Neddard was the same, as he was one of the best historians in the institute.

Meanwhile, the couple was different.

“We are mainly archaeologists. But since the ruins we are researching are the way they are, we also need to have basic knowledge of mathematics.”

Tami spoke with a partly tired and partly annoyed tone.

It was obvious that the work was tiring.

It was only then that Korin called out cheerfully.

“It’s only little Arun who specializes only in mathematics. But don’t be mistaken. He’s actually at a similar level to yours.”

When Korin said that, Arun widened his eyes and looked at Illyan.

“For how long have you been studying mathematics?”

Illyan frowned. The kid had annoyed him back then, and now he was acting like this.

“Hoho~ Actually, not even a year ago, Kaoran was questioning me about mathematical notation.”

Korin laughed out loud. Others turned a little more interested when they heard this.

“Wow, if you’re at this level after such little time, then you must have worked hard!”

“Not only that, but his talent in this is indisputable.”

Arun’s eyes dimmed, and he looked a bit disappointed.

“In the end, I’m still no good.”

Bowing his head, he clenched his fists.

But at that moment, Korin came up behind him and patted the boy.

“Don’t be like that. You came under my care not too long ago too. Learning is gradual. You can’t be discouraged this soon, hoho~ Instead, use this opportunity to learn from each other. With both of your talents, progress will be a piece of cake.”

Arun, who heard that, nodded as he understood the man’s words, but his heart still felt bitter. He was the exact opposite of Illyan. He sought validation in everything he did.

After his father sent him to the institute, he worked hard not to disappoint him. But he still felt it was never enough...

After saying that, Korin moved deeper into the room in front of the main desk and turned serious.

“In a few days, we will go to the Iron Troll Mountain Ranges. The group will be camping in the ancient city of Faruin for a few months, so we will use this opportunity to crack some of the puzzles there. I would love to find some of the clues there too... and finally finish what I’ve worked on for so long.”

As Korin’s serious voice reverberated, the others turned quiet as they listened with somber expressions.

The meeting began, and Illyan could finally see some of the clues about what they were doing.