The School of Runes – Three Weeks After Arrival
The rumor started in the communal dining hall.Ethan was eating his usual breakfast—some kind of grain porridge that tasted like wet cardboard but provided adequate nutrition—when he heard it."I'm telling you, it's true!" A second-year student was practically shouting at his table. "Princess Diana of House Koga didn't disappear. She's being trained by the Great Wizard himself!"Several students laughed nervously."The Great Wizard doesn't train students. He barely acknowledges the Deans exist.""Does he even exist? I've never seen him. No one has.""My instructor mentioned him once. Said he's more powerful than all three Deans combined.""That's just Academy propaganda. A story to keep us in line."The second-year student slammed his fist on the table. "I'm telling you—my cousin's friend saw something! A summoning. A spatial tear that appeared in the Testing Hall. Princess Diana and her brother just... vanished. That's not normal magic. That's Great Wizard-level power!"More nervous laughter, but quieter now.Because everyone remembered that day.Ethan's spoon stopped halfway to his mouth.I was there. I saw it happen.The memory was vivid: Diana and her brother standing in the crowd. Then—nothing. No flash of light. No spell effect. Just empty space where royalty had been.Roma's shock had been genuine. Whatever took them, she hadn't expected it.If that was the Great Wizard—if he really exists and has that kind of power—His chest tightened.Diana could be learning things I'll never access. Resources I can't reach. Knowledge that could...What? Help him steal from Victor? Help him get home?He didn't know.But a connection to power that far above the Deans—that was valuable.If she was still alive.If the rumors were true.If he could find her.File it away. Focus on what you can control.He finished his breakfast, but the porridge tasted even more like ash than usual.The Library – That Evening"You want to what?" Glan stared at Ethan like he'd suggested jumping into a dragon's mouth."Teach," Ethan repeated. "Basic rune theory. Creature behavior analysis. Meditation techniques."They sat in their usual corner of the library, surrounded by stacks of books NEXUS had scanned over the past three weeks.Glan rubbed his temples. "You've been here three weeks. Most students take six months to understand fundamentals. And you want to teach?""I understand the fundamentals.""That's not—" Glan stopped himself, studying Ethan with those sharp, perpetually half-asleep eyes. "You're serious.""Yes.""Why?"Ethan pulled out a piece of paper covered in calculations. Numbers. Costs. Income projections."Advanced library access: ten stones per week. Quality equipment: fifteen stones. Protective talismans: twenty stones minimum. Private study space: five stones per month."He met Glan's gaze."I've been doing manual labor. Beast pen maintenance. Rune array cleaning. Six hours of work earns one stone. At that rate, it would take me months—maybe years—to afford what I need.""So you're going to exploit desperate first-years instead."The word hit harder than Glan probably intended.Exploit.Ethan's jaw tightened. "I'm going to offer a service. If students find value in it, they'll pay. If not, they won't.""That's what all exploiters say." Glan's voice was mild, but his eyes were serious. "They call it 'providing value' or 'efficient resource allocation.' Doesn't change what it is."Silence stretched between them.Ethan wanted to argue. Wanted to explain that he had no choice, that his mission demanded resources he couldn't earn through honest labor.But Glan wasn't wrong."How much will you charge?" Glan asked finally."Two stones per hour of private tutoring. One stone for group sessions."Glan whistled. "That's... actually reasonable. Most senior students charge five stones minimum and teach nothing useful.""Exactly.""So you're the ethical exploiter. How noble." But Glan was smiling slightly. "At least you're honest about it.""I don't have the luxury of being noble.""No one here does." Glan closed his eyes, already half-asleep. "Just remember—the roles we play to survive have a way of becoming who we are. Don't lose yourself."Ethan said nothing.Because he could already feel it happening.The cold calculation. The willingness to use people. The way he'd started thinking of other students as resources rather than people.How long until I can't tell the difference between the role and reality?He pushed the thought away.Survival first. Identity crisis later.Five Days Later – Ethan's Third Teaching SessionIt was going badly.Five first-year students sat in the study room, but only two were paying attention.The skinny boy—Marcus, his name was—stared at the rune Ethan had drawn with an expression approaching despair."I don't understand," he whispered. "You're explaining it the same way the instructors do. Memorize the shape. Practice the motion. But it's not working."Ethan felt frustration rising in his chest.I've explained this three different ways. NEXUS has fed me insights from eight hundred books. Why isn't it clicking?"Let's try again," he said, forcing patience into his voice. "The rune isn't just a shape. It's—""A resonance pattern. A frequency. You've said that." Marcus's voice cracked slightly. "But I don't know what that means. How do I feel a frequency? How do I tune something I can't sense?"One of the girls—Sara—spoke up quietly. "Maybe some of us just can't do it. Maybe we're not talented enough."The room went quiet.Ethan looked at their faces.Exhausted. Defeated. Paying him magic stones they'd earned through brutal labor, hoping he could shortcut their limitations.And he was failing them.This is harder than I thought.NEXUS could scan information. Could process theory. Could feed him insights.But understanding something himself wasn't the same as teaching it to someone else."Okay," Ethan said slowly. "Forget the runes for a moment. Close your eyes."They did, hesitantly."Breathe. Just breathe. Don't try to do anything magical. Just notice your breathing."He waited."Now—feel your heartbeat. Don't think about it. Just feel it."Marcus nodded slightly."Your heartbeat and breathing are rhythms. Natural frequencies your body produces. Magic energy has rhythms too. Different frequencies. Before you can draw a rune—before you can channel its frequency—you need to sense the energy around you."Sara opened one eye. "The instructors never taught us that.""Because they assume you'll figure it out eventually. Or they don't remember what it was like to not sense it naturally." Ethan kept his voice calm. "Some people are born sensing magical energy. Others have to learn. Neither is better or worse."I have no idea if that's true. But they need to hear it."So just... sit here and breathe?""For now, yes. Five minutes. That's all. Notice your natural rhythms. That's the first step."He watched them sit in silence.Marcus's shoulders gradually relaxed.Sara's breathing slowed.When the session ended, no one had successfully drawn a rune.But they looked less defeated.Marcus paid his stone without complaint. "Same time next week?""If you want.""I want."After they left, Ethan sat alone in the empty study room.Teaching is harder than learning.And I'm taking their money knowing I might not be able to help them.The stone in his hand felt heavier than it should.He pocketed it anyway.Two Weeks Later – Counting StonesTwenty-three magic stones.Ethan sat at his desk, counting them for the third time, hoping the number would somehow increase.It didn't.His teaching business was less profitable than projected. Word had spread, yes—but not all of it was positive."Ethan from the Runes School talks a lot but can't guarantee results.""Waste of stones unless you're already close to breakthrough.""He's smart but young. Doesn't really know how to teach."All true.And meanwhile, his own training demanded resources.The Razorback Salamander assigned to him for Creature Study had tried to kill him twice this week. Actually tried—not testing behavior, genuine murder attempts.He'd need better protective equipment soon.Better weapons.Better spells.Twenty-three stones isn't enough.He needed thirty for his plan. Minimum.[RECOMMENDATION: ACCEPT HIGH-RISK ASSIGNMENT FROM ACADEMY TASK BOARD. HAZARDOUS CREATURE CONTAINMENT BREACH REPAIR: REWARD 8-12 MAGIC STONES DEPENDING ON DIFFICULTY.]That's how students die.[ACKNOWLEDGED. HOWEVER, CURRENT RESOURCE ACQUISITION RATE INSUFFICIENT FOR MISSION TIMELINE.]Ethan closed his eyes.There's always another option.He pulled out a piece of paper and began drafting a letter.Three Days LaterThe reply came faster than expected.Roma's handwriting was elegant but carried an edge of amusement:Little kitten,You want information about the Underground Market? How enterprising of you.The cost is five magic stones. Not negotiable.If you're serious, come to my office tonight after dinner. Bring payment.Don't come if you're not ready for what you'll find there. The Market isn't for children.—R.Ethan read it three times.Five stones. Nearly a quarter of his savings.For information about something that might not even help.But if the Underground Market has what I need...He counted out five stones and wrapped them in cloth.His hands trembled slightly.This is a gamble. Could be throwing away resources I can't afford to lose.[ASSESSMENT: RISK LEVEL HIGH. POTENTIAL REWARD: MODERATE TO SIGNIFICANT. RECOMMEND: PROCEED WITH CAUTION.]That evening, he knocked on Roma's door.Roma's OfficeShe examined the five stones with professional interest before pocketing them smoothly."You're either desperate or ambitious," she said, her cheerful mask firmly in place. "I haven't decided which yet.""Both."Roma laughed—genuine amusement. "Honest. I like that."She walked to her window overlooking the Primordial Preserve, her silhouette framed against purple sunset."The Underground Market exists in a pocket dimension beneath the Academy. Created centuries ago by students who wanted to trade outside official oversight."She turned back to face him."Here's what you need to understand: the Market isn't illegal, but it's not sanctioned either. The Academy knows about it. Tolerates it. Because sometimes, the best way to control something is to allow it to exist where you can watch it.""Who sells there?""Level 3 wizard apprentices, mostly." Roma's expression grew serious. "The ones who've hit the bottleneck. Who've pushed their magic energy to nineteen, nineteen-point-five units and can't break through to twenty. Can't trigger the transformation to true wizard."She walked back to her desk."They sell everything. Dangerous knowledge. Forbidden techniques. Items that would get them expelled if found elsewhere. All for magic stones, because maybe—just maybe—enough resources will let them break through where talent failed.""Does it work?""Rarely." Roma's smile was sad. "Most Level 3 apprentices never become wizards. They age out. Become instructors. Or leave the Academy to make lives elsewhere. The Market is where they go to make one last desperate attempt before accepting their limits."She wrote an address on a slip of paper."Narrow Street. Number seventeen. Third door on the left. Knock three times, pause, knock twice. Entrance fee is two stones."Ethan took the paper."One more thing." Roma's cheerful tone vanished completely. "The Market has one absolute rule: what happens there stays there. No reporting to instructors. No informing authorities. No betraying other buyers."Her eyes were cold."Break that rule, and you'll disappear. Permanently. Not as Academy punishment—the Market has its own enforcers. They don't ask questions.""Understood."Roma studied him for a long moment."Why do you need this, Ethan? What are you really looking for?"He met her gaze without flinching."A shortcut. Same as everyone else.""There are no shortcuts to becoming a wizard.""I know. But there are shortcuts to surviving long enough to try."Something shifted in Roma's expression. Understanding, maybe. Or recognition."Be careful, little kitten. The Market offers solutions, but every solution has a price."Two Days Later – Narrow StreetGlan followed Ethan through the winding corridors, complaining less than usual.Maybe because Ethan had explained the stakes.Maybe because he was curious despite himself."This could be a complete waste," Glan muttered. "Underground Market sounds impressive, but it's probably just desperate people selling garbage.""Probably.""We're going to spend stones we can't afford on items that don't work.""Maybe.""I want it on record that I think this is stupid.""Noted."They reached Narrow Street—less a street and more a dimly lit tunnel carved from raw stone.Number seventeen was a door that looked ancient. Weathered wood. Rusted hinges. No markings.Ethan knocked three times.Paused.Knocked twice.Nothing happened.Glan opened his mouth to say something sarcastic—The door opened.Beyond it: impossible space.Not darkness. Not light. Just... distortion. Reality bent wrong. Ethan's eyes watered trying to focus on it.[WARNING: DIMENSIONAL THRESHOLD DETECTED. SPATIAL GEOMETRY NON-EUCLIDEAN. RECOMMEND EXTREME CAUTION.]"Two stones," a voice said from somewhere in the distortion. Flat. Neither male nor female.Ethan placed two stones on a surface he couldn't quite see.They vanished."Enter."They stepped through—The Underground Market—and Ethan's stomach lurched.Not physically. But spatially.The sensation of being in multiple locations simultaneously. Of occupying space that folded into itself recursively.[SPATIAL ANALYSIS: IMPOSSIBLE. RECOMMEND ACCEPTING MAGIC AS EXPLANATION AND SUPPRESSING NAUSEA RESPONSE.]When his vision cleared, they stood in a vast chamber.Fifty meters across, maybe.But also infinite.Stalls folded into stalls. Merchants occupied spaces that shouldn't exist. Ethan could see three different vendors in the same physical location, existing in parallel without interfering with each other.Hundreds of students browsed wares, their voices creating a constant background hum.And the merchandise—"Oh," Glan breathed. "Oh, this is bad."One stall sold vials labeled "Dragon Blood – Physical Enhancement."Another offered "Time Shards – Slow Aging Process (Guaranteed)."A third displayed weapons that pulsed with obvious power and probable danger."This is either amazing or a scam factory," Glan whispered. "Possibly both."Ethan activated NEXUS's scanning mode.Find anything genuinely valuable. Focus on knowledge sources and defensive items.[ACKNOWLEDGED. SCANNING APPROXIMATELY 847 DISTINCT SIGNATURES... THIS MAY TAKE TIME...]They wandered through the Market.A vendor tried to sell Ethan a "charm of perfect memory"—obvious fake, the energy signature was wrong.Another offered "technique to triple magic energy in one week"—equally fraudulent.Glan grabbed his arm. "See? Scammers everywhere. Let's cut our losses and—"[ALERT: DETECTING UNUSUAL ENERGY SIGNATURE IN NORTHWEST CORNER. PATTERN SUGGESTS GENUINE ADVANCED MATERIALS RATHER THAN FRAUDULENT REPLICAS. RECOMMEND INVESTIGATION.]Ethan pulled free of Glan's grip and moved toward the northwest corner.Away from the crowded stalls and aggressive vendors.To a quiet space where fewer students gathered.An old man sat behind a simple table covered in books and scrolls.Perhaps sixty years old. Weathered skin. Eyes that held tired resignation.And on a wooden board propped beside him:"WIZARD-LEVEL RUNE KNOWLEDGE – 20 MAGIC STONES"No one approached.Students walked past without even glancing."Perfect example," Glan muttered. "Obviously fake. Wizard-level knowledge doesn't get sold in underground markets."But Ethan was studying the old man.The way he sat—not advertising, not calling to customers. Just... existing. Like he didn't care whether anyone bought or not.That's not scammer behavior.[ANALYZING VENDOR... DETECTING LEVEL 3 WIZARD APPRENTICE ENERGY SIGNATURE. ESTIMATED AGE: 63. MAGICAL CAPACITY: 19.7 UNITS. CONCLUSION: VENDOR IS AT MAXIMUM POTENTIAL WITHOUT BREAKTHROUGH TO TRUE WIZARD STATUS.]He's stuck at the bottleneck. This close to transformation, but can't cross the threshold.Ethan approached the stall.The old man looked up, surprise flickering across his features before being replaced by professional neutrality."Interested in wizard-level knowledge?" His voice was dry, carrying no hope of making a sale."What are you selling?"The man pulled a book from beneath his table. Leather-bound. Old but well-maintained. No title on the cover."Advanced meditation technique. Wizard-level theory. Allows more efficient magic energy cultivation."He opened it to a random page.Even from three feet away, Ethan could see the runes were different from anything in the basic library. More complex. More layered.More alive.[DETECTING UNUSUAL RUNE CONFIGURATIONS. PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS SUGGESTS GENUINE ADVANCED CONTENT. RECOMMEND ACQUISITION.]"How do I know it's real?" Ethan asked.The old man smiled without humor. "You don't. That's the gamble.""Then why would I pay twenty stones?""You wouldn't. No rational person would." The old man closed the book. "I've been sitting here for three months. Do you know how many copies I've sold?""How many?""None. Because everyone reaches the same logical conclusion you just did." He tucked the book back under the table. "I should probably stop coming here. But..."He trailed off, staring at nothing in particular."But you keep hoping," Ethan finished quietly.The old man's gaze sharpened. "Hoping for what?""That someone will buy it. That you'll earn enough stones to fund one more attempt at breaking through to wizard."Silence.The old man's expression shifted—surprise giving way to something like recognition."How old are you, boy?""Sixteen.""And already you understand that kind of desperation." The old man studied him. "What are you so desperate for?"To go home. To save Maya. To stop Victor from dooming my world."Survival," Ethan said instead.The old man nodded slowly. "I can let you read it. Ten minutes. Then I take it back."Glan grabbed Ethan's arm. "Don't. This is insane. Even if the book is genuine—which we have no way to verify—no wizard apprentice can understand wizard-level runes in ten minutes. Hell, no apprentice can understand them at all!"The old man didn't argue."Your friend is right. Even if you could memorize every page—which is impossible—you wouldn't understand the theory. Your mind literally can't process wizard-level concepts until your body undergoes the transformation to true wizard.""So why offer to let me read it?""Because sometimes desperate people need to believe they can shortcut their limitations. Whether that makes me honest or cruel, I stopped debating years ago."Ethan pulled out his pouch of magic stones.His hands were shaking.This is everything I have left. If this doesn't work—if he's lying or if NEXUS can't process what it scans—I'll have wasted weeks of work. Exploited desperate students for nothing.Eighteen stones. That's what remained after paying Roma and the entrance fee.He counted out twenty—no. He was two short.The old man watched without expression."I can give you eighteen now," Ethan said quietly. "And two more next week. I'll come back. You have my word.""Your word means nothing to me.""I know." Ethan met his gaze. "But it's all I have."The old man studied him for a long moment.Then he pushed the stones back across the table."Keep your money, kid. I'm not in the business of robbing children who don't understand how impossibly far beyond their reach this knowledge is."Ethan pushed the stones forward again."I'm not a child. And I know exactly what I'm buying.""Do you?" The old man leaned forward. "This isn't a technique you can practice and master. This is theory that requires a foundation you don't have. It's like trying to teach calculus to someone who hasn't learned arithmetic.""Maybe I learn fast.""No one learns that fast."Glan's voice rose. "Ethan, stop! This is literally impossible! A single page of wizard-level runes contains more complexity than our entire first-year curriculum! Even if you could memorize the symbols—which you can't—you wouldn't understand the theory! You wouldn't know how to apply them!"The old man nodded. "Listen to your friend. He's trying to save you from wasting resources you clearly can't afford to lose."Ethan stood there, eighteen stones in his hand, weighing the choice.This could be my only chance to access wizard-level knowledge. But Glan's right—even if it's genuine, I might not be able to use it.But I have NEXUS. I can scan it. Maybe—maybe—the AI can decode what I can't understand naturally.It's a gamble.Everything here is a gamble.He placed the eighteen stones on the table."I'll bring you two more stones next week. That's a promise."Something shifted in the old man's expression. Respect, maybe. Or pity.He took the stones slowly, counting them, then set two aside."Eighteen is enough. Consider it a discount for..." He paused. "...for reminding me what desperation looks like."He handed over the book."Ten minutes. Starting now."Ethan opened it.NEXUS. Scan everything. Maximum speed. Every symbol, every variation, every detail.[ACKNOWLEDGED. INITIATING FULL-SPECTRUM SCAN... WARNING: CONTENT COMPLEXITY EXTREME. PROCESSING WILL REQUIRE EXTENSIVE TIME.]His eyes moved across the pages.Not reading. Just seeing.Each page for exactly three seconds—just long enough for NEXUS's enhanced vision to photograph every detail.[PAGE 1 SCANNED... PAGE 2 SCANNED... COMPLEXITY LEVEL: EXTREME...]On page twelve, Ethan forced himself to slow down.Pretended to struggle with a complex diagram.Furrowed his brow. Squinted. Traced a rune with his finger—careful not to smudge the ink.All performance for the old man watching.Make it believable. You're a desperate kid trying to memorize impossible knowledge. You're struggling. Failing. But still trying.[PAGE 47 SCANNED... PAGE 48 SCANNED...]His head was starting to ache.Not from NEXUS—from the mental strain of maintaining the act while processing the visual input.[SCAN COMPLETE. TOTAL PAGES: 73. ESTIMATED PROCESSING TIME: 45-55 DAYS FOR FULL COMPREHENSION AND TRANSLATION.]When time was up, Ethan closed the book slowly.His hands trembled—not entirely acting now. His head pounded. His vision swam slightly.He handed the book back, letting his shoulders slump, letting defeat show on his face."I couldn't..." His voice came out rough. "I thought if I could just see the patterns, maybe I could..."The old man took the book with something that might have been sympathy."No one can, boy. The gap between apprentice and wizard isn't knowledge you can memorize. It's transformation. Your mind can't process what's written here until your body changes."He tucked the book back under his table."Better to accept your limits than waste resources chasing impossible breakthroughs. Trust me—I spent forty years learning that lesson."Ethan stood on shaking legs."Let's go," he said to Glan quietly.They walked away.Only when they were in a crowded section of the Market, surrounded by noise and motion, did Glan speak."I'm sorry. I know you were hoping...""It's fine.""It's not fine. You just lost eighteen stones on nothing."Ethan said nothing.Because Glan was wrong.But he couldn't explain without revealing NEXUS.Behind them, the old man was already closing his stall for the day, the book forgotten beneath his table.He had no idea he'd just sold genuine wizard-level knowledge to someone who could actually use it.[HOST: ADVANCED MEDITATION TECHNIQUE SUCCESSFULLY ACQUIRED. BEGINNING PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS.]Take your time. Do it right.[ESTIMATED PROCESSING TIMELINE: 50 DAYS MINIMUM. CONTENT COMPLEXITY EXCEEDS INITIAL PROJECTIONS.]As they left the Market, Glan kept glancing at Ethan with concern."You okay?""Yeah.""You don't look okay. You look like someone who just realized they made a terrible mistake."Let him think that."I'll be fine."But as they walked back through the Academy corridors, Ethan's headache intensified.And for the first time, he wondered if he'd made the right choice.Fifty days before I know if this was worth it.Fifty days of not knowing if I just wasted everything.Fifty-One Days Later[ANALYSIS COMPLETE. ADVANCED MEDITATION TECHNIQUE DECODED AND TRANSLATED. READY FOR IMPLEMENTATION.]Ethan sat up in bed, heart pounding.Finally.It was late—past midnight. Glan was asleep in the other bed, snoring softly.Show me.NEXUS fed the decoded technique into his mind.Not all at once—that would cause neural damage.Slowly. Carefully. Layer by layer.And it was beautiful.Where basic meditation simply channeled ambient magical energy into the body's natural reserves, this method actively restructured the pathways that energy traveled through.Like upgrading from copper wire to fiber optic cable.This is real. This actually works.He wanted to try it immediately.But—[WARNING: ADVANCED TECHNIQUE PLACES SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE LOAD. FIRST ATTEMPT SHOULD BE MONITORED AND TIME-LIMITED. RECOMMEND 15 MINUTES MAXIMUM FOR INITIAL SESSION.]Fifteen minutes. I can do that.Ethan slipped out of bed quietly and sat cross-legged on the floor.Breathed.In. Hold. Out. Hold.But not normal breathing.Each breath was timed precisely to his heartbeat, synchronized with the natural ebb and flow of magic energy around him.[DETECTING RESPONSE... AMBIENT ENERGY BEGINNING TO CONCENTRATE...]He felt it.Not physically—not exactly.But there was a sensation. Like invisible threads connecting him to the space around him, drawing power inward with each controlled breath.[WARNING: LARGE AMOUNT OF ELEMENTAL ENERGY MOVING INSIDE BODY. MAINTAIN FOCUS.]The energy coursed through him.More intense than anything he'd experienced before.Like drinking lightning.His muscles tensed. His breathing hitched—[CORRECTION: BREATH RHYTHM DISRUPTED. ENERGY FLOW DESTABILIZING. RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE CESSATION.]Ethan forced his breathing back to the pattern.In. Hold. Out. Hold.The energy stabilized.[MAGIC ENERGY INCREASING... 2.0... 2.05... 2.1...][THRESHOLD REACHED. RECOMMEND STOPPING NOW.]Ethan opened his eyes.He was shaking.Sweating.His head felt like someone had driven nails through his skull.[WARNING: NEURAL PATHWAY STRESS DETECTED. HOST HAS EXCEEDED SAFE LIMITS FOR FIRST SESSION. IMMEDIATE REST REQUIRED.]He collapsed back onto his bed, breathing hard.But despite the pain—despite the exhaustion—He was smiling.It worked.The technique is real. I can increase my magic energy faster than normal methods.[HOST MAGIC ENERGY: 2.1 UNITS. IMPROVEMENT FROM BASELINE: 5% IN SINGLE SESSION. EXTRAPOLATING LONG-TERM PROJECTION...][RATE OF IMPROVEMENT EXCEEDS STANDARD WIZARD APPRENTICE DEVELOPMENT BY APPROXIMATELY 340%.]Ethan closed his eyes.His head was still pounding.But for the first time since arriving at the Academy, he felt something like hope.I'm not strong enough yet. Not even close.But I'm getting stronger.And that's all I need.Just a chance.Three Days LaterEthan woke with his headache finally gone.Three days. It had taken three full days to recover from that fifteen-minute meditation session.The technique works, but I can't use it often. Once a week, maybe. Possibly less.He'd lost three days of classes. Three days of teaching income. Three days of progress.But his magic energy was 2.1 instead of 2.0.Was it worth it?[ASSESSMENT: YES. RECOVERY TIME WILL DECREASE AS HOST ADAPTS TO TECHNIQUE. LONG-TERM BENEFITS OUTWEIGH SHORT-TERM COSTS.]I hope you're right.He needed to review what he'd learned about wizard apprentice progression.NEXUS displayed the information:Level 1 Wizard Apprentice: 2-5 magic energy units. Can cast 0-level spells 2-4 times before exhaustion.Level 2 Wizard Apprentice: 6-12 magic energy units. Can cast 0-level spells 6-12 times. Faster casting speed.Level 3 Wizard Apprentice: 13-20 magic energy units. Can cast 0-level spells 13-20 times. Significantly faster casting. Beginning to understand spell combinations.Level 1 Wizard (true wizard): 20+ magic energy units. Body undergoes fundamental transformation. Can cast 1st-level spells. Power increase is exponential, not linear.The gap between Level 3 apprentice and Level 1 wizard was enormous.Not just quantitative—qualitative.When an apprentice broke through to wizard, their body changed from inside. Sometimes outside too. Eyes that glowed. Skin taking on elemental properties. Physical features marking them as more than human.And with that transformation: access to 1st-level spells.The difference between 0-level and 1st-level was like comparing a candle to a bonfire.I'm at 2.1. The very bottom of Level 1.Victor is Level 3 wizard. The gap between us is...He didn't finish the thought.Because it was too depressing.But he had advantages others didn't.Enhanced physical capabilities from mutation.NEXUS tactical analysis.Space affinity.Advanced meditation technique.And soon—I need a spell. Need to actually be able to do magic, not just store energy.He pulled out his remaining magic stones.Five.That's what he had left after the Market, after recovery costs, after lost teaching income.He needed ten for a spell scroll.Back to work, then.Five Days Later – The Spell HallEthan placed ten stones on the clerk's desk.She counted them without enthusiasm."Level?""One.""Section A, rows one through twelve. All 0-level spells. Thirty minutes to choose. Touch the case of the spell you want—it'll be recorded to your student token."Ethan walked into Section A.Hundreds of scrolls.Each representing a different 0-level spell.[Flame Arrow] – Basic fire attack[Stone Skin] – Temporary defensive enhancement[Minor Illusion] – Create small sensory deception[Acid Splash] – Corrosive liquid attack[Lesser Heal] – Minor wound recovery[Detect Magic] – Sense magical energySo many options.His first spell. His only spell for the foreseeable future.Make it count.[RECOMMENDATION: PRIORITIZE UTILITY OVER DAMAGE. HOST POSSESSES CROSSBOW FOR RANGED ATTACKS AND ENHANCED PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES FOR MELEE. MAGIC SHOULD SUPPLEMENT, NOT DUPLICATE.]What do you recommend?[ANALYZING OPTIONS...]Ethan walked slowly through the rows.A spell for offense would be satisfying. [Flame Arrow] promised immediate destructive capability.But satisfaction wouldn't keep him alive.[RECOMMENDATION: [SHADOW STEP]. 0-LEVEL SPELL. BRIEF SPATIAL DISPLACEMENT OVER SHORT DISTANCE. USEFUL FOR INFILTRATION, ESCAPE, AND POSITIONING. SYNERGIZES WITH HOST'S SPACE AFFINITY.]Ethan found the scroll.[Shadow Step]User temporarily shifts position up to 5 meters in any direction. Casting time: 2 seconds. Duration: Instantaneous. Cost: 1 magic energy unit.He stared at it.Not flashy. Not powerful. But...Mobility is survival. And if I'm going to steal from Victor eventually—I'll need to move in ways he doesn't expect.He touched the crystal case.Warmth spread through his student token."Purchase recorded," the clerk called. "Report to Training Room 3 tomorrow morning for basic spell instruction."Ethan left the Spell Hall.Behind him, hundreds of other spells remained locked away.Waiting for students with more resources.More power.More options.His headache was returning.The exhaustion from meditation still hadn't fully faded.And he had exactly zero magic stones remaining.But he had one spell.And a meditation technique that could make him stronger.And somewhere—in dimensions unknown—Diana trained with power beyond comprehension.I need to find her. If the rumors are true, she's learning things I'll never access alone.But first...First, he needed to survive until tomorrow.Learn to cast his spell without killing himself.Recover enough to meditate again.Earn more stones.Get stronger.One impossible step at a time.[ASSESSMENT: HOST PROGRESS... ADEQUATE. CURRENT CAPABILITIES:][- LEVEL 1 WIZARD APPRENTICE (2.1 MAGIC ENERGY)]
[- ONE 0-LEVEL SPELL ACQUIRED: SHADOW STEP]
[- ADVANCED MEDITATION TECHNIQUE IMPLEMENTED]
[- TEACHING INCOME: REDUCED BUT STABLE]
[- UNDERGROUND MARKET ACCESS: ESTABLISHED]
[- PHYSICAL CONDITION: COMPROMISED BUT RECOVERING][LONG-TERM VIABILITY OF PRIMARY MISSION: INCREASING FROM 0.003% TO 0.089%]Still nearly impossible.But no longer completely impossible.Ethan walked back toward his dormitory as purple suns set over the Primordial Preserve.Somewhere in the Academy, Dean Victor studied a beacon that could doom Earth.And Ethan—exhausted, broke, barely stronger than when he'd arrived——refused to give up.