Chapter Twenty-Seven: Within the Academy

“Yes, Master, I will do my best!”

“Good.”

“From today on, you must come here every day. Learn to recognize the instruments, familiarize yourself with the herbs, and organize them. At the same time, I will teach you anatomy. A wizard who doesn’t know dissection is rather laughable, isn’t it?”

“During breaks, you can attend free classes, especially language courses—they are mandatory. Many wizardly texts are written in ancient scripts; you must learn them.”

“As for my areas of expertise—alchemy, runology, and biological modification—you may choose one, and I will teach you for free. If you wish to learn more, you must exchange magic stones for my instruction. Of course, as your mentor, I will give you a discount.”

“Yes, Master!”

“But, what exactly are runes?” Hughes asked, puzzled.

“Runes are embodiments of rules. Unlike the mental runes you meditate upon, these can be used for attack, support, and so on. For example, a wind rune etched on armor can make the wearer move faster. Each rune serves a different purpose.”

“So, ordinary people can use these etched runes as well?”

“Yes. In ancient times, there was a branch of knights called Rune Knights, who grew stronger by harnessing the power of runes.”

“Runes can also be combined to form wizard arrays. However, before you become a second-level apprentice, I don’t advise you to study runes. With the passage of time, runes have become rare. Even I only know a handful.”

“So, I suggest you choose alchemy. With your talent, you should succeed. You can rely on potion-making to procure resources for your future cultivation.”

“Thank you, Master!” Hughes knew that Wizard Matt had mapped out a path for him, and it was indeed the most suitable one.

Immediately, Hughes began learning to identify the various experimental instruments with Matt. He discovered that many items were similar to those from his previous life on Earth, only with different names.

Matt then handed Hughes a thick book, detailing common herbs, their habits, and growth cycles.

“Study this book carefully. Before I formally teach you alchemy, you must learn to manage the herbs in the lab. Everything is recorded here. Don’t make mistakes!”

“Yes, Master!”

“Chip, scan the contents of this book and label it ‘Herb Varieties’!”

“Beep! Herb varieties recorded successfully!”

Reading and memorizing books was never a problem for Hughes. With his chip, he feared nothing, no matter how much material there was.

After bidding goodbye to Matt, Hughes headed to the teaching area to see if there were any free courses that interested him.

When Hughes arrived at the teaching area, he saw a crowd gathered around the outer wall.

He stepped forward and examined the list of open courses on the wall. There weren’t many: The Origins of Wizards, Simulation and Principles of Spells, Anatomy, and Arlen Language.

Looking at the limited choices, Hughes recalled Matt’s advice and decided to study Arlen Language.

Following the posted location and time, Hughes arrived at the classroom, only to find that the spacious room held no more than twenty people.

He quietly took his seat and waited for the lesson to begin.

Soon, footsteps echoed in the corridor.

A female wizard entered with a cold, expressionless face.

“This class is Arlen Language, the most widely used language among wizards in the past. I hope you remember what I teach.”

Throughout the lesson, the female wizard maintained her impassive expression as she taught the pronunciation and script of Arlen.

“Chip, record everything.”

“Beep, recording in progress.”

Confronted with the intricate script and convoluted pronunciation, Hughes found himself overwhelmed. Yet, with the chip recording everything, he could review it later at his own pace.

The lesson lasted about an hour. As soon as it ended, the female wizard hurried out, leaving several apprentices wanting to ask questions, but she was already gone.

Hughes felt no resentment. With the chip’s full record, he had everything he needed, and since it was a free class, he appreciated the teaching.

“Sigh, these characters are so difficult!” An apprentice nearby complained, his face twisted in frustration.

“Yeah, and the instructor spoke so quickly. I only managed to record half of the pronunciations and characters.”

“Well, at least she came to teach us!” another student consoled.

Hughes tidied up and left, had dinner, and returned to his dormitory. As he rested, he let the chip analyze his mental runes while reviewing Arlen Language from the chip’s records.

Watching the chip analyze the progress of his mental runes, Hughes noticed that the second rune was taking much longer than the first. Nearly a dozen hours had passed, while the first rune had only taken about an hour—such a stark difference.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Hughes began his meditation. Strength could only be accumulated over time; there was no instant path to power. Soft glimmers of light slowly floated around him, seeping into his body.

“Beep! Mental rune analysis complete. Ready to transmit?”

“Begin transmission.”

Thus, Hughes gradually started meditating on the second mental rune.

The second rune was not only more difficult for the chip to analyze, but even with the chip’s help, meditating upon it was far more strenuous and intricate than the first.

By midnight, Hughes finally completed his meditation of the second mental rune. Though exhausted in body and mind, seeing the increased attribute points on his panel filled him with joy.

“Chip, set an alarm for me!” Noticing the late hour, Hughes decided to rest; the prolonged meditation had left him fatigued.

“Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!” The chip woke Hughes precisely, and he rose on time.

After dressing, a simple wash, and two slices of white bread for breakfast, Hughes headed toward Matt’s laboratory.

In the morning, he learned to organize and care for herbs, absorbing the fundamentals.

Hughes noticed that his chosen mentor differed greatly from the public course instructors. The guidance was meticulous and attentive. But he couldn’t blame the public teachers—they weren’t responsible for him as their student.

In the afternoon, Hughes returned to the teaching area to choose subjects of interest.

Simulation and Principles of Spells were accessible only to second-level wizard apprentices, so Hughes decided not to pursue them yet.

Instead, he was interested in anatomy. In his previous life, Hughes had studied medicine, so dissection came naturally to him. With the chip’s assistance, his precision in positioning and force was unmatched, even catching the instructor’s attention.

For the next half month, Hughes repeated this routine: mornings spent learning with Matt, afternoons attending free public classes.

Gradually, Matt began allowing Hughes to organize less important experimental materials. As for herb management, the chip’s assistance ensured everything went smoothly, to Matt’s surprise.

Hughes had already meditated upon his fifth mental rune, and as he suspected, the chip’s analysis grew slower with each new rune.

He was in no hurry. Life at the academy was fulfilling—he never allowed himself to stagnate, progressing daily.

Hughes understood well: if he didn’t change himself, nothing around him would ever change.

He had visited the academy’s library, intending to use the chip to scan books, but discovered an energy field enveloping the library, rendering the chip useless. Only by physically holding each book could he scan them, but doing so quickly would attract too much attention. Hughes decided against it, instead scanning just a few books on anatomy and herbs before leaving.

Relying on the chip’s recording abilities, Hughes was well-versed in the free course material, and many students sought him out for tutoring.

The wizard instructors were out of reach for ordinary apprentices, but as a newcomer, Hughes was approachable.

Magic stones became the currency—a single stone would buy three hours of Hughes’s tutoring.