Holding the card in my hand, I thought about what I wanted. My desires encompassed the entire spectrum, ranging from martial arts to magic spells.
But there was something I had to prioritise, and that would be advanced knowledge of three of my classes.
Spellcrafting Theory, Mana Programming, and Continental Mysteries.
Aside from those three, I needed to borrow one of the books published by Eve. The strongest human's writings hid in it the techniques she used to create the central processing unit of the entire Mana Metropolis.
To others who were unaware of the existence of the Mana Core, all of what she had written was simply complicated gibberish. To those like me, however, we would benefit greatly from her calculations.
By the way, Eve practised a technique called Flowing Yin and Yang, which allowed her to make use of both physical and spiritual mana just like me. Her physique, spirit, and talents all met the requirements to practice such a legendary technique. This was one of her greatest secrets, and the main reason she even had the ability to create with mana.
If only she knew of spell engraving... I wondered if I should teach her. I could gain a lot in return if I did, but at the same time...
I would surely create a monster.
A shiver ran up my spine as my thoughts made it there. I bowed to the wizard at the centre of the stage and the audience who surrounded us.
Tiger's merit points were deducted given his loss, so that was unfortunate for him. Every single point was important, after all, and it was always up to the wizards to decide how much to give out and take.
They decided the flow of the economy.
Borrowing an intermediate-level book for a day would cost only a single merit point. Two points for advanced-level books, and three points for special books like the works of Eve.
With my eidetic memory, all I needed was twenty-four hours to absorb all the information I would need from any one book. That included any special pages that contained mana programs aplenty. From there, I could simply draw from my memories and read the books while they were stored in my head.
Making permanent purchases or requesting any one service, of course, was more costly. Merit points were what students traded with each other in exchange for tutoring, technique teaching, and more. One could also ask an instructor, professor, or wizard for pointers using merit points.
Special materials could also be bought from the school at certain prices. It was always cheaper with merit points than with cash, so a lot of students strove to gain merit points instead of spending hundreds of G.
Anyways, after my post-battle ritual, I left.
I headed straight for Nature's Archives and visited the familiar librarian. He was sitting lazily with his eyes half-closed. He was reading a particular book that caught my eye, called [ The Treasures in the Gaian Membrane: Expeditions and the Grey Devourers. ]
It was a book that documented humanity's adventures into the barrier that kept the continents apart. It also spoke of the creatures that lived within the mysterious mass of mana and matter.
The librarian had good taste, as this creation of mine was among my favourites. It concerned the birth of the gods, the world beyond Emerallia, the invasion of the other intelligent races, and my path to power.
"I would like to borrow the following..." I walked up to the librarian and handed him my card.
For now, I borrowed two giant books and one enchanted page.
[ Tome of the Ancient Spellcrafter ]
[ Grimoire of the Ashes: 3333 Programs of Construction and Deconstruction ]
[ Enchanting Interface Version 31230!K ]
The key to making good use of a Mana Core required three concepts. Original spells, the laws of Creation, and intricacy. That is what these three items signified, costing me seven merit points in total.
Over the course of the week, I would also borrow a few more items which were more or less supplementary.
[ Program Efficiency and Optimisation ]
[ The Art of Exquisite: Design and Creativity in Enchantment ]
[ Demonic Tome ]
[ Spell Dictionary — Updated Year 803 ]
[ Mana Physics — Quantirium Mechanics ]
And lastly, Eve's [ Molecular Mana Arts ]
I would consume all of my 20 merit points, but I would be able to craft something special just for Miana. And perhaps myself if I do become the next owner of the Mana Core.
Thus, with excitement bubbling within me, I headed straight to my room in the Auclesius building. I lugged the two giant tomes that were half my height in length and at least a foot thick each. The enchanted page was rolled up and placed in a cylindrical bag that I had slung on my back.
I was out of breath when I made it back to my room. I poured mana into my doorknob and my door opened up with a satisfying click.
I then dumped the two giant books onto my living room table, just by the couches.
"Man," I heaved a few good breaths, "I wonder when the digitization era would arrive for Emerallia."
I did not write that far after all, so I had no idea how it would turn out. What if... No.
I quickly shook my head to stop my thoughts there. I had a lot of studying to do.
Thus, cracking my knuckles and brewing myself a nice cup of tea, I then buried my face in books.
...
I studied for most of the night and meditated for the rest. When I reopened my eyes after several hours of mana absorption, it was a new day.
It was a Wednesday. My subjects for the day were Applied Mana Manipulation, Strategies and Tactics, and finally, Group Duels.
I pursed my lips. Fighting in a group... was something I had yet to do in my short life in Emerallia.
I knew nothing of working with a team and fighting a group of enemies. I was an assassin. A spellcaster assassin to be specific.
Perhaps this was where I was least proficient.
Though, I still had confidence in myself. With Mana Vision, I could predict even the moves of my own teammates, therefore allowing me to plan ahead.
I silently prayed that I would get good teammates.