Kyle looked around for a while and spotted plenty of 3-star and 4-star arts.
-Thousands strikes of death.
-Nine waves of destruction.
-Seven moves of nirvana.
He also spotted a few 2-star arts, but none of them caught his eye. As Kyle wandered around, reading the descriptions of various sword arts, his gaze suddenly landed on a lone purple book floating in a corner.
The book was covered in dust, and the dim light surrounding it indicated its age and lack of attention. Kyle cautiously approached the book and touched it.
Instantly, the book opened, but it barely had an introduction. Some of the words on the old pages weren't even visible properly.
_________
'Name: Void Shattering Strikes'
'Art Rank: 3-star'
'Description:'
Four different sword moves that can even shatter the void if practiced diligently. It could take hundreds of years just to master a single move perfectly.
-Note: The rank of the art can be increased after reaching perfection in all four moves.
_________
Reading through the explanation, Kyle's eyes paused on a single sentence that was barely visible, 'The rank of the art can be increased'.
Kyle had never heard of an art whose rank could be increased. He quickly reread the introduction. There were four different moves, and by achieving perfection in all of them, the rank of the art would increase. But his eyes narrowed when he read, 'It could take hundreds of years just to practice a single move to perfection'.
'What the heck?'
He almost cursed out loud. The moves seemed easy, so why would it take hundreds of years? The power described behind the moves was immense, but why should he spend hundreds of years just to practice a single art?
'Let's find another art.'
Kyle immediately closed the book, treating it like garbage. However, as soon as he shut it, instead of floating, it fell to the floor with a loud thud.
Kyle stared at the book in disbelief, then quickly glanced around to see if anyone was watching. His eyes widened when he realized that all the other students had already gathered near the exit, and they were all staring at him. Even Elder Lu, who was standing outside, had a suspicious look in his eyes.
Cursing internally, Kyle realized that the two-hour time limit had already passed. He looked at the dusty purple book, which seemed to mock him. He barely resisted the urge to kick it. As he wrestled with his mixed emotions, Elder Lu called out to him from outside.
"Hurry up, time is almost up. You have only thirty seconds left, and then I will close the gap. I'm sure you don't want to spend the rest of your life trapped in this hidden room."
Hearing his words, Kyle nodded hastily before reluctantly picking up the book. It seemed like fate had brought them together.
With a heavy heart, he made his way towards the exit. He had made a mistake by not keeping track of the time.
Once everyone had exited the hidden room, Elder Lu closed the gap and turned his attention to the students. Even though he was outside, he kept an eye on some of them to see what they had chosen.
"Now that everyone has received their rewards, you may leave."
After he finished speaking, he began walking towards the exit. But before leaving, he glanced at the librarian, who appeared to be holding back laughter.
'What's so funny?'
He followed the librarian's gaze that was fixed on Kyle.
'That kid. It seems he chose a useless art even after spending so much time.'
Elder Lu shook his head with a soft sigh. Now he understood why the librarian was laughing at Kyle.
Once he left, the other students started to leave as well, not wanting to miss the morning lecture by Professor Aliza.
The librarian was about to approach Kyle, but Mia stopped him because she had some questions about the skill she had chosen. Meanwhile, Alec and the others patiently stood behind her, waiting to go to class together.
Nine approached Kyle, who looked defeated with a dejected expression. He gently tapped Kyle's shoulder.
"What happened? Also, what art did you choose?"
Kyle glanced at Nine, who was beaming with excitement. It seemed like Nine had found something incredible. This only made him feel even more dejected. He shrugged off Nine's hand from his shoulder and tossed the purple book into his storage ring.
"I'm okay. Just a simple sword art. How about you?"
"Hahaha, something amazing! A (C)-Rank skill! Can you believe the academy is giving away high-rank skills like this?"
Nine boasted as they both strolled towards the library exit. Kyle had the urge to wipe the grin off Nine's face, but he restrained himself. After all, Nine was his first friend in a long time.
It was time for Aliza's lecture, so they headed towards the classroom. Kyle had already missed a few lectures and didn't want to be absent anymore. He also vividly remembered the piercing glare Aliza gave him when they first met. She was quite intimidating, and he wanted to avoid getting on her bad side.
Soon, they walked into the classroom, which was already packed since Aliza's lectures were very helpful. Some students glanced at Kyle and Nine with envy, knowing they had just received a reward. A few even approached Nine to ask what he got, but after hearing his bragging, they awkwardly smiled and walked away without looking back.
Kyle headed towards the front row and took a seat, with Nine following behind. After a few minutes, Alec and his team entered the classroom. As soon as they walked in, a bunch of students swarmed them with smiles. But now even Alec knew to ignore the crowd. The four of them made their way through the throng, and before they reached their seats, Alec spotted Kyle sitting in the front row.
He stopped Carcel and headed towards the front row.
"Let's sit in the front row."
Carcel didn't really care where he sat; he just wanted to attend the lecture, so he followed without questioning. Lara and Mia followed suit.
However, when Lara saw Alec sitting on Kyle's left side, she frowned. She pulled Mia towards the second row behind Alec and Carcel.
Alec tried to strike up a conversation with Kyle, who was practically dozing off.
"Hey, what art did you choose?"
Kyle blinked to shake off the sleepiness from his eyes and glanced at Alec.
"Are you talking to me? I chose a sword art since I needed one."
Alec nodded, wanting to ask more, but before he could, Aliza walked into the classroom.
She stood at the podium, taking the attendance sheet. Aliza briefly glanced at the top ten students, her eyes lingering on Kyle for a moment. Seeing that he was present today, she knew he needed the lectures the most, considering his lack of basic sword knowledge and poor mana control. If Kyle had skipped class, she would have made sure to drag him so he could attend.
Aliza finished taking attendance, and all the students were present. Then, she began the lecture on 'mana control'.