After training for about another hour, I headed to the library to study magic. Mastering second-rank wind magic was my priority. Even though I hadn't fully stabilized first-rank wind magic yet, things should go faster this time. By my estimation, the first rank would take at most a week, and the second another two to three weeks. The difficulty depends less on rank itself and more on the individual spells.
In the library, I quickly found the required books. Judging by the order, they were meant to be studied sequentially.
1. Introduction to Wind Magic, Volume I
2. Introduction to Wind Magic, Volume II
3. Wind Magic: Comparison with Other Elements
4. Structure of Wind Spells
5. Construction of Wind Magic Circles
Fortunately, everything was available—nothing had been taken.
I took the first two volumes and returned to my room. The three-book limit made it easy to carry them all.
In my room, I opened the first volume.
Surprisingly, my head didn't start hurting—the text was written clearly enough. I absorbed the basic principles and structure without much difficulty. It took about two hours, but I fully understood the content.
The second volume was just as easy. After another hour, the fundamentals of wind magic were firmly established. I put the book aside and went to sleep.
The next morning started the same as always—people were talking about me again.
At breakfast, I could clearly hear discussions about my mission and the cultist. The rumors were spreading more and more, and fewer people seemed to believe the official version. Eleris and Cecilia were mentioned in passing as well, but they didn't react much. I simply ate in silence and ignored it all.
After classes, I did a short training session and returned to studying.
Back in the library, I finished the second volume and reread the first one to reinforce my understanding. The material was now fully absorbed.
Then I returned to collect the remaining books.
"Wind Magic: Comparison with Other Elements" was mostly theoretical. Wind magic is weaker in defense than water, ice, and earth, and weaker in direct offense than fire and lightning. However, it excels in speed and flexibility. The differences were not extreme, but enough to define distinct combat styles.
The next sections went into detailed explanations with examples of basic spells. That part was more interesting and useful than expected.
Later, the focus shifted to spell structure. The difficulty increased significantly here—the concepts required precision and concentration. I only managed to grasp part of it in one evening, but it was enough to understand the system.
The book on constructing magic circles was even more complex, so I only managed to cover the basics.
By the end of the evening, I was already exhausted and decided to skip training.
In the end, over several days, I fully mastered the theoretical foundation of first-rank wind magic and made partial progress toward the second rank.
Finally, Thursday arrived.
After classes, I immediately went to Professor Margaret.
I felt like baiting the comments, so here's a question: Whose POV (if not Viren's) would you like to see the chapter from?
1. Eleris
2. Cecilia
3. Tia
4. Viren anyway
5. Leon
6. Jian Lei
7. One of the antagonists within the academy
Also, please tell me how I can improve the writing; I'd appreciate any advice.