Chapter 35

"Recently, I've been thinking."

Aris, who had been quietly looking at a book, suddenly spoke up.

In the library bathed in warm sunlight, a clear voice echoed through the clean space filled with the scent of paper.

"Isn't your concentration really lacking?"

"Huh?"

Considering his talent alone, Renok could be called the embodiment of a wizard, and to him, the suggestion that he lacked concentration was quite foreign.

Even in situations where blades danced before his eyes, he could control his magic at the particle level, making such a comment quite unfamiliar to him.

At least, Renok had never once failed to control his concentration since he opened his eyes in this world.

However, Aris seemed to have a lot to say on this matter, contrary to Renok's thoughts.

She placed the book on the glass table as if she had made up her mind and gave Renok a slight glare.

"That's right. Am I wrong?"

"......I don't understand what you mean."

"Every time we come to the library, I take the time to explain the theories myself, but your mind keeps wandering. This is the third time! Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

".........."

That's right. The third meeting with Aris had already begun, occurring every two weeks.

It wasn't surprising. A considerable amount of time had passed since they made an appointment after their reunion in the library.

Renok, who took a significant break after each mission, spent a considerable amount of time in the library.

Renok closed the book he was holding and responded.

"Professor, you're misunderstanding. Where's the evidence that I'm not concentrating?"

"Usually, the one who feels guilty is the first to look for evidence."

"But I've never been wrong in any of the questions you've given me."

"........."

Aris closed her mouth with a displeased expression.

Renok bit his lip slightly to suppress a smile as he looked at her face.

In fact, there was no mistake in what she said.

The theories Aris taught were basic, aimed at those who had not yet properly learned magic, and it was true that Renok had not been able to concentrate on such explanations.

However, the questions she gave were so simple that he could guess the answers without listening to the lessons.

Still, it seemed she had finally noticed that Renok was distracted during the lessons after a few meetings... but his acting was too excellent to be caught.

Aris, who had been silent, pouted and picked up her book. Renok stared at her intently.

“........”

‘Is it time?’

Even if Renok had been listening to her questions half-heartedly, there was no reason to offend Aris.

Especially considering that Renok planned to ask for her help.

At first, when they met in the library, Renok was content with just attending her lessons.

Revealing himself always came with a certain risk, and Renok was not strong enough to bear that burden.

But now, things were different.

After meeting the Ascendant, Renok couldn't help but want more.

Deciding to team up with Dyke and build influence in the underworld, despite the risks, was part of that.

If he had taken a step forward in the shadows, why couldn't he do the same in the light?

Aris Richelien, whom Renok had met three times, was clearly more trustworthy than the nameless mercenaries in the underworld.

Renok took a deep breath before speaking.

He had been thinking about this since before their meeting today.

He repeated the words he needed to say and slowly opened his mouth.

"Actually, Professor, you're right."

"......What?"

"There have been reasons why I couldn't concentrate during the lessons."

As he said this, Renok stood up and approached Aris.

Ignoring her startled and shrinking reaction, he carefully examined her face.

If she showed any sign of displeasure, it would be troublesome.

Her abundant blonde hair swept to one side.

Her eyes, clear and blue, were hard to believe even when looking directly at them.

Carefully avoiding being captivated by her refined beauty, Renok took the book she was holding.

"Principles of Magic Power Operation. It deals with the main principles of magic power operation used in magic, but there are points I personally find hard to understand."

Comparing the practical knowledge he gained from using magic himself with the theories.

He asked her about the curiosity that arose from the gap between the two for the first time.

"Using rotation to accelerate magic power and continuous pressure to pump it. In this interpretation, these two utilities are described very simply. There's no explanation of how, when the amount of magic power used exceeds a certain level, the two effects completely reverse and become difficult to control."

"Wait, how do you know that...."

"Other interpretations and papers dismiss this phenomenon as a rare exception and interpret it ambiguously, but I think differently."

Renok's calm gaze steadily met Aris's eyes.

"Perhaps this knowledge is a rare theory only granted to wizards of a certain rank...."

".........."

Looking at the silent Aris, Renok reaffirmed the principle he had set.

‘Thoroughly hide my talent. It's enough to open up the theoretical knowledge I have and ask for help.’

The library contained countless books on magic, but Renok had realized that the principles of magic he experienced firsthand were gradually diverging from what was written in the books.

Was his overflowing talent leading him down a completely different path?

More likely, the information on magic theories available to the general public was extremely limited.

Renok had long suspected this hypothesis and confirmed it just now with Aris's reaction.

Sitting opposite him, Renok's mouth began to move smoothly.

"I've been reading books for several years."

".........."

"But the more I learn, the wider the gap between the knowledge I have and what I read, and what I thought I knew becomes increasingly awkward."

From here, acting was necessary.

Renok glanced away from Aris as if in deep thought and continued slowly.

"Do you understand why I'm bringing this up now?"

He briefly closed his eyes, then opened them again and met her gaze.

To her, he must look like someone driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge.

He might even appear as a student whose talent and environment have prevented him from continuing his studies.

And it seemed that Renok's acting was working, as Aris's gaze began to waver.

"......You've been lying to me."

"I'm sorry, but..... it was hard to bring it up. Who could I have told such a story to?"

A heavy silence fell.

By now, only the two of them were left on the eighth floor of the library.

Aris sat there for a while before slowly replied.

"You're right. There is information that is not accessible to unlicensed wizards of the fourth rank and below, and this applies to the citizens of Balkan as well."

".........."

"Unless you find a master and become a direct disciple or join the Magic Tower, it's extremely rare for the restrictions to be lifted. It's essentially an information quarantine measure."

"Is that so....."

By bringing up this topic, Aris was implicitly indicating that she could not violate such restrictions.

It was natural. To her, Renok was just an unknown person whose name she didn't even know.

They had only met irregularly due to her personal goodwill, and their relationship had never held any significant meaning.

‘How can I persuade her....’

What Renok wanted was not just a teacher to teach him theories he was not allowed to know.

He needed a fellow wizard who could listen to his concerns about magic theories and provide inspiration through conversation.

"Professor, I'm not asking you to share your knowledge carelessly."

He needed to be careful in his wording.

"Perhaps we could change the current teaching method a bit?"

"What do you mean....?"

"Instead of me just listening, I could share the thoughts I've had while reading theoretical books. In fact, I have a lot I want to say about magic."

As he spoke, Renok smiled, a genuine smile this time.

"Wouldn't that be interesting?"

Test

A few days had passed since the meetings with Aris began to take on new meaning.

Panora not only handed over the artifact to Renok as promised but also gave him a substantial bonus due to the failure of the operation.

His account, which had only 20 million cells, now had enough to buy another Stemonia.

Although he wanted to buy one as a backup, it wasn't up to Renok to decide.

If the item didn't appear on the auction, no amount of money would help.

Ultimately, to avoid wasting the money, he needed to aim higher.

A week later, Renok returned to Dyke's headquarters.

"Hello. I'm Manya Haus, and I'll be assisting you as a half-wizard from this operation onwards."

A very young-looking clerk greeted him with a blank expression.

"As you may have been informed by Team Leader Panora, we will be conducting a test today to select team members for the project. Your role will be to evaluate and filter out candidates who you believe are not qualified."

She handed him a small shopping bag with both hands. Inside was a regular suit that a clerk might wear.

"It's not custom-made, but the size should be fine. It should blend in naturally with the other clerks."

Manya's point that there was no need to stand out was valid, so Renok changed into the suit without hesitation.

He unbuttoned the first button of the suffocating shirt and loosened the narrow tie, but Manya didn't say anything.

"These are standard issue suits from the company, with good elasticity and durability, making them useful for self-defense. If you don't have any particular aversion, I recommend wearing them for future operations."

"Because it won't