Chapter 17: The Annoying History of Ancient Magic (Part 1)

Once, I longed so much for that magical power.
Wands, robes, spells, gestures—anything related to magic fascinated me, but that didn’t include the dull and boring history of ancient magic…
Come on!
I came to Riox to learn magic, not to admire the great achievements of our ancestors!
The origins of magic? Its development? Improvements?
Famous great magicians in history?
Would memorizing these make my spells more powerful?
Hey!
As Scott said, in the first week at Riox, you won’t be taught any magic—just some stories about it. In Jiang Zhe’s opinion, no matter how hard that magician tried to explain, it was far less interesting than a small fireball.
But sadly, the history of magic was a required course…
Arriving early in a large classroom that could seat hundreds of people, Jiang Zhe had to listen to Professor Hod talking nonstop about ancient magic history, spitting words everywhere. He felt utterly helpless.
Jiang Zhe glanced at Scott, who was flipping through a book as thick as an adult’s palm, staring at the dense text. Just one glance made Jiang Zhe feel dizzy—he couldn’t understand how that guy could concentrate.
As for his classmate, the future battle mage Allen, he too was leaning forward, intently reading a book on the desk…
Had this guy changed?
In Jiang Zhe’s eyes, this roommate was even less patient than him—how could he be reading?
“Drip…”
Ugh! This guy was sleeping so hard he was drooling!
Sigh. Even in this other world, can’t I escape the fate of going to school?
Moving aside, Jiang Zhe propped his head and gazed out the window, idly watching the clouds in the sky.
White clouds… so white…
“…The origin of magic lies in alchemy. Alchemist Wells made outstanding contributions to the development of magic… Wells wrote a famous academic work. Who here can name that alchemical formula?” Professor Hod put down his book and looked up at the magic apprentices in the classroom. Of course, he also noticed Jiang Zhe and the two others who were distracted in the back.
“The Extraction of Salt from Water, Professor Hod!” said the red-haired girl who was sitting in the same carriage as Jiang Zhe.
“Very good, Ravia!”

Professor Hod nodded in satisfaction and suddenly asked with a smile, “Magic is a truly amazing academic field, but it’s also full of dangers. As your introductory professor, it’s my duty to tell you this! Well, that’s enough for now on the history of ancient magic. I have a few questions to test your understanding of magic: Modern magic is roughly divided into three systems. Do you know which three?”
“I know!”
“Professor, I know!” After Professor Hod asked the question, many students in the classroom wanted to prove their “erudition.”
Unfortunately, Professor Hod ignored the students raising their hands and pointed in the direction of the back of the classroom, saying, “Thors, you answer!”
Instantly, hundreds of pairs of eyes turned toward the back of the classroom, making Scott, who was concentrating on his book, feel a bit uncomfortable. He looked up at Professor Hod and then at Jiang Zhe beside him, whispering, “Thors! Thors!”
“Hm?” Jiang Zhe, still thinking about why the clouds were so white, snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at Scott doubtfully. Then he realized the classroom was unusually quiet. When he looked up, he saw Professor Hod shaking his head slightly at him.
Did this kid really have something special about him, as the principal said? Why couldn’t he see it?
As for Professor Hod himself, he wasn’t particularly fond of this kid who was distracted in his class, nor the two others around him—one reading by himself and the other dozing off. He had been teaching for two or three years and had never encountered such students before…
But after all, Professor Hod was also an outstanding young magician, so he wasn’t dissatisfied. On the contrary, he was very interested in that kid named Thors. He wanted to figure out why the principal thought this kid was so special…
“Thors, modern magic is roughly divided into three systems. Do you know which three?”
Hm? Clearly, Jiang Zhe was utterly confused by Professor Hod’s unexplained favoritism. At Scott’s gentle reminder, he stood up.
“Can you answer my question, child?” Professor Hod asked. As he spoke, many students glanced at Jiang Zhe disdainfully, with murmurs of “commoner,” “ignorant,” and “poor wretch” drifting through the air.
Although they had only been together for a day, Scott had gotten a rough idea of his roommate. He knew that although his roommate wasn’t talkative and seemed slightly distant and cold in his behavior, he was still someone worth befriending—much better than the other guy!

So, he whispered, “Thors, it’s white magic, blue magic, and black magic!” All of this came to Professor Hod’s attention. Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Zhe said, “I’m sorry, Professor. I don’t know!” Scott was stunned. When he looked up, he saw Professor Hod frowning at him and immediately understood. This child did have something special about him, but not as special as the principal had said… Professor Hod nodded and walked over slowly, continuing, “Then do you know the general categories of magic? Based on the nature of the magic itself!” “I’m sorry, Professor…” “Well… does anyone here know?” Hod glanced around and suddenly pointed at the red-haired girl, saying, “Lavia!” “They are impact magic, fire magic, lightning magic, ice magic, light magic, gravity magic, and mind magic!” The red-haired girl looked at Jiang Zhe with a hint of disdain. “Very good!” Professor Hod was satisfied. After all, only students with a certain understanding of magic could answer such questions. “What about classifying magic by its form? Thors?” Jiang Zhe shrugged and said, “I’m sorry, Professor!” As soon as he finished speaking, a mocking voice came from the classroom, “Is that all he can say?” Laughter erupted immediately. Glancing angrily at the blond boy who spoke, Professor Hod examined the child named Thors again, especially his eyes… It seemed that this child, who appeared very gentle on the surface, had a very proud heart—a heart that wouldn’t be shaken by anything outside. Was it because he didn’t care? Or for some other reason? After thinking hard, Professor Hod still couldn’t figure it out. He casually pointed in the direction of the red-haired girl and said, “Lavia, you answer!” “They are spherical, arrow-shaped, ring-shaped, shield-shaped, barriers, speech magic, transformation magic, and spell magic, Professor!” “Very good! But you missed spirit energy and spell seals. Well… you might take a long time to understand those two,” he said, then walked over to Jiang Zhe’s desk, glanced down at the drowsy Allen, and said to Jiang Zhe, “I’m disappointed, Thors…” By disappointment, he meant Jiang Zhe’s distraction in class. Jiang Zhe smiled bitterly and said, “I’m disappointed too, Professor…” His disappointment referred to the fact that, after arriving in a world filled with magic and entering a magic academy, he found that what he had to learn first wasn’t magical spells but the dull history of magic.

Unlike the mocking laughter of the noble children in the classroom, Professor Hod seemed to understand Jiang Zhe’s meaning. He looked at the boy with dark golden hair with a peculiar expression.
“Snap!” Suddenly, Professor Hod snapped his fingers and said to the children in the classroom, “That’s it for today’s class… By the way, don’t forget what I said at the beginning—everything I said in this class might appear in the exam in a week. That’s all! Thors, stay back!”
The children left the classroom, gloating.
Scott glanced at Professor Hod and then at Jiang Zhe. After hesitating for a moment, he patted Allen on the back. “Hey!”
“Hm?” Allen, still half-asleep, looked up. “What? Is it over?” Just then, he suddenly saw Professor Hod standing beside him and became very embarrassed. He stammered, “Hello, Professor! Hello, Professor!”
“Enough, let’s go!” Scott said impatiently.
“Hm? What about Thors?”
“Come on, just go!”
“Uh…”
Seeing that no one was left in the classroom, Professor Hod asked Jiang Zhe to sit down and said earnestly, “Thors, I notice you seem uninterested in the history of magic…”
“Yes, Professor,” Jiang Zhe replied. He didn’t think he could deceive a magician’s eyes, nor did he want to. He told the truth, “I’m only interested in magic itself, not the great achievements of ancient magicians. I believe that doesn’t enhance the power of the magic I use!”
“Oh?” Professor Hod’s expression was full of surprise. He said oddly, “Are you saying this subject is less interesting to you than a small fireball?”
“I’m sorry, Professor!”
This boy…

Professor Hodd thought for a moment before saying earnestly, “Thors, magic isn’t as simple as you think. Magic itself is full of dangers. The reason Aethelred Academy offers this subject is not only to let us appreciate the outstanding contributions of ancient great magi but also to help you understand the horrors of magic and reduce or avoid the dangers associated with learning it… For example, fire magic and water magic are two completely opposite elemental magics. If you mix these two elements together, it will explode! But if you possess the mental strength and control of a great mage, you can combine these two elements to create a completely different element—namely, the composite magic of lightning magic… All this knowledge is a precious legacy left by ancient great magi, and our task is to understand it! To truly understand magic can reduce the misfortunes that come with studying it…”

Listening to Professor Hodd’s explanation, Jiang Zhe finally understood the purpose of this subject. But…

“That’s what they say, but I still don’t know why. I really can’t muster any interest…”

Seeing Jiang Zhe’s expression, Professor Hodd smiled and shook his head. “Child, learning magic is both a pleasant and a tedious task. Just being able to cast a few spells doesn’t make you a qualified mage… Without sufficient knowledge, you might never be able to advance to the rank of mage in your lifetime…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jiang Zhe shrugged. “It’s just a title!”

“…” Professor Hodd was stunned. Looking at the child before him, he seemed to see his own past self: many children who had never come into contact with magic initially hoped to learn powerful magic…

“Thors, why do you want to learn magic? I mean, why do you want to learn powerful magic?”

That question felt so familiar…

Jiang Zhe was taken aback and asked doubtfully, “What’s the point of learning weak magic?”

This time, it was Professor Hodd who was stunned. What did he mean by ‘What’s the point of learning weak magic?’?

“Well… what after learning powerful magic?”

“Afterward?”

“Yes! If you’re going to learn powerful magic, haven’t you thought about what you’ll use it for?”

“What to use it for…” Jiang Zhe was stunned. To be honest, he hadn’t really thought about it.

After hesitating for a full minute, he reluctantly said, “To become a powerful mage?”

Hearing that answer, which even the child himself wasn’t sure about, Professor Hodd smiled and shook his head. He gradually understood what that great mage had meant.

Is he learning magic just for the sake of learning it? If so, this child might truly become someone extraordinary in the future… But at the same time, this child also poses a certain danger! Professor Hodde is no stranger to such children; throughout the history of Riox Academy, there have been many like him, some of whom became famous great magi respected by all, while others made pacts with demons for so-called “powerful forces” and turned away from humanity… The huge difference between them lies in the influences they experienced… “Sos, have you thought about what subject you want to specialize in?” “Hmm, Blue Fire Magic!” As expected… No wonder the principal told me to pay attention to this child… After thinking for a moment, Professor Hodde smiled and said, “Sos, it seems we’ll be spending a long time together…” “Huh?” “Don’t you know? I specialize in Blue Fire Magic. Of course, I’ll also be your teacher for that subject in the future…” “Ah?” Jiang Zhe then remembered that this professor had performed a fire-based summoning spell right in front of them. “Hehe, Sos, how about this? If you pass the exam in a week, I’ll secretly teach you a spell—Fireball…” “Fireball?” Jiang Zhe’s initially interested expression immediately lost its enthusiasm. “Hey, even if you pass the exam, you kids still have to start from the basics. And at first, you’ll only learn the basic Fireball, which is just a first-level spell!” “So Fireball is…” “Second level!” “…” Jiang Zhe opened his mouth, looking speechless. Is this trying to fool a child? Amused by the child’s expression, Professor Hodde said with a smile, “So, do you want to learn? Of course, if you’re talented, I can secretly teach you some spells and give you some guidance… You know, when I was studying magic at Riox, I was always the class leader!” “Really?” Jiang Zhe was skeptical. “Of course!” Professor Hodde shrugged. “The condition is that you have to pass the exam in a week…” “Do we really have to go through this?” “If you want to achieve something in magic, you need extensive knowledge. Knowledge is the prerequisite for being a magician! Right now, you just need to memorize some famous figures and events from history, but in the future? You’ll have to obtain the knowledge you want from countless magi’s manuscripts…”

“…Well then…”
“Hehe,” Professor Hodde smiled, then suddenly lowered his head and said mysteriously, “I can give you a hint—the exam in a week will only cover events within the past 200 years of the new calendar…”
“200 years…”
※※※
“200 years… Tch! Is this even a hint?”
Looking at the three thick books on the table, each as thick as a finger, Jiang Zhe couldn’t help but curse.
Oh, it should be explained here—Jiang Zhe was currently in the library of Riox, specifically in the tallest tower in the southeast. Here, he finally understood what “vast quantity” meant.
He had never seen such a huge library before… He was shocked.
All he saw were giant bookshelves, five to six meters tall and twenty to thirty meters long. Tsk tsk, the number must be well over two or three hundred, right?
Looking at the dense array of magic books on the shelves, Jiang Zhe felt a bit dizzy.
Don’t forget, this was only the ground floor of the library…
“That’s all for the past 200 years!” It was Scott who helped Jiang Zhe look for books. As for Allen, he had collapsed the moment he entered the library, made up a few excuses, and went back to his dormitory.
Looking at those three thick books, Jiang Zhe shook his head and sighed, “I really don’t have much confidence…”
Scott smiled faintly and said earnestly, “Actually, I can lend you these three books for now…”
“Aren’t they not allowed to be borrowed?” Jiang Zhe was puzzled.
“That’s true,” Scott shrugged, with a hint of self-mockery, “You know, I’m a noble…”
Jiang Zhe immediately understood and shook his head. “No need. It’s all the same anyway!” He didn’t want to owe someone a favor for no reason. After all, Scott and he were just roommates, not friends in any real sense.
Seeing Jiang Zhe refuse, Scott didn’t insist. He knew his roommate’s personality well enough. Glancing around, he said, “It’s pretty quiet anyway…”
It was indeed quiet. In the vast library, only a few dozen students were concentrating on reading at the long tables.
Patting the extremely thick books in his hands, Scott asked, “Shall I go back then?”
“Mm!”
Three books… How could he possibly memorize them all?!
Sighing in frustration, Jiang Zhe looked around and suddenly noticed the quills and parchment similar to sketchbooks on those long tables—originally meant for the students here to take notes.
Did he really have to use that trick?

After a fierce internal struggle, Jiang Zhe sat down at a long table and picked up the quill pen and parchment on it… As he said, he hated memorizing things—more than he hated milk! Rather than rote memorization, he preferred to put in some effort—like making notes. Thus, a soft rustling sound arose in a quiet corner of the library… But soon, Jiang Zhe realized with annoyance that he had encountered a small problem—the awkward quill pen was severely slowing down his writing speed. At that moment, a gentle voice came from not far away, “Do you have any questions?” Jiang Zhe looked up and saw a girl around thirteen or fourteen years old sitting three seats away across the table—she had sea-blue hair and eyes that resembled sapphires—looking at him curiously. “I’m just not used to this pen,” Jiang Zhe said casually. “Hm?” The girl glanced at him and, noticing a thick stack of parchment beside his right hand, looked puzzled. “Do you need to take a lot of notes?” “Mhm!” Jiang Zhe shrugged. “Maybe I can help,” the girl said. She picked up the book in her hand, walked over and sat down across from him. Her fair right hand emerged from her magic robe as she pointed at the quill pen in his hand. “Close your eyes and imagine what kind of pen you want in your mind…” After staring at the girl in confusion for a long time, Jiang Zhe hesitantly closed his eyes and tried to recall what a pen looked like. “Deifoeoromaoateeona!” With that spell, Jiang Zhe suddenly felt a change in the quill pen in his hand. When he opened his eyes, he found himself holding a pen… “What a strange pen!” The girl smiled faintly as she watched the boy across from her stare at her in astonishment. “It’s just basic transformation magic—something you can learn in the third grade…” “It’s incredible…” Jiang Zhe murmured, looking at the girl who seemed three or four years older than him and then at the pen in his hand. “It only lasts for two hours!” the girl reminded him. “Oh…” Jiang Zhe snapped out of his daze and returned to his “great task.” After copying more pages, he suddenly remembered something and looked up, saying, “Thank you!” The girl, who had been focused on reading, glanced at Jiang Zhe and then at the densely filled parchment on the table. She asked doubtfully, “It’s nothing. But… do you really need to take such many notes?”

If it were anyone else, Jiang Zhe might have ignored them, but because of this girl who had done him a small favor, he hesitated only for a moment before answering her question with a hint of embarrassment.
“Well… I’m not good at memorizing things… And there’s an exam on the history of ancient magic in a week… So…” He tried to change the topic that embarrassed him. “I saw you using magic that’s only taught in the third grade. Aren’t you a freshman?”
“Fourth grade, Dia Palas!”
“First grade, Thos!”
As we know, Jiang Zhe wasn’t good with words, and his fourth-grade “senior” seemed to be quiet as well. After a brief introduction, the two went back to their own tasks: Jiang Zhe continued copying notes, while the girl named Dia continued reading her book.
As time passed, it grew late outside. A cuckoo with a bell in its beak was flying around the library—probably because closing time was approaching.
“Huh.” Taking a slight breath, Dia closed her book and rubbed her sore eyes. But suddenly, she saw that strange junior still struggling to copy notes, sweating profusely. She smiled slightly and got up to put her book back on the shelf.
As she passed by those juniors, out of curiosity, she glanced over. Yet this glance surprised her, because the characters the junior was using to copy were not the common script she was familiar with.
What was this?
Dia lowered her head in confusion, wanting to take a closer look. Just then, the junior seemed to sense someone nearby and turned his head in surprise… Their eyes met…
“What… what are you doing?”