‘For the upcoming island test, I need to understand wind spells on a deeper level. The textbook chant has carried me far enough, and I won’t deny it’s helped build a solid base. But I can’t keep relying on borrowed words every time I cast. There’s a ceiling to that kind of magic.’ He calmly thought.

If he wanted control he needed to move past the incantations and start learning the theory behind them. He needed to know how wind behaves, how mana takes its shape, how intent twists the flow and changes the result.

Chanting is slow and very much predictable. It stupidly locks the spell into a fixed form, and while you can adjust things like shape, strength, or size, it’s still bound to the structure the chant demands.

“That kind of rigidity doesn’t belong in real combat, not when instinct needs to move faster than your mouth.” Ruvian mumbled.

They’re meant to sharpen your foundation, that’s all. But once the ground is solid, you’re supposed to start climbing. “Which means I’m already behind. If I want to stay ahead of what’s coming, then being an Ideomancer is necessary.” And he needs to start now. The theory made sense or at least, it followed the logic he already understood.

Wind existed not in isolation, but as a reaction to everything around it. It moved because pressure demanded it. It stirred because something else changed first. Influence and response. Cause and effect. The same principles applied here, just dressed in different words.

With the knowledge he carried from his old world, and the way his mind worked, Ruvian should have been more than capable of pushing through to the Conceptual Stage.

By logic alone, it should have been simple. But he wasn’t arrogant enough to treat it that way. Preparation mattered and it never hurt to be ready for more than what was required.

He sat alone at a plain wooden table tucked near the back of the library, in the corner reserved for the low-ranked students no one paid attention to. His fingers brushed the edge of the open textbook, tracing along the title; The Wind Elements Theory.

Ruvian tapped his fingers lightly against the table, reading, learning and considering the theory.

He inspected his Mana Resonance.

Mana Resonance: [0/100]

Still zero. He still needed 100 points before he could break through to Spellcore Tier Two. That number sat in his mind like a reminder of how far he still had to go. And until he reached it, his grasp on conceptual casting would remain shaky, unrefined at best, unstable at worst.

Ruvian drawed his focus inward as he let his attention settle on the air around him. He could feel brushing against his skin, and the subtler patterns beyond reach.

A thread of wind at the edge of perception.

It wasn’t much. The sensing was crude, scattered, and incomplete. He stayed still, letting the sensation pass, not trying to force it into clarity.

The theory had never been the issue for him at the moment. It was always his Spellcore that demanded more. And like everything else, it would take time. Of course.

Ruvian barely reacted when suddenly, a presence settled behind him, elegant and composed.

A cool voice followed.

“Your dedication to Wind spells is commendable.”

Ruvian turned his head to look at the owner of the voice. His eyes had landed on someone who made silence feel heavier. She settled next to him with a tranquil grace, not directing her attention towards him.

Ruvian stared at her long pale blue hair, almost silver in the filtered library light that fell past her shoulders. Her complexion radiated the purity of fine porcelain, free from any imperfections or signs of wear, consistently soothing.

Her sea-colored eyes pierced through him profoundly. There seemed to be a distinct air around her, seemingly pulling something from deep within Ruvian. He wasn’t even sure why he felt it that way.

Before he could reflect on it too deeply, he realized he was observing Calyra’s beauty for a moment longer than intended.

After a short silence, he replied.

“You are dedicated as well, Lady Calyra.” (+50PP)

Calyra blinked in confusion upon hearing those words, more like… a pause in processing something. Ruvian hadn’t meant anything by it. It was an honest observation of her character from his knowledge. But even as the words left his mouth, he could already sense it. Something about the tone, maybe the phrasing, or even the timing—whatever it was, it didn’t come across right.

Calyra, who rarely showed more than necessary, simply stared at him. Ruvian glanced at her face again, noticed the slight narrowing of her eyes, in deep confusion.

Was that really a strange thing to say?

‘Maybe, I shouldn't have said that.’ He replayed his words in his head, searching for whatever might’ve come off wrong. It wasn’t meant to flatter her. It was just an honest statement, thrown out in a moment. But maybe that was exactly why it landed flat. Maybe to someone like her, blunt honesty sounded no different from something rehearsed.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

He exhaled as if to clear the static in his head.

He stole a glance at her again. ‘I can now understand why the novel stated that every man would chase after her for a hand in marriage.'

‘I guess beauty is the softest form of cruelty after all. A crime you want to be a victim of, again and again.’

Then he spoke, the question slipping out as naturally as the breath before it:

“Why are you sitting here?”

Calyra turned her head, her cool blue eyes locking onto his. “Why?” she said, tilting her head slightly.

“Can’t I?”

The way she said it wasn’t confrontational. It was calm, as if genuinely questioning his perspective rather than challenging it.

Ruvian met her gaze for exactly two seconds before looking back at his book.

“No. You can. Do whatever you want.” (+20PP)

Then, Calyra smiled. But for some reason, it scared Ruvian more than he cared to admit.

‘Calyra Arcanis.’

‘Why is she suddenly approaching me? Was it because of the joint session with Class A before? Even so she’s not the type to be interested in a Class E performance.’

‘What makes her suddenly come here to sit in the lower rank section?’

Ruvian contemplated but couldn’t reach an answer.

Then, Calyra lifted a hand. In that still moment, without a word spoken, a book appeared where nothing had been before. It settled in her palm, summoned effortlessly. Ruvian watched her from the corner of his eyes, internally, he noted the significance.

Spatium Magic.

A branch of spellwork rarely touched by those outside the upper ranks, difficult to execute and harder still to control. Most would need a focus, an anchor, a carefully drawn array or a channeling device just to bridge the gap between dimensions. But Calyra had bypassed that easily.

Ruvian glanced toward the book she had just retrieved.

Then, he saw the title.

[The Art of Swindling: A Masterclass in Scamming People]

An awkward silence stretched between them. Calyra’s expression remained a poker face, she stared at the book like it had personally betrayed her.

Ruvian blinked first, cleared his throat, and slowly looking away, giving her the courtesy of pretending he hadn’t read the title in full bold font. (+30PP)

‘That’s... definitely Silvena’s book,’ he thought flatly.

'She must’ve shoved it into Calyra’s dimensional storage again.’

It wasn’t even the first time. Calyra’s entire spatial inventory had become some kind of cursed library curated by Silvena’s most questionable tastes.

‘Yeah. She must have accidentally brought out Silvena’s reading.’ Ruvian had no doubt about it.

Then, without a word or the faintest hint of shame, Calyra slipped the incriminating book back into her dimensional storage. A heartbeat later, she summoned a different book into her hand.

This one was titled [Intermediate Aqua Spells and Fluid Manipulation Techniques.]

Neither of them spoke. Ruvian slowly turned his attention back to his own book, but deep within his soul, he quietly screamed with secondhand embarrassment.

'Let's not mention anything about it.’ Ruvian made a conscious effort not to smile.

Calyra too, acted as though nothing unusual had happened. Both of them continued to read in silence. Then, after a while, Ruvian decided to inspect her character sheet.

Skill Activated: [Character Sheets]

The holographic pages looming within the corner of his vision.

───[CHARACTER SHEET]───

◇ Name: Calyra Arcanis

◇ Age: 17

◇ Occupation: Velthia’s Scholar / Scion of House Arcanis

◇ Temperament: Aloof, Emotionless, Perceptive

◇ Current Mood: Mildly Embarrassed / Maintaining Grace Under Fire

◇ Status: [Stable] ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel fire.net

◇ Relationship Status: Subtly Acknowledged

◇ Traits:

 • Prodigy of Spellweaving

 • Emotionally Distant, Intellectually Sharp

 • Has a Tendency to Crack Dry Jokes with a Straight Face

 • Likes Reading

 • Once Passionate About Magic. Now Merely Going Through Motions

——————————

Ruvian pretended that he didn't read her current mood. But he was more surprised that their relationship status subtly improved.

‘Huh? Who would have thought that the first named side character I became close to is Calyra.’

Then, he continued to read her Runeheart Status.

{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}

◇ Name: Calyra Arcanis

◇ Age: 17

◇ Spellcore: Tier III

[Mana Resonance: (50/1000)]

==[General Attributes]==

Strength: E

Agility: E

Endurance: D-

Vitality: D

Perception: C-

==[Mage Attributes]==

Mana Control: B+

Casting Speed: B+

Magic Power: C-

Mana Sensitivity: B+

Mana Essence: [5000/5000]

==[Innate Blessings]==

- [Blessing of Naiara’s Reserve]

==[Magic Affinity]==

- [Ice]

- [Spartial]

- [Water]

His eyes skimmed the runes hovering faintly around her presence, the system displaying her profile.

‘5000 of Mana Essences… That kind of number wasn’t normal for her age. It wasn’t even normal for the higher-ranked students unless they were juiced up on blessings, family resources, or divine favoritism. Well, Calyra, apparently, had all three.’

[Blessing of Naiara’s Reserve.]

Some high-level Covenant Blessings that granted a bottomless mana pool and extended casting endurance. The kind of blessing you didn’t just get, but bonded by The Spirit that favoured her.

His eyes dropped lower on the sheet.

Mana Sensitivity: B+

Magic Power: C-

Casting Speed: B+

Mana Control: B+

Ruvian leaned back slightly in his seat and returned to his book.

He wasn’t the type to be impressed.

But if he had to rank the people in this academy he’d least want to fight in a one-on-one duel, Calyra Arcanis had just quietly moved to the top of that list. Even above Julian and Rosalin.

‘Damn, she's too OP.’

And will grow stronger even more as the story goes.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Calyra spoke: “Why do you study so much? You don’t strike me as the ambitious type.”

‘That was… a strangely blunt way to phrase it. More importantly, had she been watching me this whole time?’

That was a concerning thought. She definitely had a spell for long-range observation. He knew it for sure as he was the one who suggested the author to put that spell in her arsenal. Had she seriously been peeking into the library every time he showed up?

He almost asked but then imagined the conversation might spiral into an even weirder territory.

Instead of asking the obvious question, Ruvian gave the safer reply. “I just don’t like being unprepared.” (+30PP)

Calyra stared at him for a while, as if she was mentally highlighting that line for future reference.

“Don't like being unprepared…” she murmured the phrase quietly.

Ruvian heard it perfectly but decided not to question her.

Then, with a slow nod, she turned back to her book. Ruvian thought that was the end of it because Ruvian believed that he didn't give any room for the conversation to continue.

However, Calyra hasn't fully retreated yet. “By the way, I like books.”

Ruvian inhaled sharply. Then exhaled even sharper. It took everything in him not to fold his soul in half. “…Yes, I like books too.” (+50PP)

‘Gods above, this is painful!!’

Ruvian finally recalled a certain footnote details about Calyra. Despite being a magical prodigy and heir to an ancient house—

…she had the conversational range of a wet sponge.

Luckily, after that, she finally retreated. As for Ruvian? He was wondering what great sin he’d committed in a past life to deserve this awkward moment.

In the end, he couldn't finish his reading peacefully.

PP= 2580

ME= 210