Looking closely now Auron realized the library was more than just a sanctuary of knowledge; it was a monument to humanity's obsession with beasts.
Ancient records of mythic creatures in battle, or what Glaivemire beast tamer academy regarded as mythical creatures, adorned the walls, and bronze statues of legendary beast tamers stood like silent guardians.
Yet, the martial arts section was shoved into a dusty corner treated like a weird uncle nobody wanted to acknowledge.
Auron skimmed through a scroll titled "The Art of Flowing Qi: Basics for Beginners." Its contents were vague, filled with passages like "The body is the river, the Qi the water. Let it flow or drown in stagnation."
"Right, because that clears things up," Auron muttered, rolling the scroll up and shoving it aside.
He was about to grab another tome when a deep voice interrupted his search.
"Didn't expect to see someone actually here."
Auron looked up to see a young man about his age, thick brows and broad shoulders giving him a rugged look. His uniform was wrinkled, but his gaze was sharp.
"Name's Roderick. What's yours?"
"Auron."
"Never heard of you."
"Can't say I'm surprised."
Roderick chuckled. "Heh. Fair enough. You actually looking for martial arts stuff, or just trying to escape the noise?"
"A bit of both, I guess."
"Smart move." Roderick sat on a nearby stool, folding his arms. "Most people see martial arts as a joke. But I've always been curious. Figured if I can't form a contract, might as well learn how to punch something real good."
"Sounds like a solid plan," Auron replied, lips twitching into a smirk. "Though I hear most martial arts manuals are just vague philosophies. You know, 'Feel the Qi,' 'Become one with nature,' all that nonsense."
"Yeah, that's why it's fun. Trying to turn nonsense into something useful."
For once, Auron felt like he'd met someone who actually made sense. And Roderick's words stuck with him—turning nonsense into something useful. Just like what he was trying to do with the system.
"Anyway," Roderick continued, "I'll leave you to your weird scroll-hunting. But if you ever wanna spar or compare notes, look me up."
Auron nodded, genuinely appreciative of the offer. Maybe not everyone at this academy was a jerk.
As Roderick wandered off, Auron returned to his search. Just then, his eyes caught a worn-out book shoved behind a row of thick, dusty tomes. Its cover was faded, but the title was barely legible: "Blood and bones: Fundamentals of Body Tempering."
He flipped it open and started reading. Unlike the other manuals, this one actually seemed practical. Descriptions of breathing techniques, muscle conditioning, and something called Iron Vein Training—a method to refine viscera toughen the body through repeated exposure to strain etc. It wasn't the magical beast-taming way of growing stronger, but it was something.
And it made sense. All of it.
"Find something good?"
Auron glanced up to see the librarian from earlier, her eyebrow raised in mild interest.
"Yeah. This one actually explains things instead of just throwing poetic riddles at me."
She laughed softly. "Well, good luck. The only people who've ever read that book were either desperate or insane. Or both."
"Guess I'm the lucky third option."
"Well, if you say so. By the way, I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My name's Lyra."
"Auron," he replied, even though she probably already knew.
"I know. Everyone knows." Her lips twitched, a hint of sympathy in her eyes. "But good to see you're not moping around like most people in your situation. You've got some fight in you."
"More than you think," Auron said, rolling up the book with a smirk.
"Try not to break yourself, though," she called after him as he made his way toward the exit.
Leaving the library, he felt genuinely optimistic.
Before he could continue, a loud argument broke out nearby. Two students were wrestling over a beast egg, each accusing the other of trying to cheat them out of a contract.
Auron rolled his eyes. Yet another reminder of how ridiculous the academy could be.
But as the argument continued, something caught his eye. One of the students dropped a crystal, its surface shimmering with faint inscriptions. A beast core.
And not just any beast core—Auron's system reacted to it. He could feel it in his bones, like a magnet pulling him closer.
"Oh, crap," the student muttered, patting his pockets in a panic.
Before anyone could notice, Auron's hand shot out and snatched the crystal,in a swift motion as if he'd done it a thousand times.
"Well," Auron thought as he slipped the core into his pocket. "Maybe luck really is on my side."
However he didn't lag, rushing back to his room because the moment his hand made contact with the beast core crystal a notification screen had popped up in his line of vision
(Do you wish to absorb a skill from the beast core crystal?)
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