The Dark Mage Of The Magus World-Chapter 119 - 120: The Second Floor of the Library
Herbology and potion-making textbooks were the least of Hutson’s concerns—Larry had all the necessary materials, and he had already obtained them. Neither did he need to worry about lessons. With Larry personally guiding him, it was clear the old master had taken him in as a true student.
Hutson glanced at his sigil stone. Over the past few days, there hadn’t been many scheduled lectures, but it seemed classes would resume gradually.
The courses in Moonlight Woodland were quite affordable, designed to make learning accessible for apprentice sorcerers. The instructors—official sorcerers—were obligated to teach at least once every three months as part of their service. After all, Moonlight Woodland invested significant resources into those who signed contracts with it, and in return, the sorcerers had their own responsibilities to fulfill.
The recent war between Moonlight Woodland and Green Lodge had been a brutal affair, with both sides losing several official sorcerers—an enormous loss for any faction.
Right now, Hutson’s greatest need was knowledge related to ancient magic, something that wasn’t available on the first floor of the library. His only hope was to see if the second floor held anything useful.
The Moonlight Woodland Library stood tall with seventeen floors in total. Even as a third-rank sorcerer apprentice, he could only access the second floor. Beyond that, only official sorcerers who had signed contracts with the Woodland were permitted to ascend.
Since he had chosen Dark Abyssal Sky as his gifted spell, he needed to delve deeper into the secrets of ancient magic.
At the break of dawn the next day, Hutson ended his meditation and set out for the library.
Larry had no potion orders for him at the moment, so it was the perfect opportunity to expand his knowledge.
Upon arriving, he noticed over a dozen apprentices already gathered outside the building, waiting. The library had yet to open, but a few were hunched over books, reading by the dim light of street lamps.
Hutson’s thoughts drifted to Leo. His sigil stone had yet to receive any response from the man. Leo wasn’t one to socialize much, and Hutson had no way of asking around about his whereabouts.
Many of the apprentices waiting outside reminded him of Leo—diligent and desperate for knowledge. Most of them were first- and second-rank sorcerer apprentices. Including himself, there were only two third-rank apprentices present.
At precisely six o’clock, the doors opened automatically.
The apprentices entered in an orderly fashion—there was no need for pushing or scrambling like in the overcrowded schools of his past life. The library here had one defining feature: vast and sparsely populated. There was always plenty of space.
Hutson first wandered through the first floor, scanning and recording all the newly added books using AI chip. The collection here rarely updated, and even when it did, most of the books were freshly written by the Woodland’s own sorcerers, reviewed and approved before being added to the shelves.
After making his way through the first floor, he approached the staircase leading to the second.
A heavy door blocked the entrance, embedded with a shallow groove.
Hutson placed his sigil stone inside.
The stone glowed, a green light spreading from the groove. A soft chime echoed, and as he retrieved his sigil stone, the doors swung open on their own.
The second floor was even more expansive than the first. Rows upon rows of towering bookshelves stretched into the distance, fading into the shadows.
"This place is spatially expanded with magic," Hutson murmured, calculating the dimensions. The area was at least three times larger than it appeared from the outside.
Only two people occupied the vast space—a single librarian behind the front desk and himself.
The librarian was an elderly sorcerer apprentice, a third-rank like Hutson. He looked ancient, with a head full of white hair and deeply wrinkled skin. A nameplate in front of him read: Leighton Potter.
Typically, third-rank sorcerer apprentices had lifespans of 120 to 150 years, aging much slower than ordinary humans. For Leighton to look this old, he had to be at least a century into his life.
Hutson knew that some apprentices, after realizing they had no hope of advancing further, would eventually leave Moonlight Woodland to live out their remaining years in peace. Others, like Leighton, chose to stay until the end.
Moonlight Woodland never forced them out. There were always jobs that needed doing, and the role of a librarian was perfect for someone like Leighton.
The job itself was easy—there wasn’t even a need to organize books manually. Enchanted spells ensured that any book placed down would automatically return to its original position on the shelves.
"You’re newly promoted, aren’t you?" Leighton’s voice, though slow, was sharp with intelligence. He remained seated, offering a knowing smile.
Hutson nodded. "Yes, I came to explore the second floor."
"Mmm." Leighton chuckled. "Every newly advanced third-rank apprentice rushes to the second floor. I’ve been here long enough to recognize almost all of them. My memory’s still sharp. You—I’ve never seen before."
He spoke at a measured pace, but his enunciation was clear.
Hutson exchanged a few more words with him and quickly learned about the organization of the bookshelves. His first destination was the history section.
As he made his way deeper into the second floor, Leighton returned to his reading, sipping a cup of coffee leisurely.
Hutson arrived at the towering bookshelves, tilting his head to look up.
The shelves stretched high—at least nine meters tall—making it difficult to see the titles near the top.
But that wasn’t a problem. Ai chip could retrieve the information effortlessly.
For most third-rank sorcerer apprentices, reaching the books was no challenge either. Nearly all of them possessed the ability to sense and manipulate magical energy, allowing them to summon a book with a simple gesture.
Hutson began at the first history shelf, scanning each book meticulously, transferring their contents into AI chip’s database.
He didn’t have time to read them all now—he needed to record as much as possible.
With the sheer scale of the second floor, he estimated it would take three to four days to scan every book.
Unlike the first floor, which contained mostly introductory materials, the second floor held a wealth of advanced knowledge. Many of the books available on the first floor had deeper, more complex counterparts here.
Four days later, standing before the final bookshelf, Hutson flipped through a tome titled Dragonkind Geography.
With one last scan, AI chip absorbed its contents.
"At last."
The effort had been well worth it.
The knowledge stored here would serve him for a long time.
For most apprentices, it would take decades to fully digest everything in these books.
But Hutson didn’t need to read them all—he only needed them within reach.
Now, whenever he required information, he could pull it directly from AI chip’s archives.
With that task complete, he finally allowed himself to read.
His priority was ancient history and lost magic. He also needed to gather information on body-forging sorcerers.
Of course, there was no need to remain in the library. He could study more comfortably at home.
As he made his way toward the exit, he noticed Leighton had dozed off, his face resting against an open book.
The librarian’s steady breathing and the quiet rustle of turning pages filled the vast chamber.
Hutson silently stepped past, exiting into the pale morning light.
