After settling the follow-up matters with Vera and Colin, Allen left the "New West" office and headed straight for the Central Library.

After his promotion to First-level Wizard, he could stay at the academy for another two months, provided he didn’t take up a position there.

Allen needed to make good use of these two months.

’I need to look up some technical data for the upgraded Spider Slayer.’

’Also, it’s about time I learned some Witchcraft usable by a First-level Wizard.’

Promotion to First-level Wizard didn’t just mean a massive surge in his Magic Power and Spiritual Power; it also meant he was now qualified to learn Intermediate Witchcraft.

The Central Library, Witchcraft Zone.

The area was as quiet as ever.

The apprentice behind the front desk was someone new, his head bowed as he paged through a heavy tome.

"I’d like to learn some Witchcraft available to a First-level Wizard," Allen said, his voice calm.

The apprentice reacted at once. He stood and gave a slight bow. "Esteemed Wizard, sir, are you looking for Universal Witchcraft or school-specific Witchcraft?"

"I’d like to look at both. I’m looking for Intermediate Witchcraft. Where is the catalog?"

"One moment, sir." The apprentice retrieved a thin book from a separate Rune Cabinet and presented it with both hands. "The Universal Witchcraft and school-specific Witchcraft are all recorded in here."

Allen took the catalog and opened it to the first page.

[Intermediate Universal Witchcraft]

The vast, dazzling list he had expected to see was not there.

The entire page contained a mere seven or eight Witchcraft titles.

[Counterspell]

[High-level Magic Shield]

[Short-Range Blink]

...

Allen frowned.

He quickly flipped through the pages and found the section on school-specific Witchcraft.

There were only five Intermediate Witchcrafts exclusive to the Alchemy School.

The Bloodline School had four.

The Witchcraft School had the most, with eleven.

...

In total, the entire catalog contained fewer than thirty Intermediate Witchcrafts.

’That’s it?’

"Yes, sir. I’m sure you understand."

The apprentice’s tone was matter-of-fact. "At the level of an Official Wizard, every Intermediate Witchcraft may be the culmination of decades of a Wizard’s painstaking research, adapted specifically for themselves. It’s the very foundation of their survival. No one would simply put their trump card on display for others to learn."

He paused, then added, "Most of the Witchcraft in the library is either public property of the academy or the result of some great figure’s early, foundational research. Truly powerful Witchcraft must either be developed by oneself or acquired by trading astronomical resources or knowledge of equal value."

"In fact, many Wizards spend their entire lives deeply cultivating only one or two Witchcrafts they excel at. A Wizard’s time and energy are far too precious to waste walking a path forged by another."

Allen understood.

’There are thousands of apprentice-level cantrips and Low-level Witchcrafts. That’s all for sifting the gold from the gravel—it’s basic education.’

’But once you reach the level of an Official Wizard, knowledge suddenly becomes scarce.’

’It wasn’t hard to understand.’

’During the apprentice stage, everyone learns from standardized textbooks as part of a basic education, because apprentices are expendable. They are the bottom rung, the base population for Wizards.’

’But at the Official Wizard stage, everyone begins their own "postgraduate" research. Each has their own thesis and specialty. Knowledge barriers and technological restrictions become the norm.’

’Because Official Wizards are competitors—and potential enemies.’

’Wizards are, in essence, a group of extreme egoists. Expecting them to be eager teachers and share selflessly is a complete fantasy.’

’Those powerful, strange, and decisive Witchcrafts capable of turning the tide in a single blow are usually held by individuals or specific schools as top-secret legacies.’

’The ones available in the library are mostly "run-of-the-mill" spells that have been around for ages and become widespread, or "outdated versions" that some Wizards reluctantly parted with in exchange for wealth.’

’It seems every Intermediate Witchcraft is precious. I should use my last bit of time in the academy to learn as many as I can. An opportunity like this won’t come again.’

’But I should only learn what’s useful to me. For one, Intermediate Witchcraft is expensive, and the Alchemy School doesn’t rely on Witchcraft as its primary means of offense.’

’Second, due to the restrictions of a Magic Contract, Witchcraft learned in the academy library can’t be sold for profit. Learning something I won’t use would be a complete waste of time.’

Allen didn’t dwell on it any longer. After his promotion to First-level Wizard, another Core Matrix had appeared in his Sea of Consciousness, one that could be inscribed with permanent sorcery.

This meant he had gained another six Permanent Sorcery Slots. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Still only six?"

[Dseek: Database indicates that the higher the level of a Witchcraft, the more complex its model and the greater the mental strain. The number of slots does not increase linearly.]

’I’ll start with the ones exclusive to the Alchemy School. There are five in total, but only two are usable by someone of the Macro-construction Discipline.’

[Intermediate Witchcraft: Mundane Material Restructuring Technique].

Description: Permanently alter the physical structure of a base material through a powerful impact and intervention of Magic Power.

’This was the "turning stone to gold" technique that had so astonished him before. If he learned this Witchcraft, even if he were imprisoned on an arctic plane with extremely scarce resources, he could still build a mansion from scratch with his bare hands.’

[Intermediate Witchcraft: Flaw Detection Technique].

Emits several special waves of Magic Power to non-destructively inspect the internal structure of materials or Rune Circuits. It can intuitively present internal cracks and defects as a 3D image in the Caster’s mind. A godsend for quality control.

’As for the Intermediate Universal Witchcraft...’ Allen scanned the list quickly.

[Damage Transfer]: Diverts a portion (not exceeding 30%) of physical or Magic damage taken from a single hit to a non-Magic Item carried by the Caster. The item suffers the corresponding damage. If the item cannot absorb all of the transferred damage, the remainder is taken by the Caster. Ineffective against instant-death effects.

’A sort of scapegoat doll. It has its limits, but it could be a lifesaver in a critical moment.’

[Flying Magic] (Advanced): Allows flight up to several hundred meters above the ground, with a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour.

’The ability to fly, and to fly for extended periods. From now on, I too will command the skies.’

[Counterspell]: Interrupts an opponent’s spell with a precise blast of Magic Power at the exact moment of completion.

’High risk, high reward. A real heart-stopper. If it fails, I’ll be the one taking a heavy hit.’

[High-Level Magic Shield Technique]: Forms three layers of extremely strong, self-repairing High-level Magic Shields around the body, protecting against physical and energy attacks. Consumes Magic Power over time.

’An upgraded version of Magic Shield.’

[Short-Range Blink]: Instantly teleport to a location within line of sight up to 15 meters away. A coordinate error may lead to unforeseen consequences.

’For me, this is a life-saving trump card that can replace a Scroll. In any case, I definitely won’t be using it to jump into an enemy’s face.’

[Walking in the Shadow Realm]: A god-tier travel skill. By traversing the Shadow Realm, a journey that would take half a day in the real world might only take 10 minutes. The effect can only be maintained for a maximum of 10 minutes.

’That was it for Intermediate Witchcraft; there weren’t any more to learn even if I wanted to. I also picked out two Low-Level Universal Witchcrafts I hadn’t learned yet.’

[Magic Energy Burst]: Low-level Witchcraft. Condenses Magic Power into an unstable sphere of energy that explodes on impact. It is non-elemental, meaning it cannot be countered by elemental resistances.

Simple and brutal. Its power increases with the amount of Magic Power channeled into it. Its disadvantages are its lack of a tracking ability and its short range. It could be used to fill the gap in my area-of-effect damage capabilities.

[Magic Pulse]: Continuously releases ring-shaped pulses of magic. Though harmless, it can accurately detect all Magic Radiances and invisible boundaries within a five-kilometer radius. The pulse also reveals the Caster’s location and Magic Power signature. May trigger sensitive Defense Arrays.

’It’s a strategic-level reconnaissance skill, but the drawback is that I’d become the brightest light bulb on the map.’