Chapter 88 - Buried Castle (5) - Spell Creation Unlocked

The staircase at the end of the arena led downward through more library floors, just like the first one they had taken.

This time, however, there was no other arena with a different Dragon Wizard. Valadir was the only one protecting his master, whose real name nobody knew for sure. People just called him the All-Knowing Dragon.

The staircase ended right in front of a huge stone door that covered the whole wall. The stone was different from the rest of the castle, and Leonard, being the nerd he was, explained exactly what it was.

"This stone isn’t from this continent. It comes from an archipelago far from here, and it’s even sturdier than the rest," Leonard touched the door with the palm of his hand, smiling as if he had found a treasure. "It can withstand attacks from level 200 individuals."

Valadir was quite impressed by Leonard’s knowledge and listened closely to everything he had to say.

"You certainly know a lot about this place, and about me," Valadir said. "Where did you learn all of this?"

While waiting for an answer, Valadir touched the door and used his own magic to open it. Runes lit up all over its surface, shining brightly with the tremendous power behind each symbol. The amount of mana in the air was way higher than anything Arthur had seen before.

Everything was new to him. Even to a player who had explored a big portion of the game before. It was the very first time he was seeing someone as powerful as Valadir.

Leonard puffed out his chest and said proudly, "Soul Artisans are a family thing, right? My father was one, so he taught me a lot and gave me some of his books and diaries. That’s how I learned about this place."

"Makes perfect sense," Valadir nodded, then turned more serious. "Now, listen carefully. Don’t touch anything unless I allow you to. I’m not saying this to be an asshole, I’m just taking care of you. Things in my master’s private library can be... deadly sometimes."

They had no idea what Valadir was actually talking about. What could be deadly about a library? You touch a book and it explodes?

Anyway, what greeted them after the door opened was a man, or rather, a mix between a man and a dragon.

He had round glasses and white hair, along with massive white dragon wings on his back and a tail. He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed while multiple books floated around him, their words going straight into his mind.

"This is my master, the All-Knowing Dragon," Valadir said as he stopped in front of him and bowed.

Arthur and Leonard followed his lead.

Valadir then explained what his master was doing.

"At the moment, he’s focused on consolidating a lot of knowledge, and it might still take a few years, or months, or even decades. It depends. I’m not sure when he will wake up again."

Leonard was in complete ecstasy, his gaze scanning every nook and cranny, just happy to finally be inside the place he had sought to discover. Arthur knew very well that he was doing his best not to touch anything. His hand kept moving forward a few times, then retreating.

The place was basically just a library, only way smaller. The books inside were much more valuable, and instead of normal bookshelves, they flew around the room. There were crystals everywhere, massive ones, in a really bright blue.

Arthur looked at Leonard, and judging by his face, he knew exactly what the man wanted to ask. He just hoped Leonard would be strong enough to keep the question to himself. He wasn’t.

"Is it true that these crystals are actually your master’s poop?" Leonard asked with a straight face.

Valadir turned to face him. Arthur was already expecting the worst outcome, but things were actually really chill.

"Yes, this is true. My master is so powerful that even his poop can be used for many things. I once said that if he pooped enough, even the most primitive civilization could evolve. Why? Do you want some of his poop? I can give you some, but just a tiny bit. I need the rest to power this place."

Leonard was basically jumping with excitement after hearing he would get some crystallized poop. It was nuts.

They sat at a marble table, a clear difference from the rest of the castle’s furniture, which was made of wood. Valadir had a book in his hands, one he had grabbed from the air before sitting with them.

"Because my master is currently unable to teach you Spell Creation, I’ll have to be the one doing it. However, this will make it take a little longer."

"How long?" Leonard asked.

"It depends on your own talent to learn it. However, I have a solution for that."

Valadir got up and searched the library for a while, looking for something without knowing exactly where it was. He came back with two stones that looked exactly the same.

"These stones are linked to this place. You can use them to teleport back here, but there’s a 3-day cooldown and a long cast."

That was exactly what Arthur wanted. He didn’t want to stay inside that library forever. Leveling up, clearing the dungeon, and doing his quests were important to him. Maybe Leonard was okay with being there for good, but he wasn’t.

"Alright. First of all, read this book."

Arthur picked up the book Valadir had in his hands. It was written in the same runic language as the other books, one he didn’t understand.

But the moment Arthur opened it, the runes on the pages glowed and the system sent him a message.

[Do you want to learn the Spell Creation profession?]

He said yes instantly, and the profession was unlocked, showing up in his profession panel. Valadir’s eyes went wide.

"Impossible. Did you just learn Spell Creation by opening the book? People usually need to stare at it for a few days before that happens."

It wasn’t because Arthur was a genius or anything like that. It was just his player status. The system he had worked differently from the one the NPCs had, and unlocking these types of things was much easier for him.

Leonard, feeling envious, grabbed the book as well and tried to do the same thing, but nothing happened. He was a Soul Artisan, but he wasn’t a player.

"Don’t feel bad about it, Leonard," Arthur said, trying to make him feel better. "This is just my special powers helping. The Chosen Ones get some benefits, so it’s not like I’m better than you. It’s just how things are."

Unsure if what he said helped Leonard or not, Arthur focused his attention back on Valadir.

"So what now?" he asked.

"Well, you unlocked the profession, which means you can now understand the runes and read the books. The next step is to start creating your first basic spells by mixing different runes together. Come with me."

Valadir started looking for a different book, with Arthur following closely behind. Leonard stayed at the table, frowning as he tried to read the book Arthur had mastered in a single second.