193 The Great Library Of Zenith
After Miss Freya answered the doubts of anyone who came to her, she announced the end of the class and everyone was given a break time.
"This will be your only class for today, but from tomorrow on you'll have 3 classes a day," Miss Freya's voice rang in their ears. "Your schedule would be sent to you, so you can all check and bring anything that you might need. Other than that, you're free for the day."
"But I'll make an announcement before you all leave," she then continued, her words carrying a special weight. "As many of you might know already, every first year can go to the great library and choose a technique for themselves for free. You can choose whichever art is suitable for you."
Miss Freya's words made everyone excited.The Great Library of Zenith Academy was famous not only among the academies but throughout the entire land of Arcadia. There were techniques that have been passed down for centuries and even those which have been lost in annals of history, if they can find one that is suitable for them, they can learn it for free.
Even though they can only visit the first floor of the library and all the arts placed there would at best be 3* or below. But even they would cost thousands of coins on the outside. And commoners have no way to get them. So it's really a blessing for them.
Miss Freya offered a piece of advice, her tone earnest. "Before you go there, I'd like to tell you that don't be hasty in choosing the techniques. So be sure to check all your options and find the one that is most suitable for you. You have today's whole day for that, so take your time. You can also ask the staff at the library and the assistant professors you met before, if you have any questions. From tomorrow there'll be another teacher assigned to your class who'll teach you about those techniques, so be sure to be smart about decisions."
With those parting words, she left the students to their own devices.
Every time a student starts a new year, the academy gives them a chance to choose a new technique Or a skill from the great library. First floor for first year, second floor for second years and so on. First year students can choose their art which they will be practicing for the whole year, while second year students and onwards have an option to choose a skill instead of an art too. Since mastering too many techniques can be a hindrance and hard job, so many people opt to choose a skill instead. But that has nothing to do with new students.
"Brother, let's go for lunch." Amelia came near Rio and said.
"What lunch, let's go to the library first. We'll need time to find a technique suitable for us." Rebecca came and dragged Amelia with her.
"What's the rush? Brother has been there, he might've already looked at the techniques for us, right brother." Amelia asked, hopefully glancing at Rio. Hoping he'd back her so they can go for lunch first. But sadly Rio shook his head and crushed her dreams.
"How would I know which techniques are suitable for you? Becca's right, let's go to the library first." Rio said, agreeing with Rebecca who happily nodded her head and started walking while dragging Amelia with her.
"What about the students from other classes, will they be coming to the library too?" Ayla asked as she came near them.
"Yes, that's why, we should go first. Lest it becomes too crowded later." Rio said and they all left.
After following the pathway instructions on their watches they all reached the library of the Zenith academy.
The library was strategically made on the left side of the academy buildings, away from the bustling student activities. And near the building where the offices of staff members and principal were made. Its grand structure, designed in a towering medieval format, seemed to reach for the sky. Tall, imposing, and built with intricate stone walls, it exuded an air of academic reverence.
Upon entering the premise of the library, one was greeted by a collection of statues that lined the perimeter of the grand foyer. These statues weren't mere decorations; they were golems, enchanted guardians that remained dormant until they detected any unauthorized entry. The golems served as protectors of the library's precious contents. Similar golems were made and placed in various corners of the library too. Some were in the forms of warriors, while others were in the forms of animals and other beasts. Only those with valid student IDs or any special token could enter the library.
The library operated on a system where the ground floor was open to everyone, providing access to a wide array of books and resources. The knowledge contained in those books was simply unimaginable, as the academy had collected them over the centuries. However, if students wished to read them they'd need to pay for them with their merit points according to the time they spent within. Taking books out of the library came with extra charges.
The ground floor, open to everyone, consisted only of simple books of research and history and knowledge. The first floor, access to first years, had techniques of 3* and below. Second floor which is open to second years consisted of techniques and spells of 4* and below. Third floor which for third years with techniques of 5* and similar spells. And so on. At the fifth floor techniques of 7* were present there. But that was only accessible to final year students and that too only rankers.
At any point if one wanted a new technique Or a new skill, they could exchange it with merit points.
"This is amazing." Takashi said, as he looked at the grand structure of the building. It wasn't just him, most of the students were awe struck by the designs and richness of the place.
Upon entering they were greeted by the staff working there, along with other assistant professors.
One of the staff came forward and guided them inside and told them about the rules. For today class A-1 to A-3 students were allowed to enter the library and choose their techniques.
"Can we return the technique or exchange it if we don't understand it?" One of the students raised his doubts. After all, it's not easy to learn about a technique based on just the little details pasted in front of the book. Some techniques might look easy to master at first glance, but only after fully learning it one can see all the requirements and hardships of it.
"You can't. So you better think twice before you pick something." The staff replied in a stern tone.
Academy didn't care about the techniques of such low caliber but that didn't mean students could just play around with them daily. If they picked anything wrong today, they can just wait and exchange something better after getting enough merit points. Until then they'll have to stay behind their peers.
"Students of class A-1 are already on the first floor. So you can all go and check for the techniques you want. Once you've selected it, you can come here to record it in your name."
The staff said that and started moving towards the stairs at the center, which led them all to the first floor.
Unlike the ground floor which looked more open and spacier, the first floor was a sprawling expanse of shelves, alcoves, and reading nooks. The ambience was steeped in an air of scholarly tranquility. Dimly lit, ornate chandeliers and light crystals hung from the high ceilings, casting warm lights over various reading areas. The shelves were neatly organized, housing countless techniques in the form of tomes, scrolls and textbooks.
Rio and others could see some students of the other classes looking through the shelves trying to find techniques suitable for them. Everyone was following the rules of the library as only the hushed whispers could be heard among them. The staff led the students first and explained about the method the books were stored within, so they don't have to look through each and every shelf.
Each line of shelves was separated by just enough space to navigate comfortably. Engraved plaques identified the contents of each aisle, making it simple for students to find their way.
The library's extensive collection was meticulously organized, with books and tomes neatly categorized into various fields of study.
The first floor mainly contained books of combat techniques or elemental arts, some books for healing and other supportive fields were present too. But in less numbers. As first years, mainly needed to focus on building a strong foundation and ranking up first, they can learn everything else later on too.
One side of the whole floor was filled with techniques based on combat and weapon mastery. Which was further divided in many subsections of shelves based on type of weapons and fighting style. Techniques based on swords, spears, archery, dagger, scythe etc were placed on the right side.
While the left side was fully filled with tomes of body refinement and melee fight techniques. These volumes contained a rich variety of martial arts styles, from fist and kick techniques to advanced forms such as boxing, kung fu, karate, and zudo etc. Wooden plaques adorned these shelves, providing general information about each art.
On the other side of the library were the books filled with techniques of elemental magic. Here, books were further divided into shelves, each representing a different element or category. From simple elements of fire, water and wind to complex elements like metal, lava and lightning - arts related to every element were placed there.
In the small section at the side were techniques based on supportive fields. With shelves containing arts of healing, restoration and rejuvenation etc. Some arts belonging to spiritual attacks and soul strengthening were placed there too.
The students were given free reign to roam around and choose whatever techniques they want. Time was of the essence and everyone was looking for things they thought were most in line with their development.
While everyone was busy with choosing a book for themselves, Rio wanted to smile aloud. Cause he knew exactly which technique to choose.
'Let's go and steal the art of the protagonist. And see which one he'll choose instead.'
Rio happily moved towards the section where arts of archery were placed. Little did he know that, in just a few moments, he would find himself face to face with someone whose presence would alter the destiny of the entire world.
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A/N - she appears.
This chaps mostly info trap, but know that this is calm before the storm. Because from next chapter surprises are about to appear on grand level. And many of your questions would get answered too.
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