The Wizard Has A Biochip

Chapter 32: A visit to the library

Bzzzz...

A vibration coursed through my body.

The next instant...

A small invisible wave of energy spread throughout the room.

The candle flame flickered violently.

The wooden table creaked.

The stack of books swayed a few millimeters before settling back into place.

I slowly opened my eyes.

For a brief moment, it felt as though an entire river was flowing through my body.

Magical energy coursed through my bones, muscles, and organs far more intensely than before.

It was almost intoxicating.

But that sensation lasted only a few seconds.

I took a deep breath.

I controlled the flow of mana.

Everything returned to normal.

I looked at my own hands.

I had advanced to a Second-Level Acolyte.

I slowly clenched my fingers.

The difference was enormous.

It wasn’t just the quantity.

The quality of the energy had changed as well.

The magical particles flowed through my body with far greater ease.

I could feel them responding to my will.

My mana reserves had increased several times over...

It was then that a familiar voice echoed in my mind.

[Beep!]

[Magical energy can now be represented numerically.]

[Would you like to begin the conversion?]

I blinked a few times.

— Hm?

I frowned.

— What happened?

The Biochip responded immediately.

[The host’s magical energy has increased.]

[Unknown effect detected.]

[The Biochip has undergone structural changes following its fusion with the host’s soul.]

[Processing speed increased.]

My heart began to race.

So...

My hypothesis had been correct.

Ever since I crossed over into this world...

The Biochip had not remained exactly the same.

It had fused completely with my soul.

And now...

My magical growth was strengthening it as well.

— Show me.

[Beep!]

A blue hologram appeared before my eyes.

[STATUS]

Name: George Gil

Level: Second-Level Acolyte

Sex: Male

Age: 15

[Physical Status]

Strength: 3.0

Agility: 3.0

Vigor: 3.0

Mana: 4 (40 units of magical energy)

Vital Energy: Awakened

I carefully examined each line.

My magical energy could now be measured numerically.

Forty units.

The status screen also implied something else.

The Gil Family Breathing Technique had reached its limit.

It could no longer significantly increase my physical strength.

From this point onward...

I would need superior techniques.

I closed the holographic panel.

My body was still exhausted from the breakthrough.

I decided not to overdo it.

I lay down.

And fell into a deep sleep.

...

The next morning...

After finishing my morning routine and having a simple breakfast in the cafeteria...

I headed straight for the library.

My mental database was still relatively limited when it came to general knowledge about this world.

The sooner I fixed that...

The better.

After walking through the Tower’s corridors for several minutes...

I arrived at the library’s enormous hall.

The place was surprisingly simple.

The walls were made of massive gray stone blocks.

Aged wooden bookshelves filled almost the entire room.

Hundreds...

Perhaps thousands...

Of books had been carefully arranged.

My gaze swept across the shelves.

Unfortunately...

I already knew I wouldn’t find any spellbooks here.

Those were considered some of the Tower’s most valuable assets.

They were normally sold separately.

Each magic model cost between one hundred and two hundred magic crystals.

Far beyond what an ordinary Acolyte could easily afford.

But that didn’t matter.

Today...

My goal was something else.

General knowledge.

History.

Geography.

Races.

Kingdoms.

Creatures.

Everything that would help me better understand this world.

Behind a simple desk...

The librarian sat quietly.

He was a middle-aged man.

His face carried the look of someone who was perpetually exhausted.

His level...

Third-Level Acolyte.

During my time living in the Tower...

I had noticed an interesting pattern.

Many of the older Acolytes had given up on advancing any further.

After countless failed attempts...

They had simply accepted their own limits.

Even so...

They had no desire to return to an ordinary life outside the Tower.

So they remained here.

Taking on roles such as librarians, administrators, merchants, or assistants.

I calmly approached the desk.

Before looking for any books...

I decided to clear up one question.

— How much does it cost to read a book?

He slowly raised his eyes.

He seemed mildly annoyed at being interrupted.

He answered coldly.

— One magic crystal.

I nodded.

He continued.

— You may stay and read for as long as you like.

— But...

He raised a finger.

— If you leave the library...

— Or even need to use the restroom...

— You’ll have to pay again to continue.

I smiled.

— No problem.

My answer seemed to satisfy him.

He immediately returned to his reading.

— Choose the books.

— Then bring them to me.

— I’ll temporarily remove the seals.

I nodded.

— Understood.

I stepped away.

Then I slowly began walking along the bookshelves.

My eyes examined every title.

I picked up a book.

Flipped through the first few pages.

Then returned it to the shelf.

As expected...

Only the introduction could be read freely.

The rest remained hidden beneath a delicate white seal.

The pages seemed to be covered in a luminous mist.

It was impossible to make out a single word.

I moved my finger close to the surface.

Without touching it directly.

The magical formation was incredibly sophisticated.

— Biochip...

— Scan this book.

— See if you can extract the information without triggering the magical formation.

["Command received."]

["Mission initiated..."]

["Performing deep scan..."]

I tilted my head slightly.

My hair fell over my eyes.

A few seconds passed.

Then...

A new message appeared.

["Unknown protective force field detected."]

["Analyzing..."]

["Multi-layered runic structure identified."]

["Attempting to map frequencies..."]

["Interference detected..."]

["Warning..."]

["The barrier has responded to the analysis attempt."]

["Structural transformation in progress..."]

["Verification complete."]

["High risk of activating the protection mechanism."]

["Probability of safe extraction: less than 0.01%."]

I slowly closed the book.

I let out a long sigh.

— Damn...

It was obvious.

The magical formations used by the library were on a completely different level from my current abilities.

Not even the Biochip could bypass them.

Even if I couldn’t simply copy the protected contents of the books...

I was still far ahead of any other Acolyte.

I closed the book I had just examined and immediately picked up another.

The History of the Mages’ Bloodline.

It was exactly the kind of knowledge I needed.

I tucked it under my arm.

Then I continued walking slowly between the shelves.

My eyes scanned each spine.

That was when I found another book.

I stopped in front of the shelf.

I slowly read its title.

Magic Crystals.

I raised an eyebrow slightly.

I pulled it from the shelf.

It was heavy.

Much thicker than I had expected.

I quickly flipped through the introduction.

Then I continued walking.

A few meters later...

Another title immediately caught my attention.

Creatures of the Magical World.

Without a second thought, I pulled the volume from the shelf.

It was just as thick.

The introduction contained nothing but an enormous table of contents.

Magical beasts.

Intelligent creatures.

Rare species.

Monsters.

Carnivorous plants.

Spirits.

Humanoid races.

All of it was indispensable knowledge for anyone intending to venture beyond the Tower and explore the outside world.

I carefully closed the book.

Now my arms were carrying a small stack of three books.

Three heavy books in total.

That should be enough for today.

I returned to the librarian’s desk.

I carefully placed the books in front of him.

He slowly looked up.

He spent a few seconds examining the titles.

Then he looked at me.

— Three magic crystals.

Without saying a word, I loosened the small pouch attached to my belt.

I took out five magic crystals.

And placed them on the desk.

The librarian pulled the crystals toward himself.

He counted them one by one.

Then calmly stored them inside a drawer.

Only then did he raise his right hand.

The metal ring on his finger began emitting a faint white glow.

I watched closely.

It was the first time I had seen someone directly manipulate magical seals.

He pressed the ring against the cover of the first volume.

A delicate magical formation quickly spread across its surface.

For a brief moment...

The white seal trembled and disappeared.

He repeated the exact same procedure with the other books.

The entire process took less than a minute.

When he finished...

He withdrew his hand.

The ring’s glow faded away.

— Done.

He pushed the books toward me.

— The seals have been temporarily unlocked.

He looked back down at his own book.

— Read for as long as you need.

I nodded respectfully.

— Thank you.

I picked up the stack of books again.

Then I began walking through the library.

This time, searching for a sufficiently secluded spot.

A few moments later...

I found a small table hidden behind a thick stone pillar.

It was practically invisible from the librarian’s desk.

...

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