The golden light of the system notification illuminated Ambrose's face as he gently closed the ancient to resting in his hands. The leather-bound cover felt smooth beneath his fingertips, worn by centuries of scholars who had sought its wisdom before him.
[Congratulations! You have successfully read and comprehended 1000 unique scholarly works! Your dedication to the pursuit of knowledge has been recognized]
[Title Acquired: Scholar II]
[Effects: 10 Intelligence, 20% Comprehension Speed when reading academic texts]
Ambrose exhaled deeply, his breath disturbing the motes of dust that danced in the rays of afternoon sunlight filtering through the tall windows of his private library. The scent of aged parchnt, leather, and beeswax perated the air—a fragrance he had grown intimately familiar with over the past week of intense study.
With a practiced gesture, he summoned his stats screen, the translucent blue interface materializing before him like a ghostly window into his very essence.
Seven days had passed since his fateful encounter with Claire and the acquisition of the ancient library. Seven days of relentless pursuit of knowledge, devouring books at a rate that would have seed impossible to his forr self. Between the voracious reading sessions, he had conducted countless experints with his spatial techniques and run elaborate simulations for his ti-related talents. A theory had taken root in his mind—if spatial dominion existed as a skill, then surely ti dominion must exist as well. The symtry of it made perfect sense to his analytical mind, but even so, he had yet to make any real progress.
His eyes narrowed as he examined his statistics. The numbers hadn't shifted dramatically, save for his intelligence which had climbed from 135 to 150—five points from the newly acquired title and ten from the sheer volu of knowledge he had absorbed from the books.
Nothing significant happened at 150 intelligence, which led him to deduce that the next aningful milestone would likely co at 200. The realization drew a weary sigh from his lips. His progress felt glacial—a full week of reading approximately 200 books daily just to gain ten points. The effort-to-reward ratio struck him as particularly harsh.
"So this is how non-combat professionals in this world must feel," he mused silently, a newfound appreciation forming for the mundane scholars who lacked his systemic advantages. Gratitude welled within him as he recalled the fairy girl who had bestowed upon him his initial 100 intelligence points. Without that foundation, his journey would have been exponentially more arduous.
Raising his gaze from his own stats, Ambrose turned his attention to the other mbers of his party who were scattered throughout the library, each engaged in their own pursuits. With a subtle ntal command, he called up their statistics one by one.
[Na: Sun Hualing]
[Level: B]
[Talent: Blood Knight (Transcendent)]
[Health: 10000/10000]
[Mana: 800/800]
[Strength: 82]
[Stamina: 100]
[Agility: 80]
Hualing remained the uncontested powerhouse of their group. She had evidently broken through to B rank, an impressive feat that Ambrose suspected would put her on par with a trainee knight from the Rothschild household. Yet despite her remarkable progress, she still couldn't match a full-fledged Rothschild knight. The gap between amateur and professional combat abilities in this world remained vast.
His gaze shifted to Liu ihua, who sat cross-legged in a corner, a stack of mathematical texts surrounding her like a fortress of knowledge.
[Na: Liu ihua]
[Level: B]
[Talent: Calculation (Mythical)]
[Health: 500/500]
[Mana: 800/800]
[Strength: 4]
[Stamina: 5]
[Agility: 4]
Surprise flickered across his features. Contrary to his expectations, it was not Marcus but ihua who had claid the second position in their party's hierarchy. Her frail physical stats stood in stark contrast to her impressive rank, highlighting the potency of her Mythical-grade Calculation talent. A fellow transmigrator indeed, he thought with a mixture of admiration and suspicion. He couldn't help but wonder if she had stumbled upon so special treasure during monts when his vigilance had lapsed.
Near the window, Marcus moved through a series of fluid sword forms, his blade catching the light with each precise movent.
[Na: Marcus Turner]
[Level: C]
[Talent: Sword Intent (Top Level)]
[Authority: Light Fragnt (Virtue: Kindness)]
[Health: 7000/7000]
[Mana: 400/400]
[Strength: 70]
[Stamina: 70]
[Agility: 79]
While still classified as C rank, Marcus's strength had increased dramatically since the tournant. Back then, he had barely qualified for C rank; now, he stood at the precipice of B rank. The corner of Ambrose's mouth quirked upward in amusent. Main character privileges, he supposed—the protagonist's growth curve always defied common sense.
Finally, his attention turned to Adelaide, who was ticulously organizing a series of ledgers and docunts at one of the reading tables.
[Na: Adelaide Brightwell]
[Level: C]
[Talent: Accounting (Top Level)]
[Health: 2000/2000]
[Mana: 400/400]
[Strength: 10]
[Stamina: 20]
[Agility: 10]
Adelaide had improved remarkably from D rank to C rank. Examining her physical stats, Ambrose noted with interest that she had beco the strongest non-combatant in their group—a testant to her diligent training with Marcus during whatever ti she could spare from her studies and business affairs.
Her business acun had proven equally impressive. Under her stewardship, their RAT Co. had experienced steady growth, nearing the scale and influence of the Golden Compass Trading Company. Perhaps even more valuable was the underground information network she had cultivated. Through her connections, Ambrose now received intelligence on kingdom-wide events with unprecedented speed. With their network beginning to extend tendrils into the Empire, Holy Theocracy, and the Beast Kingdom. Adelaide had established herself as perhaps the most valuable mber of the party, second only to Hualing's combat prowess of course.
A sense of satisfaction settled over Ambrose as he contemplated the collective progress of his companions. Each had grown in their own way, contributing unique strengths to their shared enterprise.
With deliberate grace, he rose from his seat, the leather chair creaking softly beneath him. He approached Adelaide, his footsteps silent against the polished wooden floor.
"Is everything ready?" he inquired, his voice cutting through the library's peaceful silence.
Adelaide looked up from her ledgers, a knowing smile playing at her lips. "Everything has been prepared just as the master had requested," she replied, her eyes reflecting a quiet pride in her efficiency.
The other party mbers glanced up from their respective activities, exchanging curious looks. Though they couldn't discern the subject of the conversation, they had grown accustod to these cryptic exchanges between Ambrose and Adelaide—monts when the two seed to inhabit a private world accessible only to them.
Ambrose nodded in satisfaction. "Good!" he declared, turning to address the entire group with an enigmatic smile. "Everyone, prepare. I'm taking you all sowhere."
Their reactions were imdiate—a mixture of surprise and curiosity rippling through the room. Liu ihua was the first to break the expectant silence.
"Where are we going?" she asked, straightening her posture, her eyes narrowing with analytical interest.
Ambrose brought a finger to his lips, his smile widening mysteriously. "It's a surprise," he announced, his tone playful yet commanding.
A collective eye-roll swept through the group, but beneath their feigned exasperation, anticipation flickered in their eyes. Whatever Ambrose had planned, it promised to be interesting—his sches always were.
…
A/N - Sorry for the delayed uploads, I heard many saying that the story was slow and I was reworking the pacing, we'll return to normal uploads when everything is sorted out.
Do you think it's slow?
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