On Wednesday evening, Dark sat in his seat in the library, lost in thought.
From the beginning of the month until now, he had extracted the Sins a total of eight times.
He had extracted [Sloth] two times, for a total of three points.
He had extracted Lust six times, for a total of nine points.
However, in the past week, Dark had been so busy with homework and experiments that he had no time to spare for anything else.
To his surprise, Lust hadn't increased by a single point!
Originally, Lust had only 110 points. After extracting nine points, only 101 points remained.
Of these 101 points, only one point could be extracted using the 'Clear Solid Drip Method.'
Unless he risked using the formal method: inserting the Magic Brain Dropper directly into his brain.
Otherwise, he would simply have to stop here.
Or perhaps, artificially increase Lust?
"According to my calculations, I've extracted Sins eight times so far. I can extract one more point each on the next two days, totaling three points.
I need to increase Lust to 104 points to meet the requirements."
"Or I could abandon Lust and focus on [Sloth]. [Sloth] has 102 points remaining, but I can only extract it once more."
"No, I should still find a way to increase Lust..."
"As for [Lust], it has a strong foundation, so even if I collect a little, it won't matter. It's the safest option."
"Besides, the ways to increase [Lust] are very clear, and there are many methods."
"Alright, this is it!"
After making his decision, Dark looked up at Diana, who was sitting opposite him, a glimmer of hidden purpose flashing in his eyes.
Tuesday's arithmetic class had assigned a lot of homework. With the first class on Thursday being the submission deadline, many first-year students who hadn't finished their arithmetic assignments had come to the library to catch up.
Diana and Rose were among them.
Every time they came to the library, they would always sit opposite Dark, as if that spot had become their exclusive seating.
Because Dark always taught them to use their brains and think more, encouraging them to tackle difficult problems relying on their own abilities, both were currently furrowing their brows in deep thought and didn't immediately ask Dark whenever they encountered a problem.
This was, of course, a good phenomenon.
Although Diana wasn't exceptionally clever, first-year arithmetic wasn't truly difficult either.
If they worked hard, they could build a solid foundation.
This would be a great help for their second-year studies.
Because arithmetic was the foundation of everything; whether it was Summoning, Potionology, Magicology, or even dueling and the compilation of Magical Language, all involved arithmetic.
Many students, after advancing to their second year, had to start endless tutoring because their foundations were too poor to support their continued learning.
Dark certainly didn't want to see his only two same-year friends fall into the abyss of tutoring.
But interacting with them for so long with a 'mentor's' attitude wasn't entirely beneficial.
Dark couldn't help but truly look at them; it had been a long time since he had properly observed Diana and Rose.
Diana had silver hair.
In the kingdom, silver and gold hair were symbols of noble blood.
Diana's mother was a close relative of the royal family; strictly speaking, she also had some royal lineage.
So she inherited her mother's silver hair, which was slightly different from the characteristic brown hair of the Gretel family.
Rose, on the other hand, had golden hair.
However, hers was a very light, almost translucent and ethereal pale gold.
Her family, the Flotties, was originally a great noble house, but it gradually declined during wartime, and now only her uncle's line remained.
Rose, unlike Diana with her round, flat face, already possessed a hint of beauty. Her face shape was transforming into an oval, and her demeanor was delicate, making her appear delicate and endearing.
Dark hadn't paid much attention until now, when he suddenly realized that he had such a potential asset by his side.
But he carefully observed Rose until her face turned red, yet he still didn't feel the awakening of the 'Primordial Power.'
"No, this won't do..."
With no luck, Dark's gaze shifted to Diana.
Diana's round, flat, and rosy face, so tender it seemed milk would drip from it, always made him want to reach out and pinch it.
This kind of impulse was still present.
But for some reason, the Primordial Power was as still as lake water.
It seemed Diana was also 'just like that.'
He was already desensitized to it.
'Is this the growth of my mental fortitude?'
Dark pondered the reason.
'Simple visual contact is no longer enough to make my spirit fluctuate too much?'
Dark tidied up his things slightly, took out his self-study notes on 'Magical Language' from his satchel, glanced at them, then stood up.
Diana asked curiously, "Dark, where are you going?"
Dark raised the notebook in his hand. "To ask someone for help with a problem."
Diana: "Oh."
At the library's reception desk.
Pandora Dragon was reading and taking notes.
Her memory was excellent; she could basically read ten lines at a glance, and her notebook was densely filled with key points.
Homework had suddenly increased recently, causing her, whose schedule was already tight, a slight bother.
Out of necessity, she could only use breaks from work to complete her assignments.
This time was originally meant for leisure.
After finishing her homework, she put down her pen and picked up a copy of 'The Dragon's Arcana' from beside her, preparing to continue reading.
'The Dragon's Arcana,' even within St. Marian's library, was kept in the Forbidden Books section.
But she had obtained authorization from a professor to borrow these particular forbidden books.
Once she could internalize the knowledge from this book, her summoning of Dragon-type spirits would become even more proficient.
"Senior, registration."
Pandora looked up at Vit and Robert, who had approached the counter, and handed them the entrance/exit register.
The Hero's Son's name was still very famous, especially after last Wednesday afternoon's assembly. People who hadn't paid much attention to him before were once again forced to recognize him.
"Has your homework increased?"
Pandora asked casually.
The Hero's Son, who usually didn't frequent the library, had been coming every day for the past few days, an unusual occurrence that made people associate it with homework pressure.
But with her casual question, Vit immediately became nervous. This was Senior Pandora's first time actively striking up a conversation with him!
It wasn't until Robert nudged his arm that he scratched his head and said, "Yes, it has increased. I don't know what's gotten into the professors. The study pressure was already heavy."
Pandora nodded slightly. "It seems this isn't just a phenomenon for one grade level."
Then she took back the entrance/exit register and continued to bury herself in her book.
Vit opened his mouth, wanting to continue the conversation, but suddenly saw a familiar person walking out from inside.
Dark also hadn't expected to meet the Hero duo here, but this wouldn't affect him.
It was just that Vit, for some reason, seemed a bit embarrassed, and Robert's expression wasn't right either.
Dark hesitated slightly, then nodded to the two of them, to fulfill his courtesies.
Then he very naturally walked up to the counter, pulled a stool over, sat down next to the senior, and asked, "Senior, do you have a moment?"