The bookstore owner might be physically weak.
But it does not affect his professionalism when selecting books.
In fact, being able to take over a bookstore in Hogwarts Village is enough to prove that this owner may not have much business acumen, but he certainly has a pure love for books and knowledge.
The three textbooks he selected for Ian are extremely suitable for beginners, from simple to not so simple, allowing beginners to quickly cross the learning threshold.
"Magic Rune Chart": This is a phonetic chart of Ancient Runes, containing the texts, meanings, and standard and correct pronunciations of Ancient Runes.
"Ancient Magical Language Easy Introduction": As the name suggests, after learning how to read Ancient Runes, wanting to further understand the basic knowledge of Runes, reading this won't go wrong.
"Advanced Magical Rune Translation": This should be the true compilation of knowledge involving the use of Ancient Magic Runes in Rune learning, enabling learners to truly understand how to interpret texts compiled in Runes.
...
Three textbooks in a progressive sequence.
Sufficient for Ian to gradually step into the threshold of studying Ancient Magic Runes.
Of course.
Even if there are reasonable learning steps, the learning threshold for knowledge like Ancient Magic Runes is certainly not low. Indeed, as the bookstore owner said, most people find it difficult to learn.
"Hiss! It's really hard!"
Ian, holding the "Magic Rune Chart," sat reading in front of the window of the small wooden house.
Golden sunlight penetrated the thin gauze curtains.
It spread over every corner of the room, draping this quiet space in a golden veil, yet it failed to change Ian's slightly gloomy mood.
He had been diligently studying for quite a while, but he still found it very hard to learn the simplest rune pronunciations, which also resulted in him never gaining a new skill on his personal panel.
How to put it.
It truly is difficult.
Actually, thinking about it, if Ancient Magic Runes weren't so complicated and difficult to learn, how could they, being the medium for casting magic, have been so quickly replaced by modern wizards' spells?
Indeed.
Ancient Magic Runes.
And now, spells like "Fluorescent Flickering" and "Forgetfulness Spell".
They are actually just media for magic casting.
Wizards chose Ancient Magic Runes as the medium for magic and then transitioned to using the more common and understandable spells as the medium. This process must have gone through a "survival of the fittest".
Honestly, the upper limit of Ancient Magic Runes is actually much higher than that of spells, which is why many powerful wizards would come into contact with them during their growth.
However.
This upper limit of Ancient Magic Runes only opens to outstanding people, while for those mediocre individuals, the lower limit Ancient Magic Runes offer is equally astonishingly low.
In ancient times.
Many little wizards died due to the instability of magic.
Likewise.
Many wizards, just like Ian now, remained long stuck at the entrance stage, causing time to slip away, and they might still find it difficult to cast a few decent spells at an old age.
In earlier periods.
Many witches and wizards could be put on a pyre by ordinary people, likely a result of the magic medium of that period, with Ancient Magic Runes still occupying a dominant position.
The emergence of spells.
Improved the learning difficulty for middle and lower-level wizards.
This was the most important reason why spells replaced Ancient Magic Runes.
After all.
They are the most numerous group among wizards. Comparing Ancient Magic Runes to modern spells is actually akin to the difference between automatic transmission cars and manual transmission cars.
"I hope the magic from Teacher Mara is a powerful one; otherwise, my suffering is in vain!" Ian's tongue wasn't particularly agile.
Yet, Runes belonged to the earliest batch, created from the characteristics of magic creatures and plants, naturally containing many syllables that are difficult for the human vocal cords to mimic.
This made Ian quite uncomfortable.
However.
He did not give up on learning.
And this made the heavens not let down those who are determined.
[Successfully comprehended the pronunciation of Runes, gained Rune Mastery Skill Level +1]
Ancient Magic Runes are hard to learn.
But fortunately, Ian's talent may not be in the top tier, but it is certainly still notable, so he is not doomed to spend a lifetime not learning a few Rune characters.
After a bout of focused research.
He gained some understanding.
And as Ian learned to pronounce the first Rune character, a new skill appeared on his personal panel, and the "Insight" feature of the panel began to take effect.
[Successfully comprehended the pronunciation of Runes, gained Rune Mastery Skill Level +1]
[Language Mastery Skill Level +12]
[Successfully comprehended the pronunciation of Runes, gained Rune Mastery Skill Level +1]
[Successfully comprehended the pronunciation of Runes, gained Rune Mastery Skill Level +1]
[Language Mastery Skill Level +12]
...
Some things.
Once the first step is taken.
The rest will be easier due to the existence of the "cheat", at least for Ian, this principle holds true, as each increase in skill level allows him to gain some understanding.
However.
Compared to the rate of progress in other skills, the advancement of "Rune Mastery" skill level is evidently much slower, but fortunately, learning this kind of Ancient Magic Rune seems to also improve the "Language Mastery" skill level.
The value increase is quite significant.
Probably because Ancient Magic Runes are also considered a language and are among the hardest to learn, it is presented as a separate skill status, possibly because it is not merely a language.
Ancient Magic Runes.
The most common is Ancient Runes.
This is the secret unearthed from various magic creatures and plants when human wizards initially explored the mysteries of magic, serving as a bridge for human wizards to first contact and control magic.
Most ancient magic and alchemy were created based on this, and during the primitive period of the Magic Era, magic runes were the best medium to carry and cast magic.
It can be regarded as a special circuit, with magic power flowing along this circuit, able to form ancient magic, which is quite unfamiliar to today's wizards.
Similarly.
When inscribed on ancient alchemical creations, the alchemy creations would naturally be endowed with these properties, enabling ancient wizards to even capture time with alchemical creations.
And as magic runes evolved.
This very difficult-to-learn magic medium, prone to deviations and causing unstable disasters if slightly mishandled, faded due to two creations of the era's development.
The first creation.
Was naturally the invention of the "Magic Wand", a cross-era invention for wizards as a "wheelchair", designed to stabilize magic casting.
It functions like a stabilizer for magic.
It makes casting more stable and simple.
With the further development of the era.
The emergence of wand cores further enhanced the importance of the "Magic Wand", adding other elements to the magic used by wizards, each wand core carrying its unique characteristics and effects.
This situation.
Increased the power of magic.
Likewise.
Also increased the danger of magic.
Various catastrophic magic accidents surged as a result... Thus, modern spells, simplified from Ancient Magic Runes, emerged in the wizards' research to meet the needs of the era.
They make the magic circuit simpler, naturally greatly reducing the power of magic. However, their easier learning and safer nature make them the darling of the era.
With the Ministry of Magic's presence.
Most wizards have no need for powerful magic, so, pondering over it, it turns out that spells, not lacking in self-defense ability, gradually replaced the function of magic runes.
Of course.
For wizards pursuing higher magical mastery, the study and application of Runes remain an unavoidable process, but the pillars of the magical world back then have ultimately become the feast of a few talented individuals.
No one can clearly say whether this is good or bad.
Nor can anyone say clearly, in the development of the era, if spells will gradually follow the old path of Ancient Magic Runes. Perhaps, some history has long been advancing without anyone noticing.
After all.
Change always begins quietly.