Time flies like a shuttle.
Time passes swiftly.
When a person's life is full enough, they will feel time passes quickly. Ian is like this; he feels quite different from a few days ago.
[Rune Mastery (Level 1): 3/100]
As the saying goes, miracles come from hard work.
When Ian temporarily stopped enhancing and training other skills and focused on mastering Rune Language, his talent and system panel complementarily created an astonishing effect.
Of course.
Being able to swiftly elevate a skill with slow progress to Level 1 also relates to the simultaneously improved skill [Language Mastery].
[Language Mastery (Level 5): 4/1600]
When this skill, which Ian has high hopes for, reaches Level 5, its Extraordinary Traits naturally begin to emerge.
[Language Mastery Extraordinary Traits—Master of Language: You will find it easier to learn unfamiliar characters and languages.]
A very simple explanation.
But the impact of the Extraordinary Traits is absolutely strong.
Although this trait hasn't granted Ian the almighty communication ability he desires, it has bestowed upon him a brand new talent.
His learning speed of Rune Language increased notably, and this Extraordinary Trait also endowed him with a unique ability to learn animal and Fantastic Beast languages.
In his leisure time.
Ian attempted to learn the language of sparrows outside, a sensation one must experience to understand. Through listening and discerning efforts, he quickly summed up the various tones and subtle tonal changes expressing joy, anger, sorrow, and delight among sparrows, a talent Ian completely lacked before acquiring the Extraordinary Trait.
"Maybe leveling it up to Level 10, awakening Legendary Traits really offers a chance to communicate with all creatures." Ian has unlimited anticipation for the Legendary Traits he has never encountered.
However.
He knows as well.
The immediate priority is completing the assignments left by the Witch.
After all.
In two days, he will enter the Misty Illusion Realm again. Heaven knows if the inability to satisfy the Witch with the completed assignments will lead her to impose punishments only characteristic of the Middle Ages.
"Luckily, my learning speed for Rune Language has increased. By the next return to the Misty Illusion Realm, I should be able to complete the deciphering of Runic Magic and the study of magic."
Ian silently made plans.
[Rune Mastery] successfully entered the novice level.
Has equipped Ian with the most basic ability to interpret simple Rune Language—the reason it's only basic interpretation lies in the fact that the Magic Rune structure constituted by Rune Language is drastically different from most languages.
It's not like the vocabulary connections in English or the word combinations in Chinese, especially given that it's both a language and a medium for communicating magic.
Simply recognizing and phonetically spelling all Rune Language doesn't mean one can parse the magic it carries. Its incredible difficulty of learning largely relates to this trait.
Even if the same Rune Language characters form identical sequences, each character's link to another might signify completely different meanings.
If one hasn't thoroughly understood the linkage between each character and rashly interprets Runic Magic to unleash magic according to presumed accuracy, a Wizard's fate is probably to become a part of the Misty Illusion Realm.
Hmm.
Might also become lifelong disabled, missing an arm or leg, perhaps.
Regardless.
Ian doesn't wish to experience such taste either... therefore, when deciphering Teacher Mara's left "homework," he's extraordinarily cautious.
This naturally results in slow progress.
Currently.
He has only managed to interpret most of the text on the gown fragment.
[Fear Descending]
It's said that Ancient Wizards are best at weaving curses with Rune Language. From the Runic Magic information Ian has deciphered now, the magic recorded on the gown fragment is evidently a curse-type magic.
Among its principles, it even involves some spiritual implantation techniques. The effect roughly should be to implant an illusion into the target that causes them to fall into fear?
Maybe other illusions can be implanted too... What interests Ian is this magic's renown; it once participated in creating the Wizarding World's famous magic creature, Boggart.
That's a kind of magic creature capable of free transformation, appearing in the form of what a person fears the most.
Through Ian's query in a village's Nameless Bookstore, Boggart's birth originates from Biological Alchemy, among which a Rune Magic formula used is this [Fear Curse].
This is quite an intriguing cold fact.
Also made Ian realize with the improvement of Wizarding World's laws, it seems like the development involving Biological Alchemy has stalled, much like biological gene editing research in the Muggle World.
"After all, it involves ethics and morality."
Ian isn't particularly interested in Biological Alchemy; mainly he lamented for the simultaneous vanishing of such magic as [Fear Curse] due to the decline of Biological Alchemy.
Of course.
Having Teacher Mara, a Witch from ancient times, instruct, Ian might be able to bring many lost magics back to life; just unknown if such "archaeological excavation" might receive some incentive rewards.
Hmm.
Fame is secondary.
Money is what Ian urgently needs.
"I wonder if the remaining money is enough to buy Magic Potion Books for Teacher Mara." Naturally, Ian worries about money, as he hasn't forgotten what Teacher Mara mentioned before.
Whether for himself or something else, Ian absolutely must be attentive to the book-buying matter.
However.
In the Wizarding World.
Knowledge is exceptionally pricey.
Indeed, some Golden Galleons left by Snape remain, but they're absolutely insufficient for purchasing all Magic Potion related books, maybe temporarily buying some second-hand textbooks and workbooks is a compromised choice?
"Although the books are second-hand, the knowledge is the same."
Thinking to this point.
Ian pocketed his money bag.
Carrying three Runic Magic books that were of no use to him anymore, he quickly headed along the cobblestone street once again towards the Nameless Bookstore located behind the writer's residence Feather Pen Store.
The simple storefront remains the same.
With a sunshade blocking sunlight, the bookstore inside still sees no book-buying customer. Ian entered, looking around yet not finding the elderly owner.
"What are you looking for?"
Suddenly.
A youthful, curious voice unexpectedly sounded.
Startling Ian.
He immediately turned towards the voice.
There it was.
Behind the counter responsible for registration and payment.
A girl with a uniquely crafted face was sitting there, her knees resting a book, platinized hair beneath which, a pair of contrasting colored eyes gazed at Ian.
"I've seen you."
This wasn't Ian's voice.
Instead, the girl's surprised tone spoke first.
The sunshade nearly draped down.
Sunlight sprinkled over the girl's hair tips, enhancing the original dazzling platinum color's radiance. More captivating than these golden strands were the girl's eyes.
One blue, one white.
A unique heterochromatic gaze that seems unforgettable once seen. At present, the white one appeared to slowly rotate, maybe an illusion of refraction in sunlight.