'So, as long as the spell doesn't stop, I can increase its power as much as I want.'
Unwan smirked. This could solve a lot of problems and allow him to keep his energy consumption low. And on top of that…
'There's no time limit.'
Being able to maintain a spell indefinitely was incredibly useful, especially for Unwan. Since his spells was directly tied to force, the longer it lasted, the better.
This discovery clearly delighted him. And it opened the door to the next spell.
'Alright, next, completely nullifying force.'
'Huh?'
'With this, I can fly.'
'You can fly with other types of grimoires too.'
'No, that's not the point. Imagine this: you're moving or standing still in midair, and you don't feel the earth pulling you at all. I'm curious what that sensation feels like.'
'So you idiot, you're planning to test this spell on yourself first?'
'Of course not. This rug will be helping me for a long time.'
Unwan directed his hand to the meditation rug again and focused on his second spell. The very moment he did, the second page of the grimoire opened, and the spell activated instantly.
The rug slowly lifted off the ground, as if floating. It was completely free, able to move in any direction. Since the constant pull of gravity no longer affected it, it continued to rise effortlessly. Unwan watched it with interest. He lightly blew toward it. The airflow caused the rug to drift elsewhere. And then...
Unwan canceled the spell. Forcefully. The rug dropped with a thud, landing about a meter away from its original position.
The entire process had been both fascinating and extremely difficult for Unwan. It lasted roughly four or five seconds, yet it consumed an enormous amount of mental energy. He hadn't anticipated this outcome, but given the situation, he believed he had made the best possible choice.
He had learned something important about his magic. While the spell was active, Unwan or anyone else could apply additional external influence. That was proven. However, the lesson came at a high cost.
He had spent too much Spiritual energy, and his body weakened as a result. His eyelids grew heavy with sleep. Unwan adjusted the rug back into place and looked at the runes once more.
[21/1000]
'Tch… only six seconds, and I end up like this.'
'But you're forgetting that you used another spell as well.'
'What difference does that make? In battle, no matter how many spells I use in sequence, my spells shouldn't harm me. There will be countless spell combinations out there. I need to be prepared for situations like that. But…'
Unwan slowly walked to the bed. He took off his clothes and neatly placed them on the chair before crawling under the blanket.
'I need to rest first. What can I even do in this state?'
'Go to hell with your excuses.'
Ignoring the remark, Unwan peacefully drifted off to sleep.
At that moment, the single-candel chandelier in his room slowly went out. It wasn't nearly as luxurious as Genius Nort's, but it was clear that it could turn on and off by itself.
***
The next morning, as dawn broke and the Night creatures began retreating into the shadows and the Night Curse Realm, there was a knock on Unwan's door.
He didn't hear it. He had settled comfortably into his bed, and his sleep was exceptionally deep. The bed was good, perfectly fine for Unwan, but it couldn't compare to Genius Nort's.
For some reason, the inner lock on Unwan's door began to turn slowly. After a moment, it clicked into place, and the door unlocked.
What followed happened quickly.
The door burst open. Standing there was a well-dressed Genius Nort.
— Get up, kid.
The volume of his voice likely woke several students in nearby rooms. Still, none of them were probably as startled as Unwan.
The poor guy jolted awake, sprang up and promptly fell to the floor.
As he slowly grasped the situation, he cursed again.
— Will you people ever let me sleep properly, or what?
Genius laughed.
— If I leave you alone, you'll definitely sleep until noon.
— Yeah, right.
Nort continued calmly.
— And that would mean I'd miss my lesson. What do you think, would I really abandon my student like that?'
Unwan didn't answer. Instead, he stood up and began getting dressed.
"What time is it?" he asked with a sigh.
— The sun just rose. The bell should ring any moment now.
As if to prove his point, the bell rang. Unwan finished dressing and said he was ready to go, but Genius stopped him.
— One more thing.
— What now? What's the problem?
— Wash your face.
— Done?
— Yes.
Unwan went into the washroom and stood before the small faucet. Just as he was about to wash his face, Genius Nort spoke again.
— Use cold water.
'What difference does it make?'
Unwan turned on the cold water and washed his face. Three times. He dried himself with the towel beside the sink and returned to Genius.
That was when he felt something strange. Genius, noticing it, explained.
— Washing your face with cold water isn't just a habit. Everyone knows it helps shake off sleep. But it also restores your brain activity to a normal state after waking up. Believe me, kid, I know exactly how low a person's chances of winning a fight are right after waking up. In the Night Curse, one small mistake like that, and you're dead. Remember that.
Unwan understood. And he realized this was his first lesson in surviving the Night Curse Realm.
He followed Genius Nort to the dining hall.
It turned out the instructors ate breakfast much earlier than the students and then headed straight to their faculties.
Nort did the same. He told Unwan where his classroom was and went on his way.
Just like the day before, the breakfast was the same, but it never got old. Still, Unwan couldn't try everything this time either.
After eating enough to get by, he headed toward Genius's faculty.
There weren't many students around. Most of them had probably woken up early, eaten ahead of time, and moved on. Unwan found the room Genius had mentioned and entered.
Inside stood Genius Nort and no one else. Unwan stepped in.
— Welcome to survival.