Book Collection

Ranav felt lightheaded and utterly exhausted as he walked out of the Khohdwar County Magic School library. It was already evening, and the setting sun cast a warm orange glow that reflected off the rooftops of the buildings. His entire day had passed in a blur.

When he had entered the library in the morning, his first task was to locate the Beast Taming bookshelves. He found three large shelves filled with rows of books on the subject. With the combined efforts of Jessica and himself, copying the books into his storage ring's library took only a few minutes.

However, as he glanced around, he saw thousands of other books neatly arranged in beautifully crafted bookshelves. The layout of the library was designed in such a way that anyone could access the books with ease. Jessica and Ranav both suspected there must be more books on beast taming elsewhere.

After inquiring with the assistant librarian at the front desk, he learned that the ground floor only contained basic-level books. Higher-level books were stored on the first floor, and access was restricted to lecturers and senior students with permission from their respective departments. Fortunately, Ranav had Lecturer Yami Gautam's emblem, which granted him unrestricted access to any section of the library.

Without wasting time, he proceeded to the first floor and began copying the books from the first shelf he came across. He and Jessica worked tirelessly, copying book after book. Before long, Ranav felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. To keep going, he performed a Regenesis, which replenished his mana and vitality, and then resumed his work.

Hours passed.

By the time they had copied every book on the first floor, Ranav had already performed several Regenesis. His body felt drained, and hunger gnawed at his stomach. Although eating was prohibited inside the library, he discreetly ate some dried food from his storage ring to keep himself going. But even that wasn't enough to fully satisfy his hunger… Regenesis had taken a greater toll on him than he expected.

When he finally descended to the ground floor, he realized it was already afternoon, and the entry had been closed for students. Only those already inside were allowed to remain and read until evening. Lecturers, however, were exempt from this rule, which explained why several middle-aged men were still coming inside.

As Ranav looked around, he noticed that only a few students remained on the ground floor… most of those entering now were heading directly to the first floor. He didn't want to waste another day requesting Lecturer Yami Gautam's emblem again, so he decided to make full use of his time.

While the first floor contained only magic-related books, the ground floor had a diverse range of subjects.

He decided to copy books selectively, prioritizing subjects he had fewer books on: History, Geography, Sociology, Government & Politics, Law, Art & Design, Languages, Music, Physical Education, Business Studies, Enterprise & Entrepreneurship, Accounting & Finance, Travel & Tourism and Mathematics & Statistics, etc.

By the time he finished copying, only magic-related books remained untouched. However, exhaustion was taking a heavier toll on him, and even Regenesis was barely helping at this point. Realizing he had pushed himself too far, he finally decided to call it a day and walked out of the library.

Although Ranav felt a sense of accomplishment, his body was too drained to let him enjoy the feeling. As he reached the Beast Taming Department office, the girl at the front desk visibly recoiled in shock upon seeing him.

His pale face, dry lips, and weary eyes made him look like someone who hadn't eaten for days. Compared to his fresh and energetic appearance in the morning, he now looked as if he had just survived a grueling battle.

"I want to meet the head of the department," he said, his voice hoarse.

The girl hesitated before responding, "Lecturer Gautam went out for lunch. I don't know if she'll return today."

Ranav sighed and pulled out her emblem. "I need to return this. She asked me to come here once I was done with my work."

"No problem," she said, her tone softening slightly. "You can leave it with me. I'll return it to her when she comes back."

Ranav handed over the emblem with a tired nod. "Thank you." With that, he bade her farewell and walked out of the school.

At the school gate, he hired a carriage and hopped in. As soon as they began moving, he took out some sweet dishes from his storage ring and started eating. The warm, sugary taste spread through his mouth, and soon, he could feel energy returning to his body.

Upon reaching the count's estate, he stored the remaining food back in his storage ring, paid the driver, and entered the house.

Inside, he found the countess instructing the maids. After briefly informing her about his day, he told her he needed food and then retreated to his room.

After taking a long bath, he made his way to the dining room for a proper meal. Once he finished eating, he dragged his exhausted body back to his room and collapsed onto the bed. The moment his head hit the pillow, sleep claimed him instantly.

Ranav woke up to the call of a distant bird. Blinking his eyes groggily, he looked through the window and saw that it was already dark outside. A strange hunger gnawed at his stomach, making him frown.

"Jessica, what time is it?" he asked.

Jessica's amused voice echoed in his mind. "How long do you think you slept?"

Ranav's eyebrows furrowed. "Don't tell me I slept through the whole night."

Jessica chuckled. "You slept from afternoon until now. It's already morning. The sun will rise any minute."

"Fuck! Why did no one wake me up for dinner? You could have woken me up!" he groaned.

Jessica sighed. "You forgot to lock your door. The maids came to wake you for afternoon snacks. Later, the countess and Paramita also came to wake you for dinner. When they saw the door open, they entered after calling your name. Seeing how exhausted you were, the countess decided to let you sleep and locked the door on her way out."

She paused before adding, "I also thought you needed the rest. To fully recover from using so many Regenesis, you needed an uninterrupted sleep to restart the cycle. You overexerted yourself yesterday."

Ranav sighed, realizing she was right. After freshening up, he took out some home-cooked breakfast from his storage ring and started eating.

As he ate, Jessica spoke again. "I need to remind you… our library is almost full. We need to expand it."

Ranav frowned. "How do we expand it?"

Jessica hesitated before replying, "There's no direct way to expand the library. But I do know a method to upgrade the ring. I've known about it for some time, but I didn't mention it before because it requires mana crystals. Also… I didn't want to go back into hibernation so soon. I was enjoying our time together. But now, I have to set aside my selfishness."

Ranav smiled. "Jessica, you don't have to explain yourself. I know what you've gone through and you lost memories. Don't worry, I have a feeling they'll come back eventually."

After a long pause, Jessica asked, "When do you want to begin the upgrade?"

Ranav replied, "Whenever you're ready. Just tell me what we need."

Jessica's voice turned serious. "We need seven mana crystals of the same level to form the array. What grade should we use?"

Ranav thought for a moment. "The stronger, the better. White and purple crystals are too rare. But we have several high-grade blue crystals from Kuldeep Krushna. Let's use those."

Jessica agreed. And with that, a new plan was set into motion.