"I see…" Vaan uttered thoughtfully after listening to Hester Thornton's words.

In other words, there was a chance that the knowledge from the books on the upper floors was all fake. Such is what it meant to be unverified.

Nevertheless, Vaan felt peculiar and amused by the discovery.

Whether the knowledge is verified or unverified, it would still be breaking the law to peruse High Witch-level knowledge, which was considered restricted knowledge, without the adequate privilege or level.

Thus, even if the rule of the Black Rose Kingdom overlooks it with one eye closed, it could be used as a reason to screw someone over at any time.

Basically, everyone who had perused knowledge on the thirteenth floor and higher had committed a crime. But when and where they will be punished will be entirely up to the whims of the Transcendent Witch of Black Rose, ruler of the Black Rose Kingdom.

However, since Vaan received permission from Helia Ashenborn, the blame would fall on her. It was the same when Eniwse permitted Vaan to read the books in the Blackmoon Academy's library.

If Vaan wanted to screw Helia Ashenborn over, he could report to the Transcendent Witch of Black Rose that she was letting countless Senior Witches peruse restricted knowledge in the grand library.

But for Vaan to do that, he had to be important enough to meet the Transcendent Witch of Black Rose, not to mention he had to be sure the Transcendent Witch of Black Rose was willing to administer the punishment.

Although it's not a very good card, it was a card Vaan could use, nonetheless—if the situation ever requires it.

…

For most of the day, Vaan spent his time in the grand library, perusing the knowledge on the thirteenth to the fifteenth floor.

Vaan covered many topics besides the history and abomination-related topics he initially sought. This showed Hester Thornton that Vaan didn't have any particular goal and simply had a bottomless appetite for all knowledge.

As the day darkened, Vaan covered everything he needed to know in the abomination section, which simply reinforced the plan he had formulated in his mind.

'Before I enter the Red Goblin Mountains, I need to raise my strength level to around the middle stages of rank two. It will be even better if I can also improve my regeneration skill to the mid-rank,' Vaan mused before checking his abilities.

'Status.'

Ding!

=====

[Status]

<<Name>>

[Vaan Raphna (Vahn Cadieux)]

<<Race>>

[Human (90%), Devil (10%)]

<<Bloodline>>

[Spatial Bloodline (Heaven-rank)]

[Immortal Lycan Bloodline (Divine-rank)]

<<Age>>

[20 (Body), 31 (Soul)]

<<Unique Physique>>

[Heaven-Swallowing Physique (Heaven-rank) (Upgradeable)]

[Earth Spirit Body (Low-rank) (Upgradeable)]

[Immortal Lycan Physique (Low-rank) (Upgradeable)]

<<Cultivation>>

[N/A]

<<Spirit Contract/s>>

[Topaz (Named Spirit) (Mid-rank Earth Spirit)]

<<Skills>>

[Intermediate-level Weaponcrafting]

[Expert-level Heavenly Massage]

[Intermediate-level Hand-to-Hand Combat]

[Intermediate-level Cloud Evading Steps]

[Expert-level Mental Focus]

[Expert-level Magical Foundation]

[Expert-level Mana Application]

[Expert-level Mineral Interaction]

[Intermediate-level Dagger Mastery]

[Expert-level Observation]

[Basic-level Ancient Language]

[Expert-level Potioneering Knowledge]

[Expert-level Artificing Knowledge]

[Etc..]

<<Ability>>

[Heaven-Swallowing Space (High-rank) (Upgradeable)]

[Magic Vision (Low-rank) (Upgradeable)]

[Regeneration (Low-rank) (Upgradeable)]

[Earth Acceleration (Low-rank) (Upgradeable)]

[Earth Manipulation (Contract-dependant)]

[Telepathy (Contract-only) (Non-Upgradable)]

[Wisdom From the Void (Heaven-rank)]

[Name Bestowal (Divine-rank) (Non-Upgradable)]

[Blessing of the Moon (Low-rank) (Physique-Dependant)]

<<Physical Attributes>>

[150 Defense]

[25 Strength]

[32 Speed]

…

<<Topaz's Mana Capacity>>

[264/251 (Over-Limit)]

<<Elemental Affinity>>

[50% Earth]

<<Elemental Resistance>>

[50% Earth]

…

====

Vaan looked at his physical attributes before noticing his strength and speed had slightly increased by a few points.

Although the numerical point system seemed to have a more precise representation of his present capabilities, it didn't follow the world's power ranking system.

'Add the present world's power ranking system to my physical attributes according to my knowledge,' Vaan willed.

…

Ding!

=====

<<Physical Attributes>>

[150 Defense] [Mid-level Rank 2]

[25 Strength] [Low-level Rank 1]

[32 Speed] [Low-level Rank 1]

…

=====

Looking at the updated status, Vaan roughly guessed the 20 attribute points were the minimum of Rank 1 and around 100 attribute points for Rank 2.

'About 75 attribute points in strength are needed to reach Rank 2, huh? It looks like I'll be busy for a while,' Vaan mused as he thought of a plan to acquire the necessary strength.

"Teacher Cadieux," Hester Thornton suddenly called out before inquiring, "It is almost time for dinner. Would you like to return to Helia's Castle and join Lord Helia for dinner? You can come back later to further your reading?"

"It's already that time, huh? Time sure flies," Vaan glanced around before putting his book back on its shelf. "Sure, Lady Hester. I apologize if I may have bored you with my reading time here."

"Not at all, Teacher Cadieux. It was fascinating to watch you read," Hester Thornton joked with a smile, putting particular emphasis on the word 'read.'

Naturally, Hester Thornton was talking about Vaan flipping through the pages, which caught many witches' attention and made them upset.

After all, from their perspectives, Vaan simply came to the grand library to fool around instead of being earnest in acquiring new knowledge.

Alas, they could never comprehend Vaan's reading speed unless it was told to them.

After Vaan responded to Hester Thornton with a slight smile, he said, "I'm done here for the day, so there's no need for us to come back after dinner."

"However, it is a pity…" Vaan suddenly added.

"What is a pity, Teacher Cadieux?" Hester Thornton paused after noticing Vaan's disappointed look.

"It's a pity that I won't be able to visit the red-light district during my stay in Redpine City—at least not with the Zellera's Curse plaguing the city."

"You don't have to worry too much about that, Teacher Cadieux. It will only take five days at most until the businesses in the red-light district resume," Hester Thornton assured.

However, Vaan shook his head with a wry smile.

"Even three days is a bit long. But more importantly, I won't feel safe visiting even after five days. After all, it's hard to say whether Zellera's Curse would resurface or not. I wouldn't want to risk losing my little brother in a place that has been affected by Zellera's Curse."

"I'm sure we can come up with some other arrangements for you back at Helia's Castle if you need a dual practice partner, Teacher Cadieux," Hester Thornton stated before mentioning, "I wouldn't mind becoming your dual practice partner either."

"I am a little curious about those pleasure skills you've previously said to have mastered," Hester Thornton added with a rare look of anticipation.