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Fortunately, the game system only required Darian to make the action of flipping through the book, not forcing him to truly understand its contents.
He just needed to maintain the posture of turning pages and patiently wait for the progress bar to finish loading.
However, this process was incredibly long, and he couldn't stop midway.
If he stopped, the progress bar would interrupt, and he would have to start reading from the beginning again when he resumed flipping.
It was pure torture!
"You have finished reading a book. Your magic knowledge +1."
Seeing the system prompt, Darian finally let out a long breath.
He put down the ancient book and couldn't help but ask, "System, is there any way to speed up the loading time?"
"Increasing your Spirit attribute can accelerate the speed of knowledge acquisition."
So, the Spirit attribute had this use?
Normally, Darian only read comic books; he never looked at such profound books, so he naturally wouldn't have discovered this function of the Spirit attribute.
Luckily, he had unlocked his mana bar some time ago and added some Spirit attribute points, otherwise, the loading speed would probably be even slower now.
Darian shook his head, "No, it's too much torture. I need to find something to pass the time."
He was here to play a game, not to study. If this continued, he probably wouldn't last long.
Thinking this, Darian took out his phone, only to be surprised to find that the screen detected a connectable Wi-Fi.
"Kamar-Taj actually has internet access? Is it that up-to-date?"
Darian originally thought that a sacred place for magic cultivation would definitely be a place for arduous practice and meditation, but he didn't expect to be able to connect to Wi-Fi and surf the internet.
However, on second thought, even the biggest leader here plays games, so having Wi-Fi seemed quite reasonable.
Darian pulled out a universal key and instantly cracked Kamar-Taj's Wi-Fi password.
"This password is too uncreative."
Darian pouted. If it were him, he would definitely change it to a more easily remembered password.
After he entered the Wi-Fi password, his phone connected to the internet, and then he opened a video on a certain app.
Now this was comfortable!
Darian delightedly picked up another ancient book, mechanically flipping through the pages while engrossed in watching the video.
With the background noise, the originally tedious process of waiting for the progress bar felt as if Time Magic had been cast upon it; time seemed to pass much faster, which was quite magical.
For the rest of the time, Darian spent almost all of it between flipping books and scrolling on his phone.
His magic knowledge climbed rapidly, and his phone battery drained just as quickly.
It wasn't until his phone battery was completely depleted that Darian reluctantly stopped studying and got up to leave the library.
Unexpectedly, as he pushed open the door, he saw a Black man in a magic robe standing silently outside. From his muscular physique, he was clearly an experienced sorcerer who had practiced magic for many years.
The other party nodded slightly, "Hello, I am Mordo. The Ancient One is already waiting in the inner hall. Please follow me."
Darian nodded and followed Mordo through several ancient stone corridors, arriving at a quiet hall.
The hall was simply furnished. The Ancient One was sitting at a tea ceremony table, skillfully brewing tea, then gently blowing on it and taking a small sip.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"
The Ancient One spat out the tea leaves she had accidentally swallowed.
Darian: "..."
This big shot sure is down-to-earth.
"You're here?"
The Ancient One nonchalantly filled another cup of tea and gently pushed it towards Darian, "Tea I grew myself. You won't find it anywhere else."
Darian sat down and downed the tea in one gulp, his eyes immediately lighting up, "It's really good. I feel much more refreshed."
"Oh, that's because I added a bit of magic to invigorate the spirit."
"..."
Confirmed, it wasn't his imagination!
This bald big shot really isn't serious!
Darian couldn't help but complain, "Aren't you afraid of other sorcerers at Kamar-Taj seeing you like this?"
The Ancient One, however, showed a puzzled expression, "Other sorcerers? Where?"
Darian was stunned by her words and subconsciously looked around.
Only then did he realize that, at some point, the surrounding space was covered in cracks like shattered glass. Mordo, who had led the way, was long gone. Only he and the Ancient One remained in the entire hall, as if they were isolated in another dimension.
"What is this?" Darian asked in surprise.
"This is the Mirror Dimension. Although it exists, it cannot be perceived. Everything that happens here will not affect the real World."
Hearing the Ancient One's explanation, Darian immediately became wary.
She wouldn't be trying to silence him, would she?
The Ancient One reassured him, "Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. This is just a necessary measure to prevent a certain morally corrupt villain from eavesdropping."
Darian raised an eyebrow, "Who is this villain you're talking about?"
The Ancient One's tone was calm, "A white-bearded old man who doesn't like to bathe, has a wrinkled face, enjoys cheating people out of food and drink, and likes to snatch people. If you meet someone with the above characteristics, it's best to stay as far away from him as possible."
The description was quite specific, and an image of a lewd old man immediately appeared in Darian's mind.
"Then what exactly do you want from me?" Darian was still a bit confused.
The Ancient One didn't answer directly, instead asking, "What do you think of Kamar-Taj?"
"It's... it's alright?"
Darian had only just arrived and had spent the entire day in the library. How would he know what Kamar-Taj was like?
The Ancient One nodded, "So that means you like it. In that case, are you interested in becoming the next Sorcerer Supreme?"
Darian: "..."
Isn't this topic jumping a bit too fast?
How did it suddenly get to the topic of the Sorcerer Supreme?
Darian asked in surprise, "You want me to be the Sorcerer Supreme?"
"Wrong, it's the next Sorcerer Supreme. After all, I don't plan on dying yet," the Ancient One corrected him.
"But the problem is, with my current strength, I can't be the Sorcerer Supreme."
Darian was very aware of his own limitations.
With his current strength, if he really encountered a Dimensional Demon God, he would probably just get beaten up.
"It's the next Sorcerer Supreme."
The Ancient One corrected him again, smiling, "Not enough strength now doesn't mean you won't have enough strength later. I have high hopes for you."
There was nothing wrong with that statement.
After all, which player isn't incredibly powerful in the late game?
But where did you, an NPC, get such confidence? Did you read the script?
Darian looked speechless, "No, this is only our second meeting. Why choose me to be the Sorcerer Supreme of all people? There has to be a reason, right?"
The Ancient One looked at him, her gaze deep and serious, "Because you possess a unique potential that I have never encountered in hundreds of years, and your conditions also perfectly meet the requirements of the Sorcerer Supreme."
Darian didn't speak. He felt there was definitely a trap here.
Especially after seeing her 'waiting for retirement' status, he suspected that being the Sorcerer Supreme might not be a good job.
Seeing Darian's expression, the Ancient One chuckled, "Of course, this isn't something that can be decided in a short time. We can discuss this topic later. Anyway, I still have some time. During this period, you can freely enter and exit Kamar-Taj's library."
Darian thought this suggestion was good. He indeed needed to improve his magic knowledge in Kamar-Taj's library.
As for being the Sorcerer Supreme or whatever, he would leave that for later.