'Why do all my plans always have to go so awry?' I silently wondered as I stood face to face with the mad-looking Margarette.

  For example, I had this perfect plan to hole myself inside the library all day and enjoy some pleasant reading time away from any prying eyes.

  Instead, I was forced to deal with this obnoxious little vixen who had this weird ability to pop up whenever I least expected it. 'I even skipped breakfast for this...' I shook my head with exasperation.

  Still, I had just about enough of her stupid nonsense by this point. 'What does she even want with me anyway?'

  I also haven't forgotten what she and her family did to me. Just thinking about it made me grind my teeth, and I had to take a deep breath to calm my raging emotions.

  'There's no point dwelling on the past... I reminded myself. That would only make them win.

  No, the best kind of revenge was to keep the course, finish my studies, and become someone they couldn't ignore.

  However, there was also no reason for me to go along with this little charade of hers. I had a feeling this would not be the end, even if I stood my ground. But at least I could show her I won't be ordered around.

  So I quickly dropped my polite smile, unceremoniously moving past Margarette's elegant figure. "I don't care what you might think. I'm here to read books, so please excuse me..."

  "You dare to turn your back to me?!" Margarette blurted out, baffled.

  I looked back, a cold smile playing on my lips. "Let me get something straight. We are a long way from Ereneth. Here, you do not hold any power over me, and I won't let myself be dragged into any of your shenanigans, so go find someone else to bother."

  Margarette's eyes narrowed as she shot me a look full of seething, unbridled fury. "You have some nerve, peasant," she hissed. "Don't think for a second that just because we're in the Tower, things have changed between us. I'll make you regret crossing me!"

  With that, she turned on her heel and strode off, her grey novice robes swishing behind her.

  I watched her go with a sigh. 'Plotting my ass...' I muttered under my breath as I shook my head in exasperation, trying to push the unpleasant encounter out of my mind.

  After all, I had more important things to focus on, like finding the right book to kickstart my studies of the advanced elements.

  So I quickly returned to the blissful stroll among the towering shelves, each of them overflowing with thousands upon thousands of books, each of which all but begging me to come closer and pick it up.

  By the look of it, this library was organized in a similar manner to the one in the illusory realm during our trial. Which meant the newer books were at the front and the older ones further in the back. But this didn't exactly help me much in my quest.

  After all, being old didn't necessarily mean being better when it came to textbooks. In fact, the exact opposite was often true- the newer ones might contain some additional knowledge discovered during the course of history.

  'So how do I go about this?' Sadly, I won't be able to get my hands on any juicy magic in here since, back in the lobby, I noticed that this was apparently just one floor out of many, although we, the novices, were only allowed to the first one.

  'Still, this is much better than anything I could learn in that single beginner class we were provided with...' I consoled myself.

  I moved swiftly through the towering shelves. The further I went, the more ancient and esoteric the tomes seemed to become. Leather-bound volumes with faded gold lettering and cracked spines whispered of long-forgotten knowledge.

  There was hardly anyone here so early in the morning, so I couldn't ask for advice even if I wanted to. Well, technically, I could go ask the prickly-looking Master in the lobby, but I doubted she would be willing to help me as she barely even acknowledged my presence.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  No, I had to figure out this by myself. If I had always simply followed someone else's advice, I would still be hammering iron in our little village, being a peasant and all.

  'Ah! This should be it.' I smirked after a while before promptly heading in a certain direction.

  It took me a moment, but in the end, it wasn't that hard to figure out. I just had to remember what Master Ayleth had told me previously.

  Which was that most students focused on establishing the foundations of their paths first before meddling in any advanced magic.

  It also looked like that, for convenience's sake, the textbooks that were used the most were placed in the front of the middle section. So, from there, I simply had to follow the trail of dust and cobwebs to take me to the portion of the library that appeared to be used the least.

  After wandering the stacks for a while, I finally found the right area tucked away in a quiet corner on the eastern side of the immense chamber.

  I ran my fingers along the spines, marveling at the sheer wealth of knowledge before me. It was overwhelming, really. 'Where should I even begin?'

  That said, there was still some work left before I could begin my studies. What I was looking at appeared to be a weird mix of ancient history, the topography of faraway places I had never heard of, and some obscure magic theories.

  I pulled out a few volumes at random, flipping through the pages. Some were written in scripts I couldn't even begin to decipher. Others seemed far too advanced, discussing theories and techniques that flew right over my head.

  I needed something more fundamental, like "advanced magic for dummies" or such, but I highly doubted they would have a book like this here.

  Healing magic was unlike anything I'd seen so far. I was able to somehow use the basic elements based on my past life knowledge, but this was a completely different beast.

  'Come on, there has to be something here...' I thought, getting a bit frustrated as I perused the seemingly endless shelves.

  Then, a slim volume caught my eye. It was tucked away in a corner, almost hidden from view. The leather binding was a soft, pale green, and the title was embossed in shimmering silver: [Healer's path: The Foundation of Life Magic]

  'Huh?' My heart leaped. This was exactly what I was looking for! I carefully pulled the book from the shelf, tracing its spine with a greedy touch. The pages were soft and worn, the edges slightly yellowed with age. But as I began to flip through, I could see the knowledge contained within was as relevant as ever.

  'Great!' While I was at it, I also snatched [The Essence of Life], a much thicker book that looked like it was much more complex but could provide me with a much better understanding of the overall theory behind the advanced elements.

  Happy with my selection, I then carried my haul over to a nearby reading table and settled in, ready to absorb all I could.

  I had to choose wisely. In the end, I could only pick one book to take with me, so time was my enemy here, more so than Margarette or any other pompous noble could ever be.

  Making a poor decision now could spell a disaster down the line since there was no telling when I would be able to obtain another access token. Just thinking about what I had to go through to gain this one made me shudder.

  Hours passed in the blink of an eye as I pored over the yellowed pages, the outside world fading away until only the arcane theories and complex diagrams remained.

  The magic of life seemed to be as much a form of art as it was a science. From what I could gather, healing magic relied on manipulating the vital energy that flowed through all living beings.

  It required a deep understanding of both the anatomy as well as the body's natural healing processes. The book described various techniques for channeling this energy, using it to mend wounds, purge toxins, and even regenerate damaged tissue.

  However, one had to be careful. Too little energy and the healing would be ineffective; too much, and you risked causing more harm than good.

  Delving deeper, I began to understand just how complex and nuanced healing magic truly was. It wasn't simply a matter of pouring raw essence into a wound and hoping for the best.

  The body was a delicate balance, and a skilled healer needed to work harmoniously with its natural rhythms. The book described techniques for sensing imbalances and blockages in the flow of vital energy and how to gently coax the body back into alignment.

  As the day wore on, I had to reluctantly admit that this would be a long run. Especially since I had no detailed understanding of human anatomy from my past life on Earth or any other medical knowledge for that matter.

  'So I have to start from scratch...' With a sigh, I reluctantly tore myself away from the densely written script, knowing there was no point in trying to cram as much knowledge as possible because without understanding its context, it was all just a bunch of glorified gibberish anyway.

  Thus, after much deliberation, I decided to take the [Healer's path: The Foundation of Life Magic] and call it a day. After all, it seemed like the perfect starting point for an aspiring life mage. Book in hand, I tiredly made my way back towards the luxuriously decorated lobby.