The morning light filtered through the narrow window of our small room, casting a soft glow over the worn-out pages of my new book.

  'That's right!' I now had my very own book! Granted, it was borrowed, and I would have to return it eventually, but for now, it was mine.

  My fingers lingered on the plain cover. The room was quiet; my noisy roommates were all probably still enjoying the meager breakfast in the mess hall, which I had forsaken for a little bit of extra reading time.

  A few days had passed since my visit to the Great Library, and by now, I had all but memorized the contents of the thin book. Alas, I was still struggling to understand its obscure meaning.

  But that was alright. After all, I didn't expect to master an advanced element after only a few days of study.

  It was said that it took years to just scratch the surface if one had a talent for it, that is. Still, I couldn't afford to spend several years on this, so I hoped I would be able to figure it out a bit quicker.

  Gil was looking at me like I was crazy for dubbing into such an advanced subject, but I paid him no heed.

  The sweet echo of clinking coins sounded in my head as I imagined how much money this endeavor could earn me.

  That's right. I didn't want to become a healer for some noble pursuit of duty or desire to help people; I was doing it for the good ol' cash.

  Speaking of money, I instantly knew that a single visit to the library wouldn't cut it, so I was in dire need of another access token.

  And since getting it the proper way would simply take too long, the only other option was to haggle it out of someone who already had one, which meant I needed soul coins - lots and lots of soul coins.

  That was why I planned to head back to the fifth floor to pick up another Task later today. 'Hopefully, this time, one that I can actually finish properly.' I thought.

  Yet that was something to think about later. Judging by the sun's position, I still had some time, so I opened the book once more. The yellowed pages whispered their wisdom as I slowly turned them, beckoning me into their world of diagrams and arcane theories.

  Yet, despite my lack of understanding, this didn't mean I made no progress at all. On the contrary, in the course of my meticulous study of the [Healer's Path], I discovered a very interesting bit of information.

  Healing magic, for better or worse, wasn't just about applying energy; it was about sensing the very rhythm of life. The book detailed how to perceive the flow of vital energy, or 'vita,' through a person's body.

  However, this made me pause since it was widely known that all things were comprised of essence. So, how could there be another form of energy?

  It turned out that this 'vita' or the essence of life was, in fact, the essence as I knew it, and at the same time, it wasn't. It was all very confusing, but as I read it over and over, I got a sudden flash of inspiration. 'It's like a different code...' I realized

  Using an IT analogy, if I thought of the physical world as hardware and the essence as its software, the different types of essence would be like different programming languages. At their core, they were all zeros and ones, but their use and structure differed.

  I knew it probably wasn't the best comparison, but it was the best I could think of. Smiling, I took a moment to remember all my fond memories of learning programming at school. 'Ah, what a fun time...'

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  But then, the moment was over, and I shook it off, returning to the task at hand. 'So the reason I can't feel this life energy is that my brain or the operating system if I stick to the analogy, isn't equipped to recognize it.'

  This brought forth the most important question: Was this something inherently genetic so that only specific people could learn it, or was it something anyone with sufficient magic talent was able to learn?

  Until I figured this out, there was no reason to continue studying this further. After all, what would be the point of learning the theory if I couldn't use it afterward?

  'So, how should I go about this?' I wondered. The most straightforward way would be to gain access to some basic healing spells and try out the incantations directly.

  But this was not something taught in the beginner class. No, for that, I would first have to successfully complete my introductory course and then pay a hefty sum for an advanced one focused on the elements of life.

  Yeah, that's right. There were no free classes here. Only paid ones. This, as I realized, was probably another motivation for the students to take on loans or to work their asses off by taking on the various tasks in the Assignment Hall.

  Granted, I had my reward from the Trial, so I could most likely afford to pay for another class right now, but I still had to successfully pass the Master Ayleth class first, and that could take months, for all I knew, and I didn't want to wait that long.

  Besides, if I spend all my money on an advanced course and then learn afterward that I couldn't use the element of life anyway, that would really piss me off.

  'There has to be a better way...' I thought, scowling at the dusty ceiling of our tiny, cramped room.

  Then, I thought back to my rich experience with potion making. Back then, I also couldn't figure out how the healing process worked. However, now, with these new insights, I was starting to paint a better picture of it all.

  'Those herbs must have contained an excess of this life energy that was then passed onto the potion...'

  Still, there was one discrepancy I didn't quite understand. The book said it took the healer's intent to guide the life energy through the body to fix the injury, but the healing potions didn't have any intent behind them, yet they were somehow able to heal nonetheless.

  Then it all clicked. 'It's the flow!' When the life energy coursed through the body whenever there was a blockage caused by an injury, the potion's essence must have accumulated around it, fixing the blockage in the process so that it could flow again.

  'So it was not actually healing, not in the regular sense at least, only restoring balance to the natural patterns of energy flow...' I nodded.

  With this, I was ready to give it another go. After all, I had plenty of experience circulating my essence; and what was the life's energy than another form of essence?

  'First, I need to do some potion experiments...' With that, I went over to my satchel to retrieve a few shiny vials from one of the side pockets. I always liked to keep my potions ready at hand as I had no idea when one might need one.

  Although I had used most of my remaining potions down in the Labyrinth, I still had a few left for emergencies. However, as I looked at my dwindling stock, I couldn't help but scowl. 'Hmm, this won't do.'

  I could buy healing potions in the alchemy shop on the fifth floor, but I already knew that would be pretty expensive. 'I guess I'll have to brew some myself.'

  I still remember the recipe quite well. For a basic potion, all I needed were herbs with healing properties and some purified water.

  If I didn't care for longevity—which I didn't since I only needed them for a single experiment—I could simply brew them in any pot I could get my hands on. Plus, I could also reuse my empty potion vials.

  But I would have to be careful, even if I only wanted to use them for my personal needs if I suddenly started buying herbs and alchemy supplies on the market. This could attract unwanted attention from the local Alchemist guild.

  'Well, that's something to figure out later,' I thought. Because, at that very moment, I realized, by the faint sound of a ringing bell, that I was all but out of time.

  Right now, I had to hurry to my morning lesson. So, I quickly put on my robes, grabbed my brand-new leather bag, and rushed out of the door while still going over my recent findings in my head.

  It turned out that my absence from the lectures wasn't too big of a deal, as all Master Ayleth did was give me a mysterious smile when I came in the next morning. It seemed like she already knew all about my little adventure inside the Labyrinth as well as my outing into the library.

  ‘Well, whatever.’ For my part, I didn't pay much attention to the lesson, as I was already planning my potion-brewing session. However, Master Ayleth's next words gave me pause.

  "...Soon, the first week of your studies will be over. I believe everyone had plenty of time to familiarize themselves with our academy, and thus, it is high time for a little test."