Starting with Proficiency Panel

As for "Magic Rune Introduction" and "Mage Promotion Path," Li Qing only briefly skimmed through them. Magic runes are more about setting up magic arrays and enchantments, and while learning runes is possible, the focus for now remains on learning Level 0 Magic.

The Mage Promotion Path merely discusses the standards for mage hierarchy and the various paths derived from magic.

Demon Swordmasters, Warlocks, Priests, Knights, and dozens of other career paths.

For Li Qing at the moment, there is no significance unless he reaches the level of an Advanced Magic Apprentice and considers career advancement, then he might have time to study these.

He walked and pondered along the way, when a voice suddenly came from beside him.

"Fellow student from the human world, are you heading to the library?"

Li Qing was startled awake and looked back to see the other party in black robes, then relaxed again. Walking along roads shrouded in mist made everything seem eerie.

Although Gray Magic Academy prohibits student fights, the person approached with a captivating aura, clearly with bad intentions.

This figure was hunched over, with a large body, still at least 1.9 meters tall.

Besides, Li Qing accurately caught the phrase "student from the human world" he mentioned, further validating the guess in his heart.

Li Qing said calmly, "Is there anything you need, fellow student?"

"Hey~ Don't be so wary of everything. You humans are like this, with immense hostility towards non-human creatures."

He shrugged his shoulders, speaking in a relaxed tone, "My name is Hemertos, and you?"

"...Blind Monk."

"Blind Monk? That's a strange name; sounds like you're blind." Hemertos pointed to himself with pride, "Listen to my name, Hemertos!"

Li Qing casually asked, "Does it hold any meaning among your kind?"

"Of course, I, Hemertos, will ultimately return from the Abyss, sweeping away anything hostile, and killing everything I loathe!"

Hemertos' voice turned low, his words made Li Qing feel a bloody scent.

"That's... quite a remarkable meaning."

"And why did you come to Gray?"

Even now, Li Qing doesn't quite understand what Gray Magic Academy represents, only knowing that Gray is definitely synonymous with evil.

He looked up at the somber weather and the surroundings that seemed like the Underworld, mist was everywhere, and the distant buildings were blurred and indistinct.

He was certain, without the badge, he would definitely get lost in this ghostly place.

"Of course, to learn magic."

"Huh?!"

Hemertos seemed to have heard something utterly incredulous. After a while, he mumbled, "A human coming to Gray to learn magic, it's a huge joke. Don't you know Gray is a place only devils visit?"

Li Qing's heart trembled slightly, but he calmly said, "Here, we can learn some different kinds of magic."

"Mm, you're not wrong, after all, Gray is best at dealing with devils."

He laughed sharply, "So far, I've eaten several devils."

Li Qing stayed silent, shocked, astounded, expressing confusion after a series of expressions.

Can devils... be eaten?

Upon reaching the library, Hemertos waved his hand, "Nice meeting you, Blind Monk; time for me to enter the library, so, good luck."

Without waiting for Li Qing to respond, Hemertos pushed open the library's old door engraved with numerous carvings and walked into the shadow without hesitation.

Strange, we're both entering the library, yet he wishes me luck?

Li Qing looked ahead at the ancient castle-like library, built from heavy gray stones, occupying a vast area. The layered gray brick tones made the whole building seem dreary and somber.

This is no library; it's the entrance to the Nazarick Underground Tomb!

Unable to resist ridiculing, Li Qing stepped up the stairs and approached the library door filled with strange carvings.

With a gentle touch, his badge suddenly lit up, the magic fluctuation spread dramatically, then connected with the carvings on the door.

Buzz!

A barely audible sound came from the door, then all magic fluctuations dissipated, and the door silently opened.

The interior was not visible, as if everything was swallowed by shadows, indistinct and unclear.

Secretive, dark, and filled with derogatory air.

Despite feeling repulsed, Li Qing resolutely stepped in one step at a time.

Bang!

The library's silent closing sound reached his ears, causing Li Qing to glance back. He stood for a while, until his sight gradually adapted to the surroundings, looking at row upon row of bookshelves that seemed endless, the dim light source from somewhere illuminating the shelves slightly.

Where's Hemertos?

Li Qing silently scanned the area, not overly concerned for now. In Gray, everyone has their secrets, as long as you take care of yourself, that's enough. Just as he was heading towards the bookshelves, a familiar voice came from beside him.

"Dear human student, a friendly reminder: Without sufficient strength, flipping through higher-level magic books can get you eaten~"

That tone, that teasing voice, definitely Zhuang Xu's.

He turned his head, wide-eyed, looking in the dark corner beside him, finally seeing an outline of a desk, behind it was shadowed Zhuang Xu, almost blending with the darkness.

Li Qing cautiously said, "Ah, it's Tutor Zhuang Xu, hello!"

Zhuang Xu, appearing like a tall slender ghostly figure, laughed oddly as he leaned forward, eventually letting Li Qing see him clearly.

Zhuang Xu's hands crossed on the desk, his crimson eyes scrutinized Li Qing with interest.

After a bit, he said with an amazed look, "You seem to have gathered magic power?"

He suddenly stood up, his tall, slender almost 2.5-meter figure imposing enough to make the air feel slightly heavy.

Li Qing stood still, his hands under the sleeves tightly clenched, unmoving as Zhuang Xu nearby seemed to constantly sniff the air.

After a while, Zhuang Xu sat back down.

"Interesting... You bring me quite an attraction, adding a touch of new excitement to my monotonous day-to-day." Zhuang Xu lowered his hands, while expressing interest, "So, short-lived human at thirty, what talents awakened when you became a mage?"

Without waiting for Li Qing to reply, he shrugged, "Alright, let's not talk about that. What are you looking for in the library?"