Adam casually asked the doctor for a single horse and asked if he could take out 3 for a little trip. The doctor was confused on why Adam would take her considering she wouldn't be useful other than for research. The doctor's eyes then widened and a grin appeared on his face.

"Adam, my boy, you've grown up. Taking interest in women now, you know that you can just ask me right? I know a good spot."

"Tch."

Adam rolled his eyes and as payback, he swiped a vial of water from the doctor's lab. He then went to where the devil might possibly be.

The doctor only noticed this later on and was furious.

The only people who know of this are a select few, and the only people who know Adam could be counted on two fingers.

On the road, he looked around for traces and finally found a plausible trace under the dark night sky. Adam was manipulating mana all around them so that there was nothing for 3's trait to absorb.

There was a dead look on 3's face as she voiced out with a monotonous voice, "Are you here to kill me? Or to use me?"

"I am here to use you for your trait."

She didn't speak after that, she seemed to be slightly more relieved.

After searching around for a few more times, there were still inconclusive traces. The traces that might've been from the devil were getting less and less likely.

"I always wanted to talk to a devil. Unlike the brainless demons who survive on instinct, they are a sentient race that does not blindly cause destruction, contrary to common belief. There is no reason for a devil to go here other than being summoned. From this, I can tell that they already tried summoning a devil but failed in subduing it."

Adam could only blame it on his bad luck. Still, its something that only he can manage without any casualties, at least on his part.

After scrolling through the marked map, he arrived at the very center. He took out a mana crystal and infused his own mana into it. He threw it under the cover of moonlight and it exploded brilliantly.

Adam could hear something from afar, it was a flying devil speeding through at an insane speed.

The devil arrived directly on top of Adam and descended. Adam stared intently at the devil's eyes and broke into a wide grin.

"What do you, a mere human, want?"

"To strike a contract, you sure do love them don't you?"

"You seem to be more knowledgeable than a certain little girl. Anyways, why should I? What's more, why shouldn't I kill you right now?"

The devil grinned and started to conjure black flames and intimidated Adam.

Adam casually took out from his storage ring a bottle of water. This bottle of water started to squirm as if hell-bent on latching onto the devil.

"Holy water! Such a pure one at that! So you are here to kill me."

"No, I already told you. I want to make a contract with you. Although you are a common devil, you still have some value."

"Speak."

Adam spoke of the contents. It was a simple game, heads or tails, if Adam wins, he gains the devil's ashes and a vial of blood but if the devil wins, he would gain the aid of Adam on escaping as well as the lives of ten voluntary people.

"Kekeke! Foolish human, didn't your parents tell you to make a deal with a devil?"

"Never met them, let's get this over with."

The devil brought out a coin and maniacally started to flip the coin.

"What are you doing? We are using my coin. That way I can be sure of the results."

"Kekeke! No matter, it's all the same. Give me it."

Adam threw the coin towards the devil and the devil flipped it.

The devil thought to himself, just a little kid. He should have just killed me when he had the chance! Easy pickings indeed.

The devil started to manipulate the outcome of the coin with his mana but to his surprise, he felt a burning sensation as if he got deprived of all of his vitality and mana.

"Argh! What did you do?"

"What did I do, you ask?"

The coin abnormally turned in favor of Adam.

"I won, simple as that. Now, for the payment. Zane better thank me for this, devil blood increases a person's innate physique and mana but too much would lead to demonification. Good thing, I have a way to deal with that."

"You cheated!"

"I didn't of course, you tried it in the first place so if anything you were the one who cheated. It wasn't stipulated in the contract, it only said the outcome of the coin determines who wins. Of course, you already knew this. its common sense among devils. Ah, playing with words, I guess this could be considered a warm-up."

The devil screamed and his arm shriveled up and turned to dust, his chest opened up blood came out. Adam took out a vial and took the blood.

"Well, it's your lucky day. You only lost your arm instead of your life, now go away. If you want freedom, go in that direction. Good luck, you are gonna need it."

The devil immediately ran away, with the direction of his travels being... his hometown, the village in the wasteland.

"That woman and old man should have no problems dealing with something like that, at most it's like swatting a fly away. I really gotta get ready if they ever decided to take me. Even the king can't stop them if they really wanted to do something."

"Well, compared to the rewards I got, meeting that devil was the most worthwhile thing I gained from this." Adam's eyes smiled as there was a glint in his eyes when he glanced at the direction the devil was going.

"So, that's what it was." She seemed to understand what happened and quietly nodded.

Adam asked, "Were you scared?"

"N-No, I wasn't"

"You should have been. It was a real genuine devil." Adam waved the devil's blood in front of her.

She was still struggling with speaking but found some confidence and said, "In my eyes, someone who can best a devil would be a greater devil."

"Are you praising me or mocking me?"

She then suddenly lost all confidence and meekly looked down.

Adam went back to the kingdom ever so casually, he dropped by the school and gave Nero the devil's ashes and left. Nero seemed as if he wanted to cry.

"I'll get everything ready by tomorrow."

Adam then went to the doctor's mansion and got a scolding from the doctor. But after telling him what happened he forgot everything that he was mad about and started to examine her.

"Demon mana! Interesting!"

Adam went back to the dorm and slept.

The following early morning, Zane woke Adam up with a crazed look in his eyes.

"Adam! Adam! Wake up! The principal is in person in front of our room! This is no time to be lazing around, this is serious!"

"Oh? Must've been something irrelevant, tell him I'll meet him at noon. Also, that reminds me, here wear this. And uh, drink this."

Adam without looking at where he was grabbing, took out an amulet. It had a sleek design and had water inside it making it look appealing.

"T-That is..."

"Just tell him, don't worry he will understand."

"Okay, if something happens to me, you deal with it."

Zane then told Nero what Adam said and nodded then left.

Zane looked at the amulet and wore it, nothing special happened and just guessed it was Adam's first sign of friendship. Zane also drank the mysterious fluid but he didn't feel anything afterward.

At noon, Adam met up with Nero. Nero led Adam to an obscure place in the school and injected mana on the floor and it opened up.

"Remember the rules, only an hour. The elemental will tell you how much time you've got. Usually, people are forced to tell us what they have learned but since I don't have the capital to force you. We, the School of Maghim, would like to purchase information you have gained."

"I don't need wealth right now, I just need information. Besides, you made me deal with a devil single-handedly, pretty bold of you to assume I would give you anything in exchange."

Nero weakly smiled and let Adam in.

When he entered, the dark suddenly was illuminated by a weak blue light that eventually got stronger the further he got in.

When the light was its strongest, numerous illusionary bookcases were visible in front of him with a statue in the middle, having an aesthetic appeal. Adam picked up a random book and skimmed through it.

"The full interworkings of Metallurgy."

He dropped it and it disappeared then slowly appeared to where it was once.

"Interesting here's something called, 'The Full Collection for Children Stories.' Never going to use that in the future."

He picked up books as he went along, glanced through the pages, and dropped it moving on to the next. Eventually, he reached the end of the bookshelves and looked around seeing if he missed anything.

A low rumbling could be heard as the previously solid wall slowly dissipated, from being see-though to be clear then to eventually nothing.

"How does this work?"

He tried to enter the new hallway but was stopped by an invisible wall.

"What's the meaning of this?"

An elemental showed up, rumblings louder than before could be heard as the statue in the middle of the room moved. it seemed to be inclined to the earth element.

The elemental and angrily mocked Adam, "You, I have never seen such an insolent fool to brazenly pick up and drop books like you! Don't you dare think about profaning any more knowledge with your disgusting hands!"

"What are you talking about? Stop wasting my time! I already read it all so what's the point of keeping it around?"

"Hmph! You cannot fool me, it only took you two minutes to look around everything here. Even that self-proclaimed sorcerer-king took more time than that!"

"Of course I have to be quick! I only have an hour to look at all the knowledge you have accumulated throughout the years."

"What?! Which foolish mortal told you that non-sense! It takes an hour for the first segment then you gain more time as you go deeper! You will be tested each segment to ascertain if you would be allowed to continue to the next!"

Adam now felt a little embarrassed, he thought he only had an hour, that damn Nero! I'll make him pay for this later.

"A-Ah, is that so? I apologize! It seems there was some kind of misinformation."

Adam kept bowing shamelessly and spouting excuses.

"If that's the case then, treasure your single chance."

The elemental then went back to the pedestal and started to disappear.

"Uh, I did understand it all though, staying here would be wasting my time."

The elemental that has started to return to its serene state once again grew furious, "I thought you already learned! Don't lie to me! It's simply impossible even if you had a trait to memorize it all!"

Adam looked at the elemental one more time and said, "Not to offend you but I already did understand it all. Test me."

The elemental saw that Adam wasn't joking around. It then asked a few questions which Adam answered flawlessly as if he was reading a sentence.

"I-I see." The elemental in all of its time of sentience has never encountered such a phenomenon thus it was a little flustered.

Adam nodded and walked through the entrance and did the same as before.

From the beginning, it took him just a few short minutes but then it started to increase.

2 Minutes, notable books: nothing.

4 Minutes, notable books: The Full History of Maghim, Basic Martial Arts

7 Minutes, notable books: The Important History of Garish, Magic Implementation, Intermediate Martial Arts

10 Minutes, notable books: The Brief History of the World, Advanced Materials Arts

12 Minutes, notable books: Interracial Communication, Royal Martial Arts, Herbal Encyclopedia, True Assassination Techniques

14 Minutes, notable books: Dealing with the Devil, Monster Encyclopedia

1 Minute, notable books: Ascension and Interdimensional Travel Pt. 2

Adam managed to skim through the entire secret library and was teleported out.

He thought to himself, the sheer amount of the unknown is unreal. The more I know, the more I don't know. This was pretty lucky on my end, Maghim is leading country-wise but world-wise we are at the bottom of the bottom of the bottom. (Intentional)

The sheer size of the world is baffling, in all of human history, we have yet to explore even half of the world. There's also interdimensional possibilities and a guideline to godhood. If the lowest place of the world has this knowledge, then what's there to be seen in the future?

Nero saw Adam get out and sighed relief, an hour exactly, no matter what he's still a kid. No trait could help him pass through that, knowledge comes with experience. At least what I feared the most has passed.

Adam saw Nero and excused himself, "There wasn't much I could do, I just stood there looking at the pictures. Still, my head hurts, I'll get some more sleep."

"No problem! I'll call your class and let them know that you are excused for the rest of the day."

"Don't bother, I don't think even the teacher now my seatmate remembers me despite seeing me every day."

Although he received a little bit of shock he would rather pick this than the alternative, "All right."

Adam went to the dorm and slept. He still has to take in all the knowledge he learned so what better way to get used to it than to sleep on it.

Nero then called Sir Steward and gave him some good news.

"He didn't pass the hour mark. We are safe."

Sir Steward relaxed his entire body and seemed to melt. Then a dangerous thought emerged in his mind.

"What if he didn't pass the hour mark because he didn't need to."

Nero stiffened when he heard that, "Impossible! No trait can even come close to that! Even that scholar in Hoheim took an entire month and barely got past the fourth stage and he could memorize anything and everything with a single glance with his trait. Even our king just barely passed the fifth stage and was so mentally exhausted that he couldn't go on in a mana filled room. Remember that he's a sorcerer! Someone who cannot get exhausted as long as there is mana."

Nero rattled on as if to assure himself that there was no possible way.

"He merely matured early on and his natural aptitude helped him. He is cunning and street-smart not academically gifted! Listen, even his scores are average to below average."

Sir Steward laid back even more, extremely sure that even Adam wasn't that much of a prodigy.

"Yeah you're right, its just something is off. Maybe it's just me. Especially when the king forced us to go to that village so far away."

Sir Steward and Nero shared liquor and relaxed from the afternoon till the next day.