“So, what were you looking to chat about?” He asked, acting as if the last few minutes had never happened. “I’m a fairly open book.”

“So you’ve shown. I had been planning to inquire about your skills a bit anyway, just not in a situation like that,” She sighed, looking apologetic as she did. “So you really are a holder of the knowledge skill, and at a high level too. Not that that should be shocking given the speed I’ve seen you’re able to process information. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you go about applying your knowledge to actually awaken it?”

“Materialization,” He told her, creating a piece of paper from his raw mana. “I did it in a particularly difficult way and it pushed the skill over the edge. Surprised the hell out of me too given how hard I’ve tried to awaken other skills, only to constantly fail at it.”

He started absentmindedly folding the piece he made while she watched as he reminisced about just how unreasonably hard it had been to push connect over the edge. Compared to that, awakening knowledge was nothing.

“I suppose that explains how you had notes and diagrams to answer each of my questions with too, but still, very impressive. I’ve never heard of anyone doing it to such a level before.”

“It’s not hard as long as you have a deep knowledge of materials. If you had a magic that aligned with it then you probably could too.”

At least for most things. Seed creation definitely takes a little more.

A thin smile stretched across her lips as she considered the prospect herself. “Perhaps, but there’s not much point in considering something that won’t happen. Anyway, I won’t go sticking my nose into anything I have no business knowing, seeing as you’ve already revealed plenty of your personal information, but one thing I was hoping to ask you about was your goals. You wanted to get full access to the library, now that you have it, what are you working towards? I personally wouldn’t mind helping point you in the right direction if I can.”

He felt his eyes light up at the offer. In the end, there were a bunch of different goals he had, but only one felt achievable at the moment and would act as a path for others if he managed it.

“I’m trying to break into making legendary items so I need to know more about magic as a whole, or at least that’s the approach I'm taking for it. I can keep refining my technical skill for the things I make, but beyond that I need to construct powerful enchantments to push things even further.”

He knew he had to be close, he now had a pile of skill rings made from awakened skills specifically, along with the technical ability to pull it off, but in his attempts before leaving for the magic towers, all he’d gotten was failure. He just needed whatever was missing to make it click.

And once I’m properly on that track I’ll be in an even better place to build Inux his body, plus everything I’m learning here might have a decent path for everything I’m learning for the summoning spell. God, I feel like I’m on the edge of so much, just waiting for the day I pass over it.

She could see the hope and confidence in his eyes as he looked at her, thinking about the dreams he wanted to achieve, but they were expectations she needed to dash, much as it pained her to do so.

“I see. Sadly, crafting isn’t my forte so I don’t actually think I could provide a reasonable level of guidance that might help you,” She told him, sounding more annoyed with herself than anything. “I might be able to suggest ideas for where you could aim with your enchantments, but I suspect it would be more worth your time to keep doing what you’re already doing. It’s not like it will take you too long to read everything we have on these floors as well so I’m sure it will be worth your time.”

“Ah, that tracks. I guess being the embodiment of knowledge doesn’t mean you just know everything,” He sighed, not noticing the strange look he was getting.

“I suppose I can’t be annoyed that you know the name of my skill given what we just put you through, but I really would rather like to know how you learned that.”

“Uh, is it not widely known that you’re a third-tier skill holder?”

“Yes, and for the knowledge skill, but not the specifics of its name.”

Oops. Looks like I’ve shown my hand a bit.

“My skills divine enchanting and deep connection pair to let me see the skills of others if I’m close enough,” He admitted. “I knew you had one at the third tier but I didn’t know in what so I took a peek. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Like I said, how can I complain when my student insists on doing the same thing?”

“Cool, ‘cause in that case, I have a different question for you. How did you get to the third tier? I've gotta know.”

If he was going to keep raising his knowledge skill then his chances of it were high, at least compared to his other options, and he wanted an idea of what it took to break through, but again he got a complicated look.

“It’s not exactly a simple matter. Along with studying magics as a whole, I’m well versed in a number of other fields so I’ll often go to act as a consultant or investigator depending on the demands. Raising the knowledge skill is largely through learning, but in the same way as gaining it in the first place, you also need to constantly be applying your knowledge. While some break through the barrier through great acts, mine was just an uncountable number of smaller ones, all of which slowly chipped away at the wall until I could pass through.”

So similar to what Falk’s been trying to do then, only it looks like she succeeded at it. Interesting, I wonder how many years of dedicated work that took? I suppose as long as I’m alive I can work on getting there myself one day, but it’s still really not a priority.

“Oh well, I’m still a ways away from really needing to think about that,” He sighed. “I can just put my brain to it if I ever get there.”

It was obvious that Killi not only felt bad, but her pride was hurt as well. She’d usually chat with anyone who passed the tests for the fourth and fifth floors, doing what she could to help with their goals from her vast supply of knowledge, but on both of his questions she’d failed to give anything that could actually be of use, not that she wasn’t going to quit there. There was no telling when anyone would actually find wherever her student had hidden himself away and she still wanted the two to meet, meaning she had all of that time to find some topic she might aid in.

“Is there nothing else?” She insisted. “If you don't have more interests of a magical nature then you really could get plenty from any standard library. Surely you have one or two goals or areas of study that align with the study of magic overall.”

He thought for a second before spending his mana, not creating a single page this time but instead a dense book, bringing him near the bottom of his reserves but succeeding thanks to the large bit of his mental power that made it possible.

“Well, I suppose there is one more thing that takes up a fair bit of my interest,” He told her, handing it over and seeing her eyes shine at the display of technique and control. “I’m trying to deconstruct and simplify the most complex spell I’m aware of and I sure wouldn’t say no to some help.”

That she thought she could do. Even without knowing the spell, that was a direct application of knowledge, her specialty. She was flipping through the pages as soon as she got it, ready to do whatever she could, only to end up at a loss.

“Just what sort of spell is this?”

“The one that summoned me and the rest to this world. Well, technically that’s just diagrams of how mana flows for a few fragments of it, but the thing is ridiculous and still being studied so I’ll take any insights you think you could give.”

She flipped through it all again and took it for what it felt like; a challenge. She couldn’t begin to figure out how to approach it, but that was just a problem to be solved, and one she planned on doing with gusto.

It was an hour later a guard came up, carrying Verbum over his shoulder as he tried to get away, kicking and screaming and doing everything he could to put up a hell of a fight, clearly stronger than he looked but not used to using that strength, unable to escape the hold he was in.

“Verbum, be quiet,” Killi told him, not sparing a glance and instead entirely focused on the notes she was working on as she spoke to Ben. “So I would think that the effects being caused in diagram eleven-C are the same ones responsible for the changes in thirty-eight-X, which would imply that both are being affected not by any earlier changes, but somehow the later ones seen in eleven-F and thirty-eight-V, but the only way that would make sense is if that mana is looping back in on itself through these paths.”

“I think you’re right,” Ben agreed, already feeling the depths of her insight and couldn’t help but be pleased that he’d take the chance to ask. “There are plenty of other sections I’d be able to compare to when I get home so if you’re right then at least a part of it just got a little more predictable.”

It felt like the mountain he’d been throwing himself against had just budged, the overwhelming obstacle that was breaking across reality giving way to their collective thinking. There was still plenty to do, but every step was a bit closer and he already felt his thoughts exploding with new ideas to be tested, just from seeing the way Killi approached the problem. For as many minds as he had to put to any challenge now, it only showed that he was still one man. Others would always see things in ways he couldn’t, potentially to excellent results such as that.

Who knows, maybe my staff will have had a few good ideas by the time I’m back as well.

“Um, Miss Killi, why did you insist on having me dragged back here?” Verbum asked, even if he couldn’t help but feel safer being ignored as he kept up his struggle against the guard’s grip. “If I’m not needed I think I’ll leave for somewhere a little safer. Like under a rock, or maybe in a bunker-”

“Verbum, you will sit here and you will like it. First things first, apologize to Ben. How many times are you going to react to someone’s status like that? I’ve told you time and again to not look at what anyone has like that anyway!”

So I’m not the first one then? Okay, that does make me feel a little better.

“Killi, if you knew what he has-” He started trying to argue, only to be cut off.

“Since you raised such a ruckus about it Ben was very open about his status in explaining how each bit came to pass. I’ll admit, it does seem troubling at first glance, however, Wonoth has already gone to confirm, and the fact he hasn’t come running back means the answer is clear enough. Judge people by the actions you see, not some characteristic marked on their soul.”

“You can’t just blindly trust the things you see,” He muttered darkly. “Sure, your eyes might tell you you’re amongst friends, but then BAM! The masks come off and your world is conquered before you even knew it. Or you were always ruled from the start and being raised like animals without even knowing it.”

Okay, I can definitely see that this guy has some issues. Maybe I don’t want to be best friends with him for his awakened analysis after all.

Killi seemed to agree plenty about the issue her student possessed. “Verbum, I understand where this comes from, I really do, but for now calm down and you can worry about anything else later after you actually talk to Ben. I believe you’ll get along quite well if you just put all of these worries aside briefly, you both have plenty in common. Not only does he also have the knowledge skill and is doing his best to grow it, but as another one of the summoned I’m sure he’d be worth getting to know if you actually gave it a chance before jumping to wild conclusions.”

Another one?

Suddenly it made sense when he recognised his race, as well as why he’d been helping so many of them try to level magics that had already awakened. Like his group, twenty had come to the world with him, and now here was another standing by his side, acting as the student of one of the world's tier three skill holders with all of the resources that implied.

And I change my mind yet again. Just you wait you paranoid looney, we’re going to get on great in the name of me taking advantage of whatever interesting skills you came with.