Normally after getting admission to the academy, there were several procedures that needed to be taken care of but the instructor could see that this was a special situation as the founder himself had made an appearance. He did not dally around too much and brought the two newly arrived individuals to the library right away just as the young man demanded.
"This is the common public skill compendium room." The instructor explained as the three of them entered a huge building with numerous tall bookshelves, each filled to the brim with scrolls, books, and various other forms of knowledge. The shelves seemed to stretch endlessly, with ladders and magical platforms facilitating access to even the highest reaches.
"The knowledge contained within these walls is vast and varied, accumulated over centuries by the academy's scholars, adventurers, and mages from across the myriad realms," the instructor continued, his voice echoing slightly in the grand space.
He led them through rows of shelves, each categorized by different disciplines of magic, martial arts, alchemy, and more esoteric studies that defied simple classification. "While this is but a fraction of the academy's total archives, it is more than enough to aid most in their studies and research."
Liam looked around with keen interest, his eyes scanning titles and subjects, each more intriguing than the last. Eldrin, too, appeared captivated by the sheer amount of knowledge present.
"Feel free to explore at your leisure," the instructor said, gesturing broadly to the room. "Everything here is pretty standard. Feel free to look into whatever you want. You can ask the librarians for help to locate a specific item."
Both Liam and Eldrin continued staring at the giant display dumbfoundedly. "My Lord, you will definitely find what you are looking for here. How could all of this not contain a single hint about soul healing?"
Before Liam could respond, the instructor quickly interrupted. "I am sorry. I am afraid matters of the soul are not that simple."
"If an inferior method is used, then instead of healing, it would only harm the recipient. Of course, this also depends on what layer of the soul is injured. Outer layer injuries are easier to cure."
The instructor then raised his hand to point to a section at the back. "If your injury is merely on the outer layer of your soul, then what you are looking for should be there."
Both the instructor and Eldrin stared at Liam only to receive a shake of his head. "I knew it. If it was an outer layer injury, you wouldn't have come so far to a remote corner of this remote world." The instructor sighed. "But fret not. The heavens have not forsaken you. This is not the only room in this building. We have more scrolls for the higher-tier students"
"If you don't mind, can you tell me what exactly happened?"
Liam stared at the instructor who had now taken a complete 180 and become very helpful, a straight opposite to the arrogant personality he had met. He seemed like a good person at least to those who he favored.
However, Liam was not ready to lay bare all his secrets to a stranger. Although he wondered if his secrets were even secrets anymore considering how the 'founder' seemed to just know everything.
"I got my soul injured when I tried to use a skill that was too powerful for me," Liam explained without going into the details.
"I see. A common mistake." The instructor then unexpectedly revealed his hands which had a few veins blackened. "It is more common than you think." He laughed lightly. As they were chatting, the group arrived at the next room that was on the inside, called the 'inner room'.
Liam's eyes immediately fell on a shelf that was labeled sword techniques. He could see several scrolls, some even emanating a sort of power despite being simple dormant skill scrolls.
Liam immediately felt a pang of yearning. His hand was itching to go through all of these scrolls and the corresponding guides that were next to them, further explaining the technique. Though he had been using a sword for as long as he could remember he was still rather lacking in the department. With these, he could make tremendous progress in his fighting abilities department.
But as if the guy could read his mind, the instructor quickly reminded him. "I am sorry, the inner rooms are a little different than the outer rooms. You can only peruse one scroll a year from this room. The founder has placed a limit."
Liam's excitement slightly faltered on hearing this but it was fine. As long as he could heal his soul he could become stronger and try to obtain a sword technique somewhere else.
"Is there a specific section that deals with soul injuries or healing practices?" Liam asked, turning his attention back to the instructor.
"Not here. We need to go further in." The instructor gave a mysterious smile.
Liam's face twitched as they spent the next hour going from one room to another, each becoming smaller and smaller and of course more exclusive. All sorts of good things were present in these rooms and it only got better and better.
However, they still hadn't arrived at what he wanted. It was one thing if he could pick everything that he wanted but to simply be shown and taken away, it all felt like one big tease. Finally, they arrived at what felt like the last room.
It looked like his assumption was correct because the instructor showed a lot of reverence when entering the room. "This is the founder's treasury. Only the most powerful skill scrolls are stored inside. Since you defeated the golem when it was the most powerful, you are eligible to claim one skill scroll from inside." The instructor smiled and added. "And I know there is a soul cultivation skill inside. While this is not a soul healing technique, cultivating your soul would also cure what ails you."
Liam's heart rate sped up. Was he finally going to get his hands on something that could heal him?