Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 17: Chapter 17 — The Knowledge Trial

Chapter 17 — The Knowledge Trial

Victor’s consciousness slowly cleared, and the darkness surrounding him began to fade. When his vision finally settled, he found himself standing inside the Library once again.

But something was different.

The Library looked clearer than he remembered. The endless rows of books and towering shelves seemed more defined, as though a layer of fog had been lifted from the place. The details were sharper now. He could see farther into the vast halls, and even the faint glow that illuminated the shelves seemed brighter than before.

Victor immediately understood that the change was connected to his Black Flame.

It had reached Tier One.

Before he could examine the Library any further, a familiar voice came from somewhere ahead.

”What took you so long? I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me.”

Victor turned and saw the Library Spirit standing among the shelves. The old spirit looked exactly as Victor remembered him, though there was something almost amused about his expression.

Victor frowned.

”What do you mean? It’s only been about twenty-four hours.”

The Spirit stared at him for a moment.

Then his expression changed.

”For you, perhaps.”

Victor’s eyebrows rose.

”What?”

”For you, it has only been twenty-four hours,” the Spirit said. ”For me, however, it has been nearly three months.”

Victor stared at him.

”Three months?”

The Spirit nodded.

”How?”

The Spirit gestured toward the Library around them.

”Time does not pass normally here. The Library exists within your Inner World, and because of that, there is a difference between the passage of time here and the passage of time in the outside world.”

Victor listened carefully.

”For every hour that passes outside, a certain amount of time passes inside the Library. The difference depends on the tier of your Black Flame. Now that your flame has reached Tier One, one hour outside is equivalent to two hours inside.”

Victor’s eyes narrowed slightly.

”So if I spend two hours in here...”

”Only one hour will have passed outside.”

Victor slowly nodded.

”And that difference increases as my flame advances?”

”Exactly.”

The Spirit smiled.

”Each advancement of your Black Flame will increase the amount of time you can experience within the Library. Your current ratio is only the beginning.”

Victor glanced around the massive Library again.

The implications slowly began sinking in.

If he could spend twice as much time here as he could outside, then the Library wasn’t simply a place filled with information. It was a place where he could learn at a pace that shouldn’t have been possible.

The Spirit turned and began walking deeper into the Library.

”There is something you need to understand before we continue. The Black Phoenix lineage has always valued knowledge before action.”

Victor followed.

”You cannot simply rush into alchemy because you possess the Black Flame. Power without understanding is wasted potential. Before you can properly use the materials available to you, you must first understand what those materials are, what they can do, and how they react.”

Victor nodded slowly.

That made sense.

The Spirit stopped.

”Which brings us to your next step.”

Victor looked past him.

At first, he didn’t notice anything unusual.

Then he realized that one section of the Library was different.

A massive row of shelves stretched farther than he could see, filling an entire section of the Library. Thousands upon thousands of books stood neatly arranged across them. The sheer number was enough to make Victor’s eyes widen.

At the entrance stood a simple inscription.

Knowledge Trial.

Victor stared at it.

”A knowledge trial?”

The Spirit chuckled softly.

”Don’t worry. I’ll explain.”

He gestured toward the enormous collection of books.

”This section contains information about plants, herbs, and other natural materials found throughout this world. Your first task is simple.”

Victor waited.

”You must remember them.”

Victor looked at the shelves again.

”How many?”

The Spirit’s smile faded slightly.

”Approximately fifty thousand Tier One herbs and plants.”

Victor’s expression froze.

The Spirit continued.

”And another one hundred thousand non-Tier plants and herbs.”

Victor slowly turned toward him.

Victor stared at the shelves.

One hundred and fifty thousand different materials.

The number was almost absurd.

”Many of them are common,” the Spirit continued. ”Others are extremely rare. Some have been forgotten entirely by the people of this world. There are plants that can only be found in regions where ordinary humans cannot survive, and others that may exist in places that have not been explored for centuries.”

Victor remained silent.

”Why so many?” he finally asked.

”Because you must build upon the basics.”

The Spirit’s voice became more serious.

”Alchemy is not simply throwing ingredients into a cauldron and hoping something useful comes out. Every material has properties. Every herb reacts differently. If you don’t know what you’re working with, you cannot expect to become a true alchemist.”

Victor looked back toward the shelves.

The task was enormous.

There was no denying that.

But as the initial shock began to fade, Victor’s mind started working through the problem.

One hundred and fifty thousand sounded impossible if he had to memorize them normally.

But he wasn’t operating under normal circumstances anymore.

He had the Library.

He had time dilation.

And, more importantly, he had always possessed an unusually strong memory.

Back on Earth, Victor had always possessed an unusually strong memory. He rarely needed to see something more than once before it became fixed in his mind, the details remaining clear long after others had forgotten them.

This wouldn’t be easy.

But it wasn’t impossible.

The Spirit suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

”You will need to remember at least seventy-five percent of the materials before the next section of the Library becomes available.”

Victor looked at him.

”The next section?”

”Yes.”

The Spirit pointed farther into the Library.

”Beyond this trial is the beginning of your practical training.”

Victor’s attention sharpened.

”Once you successfully remember at least seventy-five percent of the required materials, you will gain access to the Alchemy Training Grounds.”

That immediately caught Victor’s attention.

”What are the training grounds?”

”A dedicated space for alchemy.”

The Spirit gestured toward the distant shelves.

”You will have access to a proper alchemy room, a cauldron, worktables, storage, and the basic equipment necessary for practicing alchemy.”

Victor’s eyes lit up.

”An alchemy room?”

The Spirit nodded.

”Exactly.”

Victor couldn’t help but smile.

That was what he needed.

A place where he could actually practice what he learned instead of simply reading about it.

But then his expression became thoughtful again.

”Wait. If the training grounds are inside the Library, how am I supposed to get materials in here?”

The Spirit smiled.

”Now that your Black Flame has reached Tier One, there is something else you should know.”

Victor waited.

”You can use your Black Flame to absorb herbs, plants, and other alchemical materials.”

Victor’s eyes widened slightly.

”Absorb them?”

”Yes. Once a material is absorbed by your Black Flame, it will be stored within the Alchemy Training Grounds.”

The Spirit explained that the training area possessed a separate dimensional storage space specifically for alchemical materials. Anything Victor absorbed with his Black Flame could eventually be accessed there when he gained access to the training grounds.

Victor’s expression slowly changed from curiosity to genuine excitement.

”So I just use the Black Flame to absorb them, and they’ll be available for me inside the training grounds?”

”Essentially.”

Victor looked down at his hands.

That was incredibly convenient.

But the Spirit wasn’t finished.

”The Black Flame will also refine the materials before they enter the storage space. Most impurities will be removed, leaving the useful properties intact.”

Victor’s eyebrows rose.

”Wouldn’t that affect their ability to be used in alchemy?”

”It shouldn’t.”

The Spirit paused.

”In fact, the Black Flame appears to improve the condition of the materials rather than damage them. Why it works this way is something you will eventually need to discover yourself.”

Victor looked toward the distant shelves again.

There was clearly more to the Black Flame than he understood.

But that wasn’t important right now.

The Spirit had given him enough information.

Now came the difficult part.

Victor stood quietly for a moment, looking at the endless collection of books.

One hundred and fifty thousand materials.

At first, the number had felt ridiculous.

Now, however, he began breaking it down in his mind. With his memory, the Library’s time dilation, and enough discipline, he could do it. It wasn’t going to happen in a day, or even a week.

But he didn’t need it to.

If he wanted to become stronger, he needed knowledge.

If he wanted to become an alchemist, he needed to learn.

And if he wanted to survive in the Tower, he couldn’t afford to waste the opportunities being placed in front of him.

Victor slowly walked toward the shelves.

The Spirit watched him.

Victor stopped several feet away from the first row and looked up at the countless books stretching into the distance.

He didn’t complain about the task.

He didn’t ask if there was an easier way.

He simply accepted it.

If this was what he needed to do to move forward, then he would do it.

Victor turned his head toward the Spirit.

”So...”

The Spirit raised an eyebrow.

Victor gestured toward the enormous collection of books.

”Where do we start?”

The Spirit smiled and pointed toward the first shelf.

”Right there.”