An image emerged of a figure standing atop a mountain peak.
The figure raised his right hand and pressed down lightly.
In the distance, a mountain peak abruptly collapsed, countless boulders tumbling down as dust blotted out the sun.
【A level of existence beyond the understanding of the mundane.】
【If an Official Wizard so desires, they can single-handedly annihilate any mortal empire within a few days.】
Ethan's pupils constricted slightly.
Annihilate an empire?
Within a few days?
He knew Official Wizards were powerful, but he hadn't expected them to be this formidable.
The footage continued, but the content that followed was much more mundane.
Classification of supernatural beings: magical beasts, Spirit Plants, Undead, Elemental Life...
Identification of supernatural materials: magical beast blood, bones, and fur; the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits of Spirit Plants; various ores and crystals...
Grades of supernatural items: Apprentice-level, Official Wizard-level, and higher tiers...
The dangers of supernatural knowledge: incorrect runes lead to energy loss of control, wrong formulas lead to explosions, and flawed experiments invite unpredictable disasters...
Ethan sat there, his eyes fixed on the light screen in front of him, motionless.
His hundred-fold learning speed allowed this information to be etched into his mind as if branded, both rapidly and deeply.
Time passed minute by minute.
After an unknown amount of time.
The images on the light screen came to a sudden halt.
The flowing visuals and dancing text all froze on the final frame.
The gentle male voice spoke once more:
"Wizards and the Supernatural concludes here."
"Remember,"
"Wizards are those who see the truth."
"But the truth is often dangerous."
The light screen began to dissipate.
Starting from the edges, the pale blue glow dimmed bit by bit, turning into fine specks of light that merged into the air.
A few breaths later, all the light had completely vanished.
The desktop returned to its original state, the fine lines dimming as if they had never been lit.
The surrounding freshmen stood up in small groups, some still whispering about the content of the lesson.
"An Official Wizard can destroy an empire... that's just too..."
"If I can become an Official Wizard, those back home who bullied my family..."
"Stop dreaming. Let's see if you can survive ten years first."
Ethan didn't join these discussions. He simply sat quietly, listening to the voices of wonder, aspiration, or fear around him.
What he was actually pondering was something else.
This free class was an automated playback on a light screen; there was no one to explain things or answer questions.
So what about the other classes that cost money?
For example, Wizard Tongue.
According to the introduction in the previous lesson, Wizard Tongue was the foundation for carrying runes. All wizardry models, magic circles, and alchemy recipes were recorded in Wizard Tongue. Without knowing Wizard Tongue, one couldn't even understand the most basic first-tier wizardry model.
The problem was, a language course surely couldn't just involve throwing up a light screen for students to watch on their own, could it?
Language required practice, pronunciation correction, and dialogue. Relying solely on rote memorization would only produce a mute Wizard Tongue.
"Whatever, I'll know once I go take a look."
Ethan stood up, casually removed his identity plaque from the desktop slot, and tucked it into his robe.
The layout of the Teaching Area was fairly orderly, with signs at the entrance of each section. Ethan followed the signs, passing two rows of low stone houses until a three-story square building appeared ahead.
A black wooden sign hung on the outer wall of the building: Wizard Tongue Teaching Area.
People were coming and going at the entrance. Some wore robes, some wore cloaks, and others wore ordinary clothes like Ethan. None of them looked very old; they were likely all freshmen.
Ethan pushed the door open and entered.
Inside was a long, narrow corridor with a dozen doors lined up on both sides, each with a small sign hanging on it.
"Wizard Tongue Class 1"
"Wizard Tongue Class 2"
"Wizard Tongue Class 3"
...
"Wizard Tongue Class 12"
Ethan walked down the corridor, his gaze scanning the signs.
People were scattered throughout the hallway, some leaning against the walls, others gathered in small groups talking in low voices, their expressions tinged with the anxiety of waiting.
Ethan reached the door of "Wizard Tongue Class 1" and stopped.
In addition to the class number, there was a line of small text on the door:
"1 magic stone per 10 lesson units. Learn as you go."
He reached out and pushed the door.
It wasn't locked.
Upon opening the door, the space inside was much smaller than he had imagined.
It was about sixty or seventy square meters, with sixty or seventy desks and chairs arranged in neat rows.
At the moment, about twenty people were already seated, scattered throughout the classroom.
Ethan's gaze swept over the desks and chairs.
Just like where he had his previous class, every desktop had a slot that matched the size of the identity plaque.
Ethan's lip twitched slightly.
This wasn't a classroom at all; it was clearly just a large self-study room.
He found a random seat by the window, took out his identity plaque, and placed it into the desktop slot.
The familiar pale blue light rose from the desk.
The fine lines emerged, weaving into complex patterns that emitted a faint fluorescence.
Immediately following that, the mechanical, emotionless voice spoke in his mind:
"Wizard Tongue Course, Class 1. Current remaining units: 10. Cost: 1 magic stone. Please confirm payment."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
It really was self-service.
He fished a magic stone from his robe and placed it into a bowl-sized indentation that had suddenly appeared on the desktop.
The moment the magic stone dropped in, a ring of pale gold light lit up at the bottom of the indentation.
The light swept over the magic stone, and in the blink of an eye, the stone vanished.
Simultaneously, the mechanical voice spoke again in his consciousness:
"Payment deducted. Ethan Leo, your remaining units: 10. Lessons can start at any time; each unit lasts 30 minutes. You may pause and resume. Additional payment required once units are exhausted."
"I wish you a pleasant study session."
As the voice faded, a light screen rose from the desktop.
Unlike the previous class, this light screen was smaller, about a foot square, hovering above the desk.
The first line of text appeared on the screen:
【Wizard Tongue Basics · Lesson One: Alphabet and Pronunciation】
【This course is interactive. The light screen will display the teaching content and monitor your learning progress in real-time. Once the current stage is completed, you will automatically proceed to the next.】
【Beginning now.】
The text on the screen vanished, replaced by a slowly rotating symbol.
The symbol looked like an eye, yet also like a distorted letter, with tiny runes flowing around its edges.
A gentle female voice spoke, completely different from the previous mechanical one:
"This is the first letter of the Wizard Tongue, 'Al.' It represents 'eye,' 'to see,' and 'insight.' Please follow along for pronunciation practice."
On the light screen, the symbol began to slowly decompose, breaking down stroke by stroke, with pronunciation tips annotated beside it.
"Al."
The female voice spoke again, this time drawing out the syllable.
Ethan closed his eyes and repeated it silently after the voice.
His hundred-fold learning speed allowed him to accurately master the vocal position and technique of that syllable almost the instant he heard it.
New text appeared on the light screen:
"Pronunciation detection in progress..."
"Detection passed. Proceeding to the next stage."
Ethan opened his eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
It really was this kind of model.
No teacher or explanation was needed; all teaching content was delivered through the light screen. The screen could detect learning progress in real-time and automatically adjust the pace. If he learned quickly, it moved quickly; if he learned slowly, it slowed down—it was completely personalized.
This teaching method was far more efficient than live instruction.
He continued learning.
The second letter.
The third.
The fourth.
...
Every letter came with a pronunciation demonstration, a writing animation, and real-time detection.
Ethan learned incredibly fast. Often, by the time the light screen displayed the new content, he had already mastered it.
Rate on N.U.
