Quinn Noir:Spellbound Sleuth

Tier 2

I spent most of the time in the Mind Sanctum when we returned to the academy. With Alexander's guidance, I was able to reach tier 2 in everything except Alchemy within just 8 hours or 2 and a half outside time. However, I was left with a dilemma and needed his advice.

"Alexander, I can't decide whether to learn Abjuration or Enhancement," I said, pausing for a moment. "Or should I just stick to the plan and learn Divination? I'm worried that six schools will be too much."

He pondered for a moment before responding, "Personally, I would leave Enhancement to me since I'm already an expert. But when it comes to Abjuration or Divination, why not both?"

I looked at him with a puzzled expression, "Do you think six schools is too much? You only mastered two."

"I only mastered two, but the two I did are at Tier 20, so I know every spell in those categories. I learned many schools," he explained. "In addition, your skills are particularly suited for learning as many schools as possible."

"Really?" I asked, intrigued.

"Of course. And I can see the next skill the system is going to give you, which will be really helpful," he said with a smile.

"What is it?" I asked eagerly.

"Well it's –" He was mouthing words but nothing would come out, "Shit, stupid 'Rule Of Plausibility'"

"What's the Rule Of Plausibility?"

"It's –" He groaned as the words wouldn't come out, "I can't tell you things that you shouldn't know,"

"That sucks. Well, what can you tell me?"

"Well I don't suppose I can tell you about dimensions... Oh I guess you've figured that out," He paused, stroking his face, "There are – dimensions. I used to work for the –." He continued to try to say different words yet still nothing seemed to come out, "So basically, I can teach you nothing important,"

"Well that's great," I sat down and continued reading books for another four hours.

After reaching Tier 2 in all the books I had acquired, I finally leveled up to Level 4. But what caught my attention was the subsequent notification that appeared on my screen.

<New Skill Unlocked: Multischool Mage>

<Multischool Mage: Passive: You are always considered the tier of your highest-tiered school. Active: Active ability will be locked until used.>

I couldn't help but smirk as I exited the Mind Sanctum and stepped out of my room. Colette, who was sitting in the living room, immediately noticed my yellow shirt that signified my rank up. She stood up and congratulated me.

"I can't believe you made it to Tier 2 already! And in two schools no less!" She beamed.

"A little more than two," I corrected her with a smile.

She blinked slowly, "Oh, right! You said you were going to learn Divination too! My bad, three schools." I rubbed the back of my neck, and she glared at me. "Quinn, how many schools are you in?!"

"Six," I answered, trying to cough to cover up my response.

"SIX!" She screeched. "Do you have a death wish, Quinn?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, "I like a challenge."

She shook her head in disbelief, "I'll never understand you, Quinn. Anyway, here's your Tier 3 book. But I don't see how you're going to make much progress in it right now." She handed me the book, and I absorbed it into my mind. "Oh, right, I almost forgot."

After finishing my practice in the Mind Sanctum, I decided to pay a visit to Able in his lab. It was a Saturday, but I had a feeling that he would be working anyway. As I entered, I spotted him wearing a purple shirt - a sign that he had reached Tier 4 in his studies. According to official school policy, once you reached Tier 4 you only needed to carry the shirt on you. Though Able didn't seem like the type of person who cared what he wore as long as it worked.

"Hey Able, sorry to bother you," I said with a small smile.

"What do you need?" he asked, not bothering to look up from his work.

"Just need to borrow your cauldron and some ingredients," I replied.

Able scoffed. "What do you think I am? Some kind of endless herb vending machine?" he retorted. I glanced around the room, taking in the countless jars of herbs and ingredients, some even sticking out of his lab coat.

"Okay, fine," he finally relented. "But you're going to either pay for the herbs or give me the potions."

I quickly gathered the necessary ingredients and began to concoct the potions with ease, thanks to Able's previous training and my knowledge from the Mind Sanctum. While brewing, I struck up a conversation with Able, curious about his personal lab.

"What do you need to get your own lab?" I inquired.

"You shouldn't be talking and brewing at the same time, especially at your level," he chided, ignoring my question.

"Is there anything else I'm doing wrong?" I asked with a sly grin.

He scrutinized my work but couldn't find any mistakes. Finally, he relented and answered my question.

"You need to be Tier 3 and receive a recommendation from a teacher or a special student," he replied.

"Are you one of those special students?" I asked.

He nodded. "If you want my recommendation, tell me how you're doing that," he said, eyeing my brewing process.

"It's simple, really. I memorized the entire spellbook," I smirked.

"You should stop joking around so much," Able said, his voice stern. "Tell me seriously."

"I am being completely serious," I replied. "It took a while, but by memorizing the two books, I was able to get a full grasp of all the theory. If I wanted to, I could do this in my sleep... That last part was a joke."

"That's impressive," he said, seeming unable to think of anything else.

With the necessary potions concocted and ready, I walked over to the bookshelf in the lab. I focused on absorbing the knowledge from the Tier 3 book before turning back to Able.

"I'll probably be back next week, so I can reach Tier 3," I said, determined.

"Normally I would categorize that as a joke and not expect anything," Able smiled slightly. "I look forward to seeing you in a red shirt."