The Glitched Mage-Chapter 47: Necromancy Skills

The library remained open through the night, making it the perfect time for Riven to move unnoticed.

He waited until the academy had fallen into deep silence before slipping out of his dorm. The corridors were eerily empty, save for the occasional staff member working late, their footsteps echoing faintly against the polished floors.

By the time he reached the grand entrance of the library, only a handful of students remained on the first floor, hunched over thick tomes, lost in their studies. The air smelled of parchment and ink.

Riven moved with purpose, passing through the dimly lit hall and making his way toward the back. He barely spared a glance at the guard stationed by the entrance to the upper levels, merely flashing his talisman in silent acknowledgment. A flicker of mana passed over him as his access was verified, and without hesitation, he ascended the stairs.

The second floor was busier than the first, though only marginally. A few dedicated students still wandered between towering bookshelves, scanning for their next skill acquisition. Some were absorbed in their chosen tomes, while others whispered in hushed voices, discussing advanced techniques.

Riven blended in effortlessly.

His steps carried him deeper into the archives, past shelves lined with elemental spells and combat techniques. He moved as if he were simply another student browsing the vast collection.

But he had only one objective.

Necromancy skills.

It was forbidden. Taboo. Knowledge that the academy refused to acknowledge officially, let alone teach. Yet Riven knew better—this library held a copy of every skill in existence. He had proof of it. His first necromancy skill, Puppeteer of the Dead, had been acquired from here.

If one skill had slipped through the cracks, then there had to be more.

'System, scan for any necromancy books.' The silent command left his thoughts like a ripple through the void.

[[ Scanning… ]]

Riven pretended to browse, pulling out a random tome on fire-based incantations as he waited. He flipped through the pages idly, barely absorbing the text.

A soft rustle of fabric caught his attention.

An Acolyte passed behind him, their blindfolded gaze sweeping the room with eerie precision.

Riven didn't move.

He remained still, feigning interest in the book in his hands, his breathing slow and controlled.

The Acolyte paused for a fraction of a second before continuing down the aisle.

Only when the presence faded did Riven allow himself to exhale.

A faint unease curled in Riven's stomach as the system took longer than usual to execute his command. The delay was abnormal—typically, the response was almost instantaneous.

He was about to prompt the system again when his vision flickered.

The library dimmed.

A faint red glow pulsed at the edges of his sight, rhythmic, like a heartbeat.

Riven's breath stilled as he looked down.

There—far beneath him, past the solid floor—flickering motes of crimson light shimmered in the depths of the library. Not just one. Multiple.

What the…?

His pulse quickened. The glow wasn't coming from a single level below—it extended downward, deeper than the first floor. Multiple floors lower.

But that didn't make sense.

The academy only listed the first floor of the library and upwards. Beyond that? Riven had heard in passing of whispers of hidden archives, of sealed knowledge buried beneath the academy's foundation.

And now, he was staring at proof of its existence.

The necromancy books weren't just hidden—they were buried.

Riven's fingers tightened around the book in his hands, his mind racing.

Buried.

Not misplaced. Not forgotten.

Deliberately hidden.

The academy hadn't just banned necromancy—they had locked it away beneath layers of secrecy, deep within the foundations of the library. And yet, here it was, pulsing like a heartbeat, its presence unmistakable.

No wonder they had been so shocked when the necromancy book appeared for Riven in the third trial.

[[ Scan complete. ]]

[[ Forbidden Archive detected. Depth unknown. ]]

[[ Necromancy tomes detected: 7. ]]

Seven.

That was more than he had expected.

Riven's heartbeat steadied as his thoughts sharpened. If the books were locked away beneath the visible floors of the library, that meant there had to be a way down. A hidden staircase? A teleportation sigil? Some sort of mechanism built into the library?

Whatever the case, he had to find it.

But first, he needed to be careful.

The library's wards were strong, layered over centuries. If the academy had gone to such lengths to seal these books away, then getting to them wouldn't be as simple as walking down a flight of stairs.

A direct approach wasn't an option.

Riven exhaled slowly, closing the fire incantation book in his hands before slipping it back onto the shelf. He cast another glance around the second floor.

The Acolyte was still patrolling, their blindfolded gaze unreadable as they moved in a slow, methodical path between the aisles.

A few students remained scattered across the floor, their attention firmly rooted in their studies. None of them seemed to notice him.

Good.

He stepped away from the shelves and casually moved up to the above section where the rows of private training rooms were. Retrieving the key stone he still had from before, he pressed it against the panel. He felt the barrier on the door shimmer before unlocking with a soft click.

The moment he stepped inside, he activated his shadows.

Nyx and Krux emerged soundlessly, their forms materializing from the darkness around him.

"What did you find?" Nyx's voice was barely above a whisper, but her sharp gaze immediately locked onto his tense posture.

"The books are hidden beneath the library," Riven murmured, keeping his voice low. "Deep beneath."

Krux arched a brow, his golden eyes gleaming with interest. "They buried them? Interesting."

Nyx folded her arms, her expression unreadable. "Then it won't be easy to get them."

Riven nodded. "I need to find the entrance first. But I can't risk tripping any wards or alerting the Acolytes."

Krux smirked. "So, we do this quietly."

"Exactly." Riven turned back toward the door. "We start by looking for anomalies. Secret passages, misplaced mana flows, anything that doesn't match the structure of the library."

Nyx tilted her head. "And if there are wards?"

"Then we disable them." Riven's voice was calm, assured. "Or we go through them."

A slow grin spread across Krux's face. "Now you're talking."

Shadows began to coil around the two of them as they neared the door.

"Don't get caught." Was all Riven said before they stepped back out into the library.

Nyx and Krux disappeared into the shadows and Riven began to make his way back down to the first floor of the library. The descent back was slow, deliberate.

Riven kept his pace measured, moving between the towering bookshelves with an air of nonchalance. He passed a few students still lingering over their studies, their exhausted faces barely acknowledging him as he weaved through the aisles. The scent of old parchment and mana-infused ink was thick in the air, grounding him as he honed his focus.

Every step was calculated.

Every glance, every shift of movement, was part of the act.

By the time he reached the ground floor, the library had grown quieter, the hour stretching deep into the night. The Acolytes moved in their slow, measured patrols, their blindfolded gazes sweeping over the space as they glided through the room like wraiths.

Riven paid them no mind.

He had more important things to worry about.

'System, map out any inconsistencies in the structure of the library.'

The silent command sent a pulse through his vision, the mana-rich walls of the archives shimmering faintly as the system processed his request.

[[ Scanning… ]]

A flicker of red traced across the polished floor beneath his feet.

Riven stilled.

There—just past the librarian's desk—was an anomaly. A section of the floor that, to the untrained eye, appeared no different from the rest of the stone slabs. But to the system's enhanced detection? It was off. The mana flowing through it was different. Disjointed.

A hidden passage.

Riven's fingers twitched slightly, resisting the immediate urge to move.

Not yet.

If the entrance was so carefully disguised, there had to be protections in place. Wards, alarms—possibly even hidden triggers that would alert the academy if tampered with incorrectly.

That meant he needed a way to test it without drawing attention.

'Nyx, Krux, status?'

A ripple in his shadows responded almost instantly.

'No signs of movement below. No physical passage found yet. Wards are present—subtle, but layered. They're old, but still active.' The voice answered directly into his mind.

Riven exhaled quietly.

That complicated things.

If the entrance was still operational, it meant someone—at some point—had accessed it. That meant there was a key, a method, a ritual. Something. And if it was still guarded after all this time, then whatever was down there was valuable enough for the academy to maintain its secrecy.

He needed to be smart about this.

Brute force would only get him so far.

Riven moved toward a nearby shelf, selecting a random tome to blend in with the remaining students. His fingers traced the spine of the book absentmindedly as he considered his options.

He could attempt to break the wards—but that would come with significant risk. If they were designed to alert the academy, it could bring scrutiny he wasn't ready for yet.

Or—

He could find someone who already had access.

His mind worked through the possibilities. Who within the academy had reason to interact with the hidden archives? The Acolytes? An Elder, perhaps?

The first option seemed like the best candidate seeing as they were here specifically here to guard and protect the library.

Riven's eyes narrowed slightly. His next move was clear. He needed to find a way to infiltrate the acolytes — If there was anyone in this academy who knew the way into the Forbidden Archive, it was them.

But first—he had to leave without suspicion.

Riven set the book back on the shelf and adjusted his posture, slipping seamlessly back into the role of a weary student. He made his way toward the exit, ignoring the lingering gazes of the few remaining scholars as he passed.

The Acolytes didn't stop him.

The guards barely glanced his way.

And just like that—he was gone.

He made his way out to the back of the academy again, slipping into the underground mausoleum unnoticed. Nyx and Krux emerged soundlessly behind him.

"Did you find anything?" Riven asked without turning, his voice low.

Krux grinned, golden eyes gleaming faintly in the dim light. "Nothing useful—unless you count an absurd collection of martial arts techniques. I must say, they have quite the extensive selection."

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Nyx exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose as if physically restraining herself from striking him. "I detected something—a fluctuation in the mana flow, subtle but distinct. It's centered behind the office area."

Riven nodded. "I sensed it too."

Nyx crossed her arms. "So, what's the plan? It's going to be difficult to even reach that place undetected let alone trying to enter it."

Riven rubbed a hand over his face, frustration creeping in. "No, it won't. But…" He let out a slow breath. "I have an idea. It's reckless, risky, and has a good chance of going terribly wrong."

Krux leaned forward, intrigued. "Sounds promising. Do tell."

Riven's gaze flickered toward them, his expression unreadable.

"I'm going to kill an Acolyte."