Marcus understood what Logan was getting at. He wouldn't want to step into anything too dangerous with his current strength either. What he needed, what he hoped for, was time. Time to grow.
"What did you mean by knowledge?" He asked.
"Knowledge about concepts. The kind that brushed against the impossible," Logan replied. "Things that stretch the limits of logic. That's what sharpens a Savant's mental stats. For example, studying how Wilder Force interacts with the human body, or how it alters reality itself. Rune mastery could help too, but that's another rabbit hole entirely. Not all knowledge leads to growth. You have to chase the right kind."
Marcus asked Logan a few more questions about the Savants and how he could become stronger as one. He also asked a few more questions about the Second Ring, gaining a little more understanding of the place.
"You said I should report for work today. What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Simple. First, your job is to strengthen. Right now, you're not useful to us in the field. Second, you'll be handling admin work. Writing mission reports. Filing complaints. Sending correspondence to other Palaces, the Factions, and other teams. You'll be our voice when we're too busy to speak."
Marcus blinked. That wasn't what he expected.
It didn't sound difficult, but it didn't sound like him either. He'd always been a combatant. A soldier, not a secretary.
Logan seemed to catch the hesitation. "I get it. It doesn't suit you. But there's a reason."
He paused, his tone shifting.
"Captain has been inactive for over a decade. Something… happened. Now that he's back, he'll be making up for lost time, quickly and loudly. Give him a month or two, and the whole Second Ring will know."
Marcus tensed, already sensing where this was going.
"That's why I'm warning you now: stay low. Until you're strong enough to stand on your own, keep your head down. Don't draw attention. Don't let anyone know you're part of the Oasis team."
"Why?"
"Because they will hesitate coming after us, Marcus. They'll come after you, the weakest. The easiest target." He said it without cruelty, just clarity.
"I told Captain it'd be better to send you to another division. He wouldn't hear it. So now, this is the best I can give you—my advice."
Marcus didn't respond immediately. The words stung, even if they weren't meant to. Being called a liability, deadweight, wasn't easy to swallow.
Still, he couldn't argue with Logan's logic.
"Understood," he said at last.
Marcus couldn't help but wonder if staying with the Oasis team would only drag him into more trouble he hadn't signed up for. The thought of requesting a transfer crossed his mind. But he quickly pushed it away.
Where else would my job be to simply grow stronger? He reasoned. This is a rare opportunity. Besides, there's more certainty here—more protection, if I move, I might end up in the hands of those who want me dead.
If increasing his mental strength was key, maybe runes could give him that edge.
"Do you have any books I can use to start learning Runes? Or something that can give me an idea of how to start creating my own Cultivation Art?" Marcus asked.
I had a feeling you were going to ask for the runes… but cultivation arts too?
"What do you think? This is my personal library, one of my most prized possessions. I wouldn't have asked you to meet me here if it wasn't for the captain asking me for a favor. For the next 6 months, I'll let you have access to my library. You can read all that you find and learn from them if you want, though you are not allowed to take them outside of this place. However, after those six months, if you haven't made any gains, you'll be banned from setting foot here again… regardless of what our Captain says."
Hearing this, Marcus could tell two things about Logan. And he didn't tolerate wasted potential.
"Fair enough," Marcus said.
Logan got up, "Follow me."
They passed rows of towering shelves, finally arriving at a section dedicated to human anatomy and the mysteries of Wilder Force. Another turn brought them to the rune section—beginner-level texts neatly stacked in rows of faded covers and brittle spines.
"This should get you started," Logan said. Then he left.
Six months might be too short, but he needs to at least show some improvement by then if he wants to survive this team… or else, the next three years will be hell for him.
Looking back, Logan noticed that Marcus had already found a book to start on…
Foundational Runes: Beginners Edition
The name of the book looked simple, unassuming, but something about it tugged at his mind. Without hesitation, he pulled it free and sat on the floor.
Marcus had just opened it up to its first page when his [Deep Thought] attribute activated on its own.
A strange, invisible force tugged at his mind, fierce and unrelenting, and his sense of reasoning started to fray, slipping away like water through a crack. Instinctively, Marcus pushed back with sheer will.
Everything around him vanished into darkness.
It felt as if he'd been yanked into another world—one without sight, sound, or time. But the more he resisted, the more he felt something shifting within him. His mind began to throb, as if stretched beyond its limits, similar to the feeling he got when [Blood Bane] is active.
He pulled back.
Then again.
And again.
Each time, he returned sharper and stronger. Until finally, the invisible pressure lost its grip entirely, as though it could no longer contend with the new heights in his mind climbed.
Gasping softly, Marcus blinked and looked around. He was still in the library.
What the hell just happened?
He then turned his attention to his stats and found out that his mental stats had changed.
Name: Marcus Black
Age: 24
Race: Human (F)
Level: 0
Nature: Predator (A)
Attribute: [Blood Bane] [Berserker] [Deep Thought].
Skill: [True Double] [Mind's Eye]
Realm: Mortal
Comprehension: [Unfettered (1%)]
Strength: 10
Stamina: 15
Speed: 10
Mental: 11
Will: 15
Wilder Force: —
What? No way…
How did this happen?
Just like that. From a book?
Logan had told him that mental growth is the hardest to achieve. Even the most high-level Awakened rarely pushed past ten points in that category. But he had done it… involuntarily. From a single brush with whatever strange energy that lingered in that text.
It can't be this easy… can it?
Already feeling as though his powers were broken, this only added more flames to his doubts and worries.