The setting sun cast its slanting rays upon the clock tower, and the closing chimes sounded just as the sun slipped beneath the horizon.
Lynn jogged all the way and reached the library entrance just as it was about to close.
The administrator, who was locking the door, saw Lynn standing before him, panting and dragging a bag.
He froze for a moment, then immediately knelt down on the ground, his face filled with fear.
“Lin—Lynn, young master, please forgive me. I did not know you would grace us with your presence…”
Lynn quickly pulled him up from the ground.
“It’s nothing. You can finish your work as usual. I’ll lock up the library for you.”
Then, Lynn took the keys and lock from the administrator and turned to walk into the library.
After walking a short distance, Lynn suddenly remembered something and said, without looking back, “Also, next time you see me, you’re not allowed to kneel.”
The administrator stood there in a daze for quite some time before he finally came back to his senses.
He pinched his own face hard in disbelief.
It hurt—a lot.
He wasn’t dreaming.
Was this still the noble young master Lynn he knew?
How had he suddenly become so… courteous?
…
Lynn didn’t bother further with the administrator.
He spent a little time hauling over a large pile of thick magic books.
“Introduction to Magic,” “Elementary Magic”…
They were all rather basic books on magic.
But it wasn’t because he wanted to learn.
Lynn knew very well that defeating the Abyssal Deathguard was impossible by relying on his own brute strength.
After all, with his scrawny physique—so weak that even an ant could body-slam him on the street—and with his magical energy not yet completely depleted, it was already a miracle he was considered gifted.
So, what he could rely on was only the Chesspiece Engraving.
By inscribing spells onto specially made chess pieces and expending the energy of the Chesspiece Engraving to cast magic instantly, he could catch opponents off guard compared to traditional magic chanting.
Of course, most importantly, the strength of the Chesspiece Engraving depended on the spell carved upon it and had nothing to do with Lynn’s own abilities.
However, the difficulty of inscribing magic onto a Chesspiece Engraving was immense—about as tough as Hawking walking a tightrope in mid-air.
That’s why Chesspiece Engravings were extremely rare, basically consumables—use one, and there’d be one less.
Heh, wasn’t it a coincidence?
Lynn’s profession in both loops was a Chesspiece Engraver.
If someone claimed Lynn had terrible technique, he’d just laugh.
But if you dared say he couldn’t engrave chess pieces, he’d genuinely get mad at you.
Just as Lynn was getting all fired up to make a Chesspiece Engraving, at the library entrance, Livia had already stealthily poked her head through the door.
After making sure Lynn wouldn’t spot her at first glance, she slipped into a quiet corner and began taking off her clothes.
After all, the Invisibility Spell didn’t hide what she was wearing.
As long as Lynn wasn’t an idiot, the moment he saw floating clothes in the air, he’d guess that Livia was tailing him again.
That wouldn’t do—Lynn was still angry right now, and would definitely chase her away.
And if she got chased off, who would protect Lynn?
With that thought, she quickly stripped down, leaving only her undergarments.
Though she was absolutely confident in her magic, she couldn’t help but blush when she reached her most private areas.
This was her first time fully exposing her tender body in front of the opposite sex.
Even if he couldn’t see her.
“Calm down, Livia, calm down. Lynn is already your husband. So what if your husband sees everything…”
Blushing furiously, Livia quietly encouraged herself for a while before mustering the courage to step out from her hiding spot.
With her hands behind her back and bare, pale little feet, she tiptoed to the seat opposite Lynn.
“Is Mr. Lynn… studying?”
Livia propped her cheeks in her hands and carefully observed Lynn, her smooth, white legs swinging back and forth in midair.
The young man before her was indeed somewhat handsome, but he always looked unkempt—in her memory, Lynn’s hair was always a mess.
Even his expression was perpetually sickly, always wearing a world-weary look like he just woke up.
“That’s exactly why he needs my care,” Livia thought, unable to hold back a slight smile at the corner of her mouth.
When she snapped back to her senses, she saw Lynn taking out a block of prepared magic clay from his bag.
He placed the clay on the table and slowly channeled magic into it.
Under Lynn’s magic, the clay quickly took the rough shape of a pawn.
Then, obscure markings gradually appeared on the pawn’s surface, becoming increasingly intricate.
“This is…”
Watching the chess piece gradually take shape, Livia’s pupils shrank sharply.
Only now did she realize—Lynn wasn’t studying magic at all; he was making a Chesspiece Engraving!
She was so shocked she was momentarily speechless.
As a witch, she had heard rumors about Chesspiece Engravers.
It was said that only those whose control over magic was one-in-a-million—super geniuses—were qualified to begin learning the craft.
And even geniuses needed several years of rigorous training to be able to make Chesspiece Engravings on their own.
But from the way Lynn was doing it, it looked like he was already thoroughly skilled in the process.
How much hardship had he suffered behind the scenes!
Livia’s face burned with shame.
She had believed those rumors, truly mistaking Lynn for a playboy who wasted his days.
To endure so much groundless criticism and attack, yet still hold firm to his convictions and painstakingly engrave Chesspiece Engravings every day—
What incredible determination!
In that instant, Lynn’s image grew taller in Livia’s heart.
She secretly resolved to one day clear Lynn’s name.
Lynn, of course, had no idea what Livia was thinking.
He raised the freshly made Chesspiece Engraving above his head and examined it carefully.
The next moment, a faint blue panel appeared before his eyes.
“Item: First-Tier Chesspiece Engraving”
“Grade: Green”
“Effect: Paralyze enemy’s lower limbs for one second”
Lynn let out an almost inaudible sigh.
This grade was just too low.
In the game, even the Chesspiece Engravings Lynn tossed out casually were at least orange grade.
Then again, it made sense—the grade of a Chesspiece Engraving depended only on the quality of the materials.
The higher the material’s level, the better the Chesspiece Engraving.
Still, even with low-level materials, there was always a chance to produce a high-grade Chesspiece Engraving.
Lynn decided to take his chances.
…
Several hours later.
Looking at the Chesspiece Engravings in his hand, every single one of them green, Lynn’s expression was as constipated as a man who’d eaten nine parts of a bitter melon.
He finally remembered that he was cursed with bad luck.
Making more was out of the question—first, he had almost exhausted what little magic he had left; second, he was simply too tired and needed a break.
Lynn stretched.
It was then that he noticed Livia had somehow taken the seat across from him.
She was lying on the table, breathing evenly like a sleeping kitten, impossibly cute.
Except…
She didn’t seem to realize she was still naked.