Lin Luo was finally chased out of her small cabin by an enraged and embarrassed Evangeline. Once the curse was lifted, Evangeline couldn't exert her full power due to the school's barrier, but neither could Lin Luo; the Rule of Life remained sealed, and he couldn't use the Domain of Destruction on his own people. Restricted to using only his contract abilities and partial Heart Sutra powers, he stood no chance against Evangeline no matter how he fought.

Under the fury of an "MAX" degree Evangeline, Lin Luo could only flee. Fortunately, his escape skills were decent, and Evangeline hadn't truly intended to kill him—it was just a brief, controlled explosion of temper. Ultimately, Lin Luo left the cabin unscathed, though a little roughing up was unavoidable.

That’s what he got for trying to stir up trouble; it was the punishment for impulsivity.

“But this means Evangeline has more time to stew now. Ugh, what a bummer,” Lin Luo felt intensely frustrated. He had come to reconcile with Evangeline, but instead, he had just poured oil on the fire.

Helplessly, Lin Luo decided to set her concerns aside for the moment and tackle a more serious matter... the Year Two Class A final exams.

This was a critically important event. Although Lin Luo wouldn't be fired outright if Class 2-A performed poorly like Negi might, he would certainly face repercussions. For instance, if the students’ scores didn't improve due to his supposed inexperience as a new teacher, he might be deemed unfit for middle school instruction and relegated to teaching the elementary division—a truly tragic outcome.

“That old man, the Headmaster, must have too much time on his hands. I’m a doctor, after all! It's one thing to make things difficult for Negi, but why bother with me? Still… forget it, I won't curse you. Wait until I steal your granddaughter someday, then you’ll see your mistake.”

“But all kidding aside, this truly cannot be slacked off. The finals are in three days. If those fools in 2-A really end up in last place, there’s nothing I, a young and relatively new teacher, can say to argue if I get demoted to kindergarten duty. Conversely, if 2-A manages to snag first place in the entire grade, I’ll have much more leverage…”

“Though I care little for hollow reputation, Moka, Evangeline, and Mikoto are all in 2-A, so I absolutely cannot leave them. Besides, I have no motivation to teach any of the other classes… Hmm, I should go remind them right now.”

Lin Luo walked through the school grounds, muttering to himself. Along the way, he encountered several students from Class 2-A who greeted him enthusiastically.

“Right, Moka, over here, over here.” Lin Luo spotted the library foursome not too far ahead and waved them over quickly.

“Teacher, is something wrong?” A moment later, the four approached Lin Luo.

Moka was beaming, Ayase Yuuko looked perfectly composed, Saotome Haruna—the fujoshi—was likely lost in some questionable fantasy, a faint, almost ecstatic smile playing on her lips, while Miyazaki Wakana hid behind the other three, timidly avoiding eye contact with Lin Luo.

Wakana had a severe phobia of men, something Lin Luo hadn't figured out how to address yet. Only Negi, benefiting from their age gap, could converse with her without issue. No other man could get more than a few words out of her, and even Lin Luo’s exchanges with her were limited to under three sentences, and those only happened during class. This reality made him once again lament the difficulties of growing up.

“It’s like this: you all know about the final exams in three days, right?” Lin Luo addressed the four.

“Of course, we know about that. Is there a problem?” Moka asked, confused.

“There is definitely a problem,” Lin Luo said seriously. “Since you know there’s an exam, stop milling around here. Go back and study immediately. Besides, one of you is a member of the Idiot Squad.”

“Heh heh.” Moka and Haruna wore foolish smiles, while the blue member of the Idiot Squad turned her head away with clear reluctance. “I hate studying.”

“Well, I understand that. Actually, I don’t like studying either… Wait, how can a student not like studying? What if you fail the final exams?” Lin Luo adopted a lecturing posture.

“It’s fine, Teacher. Our class is always last anyway. Since this school is structured for direct advancement, we can go to university even if we score zero,” Haruna laughed carelessly.

You guys are truly blessed... Lin Luo felt a pang of envy and bitterness. He remembered his own school days; failing a test didn't just bring shame at school, it guaranteed a beating back home. These people were so relaxed.

“Seeing you say that now means you really don’t know…” Lin Luo looked down at them patronizingly, a challenging glint in his eyes.

“What do you mean?” They all looked puzzled.

“I have reliable insider information: if Class 2-A finishes last again this time, your homeroom teacher, Negi, will be forcibly dismissed. Furthermore, students with particularly terrible grades will not only have to repeat the year, but they might even have to start over in elementary school… Yuuko, I think you should start preparing an elementary school uniform now,” Lin Luo said with a wicked grin toward the four girls.

“N-No way, that’s too extreme!”

“I don’t think our school reassigns classes like that.”

“It seems Grandpa is truly angry because we’ve always been last.”

The three girls immediately panicked, only Yuuko remained silent, calmly sipping a strange beverage from her hand. However, the look in her eyes revealed that she had been shaken. She simply couldn't imagine becoming an elementary schooler again, holding hands with little kids on the way to school. Setting aside the awkwardness, she would surely be laughed to death… She absolutely could not accept such a thing.

“You’re scared now? Then hurry up and get ready. Three days isn't much time, but if you work hard, you might manage to earn some extra points.”

“We need to hurry and tell everyone! This is terrible!” With that, the girls instantly turned and ran without looking back.

After they left, Lin Luo began to ponder again… Right, tonight these fools would head to Library Island to look for that ridiculously troublesome magic book. But that would be useless. Should he go block the place off? Ah, perhaps not. He didn't want to reveal his strength yet; he had a feeling that unforeseen events might crop up later, so it was best to keep himself hidden for now. Still, he was quite curious about that location. Maybe he should pay a visit before they get there and clear the path for them.

“It’ll be boring going alone. I should find a partner.”

Lin Luo pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number at random. The call connected quickly. “Mikoto? Where are you… The swimming pool? Bathing with the class… Well, it’s nothing serious, I just wanted to go on an adventure with you… Since you’re busy, I’ll just go alone then. Yes, it’s not important.”

In this modernized world, a phone was indispensable. From the first day he arrived in this world, Lin Luo had prepared most of the necessary daily items, avoiding the awkward situation of being unable to make contact should an emergency arise.

“Guess I have to go alone then,” Lin Luo sighed quietly and headed toward Mahora Academy’s Library Island.

Mahora Academy’s Library Island was massive. From the outside, it resembled a gigantic manor, even built like a castle. It was the largest library complex in the world… This school was truly bizarre.

Although the daytime library had guards, for Lin Luo, such security was practically nonexistent. He slipped inside with only a slight exertion of his abilities.

To avoid two World Wars, most of the world’s precious books had been centralized here. Due to the ever-increasing volume of books, pressure had been continuously applied downwards, meaning the entire library was now divided into above-ground and subterranean levels—this was the information Lin Luo had gathered about the library.

The magic book the girls of Class 2-A were seeking was in that underground library, which was also Lin Luo’s destination. Besides clearing obstacles for them, he had another objective… Since this was a magic school housing the world's collection, it wouldn't be strange if there were a few little-known magic books here.

Lin Luo’s current power system consisted of his Dual Rules, contract abilities, and Heart Sutra abilities. The Rule of Life was too restrictive to use casually, and the Inverse Rule was too destructive; while useful against pure enemies, it couldn't be used as a friendly punch—it also had limitations. As for contract abilities, they could still be somewhat useful now, but Lin Luo believed they would gradually become obsolete later on.

After all, his contract abilities couldn't grow; they were like fixed damage in a game. No matter how strong he became or how much the contractor was strengthened, his contract abilities would never change.

Take Mikoto’s power, for instance. She could already achieve elemental transformation, but Lin Luo couldn't copy that ability. He could only replicate her Level 5 power, and only 25% of it. Therefore, Lin Luo felt the necessity of strengthening his other abilities.

This was a world of magic, and one of the Heart Sutra abilities he had absorbed granted proficiency in the six core elements. If he could find a genuine magic book, perhaps he could learn the magic he currently lacked the most.

“But then again, this library is annoyingly huge. Looking for a magic book whose very existence I’m unsure of feels a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

A single glance revealed endless rows of bookshelves that stretched beyond sight. Looking up and down, the spiraling staircases also seemed endless, like an ethereal tower, impossibly vast.

What was even more outrageous was the height of the shelves. The shortest were at least three meters tall, while the taller ones reached over ten meters, standing row upon row like fortress walls… Truly incredible.

“This isn't a library; it’s a giant castle maze sealed by magic. For an ordinary person to find a single book here, it would be quicker to just bash their head in. Luckily, I have the Eye of Truth, which will prove useful.”

Lin Luo’s Eye of Truth was not fooled by superficial appearances; it could see the true nature of things in this world. Whether living or inanimate, nothing could hide once scrutinized by his Eye of Truth, somewhat similar to Monkey King’s Fiery Eyes.

Of course, their utility was broadly similar, but the sheer power difference was likely tens of thousands of miles apart.

As for magic books, any slightly special one, no matter how ordinary it appeared on the surface, should emit a faint magical signature that Lin Luo could sense. If he couldn't feel anything, it meant the book was either too low-level to possess residual magic, or too high-level for the Eye of Truth to penetrate. The former was useless; the latter, while regrettable, meant he could only pass it by reluctantly.

The Eye of Truth swept over the area. Most were ordinary books, emitting no magical fluctuations. Lin Luo paused briefly on this level before continuing downward. He found nothing even as he reached the fifth floor.

Starting from the sixth floor, things became peculiar. Not only did the space seem much larger, but even without using the Eye of Truth, Lin Luo could sense a faint, elusive trace of magic.

“As expected, there are magic arrays in this library.” Lin Luo’s heart stirred. This was logical; in the original story, when the Class 2-A girls came here looking for the magic book, they encountered stone guardians. It would be strange if there weren't magic arrays, especially with a dragon residing at the very bottom.

Lin Luo spent more time on the subsequent floors, but to his disappointment, besides a few very common spell books, he found nothing he needed.

“Are there really no decent magic books? No, I can’t give up yet,” Lin Luo continued descending.

Finally, on the eleventh basement floor, Lin Luo stopped. It wasn’t because he had found a magic book, but because he spotted an unexpected person there.

“Sakuya-san, what is she doing here?” Hiding behind a bookshelf, Lin Luo cautiously watched the dark figure dozens of meters away. Although the person’s attire was discreet, Lin Luo immediately recognized the figure as Izayoi Sakuya.

She seemed to be searching for something too, rummaging through trunks and cabinets.

“Wait, why is Sakuya-san acting like a book thief? That role should belong to Mokonyan,” Lin Luo wondered, simultaneously growing intensely curious about Sakuya’s actions. Given her current attire, she certainly didn’t enter normally; she must have come, like him, by… well, slipping in and out quietly.

“What exactly is she up to?”

Lin Luo desperately wanted to know and wished he could approach immediately for a look. However, approaching rashly meant a guaranteed barrage of throwing knives from Sakuya-san, and he wasn't confident he could escape unharmed. What if Sakuya-san stopped time? He wouldn’t even know how he died.

Furthermore, even if he could retreat gracefully, engaging her in a fight would make his planned objective much more difficult.

“But… I really want to know the secrets of Sakuya…”

Lin Luo felt torn, but just then, a sudden idea struck him.

“I’ve got it! This method is definitely workable!”