Considerations

Andrew was overjoyed as he felt the rush of his newfound agility and strength. He knew he had to train and master his improved powers as soon as possible, but first, he needed to take some time to meditate and clear his mind.

As he closed his eyes and entered a peaceful state of mind, his spiritual form appeared before the magnificent book totem floating in his soul space. With excitement in his thoughts, he eagerly opened the first page and began reviewing his incredible attributes.

-----

[Name: Andrew Robinson, Bone Age: 18 years]

[Attributes:> Physique: 99.5, Agility: 99.5, Mentality: 91.5, Maximum Mana: 92.5]

[Combat Power Evaluation: Peak-Stage Rank-One Sorcerer]

[Awakened Bloodline: Primordial Valkyrie]

[Accumulated Origin Energy: 93 units, Accumulated Fate Energy: 3.019 units]

-----

Andrew felt content after taking a glance at his attribute sheet. As expected, his "strength" and "agility" attributes were almost at the very peak that even rank-one genius agility-type combatants could hope to achieve. However, the cost of achieving this improvement was a significant drop in his accumulated origin and fate energy reserves.

"I suppose I should keep hunting down and eliminating more foes," Andrew spoke to himself. "As I slay, my Valkyrie spirit form will acquire more origin and fate energy as loot for my book totem."

Andrew was a seasoned warrior with rich experiences from his previous life. He had a special knack for estimating how much fate and origin energy he could siphon from the various foes he slayed.

For instance, he was well aware that sorcerers and all those magical creatures that hailed from Edhen and were ranked at level one could only offer him around 2 units of fate energy and 90-100 units of origin energy.

But, if he could take down demons or otherworldly enemies from outside Edhen, he would receive double and sometimes even more energy rewards, even if they were of similar rank-one level. That's why he had earned ten units of fate energy from the two demons he had slain while he was in Aeon's hidden dimension.

Moreover, he was aware that he could have gained more rewards had it not been for the appearance of the demon queen projection that hindered him from absorbing Anabel's energy. If the projection had not intervened, he would now have been able to improve his agility attribute once more, surpassing the typical limit of a rank-one combatant.

Andrew sighed and shook his head, lost in thought.

Suddenly, he remembered the new acquaintances he had left in Heathgate Border Town. It had been a while since he had seen his new boss, Freya, and he wondered if she was worried about him. He decided to seek her out - to let her know that he was okay.

However, the idea of returning to Heathgate Border Town still made him uneasy. He knew that the demons could still be after him, and it was not safe to go back. Instead, he opted to reach out to Freya via his communication bracelet and clarify the predicament.

But Andrew quickly realized that the communication bracelet was of no use while he was inside the pagoda. He hurried to the fourth floor and stepped through the mirror portal exit.

On the other side, he flickered into existence in the familiar dark cave. After casting a rank zero illumination spell to ensure no threats were nearby, he contacted Freya through his communication bracelet.

"I can't believe it took you so long to finally get in touch," Freya's tone was laced with anger. "You've been away for over a month. Where on earth have you been?"

"I'm currently in the middle of training," Andrew responded through the telepathic link established by the bracelet. "However, I've run into some trouble and won't be able to return immediately. Can you cover for me in case anyone from my family starts asking questions?"

There was a slight pause on the other end before Freya's voice sounded again, "What's the problem? Do you require any assistance? Just so you know, I've already progressed and become a rank-two sorcerer."

"I'm thrilled for you," Andrew exclaimed. "But don't worry. I can handle any issues that arise on my side. Just do me a favor and cover for me if anyone from the Robinson family inquires. Also, could you lend a hand to my maid, Delilah, while I'm away? I'll make it up to you with a gift when I return."

"Agreed," Freya responded, "but keep in mind that you need to return to the guild within two months at most. We'll hold a grand auction then, and some members of your family will be there. They'll probably ask questions if they don't see you around."

"I just need two months," Andrew said. "Thank you, Freya. It's been great chatting with you, but now I must bid you farewell."

"Sure, take care," Freya said before abruptly terminating the communication bracelet's telepathic link, leaving Andrew no chance to respond.

"That went well," Andrew muttered and immediately contacted Little Hydra to take him back into the pagoda space.

Suddenly, a beam of light emerged from the concealed crevice where the pagoda was hidden, and within the blink of an eye, he vanished, leaving behind nothing but the eerie silence and darkness of the vacant cave. It was as if he had never been there at all!

As he stepped out of the mirror portal on the fourth floor, he was hit by an overwhelming wave of exhaustion. He fished out his pocket watch and realized it was already six in the evening - no wonder he felt so drained! Without wasting a moment, he headed to one of the residential quarters on the pagoda's sixth floor.

After a refreshing shower, he nestled into a cozy bed and drifted into a deep sleep, feeling all his worries and weariness melt away. The night passed in a peaceful slumber, and he woke up the next morning feeling completely recharged and ready to take on the world with renewed vigor.

He quickly headed to the kitchen and indulged in a sumptuous breakfast. He prepared and feasted on roasted magical beast meat, baked potatoes cooked to perfection, and a refreshing glass of fruit juice to wash it all down.

Feeling energized and satisfied, he headed to the library concealed in the hidden chamber beyond the treasury on the seventh floor of the pagoda.

A spectral figure flickered into existence before Andrew as he stepped into the vast room that housed the library and the pagoda's control core. It was Little Hydra, and her warm greeting instantly made him feel at ease.

"Good morning, Forefather!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with energy and friendliness. "How may I assist you today?"

Andrew couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. Despite her terrifying nine heads, he was thankful for her company in this enigmatic and lonely pagoda, as her warmth never seemed to diminish.

"Good morning, Little Hydra!" he replied. "I was hoping you could lend me a hand in taking down the magical barriers safeguarding the magical tomes. I'm eager to start reading them today."

"Of course, Forefather," replied Little Hydra. "I'm always happy to assist you in your quest for knowledge. What subjects are you interested in today?"

Andrew expressed his interest in sorcery basics, and the pagoda spirit immediately removed the barriers, allowing him access to the extensive collection of magical tomes on the subject. As he wandered along the shelves, his eyes scanned the old leather-bound books, each possibly containing new and exciting discoveries.

Finally, he came across a section that caught his attention, and his fingers trailed along the spines of the books until he found what he was looking for. The title read "Strengthening the Source: Enhancing Your Totem for Magical Excellence." His heart leaped with excitement as he knew that this was yet another book that could take him further on the path of sorcery.

He took it from the shelf and settled at the reading table before eagerly opening it. As he flipped through the pages, he discovered a wealth of knowledge on the evolution of totems for sorcerers. He forgot everything else and soon lost himself in its contents for hours.

The book covered all the necessary treasures and rituals required to upgrade a totem from human grade to earth grade to heaven grade and beyond. It detailed every aspect of achieving a solid foundation to reach the pinnacle of sorcery. The book was a thrilling read, and it left the reader eager to learn more.

Andrew was over the moon after reading the last page of the book. "This book is incredible!" He exclaimed, feeling grateful for having stumbled upon it. It had given him the key to unlocking the secret to strengthening his foundation in sorcery.

He had finally learned that his best course of action was to evolve his book totem to the highest tier possible. That meant transforming it from a high-tier earth rank to a high-tier heaven rank or beyond before he became a rank-two sorcerer.

It was a daunting task, but Andrew knew it was the only way to ensure his foundation was strong enough to walk further on the path of sorcery.

"Whoa! This is such a fresh take on sorcery basics," he exclaimed as he eagerly reviewed the knowledge from the book. "The more powerful my totem is, the more innate spells I can embed at every level! And the more innate spells I possess, the stronger my foundation will become and eventually pave my way towards the peak of sorcery. It's similar to how builders need a sturdy foundation to construct a tall building!"

As he pondered the alluring prospect of enhancing his totem and achieving a flawless foundation as prescribed in the book, he felt his blood boil with excitement.

However, he soon regained his composure and considered the possible challenges on this path. He also weighed the potential repercussions of following the book's teachings, which could impede the growth of his sorcery abilities.

Obtaining rare treasures like divine crystals, mythical creature blood essence, and other magical items that could upgrade totems was incredibly challenging. While Andrew could rely on his experience from his previous life to find some of them, the biggest obstacle was their scarcity and the fact that they were mostly located in other worlds.

Andrew also couldn't forget the repercussions of following the path.

 According to the book's guidelines, he had to evolve his book totem to the highest tier possible when he was still a rank-one sorcerer. That meant he would remain at the same level of sorcery for who knows how long until he found all the treasures necessary for a perfect evolution of his totem.

"Despite all the challenges, I still have to consider this path," muttered Andrew, his eyes blazing with determination. He was living his second life, and his only goal was to become the perfect version of himself.

Andrew dreamed of walking further on the path of sorcery, going beyond what he thought possible, and eventually ascending to the immortal lands. To achieve this lofty goal, he knew he had to sacrifice the rapid increase of his powers and focus instead on laying the most solid foundation.

As he sat there at the table, he couldn't help but feel discouraged. But just as he was about to resign himself to the notion of his strength stagnating, another idea hit him like a lightning bolt.

"Wait a minute," he thought, "didn't my mother mention something about Aeon's legacy containing ancient techniques of soul shamanism and beast summoning?" His eyes lit up with anticipation as he considered the possibilities.

"I could learn these powerful schools of sorcery while I search for the treasures to evolve my totem to the highest tier. If this works, I wouldn't have to risk advancing to rank two and compromising my foundation. This is it! I've found my lifeline!"

With newfound excitement, Andrew sprang from his seat and marched towards the towering bookshelves. He was determined to find every magical tome that contained knowledge about the ancient sorcery techniques of soul shamanism and beast summoning.