The stone terminal embedded in the corridor wall emitted a soft white light, brightly illuminating the ground around it.
Its surface was cool and smooth to the touch, with no visible seams or physical buttons, only a card-sized slot beneath the screen.
This appeared to be a product of function-over-form, almost brutally pragmatic, magical engineering.
Allen stepped forward and placed his identification card into the slot.
A network of pale blue light emerged, weaving itself into a complex three-dimensional Star Map that slowly rotated within the screen's virtual depth.
This was the main interface of the Seven Towers Alliance's internal network.
A faint Spiritual Probe extended from the terminal, touching his consciousness.
It was a simple identification protocol, requesting authentication.
After completing the Soul Core frequency verification, the Star Map on the screen transformed into a curtain of light, and a column of menu options appeared.
[Library Database]
[Course Management]
[Mission Hall]
[Apprentice Market]
[Public Forum]
...
He selected [Apprentice Market].
The scene before him switched, changing into a long, scrollable list of categories, quite similar to the online stores of his past life.
The volume of trade far exceeded his expectations. This was a fully functional micro-economy, comprised of the supply and demand of several thousand apprentices.
His first search was targeted. He used his Spiritual Power to input the keywords: "Spiritual Power Recovery Potion."
The results popped up instantly.
[Beginner's Spiritual Power Recovery Potion]
Description: A standard alchemy product. Rapidly alleviates spiritual fatigue and minor soul damage for apprentices below the rank of Tier One Wizard. A single dose is typically enough to fully recover from a state of exhaustion.
Seller: Potions Department (Official)
Price: 5 Low-Level Magic Stones.
Five Magic Stones.
Allen's fingers rested on the cool stone ledge below the screen.
This number wasn't an abstract value. A few hours ago, he had eaten a meal in the cafeteria—a nutritionally balanced and decent-tasting meal—that had cost him 0.3 Magic Stones.
This small vial of blue liquid before him was worth more than sixteen full meals, equivalent to two and a half days of comfortable living expenses.
But from another perspective, this was the necessary price for his accelerated plan.
"DSeek, based on this price point, recalculate the profitability model."
[Model updated. To purchase one potion, the "Knowledge-for-Pay Service" must generate a net profit of 5 Magic Stones. Under a tiered pricing strategy, this corresponds to one high-value custom plan, two to three mid-tier "sparring partner" sessions, or a larger volume of low-end product sales.]
'The cost is high, but it's a fixed expense. I need to build my entire economic structure around it.'
He returned to the previous menu and began to systematically browse the market, having DSeek compile every item and its price into a comprehensive database.
The "Daily Necessities" category painted a realistic picture of an apprentice's life.
[Standard Nutrient Paste (1-Day Supply)]: 0.1 Magic Stones. Description: "Provides all nutrients necessary for survival. Flavor: Neutral."
'The word "neutral" is clearly a euphemism for "tastes awful." This is the baseline for survival, the absolute bottom line.'
[One Meal at the Academy Cafeteria]: 0.3 Magic Stones. The one he had just eaten.
A small but significant step up in quality of life.
[A Mug of Mead at the "Oak Barrel" Tavern]: 0.2 Magic Stones. A non-essential social expense.
'This shows that the apprentices do have some disposable income, as well as places to spend it.'
The cost of survival could be controlled, but any move toward comfort or socializing would quickly devour one's budget.
If he didn't manage or supplement the two hundred Magic Stones he received annually from the Gate of Truth, his funds would soon run dry.
He switched to the "Academic Supplies" category. This was the core of his market research.
[Standard Blank Crystal (1-Hour Recording)]: 1 Magic Stone. Used for recording lectures, a necessity for apprentices who can't keep up with their courses.
[Low-Grade Meditation Incense (1 Stick)]: 0.5 Magic Stones. Description: "Increases the efficiency of a single Meditation session by approximately 10% for one hour. Effects diminish with repeated use."
'A consumable performance enhancer. Expensive for the marginal return, but students with their backs against the wall will buy it.'
Then, he found his target.
Notes for various public courses. Their prices fluctuated between 1 and 3 Magic Stones.
There were numerous posts selling notes, and the sellers were all second or third-year senior students.
The post titles were designed to precisely target the anxieties of new students.
"Complete Notes for 'Magical Creatures'—Guaranteed to Cover All Exam Points! 2 Magic Stones!"
"My Personal Study Guide for 'Runes and Linguistics'—Passed with Honors! Only 1.5 Magic Stones!"
"Simplified 'Logic and Magic Models'! Don't Flunk Out in Your First Year! 3 Magic Stones for the Whole Set!"
'These are my direct competitors. And they have a first-mover advantage, established reputations, and ready-made products.'
But Allen wasn't discouraged. What he saw was a crude, fragmented market.
'The sellers are all individuals, not systematized services. Their products are static—a pre-written set of notes.'
He needed to analyze their products.
Allen chose three sets of notes on "Basic Runes and Linguistics," the course most closely related to his current practice.
One was priced at 1 Magic Stone, with the description simply being "My class notes."
Another, for 2 Magic Stones, claimed to be "annotated and organized."
The third was 2.5 Magic Stones, sold by an Advanced Apprentice who claimed to have gotten a perfect score in the course.
He immediately bought all three.
Three transactions, totaling 5.5 Magic Stones, were deducted from his student card's balance, and the relevant information was downloaded directly to his card's storage.
It was a significant investment, costing him nearly 3% of his starting capital, just to acquire information.
To others, it might seem like a waste, but for Allen, it was a necessary business expense.
Before analyzing the notes, he first entered the [Public Forum].
If the market was the "result," then the forum was the "cause." It was a chaotic mess, filled with anxiety, boasting, and despair.
A thread titled "First Week Impressions" had several hundred replies, likely left by apprentices from previous years.
User_317743: "Am I the only one who doesn't understand 'The Nature of Magic Power and Macro Theory' at all? The professor just writes a bunch of formulas on the slate and assumes we all get it!"
User_318109: "Re: 317743: Same. I feel like I'm reading another language."
User_295074 (Third Year): "Re: 318109: You ARE reading another language. It's called magic. Either suck it up or get out. Also, selling 'Macro Theory' notes, PM me."
Another popular thread was titled "Rune Inscription Hell."
User_318021: "I've been trying to construct the 'Release' rune for two days now, and my Sea of Consciousness feels like it's been rubbed with sandpaper. It collapses every time I get to the final loop. Any tips?"
User_317998: "Re: 318021: You have to stabilize your Spiritual Power before closing the circuit. It took me four tries to succeed. The backlash from the third failure gave me a headache for six hours."
User_318345: "I just want to conjure one 'Wizard's Hand,' just one, is that so hard? I can't get the 'Pointing' construct right at all."
Allen scrolled through several pages of similar posts, and the pattern became obvious.
The main pain point for new students wasn't the long-term goal of inscribing thirty-six runes; that was a distant threat.
The most immediate problem was every single failure in their daily coursework and practical exercises.
They were getting stuck on specific problems, exhausting their limited Spiritual Power and time.
The notes sold on the market offered a potential solution—the correct answer—but they couldn't solve the process of failure.
They couldn't tell User_318021 why his "Release" Rune was collapsing, nor could they show User_318345 precisely where his Spiritual Power control faltered when constructing "Pointing."
This was the gap in the market.
A huge, conspicuous gap. And he happened to possess the unique ability to fill it.
Having gotten the information he wanted, Allen logged out of the terminal, retrieved his card, and turned back toward his room.
The corridor was still quiet, but his mind was buzzing silently with data processing and planning.