As soon as Nitish handed over the three copper coins to Athena, a notification popped up before his eyes:
New Quest Available: "Infinite Knowledge"Do you want to accept this quest?➤ Yes / No
Nitish blinked in surprise.
"A quest already? I haven't even been here for an hour!"He grinned."What luck!"
He quickly clicked "Accept."
You have accepted the quest: Infinite Knowledge
Athena walked ahead, making Nitish follow her through winding alleyways and lanes until she stopped in front of a grand library.
"This is the library. My father and I run it,"she said with a warm smile."There are books here that'll help you understand everything about this world.You gave me three copper coins, which honestly isn't much—but consider this a discount."
"You can read whatever book you want."
That's it? That's the quest?Nitish was confused.All I have to do is read some books? Isn't that... too easy?
Honestly, going out on a real hunt sounded more fun than spending time nose-deep in pages.
But still—
"Doesn't hurt to try…"
He stepped into the library, taking a deep breath.
"What do you think I should start with?" he asked Athena.
"Hmm... You should probably read The History of Celestial Domain.It'll give you a solid foundation."
"Alright then. Let's start with that."
Nitish picked out the book titled "History of the Celestial Domain" and began reading.
From the outside, the library looked normal.
But inside?
It was massive.As if it were a different dimension altogether.There were easily millions of books, possibly billions.
Athena, seeing Nitish engrossed in reading, left him alone to focus.
Five hours later, Nitish finally closed the book.
"God, that was massive...But the knowledge in it—unbelievable..."
It talked about how the ancient gods had once waged a cataclysmic war that wiped out 80% of the population. The world only recovered over centuries—and though wars still happened, they were nowhere near as destructive as before.
As he was thinking about this, a new notification popped up in his system menu:
✅ You have read your first book.To complete the quest, you must read every book in this library.
Quest Progress: 0.0001%Quest Reward: Unknown
"WHAT THE HELL?!I have to read EVERY book in this place?!Is this some kind of joke?!"
Nitish was in a mini meltdown.
"First I study at school...Now I've got to study in another world too?What's a man supposed to do?!"
Frustrated, he turned to leave the library.
But just as he was about to step outside, something clicked in his mind.
Wait... The reward is 'unknown.'And there's no rank on the quest either...What if I'm missing something huge?
He stopped in his tracks, torn between logic and frustration.
"Damn you, Athena… I need answers."
Nitish stormed back through the library, looking for her.
"Hey Athena! What the hell did you rope me into?!"
He explained everything.
Athena listened carefully. Her expression shifted from amusement to surprise.
"Wait... you're telling me this quest has no description, no rank, and appeared in Beta Town?"
"Exactly! Isn't that weird?"
Athena's eyes grew wide.
"Nitish... listen to me carefully.You have to complete this quest—no matter what."
"Why? What's the big deal?"
"Because... getting a quest in Beta Town is almost impossible.Usually, people only find quests in actual, real-world zones of the game.For a quest to appear here—it must be special.Definitely not some random side mission."
Nitish stared at her, stunned.
"God... what have You planned for me?"he muttered to himself.
From that moment onward, Nitish made a decision.
He would complete the quest—no matter how insane it sounded.
And so, day by day, Nitish began reading.Book after book, page after page.
It was almost ironic.
Here he was, in a world full of monsters and magic, where others were leveling up by slaying beasts and mastering combat—and he was sitting like a monk, flipping through dusty books to complete an unranked quest no one else even knew about.
Beta testers were given a total of three months to explore and report on the game.
While others were out hunting and grinding XP...Nitish was grinding knowledge.
And truthfully, it suited him.
Because there was something strange about this world.Something deeper than swords, levels, and quests.
And perhaps, just perhaps—This quest of his was meant to unlock something no one else would ever discover.
Also, one strange aspect of this world?
One day in the Celestial Domain equaled two days on Earth.
And while time was longer here...It also meant that people—especially the elderly—could live twice as long.
For many, this game wasn't just entertainment.
It was a second life.
The past month had not been kind to Nitish.
By day, he attended school.By night, he slaved away in the Celestial Domain, buried in books.
"MY BRAIN IS FRYING!THESE BOOKS... THIS QUEST... IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!!"
He was nearing a breaking point.
After more than a month of this madness, he finally checked his quest progress:
Quest Completion: 30%
And that was the final straw.
"Only thirty percent? In one whole month?!I only have three months in total! At this rate, I'll never finish in time!"
Panic gnawed at his stomach.
But somewhere deep inside, a spark still burned.
"No. I can't give up now.I'm not a loser. I won't be one. Not here. Not again."
Just as he was mustering courage again, Athena appeared—casually leaning against the bookshelf, watching him silently for a few seconds.
"Hey... you look like your soul's left your body,"she teased, then added more seriously,"Look, I might have a way to help you speed things up a bit."
Nitish looked up sharply.
"Wait, seriously?! What kind of way?! Please, tell me!"
"There's a potion. A special one.It helps enhance your focus and information retention while reading.They're called Mind Focus Potions."
"That's amazing! Where do I get them?"
"Well… they're kinda rare.You won't find them in regular shops.But I happen to have three left. I can sell them to you—for a discounted price—just three copper coins each."
Nitish quickly checked his pouch.
"I only have seven copper coins left! I'm short by two…"
Athena gave him a sympathetic shrug.
"That's your problem. I'm already offering them dirt cheap.I swear I'm not even making profit here."
And with that, she walked off, leaving Nitish stewing in stress and desperation.
He paced around, thinking hard.
Where do I get two more coins? I need all three potions for the full effect…
Then suddenly, it hit him.
"PRASHANT!How could I forget about that guy?! He might be able to lend me two coins!"
Quickly, Nitish opened his player menu and accessed his friend list.
He clicked on Prashant's username: BoltCharge, initiating a call.
After a few rings, the screen lit up—and Nitish froze for a moment.
Prashant had changed.
The guy who used to be on the same level as him was now at Level 5, wielding a massive battle axe that looked way better than Nitish's default sword.
But even more than that, Prashant's reaction caught Nitish off guard.
"BRO?!HOW ARE YOU STILL LEVEL 0?!"
He looked genuinely concerned—and maybe a little confused.
Nitish blinked, then quickly cooked up a lie.
"Ah… yeah, uh...I got into an accident IRL. Couldn't log in for weeks.Just got back. But hey, looking at your progress made my day!"
It hurt to lie, but he had to.
He couldn't risk telling anyone about the secret quest—not even Prashant.If word got out, people might get jealous… or worse.
"Oh man... sorry to hear that!" Prashant said, his tone softening."Hope you're alright now. You okay?"
Nitish nodded.
"I'm better now. Actually... I kinda need a favor."
Prashant's expression lit up immediately.
"A favor? Say no more!You want help leveling up? Dude, let's squad up—I'll take you into the wild right now!"
Nitish laughed awkwardly.
"Actually, no... not that.There's this sword I saw in a shop. Costs 12 copper coins.I'm just short by two. Think you could lend me?"
He hated lying again.But he had no choice.
"Bro, that's all? I've got plenty. Hold on."
A few seconds later, Nitish received the 2 copper coins.
"Thanks, man. I'll pay you back later, I swear—"
"Are you kidding me?" Prashant cut him off."It's just two coins. We're friends, bro. No need to return anything.Just... get stronger soon, okay? You've been gone too long."
Nitish smiled quietly.
In this strange world, people like him are rare.I'll never forget this favor, Prashant.
Later, Nitish met Athena again and handed her the 9 copper coins.
"Welcome, valued customer,"she said, laughing as she passed him the three vials filled with glowing blue liquid.
"Here. Drink responsibly. Or you'll fry your brain faster than these books ever could."
Nitish sat back at his usual table in the corner of the library.
He held one of the potions up to his face. The liquid shimmered, glowing faintly.
"Alright, let's see what you've got… my precious potion."
He popped the cork and drank it down in one go.
The taste was sharp—minty and a little electric.
He waited.
A few seconds passed.
Nothing.
Then suddenly—BAM.
His thoughts cleared. His focus narrowed.The words on the pages seemed to glow with clarity.Each sentence felt easier to understand… almost like it was being downloaded straight into his brain.
"Whoa…"
Nitish's eyes lit up.
For the first time in weeks—he felt hopeful.
"Let's do this."