[Location: The Imperial Library - Main Hall]
The Imperial Library was a cathedral of knowledge.
Massive stained-glass windows painted the marble floors in shards of blue and purple light. The air smelled of vanilla, dust, and ancient leather. Silence was the law here—enforced by magic.
Step. Step. Step.
Rex walked in.
He wasn't hiding in the shadows this time. He walked down the centre aisle, his black coat floating behind him like a cape. His crimson eyes scanned the rows of towering bookshelves, processing the data at lightning speed.
[ Map Updated: Imperial Library ]
[ Hidden Item Detected: Proximity 50 meters. ]
"It's still here," Rex thought, suppressing a smirk. "The developers hid the strongest skill book in the most boring section."
He turned left, heading toward the History Section.
But the path was blocked.
A group of young nobles stood near a reading table, laughing softly. In the centre of the group was Second Prince Darius.
Darius looked pristine in his blue silk robes. He was holding a glass of wine, smiling as a servant wiped a speck of dust from his boot. Beside him stood an old man in grey robes holding a staff topped with a sapphire.
[ Target: Grand Mage Aelius ]
[ Level: ?? (Too high to calculate) ]
[ Threat: Fatal ]
Rex didn't slow down. He didn't change course. He walked straight toward them.
Darius looked up. His smile vanished.
"You..." Darius narrowed his eyes, as if looking at a stain on the carpet. "I heard you were crying in your room. Did you finally decide to come out and beg for forgiveness?"
The other nobles snickered. They expected Primoriel to flinch. They expected him to look down.
Rex didn't stop walking until he was two feet away from Darius.
He looked down at his brother. At 7 feet tall, Rex towered over him.
"Excuse me," Rex said. His voice was polite, but cold. "You are blocking the aisle."
Darius blinked. The sheer audacity stunned him.
"Blocking?" Darius laughed, a harsh, incredulous sound. "I am a Prince of the Empire. I stand where I please. And you? You are a walking corpse. Do you really think reading a book will save you from the Trial next week?"
Rex sighed. He looked at his imaginary watch.
"Darius, do you know why sharks never stop swimming?"
"What?" Darius frowned. "What kind of nonsense—"
"Because if they stop, they drown," Rex said softly, leaning in. "You spend so much energy trying to sink me. Be careful you don't forget to swim yourself."
He stepped around Darius, brushing past his shoulder.
It was a calculated insult. He didn't push him. He didn't fight him. He treated him like a piece of furniture.
Darius's face turned red.
"Stop!" Darius barked.
He grabbed Rex's arm.
Bad move.
[ Passive Skill 'Gamer's Mind' Active. ]
[ Analysis: Physical Contact Initiated by Hostile. ]
Rex stopped. He looked at the hand gripping his sleeve. Then he looked at the Grand Mage.
"Master Aelius," Rex said, his voice carrying clearly through the silent library. "Is it not a violation of Imperial Law to use violence within the Sanctuary of Knowledge?"
The Grand Mage's eyes narrowed behind his spectacles. He looked at Darius's hand.
"It is, Your Highness," the old Mage rasped. "Prince Darius, release him."
"But he—" Darius sputtered.
"Release him," the Mage commanded. "Or the Library's wards will activate."
Darius snatched his hand back as if he had touched fire. He glared at Rex with pure venom.
"You have a sharp tongue today, brother," Darius hissed. "Enjoy your book. It will be the last thing you read before I mount your head on the city walls."
Rex adjusted his sleeve.
"We shall see whose head it is ."
He turned and walked away, disappearing into the dusty aisles of the History Section.
[Location: Section G - 'Agriculture and Farming History']
This part of the library was empty. Thick cobwebs hung between the shelves. No one cared about the history of wheat farming.
Rex walked to the third shelf from the back. He counted the books.
"One, two, three... seven."
He pulled out a thick, leather-bound book titled: The Annual Crop Yields of the Second Era: Volume 4.
A normal person would see a boring textbook.
Rex saw a treasure chest.
He opened the book. The pages were hollowed out. Inside, resting in a cut-out space, was a thin, black scroll made of some unknown skin.
[ Item Found! ]
[ Secret Manual: The Abyssal Breathing Technique ]
[ Grade: Legendary (Incomplete) ]
[ Description: The forbidden cultivation method of the First Emperor. It allows the user to absorb mana from the environment 10x faster than normal, but risks consuming the user's sanity. ]
"Jackpot," Rex whispered.
In the game, this was the meta-build for speed runners. High risk, infinite reward.
He didn't take the scroll. That would trigger the library alarms. The sensors detected physical theft.
But they didn't detect memorisation.
"System," Rex commanded. "Scan and record the content."
[ Scanning... ]
Rex flipped the pages of the scroll. His eyes moved like a machine scanner.
Flip. Flip. Flip.
[ Progress: 20%... 50%... 80%... ]
"What are you doing?"
A voice came from the end of the aisle.
Rex froze. He didn't turn around instantly. He slowly closed the book.
He turned.
It wasn't Darius. It was the Grand Mage Aelius.
The old man stood there, leaning on his staff. His eyes were not angry. They were curious. Intelligent.
"That is a book on wheat farming," Aelius said, walking closer. "Why is the Third Prince reading about crop rotation with such... intensity?"
Rex's heart rate didn't spike.
'He suspects. He knows this section is unusual.'
Rex held up the book.
"Knowledge is power, Grand Mage," Rex lied smoothly. "If I am to be exiled to the Wastelands, I need to know how to grow food. I don't plan on starving."
It was a perfect lie. It fit his situation ("I'm getting kicked out") and explained the book.
Aelius stared at him. The sapphire on his staff glowed faintly. He was using a Truth Detection Spell.
"You are preparing for exile?" Aelius asked.
"I am preparing to survive," Rex corrected.
The gem didn't flash red. Because it was true. Rex was preparing to survive.
Aelius paused. The magic faded. The old man let out a dry chuckle.
"Survive... Hmph. Most princes would be drunk or weeping by now. You are studying farming."
Aelius looked at Rex with a strange new respect.
"Perhaps you are not as useless as they say, Primoriel."
The Grand Mage turned around.
"Keep the book. No one reads it anyway."
Aelius walked away, his staff tapping against the floor.
Rex waited until the old man was gone. He looked down at the book in his hands.
[ Scan Complete: 100%. ]
[ Skill Learned: Abyssal Breathing Technique (Level 1). ]
Rex shoved the book back onto the shelf.
"You have no idea what this book's true value is, old man," Rex whispered, his crimson eyes glowing in the shadows. "I'm not going to grow wheat."
He turned his palm up. A tiny vortex of black mana swirled in his hand, sucking in the light around it.
"I'm going to harvest souls, a lot of them."
[ Quest Updated: The One Week War ]
[ Time Remaining: 6 Days, 12 Hours. ]
[ Current Objective: Reach Level 10. ]
Rex turned and walked toward the exit. He had the technique. He had the weapon. He had the double agent.
Now, he needed a testing ground.
"System," Rex thought. "Where is the illegal underground fighting arena?"
[ The 'Black Pit' is located in the Slums. ]
Rex smiled.
"Excellent. I need to test this new power I have acquired."