'Five hundred books... the same number of mods I installed.'
Jon stared at the shelf with a glint in his eyes. He wasn't exactly surprised, but a wide smile, like that of a child entering a candy shop, spread across his face.
As he opened the first volume, the words on the first page seemed written for him.
— If you're reading this, it means your roleplay isn't just experience grinding mobs. This first book contains an index of all the volumes on the shelf. Most explain how to install each mod separately, but some... some hide secrets.
DING!!!
A notification appeared before his eyes.
— You've unlocked a new passive. Beginner Explorer: Level 1 (discovering new areas grants a large amount of experience based on your level).
DING!!! Beginner Explorer: Level 2.
DING!!! Beginner Explorer: Level 3.
DING!!! DING!!! DING!!!
Every page Jon turned triggered a new notification. His smile widened with every line he read, and his eyes filled with excitement.
'Every page is a level... and with each level I gain two luck points and twenty HP.' His heart raced with the discovery. 'This has to be an easter egg. If I read all these pages, I'll max out Explorer. It's a secret passive from this modpack.'
"Jon, well? Can you read it? What's written there?"
Elara's curious voice pulled him from his trance. Her eyes sparkled with impatience, almost glued to him.
Jon blinked a few times and answered quickly, trying to hide his enthusiasm. "Actually, it's kind of confusing... it looks like a story."
"Then why all the excitement?" Elija stared at him from the side, skeptical.
Jon kept his smile and threw out the first excuse that came to mind. "I learned something similar from a friend of my father. It's useful."
The elf simply raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but didn't push. Jon then pulled a chair a bit farther away and sat down. "I'll try to translate it better. You guys can go if you want."
He wasn't really worried about anyone questioning his interpretation. After all, no one in Aeloria could confirm the accuracy of a supposed translation. If pressed, he could make up stories or even narrate events he remembered from the original game. At worst, they'd think he was exaggerating for attention.
Elija sighed, adjusting his cloak. "I can't miss my magic classes." He left the room without looking back.
Elara, however, stayed. She sat next to him, resting her chin on her hand, and stared at him silently for a few seconds. "You really don't know?"
Her gaze weighed on Jon, bringing back memories of the moments they'd already shared. For an instant, he almost gave in.
'I can't. I don't even know where we stand right now. What if the same thing happens as with Gwen?'
He took a deep breath, turned to meet her eyes, and gave a faint smile. "Actually, no. Just a few scattered letters."
"Sigh..." Elara exhaled, disappointed. "And here I was thinking you'd show me something amazing again."
Before he could react, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. "Muack!"
Jon froze completely, motionless for a second. Elara only smiled, stood up, and walked toward the exit, leaving him alone among the books and the notifications still flashing before his eyes.
His heart pounded. He didn't know what was more dangerous at that moment: the secrets of the shelf or the girl who had just left him breathless.
In the first forty pages, Jon found only explanations about each book on the shelf. All of them carried the name of a mod and its function, nothing more than basic tutorials. He even tried to read a few, but soon gave up—at least he had reached max level in Explorer.
'Only these three books are useful.'
Placed subtly among the others, three volumes caught his attention: Mystic Eyes, Arcane Swordsman, and Codex of the Abyss.
A smile formed on his face. It was as if the heavens had handed him a gift.
Mystic Eyes. A skill nonexistent in the world of Aeloria. The text described eyes that veiled and unveiled realities, confused others' perception, and protected the user against mental intrusions. Jon knew that, within the original mechanics, it could only be obtained as an absurdly rare drop or, with great luck, from hidden dungeon chests.
But there it was, before him, in a simple book.
'As a true Naruto fan, it's impossible not to get hyped about this. Hah... it almost feels like I'm going to become an Uchiha. Who knows, maybe if I go through some stress, I'll awaken an even greater power.'
The excitement was palpable. His eyes devoured each line eagerly, his heart racing with expectation.
Then, the instant he turned the last page, a notification flared before his eyes.
DING!!! SKILL UNLOCKED: Mystic Eyes.
The air in the library seemed to vibrate. The mana around him converged toward Jon's eyes, gathering in his eyeballs. A pattern began to etch itself inside them, as if being burned in with a hot iron.
"Ahhhhnn… nnghh… ahhh!"
The muffled cry of pain escaped as his hands tried to cover his eyes. But it was no use. The heat was unbearable, a burning sensation that felt real, and a faint smoke began to rise from him, as if something inside was being scorched. In just a few seconds, firm footsteps echoed through the silent hall.
The librarian appeared, his expression full of anger. "No noise in the library!"
Jon, still pressing his hands to his eyes in agony, tried to answer with a ragged voice. "S-sorry... I... I just felt really dizzy... nothing else..."
His body trembled, his heart racing. He forced himself to take a deep breath, fighting to maintain composure. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, it was impossible to deny: something new had been carved into his soul.
The young woman who had been reading quietly in the corner lifted her eyes from her book, fixing them on Jon with a mix of surprise and interest. Her lips parted slightly, as if about to say something, but she held back, watching in silence. The aura emanating from his eyes, wrapped in faint smoke and an unusual glow, seemed to captivate her completely.
'Those eyes... I've never seen anything like them before,' she thought, leaning subtly to get a better view, while the flicker of curiosity in her gaze betrayed that this sight would not go unnoticed.