Raze shut the door to his room and leaned against it.
He let out a sigh and moved to his desk, sitting in the chair. His eyes fell on the book he had carried earlier and then he looked around the room. The bed was neatly arranged, the shelf was half full of books and scrolls, the smell of dust and old wood in the air.
As his looked around, something caught his attention.
A small figure sat on the lowest corner of the shelf.
It was carved from stone, and shaped like a man in mage robes with a book on his lap, his head was bowed as if reading the book.
Raze frowned, this wasn't in the story. He had read the book the so many well enough to remember all, He never remembered anything about Raze owning a statue like this.
Raze stood up and walked to the statue, but his toe mistakenly hit against the bed and pain shot through his body.
"Ah, shit" he cursed as he stumbled forward. His palm hit mthe statue and the sharp corner of the stone book pressed into his hand, and a thin cut opened across his skin. Blood gathered and dripped before he could pull away.
The drop hit the open book of the statue.
And vanished.
The room froze still. The air became heavy.
He looked around in fear.
[Ding!]
A voice rang clearly in his head.
[Special Feature Awakened: Dimensional Library Activated.]
His eyes widened. "What,,,,"
[Registration complete.]
[User: Raze Grimhold. Soul signature: Peter Orion.]
He froze. His name from Earth appeared in the text, he's eyed widened in shock.
"This,, this is the gift she gave me?" he whispered.
The cut on his palm healed a few seconds later, the statue glowed faintly, light running across its form.
The world bent and twisted.
The shelves blurred, the walls stretched, the floor vanished beneath his feet. He felt suspended in space.
Then suddenly he was standing again.
But not in his room.
His mouth opened.
All around him were books.
Rows and rows, towers of shelves stretching upward until they vanished into shadow. Faint lights drifted above like lanterns with no chains, Illuminating the space.
Raze turned in a slow circle, shocked. This looked like a dream, something out of his wildest imaginations.
[Welcome to the Dimensional Library.]
The words came gently into his mind.
"This,,,this is, " His voice cracked. He pressed a hand against his chest. His heart was hammering. "The goddess, she really gave me this."
[The Dimensional Library exists outside of time. Only the registered user may enter. Here, knowledge is stored. Here, knowledge may be learned.]
The message faded.
Raze swallowed hard. His throat was dry.
"Knowledge," he repeated. His fingers twitched, wanting to reach for the nearest shelf. His eyes darted, scanning the endless shelves.
His body shook. His lips curled upward in to a smile
Books.
An entire world of them.
This wasn't just a gift. This was a dream come true.
Raze laughed suddenly, his voice echoing slightly before being swallowed by the library. He pressed both hands to his face and dragged them down.
"I can't believe this, I really can't believe this, "
He took a few steps forward, the stone floor cold under his bare feet.
The goddess had said she gave him something even beyond her. Now he understood.
[Basic access granted.]
[Novice Section unlocked.]
Raze blinked. "Novice?"
[The library is vast. Sections unlock as the user grows. At present, only beginner knowledge is accessible.]
He nodded dumbly. His eyes darted to the closest shelf, where books were stacked. His hand lifted slowly.
He reached for a book, fingers brushing against its surface of the cover.
The book glowed faintly beneath his touch, letters shifting on the spine until they were readable.
Basic Magic.
Raze froze. His throat tightened. He stared at the title.
Basic Magic.
The story had always been cruel to Raze Grimhold. He was talentless. No gift for the sword, no gift for mana. A reader, nothing more. Fated to die.
But here in front of him was something different. A book that promised a way forward.
His breath came short. He pulled the book free, holding it close. The cover was plain, the leather worn, but to him it was more precious than gold.
[Do you wish to learn from this book?]
The system's question rang clearly.
Raze's lips parted. His chest rose and fell.
"Yes," he whispered.
The book opened in his hands.
Light poured from the pages, wrapping around him. Words unfolded across the air, glowing.
Magic is not talent. It is understanding. It is listening until the world answers back.
Raze stared, eyes wide, heart racing. He could barely breathe.
The words burned themselves into his mind.
[Skill seed detected.]
[Imprint available: Mana Sense (Unawakened)]
Raze's hands shook. He looked down at himself, then back at the glowing page.
"This,,, this is real," he whispered. "I, I can actually,,"
The system cut in again.
[Note: The Library does not grant strength. The Library grants knowledge. The rest is up to you.]
Raze's knees buckled, becoming like boiled spaghetti. He stumbled back, holding the book tightly.
He was trembling all over, not from fear, but from the weight of the realization. In this new world, he had something greater than magic, or strength, he had access to am infinite amount of knowledge, and with it he could rise to he far more than anything that was known before.
He held the book in hands, he looked around the library, a smile formed his face.
"Hahaha, i guess this time I'll really live my life." He said.
He got to one of the chairs in the library and sat down, he placed the book on the table and started reading.