The room remained silent.
The Ring of Solomon rested in Lionel's hand.
Ancient.
Simple.
Unremarkable.
If someone saw it lying on the street—
they'd probably ignore it.
Which was exactly why nobody had claimed it.
The greatest treasures rarely looked valuable.
---
Lionel examined the runes carefully.
The symbols shifted constantly.
Changing.
Moving.
Almost alive.
The system looked impressed.
[Okay.]
[That's definitely expensive.]
"You think?"
[I rate it above the God Toilet.]
"The Golden Throne."
[The God Toilet.]
---
Lionel sighed.
There was no winning this argument.
---
Slowly—
he placed the ring on his finger.
Nothing happened.
For a second.
Then—
everything changed.
---
BOOOOOOM.
Knowledge exploded inside his mind.
Languages.
Magic.
History.
Civilizations.
Concepts.
Thousands of fragments flooded toward him.
Not enough to learn.
Just enough to understand what stood before him.
---
The room disappeared.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then—
light appeared.
---
Lionel opened his eyes.
And froze.
---
An endless library stretched before him.
Bookshelves rose higher than mountains.
Golden staircases connected floating platforms.
Entire castles of books floated in the sky.
Ancient spirits drifted between shelves.
Some looked human.
Others did not.
Some looked older than kingdoms.
Older than races.
Older than history itself.
---
The system immediately stopped talking.
Which was terrifying.
Because it never stopped talking.
---
Even it was stunned.
---
Finally—
it whispered.
[Holy shit.]
---
Lionel slowly nodded.
For once—
he agreed.
---
A voice suddenly echoed throughout the library.
Ancient.
Wise.
Calm.
---
"Welcome."
"Bearer of Solomon's Ring."
---
Lionel turned.
An old man stood nearby.
Long beard.
Simple robes.
Kind eyes.
---
Not Solomon.
Just a librarian.
---
The old man smiled.
"First time?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"You're staring at the ceiling."
---
Lionel looked up.
The ceiling wasn't a ceiling.
It was an entire universe.
Stars.
Worlds.
Galaxies.
Infinite knowledge floating above.
---
The old man chuckled softly.
"Most first-time visitors react similarly."
---
Lionel calmed himself.
Quickly.
Knowledge was power.
Panic was useless.
---
"How many people know about this place?"
The librarian smiled.
"Many."
"Kings."
"Emperors."
"Archmages."
"Dragon Lords."
"Academy Headmasters."
"Ancient beings."
---
Lionel wasn't surprised.
That matched his memories.
---
Then the old man continued.
"But very few progress."
---
Now that interested him.
---
"What determines progress?"
---
The librarian pointed upward.
Toward the floating floors.
Thousands of them.
Perhaps millions.
---
"Wisdom."
---
Simple answer.
Complicated meaning.
---
The librarian continued.
"Strength is meaningless here."
"Wealth is meaningless."
"Bloodlines are meaningless."
---
Lionel immediately thought of Kael.
The library would probably throw him out.
---
The system laughed.
[He's getting stuck on Floor One forever.]
---
"Each level contains greater knowledge."
"But access must be earned."
---
The librarian handed Lionel a small crystal.
---
"Beginner Access."
---
The crystal glowed.
A screen appeared.
---
Library Rank:
Novice
Access Granted:
Floor 1
Available Sections:
• Basic History
• Basic Magic Theory
• Geography
• Languages
Locked:
Everything Else
---
Lionel frowned.
That was restrictive.
Very restrictive.
---
The librarian smiled knowingly.
"Everybody starts somewhere."
---
Then his expression became strange.
Curious.
---
"Actually..."
---
Lionel raised an eyebrow.
---
"You're the second unusual visitor this month."
---
Silence.
---
The system immediately froze.
---
Lionel froze.
---
"...What?"
---
The librarian rubbed his beard.
"Another young man."
"Very talented."
"Very determined."
"He asked unusual questions."
---
Lionel felt something cold crawl down his spine.
---
Because he already knew the answer.
---
The librarian smiled.
---
"His name was William."
---
Silence.
---
The system slowly spoke.
[...Boss.]
---
Lionel's eyes narrowed.
---
[Why is the protagonist already here?]
---
The same thought appeared in Lionel's mind.
---
Because according to the original timeline—
William shouldn't have entered the Library yet.
Not for years.
---
Yet somehow—
he had already arrived.
---
Far away—
in another part of the world—
William Von Ainsworth suddenly woke from a strange dream.
A dream about an endless library.
A dream about forgotten knowledge.
A dream that felt more real than reality.
---
And for the first time—
both future holders of forbidden knowledge unknowingly took their first step toward each other.
---
The timeline shifted.
Again.