Noah walked toward Sector 2 on foot, avoiding the train, wanting to finish his daily task on his own. Upon arrival, he found himself standing in a stone hallway decorated with phosphates and obsidian, with vanilla and deep red roses blooming at the sides. A vast garden stood at the end, surrounded by towering willow trees, almost acting as a barrier to protect the area. Ahead of him stood a massive building with wide brown walls that seemed made of wood, shaped like a hexagonal fort rather than a library. Behind it, a towering spire pierced the clouds, its peak lost to sight.
Noah made his way toward the entrance, and as soon as he passed through the door, a strange feeling washed over him, like an unfamiliar aura enveloped his body, only to disappear as soon as he stepped further inside.
He was greeted by an unsettling wave of energy, akin to a gust of wind. When Noah opened his eyes, he was met with rows of shelves stacked with books, arranged over several open floors. The shelves stretched far and wide, filled with books on a variety of subjects.
To his right stood a reception desk where a beautiful woman with blonde hair tied back and bright blue eyes, like the sparkling sky, stood. She wore round black glasses, a faint friendly smile on her lips, and a black outfit embroidered with red lines, with the university's golden crest on her chest. Her beauty was different from Lou Yan's—if Lou Yan was beautiful, this woman was sexy.
"Welcome to Sector 2, to the 'Oriental Library,' student Noah Grace," she said with a soft smile.
"W-How do you know my name?" Noah asked, surprised and caught off guard.
"The library doors are equipped with magical sensors that scan your identity and send the data directly to our library database. The reason I know your name is that you've been entered into our system, and your details are currently displayed on the computer in front of me," she explained, glancing at the screen, which displayed a picture of Noah along with his name, year, dormitory, and other information the university had on him.
"i see....so, what's your name?" Noah asked calmly, his curiosity piqued.
"Huh? M-My name?" she replied, surprised by his question. She hadn't expected a question like that, especially when it had nothing to do with the library.
"It's not fair that you know my name and personal information, but I don't know yours," Noah asked with genuine interest. He wasn't sure why he was acting this way, as it wasn't his usual demeanor, but he felt it was a valid point to make.
"I-I'm September Vallen," the woman replied, introducing herself, though she tried to keep her calm despite her apparent nervousness.
"September? ...A name that suits a beautiful woman like you," Noah said as he walked past, leaving September standing there, unsure of how to respond. Truthfully, he hadn't meant it the way it sounded.
"What kind of parents would name their daughter September?!", Noah thought to himself, but he didn't say it aloud to avoid being rude toward her.
He continued walking through the aisles, passing the biology section, the combat techniques section, and the magical herbs section until he finally reached the Monster section. Shelves surrounded him, filled with books on every kind of creature, from dangerous to harmless, from aggressive to peaceful.
"Alright… How will I find a book about the Nocthyrs here?" he muttered to himself.
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In the university building, in the professors' room, it was filled with professors and faculty members, alongside members of the student council, Kieran Rhydan and Aria Valeblanc. Among them stood a group of large men in black suits, surrounding three individuals, their attention all drawn to them.
A handsome man stood in front of them, appearing to be in his thirties, with white hair and gray eyes. He wore a white cloak made of fine fur, decorated with golden chains, and exuded an air of calm, his gaze cold and unwavering.
Behind him stood two others with the same handsome features: a girl with long white hair and cold blue eyes like the surface of the ocean. Her beauty was so striking it could stop a man's heart with a single glance. She had light red lips and long white lashes.
Next to her stood a young man of similar age, with a delicate, handsome face, white hair reaching his shoulders, and dark blue eyes. His build was slender yet strong, making him appear incredibly attractive, to the point that any woman might faint upon seeing him. They seemed to be siblings, sharing the same bloodline.
"Please don't waste our time, give me the boy's corpse already," the man said in a calm tone, though his underlying aggression was evident, despite his composed appearance.
An elderly man in his fifties sat across from them, wearing a beret and black monocle. His emerald eyes gleamed with a vivid green, and he wore a meticulously crafted black cloak. He held a black walking cane, adjusted his monocle, and looked at the man standing before him.
"There's no need to rush, Mr. Evander Winters," the elderly man said, his voice refined and polite, though a hint of laughter was stifled in his words.
"Thamior Rusk, I don't have the time for your games. Elliot was part of my family, and I will take his body, whether you want it or not," Evander Winters said, his voice becoming more aggressive.
"It's hard to believe that the head of the mighty Winters family came personally to take the body of someone who has already been disowned. I have my doubts, and I cannot hand you the boy's body," Thamior replied, his tone now losing its respectful edge. The situation had grown tense, and neither side seemed willing to back down.
Behind Thamior stood a group of professors, among them Mei Renho, who observed the escalating argument with growing concern.
"I can't believe one of the Four Elders has personally intervened in this matter. It's strange, given the absence of the university's director and the disappearance of his deputy. It makes sense that a member of the Four Elders would handle such matters... but still, it's odd. Despite the arrival of such a powerful family like the Winters, it's strange that Thamior Rusk himself, the so-called 'Black Marrow,' is here... There's something suspicious going on behind the scenes with these assassinations..." Mei Renho thought to herself, her instincts warning her, especially about Thamior.
The "Four Elders" was a council made up of four senior and wise figures, ranking third in authority within the university, just below the director and his deputy. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the director had left abruptly with no set return date, and the deputy disappeared a week later without warning. This had caused the Four Elders to take over the university's affairs, a situation that had persisted for nine months.
The relationship between the professors and the Four Elders wasn't exactly close. Three out of the four Elders were arrogant, constantly pestering and manipulating the professors as if they were their subordinates. They were also cunning and devious, which made Mei Renho cautious of Thamior, who stood near her.
"How... exciting," Mei Renho thought to herself, unable to stop a dangerous, subtle smile from forming on her lips.
"Such a cursed fate."
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In the library, Noah had finally found a book about the Nocthyrs. He was sitting at one of the tables, reading it quietly.
"They're monsters classified between C and B ranks. There are dangerous types that evolve due to mutations, rising to rank A. They can steal all the senses. Even a monster like 'Sirãjah,' who has 12 senses, will lose them all if it faces a Nocthyr, despite being much stronger. No matter how many senses someone has—sixth or seventh—it will be taken by the Nocthyr," Noah thought to himself as he flipped through the pages.
"Can a boy below rank C defeat them?" Noah wondered, pausing his flipping as he came across a potentially useful piece of information.
"They can be tracked via Mana Sensitivity, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can defeat them. Hmm, all Mana Sensitivity will do is show you their location, but it won't give you sight or hearing. So, I don't think it's a useful solution... But I guess it's my only option. Since Mana Sensitivity manipulates mana itself and not a sense, the Nocthyr can't stop it," Noah thought, contemplating the situation in silence. He seemed to have no choice but to use Mana Sensitivity, but there was one problem.
"But how will I learn it? I'm not talented enough to learn such a technique... Maybe the system can help guide me?" Noah thought, looking ahead, expecting an answer, but all he received was silence.
"As expected," Noah sighed, looking down in disappointment when, suddenly, a screen appeared in front of him without warning.
[Would the host like to use "Pages of Rebellion" to learn the "Mana Sensitivity" technique?]
"What?...What is this? Is this real? This thing doesn't lie, right?....Is it really going to guide me and teach me?....Could it have been this easy from the start?" Noah thought, flustered and nervous from the screen in front of him, but he noticed something strange that he couldn't quite understand.
"How am I supposed to learn Mana Sensitivity through Pages of Rebellion? Isn't it just a record of my story in the Daedalus labyrinth?" Noah asked himself, but the question was aimed at the system.
[The "Pages of Rebellion" have allowed the host to access the memories of others mentioned in the full chapter, learning what they are capable of.]
"...What?!"