"A lot," Head Librarian Teresa said.
She leaned forward. "Severin, it is overflowing with treasures, but it’s not something you’ll just pick up. So, in a way, there are actually no treasures.
"Do you know why those who successfully enter and come out are feared? It’s because they don’t know what type of powers or treasures they could encounter."
"There are powerful beings in there that want to crawl their way out because Sector Delta is a fractured place."
The word hit Severin like a blow. "You mean, there is a space rend in there? But that’s impossible! The system had been used to seal out dimensions. Our space has been locked."
She didn’t say anything. She merely looked at him.
Alarm ran down Severin’s spine, and he resisted a shudder. It was a known fact that the system had been used to lock and twist the space, using its power to create dungeons that incoming monsters were forced into.
He realized something then. Sector Delta must be one of those plot lines that the author didn’t explore. Some kind of plot twist in case something went wrong with the story.
His brain flashed fast as he tried to remember something. If it was an unexplored storyline, then the author must have made mention of it or referenced it just so it could make sense later.
Then it hit him. Smothered along the road, Lucas Dawn had faced one of the executives of the Scar in a battle. The man had demonic powers, and he said he crawled out from beneath the Academy.
So then, it means the door won’t hold forever, and it could potentially be a way for the world to end if it was torn open and the space rend used to tear the system away.
"Ah, fuck you, author. That’s clever of you. You must really hate the characters and just create different ways to end their world."
Severin’s eyes narrowed. What if there was more than one unexplored plot line like that? Ah, fuck!
He took a deep breath, and it came out shaky. "I don’t want to go."
Head Librarian Teresa smiled at him gently. "Understandable. You will die."
She said it as if she was saying where a book on the shelf was. She was speaking a truth. "You are nowhere near who should be going to that place. I wonder what you did to Darius."
Severin took a deep breath, and for the first time he entered the novel world, he felt a flash of fear. This time, he might really not find a way out.
"When I entered it, I was already the strongest in the Academy then. So powerful, I was expected to be the fastest, to break the record of the quickest to return."
"And?"
"I returned. But not with the expected record. In fact, I returned more broken."
"What?"
"Yes. One of the treasures I brought back was a Stigma, Preserve. That’s why I could make all the books here what they are and was able to return by preserving my body, but such powers came with a price of their own.
"My Talent Ability was eaten. Ripped away."
"There is something like that?"
"Your only hope is to become a more powerful person’s slave. At least you won’t be made into food then. That’s all. You’ve got your money’s worth."
Severin nodded. He stood up and bowed. "Then, can you give me a tip?"
"Don’t stay near the city edges. Make sure you enter Sector Delta as soon as possible. And don’t trust anyone. That’s the most stupid thing you can do. Don’t fight who you can’t beat."
"Thank you, Head Librarian Teresa. My House will process the monster trees for you."
She waved him away and watched him as his figure disappeared. Her eyes darkened, and darkness seemed to pool into her eyes, turning them dark and deep. "I hope he won’t die before he reaches where I wanted."
Her shadow slid from the ground, lengthened, and seemed to cover the whole room. Glittering eyes appeared in it, and an echoing voice sounded.
"He’ll die. He’s simply too weak."
"Well, at least he should be able to pass our message over to master."
"His shadows won’t die at least. It should be able to reach him. I’m so tired and hungry. Just when is the feast promised will happen?"
Head Librarian Teresa smiled. Her mouth seemed to crack open at the jaws, and squirming black shadows filled her mouth. "Soon. The boy will let us know. The message will direct him."
"Don’t tell me you planted a seed in him?"
"I did. Now he’ll only go in one direction. He has no choice. Master will be glad to hear from us after all this time."
☆☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆☆
Severin gained more than he expected from the visit. In fact, he felt as if he gained more than he paid for. "I will double the tree monsters I’m sending her way."
With information taken care of, Severin returned to the House and his own wing in it. He sat down and did a lot of deep thinking.
Before, he thought there would be no hope for him, but now he saw a ray of hope, but it was tainted. "If there’s a chance of survival, then I will work towards it."
He knew how weak he was, and he was already formulating plans on how he would take advantage. "If I can play this right, I might just leave Sector Delta behind as a powerful person."
There was really much to do after that, so Severin called the servant to bring him food, and after eating, he bathed and then slept. If he was going into a dangerous place, then it’s best he went with his full capacity, which includes his mental.
The next day was spent in a leisurely manner as well. No amount of training would make up for it, especially not for a talentless person like him, so he just focused on what he would be taking along.
With the WireRats’ help, he was able to buy a lot of equipment faster, even illegal ones that the Academy doesn’t allow.