The week passed like an arrow—fast, yet heavy on Ryo's heart. It was the day he had been eagerly waiting for, the day the special dungeon would appear in the public library.
In this world, three special dungeons had appeared before, and everyone who entered them obtained a unique item. In England, they acquired the "Excalibur" sword from the Holy Temple, said to be of near-artifact rank.
In America, they obtained an ancient spellbook containing numerous spells, of which only three had been used so far. It too was of the same rank and was found in a magical tower.
And in North Africa, they acquired the "Sun of Horus," which possessed the very heat of the sun itself. It was extracted from the pyramids and also ranked just below an artifact. These three were considered among the most powerful weapons in existence, possessing legendary-tier strength—the highest rank in this world.
Ryo was thrilled about what he might obtain at the end of this adventure. Every special dungeon that had appeared so far carried immense power.
He woke up early and went out to perform his morning exercises. His body moved with grace, his steps synchronized with deep breaths, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, glimmering under the first rays of sunlight like tiny jewels dancing on his skin. After finishing, he tightened his belt and headed swiftly toward the library where the special dungeon was set to appear.
---
When Ryo arrived at the public library, his heart was pounding violently, as if war drums were beating inside him. He felt heat rush through his limbs, and a slight shiver coursed through his body with every step he took toward the ancient building.
The library was an old structure with a classical touch; its walls were made of aged stone, and its tall windows allowed sunlight to gently stream inside, dancing across the books and forming an enchanting scene. The smell of old paper was thick in the air, laden with an aura of mystery and reverence that made every visitor feel as if they had stepped onto sacred ground.
It was only the second time Ryo had felt this kind of burning excitement—the first was when he obtained the "Luck Roulette" of SSS rank. Even though there was still no sign of the dungeon, he didn't hesitate to rent the entire library for a day from its keeper.
He quietly closed the door, placed a sign that read "Temporarily Closed," and began setting up a device that would block any mana that might surge later, in addition to a high-level energy barrier. These two devices had cost him over 400 million dollars, forcing him to postpone using the "Luck Roulette" for another day until he could gather a billion spins as planned.
He sat on the floor in the middle of the hall, resting his elbows on his knees, his eyes fixed tensely on the empty space before him… waiting for the moment of emergence.
Time passed painfully slowly, as if each minute stretched into an eternity. Noon arrived… and still, nothing.
He whispered in frustration, running his fingers through his dark, sweat-drenched hair after the long wait:
"Will it appear at night? Damn it… is my luck really that bad?"
The tension grew as Ryo had only rented the library until sunset and had to return the key in the evening. He thought about sneaking in at night, but then remembered that his devices were equipped with energy sensors, and they could explode or trigger emergency systems if the place was breached after sunset... He couldn't afford to take the risk.
While lost in thought, he suddenly felt a strong ripple in the air in front of him, followed by a slight tremor in the ground beneath his feet. Unnatural winds erupted from nowhere, as if the library had suddenly come to life.
He quickly raised his head, his mouth agape in astonishment.
All the books in the library began to fly through the air, their pages flipping forcefully, and words fluttered from them like glowing golden symbols, shining like tiny meteors. Ryo couldn't understand their meaning, but they pulsed with ancient energy, as if they were forgotten prophecies or forbidden incantations.
In the center of the hall, an ancient book appeared, its cover torn and dusty, as though time had forgotten it for thousands of years. Suddenly... the book opened by itself, and its pages flipped violently, as if an invisible hand was toying with them.
In the middle of the pages, the words began to ripple and gather, forming a small golden vortex that slowly spun before gradually widening.
Ryo's eyes widened, and he swallowed with a mix of eagerness and anxiety, his heartbeat quickening until it felt like it would burst from his chest.
"Is... is this it?!" he murmured in a hoarse voice, stepping forward cautiously, his eyes fixed on the glowing vortex.
He hadn't expected the appearance of the dungeon to be so magnificent and grand.
A golden gate settled in the center of the hall, but it wasn't alone... the ancient book remained floating in front of it, as if it were an eternal guardian.
Ryo activated his "True Eye" skill.
> [Dungeon: The Library of Worlds]
Type: Special
Description: This dungeon is the oldest library in the worlds, containing all the books and knowledge of the past, present, and future. It lies in the greatest land of knowledge... but no one has entered it since ancient times, except for [****].
As soon as he read the hidden name, Ryo felt a sharp pain in his eyes, as if they were rejecting the sight. It wasn't surprising, considering the person who had entered before him... was beyond the boundaries of this world.
"Who entered before me?" he whispered, placing his hand on his temple, trying to ease the pain.
But he didn't dwell on it much—not because he wasn't curious, but because he knew there was no point in asking now.
"But I'm the second one to enter... that means I'll get something special!" he said with a light smile, then continued, "I must go in... even with all these preparations, I have to hurry!"
Taking a deep breath, he stepped toward the golden gate... and as soon as he entered, the gate disappeared behind him.
---
When Ryo entered the dungeon, he felt something strange... a mix of familiarity and nostalgia. He stood before a colossal tree that reached beyond the sky, its branches stretching across the horizon as if connecting the worlds together. He stood in awe, his body filled with reverence.
"It's... beautiful," he murmured, his voice full of admiration.
The tree was so immense that he couldn't see its end, a rarity that even Ryo found captivating.
On the tree's trunk, there was a giant door surrounded by strange carvings, similar to those that appeared when the dungeon gate manifested. Above the door, a gem hung, glowing with a mysterious light.
Ryo approached, gently placing his hand on the door, and suddenly... a white light exploded around him, forcing him to close his eyes due to its intensity, before he disappeared from in front of the door.
He opened his eyes... to find the place had changed. He was inside an enormous library, with gigantic shelves and books arranged with astonishing precision. But these weren't ordinary books... they weren't made of paper and ink, they were made of magic.
Wherever he looked, there was a book. He tried to take one, but an invisible force pushed him back.
"Huh?! Does this mean I can't touch them? And where's the guide?" he said in concern.
In the previous three special dungeons, it was said that there were guides... but here, there was no one. On one of the shelves, he noticed a sign written in a language he had never seen before.
As he was feeling strange, the shelves suddenly began to move, slowly reorganizing themselves until they formed a clear path in front of him.
"Should I follow this path?" he wondered, but there was no answer. He tried to contact Eva, but the call didn't go through... as if this place prevented anyone other than him from existing.
With no choice, he began to follow the path.
The further he walked, the more books surrounded him, and the paths kept changing constantly. He no longer knew how much time had passed, it was as though time itself had disappeared in this dungeon. Yet, he didn't feel tired, as if he were leisurely strolling between the books.
"Are these the books that contain all the knowledge of the worlds?" he whispered with admiration and curiosity.
Despite the pain, he longed to read them, to learn everything.
He continued walking, but as time passed, he began to lose his sense of everything, as if he had forgotten the meaning of time and place... With every step, he began to abandon concepts like money, love, body, soul, hatred, and thinking.
Then, he felt something strange... as if his human limitations had shattered, as if he were freed from everything that had confined him.
When he broke free from his human limits, he felt a torrent of power coursing through his veins, like an endless river of energy. A bright blue light surrounded him, flashing suddenly, and behind him, a massive lion formed, roaring violently toward the sky, causing the clouds to tremble.
[Congratulations! You have surpassed your human limits.]
[Heavenly Combat Art Unlocked - Level SSS (Hercules Art)]
As Ryo gently rose into the air, a flood of information appeared in his mind, as if he had been connected to another world, and combat movements flowed into his mind one by one, as though they had been waiting for him for eternity.
When it was over, Ryo returned to the ground, his feet gently touching the earth. He opened his dark eyes, and the light burning within them was enough to instill awe in anyone.
He whispered softly as he admired himself, "I didn't expect to gain all this just by coming here..."
Suddenly, a golden pillar of light appeared on the horizon, piercing the sky with celestial beauty. Ryo's eyes widened, and with each step he took toward it, his heart beat more strongly, as if something was calling to him from afar.
When he arrived, the giant shelves that filled the place had completely vanished, leaving only the golden pillar of light, with a book floating in the air at its center, as if it didn't belong to this world.
Ryo took a steady step forward, and as he got closer, he reached out toward the book... and this time, he wasn't stopped.
Suddenly, a booming voice emerged, and sparkling information appeared before his eyes:
---
[Name: Book of Transcendence
Type: Unique / Transcendent
Rank: Artifact
Description: A book woven from the fabric of concepts, not made of paper or ink. It is the only book in the worlds, granted only to those chosen by knowledge itself, serving as a symbol between worlds. All its abilities are currently sealed, except for a few basic powers.]
---
[Basic Abilities:
Story Broadcast: The story of its master will automatically be broadcast across different worlds in various ways.
Record Everything: Everything its master experiences will be recorded within the book.
Understanding and Speaking: Mastery of all languages and easy reading of them.
Additional abilities will automatically unlock as the level increases.]
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Support me with power stones