Elias pressed his back against the cold stone wall, heart hammering in his ears. The eastern sections of the Imperial Library were forbidden to all staff except the Chief Librarian himself—a fact he'd never questioned until tonight. His boots echoed through the marble corridor as he rounded the corner, The system UI flickered onto the screen:
[WARNING: DETECTING SECURITY MAGIC AHEAD]
[SUGGESTED ACTION: USE "KNOWLEDGE ANALYSIS" ON RUNE PATTERNS]
[MANA COST: 5 POINTS (CURRENT: 45/50)]
He whispered the activation phrase he'd discovered earlier: "Veritas Revelare." His irises glowed faintly blue as the runes covering the door came into focus, their magical signatures laid bare like an open book.
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE: FOURTH-LEVEL LOCKING SPELL "SERPENT GUARD"]
[WEAK POINT IDENTIFIED: BOTTOM-LEFT RUNE (WATER ELEMENTAL FOCUS)]
[SOLUTION: APPLY SALINE SOLUTION TO DISRUPT MAGICAL FLOW]
Elias fumbled in his satchel, retrieving the vial of salt water he'd packed for emergencies. Three drops on the identified rune caused the serpentine patterns to writhe in agony before fading to gray. The heavy oak door creaked open, revealing a staircase spiraling downward into darkness.
The scent of aged parchment and cinnamon filled his nostrils as he descended. The eastern archives were nothing like the main library—no gas lamps illuminated these shelves, only glowing fungi growing between the bookcases. His system interface flickered:
[ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS: MAGICAL RADIATION AT 120% SAFE LEVEL]
[WARNING: PROLONGED EXPOSURE MAY CAUSE MINOR AURA DAMAGE]
[QUEST UPDATE: MOONSTONE CRYSTAL LOCATED IN SUB-BASEMENT LEVEL 3]
At the bottom of the stairs, Elias found himself in a circular chamber lined with statues of hooded figures. Each held a different symbol: a sword, a book, a scale, and a crystal orb. As he passed the orb-bearer, the statue's head turned to follow his movement.
"Who dares enter the Sanctuary of the Ancients?" a voice boomed, echoing through the chamber.
Elias stumbled backward, tripping over a loose stone. The system flared to life:
[ILLUSIONARY DEFENSE ACTIVATED: "GUARDIAN SENTINEL"]
[COUNTERSPELL AVAILABLE: "MIND'S EYE" (UNLOCK COST: 10 MANA)]
[ACCEPT COST? Y/N]
"Y," he gasped, feeling a sharp pain behind his eyes as the illusion shattered. The statues remained motionless, but the orb now glowed with a soft blue light, illuminating a hidden door.
Two hours later, Elias stood before a pedestal in the heart of the sub-basement. Resting atop it was the Moonstone Crystal—a sphere the size of his fist, swirling with silver mist. As his fingers closed around it, the system erupted with warnings:
[MOONSTONE CRYSTAL ACQUIRED]
[WARNING: MAGICAL ENERGY SURGE DETECTED]
[ALERT: HOSTILE FORCES APPROACHING (3 MINUTES AWAY)]
[NEW OBJECTIVE: ESCAPE LIBRARY WITH CRYSTAL]
The crystal's warmth spread through his body, but this time the system didn't just glow—it burned. Elias collapsed to his knees as visions flooded his mind: a civilization of mages building the Arcane System, a cataclysmic explosion, and a figure in a hooded cloak speaking directly to him:
"The balance must be preserved, Chosen One. Not even the system can save us from what's coming."
A loud crash from upstairs jolted him back to reality. The intruders had arrived.
Elias clutched the crystal to his chest and ran for the emergency exit, system interface already plotting the fastest route. As he burst through the service door into the rain-soaked alley, he heard voices behind him:
"There he is! Don't let him escape with the artifact!"
The chase had begun.