The classroom buzzed with the chaotic energy of forty teenagers left unsupervised. It was 10:00 AM, but the teacher hadn't arrived yet.
Books were used as projectiles rather than tools for learning, and laughter echoed off the peeling paint of the walls.
Amidst the noise, seventeen-year-old Jay sat perfectly still at his desk. He stared out the window, his chin resting in his palm. He wasn't interested in the gossip or the games. His mind was a loop of existential boredom—What did I do yesterday? Nothing. What am I doing today? Nothing. What will I do tomorrow? Likely, nothing.
He was an island in a sea of noise.
Suddenly, the mundane world shattered.
A blinding incandescence tore through the sky outside, brighter than the sun, flooding the classroom with white fire. The laughter died instantly. Every student looked up, eyes widening in collective confusion.
Before anyone could scream, the floor vanished.
Jay blinked, expecting the white light to fade into the familiar gray of the blackboard. Instead, he opened his eyes to oppressive, suffocating darkness.
The air was cold and stale. He scrambled backward, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. Where am I? Is this a room? A basement?
Fear, primal and cold, gripped him. He stood up on shaky legs, reaching out into the void. His hand brushed against something soft.
Warmth. Texture.
"Snake!" Jay's mind screamed. He jerked back, terrified of what lurking beast lay in the dark.
"Aaah!"
A shrill scream pierced the silence. It wasn't a beast; it was a girl.
"Who are you?" a voice trembled from the darkness. "What am I doing here? Why did you touch me? What is this place?"
Jay exhaled, the tension in his chest loosening slightly. It was a human voice. "Who are you?" he countered, his voice cracking.
"My name is Liya," the girl stammered. "Who... who are you?"
Jay paused. The name struck a chord. "Liya? That sounds familiar." He squinted into the dark, though it was useless. "Wait. You're the Class Goddess, aren't you?"
"Goddess? I... I don't know about that right now," Liya replied, her voice laced with panic. "But you—you know me? Are you from school?"
"I don't know anything about this place. I'm stuck just like you," Jay said, trying to steady his breathing.
"My name is Jay."
"Jay?" Liya paused. "I think... you're in my class? You sit near the back?"
"Yeah. I don't talk to people much," Jay admitted. "That's why not many people know me."
"How did we get here?"
"I have no idea."
Just as the hopelessness began to set in, a faint luminescence ignited within Jay's eyes. It wasn't coming from outside; it was projecting from him.
A book materialized in the air before him, floating in a defying gravity suspension.
Jay stared, mesmerized. "What... what is this?"
It was unlike any book he had ever seen. The cover wasn't leather or paper; it seemed to be woven from shifting patterns of a color that didn't exist in the visible spectrum. It wasn't gold, nor silver, but something ancient and alien. It pulled at his gaze, demanding his attention, seducing his curiosity.
I need to touch it, Jay thought, his hand rising involuntarily. I feel drawn to it.
Suddenly, a voice echoed directly inside his skull. It was genderless, ancient, and cold.
[Consider yourself fortunate, mortal. The origin of this Grimoire is unknown to time itself. It is existence-less. To the rest of the universe, it is nothing. To you, it is everything because it chose you.]
Jay froze.
[Do you wish to accept it? Say Yes. If not, say No.]
The choice hung in the air. Jay didn't hesitate. His life had been a boring loop of nothingness until ten minutes ago. "I accept it," he whispered. "I accept."
[Authorization Confirmed.]
[To open the Grimoire, the Host must fulfill three requirements to prove their worthiness:]
[1. Collect 1,000,000 Energy Points.]
[2. Collect 100,000 Emotion Points.]
[3. Collect 10,000 Important Books acceptable to the Grimoire.]
[However, the Grimoire grants three preliminary rewards to aid the Host.]
"Rewards?" Jay asked the empty air.
[Reward 1: The System.]
Three spheres of light shot into Jay's mind.
[You have received a 1,000,000 Book Point System for personal use. You have also received two subsidiary Systems worth 100,000 Book Points each. You can give this two system any one. You may gift these to others. You may customize your System manually or set it to Auto-Optimize.]
[Reward 2: The White Box.]
A small, palm-sized white box materialized in Jay's hand. It felt impossibly smooth.
[Function: Duplication and Upgrade.]
[Rules:]
• Anything placed inside will double in quantity.
• The box can be upgraded via the System.
Living organisms are forbidden.
• Powders or liquids must be contained (bottles/packets) to be doubled.
• Only items matching the Box's current Level can be inserted.
• Only one type of item at a time. The lid must be closed.
• Cooldown: Once per month.
[Reward 3: The Iron Plate.]
A heavy, cold metal plate dropped into his other hand.
[Current Level: Iron.]
[Upgrade Path: Iron > Bronze > Silver > Gold > Diamond.]
[Note: The plate is ineffective against entities significantly stronger than its current tier.]
[Good luck, Host. Your journey is your own.]