Chapter 5 — The Library of Worlds
The effect of NZT did not fade as quickly as Anshul expected.
Instead, as time passed, his mind seemed to become even clearer.
Every sound around him appeared sharper.
Every detail more vivid.
The quiet hum of the café refrigerator.
The faint tapping of a keyboard from a nearby table.
Even the soft rustling sound of someone turning a page in a book.
All of it reached his ears with astonishing clarity.
But the biggest change was not outside.
It was inside his mind.
Thoughts moved faster.
Memories appeared instantly when he needed them.
Connections between ideas formed almost automatically.
Anshul stared at the cup of coffee on the table in front of him.
Normally he would drink it without thinking.
But now he noticed everything.
The pattern of steam rising from the cup.
The tiny reflections of light on the surface of the liquid.
Even the faint aroma of roasted beans seemed stronger.
"This drug is unbelievable…" he murmured.
He had known the general effects of NZT from the movie.
But experiencing it personally was completely different.
It felt as if the limits of his brain had suddenly disappeared.
Anshul pulled out his phone and opened the World Theater website again.
The interface appeared instantly.
Traveler Level: 1
Current World: Limitless Mind
Story Progress: 3%
Anshul studied the number carefully.
Three percent.
Which meant the story of this world had barely begun.
The protagonist of the original movie had probably not even taken NZT yet.
"So the timeline is still at the beginning…"
That was good news.
It meant Anshul had plenty of time to prepare before the story progressed further.
He scrolled down the interface.
Unlike most systems in novels or games, this one was surprisingly simple.
There were no character stats.
No experience points.
No skill trees.
Only worlds.
The entire system seemed built around traveling between different stories.
Anshul tapped the world selection page.
Immediately the screen filled with titles.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Movies from different countries and different decades.
Action films.
Romantic comedies.
Fantasy adventures.
Historical dramas.
Science fiction.
The list seemed endless.
He scrolled down.
The titles kept appearing.
There was no visible end.
"So Level 1 isn't limited to a few worlds…"
"It's basically infinite."
That realization changed his perspective completely.
Instead of being restricted to a small selection of worlds, he had access to an enormous library of stories.
Each one represented a different opportunity.
Different knowledge.
Different resources.
Different people.
But having too many options could also become a problem.
Because entering the wrong world at the wrong time could easily be fatal.
Anshul stopped scrolling and began thinking carefully.
Since the system did not give instructions, everything depended on his own choices.
Which meant strategy was extremely important.
After a few seconds, he began listing several worlds he already knew well.
Limitless Mind.
The Princess Diary.
Princess Diary: Royal Engagement.
Ella the Enchanted.
Monte Carlo Journey.
The Fashion Intern.
Catch Me If You Dare.
Money Game.
Social Network Era.
And finally…
Elysium Station.
Compared to the countless worlds in the system, this list was tiny.
But each of them had something valuable.
Business knowledge.
Political influence.
Financial strategies.
Even advanced technology.
Anshul tapped the title of The Princess Diary.
A brief description appeared.
World: The Princess Diary
Story Progress: 0%
That world looked peaceful.
Mostly normal society.
Royal families.
Politics.
Diplomacy.
Compared to many other worlds, the danger level was extremely low.
Anshul nodded slightly.
"This could become a good base world later."
Then he checked another title.
Ella the Enchanted.
That world was slightly different.
It contained magic.
But the level of danger was still relatively low compared to high-fantasy worlds.
Anshul continued examining the titles one by one.
Monte Carlo Journey.
A story involving mistaken identity and high society.
The Fashion Intern.
A business environment focused on corporate management.
Catch Me If You Dare.
A world involving deception, fraud, and intelligence battles.
Money Game.
A world centered around statistics and sports management.
Social Network Era.
A story about building one of the largest internet companies in history.
Each world offered a different type of knowledge.
And knowledge was exactly what Anshul needed.
But then his finger stopped moving.
Because the final title appeared again.
Elysium Station.
Even without opening it, he already knew the story.
A futuristic world where the wealthy lived on a giant space station in orbit while the rest of humanity struggled on Earth.
The technology there was decades ahead of the present.
Medical machines capable of curing almost any disease.
Autonomous combat robots.
Powered exoskeleton suits.
Compared to the current world, the gap was enormous.
Yet the system listed it alongside ordinary Level 1 worlds.
Anshul tapped the title.
A warning message appeared immediately.
Abnormal World Detected.
Traveler discretion advised.
Anshul leaned back in his chair.
"So the system knows something is unusual."
But it did not explain anything further.
Which meant he had to figure out the rest himself.
His mind began analyzing possibilities.
Maybe the classification system was flawed.
Maybe it was a hidden opportunity.
Or maybe it was a trap.
Regardless of the reason, entering that world unprepared would be extremely dangerous.
Anshul closed the message.
"Not yet."
For now, the Limitless Mind world already offered everything he needed.
He reached into his backpack and opened the container again.
Inside were dozens of NZT pills.
Enough to change his life.
But he also remembered the dangers.
In the original movie, long-term use of NZT caused severe side effects.
Memory loss.
Physical weakness.
Blackouts.
Eventually even death.
But Anshul believed those problems could be solved.
After all, this was only the beginning of his journey.
Future worlds might contain technology or medicine capable of stabilizing NZT.
Which meant the drug could become even more valuable.
But before worrying about the future, he needed to focus on the present.
Anshul opened his laptop.
Then he began searching for learning materials.
Economics textbooks.
Programming tutorials.
Business strategy courses.
Language lessons.
Normally studying such topics would require months or years.
But under the influence of NZT, everything became different.
His eyes moved quickly across the screen.
Paragraph after paragraph.
Concept after concept.
Information flowed into his mind effortlessly.
It felt like filling a massive library.
And the shelves of that library were expanding rapidly.
Hours passed without him noticing.
The café eventually became quieter.
Most of the customers had already left.
But Anshul continued studying.
Because every piece of knowledge he gained now would increase his chances of survival in future worlds.
Finally he closed the laptop and leaned back in his chair.
Outside the window, the streets of New York were nearly empty.
Only a few cars passed occasionally.
Anshul looked at the glowing screen of his phone again.
World: Limitless Mind
Story Progress: 4%
The number had increased slightly.
Which meant the story was continuing naturally.
And somewhere in this city, the protagonist of the movie was slowly moving toward his own encounter with NZT.
But that no longer mattered.
Because Anshul already had the advantage.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"The World Theater…"
"…is basically an infinite library."
A library containing countless stories.
And each story contained its own opportunities.
But like any library, knowledge alone was not enough.
One also needed the intelligence to use it properly.
Fortunately for Anshul…
That was exactly what NZT provided.