The Library of the Mage was fascinating and was beyond what Kaizen had expected. This was a world of bookshelves filled with books and reading tables, study alcoves, conference rooms, offices and chambers.
The corridors were narrow and winding, and some staircases seemed endless. There were places where the ceiling was so low that Kaizen and Alina had to duck to get through, and others where the walls were so far apart that it was possible to see the other side of the library.
Some shelves were made of wood, others of stone, and the books on them were written in every language imaginable. Some were so old that their covers were in tatters and their pages yellowed by time. Others, on the other hand, seemed to have been written recently, because you could still smell the fresh scent of ink.
Alina suddenly stopped in front of a library room that had a large door with wavy, golden details. In the center of the door was a large symbol that looked like an eye.
"Follow me, please." The Librarian said and put both hands on the door to push it back.
The room that was revealed on the other side of the door was very different from all the others Kaizen had seen in the Library of the Mage so far. For one thing, it was much larger, and the walls, instead of books, were covered with scrolls. There were at least a hundred of them. Some of them floated magically, switching jars with each other, and other scrolls wrote themselves with magical feathers.
In the center of the room, there were relics shrouded by a mysterious aura and also by glass protections. Among these relics were daggers, swords, jewelry, crowns, books and among other items.
Alina led Kaizen to the back of this room, where on the wall was a large map.
This map, however, was very different from the others Kaizen had seen before. Instead of showing specific regions, this map showed the entire Tretidian Kingdom. There were interesting places marked on the map, such as the Conquered Forest, the Kingdom of the Half-Dragons, the Witch Country, and the Spirit Swamp.
The Librarian stopped in front of this map, pointed at it and said:
"Among all the endless knowledge in this library, you would first like to know about regions unexplored by normal adventurers, wouldn't you? Then this map is what you are looking for."
Kaizen stepped forward and stared at the map as if it were an old friend. Indeed, on the map there was information about dozens of places he had never even heard of or seen in the areas he had cleared himself. On Kaizen's map, there were still places that remained to be explored, especially around the Royal City and along the road between Holinda and the Royal City, but none of these locations seemed as intriguing and mysterious as the ones whose locations were pointed out on the map on display.
"Ow, that's incredible..." Kaizen said to Alina, reached up and tried to touch the map.
The moment his right hand almost touched the smooth parchment, his fingertips received a small electrical discharge, strong enough to make him flinch.
"Ouch!"
"Sorry." The Librarian said after realizing what had happened. "That map is protected by a magical barrier. Only the Mage here can touch it. By the way, before I release the protection of the map, I have to ask you something... Who and what exactly are you?
After the woman's question, Kaizen smiled bashfully with a hand on the back of his head, not knowing the right words when using.
"What am I...? Why does it seem like everyone always asks me that same question? I intended to reveal this to you soon, I was just looking for the right moment, but if fate asks that the moment be now, that's fine with me. Alina, my name is Kaizen and I am a Psyker."
The Librarian's expression quickly changed from sternness to surprise, she looked like she had just seen a ghost.
"You, a Psyker? That's impossible. Psykers were extinct Eras ago... or will still be born just before the end of everything that exists. Either way, the story about Psykers is confusing and mysterious. It is literally impossible for you to be a Psyker..." Alina's gaze was lost and she gestured with intensity.
Kaizen smiled and asked:
"How can I prove to you that I am a Psyker and thus gain your trust?"
"I-I think there is a method.... Since a Psyker can literally be the savior at the end of worlds or the cause of it all, I have learned a lot about them. My knowledge is not as extensive as that of those who have studied them for decades, but it is still considerable. If you are a real Psyker, there must be a method to prove it."
"Okay, but first, you need to tell me what that method is."
The Librarian thought for a moment and said:
"Psykers are very powerful beings. If you are a Psyker, you must be able to do something that I cannot do. For example, if you are a real Psyker, you must be able to read my mind."
"So, that's... impossible."
"That's why I said. If you are a Psyker, you must be able to do that."
"I'm not that powerful a Psyker. To be honest, as a Psyker I only have three abilities, which are: copying other people's abilities, seeing deeply how powerful people are, and obviously telekinesis."
"If that is so, then I suppose a battle is the most effective way for us to determine whether or not you are a Psyker."
"A battle?"
"Yes, a battle. You should be able to defeat me in a battle, if you are a real Psyker."
"If that is how you wish it, tudow well. I won't hold back."
"I cannot promise the same." Alina said, taking a few steps back.
The book that was on the belt at her waist slowly lifted out and opened its pages. From the pages, the librarian pulled out a sword of light.
'What an unusual sword... I wonder if it is a magic?' Kaizen wondered and used the <Analyzing Eye> to see how strong Alina really was.
[NPC: Alina Silly, The Librarian of the Mage Tower
Level: ? | Race: ? | Gender: ?
Profession: ?
HP: ? | MP: ?
Attack: Defense: ? Defense: ? Speed: ?
Strength: ? | Wisdom: ? | Stamina: ?
Skills: [Hidden Content]]
'I can't see anything but her name thanks to level blocking.... Nor her Skills... This is going to be more complicated than I thought' Kaizen thought and equipped the Dagger of Obsession.
The two people then positioned themselves on opposite sides of the scroll room, looking each other directly in the eyes.
Seconds later, Alina was the one who attacked first, throwing a beam of light from the tip of her sword. This attack flew at an impressive speed in Kaizen's direction, almost as if it were lightning.
Fortunately, Kaizen was able to deflect the attack by using <Telekinesis> as a barrier, but that was only the beginning of the librarian's momentum.
Alina continued to attack with beams of light, and after Kaizen realized that he would spend all of his mana protecting himself, he had to abandon his defensive posture and use all of his skill to dodge her attacks as he approached. Still, it was impossible to dodge or completely protect himself from this spam of magic, so the Psyker was hit a few times by these beams of light, which burned like fresh coals from a campfire.
The pain was intense, but Kaizen couldn't afford to care about that right now. There was only one thing on his mind, and that was the fact that he needed to defeat Alina to get the map.
When he got close enough, he realized that there was an unexpected gap in the mage's stance, and at that moment he smiled with satisfaction. With the power of his mind alone, he created a colossal atmospheric pressure on Alina's shoulders that made her knees give way.
'W-what is that?' she thought, startled, with an overwhelming force pressing against her back. 'That aura about me... It can't be... I am sure that this is the same aura as Kaizen's. That means that... No, I can't be convinced so easily.'
As the intense light attack ceased, Kaizen managed to get close enough. When Alina managed to free herself from the atmospheric pressure on her, using a defensive three-circle magic to reflect <Telekinesis>, she opened her eyes and was faced with Kaizen, aiming a dagger at her face less than ten centimeters away.
'I... Have I lost already?' Alina thought, defeated.
"I've won." Kaizen said with a victorious smile, and then reached out to help the sweet librarian to her feet.
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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