Chapter 8: Beginner's Reward
Raven suddenly felt a suction force pulling him somewhere the next moment and was soon blanked out.
By the time he woke up, he found himself standing in a strange library filled with shelves of books.
[Welcome to the Memory Library, Raven.] A calm yet beautiful voice appeared from him, causing him almost to jump.
"W-What? Who are you? Where am I?" With a startled expression, Raven swiftly pivoted on his heels, his eyes wide with fear. Before him stood a woman, her long silver hair cascaded down her shoulders like a shimmering waterfall. Her presence seemed almost otherworldly, akin to an elusive specter.
Her eyes, a mesmerizing shade of gem-like blue, held an enigmatic allure, complementing the oval contours of her face that suggested a youthful radiance. She appeared to be in the age range of 25 to 30 years old, possessing a dazzling beauty that transcended the ordinary.
Adorned in a striking red floral gown, the fabric gracefully draped around her figure and enhanced the mystical aura that surrounded her. A gem-embedded necklace adorned her neck, catching the ambient light and adding a touch of celestial brilliance. In her hand, she held a unique black-covered book, its presence evoking an air of mystery.
But what caught his attention were her unique long ears!
Amused by his surprised gawk, she let out a chuckle and soon arrived before him.
[I'm the Tower Spirit 'Zera' you have been talking to all this time. Once again, welcome to the 'Memory Library,' Raven.] She paused for a moment as if she had read what Raven thought was and continued.
[Right now, you are in a unique dimension hidden deep within your soul. This place has memories of a powerful Mage's life experiences and also newly gathered information about the Eclipse World in the form of books. As long as you read the memories related to [Instant Memorize] skill or any other skills, there is a high chance for you to learn it even without having any affinity. It's more like using hard work and experience way. But instead of your hard work and experience, you are going to use that Powerful Mage's hard work and experience to learn that skill. But be warned, Raven. With this method, you can only learn the basics of the basics. If you want to get out of the current situation and live a healthier life, you must work much harder.]
Raven stood in silence for a moment and asked.
"Why are you helping me so much?" Although he was an innocent child, his sister had taught him to be always careful with any stranger's help.
[I can't answer you to that question right now, Raven. But I have no ill intention against you or your family. Now, this is the memory skill book about the 'Instant Memory' skill. As long as you use it, you will get the secret of how to get this skill.] As soon as she spoke, she pushed the book directly towards his chest.
But what started Raven was that he saw that book turned into a streak of golden light and entered his body.
A second later, he saw hundreds of visuals of a person's experience appearing before his eyes and slowly etching deep within his soul. How that young man first activated this skill, how he felt when using it to read the book, and also how he even used it during battles. Although he couldn't see the person's face, he strangely felt that he had experienced all those memories himself. Unknown to Raven, the broken, unorganized memories within his mind started to rearrange.
But as he started experiencing more than hundreds of images, a strange headache appeared, causing him to wake up from the peculiar state.
At the same time, the black-covered skill book also repelled out of his body and fell on the floor.
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[As I thought, it's impossible for you to learn this skill in a single day. You can go back to your room and rest well.] Zera said calmly and waved her hand.
A second later, the same suction force appeared out of nowhere and pulled him away from this strange library.
Before he could even blink, he found himself staring blankly at the dark ceiling and felt fatigued.
But what made him almost break into tears was the sharp pain that appeared all over his head.
[The pain will last for an hour and disappear. Endure it.] Zera said in a calm tone.
Nodding stiffly, Raven asked further.
"But I think I already learned that skill. Although I'm not sure, my head feels so clear. Even the 13 equations of Logic Calculation class I've been struggling to keep in my mind appear more clearly."
[Humph, you are still far from getting the skill, Raven.] Just as she spoke, a blue icon popped up again.
...
[Name: Raven Sillalus Jorvot
Age: 5
Nationality: Zenith Empire
Title: 66th Prince of Zenith Empire
Level: 0
Class: None
Current Rank: Mortal (Soul damaged 85%)
Life Pathway: Not decided yet
Attributes:
Strength: 0.3
Agility: 0.4
Vitality: 0.3
Luck: 1.0
Spirit: 1.4
Additional Skills: Instant Memorize (Progress: 2.4%).]
...
"What? Only 2.4%? Hmm, if I progress this way, it will take four days to achieve 10%... Oh no! Do I have to go through this for 40 more days?" He couldn't help but take a deep breath.
[You are taking this too lightly. Moreover, this skill is just the basic one. The more you rank up, the more difficult it will be.] Zera heaved a deep sigh and then added.
[Before going to sleep, check out the 'Beginner's Reward.'] Just as she spoke, a golden chest appeared out of nowhere, laying on the bed slowly. The golden chest was around 2 meters long, half a meter wide, and seemed more like a coffin than a reward chest.
"W-What is this?" He asked stiffly.
[This is the basic reward prepared by the creator of this system and 'me' to help you all the time. Open it.] Zera said from his head.
Raven nodded stiffly, squatted down a bit, and opened it with both hands.
A moment later, he couldn't help but show a confused look.
What appeared inside were not some gold coins or precious gems but three common items.
One was an Iron Spear, which appeared to be around 1.5 meters tall and looked like an ordinary spear in the market. The second item was a strange vial filled with pure crystalline water. And finally, the third item was an even more common one.
It was a monocle!
He had seen many grown men in this town wearing a similar monocle and knew it wouldn't even cost around 5 silvers!
"What is the use of these items?" He couldn't help but ask.
[Well, these are the only reward items my owner left behind for you. But don't worry, each of them is unique on its own and will be of great help in the future.]
"Okay." Raven looked at the items with a frown.
[For now, go back to sleep. We will discuss those things later.] As she spoke, the golden chest and all the items suddenly turned illusionary and disappeared from his eyes.
[I'm keeping them in your inventory slot. So, don't worry and sleep.] Zera added.
With no other choice, he quietly nodded and closed his eyes to sleep. Although he couldn't even rest for the next few minutes due to the strange pain, it slowly started to disappear over time.
Raven soon felt a strange drowsiness and fell into a deep sleep.
...
By the time Raven had woken up, it was already 8 A.M.
But what startled him deeply was that his big sister and even his Aunt sat next to his bed and looked at him worriedly.
As soon as they saw him wake up, both showed a relieved face and smiled at him.
"How are you feeling, Raven?" Shirley asked.
"Aah! W- What happened, sister? Ah, I had a strange dream before." Raven said while letting out a loud yawn.
"Oh? Dream? What type of dream did my cute little brother have?"
"It's a strange library-" He abruptly paused as he saw a red notification appear before his eyes and quietly shut his mouth.
"Then? What happened?" Noticing his sudden silence, Athena asked curiously.
"N-Nothing. I need to use the restroom now." He hurriedly crawled away from the large bed and soon climbed down on the tiled floor. After that, he turned around and started walking towards the restroom on the left side of the main hall.
"It seems that potion indeed has a great effect on his body," Athena said with a relieved tone.
Shirley also nodded at her words and asked.
"Hmm, for how much did you sell that necklace at Goren's place? I heard that he is a petty man and always tries to make problems with anyone who doesn't accept his initial amount."
A forced smile appeared on Athena's face.
"I indeed went on an argument with him first. But when I tried to walk away from the shop at a low price, he openly said that I wouldn't be able to sell that necklace anywhere after offending him. In the end, I ended up selling that necklace for 23 Gold and 30 Silvers to him." She said while clenching her fist. Even thinking about that incident made her blood boil.