As his hand makes contact with the ball, a brilliant radiance bursts forth, temporarily blinding him. Simultaneously, an age-old voice reverberates through his mind.
'Greetings, legendary warrior.
If you've arrived, it signifies you're an extraordinary individual blessed by fate. Your future accomplishments will soar higher than the heavens themselves.
Welcome to the Luminara Scriptoria, the most comprehensive and expansive repository of knowledge in the world. Over countless years, numerous experts have chosen to etch their wisdom into this sacred space—chronicling their experiences, triumphs, defeats, and enlightenments. It encapsulates knowledge spanning all eons throughout time. At least it once did.
It served as a haven where all could gather, communing and immersing themselves in the wealth of knowledge. Witnessing the works and experiences of countless souls, individuals were inspired to contribute their own insights.
Truly an age of discovery and knowledge.
Across millennia, generations entered and exited the library's halls, each leaving an indelible mark—an enduring testament of their lives, their essence. Even in death, their spirits lingered, and within the eternal library, you could still sense their wisdom, their life's work resonating through the ages.
egrettably, as you can witness, the majority of the library now stands desolate. A sinister force befell this sacred ground, for a treasure of such magnitude inevitably drew the covetous eyes of many. With the passage of time and the accumulation of countless volumes, the allure only intensified.
Inevitably, a faction of individuals tainted by insatiable greed committed the gravest of sins. Like ravenous wolves, they descended upon the library, pilfering everything within their reach. Noble defenders fought valiantly to preserve the sanctity of this hallowed space, but their efforts proved futile.
In the end, every tome, every page, was stolen, leaving behind a void where the echoes of wisdom once resonated.
With the vanishing of the library, the world plunged into a dark age. Knowledge became a rare commodity, tightly gripped by the hands of a select few. The once-golden era of learning and innovation had met its demise.
Ultimately, the library faded into obscurity, a forgotten relic in the flowing river of time.
Yet, the tides of fate are shifting. A chosen warrior has emerged, and it falls upon your shoulders to rectify the injustices of the past.
Young one, it is your solemn duty to gather knowledge, traverse the realms, and reconstruct this library to its former glory. Bring an end to this dark age and usher in a new Golden Age that surpasses even the heights of its predecessor.
The fate of this library now rests solely in your hands. Whether it flourishes once more or fades into eternal obscurity hinges on your decisions and actions.
Of course, embarking on such a monumental quest shouldn't be a one-sided endeavor. Considerable benefits await you on this journey, for it would be unrealistic to expect someone to devote their life to an ideal without reaping any rewards.
This library holds invaluable treasures for you. Allow me to enumerate the gains you'll acquire.
1- With this library under your guardianship, a unique ability unfolds: the mere act of skimming through any book causes an instantaneous recording within the library's annals. This record, eternally preserved, can be summoned at your whim by entering the sacred space of the library. The key lies in ensuring your eyes connect with every page, no need for a thorough read—just a glance, and the knowledge becomes an part of the library's collection.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
The advantages are abundantly clear. No longer are you burdened with the need to pay for every book you encounter, and the specter of loss or destruction is banished. Should you find yourself intrigued by multiple books but face constraints preventing their physical possession, fret not; with this library, you gain unfettered access to them all. As long as the library securely rests in your hands, each book stands ready for you, unmarred by the uncertainties of fate.
2- While skimming through the pages stores the book within the library, absorbing its contents is not an automatic feat—life isn't that straightforward. However, fear not, for the library provides an environment optimized for learning.
An ever-burning incense permeates the air, focusing your mind entirely on reading, dispelling any hint of drowsiness or distraction. The fireplace, attuned to your body, maintains the room's temperature, adjusting to the minutest changes.
A tea set, capable of crafting the perfect brews, awaits your command. These teas elevate your performance across all domains, though you must personally gather the water and herbs.
On the table sits a pair of special glasses. These glasses not only exponentially increase your reading speed but also ensure that anything read with them is instantly committed to memory. For an optimal reading experience, sit at the designated table with the glasses and call forth the book you desire—it will materialize before you.
Post-reading, it's time for the crucial process of understanding and consolidating the information. The armchair, a hidden gem, accelerates your brain's processing speed exponentially. It enables you to comprehend and synthesize what you've read at a pace far surpassing the ordinary.
A word of caution: excessive greed may lead to losses from your part. Any information memorized with the glasses, if left unprocessed for too long starts to fade away. After you memorize a certain book using the glasses, you have a maximum time of a day to consolidate the knowledge, or you will forget about it.
So, wield these tools judiciously, and you'll master any subject thoroughly. Don't try and memorize 30 books at once with the glasses and then simply forget half of them because you didn't have enough time to consolidate what you read.
3- A crucial caveat accompanies these remarkable tools. Despite their benefits, a rapid depletion of your energy is an undeniable consequence. Exercise utmost caution to avoid exhausting yourself in the pursuit of knowledge. Remember, balance is the key to everything in life, and overextending may lead to unforeseen consequences. Proceed with mindfulness, and the journey of discovery will be both enriching and sustainable.
The subtle drain of energy may go unnoticed while engrossed in consolidating information. It's easy to tire yourself to the brink without realizing it. Maintain constant mindfulness of your condition, and approach each endeavor with due care. Awareness is your ally on this intellectual journey, ensuring a harmonious balance between knowledge acquisition and self-preservation.
4- All memories related to it are encrypted, rendering them unreadable and undetectable by any external force. So usually, nobody will ever be able to learn of this place's existence.
However, this safeguard applies solely to those unacquainted with the library's existence. For those who have crossed paths with its sacred halls, a unique aura of sanctity lingers—a sensation only comprehensible to those who've experienced it.
Now, having fused with the library, you carry this distinct aura. To those who didn't personally witness the library, you will simply emanate an air of mystery and profundity, not arousing any suspicion. However, for those who've encountered the library before, instant recognition dawns. Caution is paramount, for ignorance may veil the truth, but those in the know will perceive the danger lurking beneath. In such cases, death becomes the only inevitability. Proceed with utmost care.
5- To depart from this sanctuary, focus your mind on the desire to leave. Visualize yourself strolling through a door, exiting from the realm of the library. As you do so, you will seamlessly transition out of this space.
6- In the realm of this sacred space, time unfolds at a leisurely pace—10 times slower than the world beyond its confines. This temporal change explains why this imprint of mine still remains operational even though I, the one who left it behind, have long since departed this mortal coil, millennia ago.
These are the foundational principles of this space. Further intricacies await your exploration, to be unraveled through your own journey.
And with this, I end my monologue. The future now rests beyond my influence. Whether the resolutions to my regrets and those of many others are realized, we entrust to the whims of fate.
Good fortune on your quest, warrior. May your endeavors be crowned with greatness.'
The voice fell silent, and with it, the ethereal glow dispersed into the atmosphere.
The world returned to a tranquil stillness.
Arthur decided not to consolidate the newfound knowledge without securing his return back to the real world first. Leaving his physical form unattended in this realm was a risk only a fool would take, knowing the slightest misstep could spell the end. His survival took priority.
And so, following the voice's intructions, Arthur focused on wanting to leave.