With the next few hours left within this day, William plans to solve another 100 pages before going home by himself.
In the hallway of the 3rd floor, Ellie struggles while kicking the railings to relieve some of the stress unrelated to work.
“This... This... And That! Humph!” striking for the 20th time, she feels like a winner in the contest of strength against the stone that makes these rails. She doesn't mind the mind, as the frustration is stronger.
“I swear... I wanted to ask him about the birthday that I forced from Mi-Yung recently... after all the troubles and her remarks... what a mistake. Why am I so hesitant? I should only ask, and he will answer me as usual.” Ellie laments about her problem while leaning around the railing.
The sight below or the whole tall structure that is the indoor design of the gate left not much impact on her. She has seen this place for as long as she can remember, so that leaves her heart beat in a calm manner.
After all, her parents led her to study inside since she was 6 years old, so her familiarity with this place is great.
“Ahh... maybe tomorrow. Yes. Tomorrow I will ask him what he would like to have for his birthday.” Ellie mumbles while going home in dejection.
Not like the source of her mood matters... Since... Well, he doesn't know about her mood or feelings.
Alas, as the promises are made, they can be forgotten or straight-up abandoned.
The 17th day goes by, while Ellie has yet to ask anything. William, still with a mind full of learning, leaves much to her worries. It all seems to her that he is a clueless Outsider, but... she doesn't want to admit it or give up completely. What if he simply doesn't know any better, while he is ignorant about the relationship? She is not thinking about that, since she never even considers it, or she doesn't want to admit to that... possibility.
Yawning in the dark time of the night, William looks at his watch which tells half past 8 PM. He is yet to be done for today, but his sleep was not the greatest last night. He even lost the Emblem once again. A feat that happened only for the 3rd time since he came to the Federation.
“Let's finish today's day on the 6th floor.” William decided as he walks away from the 5th floor.
It is the 17th day of his learning experiences, and he finds his mind changing very little at times. He could tell it works, but how much? That is questionable since his learning curve is only for himself. He is his teacher, while the books are his materials.
He could remember the things he has learned at the beginning week when Ellie lectured him about each floor and many things within them.
That should be enough for him, but still. He feels like he could learn more, but there is also one thing that comes to his mind. Too much of it would hurt his brain.
Burnout or however, the effect is called makes it that much more noticeable. William learns about the aspect of the learning itself as well. Although he was skeptical about learning from the book about learning since it's the funny name of the book to him.
Yet, much to his unfounded thoughts, the book opened quite a leeway to learn about certain problems and solve them.
There has been even a section that talked about lazy people, which tells they are the quickest problem solvers. That could be more true in William's case, as he always likes to do things the best at first, and not worry about them later.
Though he never thinks of it as being lazy but has to agree that he is someone like that.
Yet, what lazy person would spend 17 days, 10 to 12 hours a day in the Library? He is not considering this logic, as he wants to learn. That is the simplest route in his lazy brain that wants to do something, so he wouldn't regret it afterward.
On the 6th floor, he reaches the door that talks about the Dark beings. One, which was shown to him by Mi-Yung.
With the full pass, there is no one obscuring him, so it feels great and private. Not like he met someone, apart from Kaufman, who tried to halt his card almost 2 weeks ago. There have been some occasional visitors, but they were most often than not, there to collect specific information. High rank or smaller Walkers, William could tell they were special.
Greeted by the rows of cabinets, William takes documents after unlocking the wooden cabinets that he wants to relearn.
In the middle of this room is a section of tables and chairs, that provide long sessions of learning experiences.
William finds them rather hard to sit on, unlike the sofa on the 3rd floor, but not as he would complain after 17 days. No way.
“Let's see once again... The Jawran, Hellgar, Carnijaw, Pawrise, Terrab, Pouncer. These are about it.” William checks the folders and continues to unravel the marvels of these types of Dark beings. It is not his second, nor third time here, since the 6th floor and this room, to be specific, is important for him to learn.
Mi-Yung pointed to this as well, so he doesn't rush this process and reads them with great detail. The whole talk about the Dark beings is one of the things that Walkers have to know.
This is one of the few times where William scowls from sheer focus and will. These moments are something that he needs to learn about. Wanting or not, it doesn't matter to him. No, he will get to know more than Mi-Yung says was the necessities! All for the sake of going by his decision.
These Dark beings are monsters of the general view while having only a low rank. Apart from the Jawran, who he took a folder of just because he could. It is not ideal, as he shouldn't do it, but who is here to stop him? No one. He has seen them before, so he was curious about what this Rank 5 monster can do.
Folders of these beasts consist of detailed reports, a list of features, damages, attacks, and patterns of behavior of their corresponding nature to them.
In fact, William knows already that some Dark beings act differently from others. For example the Hellgars. They are like lions from what he learns through the zoology book. While being bigger and countless times more ferocious. They had a similar build to them, with a usual tail or rows of tentacles behind their back.
Supported by 4 limbs, with a cat-like curve to their spine, with the distinct shapes of their latter limbs. Their head has a wide jaw that is a common feature of many Dark beings. Rows of sharp teeth would splinter human beings, and shatter bones as hammers a stone.
“Monstrous. Those beasts, I have seen them around many positions of the Camps. Acting as surveillance, callers, and hunters alike. They have many numbers, with many strengths and few weaknesses.”
“Right... weaknesses. Who Am I kidding? Those monsters have very few weaknesses at all. Their skin is tough as iron, while usually reinforced by tough fur, spikes, or scales. Hellgars are the weakest, but they can kill any Walker if they are unprepared.” William complains about the thing he already knows about. Hellgars are cannon fodder with the basic premise of numbers, which led to suffering in many cities when the apocalypse started.
Though, they could be destroyed by missiles and high-caliber bullets from tanks. That in itself makes them rather weak in the sense of Walker's abilities.
William goes on and on, and before he knew it, an hour passes.
All of sudden, the self-closing mechanism of the door jolts open. A group of black-clothed men walks inside, with a tough look at them. William glances at them for only a single moment, since he has never seen them before.
At least 6 tall and wide men walk forth and make a corridor for youth in similar, but more luxurious clothes on him. Even through his clothes, one would still see that he is too young for them. 15 or fewer years old is most one would guess.
“What do we have here? I thought we would be alone.” the youth glances around and says to a man on his right.
“Mister Takker, I have not done the reservation, because there are usually not a lot of Walker aro...”
Before finishing his sentence, the man's face is hit by a slap from the youth named Takker.
“I don't like mistakes, sir Connolly,” the youth says while looking at this man, who is 2 heads taller than himself.
Snorting without seeing no answer from him, he walks into the middle of the room. Looking at William's focused gaze on the documents he presses his both palms around the table. Right in front of William, who ignores those people and keeps on reading. It was the same as what he did for occasional visitors since it is common library knowledge. Don't bother other people, while remaining calm and silent.
“I said, Who do we have here? Did you not hear, or are you deaf?” Takker repeats himself while forcing his hand with a paper from the table to see them for himself.
“Newbie... I see. You don't know what this place is at all.” he says and slams the table in front of Williams' page that he is reading.
Leaning forward he tells the obvious threat to this clueless brat in front of him. “I don't like being ignored,”
“I don't know you,” William replies while leaning back on the chair to see what sort of asshat is before him.
A youth around his age, with clothes that could be called luxurious looking. A leather vest, with a delicate blouse below it, with elegant dark trousers on his bottom. He looks quite elegant but does not act like that. He even has spiked black hair that is leaning behind his scalp. Maybe that is intentionally done this way by a hairdresser.
There is also something weird about him that William could not figure out straight away. He could tell that he sounds arrogant to the brim. Yet, he could not tell if he looks more arrogant than he sounds. His eyes are slouched while his eyebrows are fiercely curved. It makes him look rather arrogant if that is even making sense to William. He wonders in a speechless manner without answering any of the continuous ramblings that are coming from his moving mouth.
“Are you fucking listening?” Takker slams the table once more, while a grown-up man behind him walks behind the table. He shoves William's shoulder up.
Forcing him to get up, he says. “Young master Takker is asking questions. No matter what, it is good to answer in politeness, boy.”
“Excuse me... I never met a noisy asshat like that before, so I must apologize for slacking a bit.” William shakes his head while scratching his hair in an awkward manner.
“Y-you what?” Takker asks without a sure idea what he said.
“What are you here for, anyway? I am finishing the last hour of my research, so do what you want here. It should bother no one since there is plenty of space for like 20 people.” William argues while not reading the atmosphere or his words at all, or even the surroundings.
Takker's vein pops through his forehead, while he. with a great force calms down. He doesn't want to do something that he would regret, as the troubles afterward would be heavy. His father told him many times to not make trouble for other people, while his own men are fine to trouble.
“Leave. sir Takker is asking you to leave. So do it, for your own sake.” The man who was previously slapped goes forwards while voicing the main issue of his young master.
“Is this your library?” William says without concern. He never met people who would make trouble such as this. They are most likely faking being so tough. That is at least William's assumption that comes from a little experience of his young life Outside.
“Who do you think you are, brat?” Takker asks in agitation, while the vein on his forehead is even more noticeable. Someone got pretty damn angry, and for what? A little lesson?
“B-brat?”
“Listen here, you little shit. My goddamned father is a Prime Hunter in the goddamned Assembly so you better bulge your eyes what I am bout to show you.” Takker proudly swings his head up, yet with anger, declares his lofty position that is not even his own.
William listens this time to the word of this annoyance with indifference since he doesn't care at all. This clown's words are less important because he would rather return to his own research. He doesn't plan to back down because some noisy asshats think they are privileged.
Takker puts his hand in his pocket and lifts a yellow card in front of William's face. As if the token of the world is presented by his little hands, while William, could not be less bothered with this kid.