Mr. F looked at his card.

Name: F.

Creation Date: 986th Year of the 3rd Moon Calendar.

Authority: 3 Stars

This was all that was written on the card. Mr. F also examined the back, but it was blank.

"Hmmm, does the 'Authority' mean that I can access the third floor? How did the machine know that I'm more than just a Tier 6 mage?" he wondered, feeling a slight unease.

Mr. F questioned whether he had made a mistake by coming here. By testing the system, he risked exposing his true power. But there was no use crying over spilled milk. Even if he could eliminate everyone—which, given his current strength, was doubtful—his data would still be stored in the system.

He sighed deeply and resolved to be more cautious in the future. As he wandered through the library, he studied various floor plans. From A for Anthropology to Z for Zoology, every topic seemed to be covered, each section filled with rows of neatly arranged books.

As a test, he picked up a few books and flipped through them, expecting at any moment to be expelled from the library for lack of funds or some oversight. But nothing happened. He wasn't thrown out, and the books remained accessible.

"Do mages with access to the third floor have special privileges?" he mused.

Mr. F quickly realized that the answers he sought were not on this floor. Despite the vast selection, the knowledge here was broad and superficial, designed more for general information than in-depth study.

As he headed toward the next floor and began ascending the stairs, a few young faces looked at him with envy. The young man who had previously assisted Mr. F gazed up in surprise, clearly impressed by the older man's authority.

On the second floor, there were fewer people. Despite the late hour, however, several individuals were still busily browsing the shelves, absorbed in their studies or research.

Mr. F wandered through the aisles until he found a section containing books on various physical phenomena. As he approached, a young girl darted ahead of him and began pulling books off the shelves, stacking them one after another with quick, efficient movements.

"Excuse me," Mr. F began politely, "may I also take a look?"

Without even turning around, the girl replied mockingly, "I was here first. Can't you see I'm busy? Get lost, old man."

Mr. F had encountered many people in his long life, but such a rude brat was rare. He would have loved to use magic to teach her a lesson, but the library would likely detect that.

"Young lady, that's no way to speak to your elders. We could share the books," he suggested calmly.

"Share? With a shriveled old man like you? Do you know who I am? My name is Elisabeth von Daplumsebecken. See this?" She flashed her card at him, showing her authority level of two stars. "So, step aside before I have you thrown out," she said smugly.

Mr. F found the situation amusing but decided to play the fool. "What? You can get someone thrown out just because they have lower authority?" he asked in a tone of mock disbelief.

"Hmph… if I tell the right people that you were harassing me or interfering with my research, of course, I could. Who do you think they'd believe, me or you?" she said proudly.

Elisabeth came from a noble family where every wish had been granted since birth. Her tutor had assigned her to write a paper on the various possibilities of physical energy carriers. Although a few books would have sufficed, she was determined to achieve perfection—something that had been drilled into her since childhood. Therefore, she decided to hoard all the relevant books, even those she didn't need.

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The elderly man before her simply had the misfortune of visiting the library on the same day. Due to her family's status, all its members enjoyed certain privileges, and it wasn't the first time she had used them to intimidate others.

Especially this old man. At just 15 years old, she was one of the youngest Tier 4 mages in the city, thanks to her unique physique, which allowed her to accumulate mana 1.5 times faster in moonlight. Her family had also invested heavily in her education and training.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Mr. F began rummaging in his pocket. "What's he doing now? Trying to bribe me? How pathetic," she thought.

But instead, he pulled out his own card and held it up to her face. "I believe it's only right to yield to those with higher authority within these walls. So, step aside," he said, his tone calm and commanding.

Elisabeth couldn't believe her ears. What was this old man talking about? But as her eyes focused on the card, her breath caught in her throat, and she stepped back in shock.

"Wh… Who are you!?"

In her panic, she stumbled backward, knocking over the carefully arranged stack of books. Mr. F stepped closer, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "I am your worst nightmare."

"Kyaaaaa…" The girl screamed and ran off in terror. Mr. F found her reaction too amusing, and pretending to be a villain in this situation, where he was clearly the victim, brought him an unexpected sense of joy.

He turned his attention back to the shelf and examined the books on the floor. They covered various physical phenomena, but only two seemed to have the specific information he sought.

He decided to return the fallen books to the shelf and took the two that seemed most promising. On his way here, he had noticed a reading area, and since it didn't seem to matter whether he had money on his card or not, he felt no pressure to hurry. He headed to the reading area, settling in for what he hoped would be a productive evening of research.

…

Meanwhile, a young girl ran through the city streets until she arrived at a large estate. She pounded on the gate until a servant came to open it.

Tears streamed down her face as she cried out, "Where are Mama and Papa?"

The servant, accustomed to the young mistress's mood swings, had never seen her this distressed before. He responded gently, "They are still at the Duke's ball. It will be a while before they return home."

"No! That's too long! That old man must be punished!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with urgency and anger.

The servant attempted to calm the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady her, but before he could say more, a male voice rang out from inside the house.

"Sister, what's going on? What happened?"

"Brother!" she cried, running into his arms. "There was a horrible man at the library. He was so creepy and tried to touch me. I ran away because he had a Rank 3 authority, and I didn't know what he might do to me if he got his hands on me."

"He did what?!" her brother, Daimen, shouted, his voice full of fury. Magic swirled around him, causing the paintings and crests on the walls to shake violently.

"Master Daimen, please calm yourself!" the servant shouted, trying to keep the situation from escalating. "We don't want anything broken before your parents return. They will be very upset if you destroy the foyer again."

These words seemed to reach Daimen, and he took a deep breath, trying to rein in his anger. He then turned to his little sister, speaking in a calmer, but still intense, tone. "Don't worry, Sister. By the name of our family, I will make sure this man pays for what he's done."

"But Brother! He had a Rank 3 authority!" she protested, her fear giving way to renewed anxiety.

"Sister, you still have much to learn. Think about it—our family only has a Rank 2 authority. How could some random pervert have a higher rank than us? You must have encountered him on the second floor. What would someone with Rank 3 authority be doing on the second floor? He must have tricked you, trying to take advantage of you!"

Elisabeth slowly stopped crying as her brother's words sank in. A burning anger replaced her fear. "You're right, Brother. He must have deceived me. We need to get to the library quickly, before he escapes."

The servant began to panic, sensing the dangerous resolve in Daimen's voice. "Master Daimen, please, you must wait until your parents return from the ball. Don't do anything rash."

Daimen ignored the plea, drawing his sword and pressing it lightly against the servant's throat. A thin line of blood trickled down as the servant froze in fear. "The honor of the von Daplumsebecken family is at stake. Prepare the carriage. We're paying the library a visit."

The servant could only watch as the siblings stormed out to the waiting carriage. He hesitated for a moment, but then pulled out a communication crystal and channeled his mana into it. A stern, authoritative voice emerged from the crystal, "I hope this is important. Why are you disturbing me on such an important evening?"