Author's Note: there will be specific date in this chapter so I added a section to my Game Guide chapter to explain it a bit. The Date format is: day of the week, day month, year.

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Ren took the ring and the book out of the bag and put them inside his inventory to examine later. Ne and Nicole said a short prayer for the skeleton then left to continue exploring the forest. The sun set over the forest and Ren was alone by the fire. Nicole had to leave to sleep because it was approaching evening in the real world and she needed to actually eat something real and sleep in a real bed. Ren pulled out the book he had gotten from the skeleton, opened it up, and began reading.

This journal is the property of Arler Unod

Torun, 11th of Aleat, 4726 BE

I made it! I actually made it! I've become an apprentice hunter in the Alliance! After years searching for them and months convincing them I finally made it! This is the best day of my life. Ever since I heard stories about a secret group of people that traveled the continent and beyond looking for powerful artifacts and dangerous locations to keep them out of the wrong hands I was hooked and just knew that I was meant to join them and now that day has come. Tomorrow I start my training and I can't wait!

Sobac, 15th of Beasson, 4726 BE

It's been over a month since training began and it's a lot tougher than I anticipated but that's not going to stop me. This past month had all been physical training. I haven't even been allowed to look at a weapon let alone touch one. At first they had me running around a field all day and when that started getting too easy they tied metal plates to me to increase the difficulty. They also had me doing various other physical exercises to raise my strength and endurance. It's been hell but they’re not going to drive me away that easily.

Kokel, 30th of Draz, 4726 BE

I made it through all of the training with flying colors and I've been promoted from Apprentice Hunter to Hunter 3rd Class and have been given my first mission. I half to convince the owner of some rare spell book they had found in some cave to give it up. I've been told that I'm allowed to use whatever means I deem necessary to accomplish the mission. I head out in two days.

Dac, 28th of Araphic, 4726 BE

She gave me no choice. I had to kill her. She just wouldn't give up the book. I tried buying it, intimidating her into selling it or giving it away, stealing it. After a bit she left the city and I followed her several miles away from the city I confronted her one last time but she still wouldn't give it up so I had no other choice but to take it by force. I wasn't trying to kill her but the fight just escalated to quickly. After I retrieved the book I glance through it and saw that most of its contents were dark rituals. I guess it was right to kill her but she doesn't look like the type to use this book. Was killing her really the only way?

Abada, 1st of Freck, 4727 BE

It's the first day of a new year. I've been on almost a dozen missions by now and I always succeed but someone always dies. Why can't they just give up the object? Don’t they realize that I’m going this to keep them safe? To keep their family and friends safe? I'm being promoted to Hunter 2nd Class tomorrow. They say it's because of my good work and my drive to keep the world safe and that I should be proud. Somehow I feel a little ashamed though.

Ren skipped ahead a bit.

Phedic, 9th of Coron, 4730 BE

I've been a hunter for the Alliance for almost four years now. I got promoted to hunter 1st Class during my second year and yesterday I got promoted to Master Hunter. With every new rank comes access to more information about the Alliance. I was told yesterday after the ceremony about one of the Alliances biggest secrets. It's about the existence of a city that rebelled against the gods during the end of the Golden Era and marked the beginning of the Silver Era. I wasn't given much information about it. I was only given its name, Dur Tharum, and told that all information and everybody that knows about it outside the up ranks of the Alliance must be contained or destroyed. I was told that the secrets the city contained could bring ruin to the continent if not the beyond as well. I wasn't told its location unfortunately but my job now was to travel the land searching for information about the city.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

At the mention of Dur Tharum Ren stopped reading and stared at the passage for a moment. Ren then scanned trough the book looking for any other mention but there weren't many and the ones he found were all mostly about dead ends. There were a few about obtaining book that mentioned the city but most of those were burned and rest returned to this Alliance. Soon Ren reached the last few pages of the journal.

Holth, 27th of Chesa, 4740 BE

I've finally made it to Grandmaster Hunter. The information I have access to now starts to paint a bloody, corpse-filled picture of the Alliance. I've also learned a bit more of Dur Tharum. They say it was call 'The City of Transmutation' where everyone knew how to change one object into another though the use of transmutation, some hybrid of alchemy and magic. I wasn't given the details but it seemed that transmutation also lead to its ultimate demise and its current state.

Abada, 14th of Goum, 4752 BE

It's been so long since I last wrote in this journal. I just haven't been able to bring myself to write down what I've been through, all that I've done in the name of keeping people safe. I've thought about it and I've come to a decision. I'm going to leave the Alliance. It won't be easy. I’ve hunted down plenty of rouge Hunters myself so I know it won't be easy but I just can't take any one this anymore.

Dac, 4th of Carak, 4753 BE

I've been on the run for almost a year now. The Alliance just won't give up until I'm dead or they are. I've managed to lose them this time by traveling through a storm but it won't last long. I've hidden myself in a small cave deep in a forest near some small village. Hopefully I can stay here for a little while and rest.

Sobac, 11th of Carak, 4753 BE

The storm had lasted for a week. I've run out of food but at least I won't run out of water thanks to all of the rain. The only thing I have to do is think and think i have. I've reflected on my career and I can't help but cringe when I think about it. The amount of people, innocent people that I have killed is far more than I can deal with.

Oridal, 14th of Carak, 4753 BE

I...don't think I’ll be able to leave this cave. This storm is not something of nature. It's lasted for far too long. This must be part of my punishment from the god for what I've done. Some rocks fell from the ceiling and landed on my legs, breaking both of them. I couldn't leave here if I wanted to now. I doubt it'll be long before I die so this will be my last entry. If a member of the Alliance finds this I will only say this. Leave while you still can. If some else finds this journal then i will tell you this. The Alliance my say they stand in the light but the shadows they cast are long and dark and hide many graves. Remember to beware the Alliance of the Tome.

Ren closed the journal and just stared off into the distance as he processed everything he just learned. He now knew why it was so hard to find anything on Dur Tharum. He also wondered why he hadn't been "Contained of Destroyed" yet. Was he not enough of a threat to warrant such actions or had they not found out yet? Ren took out the ring and examined it.

AoT Grandmaster Hunter Ring  Type Ring Quality Good Defense 0 Durability 110/110This ring is used to identify a Grandmaster Hunter belonging to the secret

organization 'The Alliance of the Tome'

Ren stared at the Ring for a moment before putting it and the journal back into his inventory. He was ow armed with information that he had stuck his found his way into something that had no easy way out. Ren realized that he would need to get stronger so he could defend himself if this 'Alliance' came after him. A short while later Nicole logged back on and they resumed their exploring.