Even as we were returning, we could already hear the commotion happening in the centre chamber. Rogier came back to congratulate us regarding the defeat of the Guardian. Judging from the sounds we heard, Gier almost immediately went to punch him.

"Hey hey hey! What the hell are you doing, man?"

"You left us there to die!" Gier yelled at him.

"Come on, you would've done the same, no? I mean, Cristina is a fucking Deep Delver and even she couldn't win against that thing. I would be absolutely useless there. Like a lamb to slaughter," Rogier defended his point of view.

"That's not true! We could've used your help. In the end, the rookies had to save us! It should not work that way!"

Rogier smiled. "Heh, you're one to talk. Where have you been all this time? Lying on the floor."

Gier backed away. "I... Well, it was–"

"Fear. I know fear when I see it. But I never expected you to freeze. Amy? Sure, she's new. In her case, it makes sense. But you've been here so many times before. Did you see that you couldn't win easily and got cold feet?" Rogier pushed his grinning face even closer to Gier, who was trying his best to avoid direct eye contact.

"No! It was just–"

"Are you done bickering, lads?" Cristina asked, which seemed to put them both in line. "Rogier, you are a coward. But I expected that. Gier, whatever happened back there, do something about it. It nearly cost you your life."

"I will," he muttered.

"Great. So now, we can move on to the most pressing matter at hand," she continued and waved at the rest with Corwyn's ID card.

"What the hell is that?" Rogier asked.

"An ID card. Yours," she pointed at Corwyn, whose skin tone instantly turned a few shades paler.

"W-What? But I–"

"You fucking lied to us, boy?!" Rogier snapped at him. "What are you hiding? Are you secretly some shrunken down pro delver?"

"N-No! I... I am a–"

"Corwyn Teach," Cristina read the name and all of our eyes almost flew out of our heads.

"Teach?! From Teach & Co.?!" Gier couldn't believe his ears.

"Reliable education equipment since 1457 of the third age," Rogier mumbled their slogan.

"Holy shit... You're from like the wealthiest family in Ritena!" I couldn't wrap my head around it either.

"No. N-Not just from the family." When he said that, all of us exchanged confused expressions.

"M-My father is Trevor Teach. He owns the company."

"WHAT?!" we all shouted in unison.

"You're... an heir?" Amy gasped and the spark in her eyes suddenly seemed as if she was looking at a deity.

"Y-Yeah. I'm an heir to the company. I'm his eldest son."

For a moment, we all stayed quiet. I could tell that even Cristina wasn't expecting an answer like that.

"God, I wish I had some booze on me," Rogier broke the silence and as if he was hoping that some stray flask would suddenly manifest near him, he patted his pockets.

"That's amazing! So wait, is that why you're so strong? Natural resistance to the descent, and the ability to resist the Guardian's ability, not to mention that you were strong enough to pull me out of there all on your own!" We could all tell that Gier was very enthusiastic about the discovery. "Is your resistance some hereditary trait?"

Crowyn's eyes turned to the floor. "N-No. You can't inherit something like that. It's impossible."

"Then is it just random?" I asked, eager to know as well.

He shook his head. "You know h-how... there can be more than books here?"

"Artifacts, yes. One can also find artefacts of various functions and purposes in the Glassrooms. Though usually, they are utterly useless. Anything remotely useful can usually be found on floor 100 and below." Cristina explained.

"What? That was not in the informational booklets," Amy complained and began rummaging through her backpack, quickly looking for her notes.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"It's not really something that they would say to rookies since most of them die long before they can reach such a depth," she replied, speaking about our high chance of dying as if it was a regular conversational topic.

Corwyn turned his back to us. "Cristina is right. T-There are all sorts of artefacts down there. Some are weapons. Most are useless. And..." He rolled up the back of his shirt. We all took a step back when we saw nothing but a plate of lights, metal, and machinery right where his spine was supposed to be. "There are some that can go into your body."

"Holy shit... It's not inherited nor random. You were built to be a Delver!" Rogier said what we were all thinking but were too afraid to express out loud.

Amy was the only one who approached him, holding his tunic up and running her fingers across the metal. "Does it hurt?" she asked and in her voice, I could hear an honest-to-heart concern.

"N-No. I don't really feel it," Corwyn replied and let her take a closer look at the augments. "You're right, Rogier. Father wanted a perfect Delver. Someone who could be a model example for everyone else. I was never interested in the library or the knowledge it contained. I wanted to be a painter. At first, my father accepted my decision, but the company still needed someone to inherit it one day. So... So his eyes turned to my little sister. H-He wanted to start right away. Stuff her full of robotics, and I..." he clenched his fist. "I couldn't just let that happen."

"You took her place," I mumbled and Corwyn nodded.

"Yeah." Finally, he turned back towards us. "About 70% of my organs were replaced by artefacts. I didn't want to lie to you about who I was but–"

"Nah, I totally get it," Rogier interrupted him. "Honestly, if I knew right off the bat, I would probably kidnap you for ransom. And then if I knew how much magi-tech you've got packing, I'd probably end up dismantling you and selling off what I could on the black market."

We all turned our gazes towards him.

"What? I'm being honest. Of course, I wouldn't do it now! He's one of us!"

Gier approached Corwyn. "That's a good point. I am glad you were honest. You are just another member of the group. Your origin and past don't matter. But you should consider talking to your father. Nobody should be forced into something like this."

"I guess you've never met my father. I appreciate the kind words, but it will never be that easy."

Cristina stepped into the conversation. "Maybe not. To be honest, I can't imagine what it would be like to speak up against someone as powerful as your father, but I have to agree with Gier on one thing at least – we share a common goal for now. Our job is to find some books for you rookies, while we work on our own research goals. And... I suppose, Rogier, you're just gonna look for anything that can be sold?"

Rogier grinned. "You bet."

"Grand. Well, I suppose you can tag along too. As long as you don't try to stab us in the back or abandon us again, I see no reason why we couldn't travel as one group." She turned around and headed down the corridor leading further away from the centre.

"W-Wait, we aren't going down?" Corwyn asked.

"No. I need to check out a few Glassrooms for my research. You should come too. There are more books to be found there, and who knows, maybe you will find something at least readable."

We all exchanged a few concerned looks, but in the end, none of us had a better idea. Descending deeper would only mean more strain on our bodies, which was something we wished to avoid after the rather exhausting ability of the Guardian. With no other sensible option, we followed Cristina further into the library's outer layer.

"Hey, Gier?" I joined him at the very end of our little convoy.

"Yeah?"

"What happened to you, really? With the Guardian, I mean." My question obviously struck a sensitive spot. He took a deep breath and it seemed as if his response only left his lips after being pushed out by a great force.

"I just... I'm not good with blood. When I saw mine, I... It freaked me out."

"Really? You're a pro delver and you freak out when you see a drop of blood?"

"It's not about a drop! It's the idea of it. When I got hit, I knew that I couldn't defeat the Guardian. You're right, I'm a pro, but that doesn't just mean I am experienced. It also means I've seen a lot of people die. I-I still see them when something like this happens!" His voice cracked and he quivered, which prompted me to immediately drop the conversation.

"Sorry, sorry! Don't think about it, okay? It's fine. We are all fine."

"I know, I know. And I promise that I will do my best to help you guys out in any way I can. I'm just not really usable for combat."

"Yeah, that's fine, don't worry about it. You've already helped us more than enough."

I took a moment to think. Should another Guardian get the jump on us, we would have to be more prepared than before. Cristina was strong but susceptible to the powers of the Guardians. On the other hand, there was Corwyn, who was afraid and inexperienced, but immune to most supernatural phenomena the library could throw at us. Rogier was... well, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure what he was, other than annoying, but perhaps his experience could've been useful. Then again, we already had Gier for that. Amy's role was quite clear to me. She was no fighter, but her knowledge and supplies were lifesavers. I briefly glanced over Gier's and Rogier's patched-up wounds. It seemed that Amy was quite skilled in first aid as well. That was an invaluable skill. Unfortunately, I was not sure what my role in the team was. I wasn't strong, fast, or smart. I had nothing to offer and my biggest fear was that sooner or later, others would realise it as well if they hadn't already.

"Well, rookies, say hello to your first Glassroom!" Cristina exclaimed when we walked into a massive open area. "Someone else should go first though. Just in case we spring any traps, it might be better if I stay safe and help out those in need." When she said it, Rogier just rolled his eyes and took the lead.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm the most expendable, I know," he growled and led us further inside.

The place looked fascinating, and yet as unwelcoming as possible. The walls here also consisted pretty much only of bookshelves, which towered over us, reaching all the way to the tall ceiling. The questionable massive ladders leaning against the walls were then most likely the only way to obtain some of the books placed higher than we could reach. A wooden flooring ran along the perimeter of the room. It was just about wide enough for one person. Anything beyond that was just dirt and gravel, which filled the rest of the floor, culminating in a rather large pile right in the middle. A quiet "wow..." escaped my mouth when my eyes landed on the countless rusty swords stuck in the ground. It almost seemed like some cult of weapons, which have gathered to pray to their deity - a massive greatsword with a glowing red blade, which was resting at the very top of the dirt pile.

"T-That looks ominous," Corwyn mumbled and took a few steps back.

"Heh, we're quite lucky," Cristina smiled. "That there is an artefact."