Adam resisted the smell and watched as his arm slowly healed, returning to normal.

—And why did you say we were still at risk?—Adam asked with doubts.

—The last part was supposed to be the most complicated—answered the bear with some regret —But it won't be any more challenging than this, so don't worry too much and enjoy.

Adam followed the advice and decided not to ask any more questions. He waited for his body to heal and got out of the pool. Immediately, the wooden boy reappeared, now with a white tunic.

—Here, your new tunic—said the wooden boy as he handed the tunic to Adam.

—Thank you so much! This tunic is much more comfortable—commented Adam as he tried on his new tunic.

—Don't mention it; your ancestors earned this—said the wooden boy with a smile.

Adam pondered for a while. He had never considered that the comfortable life in the cave was thanks to the librarians who ascended, just like the school and many other things he always used for free. Maybe this service was so incredibly good that it made him think more deeply about how important ascensions were for the society he lived in.

But before Adam could continue reflecting, the wooden boy approached and handed him a book.

—A housewarming gift—said the wooden boy with a smile —To make your journey to ascension more comfortable.

Adam saw that the book was quite small, the size of a small notebook, and its covers seemed to be made of human skin, while the spine of the book was covered in black hair.

—Thank you so much!—said Adam. This book must be a magical book due to its unusually strange appearance. The bear looked at the book in Adam's hand for a while but didn't say anything.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

With his new tunic, Adam left Hexagon 8 and rushed to Hexagon 6 to get out of this floor as quickly as possible. Upon reaching the stairs, the bear gave new instructions:

—We're going to the 2nd out of 5 lower floors, Hexagon 7 out of 18. There's nothing strange on that floor, just some lunatics. I'll explain about the creature we're facing as we descend.

Adam nodded and continued down the stairs, along with the bear. When they reached the halfway point, the bear continued speaking:

—The creature we will face is a Corruptus, a librarian who completely lost their mind and turned into a strange creature. This one, in particular, is blind and is being protected by the bookshelf on the floor where it lives, so we can only try not to draw its attention.

The bear noticed that the boy had stopped to ask his godfather when he heard the creature's name. Ignoring Adam's godfather's response, the bear continued explaining the plan:

—The Hexagon where the Corruptus lives is infected with the scent of corrupted people. That's why we needed the scent to camouflage your presence.

—Do I just need to go in and then out with the box?—Adam asked with doubts. His godfather only wished him luck and didn't give him any advice.

—As long as the creature doesn't find you, you'll be fine...—the bear replied calmly —The aroma only protects you from the creature's sense of smell, but you have to try not to make too much noise or you'll attract its attention.

With the plan in place, Adam and the bear descended to the 2nd lower floor. As they got out, they ran to the door of Hexagon 7, but to Adam's surprise, the door was sealed, or rather, the giant marble frame that served as the entrance to Hexagon 7 was covered with wooden planks.

It was the first time Adam had seen one of these giant frames being sealed. He didn't even know that could be done; to him, it might be an offense to the bookshelf that took care of the Hexagon.

—How do we enter?—Adam asked, looking at the wooden planks.

—There's a loose plank that can be moved—answered the bear, swimming towards one of the planks that covered the giant frame —The couple who brought the box moved this one.

—Are we stealing?—Adam asked, suspicious of the bear.

—No, not at all. In fact, we're helping them, believe me...—the bear replied, moving around the plank, encouraging Adam to move it —Remember not to make noise inside and follow me! If we see the Corruptus, just stay still and don't move.