As always, she looked stunning. My heart fluttered for a moment, only to be reminded of its pain.

She was briskly walking through the ruins, a woman on a mission. Something seemed out of sorts, when I realized that she was alone and not being flanked by her lackies.

Tucked away on the outskirts of the light, she passed me by, unknown. The urge to reach out my hand surprised me. I quickly suppressed the desire and resolved myself. I was alone.

More players slowly began showing up to the town, probably to avoid the creatures of the night. I needed to hurry to my destination if I wanted to go unnoticed.

As stealthily as I could I crept through what remained of the main hall.

There was a beautifully ornate rug that spanned over half of the floor. It was an intricate crimson color with golden frills. It was a shame that large portions of it had been burned in the desolation of the kobolds. I made sure not to step on it as I walked past in reverence. As I was exiting the room I took one last look at it, when to my surprise I notice something peculiar.

I walked towards the center of the rug where a particularly large gash was located. Located underneath the rug was a trapdoor.

It took me about 10 min to push, role, shove, and slide the rug in such a way that I could gain access to the trapdoor. My breathe and pulse became more rapid as I reached for the inlay handle.

A notification appeared.

To enter the chamber of time, the following conditions must be met:

Class: Sorcerer

Race: Undead

Favor: 10

Hint: It is recommended that an individual seeking to enter the chamber of time have a fundamental grasp on mana.

“Jackpot” I said. Almost in response, a notification appeared.

Quest update “Do Something! (S)”

You have discovered the entrance to the chamber of time. Before entering, it is suggested that you have a fundamental grasp on mana.

“Fundamental grasp on mana?” I said out loud.

My heart flickered, does it mean the fundamentals of mana vol 1-9 ? I had already finished 4 of the volumes which had given me the insight on how to make the mana crystal. A whirlwind of dots began to connect.

Malfin the Wise gave me the quest to “Do Something” and while Malfin Thorncloud was the author of the volumes of book that this trapdoor is mentioning, this confirms my suspicion that the author is indeed the same instructor that gave me the quest. I also suspect that there might be some reward for this quest to help me cast more spells. Maybe there is a more permanent solution to the mana crystal.

One thing is for sure though; I need to get to the library quick. I proceeded to cover the trapdoor. Not that anyone else could enter, but might as well keep it a secret all the same.

I opened my character window and saw that I had 7 favor already.

The library was a complete and utter mess. Large sections were scorched, knocked over, and on top of each other. The entire eastern side of the library was nothing but soot and ash.

Shit, I hope the books weren’t on that side.

I spent 3 of my remaining 8 ½ in-game hours searching through the mess until I found them. The set was not complete, although thankfully volumes 5-9 were still intact. Volume 8 had been torn into about 3 big chuncks with some loose pages scattered on the floor. After verifying that all of the pages were there, I grabbed the 5 volumes and attempted to leave.

I say attempted, because instead of leaving the library I ran into an invisible wall.

A notification appeared:

You are not allowed to leave the library with unchecked books, please see the librarian for more information.

I looked around at the empty room. Well, it looks like I’m staying here. I found a nice corner concealed in the darkest part of the room and set up my new workshop.

I read through vol. 5-6 in about 5 hours. I earned +2 intellect each time I finished a volume for a total of +4 intellect. I learned a great deal about the theory of mana manipulation. According to these volumes, there is theoretically a way to condense mana particles using a conduit that will cause the particles to reverberate in such a way, that time is bent. In Layman’s terms, something akin to time travel.

I only had about 30 min left, but my brain was fried like a cheap pound of bacon so I logged off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My life in the real world was a blur, seemingly a dream in itself. The entire day my thoughts continuously went to my discovery of the Vault of Time.

I logged back in and for the first time in my life, I was eager to read. The sun shone through the roofless library and I resumed my spot in the corner.

In the span of 6.5 hours I finished the remaining 3 volumes.

I got the typical +2 intellect for finishing each volume, and in addition.

You have completed your study of Fundamentals of Mana.

As the first person to do so you are give +10 intellect and +5 favor.

You are the first person to finish a volume of books.

You are given the title of “Book Worm”

Would you like to equip your title?

y/n

“Not right now,” I said. I have some more pressing matters to attend.

Volumes 7 and 8 were just more nuanced research and diagrams of mana, but in volume 9 I learned something astounding.

The elder elves were an ancient race that prided themselves in intellect and wisdom. For thousands of years they lead the world in the study of magic, technology, infrastructure, economy, and literature.

They were the single most dominant race, and because of their power they brought peace to the land. Generation after generation prosperity flourished throughout the world because of them.

But, as fate would have it a young elf named Magnir, the fifth prince to the throne of Eurthrin, destroyed the entire elder race. Dabbling with forbidden magic in the pursuit of reversing death itself, there was a severe miscalculation that caused an eruption of magic.

The magical shockwave not only destroyed the Elven city of Eurthrin, but also unleashed a curse upon the elder elves. Every creature with a drop of elder blood was aged 3000 years and cursed to roam the earth forever. Their memories and their civilization was forever destroyed, giving birth to a new race, the undead.