2

The library room was as quiet as usual. There was no sound that could be heard, while my eyes could only capture the light from the lantern on the wall to see the rows of bookshelves filling the room.

I kept thinking about what was actually happening earlier. Why did I wake up at my desk as usual? Was that a dream that felt so real? But why is the black book no longer on this table if it was just a dream?

It was very strange but understandable. "Which sorcerer did this to me?! Show yourself! I'm no longer sure what is real and what is a dream!" I knew shouting was futile, but I did it to vent my frustration. However, I genuinely expressed my uncertainty about whether I was dreaming or not.

"Haah ...." Giving up on thinking about all the strangeness that had happened, I decided to check if the black book I had returned earlier was still on the shelf or not. This made me slightly relieved because the book was indeed there. Maybe here I could interpret that I was dreaming earlier.

Unfortunately, I seemed forbidden to consider it that way. The contents of the black book I had read earlier were still imprinted in my mind. Not a single word was forgotten. Ah, the only possibility now was that there was indeed a sorcerer playing tricks and laughing at me now.

As I was about to return to my seat, the library door opened again. It was the second visit of Old Joe. He approached and observed me from head to toe, an action he had never done before.

Before I could express my discomfort, he suddenly asked, "Ars, what do you think of the world out there?"

I didn't answer immediately but took a few seconds to distance myself before saying, "I don't know. I'm not sure. But the way you ask makes me feel like I've never lived outside this library."

Old Joe shook his head, "No, I'm sorry. What I meant is, do you want to go back out there? Leave this library and live freely? I think you have enough knowledge from books to survive on your own."

Honestly, this was a question that I was unsure of the answer. If Old Joe had asked this question a while ago before I read the book, my answer would have been a clear no. But now, I wasn't sure what to answer. "I don't know if I want to go back there or not...."

"In that case, you should go back," he said.

"Why all of a sudden? I don't understand anything."

"As I said before, you have knowledge from books, and that will be able to sustain you out there." Old Joe paused for a moment, then continued, "I can only hope that the wisdom of books will always guide you, Ars."

"As I said, I'm still not sure about leaving or not." I actually wanted to ignore this conversation. "But the way you speak seems to politely urge me to leave."

"I'm sorry, Ars. But there is no more time. It's time for you to go." As usual, Old Joe activated his right eye, emitting a blue light. Simultaneously, a tiger emitting blue light emerged from Old Joe's body and stood tall beside the old man.

"Haah ...." It seemed like I was being expelled, even without subtlety. "Alright, I will leave immediately. Besides, it's highly impossible for me to defeat a Beast Tiger the size of an elephant."

Before I left, without the need to pack personal belongings because I didn't have any, Old Joe handed me a thick envelope. I had no idea what was inside, but because the old man gave it to me while showcasing his Beast Tiger, I accepted the

envelope immediately. "Thank you."

"That's your reward. Use it wisely!"

"More precisely, it's my first paycheck after five years of work. But thank you, with this, I think I can survive at least a month out there." There was no touching farewell or anything like that. I walked out of the library. Perhaps Old Joe had his own reasons for kicking me out. Or maybe it was because I accidentally entered the secret room? I didn't know.

Whatever it was, now I was outside the library. There were no more free food and drinks. It seemed a bit difficult to survive in the outside world after being lazy in the library. But that's okay, maybe this was a destiny I had to live.

Not wanting to be bothered by things I thought I could do later, my footsteps continued to tread on the unpaved ground. If my memory served me right, I would reach the end of this underground room, which was a cave, shortly. Thinking of the cave made me wonder, what does sunlight feel like out there?

However, as if not allowing me to dream for a moment, four masked individuals surrounded me from all directions. They seemed to have been waiting for me to come out of the library. But what was their intention? What did they want from me?

"What do you want?!" I stopped walking, stood tall, and spoke with an intimidating tone. My father had taught me how to fight, including intimidation, so something like this wasn't difficult for me.

The masked man in all-black attire chuckled at my words. Without hesitation, he aimed the tip of his sword at my face. "You're surrounded, Ars. We already know everything about you, so it's better if you kneel and surrender all your valuables!"

Based on what was happening and the words of the person in front of me now, I had at least some assumptions. However, there was one strong assumption that I didn't want to believe, which was that Old Joe had actually sold me to them. But I didn't feel like I was valuable enough to be bought.

"Why are you just standing there?! Do as I say immediately!"

I gave a slight smile. Something like this couldn't scare me. On the contrary, "I'm interested in your sword. I think as an apology from all of you, you should give me that sword."

***

Inside the library, Old Joe appeared with a faint smile as the Beast Tiger slowly faded, merging into the air. "Exactly as you said, my friend. Ars has truly awakened his power five years after your absence...." The old man fell silent for a moment, then murmured again, "I don't know whether I should laugh or cry. You always sacrifice yourself even when no one asks."

He then looked up, staring at the ceiling with an empty gaze. His right eye, which had emitted a blue light, gradually returned to its normal state. After a few moments, he lowered his head and let out a long sigh.

"From now on, everything depends on you, Ars. But before that, you must overcome my final obstacle before you face the real challenges out there." Old Joe now sat in the chair that Ars usually occupied. He no longer had any intention of hiring anyone else in the library. Moreover, as a man without children or a spouse, he had decided to spend his old age here.