Chapter 2 - Three Mysteries

Now that he was ready, Vesnic alleviated his senses as far as possible, and because of his genetics, he could sense tens of thousands of metres away from himself. The moment Vesnic did so, he sensed a strong, familiar barrier spell nearby. Currently, Vesnic was in his polymorphed state as a human, and although he did not want to ruin his clothes, he had no choice but to morph into his true form. Instantly, wings that spanned tens of metres appeared on his back, and just like his hair, one was green and the other red. At the same time, the tail of a dragon appeared behind him, only spanning a couple ten metres. Utilising nothing but pure speed, he appeared in front of the barrier in a matter of seconds.

This barrier—is it not the one that used to guard the Land of Dragons? Confused, Vesnic approached the barrier and attempted to enter. As he reached out to touch the object, he felt a sudden shift in the air. It was as if a massive weight had descended upon him, crushing him down with a palpable force. A feeling of intense danger overtook him, and a wave of killing intent seemed to emanate from the object itself. His hand hovered just above the surface, fingers trembling with curiosity. But the weight of the killing intent was too much to bear, and he quickly pulled his hand back. and by instinct, started casting five spells simultaneously. However, when he lost contact with the barrier, the killing intent disappeared. Not wanting to take his chances, he left the place immediately after guessing what was happening.

Once again pushing his senses to their limits, he located a nearby town with barely any presence in it. Rushing towards the town, he started to put the pieces of the puzzle together, but some were still missing. After arriving in the town, he felt something amiss. It was a ghost town. Nevertheless, he continued to venture in and search for his targets: a shop that sold food, a living, talking creature, or anything that could substitute for it.

He wandered through the empty streets of the ghost town, his footsteps echoing through the silence. Abandoned buildings lined the deserted roads, their windows shattered and doors hanging off their hinges. It was as if the entire town had been frozen in time, left to decay and crumble away into nothingness.

As he turned a corner, his eye caught sight of a small shop nestled in the shadows. It was an unremarkable building, its faded sign barely visible above the door. But as he drew closer, he saw that the shelves inside were still stocked with food—cans of beans, bags of rice, and other staples that had long since vanished from the world. He pushed open the door, the creaking sound echoing through the space. The air inside was musty and stale, but the food on the shelves looked untouched and perfectly preserved. However, as he sat down to eat, his expression was muted and distant. He ate it without much emotion, as if it were simply another task to complete. While chewing on the food, a building in the distance caught his eye. It also had a worn and almost faded sign, but Vesnic managed to make it out. It was one of the places he wanted to see.

The Library. Finishing off a piece of bread, Vesnic casually walked over to the library and surveyed his surroundings. He pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped inside, greeted by the sight of towering shelves of books that seemed to stretch up towards the ceiling. The air was thick with dust, which had settled on every surface and created a hazy, almost ethereal atmosphere. It was as if the library had been untouched for years, a forgotten relic of a bygone era.

The shelves themselves were old and worn, with cracked and peeling paint revealing the layers of history and neglect that the library had endured. The books were equally aged, with covers that had long since lost their sheen and pages that were yellowed and fragile with age.

As he made his way deeper into the stacks, he came across a particularly intriguing shelf filled with books that seemed to have been untouched for decades. He reached out to grasp one of the volumes, and as he did so, a thick cloud of dust erupted from the pages, dancing in the air before slowly settling back down to the ground.

Brushing off the dust from the cover, Vesnic could see that the book was old; the leather binding was cracked and worn, and the golden letters on the spine were faded and almost illegible. He carefully opened the book, and as he did so, more dust billowed out from the pages, coating their fingers and filling the air with the scent of musty paper.

The pages themselves were yellowed and delicate, almost brittle to the touch. The writing was written in a flowing script that was almost indecipherable in places, and the ink faded and smudged with age. He looked around and found a small wooden desk with a battered chair. He approached and sat on the chair, surrounded by towering shelves of books in the dimly lit library. His eyes were fixed on the pages of the ancient volume, and his mind was consumed by the knowledge and secrets contained within, trying to understand each word.

As he read on, turning page after page, Vesnic lost track of time, unaware of the passing hours and days. He read until the candle on the desk burned down to nothing, his eyes never leaving the page. He read through the night until the light of the sun filtered through the dusty windows once again, and then he kept reading. Days passed in a blur of words and pages; he ate and drank nothing, and as he finally reached the end of the volume, he closed the cover with a sense of satisfaction and awe. Only then did he look up and realise that days had passed since he first entered the library. He stood up, stretching his cramped muscles.

What Vesnic had learned from this book was something even he did not expect. Rather than travelling through time, he travelled through space. He was in a separate timeline from his own. However, this was not the only knowledge he had gained. This world is underdeveloped in terms of magic. In his past world, almost every being could use four-circle magic, with the strongest mortals being able to use ten circles or higher. Surprisingly, in this world, the strongest beings had to sparingly use ten circle spells; even the elves, the species with one of the largest mana cores, had to work as a group to cast one. The reason for this was because of a species that did not exist in his previous life, the Garnamians. A species that conquered half of the entire continent and could cast magic that was able to destroy mountains. Vesnic presumed that this was probably around a nine- or ten-circle magic, so the Garnamians subjugating that much land was plausible if they could use such destructive spells normally while the other denizens could barely deform normal land.

Vesnic was lost in thought as he walked out of the library. I must certainly reach the eleventh circle quickly and check out the Land of Dragons soon. There should be some vital plants and ores that I need to acquire, and if any other dragons are alive, I should wipe their existence from the face of this world. Vesnic felt the excitement build up inside him as he thought of the draconic species, and if the dragons have not been wiped out already, then that dragon will most likely be alive.

Chuckling to himself and praising himself for thinking to come to this world as a weak being, Vesnic could not feel the presence of a man standing metres ahead of him.

"How dare a filthy dragon walk upon my land?"