9 Identity

Only Davy's soothing tone of voice could be heard in that entire room. Fallan had not once interrupted him as he described his 'dream.' He simply listened intently the entire time. Their scene was as if it had happened a thousand times before, with Davy recounting his dreams and Fallan listening to him. He had that vague feeling. It was bizarre.

"Then... I woke up," Davy concluded his long story after telling Fallan a lot about his real life. Honestly, he discovered that telling these to Fallan wasn't all that strange. In fact, he appeared relieved, as if a huge burden had been lifted from him. It was so refreshing to have a conversation with someone he knew wasn't a real person, but Davy felt at ease around them.

As soon as he finished, he noticed that the hand that was holding his right hand had tightened from its initial gentle grip. His gaze was drawn to their linked hands and he noticed Fallan's firm grip on his hand. He then raised his head and looked at Fallan.

His blue eyes met his, and a different kind of emotion enveloped him. Fallan maintained his calm and somewhat indifferent demeanor as if no one could easily move him. Davy would believe this on any other day. However, the way he gripped his hand said otherwise. It was in stark contrast to the expression on his handsome face.

"Is there... something wrong?" he asked cautiously, his other hand playing with the hemline of his dress. He was reminded once more of how difficult it was to see through Fallan.

Fallan didn't respond at first, instead staring at him as if etching his entire existence in his mind—a kind of indescribable yearning. Davy's eyes were filled with confusion. Why was that so?

Before he could think about it too much, Fallan reached out his other hand and gently stroked Davy's golden hair, a smile on his lips. Then he said softly, reassuringly, "No, nothing is wrong; everything is... fine."

Davy narrowed his eyes as he stared at Fallan. He was suspicious because of the way he said it. But before he could respond, Fallan spoke up.

"Do you want to go back to your room right away or do you want to go somewhere else first?" the question came so naturally that even as if their earlier conversation had never happened.

His eyes squinted at Fallan, noting anything unusual on his face, but he didn't get anything in the end. This Fallan was a jigsaw puzzle that Davy would never understand.

Davy sighed as he realized that even if he asked Fallan, he would not receive an answer. What the fuck did these NPCs have to keep from him? First, there was Lien, the bad liar, and then there was this Fallan, who seemed very professional while playing the fool. How difficult was it for him to figure out his role and identity in this game? He seemed to have no choice but to summon that last option once more.

After deciding this, Davy ignored Fallan's oddity and went along with him. "No, I think I want to visit..." he paused and thought of someplace that might contain what he wants and soon a place emerged in his mind, "...the library, can I?" Yes, what else is more convenient to gather any information than the library?

At this request, Fallan's eyes flickered with understanding. He nodded in response to his request.

Under Davy's watchful gaze, he gently waved his hand, and they were instantly transported to another location. The solemn hall with incredible artworks had been replaced by a huge colossal space filled with gigantic bookshelves and books.

Davy's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened in an instant, and his jaw dropped in surprise at the unexpected turn of events. As his gaze wandered around the room, he became overwhelmed by the abundance of books. It was such a massive library! He stretched his neck and looked up as much as he could, astounded by the size of this library. The towering bookshelves seemed to go on forever. And they took over the entire space. This was so... astounding.

In his stunned expression, he subconsciously spoke his thoughts, "It's so huge," His assumption that the creators went bankrupt creating this game without any expenses left to run their servers may be correct. The design alone for this library could bankrupt any small or even large VR company.

Soon after, he recovered from his shock and turned to look at Fallan, who was standing beside him. Fallan then approached him, his calm eyes seeming to bore into his very being. Davy was suddenly embarrassed. Fallan just saw him staring at the library, looking ridiculous. Davy stood up straight and bowed his head, attempting to blend in and conceal his visibly flushed face.

Davy met Fallan's calm blue eyes with another chuckle and a hand reaching out under his chin to lift his head. His eyes glowed with amusement as if he was amused by Davy's flustered appearance.

"Hm, your reaction is just right. No need to be embarrassed, and... never bow your head," his smile calmed Davy's nerves as he nodded and his normal complexion returned.

Fallan grinned as he removed his hand from Davy's cheeks, but not before gently caressing Davy's cheeks once more. Davy bit his lower lip as a butterfly flew into his stomach in response to the sudden action. Why are you so attractive, Fallan?

The mood lightened, and Fallan introduced Davy to the library while still holding his hand. His expression was the same as it had been when he toured Davy in the dining room corridor. He appeared to be very used to performing this act and efficiently filling the information gap for Davy.

"This library is naturally that massive because it contains all of the Chaos Universe's knowledge and history, from the very first epoch to the current one, all of which is recorded and placed in this library."

While Fallan was speaking, he looked around and nodded. That makes sense; the sheer volume of books had him dizzy. There is no way anyone could finish all of the books here, not even in millions of years. How old was this Chaos Universe to have so many books in its history?

When he returned his gaze to Fallan, he noticed him close his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. Davy tilted his head, unsure of what was going on.

Fallan slowly caressed Davy's head and spoke softly, "Dear, I have someone to meet; you are free to read whatever you want; I'll return later," he explained, staring closely at Davy.

Davy's mind selectively ignored the endearment and nodded, "Okay, I'll wait for you,"

With another look at him, he seemed to say something again, but this time as if recalling something. He waved his hand confidently as he vanished from Davy's sight in a matter of seconds. Fallan left as if he already knew who could assist Davy with whatever he needed to know.

A strange look that Davy chose to ignore. Davy stared absentmindedly at the towering bookshelves towering through the horizon once he was the only one there, and a lost feeling veiled into him. Wait, how was he supposed to skim through all of this and find what he needed to know?

His eyes dimmed and his face sank as he felt the urge to pull his hair out. He only needed some basic background information and had no idea how to fucking find it in this motherf*cking monster library.

Nonetheless, the color returned to his face gradually. His eyes shone with determination. He had no choice but to play his final card. And the most despicable card he possessed.

He swallowed and took a deep breath, exhaling to ensure his blood pressure was as stable as possible. He summoned the system bravely.

"System, I have a question," Davy said, knowing there was no way out.

[His Highness finally can't wait to summon me again. What is His Highness' question? I'm at your service]

The same gender-neutral voice rang out, and a string of words flashed across his vision. As Davy heard the system's respectful yet mocking tone greeting him, he began to question his life choices. His eyelids twitched as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. This was his only option; he had no choice but to endure.

"I'd like to read some basic information about the history of this game, so can you help me find some books?" he asked calmly, ignoring everything else. Patience was written all over his face, but his heart was now prepared for the trigger that would cause his blood to boil once more.

[Acknowledge, Your Highness.] The system obeyed almost immediately, and Davy noticed something flying in his direction at the fastest possible speed. And in no time, it was in front of him. A book that he could easily grab floated in midair in front of him.

He remained silent, his lips slightly parted, as he stared at the floating book. Davy despises admitting it, but this damn system was truly amazing. Such a useful assistant, but why did the creator include a detestable program?

Perhaps confused as to why Davy didn't immediately grab the book, the system asked.

[Is the book not to your liking, Your Highness?]

Davy regained his composure upon hearing this question. He quickly reached out his hand and grabbed the book. He didn't respond to the system and instead began striding to the nearest table, where he could sit and read the book.

"What is my role?" he blurted out while walking. He was both curious about his role and helpless because the NPC appeared to have no intention of telling him anything. He also realized he hadn't asked Fallan anything yet.

[What do you mean, Your Highness?]

Davy rolled his eyes and repeated with a different word, "I mean, what is my identity?"

[Did His Highness not know yet? ]

Davy pursed his lips and tried to relax; no, he had to be patient. His temple throbbed, but he remained composed. "Otherwise, would I still ask you?" he asked, smiling.

[Isn't His Highness, is His Highness? The Most Precious One... that is you, Your Highness]

His brows knitted as he heard the word precious again. So, his character was indeed the most precious existence?

"Why?" he inquired, "and what is my connection to that title?"

He sat in the chair, placed the book on the table, and leaned back, waiting for the system to respond.

Almost immediately, the system responded again,

[His Highness was born with that title. His Highness is that title.]

He sighed exasperatedly; this was going nowhere. The system appeared to be repeating itself without any elaboration. So he asked a different question.

"About my connection to Fallan or the Supremes... why do I feel like they knew so much about my character?" He had been thinking about this since last night. Fallan's action was far from simple. The emotions he had been giving Davy were so intimate that even he could sense them.

[His Highness' connection with the Supreme Rulers is his soul.] The system simply responded.

"What do you mean? Then... why is the fucking mission saying I need to conquer them if I already have a connection with them?" Davy squinted as his fingers traced the edge of the book.

He initially mistook the word "conquer" for "seduce" and "make them bed him," but it turned out that was not the case. And what should he require in the end to complete his mission? The objective wasn't clear at all.

Unlike before, the system did not respond immediately. The same gender-neutral rang again after a minute.

[The mission is for His Highness to figure out himself because it is His Highness' responsibility]

Davy almost spat blood when he heard this question. He knew it was his responsibility but was it still your responsibility to tell the player what they wanted to know? The fucking system knew exactly how to raise his blood pressure. He inhaled deeply and resolved to ignore the system once more.