The Secret Room

Akira stood before the grand entrance of the Concordia Library, its stone facade imposing and regal under the midday sun. The heavy oak doors, reinforced with iron, were a gateway to a world of ancient knowledge. With a deep breath, he pushed them open, stepping into the dimly lit interior. The scent of aged parchment and leather-bound tomes filled the air, a comforting reminder of the knowledge that awaited him.

As Akira entered, he greeted the librarian warmly.

The librarian, a stern-looking woman with silver hair tied in a neat bun, glanced up from her desk, her expression puzzled. "Good day, sir," she replied awkwardly. Akira realized his mistake as Alfred's voice echoed in his mind.

"Master, be careful. You are not Akira right now. You are adventurer Fate," Alfred reminded him.

"Oh, I forgot," Akira thought back. "That's why her greeting was so awkward. I'll be more careful."

He approached the librarian and introduced himself, "I apologize, my name is Fate, an adventurer."

The librarian's expression softened slightly. "Alexa Brown, at your service. I'm responsible for maintaining the library. How may I assist you today, Fate?"

Akira hesitated for a moment, considering whether to reveal his true intentions. Deciding against it, he said, "I haven't decided on anything in particular yet. Could you show me around the different sections of the library?"

"Of course," Alexa replied, rising from her seat. "Follow me."

She led him through the labyrinthine halls of the library, pointing out various sections. "Here we have flora and fauna, poetry, stories, history, law, trading, physical combat, and magic." Each section was meticulously organized, the shelves lined with books of varying sizes and ages.

When they reached the magic section, Akira asked, "Is the magic section divided into different types of magic?"

"Yes, indeed," Alexa said, guiding him further. "Here are the sections for fire, water, earth, air, summoning, and healing magic."

Akira examined the rows of books, their spines bearing titles in ornate script. "I'm sorry to trouble you, but I'm looking for something different. Do you have a section that is really, really old and related to magic?"

Alexa thought for a moment before heading back to her desk. She retrieved a key and motioned for Akira to follow her. They walked to a door at the back of the library. "This room contains our oldest texts, but be warned, many of these books are unreadable. They're either missing content or written in unknown languages."

She inserted the key into the lock and tried to turn it, but the door was stuck. "It seems the door has been closed for a long time," she said, struggling.

"May I try?" Akira offered. "I'm stronger than I look."

Alexa stepped back, allowing him to take over. With a single push, Akira forced the door open, a cloud of dust billowing out. Alexa began coughing, and Akira quickly cast a detoxification spell, clearing the air.

"Thank you," Alexa said, regaining her composure. "This is the room with the unreadable books. As I mentioned, these books are either incomplete or in different languages, so they're of little use to most people here."

Akira's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Thank you, Alexa. I'll be spending a lot of time here."

"If you need anything, I'll be at my desk," she said before leaving him alone in the room. Akira closed the door behind her, ensuring no one would disturb him.

He approached the nearest shelf and picked up a book. The text was in a language he didn't recognize, but as he focused, the words began to make sense. "Alfred, how am I able to read this?"

"It's the skill the god gave you, Master. You can understand all languages of this world," Alfred explained.

With renewed determination, Akira began flipping through the pages of each book, allowing Alfred to store the information. The process was painstakingly slow, but Akira was relentless. Hours turned into an entire day as he worked through the volumes, his eyes scanning lines of text and his fingers turning page after page.

Finally, as he finished the last book, Alfred spoke up. "Master, I need some time to analyze the information. I will notify you when it's done."

Just then, a knock sounded on the door. It was Alexa. "The library is about to close," she informed him.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Akira grabbed a random book on fauna. He opened the door, holding the book in his hand. "I'm done for the day," he said, placing the book back in its place on the shelf.

Alexa locked the door and asked, "Did you find the book you were looking for?"

Akira shook his head. "No, I couldn't find it."

At the front desk, he placed a gold coin in front of her. Alexa's eyes widened. "This is too much!"

"It's fine," Akira insisted. "I really did trouble you a lot today. Consider it a thank you."

With that, he stepped outside. The sky had darkened, the stars beginning to twinkle overhead. Akira's thoughts drifted to the mine and the progress Jarvis and the goblins must have made. He knew he needed to inspect the ores and ensure everything was in order.

Once again, he sprinted, his speed fueled by mana and he was very hungry. The journey back to the base was a blur of trees and shadows. During the way the thought of Jarvis delicious cooking made his mouth watery and the ores at his disposal made him think of things he will be building in the near future.