Chapter 15: Timeless

[Name:] Alex

[Title:]???

[Level:] 3

[EXP:] 3/100

[Skills:] Oversaturation, Memory Palace, Echolocation, Art of Learning, Ambidexterity, Battle Arts, Anti-Lip Sync, Invisibility, Manipulation, Technical Knowledge (depreciated), Pickpocket, Panoramic Vision, Dexterity, Resistance, Fear Inducement, Thousand Tongues

[Aliases:] The Mastermind, The Fool, Skeleton Horror

[Debuffs:] Partial Hearing, Myopic Vision, Anti-Lip Sync, Rizzless

[HP:] 100/100

[Achievements:] Flash of Power, Combat Novice, Beat the Odds

I sat in the tall grass bed of the peaceful meadow. My back was against a tree and on my face was a dark expression.

The strange book that had taken me days to open was laid bare before the sunlight, its contents glistening with black ink like a forbidden cipher.

"Damnit...", I cursed under my breath as I recalled the events from an hour ago.

...

"EUREKA!"

I exclaimed with profound joy as the once elusive book finally popped open. A bright grin made its way to my face as I laughed whole-heartedly.

"Yes, yes! I am him after all! This book stood no chance."

Take a look at him, glazing himself.

Shut up and let me bask in this victory!

"Haha! Ayanogoat ain't pulling this one.", I spoke sarcastically as I fell back on the grass, facing upwards.

"Hahaha!"

Read the damn book already!

My inner voice screamed in annoyance.

An annoyed expression made its way to my face as I clicked my tongue, "Whatever!"

Strangely, it seemed that I derived more joy from solving the book's mechanism rather than actually knowing what was in the book.

Humans were perverse like that.

With a sigh, I icked up the book and raised it to my eye-level.

The instant I read it, I cried out, "What in tarnation?!"

The contents of the book were written in a strange text.

"Oh God...no..."

Don't tell me I'll have to solve this one too?!

Fortunately, I didn't because in that moment the system announced.

[Activating Language Translator Pack...]

[You have gained a Skill: Thousand Tongues]

[Skills:] Oversaturation, Memory Palace, Echolocation, Art of Learning, Ambidexterity, Battle Arts, Anti-Lip Sync, Invisibility, Manipulation, Technical Knowledge (depreciated), Pickpocket, Panoramic Vision, Dexterity, Resistance, Fear Inducement, Thousand Tongues

[Skill:] Thousand Tongues: Thousand Tongues grants mastery over all forms of communication, allowing the user to speak, understand, and manipulate any language. Words become tools to charm, deceive, or command, bridging divides or sowing discord with unparalleled eloquence. This skill lets the user understand and speak any language whether written or unwritten.

What the fuck?!

This skill is broken!

I widened my eyes as I read the skill description but then a wistful expression soon replaced it.

Too bad I can't take any of these skills back to the real world.

Bold of you to assume that!

I shook my head at my inner voice and then turned to the book.

[Skill: Thousand Tongues has been activated.]

Soon after the system announced the skill's activation, something strange happened.

"What?", I exclaimed as I stared at the book.

The contents of the book which was once indefinable suddenly became understandable.

"I can read it."

I gasped as I slowly began to read the first page of the book.

Journal Entry – 22nd Day of Forge Moon, Year 1187

The lord's tower nears completion, though the masons grumble about the weight of the new keystones. The design holds; I have checked the arch calculations twice, but the laborers fear what they don't understand. Still, I reassured them—the mathematics do not lie. It will stand long after we are gone.

At midday, I inspected the water wheel repairs. The miller claims the flow is too weak, but I suspect his paddles are poorly angled. If I can convince him to follow my new design, efficiency could double. Yet, convincing the stubborn is harder than crafting a proper gear.

Evening brought a welcome sight—parchments from the royal library, sent by a traveling scholar. Within are sketches of a strange device called a "crane." If the drawings are accurate, it could lift the heavy stone blocks faster than a team of oxen. I must study it further by candlelight tonight.

This work is my legacy, each stone and beam a testament to ingenuity. Perhaps one day, they will not only remember the lords who commissioned these works but also the minds that built them.

Signed- Galter Droet

The instant I finished reading the first page, a thought came to mind.

"He's British!"

Seriously?! That's the first thing that comes to mind?!

My inner voice exclaimed, incredulous.

Wait...you're not...raci-

Of course not! Am just surprised, fool!

Oh...good...good...

I shook my head at my inner voice and turned back to the text.

All jokes aside, this text means one thing...

I grinned and said, "There are humans in this world!"

I smiled but then sighed, "That's actually obvious though...I mean those skeletons were the remains of the dead...", I raised a hand to my right eye as I remembered the skeleton monsters.

Am glad am alive...

I smiled softly as I looked down, basking in the calmness of the scene but my inner voice wasn't having it.

Cut the bs, and read the damn book! Remember you still haven't gone to that bloody cave, you bastard!

"Ugh...", I winced at my inner voice before staring off to the distance, the cave was waiting for me at the end of my line of sight. The jagged hole in the mountain chain seemed to devour all light that reached it, beckoning me to its appalling maul.

I stared at it for minutes before looking down at the book, "Am wasting time."

I steeled myself and continued to read. Reading entry after entry until I reached what seemed to be the last.

Journal Entry – 3rd Day of Harvest Moon, Year 1203

Today, I closed my workshop for the final time. The tools that once felt like extensions of my own hands now seem heavy; their edges dulled from years of use. The draft table, worn smooth by countless plans and sketches, will gather dust now. I suppose there is a time when even the sharpest chisel must rest.

The aqueduct stands, its water flowing clear and strong. The mill wheel I repaired still turns, though its creaks tell me it may need new paddles soon. The lord's tower reaches high above the village, casting its shadow across the land. These works will outlast me, as they should.

A younger man approached me this morning, eager to learn. He held my old compass and straightedge with reverence, as if they were relics. I gave him my journals and told him to improve upon my mistakes. It is a strange feeling, knowing that my legacy now rests in hands I hardly know.

Marta says I should spend my days in the garden now, watching things grow instead of building. Perhaps she's right but my heart yearns the thrill of adventure.

Maybe, I would embark on a journey to that rumored place, the Wyvern Mountain, who knows I might find something that fills my heart there.

Signed- Galter Droet

I let out a sigh as I finished reading the last of the lines of the entry.

I've gained answers...but I have many questions as well...

"Wait, let's take things slowly...", I muttered and then closed my eyes, "What do I know now?"

"This world is based off on both fantasy and medieval themes...but it seems that the land...Galter lived in, doesn't know magic...", I said as I brought a hand to my chin.

I may be wrong though...just maybe...its forbidden to be practiced...

I grinned at that thought. The thought of knowing something that laid at the edge of society always filled me with a dark glee.

I turned back to the book and opened the next page, expecting to see another journal entry.

"What the fuck-?!"

The moment I laid eyes on the next page, a strong primal fear gripped my heart.