intense library visit

Brendon made a pretty suprised face.

"I-I can try". I nodded and he sat next to me.

He tried reading, and I corrected him a couple times but it was mostly successful. 

"Next time you should choose a simpler book with more pictures". I said, as he left to find another book.

"Yes I probably should". He said sheepishly. 'Did I lower his morale?'

"I didn't mean it negatively".

"I know". He said.

*zii!* I heard an electric sound.

'Oh, my mana link got disconnected.'

I quickly looked around the library to find Christine.

'I should check the history section first.' 

I casually walked to the history section, and didn't find her.

'Probably the monsters section then.'

She wasn't there either.

'Where did she go?'

I found Christine at the fantasy section, surrounded by three guys.

"Hey wanna go to my place after". One of guys said.

'Oh, I'll have to block her vision.'

I used mana to propell myself, and a barrier that blocked sound.

One of the guys noticed me. "Oi, are you her boyfriend or something"? 

I ignored him and covered Christine's eyes. 

"Rule three, immediate reinforcement, punishment, one eye from each". I said.

"What are you talking ab-" *Pop!*

One pop followed by two more. *Pop!* *Pop!*

"A-" He was about to scream but got teleported out. 

"They're gone now". I said.

"What did you do"? She asked.

"I reinforced the rules". I said as I picked up the book Christine was reading.

"How much have you read"? I quickly flipped through the pages.

"Ah". She tried to stop me but couldn't. 

"Do you like novels?" I asked looking at the cover.

'"Being reborn as a slime remake" that's strange. Who's the author?'

I checked the name of the author and it was "unknown."

"I thought you would be studying. How did you even end up in the fantasy section?" 

Christine's eyes started rapidly changing colour. "U-uhm I c-couldn't read t-the first b-book." 

I lightly sighed. "Okay, and how much of this do you understand?" I said as I waved the novel around. She didn't answer.

"Let's go to where Brendon is." She silently nodded.

We walked to Brendon when the link was severed.

"Are you kidding me." I saw Brendon quickly and looked around him.

"You, what relationship do you have with this child?" A woman with blond hair and glasses asked.

"Huh?" I was stunned for a couple seconds, then.

[activating: pact of mana]

if you fail to do as your pact says you will lose your mana.

I briefly looked at the message. "Wha- aargh!!" I quickly fell down.

'Pact of mana?! When!?' I quickly tried to think of a reason why it activated.

"What the? Hey!" The woman said worried.

[delaying the effects of pact of mana]

[you have two minutes]

She quickly pulled out an ink pen, and started writing in the air.

[delaying the effects of pact of mana]

[you have five minutes]

I thought about what I did in the past.

'I never thought I would have to do this again.'

I pulled out my dagger.

I slightly cut myself a couple times.

'I remember!' I went to my knees and said something.

"Sorry." The woman momentarily stopped. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have. I regret being weak, I'm sorry." 

[Pact of mana has been completed]

My location changed. I made a dome of mana all around me, with everything I had.

'First mana in the shape of a dome. Second, open my mouth and let mana leak while circulating it. Lastly, lay on my back. It may not be p-'

Then everything went black.

When I opened my eyes I was back.

"Lucid Party yet again." 

["You really should be careful. At this point you may as well call this your home."]

"I agree, let's call this "Reilley's cabin"." I said. 

["That was fast."] 

I simply nodded, and immediately got bored.

"So far I feel like the only thing I've done here is work." 

I thought about it, and got an idea. "Let's host an event!" 

["What? Do you have a plan?"] 

"Of course, not yet." ["Can you at least think of one."] 

I nodded. "It will be to celebrate it's public release." 

I started walking in circles. Then a message appeared. 

["Aren't you just doing more work?"] But quickly disappeared before I could read it. 

'And since this place works of imagination, I can do whatever I want.' 

I started by making a table. 'Now to thinking.'

I got an idea and asked a question. "Does furniture cost anything to create?"

["Not really, unless you make your own world with npcs."] 

"So it barely costs anything. What happens if the world gets deleted, or a user dies?" I asked.

["....Simply put, almost everything gets refunded."] 

"Okay let's make a Lucid Party building event. Unlimited free building materials. With three sections to compete for."

["Oh goodness."]

"The goal of the event is to build things in Lucid Party. The first will be given on beauty. The second will be practical use. And the last one will be scale, and quality." 

["So, the reward?"] 

I smirked and said. "They get to keep their build." 

["Okay, but how does this help us?"] 

"If you see everything that can be made you will want to make it. Simply put more people will want to buy things in Lucid Party." 

["Okay! I'll tell the higher ups about this idea!"] 

I nodded then a new message appeared. 

[You will leave Lucid Party]  'Why!?'

I opened my eyes, and noticed that my barrier had cracks.

I quickly got up.

There were four people standing there.

Christine, Brendon, the blond woman, and a man with brown hair.

"Ah, he's awake." The woman said.

"Hup!" *Crack!* the man hit the barrier.

"Cough! W-what the hell." I released the barrier, and stared at the man.

Brendon and Christine quickly came up to me.

"Do you know Sophia!?" The man asked.

'Is this the guy that replaced me?" I gathered mana around me.

"I guess you can say that." I said calmly.

"Ah, can you guys please calm down. First of all, how do you know me?" She asked.

"Sorry, even if I tell you the truth, you w- wait a second." I quickly realized something.

"Are you simply refusing to answer?" The man said pointing a sword at me.

"Sophia tonight use dream invader on me. Maybe that'll give you answers."

Both flinched after I said that.

"We should kill him." The man swung at me.

"No!" Christine quickly went in front of me.

'What?!'

*slash!*

*thud!* Christine fell.