Vol.01: Ch.25: A Hidden History - Secrets Of The World

In the library, Darell was, as usual, reading the historical records.

However, something seemed different today and this caught the attention of the librarian.

Normally, Darell would take a few books off the shelf and then, sit in a quiet corner where he would spend his time reading.

But, today, he pulled every book on historical records off the shelves.

This also, caught the attention of the students who had been a regular in the library.

They observed him while pretending to be reading.

Darell, however, paid them no mind.

He had grown accustomed to the whispers and stares he often attracted from both his classmates and the Instructors.

So, he fully concentrated on his task.

The previous day, when he was fighting the ogres and goblins in the dungeon, he suddenly realized something.

He had never seen nor heard anybody mention ogres and goblins existing in the forests even though they existed in the dungeons.

This puzzled him greatly.

His thoughts swirled in his mind as he reached for the last book on historical records on the shelves, 'Why do they only exist in the dungeon? Shouldn't they also exist in the outside world? What happened to them? Also... why aren't there any similar monstrous beasts living in the forests?'

He walked toward a quiet corner of a library and carefully arranged all of the books on a large desk.

He sat in the chair and exhaled as he mentally prepared himself, 'Let's do this!!!'

He opened the first book and began reading.

He read every word of every paragraph as he scoured through the book, in hopes to find any hidden truth.

Hours passed as he read through one book at a time.

Finally, his efforts were rewarded when he stumbled upon a crumpled piece of paper that had been hiding within the pages.

He took it out and quickly realized that the paper didn't belong to the book but it had been deliberately placed from another source since they were different from each other.

He carefully smoothened the wrinkled paper and began reading it's contents.

As he continued to read, his eyes widened in disbelief.

What was written in the paper was a fragment of history that had been shrouded in secrecy.

It's existence had been purposefully omitted from books and conversations about it had stopped.

Centuries ago, the world teemed not only with humans but also a diverse array of beasts and monsters.

Among them were ogres, goblins, lizardmen, orcs, giants, and even awe-inspiring creatures like wyverns and dragons.

These beings inhabited the forests, each species staking its claim and engaging in a perpetual struggle for resources and territory.

Humans fought valiantly against the monsters, battling for food and land, while the monsters ate humans as a source of food in turn.

This intricate dance of survival continued for millennia until an unprecedented calamity struck.

The planet convulsed with an intensity that seemed as if it was unhappy with its inhabitants.

Volcanic eruptions rent the skies, tsunamis and floods swept across the lands, colossal tornadoes razed everything in their path, and earthquakes shattered entire continents.

No one was spared from the wrath of this catastrophe; all were swept away and killed.

Yet, amidst the chaos and devastation, through some divine luck, a few humans managed to survive.

The surviving monsters, realizing the direness of their situation, sought refuge within the dungeons as their final attempt at salvation.

Though their lives were spared, it came at a tremendous cost.

Over the course of thousands of years, their souls gradually fused with the dungeon cores, while their physical bodies were left behind as empty husks, controlled by the very dungeons that absorbed their essence.

Darell's hand began trembling as fear and shock coursed through him.

This unknown history weighed heavily upon him.

He hurriedly folded the paper and hid it in his pocket.

He slumped on the desk and took deep breaths to calm himself as he fearfully thought, 'What the fuck? That fucking happened? But... why doesn't anybody speak or even mention it? This isn't even written in the books. It's as if... everybody has forgotten about this calamity. But how can they easily forget an event that caused such death and destruction? More importantly, who caused such destruction? Who or What had such power?'

As he thought about the calamity, his breath grew heavier, his heart rate increased and sweat formed on his forehead.

The system sensed Darell's mental state and tried to talk to him.

[ Nobody, in particular, was responsible for such a calamity. ]

Darell frowned and asked, "Huh? Then.. why did it happen?"

[ Unfortunately, the system doesn't know. ]

Darell's frown deepened.

He had always believed that the systems held boundless knowledge.

But, if even the system doesn't know about such an event then, it meant that the power responsible for such an event surpassed the system.

At the same time, when he realized this, the system sent him a message.

[ The host should let go of these matters. Dwelling on events from thousands of years ago won't alter your past mistakes. Instead, concentrate on what lies ahead of you in the present. ]

Darell nodded his head and replied, 'Yes, you're right.'

He shook his head and pushed such fearful thoughts to the back of his mind.

He closed the book he'd been reading and got up from his seat.

He picked up all of the books from his desk and walked toward the shelves where he carefully put them back in their respective places and walked out of the library.

Meanwhile, in the magic class,

Eric was focused on memorizing a rank 04 Earth spell.

He repeated the incantation diligently and tried to understand the spell.

So engrossed was he in his task that he failed to notice Ariel's curious gaze fixed upon him.

Just moments ago, Ariel had been memorizing a rank 04 Sound spell.

However, a sudden pang of pain surged through her head, causing her to stop herself.

When one learns a spell from a scroll, it demands both time and an immense reservoir of willpower.

Often, when the brain reaches its capacity to absorb further information, the person feels a headache and this signals it's limit.

If anybody tries to ignore the pain and continue, then they would only cause harm to themselves.

So, as Ariel grew bored knowing that she can only continue memorizing the spell tomorrow, she turned her attention toward Eric and quietly observed him.

Suddenly, she noticed Emma who was sitting on another chair beside Eric, conjuring a Light sparrow and sending it flying through the open windows.

Athena saw her doing this but chose to overlook it since she had completed memorizing her spell.

Ariel nudged him lightly but he remained oblivious.

So, she nudged him continuously until he finally snapped out of his focus and looked at her.

She gestured towards Emma, prompting both of them to turn their heads in Emma's direction.

They saw her create more Light sparrows and send them out through the windows.

Eric sighed and turned to face Ariel as he said, "She's using those sparrows to keep tabs on Darell. Ever since he woke up, she's been like this."

Ariel nodded her head and sympathetically replied, "She's terrified of losing Darell. After nearly losing him once before, she's trying her best not to repeat the past."

Eric sighed and refocused his attention on the spell scroll.

Ariel sighed thinking about the incident and glanced at Eric.

She tried to touch his arm but he impatiently swatted her hand away.

Seeing his reaction, she was taken aback and couldn't stop the tears that began forming in her eyes.

Ariel had a concern deep in her heart that had been weighing it down ever since they enrolled in the academy.

She could see that Eric had been constantly distancing himself away from her and the thought of him leaving her consumed her day and night.

"E-E-Eric?", Her voice trembled as she called out to him.

"What?", Eric impatiently replied.

"D-D-Do you still love me?", She gripped her skirt tightly and asked.

Eric clicked his tongue in annoyance and replied, "How many times do I have to say to you? Don't disturb me when...", he turned to face her and was dumbfounded by the tears that were cascading down her cheeks and he tried to speak, "I-I-I..."

He snapped out of his reverie and quickly hugged her and tried to calm her down as he asked, "W-Wha? What happened? Why are you crying?"

Ariel buried her face in his shoulder and tried to speak while crying, "B-Bu-But y-you didn't a-answer my q-qq-question?"

Eric sighed and caressed her back as he replied, "I love you but... it's... just... "

Ariel pushed him away and cried as she asked, "J-Just what? A-Am I not g-good enough? A-Am I not b-beau-beautiful enough?"

She grabbed his collars and demanded, "T-Tell me, Eric! T-Tell me, w-where did I-I-I go w-wrong?"

A sigh escaped his lips and he shared his deepest concern, "It's just that... I fear being left behind by all of you. I worry that you will surpass me, and I will become a worthless husband after we marry. You all possess exceptional abilities, while mine is common. Among our group, I am perceived as the least talented. Darell can court Emma because his rare Space ability offers protection and attracts the attention of many families. If I marry you, it might seem like you settled for me out of pity."

Ariel wiped her tears away and took deep breaths to compose herself.

Then, she grabbed Eric's cheeks angrily and spoke, "Are you a fool? How can you even think such absurd things? Have you ever considered that you are the fortunate one in this case?"

Eric was confused by her and asked, "W-Wha do yoouu meaan?"

Ariel let go of his cheeks and replied sternly, "You have a common ability. This means that if you work hard enough and with the best guidance, you would be able to master rank 10 spells. You have the chance of becoming one of the most powerful beings in the world. But... Darell... ", she shook her head and continued, "he can't. He doesn't have any support. He is learning all by himself. He has the least probability to become a rank 10 being because nobody has ever heard or seen a rank 10 Space spell let alone a rank 06 Space spell. It doesn't exist. Now, tell me, who's more lucky? Him or you?"

Eric felt his throat tighten as he pondered her words.

He had never considered the matter from this perspective before.

With a sigh, he bowed his head in apology and said, "I am sorry."

Ariel smiled at him and mischievously giggled and playfully ordered, "If you're truly sorry, then you must kiss me right now."

Eric, taken aback by her sudden request, blushed with embarrassment, but then, following her gaze, he saw her point to her cheek.

Blushing, he leaned in and tenderly kissed her cheek.

In response, a radiant smile graced Ariel's face, and she returned the affection by placing a loving kiss on his cheek.

Suddenly, a chilly gust of wind interrupted their tender moment, causing them to shiver.

They turned around and locked eyes with Athena who glared at them disapprovingly.

Realizing they had been caught, they swiftly composed themselves and resumed their diligent studies with the scrolls, leaving behind the warmth of their loving interlude.

Athena shook her head disapprovingly as she thought, 'Urghhh! This is why I hate couples! Why do they have to show affection in the public? Do they not care about the feelings of single people like me?'

She sighed and thought, 'I am still single at this age. When would I find a man? I don't to live all alone. When would my charming prince arrive?'

She noticed Lilith who had a troubled expression as she read a scroll.

So, she shook her head and cleared the depressing thoughts away from her mind and approached her as she asked, " What is the problem, Lilith? Are you having trouble understanding something?"

Lilith raised her head and met her gaze and confessed with a look of frustration, "Yes, instructor Athena. I can't understand the meaning of this verse."

Athena smiled and began teaching, "This verse, here means that...."

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