Free Web NovelChapter 39: The Power of Knowledge
He left the tavern without looking back. The bustle of laughter, drunken conversations, and off-key music faded behind him like an illusion.
He needed silence. A place where his thoughts could organize themselves without the outside world disturbing them.
His steps led him, almost by instinct, to an essential place in any self-respecting village: the library.
It was a small building with aged wood and low ceilings, rarely visited by players who preferred to spend their time on combat or trading.
He observed the time-worn sign with irony. He was probably the first player to enter out of pure curiosity.
Upon entering, the aroma of old paper, dried ink, and dust enveloped him like a familiar embrace.
He greeted the librarian — a middle-aged woman with round glasses and a patient expression — with a slight nod and headed straight to the shelves at the back.
The woman didn’t say a word, patiently waiting for the mistake every novice made.
Gabriel, on the other hand, was amazed. In his reality, knowledge was stored in data centers and accessible only through digital interfaces.
Physical books were relics of a past lost in time, almost a legend.
Here, however, he could experience their sensation in a library. The touch, the smell, the weight.
It was a strange and comforting luxury.
The librarian discreetly watched him from her desk but didn’t intervene. He searched the shelves with dedication.
He focused on the ancient books, those with worn covers and almost erased golden letters.
Finally, he had to ask, trying to find the right words.
He asked for volumes of ancient history and the woman pointed him to a discreet section.
"Few seek ancient knowledge. So take your time, and if you need anything, ask me."
He only nodded at the kind words.
He read a few small words carved into the wooden shelf: History of the Ancient World, The Age Before.
There were quite a few books. Arranged with obsessive precision. Among them were authors like Plutarch or Abentofail — names he had never heard before, but which held a silent authority among their peers.
But his interest at that moment was in the classics that could clear the fog in his mind. Those capable of giving structure to the mystery.
He selected four titles and carried them to a secluded table. Their old covers creaked as he opened them.
The Gods of Antiquity, Early Herbs and Alchemy, The Rites of the Initiates, and The Tribes of the Past.
They were complex, dense, and written for capable minds. Gabriel’s face darkened.
But he finally sighed. He had chosen this path himself. He could only feel the weight of the books in his hands and think with irony.
He was probably the first player in a long time to sit there reading instead of asking for quests or selling loot.
He began with the index, turning pages carefully.
He discovered that in a remote antiquity, men worshipped gods in a natural hierarchy. But at some point that structure broke.
When the system fell, the tribes emerged. They began to experiment, until alchemy arose as a logical field: mixtures of herbs, rare minerals, and rituals that sought to leave the past behind, searching for new knowledge to exchange for divine favor.
The world evolved under a new reality. Empires fell and men dissolved into purpose.
Gabriel brought a hand to his forehead, reflecting heavily. He had never forced his intellect to such a point.
He felt his brain turning to mush, but he kept absorbing the information.
Gods that fall, tribes that rise, civilizations built upon a history abandoned to oblivion. Everything seemed to repeat in eternal cycles. The game’s story was not just background.
It was a mirror.
But among hundreds of pages dedicated to kings, tribes, and wars, one phrase appeared repeatedly.
Always the same and isolated.
As if the unknown authors assumed that anyone would know its meaning.
When the sky shone and the earth trembled.
Gabriel found it in different books. None explained what had happened that day.
His doubts only deepened.
He looked at his jester ring and took out the regency seal of the Black Raven Order. He held it in his palm.
It wasn’t just an object... It was history.
A path that guided him toward the unknown, as long as he remained committed to the events unfolding around him.
The responsibility weighed heavier than ever.
After some time, he closed the books and stood up. His shoulders were heavy after a long study session.
But above all, because of the implications.
The world was constantly destroying and rebuilding itself around him. And his recent experiences were beginning to become tangible when combined with knowledge.
Broken gods were no longer just statues. And alchemy no longer seemed like the common and ordinary field of a video game.
As he passed the desk, the librarian smiled at him warmly.
"Knowledge is power, young man. I’m glad to see you here for the first time. Come back whenever you want."
Gabriel only responded with a weak and brief:
"Yes, ma’am. Goodbye."
He felt the librarian’s eyes following his back. They contained a strange peace he couldn’t recognize.
Outside, he took a deep breath of fresh air. The contrast with the smell of old paper and wax was welcome.
He recognized one truth more than ever: he had much to learn, to improve, and to overcome.
Soon he would have to leave the beginner village and finally venture into the true world of The Heaven Above All.
He stopped at a secluded bench and checked the linen bag Gustav had given him. frёewebnoѵēl.com
The sound inside was promising: coins, glass, liquid, and something else.
Inside he found, to his surprise, 40 gold coins — which was a real fortune for his current possessions; two glass bottles with a bright red liquid and carefully packaged herbs.
There was also a note at the bottom of the bag.
Gabriel, you probably don’t understand the value of your actions today... But you are my hero and, unfortunately, I cannot offer a country as tribute.
I give you the little I have and, without shame, I do not value it; but it is not trash, it is better — shining trash.
A hug, Gustav.
Gabriel stored the letter with care, folding it gently. He analyzed the bottles with the system:
______________
[Experience Potion – Rare Grade]
Grants a significant amount of experience when consumed.
______________
The other note, along with the herbs, read: "This can lift any man! But no, I don’t mean that. Use it with caution, it is an extremely rare herb from the catha family."
______________
Catha Adulis Herb
Revitalizes affected senses and grants temporary resistance to mental effects.
______________
It had been an extremely profitable quest.
Gabriel felt the urge to smile, but couldn’t.
He took the two vials greedily and emptied them one after another.
The liquid went down his throat like sweet nectar. From the depths of his bones he felt an electrifying pulse, filling his body with strength and energy.
His experience bar shot up.
[Level 17!]
[Level 18!]
A powerful surge was born in his muscles.
He was now only two levels away from his ascension ritual. He felt the anticipation, but also the burden.
He stored the herbs and the rest in his inventory.
Finally, he decided to log out after multiple exhausting experiences. His mind needed to fall into a deep sleep.
When he opened his eyes in his apartment, a persistent headache greeted him.
He needed to go to bed, but the weight of everything he had lived through didn’t allow it easily.
He left the apartment and observed the city slowly. Acid rain fell in fine curtains, recreating a scene of absolute decadence.
He sketched a small smile.
That scene, for a second, seemed so distant.
Corroded buildings, flickering lights, and drones patrolling under the eternally gray sky.
His contemplation was interrupted by a call. The interface glowed with a name: Noel.
He smoothed his black hair with silver streaks before answering, trying to present a tired smile. But his face froze when he heard his friend’s voice.
"Gabriel! I’ve been calling you. Where are you?"
"I... I have something to tell you."
The line filled with a loaded silence. Gabriel felt that the real world, for the first time in a long time, seemed dangerous.
***
The drops hissed as they touched the ground corroded by the years.
Noel’s call still echoed in his head. His friend hadn’t given many details, only an address and a time. That was the most worrying part.
He had noticed the strangeness of the situation. But when he finally checked the destination of the address, his concern surfaced.
A clinic.
He simply contemplated the rain while his hands gripped the railing tightly.
Inside, he urgently checked his terminal. He still remembered the terrible earthquake.
The news continued talking about that event and strange incidents in different districts.
Some reports mentioned "erratic behavior" in industrial zones, but nothing concrete.
Gabriel closed everything and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the neural helmet.
He felt a call from both the game and the real world. And he was in the middle.
He lay down, closing his eyes.
Tomorrow he would have to meet with Noel.
Tomorrow he would face whatever his friend wanted to tell him.
It was important. Very important.
For now, he just wanted to sleep. Even though dreams could often mean nightmares worse than gods or the reality outside.
The real game had only just begun.
