The thing that sprouted within Aize and was born after absorbing the power of the Fantasy Library was actually a kind of authority.
This authority is both a symbol and a representation of a supreme power.
It only applies to the concept of "armament." Any weapon, armor, or item that can interact with the bearer will fall under the influence of this authority.
When Aize comes into contact with such weapons, armor, or items, he can selectively use the power of the authority to manipulate them.
As for how to manipulate them—that's something Aize will have to figure out on his own.
All he knows is that what he's obtained is the ultimate authority over the concept of "armament," a power that can even surpass the gods!
"…Feels like I've gotten something incredible."
Looking at the golden patterns sinking into his body, Aize was left with only this thought.
Unfortunately, without a powerful armament, this ability was just a decoration.
In short, Aize was still just an ordinary person.
But… that wouldn't last much longer.
Aize turned his attention away from his newfound power and looked toward the surrounding bookshelves.
"Are these books really each a complete fantasy world?"
Even though he had already received basic knowledge from the Fantasy Library, Aize couldn't help but feel curious.
He walked to a corner of the resting area, followed the steps upward, circled along the wall, and finally stepped onto a red carpet and into the book collection area.
Without heading further in, he approached the nearest bookshelf and randomly pulled out a book.
Before he could even open it, the will of the library silently emerged.
[Opening a book will allow you to enter the fantasy world described within and randomly experience a life there.]
[Please note, the administrator cannot return to the library until reaching a certain life milestone.]
[If the administrator dies in the fantasy world and is confirmed to be unable to resurrect, the library will reclaim the administrator's role and choose a successor.]
Aize quickly stopped turning the pages, frowning.
"So… if I die in there, I'm really dead?"
Thinking it over, Aize's expression relaxed.
"Makes sense. The library's purpose is to make fantasy worlds real. If I—a real person—enter them and experience life, that goal is achieved."
"And if it's real… then real death would follow too."
Perhaps, before Aize entered, these worlds were just fantasy.
But once he entered and had real experiences, the fantasy would become reality.
In that case…
"Let's just start."
Aize no longer hesitated and opened the book in his hand.
Rattle-rattle—
The book's pages started flipping on their own.
As they turned, the pages began floating away from the book, swirling around Aize like they had minds of their own.
"So many?"
Aize was surprised.
According to the library's rules, each page of a book represented a fantasy life.
Just like in novels—some characters are born special, with noble bloodlines, powerful backers, cheats, or overwhelming strength. Others start ordinary and rise gradually.
The library filters out the most unreasonable lives, keeping only those that could plausibly exist.
Even then, each life varied wildly.
Some started at the peak, others in utter ruin. The experiences could be vastly different.
When the administrator enters a fantasy world for the first time, one life is randomly chosen. The rest vanish. Even if they return later, it'll be along the path of that one chosen life.
After all, once a life is lived, the world it was lived in becomes real.
Now, Aize was going through the random selection of his first fantasy life.
Choose well, and he'd be the protagonist.
Choose poorly, and he'd suffer.
And the process couldn't be influenced—not even by Aize himself.
Time passed. The swirling pages around Aize grew fewer.
Finally, only one page remained before him.
Cling!
At that moment, the book's cover glowed.
In the light, it was as if an invisible pen wrote a title onto the cover—
"The Asterisk War"
"This world…?"
Aize's face filled with shock once again.
Swish!
The chosen life page turned into light and shot into his mind.
At the same time, the book floated from his hands and opened again before him.
The pages were still all there—but now, all of them were blank.
Because their story had yet to be written.
Drawn forward by a strange force, Aize stepped toward the book and reached out.
In the next second, he silently vanished, leaving the book suspended in the air, gently bobbing up and down…
...
At this moment, Aize felt strange.
He was no longer touching the ground, but he didn't feel like he was floating.
His vision was completely white—no other colors at all.
The space around him shimmered, like a film slowly changing scenes at a thousand times slower than normal, gradually replacing the image of the mysterious library with something new.
When the white faded and the flickering stopped, and he once again felt solid ground beneath him—he realized:
He was in a classroom.
It was a multipurpose classroom, with a few desks spaced out and about 20 to 30 students in uniform.
It felt like being back in high school.
At the front stood a teacher, and behind them was a projection-like window playing footage of a disaster.
"This is the Falling Star Rain," the teacher said monotonously. "A catastrophic event that changed the world forever."
"It struck Earth in the 20th century and caused unprecedented damage."
"For three days and nights, meteors rained down, destroying many cities."
"Many nations weakened, and the global balance shifted. Without the emergence of the Integrated Enterprise Foundation, the world may not have recovered."
The lecture was dull, and most students were dozing off.
"Thanks to the meteor storm, humanity discovered an unknown element called mana—'Lux'—which spurred technological advancement and led to the birth of a new kind of human—'Genestella.'"
"That's right… all of you here today are part of that generation."
Most students remained sleepy.
But Aize, seated near the corner, took a deep breath.
He lowered his head, looking at his clenched fist.
There, sparkling like stardust, light shimmered.
He could feel it—power flowing through his body.
Different from before.
This was… Lux, the power of the stars.
And he… was now part of the new generation.
He was—Genestella.
(End of chapter)
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