Chapter 10

My world, Your world (1)

    Entering university marked a shift from solely receiving knowledge from instructors to leveraging one's own curiosity for development, learning, and applying gained insights for the future.

    "It doesn't escape the reality that I still have to trudge through textbooks,"

    Esther lounged lazily on a chair in the physics class, letting out a big sigh. One of his significant drawbacks was his immense dislike for attending classes. His fondness for reading novels could not be applied even a bit in a class full of calculations.

    His mediocre grades were almost failing, likely to remain consistent in university.

    The catastrophe began when someone absurdly incorporated letters into mathematics.

    Since this field emphasized both combat and battle strategies, including skills for daytime and nighttime attacks, ancient military techniques, old-world war treatises, and various philosophies, it was normal. Esther's fortune wasn't entirely doomed because he still had grades from memorization and strategy-based subjects to help a bit.

    Having a Ph.D. didn’t necessarily equate to teaching well.

    Esther contemplated this, not considering his own propensity for laziness.

    Tartarus, reading his thoughts, laughed uproariously in his mind.

    One of the most annoying things for Esther was knowing that besides his weapon being able to read his mind, it could also communicate telepathically, laughing like a maniac during his study times as if watching an endless comedy show.

    “Most professors pursue their specialties but don’t necessarily specialize in teaching,” Tartarus communicated telepathically, trying to suppress her laughter. “You lack basic knowledge to understand advanced concepts. This is a natural result. Even I get the simple principles they're explaining right now. Were you too busy flirting with girls in high school to pay attention? Just keep your eyes on the board, will you?”

    “I didn’t ask for your opinion,” Esther muttered, staring at the 3D board in front of the class, overloaded with an enormous volume of complex formulas that seemed to burst from the screen. An elderly professor entered to give an explanation while adding more equations with an extendable magic pen.

    “That’s it, done.” That was the professor's favorite conclusion, which Esther utterly despises.

    He had been too precise with his lecture, mismatching with an outnumbered formulas in front.

    Isaac Steiner, the esteemed professor of the science department. He was an alumnus here, according to the seniors, which commanded respect from the students. Thankfully, the professor didn’t mind if they slept or did anything as long as they didn’t disturb the class.

    One corpse found…

    Esther held his head after seeing his friend, Bryan Sixx, sleeping comfortably. Today, Bryan didn’t wear his usual poncho but a black jacket and jeans, changing his image anew. Before class, he said that he liked his poncho better, but it must be repaired after the war.

    Resurrection generally affected clothes, but specially decorated attires or things that had been coated with anti-magic substances were usually being repaired. Esther thought this was the case for Bryan’s hoodie.

    Why does everyone in this major dress in black or white? Must be a silent trend.

    Esther pondered. He thought about the attire of different majors and how it seemed there was a pattern in the color choices despite the undesignated regulation of the attire. Engineers usually came up with red or navy; management with suit or shirt; War animals with dark green, brown, or grey.

    For those medical students, Esther wondered if their closets were full of gowns, which were the ones used casually, and study were different sets.

    As he continued to stare, his friends began dozing off one by one, including Wiz Arios. He wrongly assumed Grace Walpurgis would be most likely to sleep. Eventually, nearly everyone was asleep except for Grace.

    When the class-ending alarm sounded, everyone automatically woke up.

    ‘If I’m not mistaken, I’m free this afternoon,’ Esther checked his schedule to be sure, then smiled broadly.

    "If it weren't for physics in the morning, it would be perfect," Esther squinted at the screen. "And without those footnote lines, it'd be even better."

    Sighing, Esther hurried to the cafeteria, leaving Grace who was trying to wake up Bryan and Wiz, frowning in confusion.

    Personally, he preferred solitude over company, as it meant no obligations and less hassle. He admitted that being with others might be more fun but also noisier and harder to find a seat.

    "Just one more day," the young man thought before ordering a feast fit for a Chinese table again. Esther rubbed his hands together and ate the Polar Bunny pizza. Despite its cute name, after having seen its Yeti standard size in the book, he went about enjoying its thick, cheesy goodness without overthinking.

    ‘They have a species that treats human food, right?’ He looked at the tender white meat on the tray Nevermind

    He managed to eat three pieces before the entire pizza tray disappeared from sight, only for an empty dish to return to him. Esther held his head in disbelief before sliding a plate of fried rice in front of him. The jasper-black eyes gleaming, the sight of plump grains mixed with various meats, and the aroma of a special sauce called Holy made his mouth water again.

    Esther grabbed a spoon and dug in immediately, securing the plate so Tartarus couldn’t easily take it. She appeared just with her hand before scooping some fried rice into her dimension with great speed. After that, the young man offered her some freshly fried red squid, coated in batter.

    "Spicyyy!!!"

    Her shout echoed through the cafeteria, but he acted as if nothing happened. Tartarus yelled at Esther for giving her the intensely spicy squid, which lived in lava. While not as hot as the legendary hell's peppers, it was enough to leave a lasting sheering heat on the tongue for minutes.  

    In the end, Tartarus took revenge by sucking his soul as her dessert for the reason that the lava squid consumed all her energy.

    "I'm out," Esther announced to his team who had just arrived in the cafeteria. Their stunned faces upon seeing the aftermath of the legally sanctioned ravaging of world resources left on the rack, even the usually insatiable Barney, could only stare.

    ‘Is that really a human?’ They all thought in unison without having any talking in advance.

    With no job to keep him busy, the prisoner wouldn't waste any time. The first thing on his mind was gathering as much information as possible, with the university's library as his first target.

    Sprinting at full speed, sweat drenched his forehead until he finally reached the building, opposite his classroom. Panting, he leaned against the long iron fence surrounding the four-story building, feeling the onset of cramps from eating too recently.

    ‘Good grief, it's not sunny today, or I'd be drenched in sweat... not to mention throwing up if I ran any longer,’ he thought.

    "Why did you run then?" Tartarus pondered, reading his mind, "Mad, aren't you?"

    Before him stood a four-story building divided into two zones. While the exterior suggested a futuristic design, the interior was a throwback, like stepping into a medieval castle separated by giant glass. This dark zone was hidden behind the sleek high-rise building. The two buildings were simply the old and the new buildings by the librarian and the students.

    A glance told Esther that what he sought wasn't in the beautiful, well-lit areas.

    Obviously, Books on magics, special powers, and the forbidden books Tartarus recommended were the original books, not the copy ones. After trying to extract information from her, he learned that some of his powers might be better understood through these sources.

    His weapon had somewhat speculated some part of the result already.

    Esther walked past the librarians to the large glass doors, which opened automatically as he, armed at the arm, stepped inside. Immediately, he felt a chill down his spine from the nearly freezing atmosphere inside.

    "Please state the book you are looking for..." A cool, monotone voice immediately greeted the curious prisoner as he entered the old building zone. Even though it seemed like the speaker was a system, the young man didn't think so. Something urged Esther to voice his thoughts before he could stop himself.

    "The real library system can't possibly be a person, right?" he intentionally spoke loud enough for the system to hear since there was no one else around, allowing him to speak freely.

    "No, I am a self-aware information network, specifically an artificial intelligence designed to operate within the War University Library," the voice replied calmly, leaving the young man stunned. Although it responded to him, what followed was the same request it had made just a few seconds ago.

    "Please state the name of the book you are looking for."

    "Huh," Tartarus remarked dismissively. "Don't you ever get bored?"

    "Fascinating, really," the young man's eyes sparkled genuinely, his interest in books momentarily replaced by curiosity about the library's monotone voice. Esther immediately pressed further without much thought, "And what's your name?"

    Whoosh.

    The young man collapsed as his weapon brazenly drained his blood right before sucking his soul again. Esther's energy vanished without stopping, to the point where he couldn't even stand.

    "What are you doing? Are you trying to kill me?"

    "Tsk."

    That was the only response he got. The young man tried to find a reason for her brash draining of his energy, but nothing came to mind. Even though he had grown accustomed to Tartarus's headstrong nature, her tendency to do things like this seemed a bit too much. If his weapon kept draining his blood during a fight, it definitely wouldn't be good. Esther resolved to think more carefully about this.

    "I’m Snow," the library AI finally answered. "Snow Network."

    'Is Network supposed to be a surname?'

    Initially, he considered asking Tartarus for help... but since the system was available, there was no need to rely on her. Especially considering the blood-sucking incident, he felt it might not be worth the investment.

    "The forbidden books section," he stated without hesitation. For Esther Devald, nothing was scarier than the girls around him. "As for the books, I'll look for them myself. I'm not sure which is which, and their contents might differ significantly."

    "..."

    There was a moment of silence before the same calm voice responded, "Please present identification to access the restricted area."

    His serious reply made the young man tense up, and he grew even more anxious when he heard the system's next statement, "If you do not have it, you will be considered an intruder or a disruptor, and I will eliminate you."

    A magic array appeared on the floor and the bookshelves as if aiming at him. Statues and armors on display began to move towards him, with the ones from above jumping down without fear of breaking. Every one of them aimed their weapons at Esther, whether guns, spears, swords, or even wooden faces and bows.

    'No wonder there's no one here.'

    "Stupid. You can go anywhere, after all," his mischievous spectacled companion commented, making Esther reconsider.

    "Right."

    He recalled one of the passes that had saved him multiple times. The key hanging around his neck, capable of making the impossible possible. Esther prayed that this time was no different even though he did not believe in miracles.

    The key hanging around his neck came out of his top and floated in front of him, causing all the statues to lower their weapons at the sight of his accidental trinket.

    "Please register," Snow said more amicably, though her tone remained monotone.

    Now, the young man understood everything. The item in his hand was like a pass to the university's odd places. Although it might not grant access everywhere, what he could gain might be more than expected, making the key holder see it in a more positive light.

    "Esther Devald," he said, holding the key.

    Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain at his fingertips as tiny needles emerged from the key, drawing blood into it until it turned a deep red. His key showed a blood droplet with something shimmering inside it before dropping onto the grey stone floor. Instead of the glass door opening, a new wooden door emerged from the ground, intricately carved with the figure of a long-haired woman in a dress holding a chess piece with both hands, surrounded by a four-square chessboard, suggesting she too was a piece on the board.

    The scene seemed alive; the "king" piece in her hands appeared to move. A slight smile that seemed almost a mask turned into a sinister grin.

    No one saw the wooden door; they only saw Esther standing silently in the middle of the library.

    Something flashed through Esther's mind: the image of a woman sitting serenely in a bright red room filled with torture instruments and blood, seemingly enjoying herself, but deep down, he knew it wasn't true.

    It was more of a warning about something.

    "My world," he murmured.

    The dark brown wooden door glowed briefly before vanishing into the air, turning into thousands of red fireflies. At that moment, his consciousness returned.

    "Registration complete. Welcome to your world, Mr. Esther Devald."

    Esther clenched his lips, unusually silent, and nodded in thanks to the void voice of Snow as he stepped inside.

    Soon, Esther saw an old wooden sign planted on a stone pillar.