Read ahead 5 chapter on patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/cw/Thanarit
Levi leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin.
"Velgrin, you've got time left on your monthly visit. Would you like another book?"
Velgrin's eyes lit up for a brief moment, genuine interest flickering across his face. Then, with visible effort, he composed himself and shook his head.
"I am deeply honored by the offer, Mr. Levi. Truly. But I must respectfully decline."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"I have just broken through to the Seventh Circle. My foundation, while solid, requires time to settle and condense. If I were to pursue another book now, to chase further insights while my core is still stabilizing..." Velgrin's expression grew serious. "It would be like building a second floor on a house whose first floor hasn't finished setting. The structure would crack. My foundation would become unstable."
Levi nodded slowly. "That's a wise decision."
"Thank you for understanding, Mr. Levi."
Levi studied him for a moment, his expression thoughtful.
He'd been a therapist long enough to recognize change in people. Real change, the kind that went deeper than surface behavior. And Velgrin had changed.
When they'd first met, the man had been a bundle of barely controlled fanaticism. Desperate. Willing to sacrifice anything and everything to reach the next Circle. His eyes had burned with the kind of madness that came from decades of obsession, from watching friends die and bridges burn in pursuit of a single goal.
That madness was gone now.
Replaced by something calmer. More composed. The Velgrin sitting across from him now carried himself with the bearing of someone who had achieved what he sought and found peace in it. There was wisdom in his eyes, a touch of cynicism perhaps, but also balance.
He still had his goofy moments. The way he got excited talking about magical theory, the earnest enthusiasm when discussing combat applications. That part hadn't changed.
But the core of him, the foundation of who he was, had shifted from desperate obsession to measured mastery.
It was good to see.
Levi smiled faintly.
"Then I won't see you off," he said. "But remember this, Velgrin. As long as you have trouble, as long as it's about heart and mind, you can come here anytime. I will always help you."
Velgrin's breath caught slightly.
He bowed his head, and when he spoke, his voice was thick with emotion.
"Thank you, Mr. Levi. That means more to me than you know."
He stood, straightening his robes.
"You truly care for your patrons," he thought to himself. "Not just as sources of payment or vessels for knowledge, but as people. As students. This is what a true teacher looks like."
"Thank you, Mr. Levi," he said aloud. "For everything."
"You're welcome."
Velgrin turned and walked to the door, pausing at the threshold to bow one final time before stepping through.
The door closed softly behind him.
Levi sat alone in his office, the silence settling around him like a familiar blanket.
He stared at the door for a moment longer, then let out a long breath.
"System," he called out.
What?
Levi's eye twitched. "What's with your tone?"
Whatever. What do you want?
"I'm your host, you know. You could show a little respect."
And you could stop procrastinating. What do you want?
Levi sighed. "How many Dimensional Crystals do I have?"
The System didn't respond immediately. Then a notification appeared.
Current Balance: 502 Dimensional Crystals
Source Breakdown:
Reven's initial payment: 2 Crystals (converted from 2 gold coins)Reven's completion reward: 500 Crystals (Mission: Deal with the Invaders)
Levi stared at the number.
Five hundred and two crystals. That was... substantial.
He'd been so busy dealing with patrons and their drama that he hadn't actually thought about using the currency the System kept talking about.
He was quiet for a moment.
Then he said, "Use it all to power me up."
Confirm: Consume all 502 Dimensional Crystals for maximum enhancement?
"Yes."
Processing.
The air in the office began to hum.
.
.
.
At Henderson academy
Velgrin had just stepped through his portal back to Henderson Academy when the sky changed.
He was standing in his private office, beginning to sit down at his desk, when every magical sense he possessed suddenly screamed in alarm.
He spun toward the window.
The sky above Myreth was splitting open.
Not metaphorically. The heavens themselves were cracking like an eggshell, fractures of golden light spreading across the firmament. Through those cracks poured radiance so intense it made the sun look dim by comparison.
"What in the name of—"
The Academy's alarm bells began ringing. Students poured into the courtyards, pointing at the sky. Faculty rushed from their offices, faces pale with shock.
Velgrin pressed his hands against the window, his newly awakened perception expanding outward.
Ten thousand kilometers of awareness. Every flame, every spark.
And at the center of this phenomenon, in the exact location where the Library's front store existed, was a pillar of pure power rising into the heavens.
It wasn't mana. It wasn't divine authority. It was something more fundamental, something that existed beneath the Laws themselves.
The pillar pierced the sky, and where it touched the clouds, they didn't disperse. They transformed, turning into crystalline formations that hung suspended in the air like frozen waterfalls of light.
Stars appeared in broad daylight. Not normal stars, but celestial bodies that existed in higher dimensions, usually invisible to mortal eyes. They blazed into visibility, forming constellations that spelled out patterns Velgrin's mind couldn't quite grasp.
The air itself began to sing. A frequency so deep it made his bones vibrate, so high it was almost silent. Music that spoke of cosmic truth, of fundamental principles, of power that transcended mortal understanding.
"Mr. Levi," Velgrin whispered. "What are you doing?"
.
.
.
In the Palace
Celine was in the middle of sword practice when the phenomenon began.
She'd been working through a new technique, something inspired by the insights from her book, when her training partner suddenly dropped his weapon and pointed at the sky.
"Princess! Look!"
Celine turned.
The sky was opening.
Golden light poured through cracks in reality itself. The clouds transformed into crystalline structures. Stars appeared where they shouldn't exist.
And from somewhere in the direction of Myreth came a pillar of power so intense that even from hundreds of kilometers away, Celine could feel it pressing against her soul.
Her book. The one Mr. Levi had given her. It was still in her chambers, locked in a protected chest.
It was resonating.
She could feel it calling to her across the distance, vibrating in harmony with whatever was happening in Myreth.
"Grandmaster," she whispered. "What's happening to you?"
Around her, the capital descended into chaos. Church bells rang. Priests rushed into the streets. The royal guard mobilized.
But Celine just stood there, staring at the sky, feeling the resonance of power that could only come from one source.
The Library of Noctis.
.
.
.
Levi floated three feet off the ground, his body wreathed in light that cycled through every color visible and several that weren't.
The Dimensional Crystals dissolved into pure energy, flooding into him through every pore, every cell, every fiber of his being.
His comprehension expanded. The mysteries of the Library that had been opaque before suddenly became clear. He could feel the shelves now, all of them, across every floor. Could sense the books, their contents, their purposes.
The authority he'd been faking became real.
Power rushed through him in waves, each one lifting him higher, transforming him into something more than he'd been.
He wasn't becoming a god. The System had been clear about that. But he was becoming something close. A being with authority over knowledge itself, a keeper of cosmic truth, a librarian who stood at the intersection of infinite realities.
Outside, the phenomenon intensified.
The pillar of light grew wider, brighter. The crystalline clouds spread across the entire sky. The stars blazed with increasing intensity.
And then, at the peak of the transformation, something happened that had never occurred in recorded history.
The sky sang.
Every person within twenty thousand kilometers heard it. A chorus of voices speaking in languages they didn't know but somehow understood. Singing of knowledge and power, of libraries and truth, of a keeper who watched over stories that could reshape reality.
The song lasted exactly nine seconds.
Then it cut off.
The pillar of light retracted. The cracks in the sky sealed. The crystalline clouds dissolved. The stars faded back into invisibility.
The world returned to normal.
Except it wasn't normal anymore.
Everyone who had witnessed the phenomenon knew, with absolute certainty, that something fundamental had changed.
Someone had ascended.
Not to godhood. But to something perhaps more dangerous.
Someone had claimed authority over knowledge itself.
.
.
.
Levi descended slowly back to the ground, his feet touching the floor with a soft tap.
The light faded from his body. His clothes were intact, somehow, despite the transformation.
He looked down at his hands. They looked the same as before. But he could feel the difference. The power thrumming just beneath his skin. The comprehension settling into his mind like pieces of a puzzle finally clicking into place.
A notification appeared.
Enhancement Complete.
Dimensional Crystals Remaining: 0
Levi stared at the notification, then looked at the window where the last traces of golden light were fading.
"What the fuck," he said slowly.
"What the fuck was that grand phenomenon? Have I gone through the process of becoming immortal or something?"
No. You just enhanced your stats. Nothing else.
"Then why—"
Now you're basically a brute who doesn't know what the fuck you're doing, but because your stats are high enough, you can swing a god's toenail effectively.
Levi's eye twitched. "Don't you disrespect my hammer!"
YOU'RE the one who called it a toenail.
"That was—" Levi paused. "Wait, no, that was you! You just said toenail!"
Semantics.
Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, fine. But why was the phenomenon so grand? It just increased my stats, right?"
Just for aesthetics. It's funny. Good for bluffing too.
Levi stared at the notification screen.
"...What?"
You heard me. The whole sky-splitting, star-manifesting, reality-singing thing? Pure visual effect. Makes you look important. Scares the locals. Great for maintaining that mysterious librarian vibe you've got going.
"You're telling me," Levi said slowly,
"That I just caused a twenty thousand kilometer wide celestial phenomenon, terrified three different cities, and probably made every religious institution in the kingdom think a god just descended... for AESTHETICS?"
Yes. Isn't it great?
"No! That's not great! That's the opposite of keeping a low profile!"
You literally run a magical library that grants divine power to patrons. You stopped having a 'low profile' the moment you opened for business.
Levi opened his mouth to argue, then closed it.
Then opened it again.
Then closed it and sat down heavily in his chair.
"Fuck you" he muttered.
But you love the new stats.
"...Yes."
Then stop complaining.
Levi groaned and looked out the window. He could see everything now. Every person, every flame, every heartbeat. His perception had expanded far beyond what it had been.
He could see Velgrin in his office at the Academy, staring at the sky with wonder and fear.
He could see Celine in the capital, standing in a training yard with her hand pressed to her chest where her book resonated.
He could even see Reven, far to the south, hidden in a forest, looking up at the sky with his empty black pits where eyes should be.
All three of his patrons. All three touched by the Library's power.
All three staring at the aftermath of his "aesthetic enhancement."
Levi smiled slightly despite himself.
"This is going to be interesting," he murmured.
Especially when they ask you what that was and you have to come up with a mysterious-sounding explanation that doesn't involve the words 'just for show.'
"Shut up."
Then he turned away from the window, sat back down at his desk, and picked up his tea.
It had gone cold during the transformation.
He sighed and called for Golem One to bring him a fresh cup.
Some things, at least, remained constant.
Even when the universe decided to throw a light show just to make him look cool.