The whole setting reminded me of the beginning of my favourite novel—the one that started it all, the root of the question in my head.
Ascension of the Arcane King
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
The thought of getting transmigrated into a novel pierced my spine.
'No way.'
I refused to accept it.
"Walk down to the centre podium individually, and let the selection begin."
A commanding voice from above shattered my spiraling thoughts.
I slowly raised my head.
An old man was hovering around the library, his long white beard swaying, proof of his vast experience. His eyes burned with centuries of knowledge.
Everyone looked at him with a look of reverence. But I... I was different.
"I am Rosei Woodman, Master of the Wolfheim Tower, and I shall oversee your selection."
"..."
That person, that name... that tower. I knew them.
Blood drained down my face. My legs wobbled, and my palms felt sweaty. I read that prologue a hundred times over—maybe more.
My heartbeat rose. I felt drums exploding in my chest, fastening with every passing second.
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
It all started to make sense now. I took a shaky step backward and almost crashed into someone.
"Watch where you are going."
A hoarse voice hissed from behind, but I paid it no heed. I was in no state to.
I felt the air around me vanish.
I couldn't breathe.
"A medieval style setting, a mysterious library, grimoires, and now this old man."
'It's real.'
'It's actually real.'
I was in a novel, my favourite novel, wasn't I?
'Ascension of the Arcane King'
How... How did I get here?
Just yesterday, I was just an orphan scraping by in the alleys, who earned his food by showing tricks on the street. Reading books and playing chess were the only joys of my life.
That's who I was.
That's all I had ever been.
I remember going to bed with that book clutched in my hand...
The same book.
The same question kept repeating in my head over and over like a broken record.
Then I saw it... I saw something in my sleep. A nightmare, right?
What was it about? I don't remember it.
My head hurts. I don't want to think about it.
Only one line came into my mind.
It started with a simple line, a whisper on the page.
What line? What page?
Whatever it was has dragged me here, and I had a feeling... There was no going back.
Step~
A sudden footstep brought me back to reality. This wasn't a place to blank out.
Not here.
Not in the Pendragon Empire, where slipping up could get you killed on the spot.
I straightened my back and tried to steady my breathing.
'Observe. Adapt. Exploit.'
Those weren't just words but instincts sharpened by me throughout my life for survival. On the streets, I didn't live. I outwitted life.
And here?
Nothing's changed.
The game was still the same, only the pieces differed.
"Form a single file and wait for your turn," the voice announced again.
The line was already forming at the base of the glowing podium before the instruction came.
"Move," someone behind me hissed again, their impatience breaking my daze.
I stumbled forward.
Shaking the dizziness off, I joined the line. Over fifty people were waiting for their turns with a tense look.
The first student took the center stage with nervous but anticipated steps. With slow movement, he placed his hand on the orb kept at the podium.
Whooosh—
The library resonated with this energy. Different coloured energy surrounded him. Each judging his worthiness.
Some were red and warm like fire, others felt cold and calm like water, while other energies didn't associate.
Soon, the orb brightened, as if it was saying the final verdict was ready. It lifted the boy up, and a blue book floated and landed peacefully in his hands with the calmness of the sea.
One, two, three, then four rings etched on the outer surface of the book simultaneously with a demi-human symbol on top of it.
'An Integration-Type grimoire,' I realized.
A class that allowed physical bonding with summoned spirits. It was one of the three known grimoire types— Integration, Summoning, and Weapon.
But it was not over.
Flip~
The grimoire opened with a flipping sound and started floating mid-air. A red-blue card again was drawn from the library and placed into the heart of the grimoire.
In an instant, all the lights disappeared. The selection was complete.
"A 4-ring grimoire, Dual element of the integration type," Rosei announced, followed by a wave of applause.
But I didn't clap and stared at my palms.
Drip...! Drip...!
They were sweating. Every drop in sync with my ragged breathing.
Drip!
'What kind of grimoire will I get?'
Or rather...
What if I don't get one at all?
A grim laugh almost escaped me, but I held it back.
'Not the time.'
I forced the emotion down and swallowed it whole, like I always had.
I had to believe I belonged here.
Even if everything inside me screamed otherwise.
The process continued. Grimoires continued to choose, and youth kept getting chosen.
Some got high-grade grimoires while others hardly a single ring.
A small smile formed on my lips as I saw the process. Even in another world, the system was unfair.
Then... My turn finally came.
Step...! Step...!
With small calculated steps, I reached the podium. I stood in the center of the library with all eyes on me.
Closing my eyes, I whispered to myself repeatedly:
"Bend the game to your will, or die as a pawn."
"Bend the game to your will, or die as a pawn."
With this, I calmed my shaky hands and placed them on the orb.
The selection began instantly.
The air twisted.
WHOOSH—!
The floor beneath my feet began to glow, filling my veins with a new, deep energy.