[Nightmare]

"May I?" Helix asked while standing before his artifact.

Macron's eye twitched aggressively, and he looked at Helix with a murderous gaze.

After everything he had just heard, he couldn't comprehend the young man's decision.

Helix locked eyes with him and his cold gaze cut through the man's killing intent like a hot knife.

"I hope you know what you're doing, boy." Macron muttered under his breath.

Helix nodded.

In front of him was the Hourglass of Knowledge.

It was a simple hourglass with magic circles engraved in the wood on the top and bottom.

While simple, the handheld object had a royal appearance and a divine aura.

The glass emanated a cool blue color that was barely visible.

"You only need to hold it and close your eyes to feel its power.

But are you certain that you want to choose that item?

I know you have an extremely powerful Nightmare, but you won't always have the spirit particles to use it.

Your stats will doubtlessly be excessive, but your adversaries will also be strong.

Do you want to think it over some more?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

Macron publicly disclosed Helix's Nightmares [strength] by request.

Helix shook his head.

"No, I'm certain that this is the gift I'm looking for." He replied.

"You can earn stats and weapons.

However, information is power, and it's generally harder to obtain.

While 1% may be small, it's uncertain what type of secrets this artifact may hold." He replied with a light smile.

"I suppose you're not a smart boy for nothing." Macron muttered under his breath.

"Then go ahead and hold it.

After receiving its power, meet up with your servant, turn away from your peers, and keep quiet.

You may not influence the decisions of others." He explained.

Helix nodded and grabbed the hourglass in his right hand.

A feeling of electricity crawled through his body as it made its way to the patch on his neck.

The second the electricity and patch collided, the transparent patch transformed.

A blood-red ink oozed from his neck before transforming into a tribal sun tattoo.

His system interface opened while his eyes were closed.

—

[Congratulations. You have unlocked 1% of the Myriad Library.]

—

A new icon appeared in his interface window, allowing him to access the feature.

—

[Congratulations. Zenith has begrudgingly accepted you as someone mildly worthy of her attention.

She will answer your questions when she feels like it.]

—

The corner of Helix's mouth twitched when he read the notification.

However, he refused to willingly make a mistake he was forced into the last time his interface opened without warning.

He opened his eyes slowly and carefully put the hourglass down.

Then he met Macron's expectant gaze, nodded to him, and walked through the gossiping crowd toward Emelia with an unreadable expression.

Macron watched the back of the mysterious boy as he walked away.

"I hope that idiot stays alive long enough for his intelligence to show." Macron muttered with a complicated expression.

After Helix exited the crowd, the area exploded with vibrance and energy again.

The students excitedly talked about the gifts they would receive.

After about ten minutes, the young men and women lined up around the various artifacts.

As they stood in line, many looked at the hourglass with complex expressions on their faces.

"1%? That's basically nothing."

"Yeah, if it were 20%, I'd consider it."

"What's the point of knowledge if it doesn't enter your mind?

Even if there are thousands of books, no one can read all of them."

"He's an idiot. There's a large library here, but he likely won't ever find a soul beast or weapon."

"It's tempting, but the risk is too high.

Each of these priceless gifts provides instant, tangible benefits.

It's uncertain whether that treasure holds any value."

"I'm envious that he had the confidence to choose that item."

"He must have the luxury considering that powerful Nightmare Macron mentioned. It must be nice."

"He will die if he takes this world too lightly."

Despite the endless discussion on the topic, no other person stood before the Hourglass of Knowledge.

"Sir Helix!" Emilia said with a rosy face while taking a bow.

"Hello, Emelia." He replied with a slight smile.

"Are you okay, young master?" She asked.

"I was worried about you earlier."

Helix chuckled.

"There's no need to worry.

My new Nightmare just activated accidentally while my interface booted up.

It was a slight mistake."

"Thank goodness!" She replied with a genuine expression.

Helix gave Emilia a gentle smile, and the two basked in a warm light.

The other servants looked at the two of them with interest.

Those that knew Emelia stared at them with lukewarm gazes.

Everyone else looked at them with curiosity or envy in their eyes.

While the servants were adapting, adjusting, or coping with their new masters and Mistresses, Emelia was comfortable and happy with her relationship.

Every servant wondered how he managed to charm the young lady to such an extent in a single night.

"I have a small favor to ask.

Can you help me with something?" Helix asked.

"There's no need to ask, Sir Helix.

I will do anything upon your request without hesitation." She replied with a charming smile before bowing her head.

Helix smiled.

"Even if that is the case, it's still better to ask kindly, don't you think?" He chuckled.

The young woman gave him a bright expression with a slight nod.

The other servants gawked at his words.

They served a royal family who rarely showed consideration for their servants.

Then they were attached to awkward, sex-thirsty virgins without social skills.

Hearing the charming tact Helix exhibited was a shock to their systems.

"I'd like you to pay attention to the ceremony for me.

I'm going to open up my interface, so I'll be absorbed for a little while.

Will you please notify me when it's time to move on?" He asked.

"Of course!" Emelia replied with a bright smile.

"Well, I'll be waiting for a tap on the shoulder then." He chuckled.

A moment later, he touched his neck.

His interface opened, and he stared at two options.

—

p [User Stats]

[Myriad Library]

—

Helix sighed inwardly.

'I'm going to regret looking at my user stats right now.

Maybe I should start with the good news… well, assuming it was a wise decision.' He thought with anxiety in his heart.

Helix decided to choose [Myriad Library].

The moment he opened the feature, a chat window opened.

Helix narrowed his eyes bitterly at the development.

Words flashed on the screen.

"Well, aren't you ungrateful?"

Helix touched his neck.

"Ungrateful? After what I'm going through because of you?" He asked bitterly.

"What you're going through because of me!?

After going out of my way to offer my support, you dare to treat me like trash!?"

Helix narrowed his eyes at the screen.

"What type of sorry, cockroach-festered hellscape did you grow up to meet the kindness of others with disdain!?"

"That's rich coming from the woman that signed my death warrant with a simple dialogue window." He chuckled bitterly.

The chat window closed instantly, and the library opened before his eyes.

"I hope you don't reach out again, Elise." Helix muttered with disdain in his eyes.

Suddenly a slew of chat windows popped up, one right after the other.

"What."

"The."

"Hell."

"Did."

"You."

"Just."

"Call."

"Me."

"You."

"Sick."

"Freak!?"

Helix stared at the interface with a baffled expression.

"Wait, you're not Elise?" He asked.

"Why the hell would you think I was that disturbing little giggle-witch!?"

Helix shook his head in disbelief.

"My apologies. I've been in Myriad for less than 24 hours, and the moment I opened up this interface, I was assaulted by that [giggle-witch]." He replied in confusion.

"My teacher told me that chatting with an individual in your interface is unheard of.

Therefore, I immediately assumed that you were her." He explained hastily.

"Why in the hell would that witch talk to [you]!

Are you a loli-loving demon candidate in training or something!?

How could I be so wrong about someone!?

Wait! Never mind that!

Of course, it's unheard of!

You should be bending over with deep gratitude that I'm speaking to you!"

Helix's eyebrow twitched.

He couldn't believe how many insinuations and revelations were exposed by one flurry of comments.

Helix sighed when he remembered the notification he had received earlier.

"My apologies for the confusion." Helix began with a genuinely apologetic tone.

"My name is Helix Hellsgate Margrave, and I was dragged into this world against my will yesterday.

Now that I know you're not the monster that signed my death warrant 24-hours after arriving in Myriad for the sake of a sick game, please allow me to start over." He requested.

"I'm not sure why you've chosen to speak to a nobody like me, but I'm grateful for your show of support.

Is your name [Zenith] by chance?"

—

[A/N: Thank you for reading, and please drop lifeblood stones! They don't mean much to many, but they mean [everything] to authors.]

Disclaimer: Grammatical mistakes and minor inconsistencies = more content.