The Old Librarian

Francis advises Jack to hire a high-rank adventurer as a mentor and train for a short while before adventuring. At least until he can protect his own self. He even offers loans whose repayments will be deducted periodically from mission rewards.

Jack says that he will think about the former but politely rejects the latter. He has enough money to hire all the mentors he needs. But first, he wanted to return to the library and read more about this world.

After saying thank you and leaving the room, he walked toward Arquene to get an adventurer badge. The badge is shaped like a small bronze shield carved with the Adventurer's Guild logo.

Both Jack and Arquene seem trying to avoid each other's eyes when talking, but the exchange was brief yet quite pleasant.

Jack keeps reminding himself that he already has a wife and a son on earth to avoid flirting with her. But her beauty is just too alluring, making it hard to control his imagination from running wild.

The next destination is The Library of Alexandrium.

Before entering the library's second room, Jack looked for the old librarian that he had met before as promised. But he can't find him on the first floor, so he decides to go upstairs.

The second floor is very different from the first. There are no books or scrolls, only a small cafeteria with a lot of tables and chairs. Visitors could read while enjoying a snack at the same time. When Jack entered the room, he could smell different kinds of pastries, even a smell of coffee that he missed so much.

'This library is awesome. I didn't have to worry about filling my stomach during my intellectual heist.'

The white-haired librarian that he was looking for sat not far from the cafeteria so Jack raised his hand and greeted him. "Old man!"

His greeting received an unpleasant response from the cafeteria staff and a few people sitting not far from the entrance. But the old man seemed delighted by it and waved his hand to invite Jack to sit beside him.

Jack was embarrassed. Realized his mistake, Jack briskly approached the Old Librarian with an apologetic expression.

The Old Librarian chuckled before saying, "You are indeed a unique person, Jack. You never cease to amaze me every time I see you. Hahaha… Oh! Nice change of appearance, by the way… So how's the interview?"

Before Jack could answer, Izack noticed a shiny bronze badge on Jack's left chest and smiled while pointing at it.

"See… I told you that I am good at judging a person's character. Hahaha..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you are wise, smart, and everything. But before that, I want to know your name first, Old Man. It's weird to call you 'Old Man' in front of so many people."

Jack's cheek was bright red when saying it, but the old man ignored it and extended his right hand with a proud expression. "Izack Newtown… and I am a Professor here."

'Izack Newtown...? Seems familiar….' Jack thought before shaking his hand and introducing himself again. "Jack Walker. F-rank adventurer.

"A professor, eh? No wonder you look a little smarter than the other librarian." Jack wasn't too surprised, just inwardly thinking, 'I thought so'. For him, the professor title is nothing special. What he didn't know was, it is an arduous title to obtain in this world.

Izack's mouth twitched when finding that Jack didn't even flinch with his title, even able to make a joke out of it. Yet somehow, it didn't make him feel offended in any way.

On the contrary, that makes him more interested in the young adventurer. Unlike the other youths that never stop flattening him and licking his balls whenever possible, Jack did it purely to befriend him.

Izack makes another chuckle before responding to Jack's joke. "Good one. But don't call me 'professor' when we are talking alone. I have enough young men who are always trying to lick my feet outside of official business. It makes me sick."

"Noted!" Jack gave a short reply. He understands that people like Izack prefer someone who can make him feel comfortable, like a friend. Rather than just another student that wants to get close to him, hoping he could jack up his grade.

"So what kind of book do you want to read this time?" Izack said, getting back to the topic.

After pondering for a few seconds, Jack decides to ask about a more delicate subject like magic instead of history that he could find by himself. He needed to find the right book that wouldn't mislead his understanding of magic, and asking a professor is a wise move.

"A book about magic that even a beginner like me could understand. The more detail, the better."

"Hmm… I know what you need. The book title is "Concept of Magic for Dummies and How to Awaken It" You can find it in section T-21 on the top shelf."

Jack was rather impressed by Izack's memory. He could tell where a specific book is stored without thinking much about it. And there should be more than ten million books in this library.

"Thanks, Old Man."

Before Jack left his seat, Izack added. "Come back to me if you find something that hard to understand to be on the safe side. Magic could be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing."

"Okay, see you!"

After showing his adventurer badge to the scary-looking guard, Jack could enter the library's middle section that turns out to be more spacious than the previous one. The room is about 50m wide, 200m long, and four meters high. Scrolls are still dominating, but more books could be seen here, which means that the content is more credible or the writer has more money.

Either way, he prefers books rather than scrolls. Easter to read and carry.

First, Jack wants to verify some of his theories.

After hearing Francis talking about the history of Adventurer's Guild, Jack finds some interesting facts. After a series of reading sprees, he draws a few conclusions.

'Indeed. If monsters could indefinitely respawn while dropping items when they die, the world balance would collapse. This is real life, not a game, and they are living beings like us that need time and resources to multiply.

'The good news is they are not extinct, but trying to find them is a different problem, and I still need to hunt them after that. It will take a lot of time and will be a pain in the a*s. Fortunately, I have a few alternatives.

'One. After the Second Great War, low-level demons like goblins and orcs still exist in Palonia and sometimes even attack human settlement. Adventurers use them as their primary means of getting stronger. But I need to join a well-known team to be able to partake in this kind of mission.

'Second. A greedy and foolish person or cult sometimes attempts to summon a creature of darkness by sacrificing people's lives. This could be an alternative, but again, I need to join a team that actively hunts them.

'Third. Breed monsters in an underground facility, but I'll need loads of money and authority to do it in Alexandrium. At least, I need to befriend the guild master first.

'Shit! Every option demands me to become a high-rank adventurer. But to become one, I need to raise my level first. This sucks!'

Jack was caught between a rock and a hard place, every option he chose required him to pay a price he couldn't afford.

"Huff… I need to amass wealth while looking for an alternative and maybe some training to defend myself along the way. I think it's time for this world to upgrade their paper quality."

The day he spent in Alexandrium told him that this world needs a lot of paper, while the quality they use is still crude and too thick. It makes storing them take a lot of space.

Using his limited knowledge, Jack could create a way to improve its quality by a level, even better, mass-produce it. If he succeeds, getting rich is only a matter of time.

And fortunately, Jack didn't have to do it himself. He could convince Tarud' to build a factory and sell them as his exclusive product.

But before that, he needs to draw a detailed plan first.

'Okay. Another problem was solved. Next is to learn about magic. I can't wait to shoot some fireball with my hands and relieve some steam.'