Chapter 2: Authority

What sprouted in Erend's body and was born after absorbing the power of the Fantasy Library was actually a kind of authority.

That authority was a symbol, and it also represented a supreme ability.

This authority was only effective for the concept of "armament." Any weapon that could have an effect on the holder would belong to the object of the authority, including but not limited to weapons, armor, and props.

When Erend touched these weapons, armor, or props, he would be able to selectively use the power of authority to operate them.

As for how to operate them, Erend still needed to explore that himself.

Erend only knew that he had obtained an ultimate authority over the concept of "armament," an ability that could even surpass the power of God!

"...I always feel like I've obtained something extraordinary."

Looking at the gold-plated pattern completely immersed in his body, Erend had only this thought in his mind.

Unfortunately, before acquiring powerful weapons, this ability was just a decoration.

In short, Erend was still just an ordinary person for now.

But… this situation would soon change.

Erend no longer paid attention to the power he had obtained and instead turned his gaze to the bookshelves around him.

"Are the books here really a complete fantasy world?"

Although he had gained the most basic knowledge and cognition from the Fantasy Library, Erend was still curious.

So, he walked to a corner of the rest area, ascended the stairs there, and after walking around the wall for a short while, he stepped onto the red carpet and entered the book collection area.

Without going elsewhere, Erend approached the nearest bookshelf and pulled out a book.

Before he could open it, the idea of the library appeared silently.

[Open the book to enter the fantasy world described in it and randomly draw a life experience.]

[Please note that the administrator will not be able to return to the library before the life experience reaches its designated node.]

[If the administrator dies in the fantasy world and is confirmed to be unable to be resurrected, the library will reclaim the administrator's identity and select a second administrator.]

Erend quickly stopped flipping through the book and frowned.

"In other words, once you die, you're really dead?"

After thinking for a moment, Erend's frown relaxed.

"That makes sense. The purpose of the Fantasy Library is to turn fantasy worlds into reality. Once I—a real person—enter and experience them, this purpose will be gradually achieved."

"Since it's all real, death will also be real."

Perhaps, before Erend entered, these worlds were just fantasies.

But once he stepped in and had real experiences, these worlds would turn from virtual to real and become reality.

In that case...

"Then let's get started."

Erend no longer hesitated and opened the book in his hand.

With a crash—

The pages of the book suddenly turned on their own.

As they turned, the pages detached from the book and floated around Erend as if they had a will of their own.

"This… so many?"

Erend was a little stunned.

According to the rules of the Fantasy Library, every page in these books contained a different fantasy life.

Just like writing novels—some authors imagined protagonists who were extraordinary, or of noble blood, or had strong backgrounds, or were heavily favored by fate. Others wrote protagonists who started from the bottom and gradually rose to greatness.

When collecting people's fantasies, the Fantasy Library would automatically filter out the extremely unreasonable ones and select only the reasonable lives for its collection.

Even so, every life varied in quality.

Some began at the peak, while others started at rock bottom.

The administrator of the Fantasy Library would randomly select one of these lives as their background when entering the fantasy world for the first time. Once a life was selected, the remaining pages would disappear. Even if he returned to this fantasy world in the future, he would only experience it according to the life he had previously drawn.

After all, once he completed a life experience, that fantasy world would become real.

Now, Erend was experiencing the life selection process for his first journey into a fantasy world.

If he was lucky, he would be the protagonist of the book (the world).

If he was unlucky, he would suffer.

However, this process was not influenced by anyone's will—not even Erend's. He could only stand there and watch.

Time passed in this state, and the pages flying around him gradually reduced in number.

In the end, only one page remained in front of Erend.

Emima!

At the same time, the cover of the book in Erend's hand began to glow.

In the light, an invisible pen seemed to write on the cover, revealing a title—"Study War City Asterisk."

"It's actually this world?"

Erend's face was filled with astonishment once again.

Shua!

Suddenly, the remaining life page in front of him turned into a ray of light and flew into his mind.

At the same time, the book in Erend's hand floated up, re-opening in front of him.

The number of pages in the book hadn't changed, but they were now blank.

Because the person who would compose them hadn't entered yet.

Looking at the empty book, Erend felt an invisible force pulling him forward.

He stretched out his hand and touched it.

The next second, Erend disappeared silently, leaving the book alone to float in mid-air, rising and falling slowly...

...…

At that moment, Erend felt something strange.

He could feel himself off the ground, but he didn't feel like he was floating.

Everything in his vision was dyed white, devoid of any other colors.

The surrounding space swayed constantly, like a film transitioning between scenes in extreme slow motion. The mysterious library setting from earlier gradually faded and was replaced by another.

When the pure white color disappeared, the swaying ceased, and he regained a sense of being grounded. Erend suddenly realized he was now in a classroom.

This was a multi-functional classroom. There weren't many desks—each one was spaced apart, and about twenty or thirty students were seated, all wearing student uniforms. The atmosphere gave Erend a nostalgic sense of being back in high school.

At the front of the classroom, a teacher stood at the podium. Behind him, a projection screen displayed scenes of disaster.

"This is the Rain of Falling Stars, an unprecedented catastrophe that changed the entire world."

The teacher spoke in a monotonous tone, devoid of excitement or sorrow.

"It struck the Earth in the twentieth century, causing an unprecedented catastrophe."

"Meteorites rained down for three days and nights, leading to the destruction of numerous cities."

"During this disaster, the power of nations declined drastically, and the structure of the world was completely reshaped. If not for the rise of emerging economic powers called Unified Corporate Consortiums, the world today might never have returned to normal."

The teacher's dull lecture made most students drowsy.

"It was due to the Rain of Falling Stars that humans discovered an unknown element called Omniscin within the meteorites. This discovery not only propelled technological advancements but also led to the birth of new humans with special abilities—Star Pulse Generations."

"Yes, that includes all of you."

Most of the students still looked sleepy, unable to muster any enthusiasm.

Only Erend, sitting quietly in a corner seat, listened intently.

He slowly lowered his hand and looked at it.

Like stardust drifting through the air, faint light shimmered above his palm.

Feeling the energy coursing through his body—completely different from before—Erend took a deep breath.

He had indeed become one of the new humans mentioned by the teacher.

A Star Pulse Generation.