Necromonicon

Dinner continued after our brief conversation.

Marceline distracted Fumiko from that complicated subject about Blessings, and she began to talk about what she was studying in her new semester at Elísio Dominican High School.

My father was still at work, working overtime as usual, so it was just my mother, Marceline, and me sitting at the table.

For a few minutes, I forgot about Hunter Ruse, the Tower of Babel, and the system, focusing on listening only to the perspective of this character in front of me about this world I had read so much about. Marceline, who hadn't been explored even in a single line in the original story, revealed layers of complexity in her personality and history as she spoke about her routine.

But then, when I went to my room and threw myself on my bed, the first thing I thought about was all the things I had forgotten while I was with my new family.

"The Hunter Ruse I met wasn't the one from the novel's ending. He didn't seem immensely powerful, yet neither was he the lost and weak beginner version of himself. But he had a purpose for being there... The Necronomicon is the only explanation I can think of, though wasn't he too far ahead of his timeline?"

Hunter Ruse, like me, obtained items through system quests. This included keys to pocket dungeons, which were mysteriously not connected to the Tower of Babel.

The problem here was that Hunter Ruse never opened the Necronomicon even after obtaining it more than ten times. Therefore, it was necessary to find out why Hunter Ruse was after this item. Generally, there were two main reasons:

1 - Hunter Ruse might have been desperate for money, intending to sell the Necronomicon at an auction.

2 - He had taken on the mission to find the Necronomicon at the request of a wizard.

Since Hunter Ruse died hundreds of times throughout the story, and each time he had to start over from the beginning, it was practically impossible for me to remember which route he was following at that moment.

Considering his advanced progress, perhaps he sought the Necronomicon as a shortcut to complete some future mission.

The Necronomicon had many destinations throughout the story, so it was also difficult to predict to whom he intended to deliver it, if that was the case.

The only thing I could say was that the Necronomicon was an important item in many of the routes in Journey to the Beyond. Hunter Ruse was certainly very surprised by the absence of this item.

I opened my inventory and saw the Necronomicon, which I had desperately stashed away when I heard Hunter's footsteps.

I pulled the Necronomicon out of my inventory. Under the dim light of my lamp, I could see it better. The dark cover was thick and rough to the touch, with stitching that looked like it was made of a material too strange to be just animal leather. The corners were made of old metal stained with rust.

I touched the item lightly with the tip of my right index finger, and a notification appeared.

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[Item Details!]

Item Name: Necronomicon

Description: An ancient and forbidden book of magic, said to contain abilities that corrupt even the most virtuous people.

Type: Magical.

Quantity: 1.

Rank: ?

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Hunter Ruse had never opened this book, not because he feared it — after all, he trusted the privileges the system had given him — but because it was a book for magicians.

Hunter was an Assassin, so for him this book held more value as a tradable or sellable item.

For me, on the other hand, with my wizard-class background, it held immense value because of the unique skills it could give me.

I immediately tried to open the book. But to my frustration, it wouldn't budge.

I frowned. I tugged at the cover harder, yet it didn't move an inch, as though the pages were fused together with an unbreakable force.

I brought my face closer and ran my fingers over the surface of the cover, feeling its uneven textures. Tiny symbols were engraved along the edges, nearly invisible in the dim light.

The system hadn't given me any additional information about the Necronomicon beyond what was already obvious to me, but now I recalled reading something similar elsewhere.

This book was sealed, of course.

I huffed and crossed my arms. If it was locked with magic, how could I hope to open it?

[You have received a new mission!]

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[Mission Details!]

Mission Name: Magical Books are Trouble for Mages.

Description: You have obtained a rare and highly sought-after book called the Necronomicon, but it is sealed with runic magic you do not understand. Seeking the help of a mage is your best hope of opening this book.

Type: Social Mission.

Rank: C

Success: ?

Failure: ?

Rewards: ?

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"Seek help from a wizard..." I muttered to myself.

That was apparently the only way to open the Necronomicon.

The obvious answer to any magical problem in Lovikalen would be the Bizarre Duke, a wizard recognized by the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Durtch itself, and infamous for injuring someone at the Academy of Unusual Elements in Pegason.

But he was completely out of the question. I wasn't stupid.

The Bizarre Duke was someone who worked within the law. If I showed up at his doorstep with a book like the Necronomicon, there were only three possible outcomes:

1 - He would seal the book in a dimensional void, ensuring I could never access it again.

2 - He would tamper with my memories so that I would forget the book ever existed.

3 - He would seal me away with the book, just to be safe.

None of those options were acceptable to me.

I needed someone who understood magic, yet didn't share Bizarre's rigid adherence to the law.

"Wait a second... when I unlocked new abilities after encountering Hunter Ruse, I gained a certain skill."

So, I opened my system's Ability Chest to check again what skill I had obtained.

[Skill Chest]

Normal Skills: , .

Mystical Skills: , , .

My eyebrows rose, and my eyes sparkled when I read the name of the last skill in the Mystical Skills section.

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[Skill Details!]

Skill Name: Character List.

Description: A unique and rare skill granted to you thanks to your high level of Avid Reader. It provides a list of all the characters from 'The Journey to the Beyond' you are acquainted with. Each file contains a brief description, details, characteristics, and potential destinations for the character.

Rank: Exclusive.

Cooldown: None.

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"I'm starting to like this system. Now, let's test it... Activate [Character List]."

A window appeared in front of me with a flashing cursor, as if waiting for something to be typed. Since there was no keyboard, I simply said aloud:

"Masters of Magic..."

A long list with many names appeared in front of me.

First, I discarded the obvious names. Wang? No, he worked directly with Duke Bizarre.

Trakul Taletreader? The guy was literally the Son of Satan. Dinain? She'd probably cut off my head before listening to me.

Then, a name caught my eye. Erich McNee. He was a character few remembered, but I recalled one or two occasions when he crossed paths with Hunter Ruse.

Erich McNee had once been a promising wizard, trained at the Pegason Academy of Unusual Elements, but he lost to Duke Bizarro when he challenged him. This left him bitter, and since then, he had followed a more... independent and non-traditional path for wizards of his talent level.

Unlike Bizarre, McNee wasn't the type to shy away from dabbling in dark magic simply because it was "forbidden".

He had experience with dangerous artifacts and made a living trading arcane secrets and relics to anyone willing to pay at a small shop in Birsk, a perilous neighborhood on the outskirts of Lovikalen.

If there was anyone who could help me open the Necronomicon without accidentally trapping me in another dimension, it was Erich McNee. However, there was one major problem with this plan. What was it? Well, if the Necronomicon was as powerful as I suspected, McNee wouldn't do it for cheap.

With empty pockets and a large family debt, my only chance to convince him to help me was to give him the only item I had obtained in the Macabre Library.

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[Item Details!]

Item Name: Dark Spider Cloak

Description: A long cloak made from Dark Spiders that provides almost complete camouflage in the dark.

Attack: +0

Defense: +5

Weight: 1 kilo.

Type: Magical Clothing.

Quantity: 1.

Rank: D

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I didn't want to part with this item because it would be very useful in situations requiring extreme secrecy, but if it was necessary to obtain a Rank B, A, or even S skill, I wouldn't hesitate to give up a Rank D item.

Either way, no matter how eager I was to act, I was too tired. The day had been too long.

Finally, I rested my head on my pillow and fell asleep within minutes.