In the early morning, Ron arrived at the academy’s central library.
In his hand, he held the special permission badge.
This was one of the rewards he won in the Bloody Gladiatorial Games, allowing him to select a precious ancient book from the Treasure Area.
"Blood Duel Champion, Ron Ralph."
Ron calmly showed the badge to the guard: "I’m here to use the special permission."
The old guard took the badge, carefully examined it, and nodded:
"Confirmed. Please follow me, Apprentice Ralph."
He turned and led Ron through the main hall, towards a narrow corridor that was not usually open to apprentices.
At the end of the corridor stood a heavy door made of obsidian.
The door was engraved with complex runes and strange biological figures, twisting like living creatures under the candlelight.
A vague, strange sound seeped through the door’s crack, unlike any language Ron was familiar with, a disturbing whisper mixed with rustling.
The old guard inserted the badge into a groove on the door and softly recited a secret spell.
As the spell concluded, the obsidian door groaned with a dull thud.
It was as if a sigh echoed from a distant place, then slowly opened inward, revealing a deep darkness.
"The rules of the Treasure Area are simple."
The old guard’s voice was extremely low, as if afraid of disturbing something hidden in the darkness:
"You have one hour to select, and you can only take one book. Do not damage, copy, or alter any items. Once inside, the guardian golems will monitor the entire time, and any violation will lead to immediate expulsion and permanent loss of access."
When adding the last point, the old guard’s expression turned exceptionally serious:
"Also, ignore any sounds or whispers, they are just the echo of knowledge. No matter what you hear, do not respond."
Ron nodded to show his understanding: "I will follow the rules."
"Good luck, young man."
The old guard stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
Ron took a deep breath and stepped into this vault of knowledge.
The door closed slowly behind him, emitting a heavy thudding sound as if isolating him completely from the outside.
Once inside, he found himself in an irregularly shaped hall.
The walls were made of some strange substance that emitted a faint glow, with patterns flowing like living veins on the surface, bringing a pulsating sense of life to the whole space.
More unnervingly, whenever he shifted his gaze, the hall’s boundaries seemed to change slightly, as if space itself was breathing.
In the center of the hall stood a crystal structure of multi-dimensional design, initially appearing as a tower, but when the viewing angle changed, it would present completely different geometric shapes.
At its peak floated a sphere resembling a human eye, its iris a deep indigo and the pupil a black hole-like vortex, seemingly able to devour all light.
"Now this is interesting, it has that peculiar profundity unique to Wizards..."
Ron thought this as he carefully scanned the surroundings, noticing several guardians standing at the edge of the hall.
These guardians were not ordinary stone golems but anomalous constructs carved from a semi-transparent black-blue crystal.
Their shapes were vaguely humanoid but completely disproportionate, with overly long arms, malformed heads, and joints bending in ways they shouldn’t.
Most unsettling were their "eyes," with each guardian inlaid with dozens of red crystals of varying sizes.
With just a quick glance, Ron swiftly returned his focus to the task of selecting a book.
Time was limited, and he needed to efficiently find the book he was looking for.
He cautiously approached the central structure, sensing the ancient energy fluctuations emanating from it.
Ron tried to understand the working principle of this index system.
Rather than being a classification system, it was a thought-responsive device:
It sensed the visitor’s needs and thoughts, actively guiding them to the knowledge that resonated with them.
Closing his eyes, Ron concentrated, clearly presenting the key concepts of "Extraordinary Biology," "Abyss," and "Bloodline" on the surface of his consciousness.
The eye-like sphere at the top immediately reacted to this information, the iris turning deep purple, the pupil expanding into a pitch-black vortex.
Following its guidance, Ron proceeded to a bookshelf constructed from dark purple biological bones and some unknown metal.
The tomes on the bookshelf were varied, some shaped regularly like ordinary books, others writhing like organic creatures.
Some even seemed to be formed from a semi-solid substance, with tiny bubbles constantly forming and bursting inside.
In the center of this bookshelf, a particularly hefty book immediately drew Ron’s attention.
It was an unusually thick tome, about the size of an adult’s chest, with a cover bound in some unknown creature’s leather.
From one angle, it displayed the common language title "Abyssal Creatures Atlas," while the side was inscribed with some ancient runes.
From a specific angle, a series of incomprehensible geometric symbols appeared, causing mild dizziness if stared at directly.
"This is exactly what I’ve been looking for..."
Ron’s heart began to race uncontrollably.
This "Abyssal Creatures Atlas" was something he had specifically inquired about after hearing news from Lilia.
It was said to be written by a Dark Sun Wizard named Selwyn Audric.
This wizard had explored the Abyss for nearly a century, traversing areas from the first to the thirteenth layers.