The level of sound at your average library has been measured to be around 40 decibels. This is regarded as the lower limit of ambient noise within an urban area. These scenic ponds only see the occasional offending ripple; scraping chairs, stilted whispers, and papers dancing to the slow methodical beat of the inquisitive. Yet, Kos Library was even quieter than this.

Music to my ears.

Miles had taken a nap and gotten a bite to eat. He was ready and raring to jump back into the pace he had been maintaining earlier.

I’ve heard that once you get used to it, you can actually sleep in your Gennesi and keep playing. Wonder how long that’ll take.

The matter of time brought his attention to the in-game clock. It had been more than a full day since he had logged off.

Shit! Of course that would be the case at 3x speed. That’s frustrating...an entire day of progress...but I guess everyone has to get back to their lives at some point. Still, any extra hours spent here are a real advantage.

He didn’t dwell on it for much longer. If he was a hardcore PvPer or aiming to be in a top guild, it might have permanently raised his blood pressure a little. But he was satisfied with setting goals one step at a time. Combat and exploration certainly weren’t unappealing, but the world would be waiting for him all the same if he spent a few more days digesting some pages. Miles peeked around to get a look at the help desk and saw that it was still vacant. The sight of it jostled his memory. Wasn’t there something he had been meaning to check?

Ah, right!

He pulled up his Active Quests tab and saw what he had skimmed through earlier. The Absent Librarian was labeled as a Shared Quest. What did that mean, exactly? Miles tried to recall everything he read online about Elutheria...

It was a game that screamed ambition, aiming to be a forerunner in the ongoing field of immersive VR experiences. The developers had acquired funding from various governments in exchange for sharing its innovations in AI. They meticulously hand-crafted a living, breathing world, and then subsequently left it to its own devices. NPCs were not hard-locked to a particular role. An innkeeper could take up arms as a guardsman. If a king died he would be replaced with another. Gaining experience wasn’t out of the question. Given the right circumstances, they could even go so far as to turn to evil. Monsters, too, were able to level up if they bested one too many opponents. Continuous evolution could lead to a level of intelligence rivaling that of NPCs. All of it being overseen by a few AI “directors” that worked in tandem with the devs to ensure that bugs were squashed and problematic mechanics were balanced. Other than that, they were totally laissez-faire. RedSoft had hinted at something like an endgame, but they were needlessly cryptic about it. Their only statement was a taunt that it was possible that no player would be up to the challenge.

And that was roughly the extent of what he had learned. Miles had only purveyed two articles before making a solemn vow that he wouldn’t subject himself to spoilers. It had paid off in spades so far; he only hoped that he wouldn’t run into something too obtuse to be understood by the Help menu. Which, incidentally, he opened.

Shared Quests

A Shared Quest has an objective that is available to multiple players, but may only be completed by one player (or party). Completing the Quest first will net you full rewards, while others may receive partial rewards depending on the nature of the Quest and/or their level of participation. Shared Quests marked with a number are Limited; this indicates the remaining number of players (or parties) that may accept it before it is no longer available.

Well, that makes sense. No wonder people are absent from the library. They must be trying to complete the Quest first. In fact, they probably received it as soon as they investigated the help desk...

Miles hunched over as if winded by a blow. He let his fingertips run over his face and dig into his hair.

I knew it. I can’t measure up to other players. They’re all...complete idiots!

Throwing back his head, he cackled, “What, did you think you couldn’t read because you didn’t have a membership card?! This is why you need to think more like a leech!”

He wriggled his fingers for a few seconds before wiping his expression clean and returning to a normal posture.

I’ve always wanted to make a scene at a library. Well, their decision makes sense. Any other game wouldn’t let you touch the books in this scenario. Plus they must all be enticed by the quest reward. I doubt it’s anything great with a Common rarity and no player limit though. I should enjoy this peace while I can-

“Young man!”

Miles reflexively tilted sideways at a 45 degree angle. His head swiveled towards a senior in fanciful robes giving him a nasty look.

“I said, young man!”

What’s with all the NPCs approaching me?

“I’d like to remind you to respect the etiquette of this institution! Madam Dromond may not be present, but we should still follow her wishes in good faith!”

Miles promptly got up and walked to the opposite end of the room.

“Why, I never! I’ll have words with Nancibel about this!”

You’re being louder than I am...

Miles nestled into a more inconspicuous position and carried on with some literature fresh off the shelves. Hours began whittling away just the same as before. The brightness within the library essentially never changed thanks to the fact that it relied on lanterns rather than natural lighting, contributing to the ease of losing oneself within. Nevertheless, since his binge session hadn’t lasted nearly as long as last time, he was aware that it was the dead of night when the front door crept open. Three players in piecemeal armor stepped into view.

“See,” the middle one commented, “Normally it would be closed at these hours. This has to be a part of the event. I bet we’ll find something if we look now.” This prompted his partners to glance around the area. One of them spotted Miles and tapped the others on the shoulder. Their tone became notably more hushed as they briefly leaned into each other before splitting up and beginning their search. Someone who may or may not have been a wizard strolled in Miles’ general direction. He halted near the exact center of the west wing and held out his hand.

“[Detect Trap Door].”

Miles felt the man’s eyes flickering over him as he cast the spell. He then dropped his hand and made his way to the north wing.

Guess they don’t trust me. That’s fine, I’m not interested in the reward anyway.

The trio convened at the help desk after approximately 20 minutes of snooping. He could barely make out something like “let’s discuss the results later” being murmured as they left.

Mm, abilities seem pretty useful. Maybe I should check my stats soon...what’s this? Eelmoth Slime: Potent Aphrodisiac or Dangerous Narcotic? No fuckin way, this is a must-read...

Miles had set aside a small pile of books which contained information that he couldn’t decipher. Some had a few gibberish paragraphs while others eluded him even down to the title. Leiland the Explorer, Secrets of Pharros, The Pursuit of the Alkahest...he’d have to make a mental checklist of these. Once he went to the loading screen or the CCR Live hub, he could access utilities like the note app.

His contemplations were interrupted by the door opening once more. Beams of sunlight swept the floor as the librarian’s aide stepped into view. She looked downtrodden, taking a few minutes to notice Miles’ presence. Her face lit up a little when she saw him. Miles checked her approach by shielding his view with a hardback.

Sorry, maybe later- eh?

He put the book back down.

Something had popped up in front of him.

You have been auto-assigned a class due to fulfilling certain conditions.

Uncommon Class: Recluse

Traits

Atrophy

Strength is effectively reduced by 50% (rounded up to the nearest whole).

Niche Interests

Intelligence is effectively increased by 50% (rounded up to the nearest whole).

Socially Maladjusted

Building intimacy with NPCs is significantly harder than normal.

Additional skills and spells may be found in your menu.