Extra's Magic

Thud...

I glanced through the library window, only to notice that the sun was slowly descending behind the tall buildings of the city. Its rays cast a beautiful orange shade over the urban landscape, painting the sky with a warm, vibrant glow.

I had been lost in thought, surrounded by rows upon rows of books, scanning the titles for the tome I needed. But as I gazed out into the bustling world beyond, I felt strangely sleepy.

"I need coffee..."

Rubbing my eyes, I tried to clear away the drowsiness that had settled in. I reached for another old book and checked out its cover, scanning the title and author's name.

"Found it!"

My lips curled up into a small smile as I grabbed it, examining the cover with visible dust and scratch marks, indicating the book's longevity.

It was a very old tome, but it was exactly what I needed. I tucked it under my arm and made my way to one of the tables, eager to quickly delve into its pages.

As I opened the book, the scent of old paper filled my nostrils, and I felt a sense of anticipation wash over me.

[ 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒂 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒆 ]

[ 𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓: 𝑮𝒂𝒖𝒎𝒔 ]

I quickly skimmed over the introduction pages, quickly reaching Chapter One.

• Growing a tree is a beautiful and rewarding experience. It starts with planting a small seed or sapling and nurturing it with water, sunlight, and care...

As I continued reading the chapter, the author delved into various pros of plants and trees in particular...

The book was very, very boring!

However, there was one part that stood out to me. The author generously wrote that trees are... and then my mind wandered off, unable to focus on the words any longer.

"This is so stupid... Couldn't it be a fantasy Novel?"

I muttered under my breath, flipping another page against my own will. The chapter was filled with dry and boring facts about plants and their benefits, and I couldn't help but feel that my time would be better spent on a fantasy novel with dragons and wizards.

When I played the game, the reading process was much easier. All I needed to do was find the book and click on it, and my character would gain a power-up.

Unfortunately, now I had to read the book manually, the lines and words connecting together and blurring before my eyes. The book was so boring, and the writing so dull, that each page felt like a chore.

The only thing that kept me from giving up on the book was the fact that it was relatively short - only around 100 pages, 89 to be precise.

While the content was uninteresting, I was already midway through the tome, and the thought of finishing it provided a glimmer of hope.

• In the end, growing a tree is more than just planting a seed or a sapling. It is a journey that requires patience, dedication, and a deep respect for the natural world...

Finally, the last paragraph appeared before my eyes, and I devoured it quickly, relieved that the book was coming to an end. I had to control myself, so I wouldn't accidentally tear a page. While the book itself had not been to my liking, I knew the importance of treating books with respect and care.

As I closed the tome, I took a moment to reorganize my thoughts and study my body. Even though I didn't feel any different there was only one way to find out the truth.

"Status..."

≈≈≈ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 ≈≈≈

𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲: [ 𝗔𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻 ]

𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐤: [ 𝐅- ]

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡: 𝐆+

𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝐅-

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮: 𝐅-

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚: 𝐅

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦: 𝐅+

<-- 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 -->

[ 𝗦𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 --> 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐄 ]

𝗔 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽.

[ 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐦 --> 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐀 ]

𝐁𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐨𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝟏𝟓%.

<-- 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 -->

[ 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 [ ★★ ] --> 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 ]

𝐀 𝐒𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝.

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

I stared out the azure window, my eyebrows raised in surprise as I read through the description of the new skill I had just gained: 'Book Worm'.

'It's the same as in Leclentia!'

Looking back at the book with the dark purple cover, I realized that something strange was happening. The pages were turning on their own, and the book was slowly beginning to disintegrate before my eyes.

In a matter of moments, the book had crumbled to ashes, which were carried away on a gentle breeze towards the open window. I watched as the ashes disappeared into the night sky.

"..."

Slowly, I stood up from my seat, feeling the stiffness in my muscles from hours of reading. The dimly lit library had taken a toll on my eyes, and I was in desperate need of rest.

Though learning the new skill had not been physically painful, the mental effort of reading through the dull book had drained me.

Some might argue that a background character like me had no use for a skill like 'Book Worm'. They might say that the power to transform into a dragon would be much more useful.

"It's Rank-A for a reason..."

I muttered to myself. If one read the skill's description more closely, he'd notice some keywords - 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤.

This meant that the skill wouldn't just improve my comprehension of genres like romance, tragedy, and horror by 15%, but also boost my understanding in books containing Weapon/Battle Styles and Magic Arts.

Imagine instead of receiving 100%, getting 115%, the difference would be massive. If I could get my hands on a 7-star manual, it would be the day I graduated from being a simple background character.

"Make it through the midterms first..."

Anyways, the journey back to my apartment was a peaceful one. The sound of my footsteps was the only noise that could be heard in the quiet campus. I took in the sights around me, appreciating the beauty of the world around me.

The wet grass beneath my feet and the damp air made me feel alive. It was a refreshing change from the stuffy atmosphere of the library.

Leclentia had always captivated me with its breathtaking scenery and incredible artistry. Everywhere I looked, I was greeted with a mystical and alluring landscape that appeared as if it had been pulled straight from a painting.

The lush foliage and verdant trees seemed to come alive with every breeze, rustling and swaying as though they were dancing to some unseen music. Even the shadows cast by the lanterns seemed to possess an extra vibrancy, making them look almost like they were alive and moving on their own.

"Beautiful..."