Chapter 401: A Game (3)

Ancestor Seeker’s golden eyes glimmered with a blend of quiet amusement and keen intrigue as she regarded Ash with measured focus.

Taking a deliberate step back, she settled gracefully into a seat that materialized seamlessly beneath her, her posture poised and composed.

Her fingers began to tap lightly against the armrest in a steady, thoughtful rhythm.

"You certainly don’t hold back, do you?" she remarked, a faint, knowing smile curving her lips.

"Fufufu~ That is precisely why I anticipated you would provide me with exceptional entertainment."

She let a thoughtful silence hang in the air, her presence pressing in around the room, before continuing.

"But indeed... it’s clear your potential goes far beyond the limits of ordinary understanding." As she said this, an unspoken thought began to form in her mind.

’Which is exactly what we need...’

"Still, like I said, I want good entertainment—and watching you easily crush the competition just isn’t fun."

"In one month, the cycle for all organisms will end, as the game extends to 10 more Cycles. The catch is, once existence reforms after ten millennia, those born will have their potential at its absolute peak... in other words, time is being reset to the very beginning, where power is simply power."

She continued explaining that the power system wouldn’t disappear, but would instead loosen significantly—for example, the 300th layer.

Such a thing was hardly the pinnacle of what someone could achieve. Hearing it all, Ash felt a flicker of intrigue, yet the excitement still escaped him.

"Cool," he said, conjuring a throne of his own as they sat facing each other in the middle of a bookshelf-lined aisle.

"Though, you don’t really think this will change anything... do you?" he asked, though he couldn’t completely blame her for hoping.

She had no idea just how far his power reached, but he didn’t mind. After all, he knew far more than she was letting on.

The spirits had done their work, after all.

She glanced over at Ash.

"I don’t know... you tell me?" she said honestly. "Just between the two of us, think of it more as a bargain, since you do want the two of us, right?"

"Wait! Why are you dragging me along?!" Luna exclaimed from the side, but Ancestor Seeker only chuckled.

As always, she didn’t care for the game at all. This was all for her amusement, though she held a faint hope that Ash might be the one...

Ultimately, above all else, it was about the entertainment.

"Old bones, you’re getting ahead of yourself," Unara remarked, perched atop Ash’s head.

"Anything he wants... he gets," Creara added with a teasing lilt.

Ash, however, exchanged a meaningful glance with Elysia, who responded with a simple nod.

"Like you said... it can only make you stronger in the end," she replied with a casual shrug.

At her words, both women raised their brows, yet Ash’s next statement only deepened their confusion.

"Very well, if it’s proper entertainment you seek... I will provide it," he declared. "Not because I desire you as my women, but because of the power I know I will ultimately attain."

At this point, he was done flirting—before, he’d only been stroking their egos. I mean, in what world would Ash compete for a woman?

Even if the competition was against himself, he wouldn’t bother.

"And if we’re going to do that, you need to give these beings more... something," he said, a hint of confusion in his voice.

He couldn’t name it, but he could sense that the ranks the Horrors held—and the Seeker’s—though technically the same, carried more weight than those of the Organisms.

"Pushing them into the peak of the current reality, won’t be sufficient enough." He then paused for a moment thinking of how to place his words.

"Let’s just say... I have a knack for making the impossible happen. So, you’d better go big or go home."

With that, he stood, sensing his time here had come to an end. He’d gotten exactly what he came for—and then some.

Before walking out, he tossed out one last line: "Oh... and I’ll be back for this library."

----

The moment he left, the heavy silence in the library shattered.

Luna exhaled slowly, turning to her companion.

"...He’s pretty arrogant..." she said with a mix of laughter and exasperation. "Did he really just announce he’s coming back for the library?"

Ancestor Seeker chuckled, leaning back as the golden light in her eyes dimmed to their usual warm brown.

"He did. And the worst part is... I believe him."

She drummed her fingers on the armrest, eyes wandering to where Ash had disappeared.

"He’s not exaggerating about his power either. That boy—no, that man—is already playing on a level that makes the current Champions seem like kids swinging sticks. And he knows it."

Luna shook her head.

"But even after the evolutions? I’m sure the playing field will be leveled."

Ancestor Seeker’s smile grew a shade sharper.

"I don’t know what he’s got up his sleeve... but I’ll make sure to find out. If he’s the one I’ve been reading about since birth, then I need to know."

She paused, her voice dropping to a near whisper.

"And if he really is what I think... maybe things will finally change."

Luna raised an eyebrow.

"You’re already putting that much faith in him?"

Ancestor Seeker gave a light shrug, though her eyes gleamed with an unusual spark of excitement.

"Not faith... more like curiosity. And maybe a bit of hope. He’s the first in ages who feels like he might break the board instead of just playing on it."

Rising to her feet, she smoothed her blouse.

"Come on. We’ve got a few preparations to make."

Luna matched her pace as they headed deeper into the Library.

"Still... ’I’ll be coming back for this Library’?" she muttered, shaking her head with a laugh. "The audacity."

Ancestor Seeker chuckled, and together they vanished into the endless aisles, their voices fading into the vast, living quiet of the Library.