Inside the labyrinthine library, silence reigned. The only sounds were the faint rustling of pages as Lynn flipped through books and the subtle, creeping noises of the darkness closing in behind him, urging him to press forward.
Deciphering an extraordinary language from scratch was far more difficult than Lynn had anticipated.
His progress in learning this language was agonizingly slow. Yet, with the help of his innate talent, even at a sluggish pace, he was at least accumulating knowledge.
From recognizing a single character to two, then three, Lynn gradually grasped the meanings of some of the most fundamental and frequently occurring symbols.
These common words finally allowed him to distinguish the categories of the books around him.
*"The Unique Characteristics of 's Cuisine"
"On the ****** of Extraordinary Creatures"
"Can the Devouring Beast Be Considered Edible? A Discussion…"
After browsing through several books, Lynn quickly realized that he was in an area dedicated to recording recipes.
Although these books were written in an extraordinary script and contained some form of mysterious power, their content was far removed from what Lynn was seeking.
"These aren't what I'm looking for…"
Lynn decisively closed the book in his hands and strode toward the other bookshelves.
Without Little Green's help, he would have needed a considerable amount of time to study the minute differences between bookshelves to find the right path.
But with Little Green's assistance, he didn't have to worry at all. Even if he reached a dead end, Little Green could carve out a new route for him.
After searching for a while, Lynn finally found a book that seemed more aligned with his needs.
Due to the complexity of the extraordinary language, the book's title was difficult to fully decipher. However, as he gradually pieced together its content, he began to form a rough understanding.
"When the gaze of the gods descends, all shall be cleansed anew heaven, earth, man, you, me, and them…"
At first, Lynn thought this was nothing more than a hymn written by a devout believer praising the gods.
But as he read further, his expression suddenly changed, and a sharp sense of alarm surged in his heart.
"After the hundred-thousandth war, the domain of the ** god was torn apart. Bright red blood rained down… so gods can bleed after all."
"Yet, the death of a god was not an end it was the beginning of a nightmare."
"The Pantheon has descended! It is more terrifying than we could ever imagine!"
"** fell before the Pantheon… Perhaps this was the outcome. We broke free from the world that confined us, only to be met not with a bright future, but with"
As he read further, the contents of the book became increasingly profound and complex, filled with sophisticated words and cryptic expressions he had never encountered before.
From what he could vaguely piece together, the book's author seemed to be someone who had once challenged the gods only to fail. A defeated one.
Lynn ran his fingers over the book's pages, his brows furrowed deeply, an inescapable heaviness settling in his heart.
Though the information within provided some clues, it was still far from revealing the truth about his situation.
At that moment, the encroaching darkness behind him crept closer like an unshakable shadow, leaving him no time to pause and think.
"Little Green, clear the path!"
Left with no choice, Lynn gave the command.
Immediately, Little Green's towering two-meter form surged forward, crashing directly into the bookshelves.
Rows of bookshelves collapsed like dominoes, books tumbling to the ground in chaos.
Though Lynn harbored immense curiosity about this unknown civilization, he was keenly aware that nothing from within the labyrinth could be taken out. More importantly, he had no time to leisurely read through these texts.
He could only follow the path that Little Green had carved out, his eyes swiftly scanning the spines of the books in hopes of identifying more valuable information.
Boom!
With each powerful charge from Little Green, more bookshelves were pushed aside, continuously extending their path forward.
Lynn followed closely, moving swiftly.
Just as he passed by a collapsed bookshelf, something caught his eye a particularly spacious area off to his right.
His footsteps hesitated slightly as he turned to look.
It was a hall resembling a lecture room. In the center stood a wide table, surrounded by neatly arranged chairs.
Clearly, this had once been a place of instruction, and the table in the center was where the lecturer would sit.
What drew Lynn's attention most, however, was the open notebook resting on that table, a pen placed beside it as if someone had just been using it moments ago.
"That is…"
Lynn's eyes lit up, and he immediately rushed toward the notebook with Little Green at his side.
He flipped it open and began reading.
The handwriting within was disorderly especially the last few lines, which were so hastily scrawled that they were nearly illegible, as though the writer had left in great urgency before they could finish.
Unlike the elaborate script of the bound books, the notes were written in a more colloquial, conversational style, making them much easier to understand.
Lynn focused his attention, rapidly scanning through the pages.
Then his fingers froze mid-turn, his gaze locked onto a particular line.
"Finally found it…"
Holding his breath, Lynn's eyes burned with intensity as he stared at the words.
Though the handwriting was messy, the information hidden within was unmistakably what he had been desperately searching for.
"After repeated tests, *'s Balance cannot save us. But after wagering everything, we caused the Balance to tilt."
"From this moment on, the Balance, which once represented equivalent exchange and absolute fairness, is no longer just. Every transaction approved by the Balance will now return tenfold!"
"We changed everything. Because of this, our first transaction will yield a tenfold return!"
"This is our last hope. We bet everything… and one of the statues seated at the forefront of the Pantheon was destroyed. That was a being of *'s level…"
"The Balance…"
Lynn's gaze turned razor-sharp, a growing unease stirring within him.
Abruptly, he lifted his robe and glanced down at his chest.
Sure enough, there, a line of words had appeared:
"By the rules of the great * equivalent exchange. On the other side of the Balance, you must leave your life behind…"
"The Balance! This is the real culprit that has trapped me!"
Lynn's heart pounded, his mind racing.
The notes stated that the Balance was now tilted and that any transaction made through it would return tenfold.
However, this was by no means good news for him.
"When did I ever make a transaction with this so-called Balance? But no matter what the deal was, if the price has been multiplied by ten… it's bound to become a huge problem!"
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm.
In a situation like this, panic would only make things worse.
From the notes, it was clear that the Balance was an immensely valuable artifact perhaps even a divine relic.
Could it be that this labyrinth itself was an extension of that artifact?
Had he unknowingly entered into a contract with the Balance…?
"But I never received anything! Even in a forced deal, you at least have to give me something in return!"
As he spoke, his gaze suddenly locked onto Little Green.
If there was anything in his possession that had originated from the labyrinth, it was Little Green.
But Little Green wasn't something he had obtained himself it was something the Earl of Greenforest had acquired long ago…
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