Bill strolled out of the school gates, his face glowing with joy, as if he had just won the lottery.
And in a way, he had. Just ten minutes earlier, he had awakened not only the UR-rank talent Analyze & Plunder, but also the SSS-rank talent Supreme Library, making him the first double-talent holder in the history of humankind.
His future was brighter than ever. With these unprecedented talents, it would be easy for him to climb into the ranks of the human elite. No one would question his place at the top.
Bill had even started planning his long-term goals—once he earned enough credit in service to the moonfolk, he would gain full acceptance from the skymaidens.
And when that happened, they might even raise him as one of their own—nurtured like a genius.
All in all, life was looking good. No, brilliant.
But before anything else, he had one thing he needed to do—deliver this glorious news to his allies in the Moon Worship Sect.
Just like always, Bill headed across the street from Yilan Middle School to the Solar Café. He ordered a coffee and proceeded upstairs to the private VIP room.
The VIP room was lavishly decorated. A polished oak table sat in the center, surrounded by an expensive set of leather sofas.
Bill sat down, picked up a pen, and began to write.
Within minutes, he had completed a letter. He folded it neatly, slipped it into an envelope, and tucked it into a hidden slot in the corner of the room.
With that done, he let out a deep breath, lounging comfortably on the sofa, basking in dreams of the bright future ahead.
He had heard the females of the skymaidens were all breathtakingly beautiful—and more importantly, completely submissive to the strong.
Once he proved himself… wouldn't that mean he could have his way with them?
Bill closed his eyes, a smug smile on his lips.
But he didn't know…
Just one wall away, in the adjacent lounge, Link was silently watching him through a tiny hole behind a wall clock—witnessing everything he did.
It was time to act.
Link carefully hung the clock back on the wall and downed the Concealment Potion in one swift gulp.
BANG!
The door to the VIP room slammed open with a deafening kick.
"Link!? What the hell are you doing here?!"
Bill jolted upright, eyes flashing with alarm. But he quickly composed himself, his gaze turning sharp and guarded.
Link said nothing. He walked straight over to the corner of the room and retrieved the letter Bill had just hidden.
The speed and precision of Link's actions left Bill stunned.
"You… you're one of the Moon Worship Sect too?!" Bill asked, disbelief written all over his face.
Link merely smiled. He didn't answer. Instead, he opened the envelope and read the contents aloud:
"Your Holiness, I have successfully administered the weakening agent into that fool Lannis's water as instructed. With Lais's assistance, I have now awakened the sacred skymaidens bloodline..."
"I hope you will continue to support me. I will serve as your faithful eyes and ears within the human race."
"Link, are you insane?!"
Bill leapt from the sofa and lunged toward him, trying to stop him from reading further.
But Link sidestepped effortlessly, glaring at Bill with cold, burning eyes.
"So it's true… you killed General Lannis with your own hands."
"You half-breed bastard. You poisoned your own father!"
Bill froze.
He stared at Link in shock, unable to process what he was hearing.
"You're not with the Moon Worship Sect? Then how did you—"
Link scoffed. He slipped the letter into his coat pocket and looked down at Bill with utter disdain.
"You think I'd stoop so low as to grovel before the moonfolk's lapdogs?"
"Bill, don't you realize what a pathetic, stray dog you are?"
"You killed your own father using cowardly poison. Even prostitutes have more dignity than you."
"Yes, the moonfolk are humanity's enemies—but at least they fight honorably on the battlefield."
"You? You don't even have the guts to kill with your own hands. You resort to tricks and backstabbing like the rat you are."
"With your kind of cowardice, no skymaiden would ever accept you. You belong in the sewer."
Bill's face turned green with rage.
This piece of trash dares talk down to me?
I am a UR-rank genius!
He has to die.
Fury overtook him.
He grabbed a fruit knife from the table and plunged it into Link's chest.
Squelch!
"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!!"
Like a madman, Bill stabbed again and again—pulling the knife out and driving it back in.
Blood gushed like a fountain.
The excruciating pain nearly sent Link into shock. Within seconds, everything turned black as he lost consciousness…
Link's eyes flew open.
Sweat drenched his forehead.
Everything was dark—but a golden orb of light appeared in front of him, floating slowly toward his body.
It merged into him—and the moment it did, a new message rang out in his mind:
[SSS-rank Talent: Supreme Library (Not Yet Awakened)]
[Supreme Library: AI assistant containing vast repositories of known knowledge.]
Wait… what!?
Link's heart skipped a beat.
He nearly leapt from the bed in shock.
This was totally worth dying for.
It was like being gifted his own version of JARVIS—an omniscient helper that could support him in all areas of life.
His joy was short-lived.
A wave of pain surged through his chest, curling him into a tight ball on the bed.
Agony.
Even though there were no wounds on his body, the memory of the fatal pain still lingered.
So this was the price of resurrection…
It took over ten minutes before the torment began to subside.
Link bit down hard on his lower lip and endured it in silence.
He picked up the clock beside his bed—it read 12:43 AM, June 7th.
The exact early morning of his Awakening Day.
He had done it.
Death Rewind had activated successfully.
But of course, it wasn't without a cost.
Though his chest pain had faded, his head throbbed with a sharp, splitting sensation.
A mental exhaustion, like he'd burned through all his energy.
He quietly guessed this might be the side effect of using Death Rewind—the cost being mental strain and the haunting memory of death itself.
Dying really sucks.
Link smirked bitterly.
If not for this ridiculous talent, he wouldn't have had to walk straight into death like that.
But now wasn't the time to reflect on pain.
He needed to check the next page of the notebook.
He pulled the journal from his bag, turned on his desk lamp, and flipped open to the previously locked page.
As expected, it had unlocked.
"If you're reading this, it means you've successfully been killed by Bill and copied the Supreme Library talent."
"Now it's time for Phase Two of the plan: Kill him before he awakens."