Most of this chapter is a recording of Brakos explaining how the books work to Jack. You don't have to read it as Jack will learn as he goes but it is here if you want
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*Flashback to this morning*
I woke up this morning still in Terra's room. Looking around, I saw that I was alone other than the Lightning Tiger.
When I got up, I saw some clean clothes left on the dresser. I decided to get changed and went over.
As I got to the clothes, I saw several different types left for me. Some dress shirts, t-shirts, sweaters, jeans, sweatpants, and several other options were left on the dresser for me.
'For once, I am happy to have nobles as my family. They seem to always have what they need ahead of time,' I thought as I sorted through everything and picked out some jeans, a red T-shirt, and a black sweater.
After I got dressed, I moved over to a chair and started to examine the books Brakos gave me last night.
I checked the leather book first.
This book was meant to be an extra or a journal. In my time in this world, I have thought about a good use for it, but I knew I would need Brakos present to make it happen.
As I picked it up, another piece of paper fell out. On this one, it read: "Rip this paper and a recorded message about the functions of the books will appear. Do it before opening the books."
I did so, and a mini holographic-like image of Brakos appeared standing on top of the books.
It started to talk after a few seconds in an echoey-ish version of Brakos' voice. "Hello, Jack. Before you start responding, this is a recording, not a communication."
Looking at this made it seem more sci-fi than fantasy, but I listened regardless.
"In case you are worried about whether someone else can see or hear this message, don't worry. Only the one who ripped the paper can, and you are the only one who can see the writing."
"I made this message in case circumstances prohibited me from being there in person and to explain what each book does and how it works."
"I recommend you wait until I am done before you start to experiment and test out the books, so please be patient."
He paused, and the 3 books appeared floating next to him.
"For each book, I made them special with their powers and minor spirits."
"The black book is the core of your powers and the seal on your powers."
"The blue book contains your [Appraisal] power, and the front page has the instructions."
"And finally, the leather book is slightly different. I added a special ability just for you."
"For the easy one, the leather book is first. It will be your notebook. This book will be many in one. Simply put, it can transform into other books."
"For now, it is a normal book, but when you give the book a name, it will register it. Then you can name a second book, and if you say, with the intention of change, the second name while the book is closed, when you open it next, it will be that other book."
"For example, you can have the main one be [Notebook] and the second one be [Magic Circles]. When you say [Magic Circles], the book will only show what you have put into the [Magic Circles] book. It's like you have to say a certain password to get certain information."
"Total security and privacy for your secrets and knowledge."
This is very useful when you need to keep multiple books when studying or all the information you have on other races. Plus, this means that if you fill up one book, you have more afterward.
"Though sadly, right now you only have the first book. If you want more books, you have to forge a contract with it and make it more powerful on your own. I can't help, sadly."
"The second book, the blue one, will contain your power of [Appraisal]."
"After you forge a contract with it, look at something while the book is on you, you are within 50 feet of it, and have a clear line of sight or physical contact, and say the command word [Appraisal] with the mental intention of using it, and it will activate."
"When it ends, the information will appear in the book or on the last used page."
"[Appraisal] can be used on both objects and people. It can tell you their name and abilities, but it is limited. It can't appraise something if it is at a certain level above you, or they have anti-detection/appraisal magic cast on them."
"Some small warnings are that one of your eyes will have a white glow when using it."
"If it is a powerful person or magic item you try to appraise, the appraisal can take time. It can take anywhere from a few seconds to several days depending on its strength, and for it to continue the [Appraisal], you must remain within 50 feet of the target."
"If you leave the area, you can get back and resume where you left off unless it has drastically changed while you were gone."
"[Appraisal] is a spell many people can use, but it is an advanced spell and rare for someone to have it. Plus, how people receive the information is different for everyone. You are the only person who will receive it in a book."
"You don't have to worry about having to transcribe everything to another book. All the books are connected, so if you want to transfer information between books, you can."
"To do so, on the bottom left, simply write 'transfer' and the name of the book you want it in. The books will auto-sort it, but if you move it to the leather book, you need to specify which version it is you want."
"The third and final book is the seal and the core of your powers."
"This book has a blood seal. Only with your blood can you break the seal, and when you do, the book will be bound to your soul."
"I must warn you, when you break the seal, your powers as a Primogenitor will fully awaken. Your physical and magical strength will increase, and you will start to experience strange and dangerous events very often. It may even cause harm to those you love."
When I heard this, I thought to myself, 'I have already lost so much. If I want to protect what I have left, I need to get stronger. The entire reason I am doing this is to protect others.'
"I can't control when you break the seal, but don't say I didn't warn you."
"When you do break the seal, your body will suffer immense pain as it forges a connection to the book, adjusts to your new strength, and stabilizes your power. Overall, it should take around an hour of immense pain at the worst and a mild headache at best, but you should expect the worst. Plus, you must remain awake through the entire process."
"A silence spell will be cast when you do break the seal, allowing nobody to hear you if you can't help but scream, and the magic will dissipate quickly to prevent someone from knowing what happened."
"As for the functions of the book, it is as you asked. When you open the book, you will see a quest page with a few quests and details about your current powers."
"This book will also contain your contracts with [Etherials] and their details."
"If you look at the first page in the contract section, you will see my name and what I can do when summoned. I will let you find out for yourself."
"I decided to also add in game-like stats for you. 20 in physical stats is considered the average for an adult human, and a 10 is for children."
"Things like Mana (magical energy) and Ki (physical energy) are different between people. Sorry, I don't know the average right now."
"Keep in mind that the average stats will vary between races and could become inaccurate due to the abilities of different species."
"You probably know this, but I will say it anyway. Mana is used to cast magic spells, and Ki is used to enhance your physical body."
"Just know I didn't add in an [HP] counter, as I find that inaccurate and it could cause you to panic if you aren't seriously injured."
"If you want to add it in or change how the book displays information, just simply say 'system settings' while the book is on a black page, and said page will have a settings display like in video games. It works the same, so feel free to customize it."
"If someone you appraise is hurt, it will not be shown. But if someone is poisoned or bleeding, it will be displayed, and a timer will start."
"The timer will be the expected time before they die or how long they will be affected, but other factors can change that, like slowing the bleeding or receiving another injury."
"There is no leveling system for killing monsters either. Instead, your skills and abilities will have levels based on your proficiency, power level, and understanding of them."
"Your power rank will be listed like it is in the Adventurers' Guilds. You start at F-Rank and slowly rank up to S-Rank or higher if you work hard."
"When you want to add an ability for your people, simply write in the book what you want, and after some time, the book will give you options for what you need to get."
"When you look at your stats, you will see one called [Spiritual Energy] or [SP]. Your spiritual energy will have many uses when you get around to it."
"Spiritual Energy is the strength of your soul. The more you have, the stronger it is. Whenever you lose Spiritual Energy, you are binding something to your soul or something has damaged your soul. By increasing your Spiritual Energy, you are causing your soul to become stronger."
"The things that would cause your Spiritual Energy to decrease are as follows: you make/pay for contracts with spirits, evolve spirits, gain power with the books, read books in the library, bind a magic weapon to you, and several other things."
"Baseline is critical— increase it as much as possible and don't waste it."
"To forge a contract with the books, simply go to the first page and follow the instructions listed. When done, simply let a few drops of your blood fall on the books, and they will be bound to you, and only you can use them."
"There are many other things you should know, but I will leave you to discover them on your own. Good luck, and if you need me, just summon me."
There was a pause, then Brakos added, "Yes, you can do so even if you haven't broken the seal." And the recording ended.