The Forgotten Lexicon pulsed faintly in my inventory, nestled beside the Heirloom. I could feel both items humming with some unseen resonance, a rhythm deeper than the game's ambient soundtrack.
This was it. The foundation.
Back in my first life, players didn't even know this Spell Creation system existed until year four. And even then, they thought it was flavor content. Cosmetic. Pointless.
Idiots.
I summoned the book.
It hovered in front of me, its pages fluttering to life with an audible snap.
[Spell Creation Menu Unlocked][Ink Capacity: 3/3][Known Runes: Ignite, Shield, Transfer, Anchor][Scribe Tier: F][Warning: Incomplete Understanding. Risk of Spell Failure: High.]
Primitive, but workable.
The interface resembled a puzzle. Runes could be linked into sequences, chained by logic. It wasn't like normal spellcasting—this was part linguistics, part code, part art. I began experimenting.
[Ignite] + [Anchor] = A flame trap that sticks to a surface.[Transfer] + [Shield] = A defensive pulse that could be passed to allies.But the third—
[Anchor] + [Transfer] + [Ignite] = ???
I hit Engrave.
The book sparked violently.
[New Spell Created: Emberthread Snare]Unstable. Incomplete syntax. Duration: 7s. Triggers when target moves.Cost: 40 MP per use. Tier: F-
I grinned. Not flashy, but functional. The start of a toolkit.
Back in the starter town, the players were just now figuring out how to kill wolves without dying. I leaned against a low stone wall, watching a group of newbies get flattened by a field boar. One of them rage-quit mid-fight and vanished in a blink.
Some things never changed.
"Hey!" a voice called behind me. "You're not farming mobs either?"
I turned. A girl, maybe a year or two younger than me in real life. Leather armor. Twin daggers. Rogue class.
Brown eyes. White streak in her hair.
Lyra Fenwick.
My breath caught.
In my last life, she didn't become famous until much later—top five ranked PvP assassin, known for dismantling entire guilds by herself. But she'd started here, same as me. Just another curious beginner.
"I'm scouting builds," I said carefully. "Avoiding the crowd."
She smirked. "Same. These people are like chickens with swords."
I laughed, surprised. The tension in my chest eased.
Before I could say more, a ripple passed through the air. A disturbance in the worldspace.
[Local Event Triggered: Lost Caravan – Escort or Loot]An unguarded merchant caravan limps through the southern pass…
Most players wouldn't even see it—these micro-events were rare, tied to specific time windows. Last time, someone solo-looted the chest inside and triggered a side quest line that led to a hidden guild zone.
I couldn't let that slip by.
"South pass," I muttered. "You coming?"
Lyra blinked, surprised. "You know where that is?"
I just smiled.
We reached the narrow canyon, watching from the cliffs above. The caravan creaked forward on warped wheels. Two injured NPC guards, one limping merchant, and a single locked trunk shimmering faintly with blue glow.
"Looks like we're early," Lyra said.
"Too early." I pointed toward the ridge.
Three bandits were already moving into position.
[Ambush Event Variant Detected – Reward Tier: Scaled to Participation]
Lyra crouched beside me. "You taking the guards or the thieves?"
"Neither," I said. "I'm disabling the chest."
She gave me a look like I'd grown a second head. "That's not how these events work."
"Watch me."
I dropped into the shadows, invoked Emberthread Snare, and scrawled it into the dirt near the chest. When the bandits leapt in moments later, one stepped directly onto the rune.
It detonated with a burst of fire and chains.
The chest blinked red—Trap Triggered – Loot Temporarily Sealed.
I sprinted past the stunned guards, slipped behind the merchant, and held out my Heirloom.
[Item Resonance Detected.][???] has reacted to your actions.[Path of the Bound Scribe: Hidden Milestone Unlocked.]
The trunk opened of its own accord.
Inside wasn't just gold or potions.
It was a scroll case, dusty and marked with the same glyphs from the Forgotten Lexicon.
[Item Acquired: Ancient Binding Script – Inert]This scroll has no power on its own. Combine with a Catalyst.
Lyra landed beside me a moment later, panting. "What the hell was that trap spell? That wasn't Rogue class, was it?"
"Nope," I said.
And for a second, I saw the gears turn in her eyes. She was trying to figure me out.
Good.
We walked back toward the main road as the system tallied our rewards.
[Quest Complete: Caravan Defense – Rare Variant]+1200 EXP | +10 Silver | Reputation: Merchant's Guild +10[Your actions have been noted.][SYSTEM NOTICE: USER PATTERN ABERRANT. FLAGGING ESCALATED.]
I didn't know what the SYSTEM was.
But it knew me.
And it was watching.