Aztec Library.
Jake had spent half a day in the library already.
Surely, he had read a lot of books, which were not exactly helpful to him, but were interesting to read.
Books like, "How to survive at sea…..How to talk to a snake…..How to sleep in a storm…..Survival tip 101: How to talk to yourself." were certainly very interesting.
It was just that.....he wasn't in any of the scenarios it was meant for.
What Jake wanted was comprehensive knowledge of his elements; Ice and Thunder.
Based on some books he read, the elements were divided into three classifications; primary, secondary, and tertiary.
Just like its name, [Primary Elements] were the basic elements that governed the world.
They were usually present in our day-to-day situations. Those elements include fire, water, wind/air, earth.
A mixture of two [Primary Elements] created [Secondary Elements]. Such elements include, but are not limited to, Ice (which is a mixture of wind and water) and Magma (which is a mixture of Earth and Fire).
The [Tertiary Elements] were formed from combinations of various elements and were very hard to trace the original source of the element. Examples of this include, [Cloud Element], [Smoke Element], and many more.
However, out of this group of elements is another rather juvenile group of elements called the [Abstract Elements].
This group comprises all the elements that represent a unique force or concept that is not present everywhere.
Reading this part, Jake was intrigued as there were some cultivators that denounce the existence of these elements.
Yet, the said elements existed. Elements like [Solar element], which governed anything pertaining to the sun. [Light Element], which also governed the existence of light in our environment.
It could be said that everything was an element as no single thing was the same. Each person and object were different from its predecessors.
Such a claim could be backed by the fact that even two cultivators with the same element possessed an energy that had unique qualities.
This was where the book where Jake got the information from ended, just like a cliffhanger!
As Jake was already living in the world of the book, he felt aggravated by the lack of more content.
It was like reading a story only for the author to abruptly ended the book and go on a break for half a year.
"What a sad life?" sighed Jake as he stood up from his seat.
Despite his [Ice Element], the surrounding felt cold due to the massive snowstorm that fell yesterday.
Jake had to say that the seasons of this world were quite unique.
He walked to the window of the library and, through the glass, he could see snowflakes falling from the sky beautifully.
Jake watched one of them drift freely in slow motion and thought, "It is snowing again. That explains the increasing cold. Still, it is a perfectly beautiful sight."
He wanted to reach his hand out to the snow, but the window glass prohibited him from that.
The snowflakes reminded him of what he might face in the coming months.
Like he had said, the seasons of the world were strange.
In a year, the first five(5) months were full of spring. Coincidentally, Jake arrived in the first month and got to enjoy the warm season.
After Spring, the following two(2) to three(3) months were marked by winter. This was the current season Jake faced. It started just right after the competition.
After Winter was two (months) of Autumn, filled with dry-cold air and fallen leaves.
Winter was also the reason why the Pinesun Group had not left the Capital. It was said that the branches of Dark Forest were not safe for transportation. Also, due to the cold temperature, the borders of the Capital were closed for further maintenance, which Jake knew wasn't the reason.
However, that wasn't all!
Following Autumn, out of nowhere came the Stygian season, also known as the Wicked Season!
When Jake asked about it, it was said that each city of Aztec had protection against the terrifying effects of the season. That was how fearsome it was!
During the season, one would be easily influenced by negative emotions and act on them. Once they act on it, they start to die without them knowing.
The only way to survive is to resist negative emotion, which is easier said than done.
*Boom!*
Jake's thoughts were paused as he felt a surreal tremor pass through his skin.
He could feel the ground massive shaking, threatening to burst out an earthquake. However, it didn't.
It took a while for the shaking to stop and when it did, nothing happened.
It was as if the tremors were just bluffs, but Jake felt it was more than that.
He clearly heard a sound just before the start of the tremors.
The sound was like an attack bursting through an obstacle, and judging by the silence, Jake knew it had won.
Still, with an impact that loud, there were only a few things that were qualified to be its obstacle, one of them being the capital's gate!
Jake instantly discerned that something serious was going on.
After thirty minutes of waiting by the window, he heard screams that were even too loud for his ear, "Ahhhhh!!"
He could tell that they were from different individuals.
Following the first few screams, other screams began to join it and very quickly the city descended into chaos.
Jake, only hearing, couldn't see what the fuzz was all about.
He stretched his neck and then he saw it!
"A zombie," Jake softly commented.
There was not just one zombie, but multiple zombies rampaging about, preying on the regular denizen of Aztec.
Jake heard rushed footsteps behind him and noticed that the others in the library were running out of the library, falling to the mass hysteria that the appearance of zombies brought with it.
Jake knew it was a very bad decision to leave the library as currently, the library was temporarily safe.
Yet, he didn't want them. He ignored the panicked ones and focused back on the scene outside the window, even managing to catch sight of those that escaped from the library being bitten by the zombies.
Seeing this, Jake couldn't help but smile, not at those that were bitten by zombies, but by the fact that he was right!.....
A few months ago, Jake had stopped investigating the group behind the masked men as there were no traces of them.
In his boredom, he thought of what would happen if the group manages to find what they were looking for in the underground system.
The answers he had were closer to what was presently happening outside the library.
Part of his conclusion was due to the hybrid nature of the masked men and Ray. There was no way what they were looking for was of benefits to the public!
However, it wasn't his business.
Months of thinking had allowed him to plan his next route.
Previously, he had always wondered what were his next plans after the conclusion of the competition and just a month ago, he figured them out.
Since Aztec was bound to undergo a massive struggle, whether they win or not, it would still affect him.
So, he had to leave Aztec, a notion that he had been harboring within him for long.
He would rather not get caught in the crossfire, but the problem was that he didn't know what was beyond Aztec.
That was also why he always went to the library.
After finding a map of the continent, he continued seeking knowledge of the different parts of the southern continent.
Now, he was set to go, but before that...…
Jake turned around and faced the scarce library, 'I can't leave the now-free books.'
Yes, to him, they were now free. In the process of a chaotic situation, everything of value was free!!!
Jake finally smiled at the thought of possessing everything in the library.
However, there were a few people with enough brains to still stay in the library and there was no way they would let him take the books.
Jake walked back to his table and put the books on it in the [Spatial Ring] he got from the masked men.
Leaving the table, he strode to the door of the library and close it shut under the suspicious gazes of those within.
Then, he walked back to the library tables section, where people read the books in the library for free, and smiled at the group of people hiding there.
On his way to the library door, he had checked to see if there were still any other group, apart from the ones in front of him, and found none, even the receptionist had run away.
This made it easier for what he was about to do.
The group of people looked at the young boy standing in front of them.
The boy's cold, yet heterochromatic eyes, gave them an ominous feeling that increased every second the boy looked at them.
Among the group, some of them found him familiar.
However, when they were about to inform the other, they noticed that blood strangely dripped from their head.
They looked at each other and to their horror, a large hole was situated on their heads!
They were not able to voice out their confusion as it took no more than one(1) second for they to fall down, lifeless and dead.
The perpetrator of the strange event, Jake, appeared beside them, his right hand stained red with all sorts of brain fluid.
He brought out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the stain off his hand, sighing, "What a sad life?!"
What he did was a display of his current speed after achieving the third stage of [Sword Drawing Technique].
Still, it was not as exaggerated as the people he killed felt it was. The only reason he had an easy kill was that the group was not strong enough!
One might wonder why he killed them.
It was simple. Jake was about to rob the library of all their books before he escapes the kingdom. If by any chance, Aztec comes out as victors of the current chaos outside, then there is a possibility that he would be hunted by their men once they find out that he was the thief.
So, Jake had to tie up loose ends. That way, he wouldn't have to think of the minuscule possibility.
After cleaning himself, Jake walked to the library shelves.
The number of shelves was almost uncountable, but Jake had patience, plus he was very fast.
And so, Jake began the start of his heist....