Having entered the "Vanished Library," Lucas no longer felt the need to pretend.
"Professor Felix... your current state is due to the influence of the Book of Calamities. You've been trapped here for over a hundred years. Don't you wish for release? Give me the Book of Calamities and free your soul."
The temperature in the library plummeted.
Unlike the cooling effect of the Ice Dance Garden, this chill emanated from within the body.
Felix's form continued to transform, not only becoming more solid but also twisting and distorting.
His facial features contorted inward, and his entire body trembled as if enduring unbearable pain.
"No, I will never give you the Book of Calamities. It is our Mysticism Department's greatest achievement and the origin of all disasters.
I stayed here to guard it, to prevent tragedy from happening again.
Elf! You exploited my goodwill and deceived me. You will pay the price!"
Felix's face morphed into a black void. He hovered, emitting a cold, negative energy that spread outward, causing the books on the floor to flip their pages rapidly in the chilling wind.
Lucas extended his right arm and grasped the Ancient Rock.
A white light emanated from the glove on his right arm, dispersing all the encroaching negative energy with its righteous, holy power.
"Professor Felix, you just said that energy is neutral and knowledge is neutral. Why do you now claim that the Book of Calamities is the source of disaster?
The tragedy was caused by people, by some mystics who descended into darkness and the abyss. The Book of Calamities has borne the blame for over a hundred years, and even its name was changed later.
Its true name should be... 'The Original Encyclopedia of Mysticism,' recording all the mystical knowledge gathered at the founding of Arcanum Academy's Mysticism Department.
All your later achievements and works were based on this book, making it the most treasured artifact of your department.
Its biggest mistake was perhaps embodying your passion for mysticism, becoming a mysterious artifact."
The holy light illuminated half of the room where Lucas stood.
A distinct line of light and dark appeared before her. Professor Felix stood in the darkness, his negative energy repelling the advance of the holy light.
"Holy energy! How can a deceitful elf possess the power of righteousness? Moreover, your knowledge of the Book of Calamities exceeds my expectations. You... are very, very dangerous! I have no choice but to kill you!"
Lucas sighed.
"Professor Felix, you are a good man and a great scholar. I don't want you to perish in pain. But I must take the Book of Calamities... if I don't, it will cause an even greater disaster at Arcanum Academy in the future.
I am the only one who knows its true value. It is not just a book that brings calamity."
Having said that, Lucas raised her level from 60 directly to 100.
Blinding holy light burst from the blade of the Ancient Rock, like a high-powered searchlight, shining a brilliant white light towards Professor Felix.
The darkness in the other half of the room was driven away by the light, and Professor Felix, exposed to the holy light, let out a painful wail.
The sacred flames ignited the accumulated filth and resentment in his soul, and many spirit forms were driven out of his body by the holy energy.
The responsibilities he bore in life and the over a hundred years of guardianship after death had placed a heavy burden on Felix and his companions.
Their obsession with mysticism made them unwilling to leave the Book of Calamities.
For Felix and his companions, perishing was a form of release.
Under the impact of the holy energy, the negative energy burned away, and Professor Felix's soul turned from gray to pale white.
Then, he dissipated into tiny specks of starlight and vanished into the air.
The room warmed under the light.
"Elf, if you can see the future, what name would it have?" Felix asked softly.
"Brick," Lucas replied with the name given to the Book of Calamities by players.
"Brick?! That's quite an unexpected name, but it's better than 'Book of Calamities'... please take good care of it."
Felix, the guardian of this library, had completely vanished. In the spot where he had stood lay a thick, hardcover book, as large as a dictionary.
Lucas dispersed the holy energy, reverted Ela's level back to 60, and walked over to pick up the hardcover book.
The cover read "The Original Encyclopedia of Mysticism."
This was the Book of Calamities.
In the game's storyline, if players did not retrieve the Book of Calamities in advance, another mage from Arcanum Academy, drawn by an interest in mysticism, would discover Felix in a similar manner.
He would gain Felix's trust and learn much about mysticism here. Then, like many mystics before him, he would become obsessed.
He would eventually dispel Felix's soul, take the Book of Calamities, and repeat the incantations of old.
The uncontrolled mysticism would once again cause a disaster at Arcanum Academy.
Now, it was Lucas's "Brick."
"Brick," the name given by players, referred not only to the book's resemblance to a brick but also vividly described its function.
The mages of Arcanum Academy had fallen into a misunderstanding regarding the Book of Calamities.
They designed entire mystic rituals around it, using it as the central focus in their incantations.
Furthermore, the powerful energy displayed by the Book of Calamities in mystic experiments trapped the mages in this misconception.
They were always trying to develop a great mysticism with the book as the core component.
The result was often uncontrollable and disastrous.
The true use of the Book of Calamities was as an auxiliary tool, supporting other mystical artifacts as the main focus.
Had the mages of Arcanum Academy discovered this feature sooner, they would have realized it was a versatile "artifact."
Any mystic incantation could include the Book of Calamities in the auxiliary sequence. It could replace any auxiliary without affecting the overall effect of the incantation.
In advanced mysticism, it could substitute for a rare mystical artifact you couldn't find.
In mystic development, changing the Book of Calamities' position in the auxiliary sequence could reduce many experimental steps.
Moreover, after casting a mystic incantation, the Book of Calamities wouldn't disappear or become ineffective like other mystical artifacts.
It was a must-have mystical artifact for player mystics.
It was the first organized encyclopedia of mysticism in the world of Erynia, embodying the passion of all mystics at Arcanum Academy.
It had always awaited its true value to be discovered but was instead considered the source of disaster, earning the name "Book of Calamities."
Go to where you belong. Lucas opened Ela's space backpack and gently placed the Book of Calamities inside.
Then, he picked up the scattered books on the floor, carefully placing them back on the shelves and reorganizing them.
Finally, he selected a few mystic books that caught his interest and put them in his space backpack.
With everything done, it was time to leave.
Lucas summoned the Book of Calamities and used its mysterious energy to open a portal.