"Am Level 3, godamnit!"
I cursed in frustration at the strange book before me. Despite the fact that I was now three times smarter than my previous self, the lock mechanism that was holding the book together, seemed to simply stare at me smugly refusing to be solved
I glanced at the book, "Why the fuck are you grinning?"
How did bro go from yapping to himself to yapping to a book?
My inner voice sounded bamboozled.
I rubbed my face and sat down on the grass.
Shut up! Am just frustrated...
I stared at the lock mechanism. The lock mechanism of the book consisted of a certain circular bolt that had to be spun in a certain order using the quill. From what I observed, the quill is inserted into a tiny hole and then twisted either in the clockwise or anti-clockwise direction along the bolt.
The bolt is moved with the quill in a certain order and the book unlocks...in theory.
The problem is that I have no way to try that because of the other much more infuriating part of the mechanism; the igniter.
When I had first examined the book, I had found out that it had a flintlock device attached to the back designed to combust the book if the sequence was failed, even on the first try.
The guy who made this book must either have been a fool or a serious perfectionist.
Must have been the former.
Out of spite, I decided on the former.
"Tss...am going nowhere...", I wanted to dismiss the book once again but then my inner voice spoke.
You're not thinking logically...
Huh?!
I was bewildered at the mention of 'logically' in my inner voice's sentence.
Woah! Since when do you speak so fluently?
Since yo mama grabbed the sheets, bastard.
I was flabbergasted at that statement, immediately, I wanted to retort but my inner voice interrupted me.
You seem to forget the fact that this is a game.
So what?!
You don't get it...?
Speak, you fool!
Ha...am saying that...that book in your hands is basically just a 3D model that was based off of someone's idea.
...What do you mean...?
Have you bothered to even think about the underlying workings of this model? Have you bothered to think about the idea base of this model?
Ah...ah!
Suddenly, I had an epiphany.
"AHA!"
My eyes shone as I finally realized what my inner voice meant.
"I-I... see it now!"
Suddenly, I closed my eyes and dove into a hidden part of my mind.
[Skill: Memory Palace has been activated.]
...
Suddenly, I woke up on a throne at the center of a school hall. The hall was completely devoid of students and the atmosphere itself seemed to have an empty hue to it.
To my right was a classroom and to my left was another. Before me was the staff room and behind me was a library, to my rear left was a science lab and to my rear right were two other rooms.
Each of these rooms held a thousand objects, and each of those objects were a block of my knowledge.
That's right.
I was inside my memory palace, a mental space, based off on my school, where I had stored my vast knowledge base.
"Been a while since I actively appeared here...", I trailed off as I examined the vast hall.
Back then in the real world entering here was a chore, I had to spend over 10 minutes just to visualize my spawn point but now, I appeared under 2 minutes.
Still on the throne, I raised my right hand.
"Someone's idea...right?"
"Clockwise, Anti-clockwise...right?"
"I don't see what other thing fits the bill...other than..."
Following that, my right hand reached towards the empty space before it, trying to form an object from nothing.
The thought of the object I wanted to form seemed to diminish as I focused on it.
"Damnit...even with clarity, it's still hard..."
I began to focus harder but, the thought and depiction of the object seemed to become more elusive.
"Huh?"
I felt confused before finally sighing, "Am doing this wrong..."
My eyes glistened with an intelligible light as I spoke, "When a person wants to remember or recall something, you don't force your brain to try."
My hand moved gently, forming an outline of a square.
"You work with subtlety."
Slowly, over my right hand a crude replica of the supposed object was formed in a jagged outline.
It was a Rubik's Cube.
A slight smile made its way to my face as the makeshift object hovered above my palm; blurring from time to time.
It consisted of only three-color dispersions; white, black and... oddly purple.
Well, three because that's how much I could form without the Rubik's cube falling apart and purple because...I dunno it just wandered in.
"Seems like my intuition can make a joke too...huh?", I spoke in an amused tone while examining the hazy silhouette of the cube.
"Now that I have the Rubik's cube the rest is simple...ish."
During my 'aha' moment, I had figured out that the turning bolt of the book's lock mechanism is actually based off on the method of solving a Rubik's Cube; Side Clockwise-Top Clockwise and Side Counterclockwise-Top Counterclockwise. The sequence is repeated until a white cross is formed.
Surprisingly, the same sequence also applies to the Quill-Book.
"In theory...no...am sure of it!", I spoke in a confident tone as I twisted the side of the Rubik's cube in the clockwise direction.
I let out a sigh and then relaxed back in my imaginary throne. The throne wasn't simply for show, it served as the knowledge block pertaining to my spawn point.
"Well, what am I waiting for? Let's go read some forbidden knowledge!"
With a thought, I vanished from the throne, leaving the mental space vacant.
...
I opened my eyes with a flutter and then immediately my gaze bolted to the book which was resting peacefully by my side; I had been sitting in a lotus position.
A grin suddenly spread across my face as I said, "Alright..."
I stretched out my hand and picked up the book, taking out the quill pen attached to the side.
My heart began to beat faster, within my chest. A sense of unease permeated my essence as I took hold of the quill pen. I suddenly was reminded that if I failed, the possibility of dying was very real.
A grimace made its way to my face, "It's do or die..."
Suddenly, I plunged the quill pen into the hole and immediately, twisted the bolt.
CHACK!
It moved in the clockwise direction without any constrictions but most importantly...
"It didn't explode!"
Yes!
Without wasting any time, I turned the bolt once more in the clockwise direction. It moved again without issue. I paused, taking a deep breath before twisting it in the opposite path.
KA-CHACK!
It once again moved without issue, in the anti-clockwise direction. I let out an exhale and then performed the last move.
"The moment of reckoning.", I spoke in a low voice as my hand moved to the left.
CHACK!
With that last sound, the bolt popped open revealing the contents of the once elusive book.
Immediately, my eyes shone and I screamed,
"EUREKA!"