In an empty library, standing next to a wooden bookshelf, a young man was reading a book. His hands could feel the brown leather cover, a testament to its age and careful preservation.


    The rest of the library was engulfed in darkness, with books neatly aligned on their respective shelves and the room’s chandeliers unlit.


    The pages of the book turned slowly in the young man’s hands, illuminated only by a candle melting away bit by bit.


    Outside the castle walls, a storm raged, raindrops gently tapping against the library’s grand windows, apanied by asional gusts of wind that interrupted the delicate rhythm.


    The young man seemed engrossed in his reading, his eyes fixed on the book before him, concentration etched onto his face.


    “In the beginning, there was nothing. So, the gods created the world, a ce full of beauty and unexploredndscapes, where wondersy hidden behind every mountain and forest. When the gods beheld their creation, they were filled with pride. Yet, despite all this beauty, something was missing. The world was… empty. Realizing this, the gods, in their infinite wisdom, decided to create life.


    Each god chose to create their own species, but not all of them were sessful. Goblins, orcs, trolls, and other such beings turned so wicked that they fell out of their creators’ favor. The great god of light, Garian, leader of all gods, used his hands to mold from nothing a creature imbued with a spark of his own splendor: humans.


    Garian took the stars as inspiration to create a being of light, much like himself. He shaped the arms out of—”


    Zack decided to skip this part about humans being the most perfect creatures in the universe while others were not. This was the third book Zack had read, and he already knew what it was going to say before reading it.


    The kingdom where Zack and hispanions found themselves was Parmece, a country with strong nationalism, primarily inhabited by humans. It was highly warlike and in constant conflict with its neighbors in the northern continent.


    The world was divided into five continents: the southern continent, home to elves; the eastern continent, inhabited by dwarves and humans; the central continent, shared by elves, dwarves, and humans; the northern continent, ruled by demons; and the western continent, which was uninhabitable.


    Every aspect of the kingdom—social, literary, artistic, and military—showed a disdain for foreigners and an exaltation of the human race. Parmecey at the far north of the central continent, blocking the connection point between the two continents. Due to its constant wars with northern neighbors, the country had developed a strong sense of unity around its king, Terence II, alongside… a hatred for other races.


    Zack flipped through the book’s pages, trying to find what he had set out to learn in the first ce. This book wasn’t even primarily about religion, yet it came up every three pages.


    (“h h h, elves were created in imitation of humans, h h h, dwarves were jealous of human magnificence, h h h. Ah, here it is!”)


    Humans and their allied races were cornered by the others, who had used their gifts for violence instead of harmony and cooperation. For this reason, the god of light, Garian, along with his loyal followers, decided to grant humans a unique power that would allow them to defeat the traitors and restore order to the world: the ss system.


    That’s what Zack was looking for—information about the key difference between his home and this world: sses.


    Not all beings in the world have sses. Based on the information from the books, it was hard to determine the criteria for which species have sses and which don’t, but from what Zack had read, a certain level of awareness and self-perception seemed necessary for a species to gain sses.


    Apparently, when an individual surpasses a certain threshold of intelligence, they are granted the one and only tier-0 ss: Infant.


    No matter your race, this will always be your first ss. Once the system considers you mature enough, you are granted your tier-1 ss. Higher-tier sses are never granted directly, with one exception…


    (Hero Summoning,) Zack thought as he continued reading.


    For humans, the Infant ss is acquired at one year of age, and your tier-1 ss at eight years old. Unlike the Infant ss, your tier-1 ss varies based on your actions during this period.


    While your early education can influence the direction your ss takes, there’s no set of specific actions that guarantees a particr ss. If you’re taught about minerals, you might end up with sses like Gatherer or Artisan, while focusing on books could lead to sses like Mage or Schr.


    The book listed arge variety of sses and their respective progressions.


    To advance a ss, you need to level up. There are two ways to do this, though both are essentially the same: doing what your ss is meant to do.


    The first way is straightforward: if you’re a cksmith, forge weapons; if you’re a bard, y music. Your level rises through practicing your craft.


    The second way involves learning what your ss can do. For instance, if you’re a swordsman, mastering one or more sword-fighting styles will increase your level even if you don’t actually fight anyone. Simrly, if you’re a cksmith and learn how to make exotic weapons, your level will increase even if you only forge spears daily.


    For better or worse, this second way of leveling up has led to an unfortunate consequence: knowledge in this world is far more valuable than it ever was on Earth.


    For example, a recipe for a special kind of pastry could be a baker’s family heirloom, or a sculptor’s technique something they’d take to the grave.


    What’s worse is that, due to the difficulty of book production, most knowledge is passed down orally from generation to generation. If someone had an ident, centuries-old knowledge could be lost forever without anyone realizing it.


    Zack lifted his gaze from the book and looked around at the thousands of books resting on the shelves, waiting to be opened and to share their knowledge.


    On Earth, this would have been a normal sight in any library. But here, the presence of so many books was a testament to the royal family’s power and wealth.


    With a sigh, Zack closed the book he was reading and put it back in its ce. He then left the library and headed to his room.


    Once there, he opened the door and copsed onto the bed. Zack closed his eyes, exhausted.


    The events of today were something he wouldn’t have believed even in his wildest fantasies.


    Zack thought about Ronald for a moment before dismissing the thought. He had already done everything he could; if his gamble worked, everything would turn out fine. If not, Zack would most likely wake up in a prison cell. It wasn’t worth dwelling on.@@novelbin@@


    Zack rxed his body and prepared to sleep. Tomorrow, he would need all the energy he could muster to face his new reality.


    Suddenly, Zack’s eyes snapped open as he remembered something incredible.


    He sat up for a moment, confused, and said:


    “Did I just read three books in less than two hours?”


    /DaoistwgQxZL