A list of available classes started to appear in Lexi’s pages.

  ALCHEMIST

  Allows the user to refine materials into potions, acids, toxins, and reactive compounds.

  ? Create healing and enhancement potions

  ? Craft corrosive acids and poisons

  ? Unlock advanced brews at higher tiers

  The Safe Room lantern cast a steady golden glow across the pages, making the fresh ink shimmer slightly.

  I opened my mouth to ask how an alchemist had anything to do with ink, but Lexi was faster.

  “INK IS A BASE REAGENT,” she added.

  “Ah,” I said. “So the ink is crafting material.”

  Lexi drew a small checkmark.

  “Alchemist, huh…” I leaned back, the wooden chair creaking. “I don’t really see myself brewing potions all day, but it’s solid. Strategic. What else?”

  She flipped to the next page.

  SCROLL DRAFTER

  Allows the user to inscribe magical energy into consumable scrolls.

  ? Store spells for later use

  ? Create multi-cast or delayed-cast effects

  ? Develop rare and unique spell variants

  “So basically like the scroll I just absorbed?” I asked.

  Lexi paused, then wrote firmly:

  “NO. THESE SCROLLS WOULD BE ONE-TIME USE. YOU WOULD NOT ABSORB THE SPELL AS YOU DID WITH ELEMENTAL BOLT.”

  “I see. So more utility. Preparation. Backup plans.”

  Lexi underlined:

  “TACTICAL FLEXIBILITY.”

  “Not as flashy as I expected,” I admitted, “but really useful. Especially if I run into something way above my level.”

  She flipped again.

  RUNE SCRIBE

  Allows the user to inscribe runes onto weapons, armor, and objects.

  ? Enhance weapons with elemental effects

  ? Reinforce armor with defensive sigils

  ? Create passive enchantments

  Now that one made me lean forward.

  “This one…” I said. “This one makes sense.”

  Lexi tilted slightly, waiting.

  “My bat is a growth item. It levels with me. I’m not replacing it. If I can enhance it permanently, that scales forever.”

  Lexi wrote:

  “LONG-TERM POWER PATH.”

  “I like that. What’s the last one?”

  The lantern flickered gently as she turned the final page.

  ARCANE TATTOOIST

  Allows the user to inscribe enchanted runes directly onto their own body.

  ? Gain permanent stat enhancements

  ? Unlock activated tattoo abilities

  ? Store one-time spells beneath the skin

  ? Evolve tattoos over time

  I stared. “…Okay. That’s kind of insane.”

  Lexi waited.

  “This one’s powerful,” I admitted. “Permanent stat boosts. Emergency spells. Sort of like Scroll Drafter, but built into me. Risky.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck, imagining glowing symbols crawling down my arms. “I don’t know how my mom would feel about me coming home covered in magic tattoos, but if they make me stronger…”

  Lexi added:

  “THE SYSTEM OFFERS PROFESSIONS AT LVL 10 BASED ON YOUR ACTIONS. VARIANTS MAY APPEAR. ALTERNATE OPTIONS POSSIBLE.”

  “So I might not even get these exact four,” I said.

  “CORRECT.”

  “Still, good to know.” I glanced at the vials swirling in my inventory. One dark and oily. One faintly acidic, tiny bubbles rising and popping against the glass. “I’m keeping the inks.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “SMART,” Lexi wrote.

  I turned back to Dave. “Alright. Let’s see what you’ve got for sale.”

  A shop window appeared between us. Same as Floor One: basic health potions, minor stamina tonics. Nothing wild.

  “Figured,” I muttered.

  I bought a few health potions anyway and watched my credits drop.

  The Safe Room smelled faintly of clean stone and something sterile, like a hospital that had never seen a patient. Time didn’t feel normal here. It just… stretched.

  “Alright. Time to update my stats. I’ve got fifteen points.”

  I opened my status window.

  Vitality: 34 (+10% → 37)

  Strength: 30 (45 with equipment)

  Endurance: 25 (44 with equipment)

  Dexterity: 10

  Wisdom: 10

  Charisma: 10

  “Let’s see. I want to test something. I’ve got Deflect Missile, but I’m not quite getting the angle control right. If I increase Dexterity, that should help my aim, right?”

  “CORRECT,” Lexi wrote.

  “Awesome. Decision made. Five to Vitality, five to Strength, five to Dexterity. I can neglect Endurance a bit since I have more ranged options now.”

  The numbers shifted.

  Vitality: 39 (+10% → 43)

  Strength: 35 (50 with equipment)

  Endurance: 25 (44 with equipment)

  Dexterity: 15

  Wisdom: 10

  Charisma: 10

  A warmth spread through my muscles. Not explosive, just solid. Denser. My fingers felt steadier on the bat’s grip.

  “Alright,” I said quietly. “Let me sit a minute, then we head off.”

  I leaned back and opened my inventory again, remembering some loot from the previous floor.

  Class Upgrade Stone ×1 (Epic)

  Weapon Upgrade Stone ×1 (Epic)

  “Lexi, you know what these are?”

  “YES. THEY ALLOW YOU TO EVOLVE YOUR CLASS OR WEAPON TO THE NEXT TIER.”

  “That sounds extremely important. Can I use them now?”

  “THAT DEPENDS ON THE CURRENT TIER OF THE TARGET.”

  “Meaning?”

  She wrote:

  “COMMON → UNCOMMON: Requires Level 1

  UNCOMMON → RARE: Requires Level 5

  RARE → EPIC: Requires Level 15

  EPIC → LEGENDARY: Requires Level 30”

  “So the higher the tier, the higher the level requirement,” I said.

  “CORRECT.”

  “My bat is already Epic, so no upgrade there until thirty,” I muttered. “But my class is Rare. I can push it to Epic at fifteen.”

  “THAT IS CORRECT.”

  “Level fifteen isn’t that far,” I said.

  “STRATEGIC RESOURCE. DO NOT WASTE,” she added.

  “I’m not using it on something stupid,” I shot back.

  “I WILL REMIND YOU OF THIS STATEMENT LATER.”

  “…You’re enjoying this way too much.”

  “I AM.”

  The Safe Room was calm. Untouchable. For a few seconds, I let myself breathe.

  Hard to believe I was here, fighting for Earth’s survival. Another responsibility on my shoulders. Like being the man of the house. Like never letting Mom see me crack.

  I pushed the thought away before it could settle.

  Lexi began to sway side to side, then froze. Her pages flipped rapidly. Ink erased and redrew itself over and over.

  “Lexi?” I asked.

  The map spread across her pages: Floor Two’s layout, the corridors we’d traveled, the exit door still marked at the end of that straight hallway.

  Then the exit marker blinked.

  Flickered.

  And vanished.

  I sat up straight. “What happened?”

  Lexi wrote slowly:

  “EXIT NOT FOUND.”

  “It moved?” I asked. “Well… I shouldn’t be surprised. I am in a Living Library.”

  “WE WILL HAVE TO FIND IT AGAIN,” she wrote.

  “Yeah. That’s fine.”

  A new notification appeared.

  Floor Exit Located

  Objective: Not Complete

  Time Remaining: 17h 24m 27s

  So objectives could be undone.

  The timer ticked in the corner of my vision. Seventeen hours.

  Find the corruption. Kill it. Return to Orsik. Then find the exit again in a maze that clearly didn’t want to be helpful.

  I stood up. The chair scraped against the stone floor. “Never mind. No more resting.”

  Lexi hovered close.

  “I just realized something,” I said softly.

  The lantern light cast long shadows along the walls.

  “If the library moved the exit…” I tightened my grip on my bat. “That means we’re not exiting to the same place we entered from.”

  Lexi went completely still.

  The timer ticked down another second.

  17h 24m 18s.

  “And if that’s true,” I said, the room suddenly feeling smaller, “then it’s probably not letting us leave to somewhere safe.”

  The lantern hummed quietly above us.

  Dave remained motionless behind the counter.