A Reader's Grimoire In A Novel World

In a dimly lit room inside the royal castle, a girl with short black hair and deep brown eyes, which seemed emotionless, punched a sandbag with ferocity.

Each of her quick punches made a loud bang that echoed around the halls outside the room, and soon she began to sweat.

She wore a simple brown singlet and black combat pants, standing at 5'7".

"Hm?" She noticed the mirror behind her flashing with light. She walked towards it and picked it up.

"Ah, Ivana. There's an update to our main plan. You're to kill the fifth prince, Julius. It seems he slipped from our grasp when we sabotaged his carriage," a man's voice came from the other side, and the girl frowned.

"What about the triplets?" the girl asked as she picked up a black-and-white picture.

"Keep looking for an opportunity. You can sense the shadow knights, so you'll be able to know if they are close to the princes," the man in the mirror said, and Ivana nodded.

"I'll get it done. I saw him today; he's currently learning with Mr. Berlin. I'll find a chance," she said, still with an indifferent expression, and then she dropped the mirror and laid down on the bed.

...

Julius woke up the next morning and stretched. He looked out of the window and frowned as he saw that the day was still dark.

He frowned again and stood up from his bed.

[Plot points calculated. 9 points!]

Julius raised a brow as he saw the words gathering before the white mist and nodded in satisfaction.

'This should be from meeting a major character in the novel. It's small, but it's something,' he thought with a nod, walking past the mist.

"This is quite the creative clock," Julius said as he looked at a circular disk on the wall.

It was a silver plate with a golden light moving very slowly around the edges, and it went in the same direction as modern clocks that he knew.

He looked at the mark behind his wrist, which symbolized the grimoire he possessed.

The familiar book appeared in his palm, and he opened it and began to read.

'It is indeed the original novel. But the first page hasn't even started. I guess I'll just recap for now until Alexa calls me,' he thought to himself and then began to read.

All of a sudden, a small slip came out of a page, like a bookmark. He held it and flipped the book to the middle, and there he saw something different from the story.

'What...'

[Grimoire spells

> > Omniscient Perspective:

Description: The skill allows the user to "read" information of a target.

Cost/Limitations: None

---

> > Page Turner:

Description: A magical spell that allows the user to "rewind" time by a few minutes or hours.

Cost/Limitations: The number of rewinds is limited, and the more uses, the shorter the duration he can rewind. Overuse might cause physical or mental strain, and excessive rewinds could lead to temporal distortions or unforeseen consequences.

Total: 2 per month (can stock up)]

"Ah..." Julius was a bit stunned seeing the spell, but his shock died down almost instantly, and he continued reading. There seemed to be only five spells here.

[>> Final Chapter:

Description: An ultimate ability that allows the user to rewrite the outcome of a major event, essentially creating an entirely new "ending" for that situation.

Cost/Limitations: The ability can only be used once, and the consequences are permanent. Altering the story in such a significant way might attract powerful entities within the world who guard the integrity of the narrative.

---

> > Edit Draft:

Description: Allows the user to make minor "edits" to an existing item.

Cost/Limitations: The edit can only change non-essential aspects of the item, meaning it cannot completely alter its purpose or make it overwhelmingly powerful. The more edits done to an item, the more unstable it becomes, potentially leading to it breaking or malfunctioning if overdone.

Cooldown: Once per week.

---

> > Plot Device:

Description: A powerful spell that lets the user create objects or tools directly from their imagination. The user essentially "writes" the item into existence.

Cost/Limitations: The cost is in plot points, which are earned by making significant changes and integrating yourself in the book. The larger or more powerful the object, the more plot points it requires.

Cooldown: Only usable once a day.]

"..."

Julius felt his mind go blank as he looked at the five abilities on the page, and he couldn't help but be speechless.

"Where did this book even come from?" He couldn't help but wonder.

He remembered clearly that it was randomly on his bed when he woke up in the royal castle.

He tried to rack his brain, searching for answers. Even in Julius' former self's memories, he couldn't see the book appearing at any part of his life.

"This is really..." He couldn't say much, but he could be grateful for what he had gotten.

First, the attributes, then the Eye of Providence, and now this grimoire.

Julius sat down and put a hand on his chin as he thought hard about all the possibilities in the book and the upcoming events.

The room turned quiet, and Julius didn't move from his position. His expression kept changing — from worry to confusion to doubt. The whole situation seemed too fortunate.

'Argh, I usually work with theories, but now I can't even conclude anything,' Julius thought, feeling a pain in his head.

As a student in the science department, theories to prove everything were a must. But now, he couldn't help but feel lost.

He wanted to know the cause of his transmigration. And if... it was the cause of his death.

As he sat there in silence, he frowned as he remembered something, and a smile crept on his face.

'Perhaps, this would make me feel better,' he thought with a smile and walked out of his room.

The corridors had rows of bright yellow and white light shining from the ceiling, making it seem like the outside wasn't dark at all.

Julius walked downstairs, passing by the maids and guards as he left the castle.

He couldn't help but look up at the castle peak to see how tall it was. A total of four floors, and this massive structure was over seventy meters tall.

Julius began to walk around the garden, and a shadow passed the guards there, silently moving close to the prince.

Soon, Julius reached a bunker door that led underground, and he entered it, closing it behind him.

He rubbed his hands on the walls, making the crystals on the roof shine brightly, illuminating the place.

There were cobwebs everywhere and dust, and he picked up a wood by the side to clear the webs before him.

'There it is...' he smiled as he saw an object in the middle of the room.

A beautiful black piano.

'To think one of the greatest weapons in the novel is sitting here gathering dust.' Julius clicked his tongue and approached the piano.