A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

Amaterasu and Jiuge followed in silence, their eyes scanning the mysterious space. We had a lead—and that was enough to keep us moving.

Agnos, on the other hand, seemed utterly unfazed by the grandeur of the Ziggurat. He stood at the entrance, arms crossed, looking as though he had seen a hundred ancient structures like this one. His gaze was distant, almost bored.

"You good?" I asked, glancing over at him.

Agnos didn't even flinch. "It's nothing new," he replied flatly. "We've encountered similar places before. Just… a little more elaborate than usual."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? And here I was, thinking this was something out of a myth."

He shrugged, looking almost nonchalant. "Other places throughout the realms are full of these kinds of places. Archives, temples, vaults of knowledge. Been there, done that. But if you're looking for something more exciting, let me know."

Amaterasu shot him a look, her brow furrowed. "You've been inside something like this before?"

He smirked. "More than once. Though, they were a lot less... sparkly."

I glanced at the empty halls around us, wondering what Agnos wasn't saying. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to faze him in the slightest.

"Well, I guess we've got a pro with us then," I muttered, turning toward the central lobby. "Let's see what this place has to offer."

Agnos fell in step behind us, his demeanor cool and detached, as if navigating ancient knowledge vaults held no more interest than a leisurely stroll through the park.

It was as though the weight of history didn't even register with him.

As we reached the information desk, there was no sign of anyone—no beings, no creatures, not even any monsters (hopefully not).

"Errr... hello?" I called out, my voice echoing slightly in the empty space.

"Try the bell," Agnos suggested, pointing to a tiny bell sitting innocently on the desk.

I rang it. A soft chime filled the air, and instantly, something—or rather, someone—materialized before us. A Forest Druid. I squinted, suddenly recognizing him.

"It's you!" I blurted. "You're that Forest Druid… Vigor, right?"

Vigor smiled, a little impressed. "Indeed, I am. You have keen eyes." His gaze shifted to the three gods standing behind me. "And you brought them with you…" he muttered, the disapproval evident in his voice.

I was a bit taken aback. It seemed strange that he would be so unimpressed with the gods, as if their presence was more of an inconvenience than an asset.

I forced a smile and decided to push forward. "Uhm, right, Vigor. If it's not too much trouble, could you enlighten us on what this place is?"

Vigor eyed me for a moment, silent. Then he glanced at the gods once more before focusing back on me.

"I could," he said after a pause. "But those three are not worthy of 'enlightenment.'"

I blinked, caught off guard. I looked back at the gods and then at Vigor, who was giving them a pointedly unimpressed look.

"Err, sorry for asking, but why is that?" I ventured. "They're my friends. Could you at least show them some leniency? They helped me get here, after all."

Vigor sighed, clearly irritated but not entirely unyielding. "Fine. I'll only do this once, simply because you came here too early," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Too early?" My mind spun with confusion. What could that possibly mean? The question echoed silently as I tried to make sense of his words.

"This place is called The Ziggurat Bookstore," Vigor said.

The moment he said that word, I turned to Amaterasu, who was clearly red-faced.

"Oh. A bookstore. Wow." I grinned at her, clearly enjoying her discomfort.

Agnos and Jiuge both chuckled silently behind me.

"Yes. A bookstore," Vigor confirmed. "But it's not your ordinary bookstore. We have nine floors here. Each floor houses different book malls that sell various types of information and knowledge."

He stopped, leaving me hanging. I waited for him to continue, but he didn't. Talk about reluctance.

"Erm, anything else you can tell us?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation going. "What kind of information and knowledge can we purchase from these floors?"

Vigor didn't answer right away. His gaze flickered to the three gods behind me, and then he spoke.

"No. I can only share this information. The rest will only be given to the owner of realms."

"Owner of realms?" I repeated, my confusion growing.

"Yes. The owner of realms only. Others are not worthy," he said, emphasizing "unworthy" as his eyes lingered on the three gods.

Agnos, clearly unimpressed by Vigor's rude and cold demeanor, spoke up. "How charming. You do understand that we're gods, right?"

Vigor, completely undeterred, responded flatly. "Gods or not, you three are still unworthy."

Jiuge, now visibly fuming, crackled with pink lightning. "You know, this 'unworthy' god could kill you with one move. How about that for some enlightenment?"

Vigor smirked, completely unfazed. "You can try. But you will not be able to—" He taunted, "—unworthy gods," stressing the "unworthy" part, his eyes gleaming with challenge to the three of them.

"Why you—" All three gods started crackling with their auras.

"Hey, hold on, calm down. Let me handle this, okay?" I stepped between them, raising a hand to stop the escalating confrontation.

I turned back to Vigor, who was still standing there, unphased.

"Vigor, I know you're just following some protocol, but is there a way I could get some useful information... something to help us navigate this place?"

Vigor nodded, his expression softening slightly. "I think I can do that. Please hand me your token."

My heart skipped a beat. Token? I didn't have any token.

"Erm, sorry to ask a stupid question, but... what token?"

"The one on your neck." He pointed directly at the core fragment hanging from the chain around my neck.

The core fragment? I hadn't even considered it could be a token. With a confused expression, I handed it over to him.