System, please just shut up

Long, transparent shelves, each one glowing with soft, internal glyphs, were stacked from floor to ceiling in ordered chaos, containing countless techniques, spells, and forgotten histories.

Students moved through the space like bees in a vast, quiet hive—some whispering over opened scrolls, their faces illuminated by the soft light.

Others were seated at rune-inscribed desks, practicing sigil combinations in the air, their fingers tracing complex patterns that left lingering trails of light.

But it was the central symbol that held Kael's attention, drawing his gaze irresistibly upward.

Suspended high above the central hall, a massive sigil floated in midair—rotating gently, layers of radiant blue light spinning hypnotically within a larger ring of pure silver. It was alive in a way nothing mechanical should be, pulsating with an unseen energy.

Sometimes it pulsed. Sometimes it flickered, as though responding to something unseen, to the whispers of knowledge being accessed below.

People said it was an eye, watching and recording everything. Others swore it was a brain, the central processing unit of the Archive.

Some just called it the Heart, the core of their world's magic.

But it wasn't the actual Archive itself, it was more of a tangible, physical representation, an interface created to acknowledge it.

But it was still undeniably cool, nevertheless.

He followed Seraphina down the central aisle, the polished floor reflecting the soft light from the shelves, towards a section marked 'Class Terminals'—sleek stone slabs set into the ground like altars, each with a glowing interface suspended above it.

"Class, Rank, and Weapon type," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper in the echoing hall, motioning for him to step forward.

Kael nodded, took a deep breath, and reached out, tapping the translucent Archive window.

[Input Detected: Knight]

[Rank: Novice Sigil]

[Type: Swords]

A soft pulse of mana answered, rippling outwards from the terminal, and a nearby section of the wall shifted open with a quiet, grinding sound of stone.

A rack of sealed scrolls—about twenty in total, each one radiating a faint, inviting warmth—extended outward, hovering just within reach.

Their bindings were etched with glowing text that scrolled slowly across their surfaces, displaying tantalizing names and brief descriptions.

Kael took a slow, steady breath, exhaling the last of his apprehension.

He reached out and grabbed the first few scrolls at random, his fingers brushing against the ancient magic contained within them.

"You have ten minutes," Seraphina said, her voice cutting through the background hum, already stepping back into the shadowed seating alcove behind him, a dark, still silhouette. "After that, the scrolls will switch to a new set."

"Understood," Kael murmured, his focus already entirely on the task at hand.

He unrolled the first scroll, the magical light illuminating the ancient script.

...

[Technique: Crescent Fang]

Type: Sword

Description: Uses a wide sweeping slash infused with short-range kinetic feedback. High impact, low control. Strong against clustered enemies.

...

Kael raised a brow.

Too flashy. Too much brute force for his current needs, even if it sounded powerful.

He set it aside.

...

[Technique: Iron Trace]

Type: Sword

Description: A rigid defensive posture paired with grounded, anchor-based countering strikes. Focuses on stance control and punishing overextensions.

...

Pass.

While defense was important, it wasn't what he felt he needed for his first, foundational technique.

He needed something more versatile, something that could actively contribute to his Sword Mastery increase.

...

[Technique: Arc Spiral]

Type: Sword

Description: Designed for vertical movement and rotational attacks. Difficult to control in confined spaces. Best suited for high-mobility duelists.

...

'Nope.'

He let the scroll return to its slot with a soft whoosh.

Then he grabbed the next one, his fingers already aching from the tension of anticipation and the sheer number of scrolls he'd already discarded.

He unfurled it.

.

.

.

...

[Technique: Flicker Step]

Type: Sword

Description: Uses precise body control and pulse timing to blink short distances during swings. Requires tight control of muscle groups and angle of movement.

...

Kael reread the description, then read it again, a spark of interest igniting within him.

He'd browsed over a dozen techniques already. Some were brutal—momentum-heavy cleaves or wide-range strikes meant to break formations. Others leaned heavily toward pure defense or posture disruption.

But this one… this was different.

It was designed for control, for elusive movement, for precision.

Not flashy, not loud, it wouldn't send shockwaves or cleave mountains.

It didn't promise overwhelming force or devastating impact.

Instead, it focused on spatial compression—creating small, almost imperceptible bursts of acceleration by condensing force into tightly timed micro-steps. To an outsider, watching a master of the technique, the user would seem to "blink" from one position to another, an illusion of teleportation.

But it wasn't teleportation. It wasn't even raw speed in the conventional sense. It was pure, honed precision, a mastery of micro-movements.

He liked that.

He liked it a lot.

"This one," Kael said quietly, his voice firm with decision, handing the selected scroll to an attendant behind a corner desk, a silent figure whose face was obscured by the shadows.

The man didn't respond verbally, only dipped his head slightly and pressed the scroll against the floating seal hovering beside him, its silver light momentarily intensifying.

The sigil flared bright blue, then faded, absorbing the technique.

Kael felt the shift instantly, a subtle internal reordering, like a new channel opening within his being. His status window ticked softly in the corner of his vision.

...

[Congratulations, You have learned a new Technique]

Type: Sword

Name: Flicker Step

Level: 0.0%

...

A small, quiet victory.

He turned to where Seraphina stood waiting, arms crossed, her usual unreadable expression in place.

"Found what you needed?" she asked, her voice cool and detached, yet with a hint of observation.

Kael nodded. "Yeah. Took a while."

"Come on," she said, turning smoothly on her heel, her movements as precise as the technique Kael had just acquired. "I'll explain some stuff to you, then after that, you're on your own."

He followed her out of the glowing chamber, leaving the vast, echoing silence of the Archive behind them.