"Hm?"
Kaelen's expression shifted slightly. His gaze swept rapidly across the vaulted ceiling, but the little purple spider's figure had already completely vanished into the deep shadows.
The little bastard must have found a blind spot to hide in.
"Kaelen, what are you looking at?"
Xander blew out a lazy ring of smoke. Seeing Kaelen suddenly snap to attention and stare at the ceiling like a hunting dog, he couldn't help but ask.
"It's nothing."
Kaelen shook his head, a heavy feeling of regret washing over him.
My reaction was too slow.
Since the System claims this little spider is a Beast Emperor... if I had just squashed it, I would have triggered another god-tier loot drop like last time!
However, Kaelen also knew that given the spider's terrifying agility, and the fact that it was scurrying thirty feet up on a vaulted ceiling, hunting it wasn't going to be as simple as stepping on a clumsy cockroach.
Highly sentient. Deeply obsessed with observing and studying human Combat Arts...
This spider isn't just a bug; it's practically an Aether scholar.
Kaelen sighed internally as he recalled the System's holographic appraisal.
In that case, this little arachnid probably won't be leaving the Astral Library anytime soon.
Since it's a giant nerd for human combat arts, it's going to stay holed up in these archives.
There's plenty of time. Kaelen was confident he would eventually find an opening to strike.
An Emperor-Tier Rift Entity...
If I manage to kill it, the System's reward multiplier should be absolutely astronomical, right?
Kaelen couldn't help but feel a wild sense of anticipation bubbling in his chest.
Over the next few days, Kaelen actively patrolled the library's aisles, keeping his heightened senses peeled for any trace of the purple spider.
Unfortunately, the creature was intensely paranoid. Perhaps because of the massive commotion caused by the fumigation deep-clean, it didn't show so much as a leg for the rest of the week.
Considering the spider's tiny size and blinding speed, hunting it with brute force was going to be a nightmare. After some careful thought, Kaelen decided he needed to cultivate a specialized ranged combat art to deal with it.
...
Since the Neo-Veridia Astral Library was overseen by high-level Aether Adepts, the horrific incident with the poisoned corporate drone was quickly swept under the rug by management. The PR crisis faded, and Kaelen and Xander returned to their usual, mind-numbing work routine.
"The Nine-Eclipse Needles?"
"Kaelen, are you seriously that desperate? You're reading this garbage now?"
In Sector 1, Kaelen was completely engrossed in an ancient, fraying manual when Xander suddenly popped up behind him, snatched the book from his hands, and stared at the cover in utter disbelief.
"What do you know? A true gentleman never complains about having too many tools in his arsenal."
Kaelen snatched the manual right back and continued studying the diagrams.
The Nine-Eclipse Needles was a highly obscure, concealed-weapon combat art. He was specifically cultivating it for the sole purpose of sniping the Violet Soul Demon Spider off the ceiling.
To prepare, he had even hopped onto the dark web and special-ordered a batch of Aether-conductive, tungsten-alloy throwing needles. With his Half-Step Awakened physical stats and immense Aether reserves, mastering this basic mortal-tier art was like a college professor doing basic arithmetic.
"I really don't understand what goes through your head all day," Xander muttered, genuinely baffled by Kaelen's bizarre dedication.
What's the point of reading all these low-level manuals?
What use is it when a Beast tears the city wall down?
Xander had, of course, already checked Kaelen's corporate file. He knew Kaelen's genetic aptitude was officially classified as 'Trash'.
Since his aptitude is garbage, he should just embrace the art of slacking off like a normal person.
Didn't we take these library jobs specifically to avoid the rat race and coast through life?
Everyone else is lying flat, and here you are, secretly grinding on the side! It's un-American!
Kaelen couldn't be bothered to engage with his lazy colleague's philosophy.
If I don't read these books, what am I supposed to do? Go to The Platinum Mirage and get honey-trapped like you?
Do you think everyone has a billionaire father ready to bail them out with an Aether-infused belt?
After Xander finally wandered off to take a nap, Kaelen returned to his reading.
Just then, a fat, buzzing fly landed squarely on the corner of his reading desk.
Kaelen's eyes gleamed. He immediately slid a sleek, metallic wrist-sheath from his sleeve and pinched a gleaming tungsten needle between his index and middle fingers.
He seamlessly circulated the Aetherial Energy within his core, channeling a microscopic current down his arm to envelop the needle. With a sharp flick of his wrist...
THWIP!
In the blink of an eye, the needle vanished from Kaelen's fingers, reappearing instantly on the desk, having perfectly pinned the fly through its thorax against the polished wood.
Not bad. Not bad at all. This concealed weapon technique is incredibly practical.
Kaelen nodded in deep satisfaction. Sniping small pests is going to be a breeze from now on.
He had officially reached the 'Entry Level' mastery of the Nine-Eclipse Needles. Kaelen was highly confident that if that little purple spider dared to show its face in his sector again... it was going to be a one-way trip to the afterlife.
Unfortunately, despite his preparations, he still couldn't find a single trace of the Emperor-Tier bug.
Kaelen was beginning to worry that they really had sprayed too much industrial toxin during the deep clean, forcing the intelligent spider to evacuate the building entirely. If that were true, he'd just lost the greatest loot drop of his life.
"Kaelen, time to eat! Put the dusty books down!"
When the noon chime echoed, Kaelen and Xander headed to the cafeteria to claim their subsidized synth-pork.
"Hey Kaelen, have you checked the local forums?"
Xander leaned over the table, lowering his voice into a hushed, conspiratorial whisper. "The 'Sanguine Fiend' has officially entered the Neo-Veridia city limits."
Kaelen paused mid-bite. "The Sanguine Fiend?"
"Yeah, that psycho Blood-Blight Cultist. The one who specifically drains human blood to fuel his dark Aether arts." Xander shivered, looking around the cafeteria nervously. "I heard the Enforcer Bureau found another body dumped in the industrial district yesterday. It was a completely desiccated husk. Every drop of blood... gone."
"It's absolutely terrifying."
At the mere mention of the Sanguine Fiend, Xander's face turned pale. He was genuinely terrified.
I'm guessing this 'Sanguine Fiend' is a rogue Adept cultivating some forbidden, demonic art to artificially boost his power level.
Kaelen's expression also grew solemn. This world is way too chaotic. Not only are there apocalyptic Rift Beasts trying to eat us, but there are rogue human Cultists treating civilians like juice boxes.
Kaelen looked at Xander. "Isn't the Aether Enforcer Bureau doing anything to stop him?"
"Of course they are, but this Fiend is way too cunning. He's dropped five bodies in the last two weeks, and they still haven't found a single trace of his Aether signature." Xander looked down at his food with a gloomy expression. "I just pray they catch this lunatic and execute him soon... otherwise, I'm not even going to feel safe walking to The Platinum Mirage at night."
Kaelen: "..."
Can you go one single day without bringing up that degenerate club?
The Sanguine Fiend news gave Kaelen a grim reminder of just how fragile life was in this dimension. Between the corporate drone getting brain-dead from a spider bite and the Sanguine Fiend turning people into raisins, it was clear that even living behind heavily guarded city walls didn't guarantee safety.
However, Kaelen wasn't overly anxious.
He had done his homework. He knew that the Chief Director of the Astral Library, Silas, was a genuine Awakened Tier grandmaster. As long as Kaelen kept his head down and stayed inside the library walls, he wouldn't be in any real danger.
If the sky falls, the tall guys will get crushed first. I'm just a librarian.
Returning to Sector 1 after lunch, Kaelen continued his reading.
[DING! EMPEROR-TIER AURA DETECTED. HOST, PLEASE EVACUATE THIS SECTOR IMMEDIATELY!]
[HOST, EVACUATE! EVACUATE NOW!]
Suddenly, the System's deafening, panic-stricken sirens detonated inside his skull.
Kaelen's heart skipped a beat, but his physical reaction was instantaneous. His sharp gaze snapped directly toward the vaulted ceiling above the adjacent aisle.
There it was! A dark purple figure was rapidly, silently scurrying across the ornate crown molding.
It finally showed itself!
Without a second of hesitation, Kaelen's hand blurred. He drew a tungsten needle from his wrist sheath and, channeling a dense spike of Aether, whipped his arm upward.
SPLAT!
With pinpoint accuracy, the heavy tungsten needle struck the purple spider dead center.
The Emperor-Tier entity plummeted thirty feet, hitting the hardwood floor with a sharp thwack. It immediately began thrashing violently on the ground, its legs curling inward as it tried to right itself.
Seeing the terrifying bug was still twitching, Kaelen's eyes narrowed. His arm blurred a second time.
THWIP! SPLAT!
A second needle pinned the spider's abdomen directly into the floorboards.
Hit by two Aether-infused strikes, the little purple spider violently seized for a few seconds, let out an almost inaudible hiss, and then finally stopped moving entirely.
Looking at the motionless carcass, Kaelen practically sprinted out of his booth, his heart pounding with overwhelming joy.
He immediately barked into the void of his own mind.
System! Where the hell did you go?!
Speak up! Give me my loot!
After a few tense seconds of silence, the System finally reacted.
And its tone was no longer panicked. It was completely, utterly unhinged with fanatic awe.
[OH MY VAST UNIVERSE... WHAT AM I WITNESSING?!]
[THE HOST HAS ACTUALLY SLAIN AN EMPEROR-TIER RIFT ENTITY IN SINGLE COMBAT!]
[RESPECTED HOST, YOU ARE TRULY, UNDENIABLY MAGNIFICENT! A GOD AMONG MORTALS!]
[DING! CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HOST FOR EXECUTING AN EMPEROR-TIER BEAST EXPONENTIALLY ABOVE YOUR REALM! INITIATING MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE REWARD PROTOCOL...]