CHAPTER 94: CHAPTER 94: THE LIBRARY OF A THOUSAND WORLDS

The group walked along the floating crystal corridors, marveling at the vastness of the Library of a Thousand Worlds. The shelves seemed endless, filled with volumes containing fragments of lost worlds, stories of extinct civilizations, and secrets no mortal should ever know. Small floating lights illuminated the titles with a soft, almost hypnotic glow.

"Look at all these books!" Karely exclaimed, touching a volume that floated slightly in the air. "It’s like each one contains an entire world!"

"It’s incredible..." Manaia whispered, approaching a light orb that appeared to display star maps and constellations.

Jax didn’t waste any time. He walked among the shelves, examining texts, consulting scrolls detailing defensive, offensive, and miscellaneous formations, and even documents about the creation of certain elements of the worlds. His eyes shone with concentration as he moved from one book to another, mentally noting each discovery.

"Look at this!" Lía said, holding a scroll showing ancient defensive structures. "Some of these formations could protect an entire city with a single spell!"

The children—Ren, Orín, Kai, and Koda—explored with curiosity, but soon grew bored of so much study and silence. They started whispering among themselves, asking their mothers if they could go somewhere else.

"Mom... can we go now?" Kai whispered, crossing his arms impatiently.

"Yeah, I’m bored," Ren added, looking around with wide eyes.

Jax heard their comments but said nothing. His attention was fixed on a specific book, one that had caught his eye since they entered: an ancient volume mentioning the creation of the worlds. When he opened it, he saw that many pages were incomplete, others missing entirely. He tried to find more pages, checking nearby shelves and consulting references in other books, but found no additional mention. Everything related to that book seemed to have been erased from history.

"Nothing..." he muttered to himself, frowning. "Not even a clue."

While Jax searched, the children continued to quietly urge their mothers. Finally, he sighed and turned to them.

"I’ll come back in the future," he said firmly. "There are things here I need to investigate more thoroughly. For now, we need to keep moving."

The women nodded, understanding that Jax’s study time was limited and the group needed to continue.

The group returned to the elevator, and as the doors closed, Jax cast one last glance at the endless library corridors. He knew he would return, that every secret must be deciphered and every book examined.

As the elevator ascended, floor 9 revealed itself. The energy emanating from this level was palpable, even giving off a sense of danger.

When the elevator doors opened, Jax and his group found themselves in a wide, dazzling space, with columns that seemed made of intertwined crystal and steel, and a floor reflecting the artificial sky spinning above them. The light came from floating orbs emitting a uniform glow, illuminating everything without casting shadows.

The air was saturated with concentrated mana, and a sense of intense power coursed through their bodies.

"This... is amazing," Anya murmured, her eyes shining with excitement and respect.

"It’s... like being inside a champion’s arena," Karely commented, observing the floating corridors and platforms.

From the center of the hall emerged an ethereal figure, half hologram, half real presence, with a deep, resonant voice:

"Welcome to the Hall of Warriors, a private training ground for the most powerful and select guilds. Here, you can create copies of yourselves or other warriors to perfect combat techniques. Each day, you may choose an opponent and measure your strength. Only the most dedicated forge themselves into true masters."

Hearing this, the girls exchanged looks full of enthusiasm.

"We can improve our skills here!" Lía exclaimed, her eyes shining. "This is... incredible!"

"Yes, but the kids seem too tired," Anya said with a smile, seeing Ren and Koda yawn and rub their eyes. "We should let them rest and try it later."

Jax nodded, his gaze scanning every corner of the floor. There were machines projecting holograms of opponents, gravity-adjustable platforms, and energy fields capable of simulating any combat scenario. Everything was designed to push the user’s abilities to the limit.

"This place... is a level above everything we’ve seen so far," Jax said, almost to himself. "With time and training, anyone who spends enough time here could become unstoppable."

The holograms of warriors in combat moved fluidly, replicating martial arts styles, magical techniques, and special abilities. Some simulated dragons, others demons, and others legendary warriors from different worlds.

"Jax, are you going to try it first?" Karely asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Yes, but only after making sure everyone is okay," he replied. "I don’t want the kids to get any more tired than necessary."

"Awesome!" Lía said, crossing her arms determinedly. "Then when we come back, we can all train and measure our power."

Jax nodded with a slight smile, satisfied that the group could appreciate the value of the place, while he observed the hall, imagining how each battle there could hone their reflexes, strategies, and brute strength.

"We’ll definitely come back," Jax muttered to himself. "When we’re ready... this will be the place where we surpass every limit."

The group moved toward the elevator, leaving the majesty of floor 9 behind, with the silent promise to return and challenge themselves to reach new heights.

The children yawned and stretched, while the girls looked back with admiration, eager for the next visit. Jax, as always, stayed alert, considering the possibilities this floor offered.

"There are no limits... only opportunities for those bold enough to take them."

The group returned to the elevator, hoping to see everything before leaving, but when they tried to activate it for the next floor, they realized they couldn’t. Suddenly, a message appeared before them: [Only the leader can enter this area.]

Everyone was surprised, as they hadn’t expected this situation. Jax told them to go back, that he wouldn’t be long. They all nodded resignedly, knowing they couldn’t do anything against the tower’s rules. They descended in the elevator while Jax waited, feeling nervous about what he was about to face. After a few minutes, the elevator returned, and Jax pressed the button to ascend to floor 10.

As soon as he pressed it, a warning appeared:

[This area can only be accessed once per GRB. Do you wish to continue?]

[YES/No]