Monster Integration

"Yes, I am willing," I said.

She nodded gently and waved a fair hand; the next moment, a beautiful concentric circle of white shining runes appeared in front of me. There are nine layers of runes in these concentric circles that are spinning left and right.

"The first test is very simple; to solve this puzzle within three hours, as long as you do, you will become the librarian and will be able to move the library with you." The library spirit said.

I heard what she said but did not even acknowledge what she said as all my eyes focused on the wonderful thing in front of me. I have solved the runic puzzle now and then, but they were very different from this one, not only in difficulty but also in ingenuity.

It did not take me a minute to realize the rules of the puzzle. I will have to do the puzzle of each ring, which will give me a hint of an answer to solve the ring, and solving that would give me a hint ring below it.

It may look like a standard concentric puzzle, but it is not. It is a much more complex thing which made my heart excited. Each concentric circle of runes is a runic equation that I will have to solve before moving to the ring below it.

I walked toward it and stood in front of the big equation puzzle, which is as big as me, and begin to study it carefully. 

There are nine equations, but other than the one on the outer ring, every equation is incomplete. Only after solving the first ring will I be able to complete the second equation and solver, doing the same with the rings below, just like the way concentric puzzles are solved.

I must have observed the problem for half an hour before I moved my hand to solve it. I begin to move the runes, applying one formula after another.

But as I solved further, the problem became even more complex, but that is to be expected. How can one become a librarian of such a grand library without having a knowledgeable mind? Becoming a librarian means taking half ownership of the artifact, and to have such a thing, one will need to pass the near impossible test.

If someone saw me solving the puzzle, they would see me moving the runes at the blurring speed before suddenly stopping to think before moving against moving the puzzles.

Buzz!

This continued for half an hour before I took back both of my hands, and at the same time, the white runes of the first concentric runic circle turned green and some of the runes, from it, went to the second ring, completing the equation. 

When I looked at the second sequation, I found my head spinning. This one is tens of times difficult than the first one; it is like the first one was just a simple trail, the real equations started from the second, and now I have to solve it.

I did not immediately start; instead, I focused on the problem, thinking of ways to solve them. This time, I would love to go into my Inheritance space and think about this problem in the expanded time, but unfortunately, I could not do that.

The moment I started the test, my Inheritance Space had been sealed; I could not contact it even if I want. Closing my eyes did not help too; the result is the same.

I must have stared at the problem for twenty minutes before I begin to solve it. The equation is hard from the beginning, and it started to test the limit of knowledge. I began to use methods I had never used before to solve it, making it even more fun.

Using these methods has given me different ideas about my Inheritance, but I had shelved them in my mind and focused on solving the equation.

Soon, I forgot everything; the only thing in my mind is solving a problem. With a minute, I would apply the tens of formulas on it and expand the problem further; it is very frustrating but also very exciting.

I had never been challenged like this before, though Lord Al had challenged my concepts. He had not challenged the theoretical runic knowledge I had, but this little problem had challenged me like never before.

I had to dive deep inside my mind to search for the answers; the more I solve the problem, the more problems it will have, and I would have to solve it; I will do that continuing till I had completely unraveled the problem.

Hun!

I was solving it when suddenly I had got the inspiration, and my hands became even blurrier as they begin to move the runes around rapidly. I understood how to solve the problem in the quickest way, and I am doing it.

Buzz!

Ten minutes later, the second runic ring vibrated and turned green, and some of the runes went to the third ring.

If Micheal had turned back now, he would see the shocked eyes of the librarian as she saw the second ring solved. Though the shock in her eyes lasted only for a second as she eased her expression, her mind is still shocked inside.

I looked at the third ring, and I wanted to curse; the creator of the equation puzzle must have wanted to kill me. The equation could not be called hard; it is beyond that, and this is just the third ring; there are six rings beyond that.

"Times up." I heard from behind me. I am not surprised seeing the three hours over; the first ring took an hour while the second took two hours. Looking at disappearing nine rings, I wonder how anyone could solve them in just three hours.

Only those with monstrous knowledge and mind could solve such a puzzle in a record time, and I am far from reaching that level.