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https://www.patreon.com/cw/Thanarit
Levi sat on the therapist's chair with a thousand-yard stare, pinching the bridge of his nose like it owed him money.
Behind the folding partition, Celine was (thankfully) redressing herself, humming some innocent little tune while he tried not to die of secondhand embarrassment.
But something still itched in his brain.
He narrowed his eyes. Hey, System.
SYSTEM:
Yes, Host?
You forgot something.
SYSTEM:
Huh? What? Nooo, I don't know what you're talking about. Definitely not dodging any promises. Hehe.
Levi squinted harder. Stop it.
SYSTEM:
Define 'it'...
The reward. For anchoring the building. You said I'd get a random skill. F to Myth tier.
SYSTEM:
Uhhhhhh... oh look! A quest completion just rolled in! How convenient!
A glowing box materialized midair in front of him, completely unbothered by the laws of gravity, physics, or narrative pacing.
QUEST COMPLETE!
Take over and Renovate Building into Library Front
Status: SUCCESS
Reward: One Random Skill (Rank F to Myth)
Do you want to roll now?
Levi glanced toward the partition. No signs of movement behind the screen yet. Just the soft rustle of fabric and the occasional clink of armor buckles.
Yeah. Do it.
SYSTEM:
Okayyyy! Spinning the wheel of destiny... please ignore the sound effects.
A multicolored wheel appeared in the center of his vision, not unlike the ones used at questionable tavern game shows. Segments labeled from F to MYTH spun wildly, each color bleeding into the next.
F
E
D
C
B
A
S
MYTH—
The wheel slowed. It clacked past Rank C with a sound like coins hitting pavement. Then slowed at Rank B. Hovered briefly on A, teasing him. The cursor stuttered at S.
Slowed.
Slowed.
Stopped.
S RANK SKILL ACQUIRED!
Archivist's Insight
Type: Passive / Mental
Effect:
— You can see the narrative genre of anyone you meet.
— Displays if someone's story is tragedy, comedy, redemption, etc.
— Provides vague foreshadowing of their potential fate.
Levi stared at the notification floating in front of him. Read it once. Twice. Then a third time just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
What does that even mean?
He leaned back in the chair, exhaling slowly through his nose. Explain it properly. What genre? Like... someone's life story?
SYSTEM:
Ah, finally curious, are we? Let me break it down for you, Host, since your mortal comprehension is only mildly above average.
Right.
SYSTEM:
ARCHIVIST'S INSIGHT – DETAILED INFO:
Every person's life follows a narrative arc—an echo of their soul's internal trajectory. This skill lets you see that arc directly. A small text box will appear above their head showing their genre classification.
For example:
— A person on a tragedy path will display: [Genre: Tragedy]
— A comedy path will show: [Genre: Comedy]
— Hopeless path will show : [Genre: Tragedy]
Simple, clean, impossible to miss.
So I just... see it. Like a status window.
SYSTEM:
Correct! You're basically Goodreads with trust issues.
Huh.
SYSTEM:
Host will be able to see what kind of journey someone is on. The display will show:
— Narrative tone (Tragic, Romantic, Heroic, etc.)
— Possible arc shifts (if redemption is possible)
— Warning flags for instability
And I can't turn it off.
SYSTEM:
Nope! It's passive. Like your anxiety.
Of course it is.
SYSTEM:
Welcome to true literary awareness. Also... just a friendly warning: The worst ones to deal with are Tragedy Genres.
Levi paused. Something in the System's tone shifted. Less mocking. More serious.
Why?
SYSTEM:
Because their fate often demands collapse. Even if you help them... Even if they grow stronger... The arc will try to snap back into failure. Helping a tragedy genre means fighting the story itself. And most of the times like 90% ... the story wins.
Levi fell quiet.
That actually hit hard.
He glanced toward the partition where Celine was still quietly preparing herself. The soft sounds of her movements were careful, deliberate. Like she was building up courage with every buckle fastened.
She's one, isn't she?
SYSTEM:
¯_(ツ)_/¯ No spoilers.
But you know.
SYSTEM:
Oh absolutely. But where's the fun in telling you?
Right.
SYSTEM:
And you're the luckiest librarian on the continent.
Levi leaned back and exhaled. Archivist's Insight. He wasn't sure yet whether it was a blessing or a curse. But one thing was certain: he'd never look at people the same way again.
He turned slightly and looked toward the partition. Just looked. Focused.
A small text box flickered into existence above where Celine stood behind the screen, hovering in the air like a subtitle in a movie.
[Genre: Tragedy]
[Warning: Narrative instability. Emotional trigger events likely.]
Levi winced.
Shit.
Yep. That tracked.
She was a Princess. Raised on glory, battle hymns, and noble lies. The kind who threw themselves into danger because their heart was too loud to be cautious. The kind who mistook blood for proof of conviction.
And now she was tangled up in his world.
A tragedy waiting to happen.
But maybe it didn't have to end that way.
System.
SYSTEM:
Yes, Host?
The worst ones to deal with are tragedy genres, aren't they?
SYSTEM:
Correct. They require the most effort. The most care. And often... the most heartbreak.
Great.