We walk to the tanner shop silently, while I'm thoroughly lost in my head. Why is the old God of Reincarnation dead, and who killed her? Perhaps there is some sort of war among the Gods. There may even be other races, monsters or creatures that oppose certain Gods. I suppose that is what would happen in a world with actual Gods. Disagreements and fights would occur at every level just the same as it always has.

  After all, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Right?

  There were people walking around the hallway in front of other shops and workshops, so she stopped talking after that bombshell. Maybe that's not something you talk about in public.

  "You're new to this… country. I suggest you do some research on the topic." Scratch that, she’s talking again. "There's too much to go through even without all these people around. You have an entire history to learn."

  "Yeah you're right. That was already something I needed to do. I'll just add it to the list of things I need to learn."

  The list keeps growing. There's a whole mountain in front of me now of all the things I need to learn. Ugh, I need a vacation.

  Cathina enters a tanner shop on the right. It has a rather large door, probably for carting in huge monster hides. I have a Pocket Dimension so it looks like we're walking into the shop empty handed. At the counter is a large man wearing a permanent scowl and a black leather apron. It looks like he belongs in a horror movie, not a fantasy world.

  "Good afternoon, Tanner. We have monsters to sell."

  Wait, the Tanner's name is Tanner? Hilarious.

  "It's good ta see ya 'gain Cathina. 'See ya brought sum'un new 'long."

  He sounds like a fantasy world redneck with a five pack a day voice. I'm also just realizing how hairy he is, or rather, furry. I can't see his head because he has a leather cap on, but his face is dog-like. It's a little furry and smooshed in like a pug.

  "That's Aiko. We just met a little while ago."

  Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it.

  "It is Ai! Nice to meet you sir." Dammit, I said it.

  "Where's all's y'all's stuff?"

  "Aiko has it in storage. In a Pocket Dimension."

  "That a fac' now? Ight, drop ya stuff o'er ther." He pointed to a large, square shaped structure on the floor off to the side.

  I did as he instructed and dropped everything, except for a few practice goblins and one hobgoblin, in the square outline. He then walked over to the wall next to it and pressed his hand against a small glyph on the wall. It looks a little bit similar to the elevator glyph, but there are different shapes layered over the arrow.

  Once he releases a burst of Mana through his palm the square lights up and a number is displayed on the wall behind it. Soon after that the square itself opens up and drops all the corpses inside.

  "Perty nice hall. That's 113 gol' an' 37 silver."

  Whatever spell they used to enchant that square must calculate everything automatically. Interesting.

  "Thank you Tanner. I'll be seeing you again." With that Cathina turns to me and hands me a small leather pouch. "Are you okay with 80 gold? We did most of the work including the big guy, but you saved us in the end."

  "I don't need that much. We can split it down the middle."

  I already have a plan on how to make a shit ton of money. I just need enough to purchase library books really, and maybe some additional equipment. Nothing too expensive though. I'm not going to tell her my plans but I think she already understands. She gives me a knowing nod as I drop 23 coins in her hand.

  We make our way back to the elevator in silence again. Once we get there we continue our conversation. I have so many questions but I'll keep it short for now.

  "What race.. or species are you? If you don't mind me asking."

  “I'm a beast-kin.” That was rather blunt. I kinda already figured that out.

  "That's it? I'm guessing you won't get specific with me."

  "You guessed right."

  "Ok. Then do you have any recommendations for what I should research?" I changed the topic. I don't want to be too pushy.

  "I believe there are books about reincarnations, and the magic system in this world.” As she says that she pulls out a slip of parchment and a charcoal pencil.

  I wonder where she was keeping that. She writes down the names of several books and hands the slip to me. The first one on the list catches my attention immediately. The Wrath of the Gods. Could this be about the thing we were discussing earlier? It has to be. That's why she wrote it down first. Right?

  Ding

  I love that the elevators in this world chime like that when they open. It reminds me of my old world. All they need now is elevator music.

  Once the doors open all the way I see the rest of her crew sitting at one of the tables in the middle of the main room. I drop the slip of parchment into storage and make my way there. As I walk past the other tables dotting the hall, I hear the conversations of other adventurers at their own tables.

  "Alright friends! Let's go out and train some more so we can show that demon lord who he's dealing with." Says rando number 1. Randy there, is surrounded by a colorful cast of cute girls of all shapes and sizes. Typical Protag-kun I see.

  "Alright gang! We may have lost this round, but we have plenty of fight left in us, right!?" At the second table, the second rando speaks. His entire party looks disheveled and worn out. He must be at the bottom of his hero's journey, poor guy. Or, he's in a different satire.

  "What should we do now, Isekai-sempai?" Hold up. What? At the third table there's a fox girl holding what appears to be a light novel. Not only that, but the pages keep changing. The words keep getting shuffled around, and sometimes, a drawing appears. Wait… Is that a sentient Isekai light novel… in an Isekai world? Reincarnated as an Isekai Light Novel in Another World, (says I, in a cool announcer voice). That's cool as hell, and it's got a nice ring to it too. I'd read it.

  "Hey, are you paying attention?" Cathina snaps me out of my distraction.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  "Huh? Sorry, what was that?"

  "We're going to call it a day and head upstairs to the inn." Kevin is the one talking this time. I give him a nod of confirmation and look towards Cathina.

  "I guess I'll.. probably see you later. I have a lot of things to do so I'll be busy for a while." I turn back towards the rest of the group as I say my goodbyes.

  As they leave I'm pretty sure I heard Kevin say something like, "Oooo you guys are close already, huh?"

  It's not like that.. oh well. I turn back around to look at the tables I just walked past.

  Huh? There's only one table… and it's empty. No one is walking away from it either.

  Soooo funnyyy

  …. It's that voice again. What the hell is going on in this world? Am I hallucinating? I seriously need a vacation.

  At the library, (see what I did there), I walk up beautiful ornate steps and into a large marble building. I have to pay an entrance fee just to get past the front desk. That sucks. It costs money to check out books too. It's a good thing I came here after selling everything.

  Wow! The shelving in this library is nothing short of a masterpiece! A work of art! Each shelf holds books on them using Magic. Some of these shelving structures are long rotating cylinders lying parallel to the ground a few feet above the floor with many more above them. They seem to be hovering in free space unbound by the laws of physics.

  There are other structures, even larger and cube shaped, that are made up of a great many smaller cubes that rotate independently. One these large cube shelves flipped entirely inside out and shuffled around until a single book was sticking out for another patron standing below it. The shelves must be capable of responding to certain commands in order to present the desired books.

  Speaking of books, there has to be a million or more. There are so many books in here that they even line the walls and ceiling of this massive building, all with an oddly blue glow behind them. I wouldn't be surprised if there are more underground or in another level above the 300 foot tall room. This massive, majestic masterpiece is enough to take your breath away, even if you're not a nerd like me.

  I stand underneath a large cluster of column shelves on a platform that says "Nonfiction" on it. Next to it is a sign with instructions. It's just as I thought. I prepare myself for something that's sure to be amazing and announce the books I want.

  "The Wrath of the Gods. Of Beasts and Kin. Akira, A Hero's Journey."

  Something happened that I wasn't even expecting. The top column spun and dropped a book into the second despite no space being available. Then that cylinder did the same, dropping the book into the third column which did the same. All the while, the other two books are embarking on their own journey coming from separate areas. When need be, the sections that make up these columns move independently allowing for multiple books to travel at once.

  "God, that's so fucking cool!"

  "I know, right. I absolutely love coming here."

  "Ah!"

  I spun around to see a woman in shiny silver armor with gold trim. Her hair matches her attire, silver with gold highlights all throughout. Even her eyes match, and are extremely large for her small face. She has such a small nose that it's barely visible, and her lips have a bright and bold red hue to them. Her tan skin looks absolutely flawless, like a model or a beautiful work of art.

  "I'm sorry for startling you. My apologies."

  “Uh.. it's ok. I just.. didn't see you there.”

  I'm still in awe at her looks. Even among the colorful characters in this strange world, she stands out. The way she looks is so… different and unique. She kinda looks like an anime character, fresh off the screen, with colors more pronounced than anyone else I've seen so far. I can practically hear the anime "Wow!" ringing in my head. Just like an anime she looks incredibly powerful despite her small feminine physique.

  "You've chosen a great selection of works, by some wonderful authors."

  After being in awe of her looks for so long, I'm finally realizing how different her voice is too. It's quiet and commanding, high yet soft, and there's a slight hint of an accent. She must be from another country then. Maybe that's why she looks so different.

  "Uh. Th-thank you. A.. uh.. friend recommended them to me."

  "Is that so? Your friend must hold a vast array of interests and knowledge then."

  “Yeah. You might be right about that. She did seem to know more than her friends.”

  I was trailing off at the end there. I'm still seeing more of her attire to be distracted by. She has a sword at her side that looks like it's made entirely of light itself. Even in its sheath I can see how powerful it is.

  "Well then, don't let me keep you from your studies, and please do enjoy your stay at the library."

  "Ok. Will do."

  With that she bowed her head and part of her torso with her arms at her side. Wait. Where have I seen that before? Actually, why would those books peak her interests like that? "A vast array of interests and knowledge." Why would she say that? Maybe these books really are that in-depth and important. Or maybe she's just a nerd.

  I walk over to the Spellbooks section to get a book about Spatial Magic, one for Healing Magic and one about Dark Magic. Cathina's magic piqued my interest when she killed the goblin king. I simply must have it. I want to be able to phase shift or shadow walk or whatever to surprise attack my enemies. The best defense is a super sneaky offense.

  After I checked out my books, I started making my way back to Advos. Apparently there are dozens of different adventuring guilds in this city. Advos is only one of many, each of them seems to cater to different people and specialize in different quests and tasks. I've discovered that much just from observing the different people gathered in front of each guild with different equipment. Advos on the other hand had a mix of different people so it must be a more generalized guild.

  There are some buildings, like the obsidian one, that look hyper specialized. Judging by all the cloaked figures walking in and out, I'd say it's a rouge's guild of some kind. Why isn't Cathina part of that gui-

  Speak of the Devil and she shall appear.

  I was only able to know it was her because she glanced at me and flashed her bright red eyes again. After that she scuttled off into a dark alley on the side of the building. Interesting. I guess you can work for multiple guilds. Is that why she doesn't register, so she can work for multiple guilds without being bound by any particular one?

  I ignore that and keep making my way back to Advos, walking through the sea of colorful characters and beast-kin. Before I can get too far through the crowds of fully decked out adventurers, I hear something that makes me pause.

  "I don't know. Last I heard, he was investigating a cursed being. The one he first spotted near Kage Guild.”

  I look towards the direction of the voice to see a man in leather and, I think, bone plate armor. He's talking to someone dressed in the same priest clothes that Wakana was wearing, white robes with green trim and a pointy pope hat thing. They're in front of a restaurant, sitting at a table on the patio.

  "I see. In that case, maintain your observation of Kage Guild. Please follow these instructions as well." The priest hands him a roll of parchment and leaves without another word.

  The man in armor looks distressed about something. He returns to his plate of food in front of him and stares at the obsidian building across the street from us.

  Ah, I see. Typical rouge's guild. They must've gotten into some sort of trouble. I hope Cathina doesn't get caught up in it. I'm sure she can take care of herself if anything happens to the guild though, so I'm not worried.

  I finally make it back to Advos and check myself into a room. Room 667 huh? Is this world fucking with me? It's only one digit off from that eeeviiil number. I get into the magic elevator, sweet, and ride it up to the sixth floor.

  In the main room there is a restaurant/tavern with hallways on all sides. I take the one that leads to my room and, to my chagrin, I see a few familiar faces. It's the three stooges.

  "Oh, you're back!" Oh, poor Kevin. Mika is currently pulling his hair and slapping him. My heart goes out to you, brave soul.

  "Yeah. I had to stop by the library."

  "Ugh. What room are you in?" Ugh. It's Mika again.

  "Room 667."

  "Oh cool! That's right next to our rooms." Kevin is still talking despite Mika's assault. “We all have separate rooms in this area. Even Cathina's room is across the hall from you.”

  Huh? Cathina is in room 666? That's unlucky. Sucks to be her I guess.

  “I uh.. I have a lot of studying to get done, so I'm going to head into my room now.”

  Just as I enter the room, pinky swoops up behind me.

  "Just so you know, we don't owe you anymore for helping us. We're even now, ok?" Dear God. She never stops.

  "I know you saved my life and all, but that doesn't mean I like you. Understood?"

  "Yep. Whatever you say."

  "Of course it's whatever I say. You can even join our party if I say."

  "Cool beans."

  "Don't try to get close to me though. It's not gonna happen. I don't like hermits."

  SLAM! I threw the door closed.

  What was she even talking about? Why would I want to get "close" to her? Does she mean date?

  Yeah, no. I'd rather gouge my eardrums out. She's pretty and all but, no thanks.