1 The Negative Chronicles

"Ne, ne, do you see that one over there? That face, those streamlined muscles ... I just want to take him home."

"OMG, look! Look! I think he looked at me!"

"No you idiot, he is clearly looking at ME."

Despite the venomous glare of the librarian, the excited whispers of ladies disturbed the silence in the gradually forsaken domain of knowledge.

The library, a place where our forefathers had deemed as a gathering place to pass on wisdom to the future, has gradually become obsolete in the face of the growing internet.

Nowadays, it serves more as a place of social gathering.

Even when truth seekers enter the abode, many would rather delve into knowledge found through their electronic devices rather than feasting their eyes on the wonderful text imprinted on the old paper bound in books.

However, there are always exceptions.

As the banters of the nearby ladies continued, it didn't disturb the serenity of the target of their banter.

Dressed in a casual outfit, a handsome young man drew the attention of others with his mesmerizing charm.

As he stood by a bookcase while slowly flipping through the pages of a book, his gentle yet noble demeanor drew the attention of the inhabitants of the library like a vortex.

Many ladies had begun to fantasize the handsome man's peerless eyes glancing at them, but in reality, the man was entirely focused on the book in his hand as if there was no one else there.

Surprisingly, in this modern world, the bold ladies still didn't dare to approach the man. After all, such a handsome and noble man seemed to be from a different world.

This handsome alpha is ... unfortunately, not our protagonist. This is a story about the realm beyond death, not a Long Aotian type novel.

Alright, let's turn the camera over.

Ah, yes. Over at the lonely table at the gloomy corner. The poor average-looking male who has slammed his head onto his laptop's keyboard due to stress and frustration.

A screen of text laid in the laptop browser's word document while a couple of tabs of both research and leisurely novel reading sites lined up at the top of the screen. A couple of books messily spilled over the table while the poor man was muttering pitiful prayers to who knows what.

Yes, that one is our protagonist.

It didn't take long for the average looking man to look up once more.

His scrawny, average-looking face revealed a trace of sadness as he glanced at the essay in front of him while bemoaning, "Why did I choose English literature as my major?"

Unfortunately, no one could comment on the poor man's poor choice. So, he could only scratch his hair in frustration.

"Seriously, what professor asks his students to write an essay about death. Although he told us it was easy because we could be creative and write however we want, but he actually required it to be at least 5000 words long! Is he crazy?! What professor wants to grade so many essays all over 5000 words long?! He even comforted us by saying there is no pressure, but the essay is going to be 75% of our final grade?! How can the university even allow this?!"

The man sighed in frustration as he stared at his barely 1000 word count, "Worst thing is that we still need at least three sources of reference from physical books. There are many books available even when it comes to the subject of death, but to find one that I can actually incorporate into my essay and is actually available in this library ... ugh, I better start looking for some more."

Stumbling up from his seat and picking up the book list he compiled through online search, the man trudged off to the book shelves to look for more references.

As the man slowly fumbled through the shelves of books, a soothing voice suddenly interrupted him.

"It seems you are seeking the truth regarding death. Perhaps, this book may be what you are looking for?"

Huh?

Glancing towards the voice, the man's eyes latched onto the handsome face near him. He didn't hear any footsteps. When did this man sneak up on him?

Although the man was still a bit confused, he still looked down towards the book that the handsome man was handing over to him.

It was queer hardcover book.

There was an fancy, yet ancient design on the faded cover while the rest of the book seemed to be a bit tattered. There also seemed to be unknown coffee stains on some parts of the book.

Still, the man was able to make out the name of the book because it was gleaming in golden letters.

"The Negative Chronicles?" the man mumbled in confusion as his hands habitually reached out to take the book to turn it over.

Unfortunately, there was no synopsis, summary, or author info on the back. The man frowned a bit before he turned it back around to open the cover. What was revealed was a blank page. He turned a couple more pages in and it was still blank.

"It's blank. Is this a joke? I don't have time to waste on this," the man uttered with a hint of anger as he looked up at the handsome man with a heavy frown.

"Of course not. It's just that the text is hidden and will only show under ... certain circumstances. I'm sure you will be able to read it soon," the young man replied with a smile.

The poor man cursed inwardly but still tried to politely return the book, "Invisible ink? I don't think I have any UV light to read this, and it will be a bit troublesome to get one. You should take this back. I'll try to find another reference."

A gentle smile arose on the handsome man's face as he refused, "No, no, you keep it. I can assure you it will be a good reference when it comes to the topic of death. Also, it won't need anything as troublesome as UV light to read it. You will be able to read it by tonight, I assure you."

Moonlight? Glow in the dark text?

The poor man was a bit dubious as he stared back at the handsome man with a noble aura. Although the poor man had a sense of inferiority within, he still couldn't find himself feeling any negative emotions towards the smiling man in front of him.

"Well ... uh, I'll check it out tonight then. Thank you I guess?"

The smiling man shook his head gently as he turned around to walk away, "I'm sure that book will be helpful for on your ... endeavors. You don't have to thank me."

Pro was a bit confused but he still politely introduced himself, "It's a bit weird, but my name is Pro. You? I'll treat you to a meal if this really helps."

The handsome man waved goodbye with his hands in the air as he strolled away, "No need. You'll find out in due time."

As Pro watched the noble man stroll out of the library amidst the squeals of many ladies, Pro's lips couldn't help but twitch as he muttered with a bit of jealousy, "Sheesh, another show-off trying to be mysterious to attract the attention of ladies. It's just a handsome face, it's not like there is gold plastered all over it."

Whilst grumbling to himself, Pro clamped the Negative Chronicles within his arm as he went off to locate the other books on his list.

After a while, Pro returned to his seat with a stack of books and continued his arduous task on his laptop.

Time flies when one is hard at work. The lights of the library began to dim. Pro yawned as he finished packing his bag. After bidding the librarian good night, Pro left the library.

Hopping onto his bike, Pro then began to bike to the apartment he rented outside of campus.

Swoosh. Pro's bike gracefully swooped through the empty roads. The sparse lampposts guided his way forward as the gentle night breeze caressed his face.

A smile arose on his average looking face as Pro thought to himself, "Hey. So what if I'm average. An ordinary person can still enjoy the smallest things in life, such as nature and-"

Suddenly, Pro felt something tumble out from his bag. Pro frowned and gradually brought his bike to a halt.

Glancing back on the dimly lit, empty road, Pro was able to barely make out something laying on the nearby ground.

"A book? No way. I was pretty sure I returned all the books to the shelves and didn't borrow any. Did I accidentally stash one in my bag and forget to return it?"

Pro couldn't recall putting any books in his bag. After frowning a bit, he sighed, "I guess I'll have to return it tomorrow. After all, I can't just mistreat a book and leave it here."

After glancing at the empty roads, Pro quickly parked his bike on the side and strolled over to pick up the book.

Raising up the book and letting the dim moonlight shine upon it, Pro was able to make out the familiar words gleaming in gold.

"Huh? The Negative Chronicles? Wasn't this-"

HONK! HONK! HONK!

Pro opened his eyes wide in shock as he looked away from the book.

His eyes locked onto the sudden beams of headlights that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Pro felt his eyes tear up due to the sudden contrast in light.

Then, Pro felt himself lifting off the ground as he felt himself floating away.

"It hurt- huh? There's no pain?" Pro muttered in a confused voice as he blinked a couple of times.

As his vision returned, Pro found himself floating in the air.

Glancing down below, Pro saw a vehicle that had now stopped in place. A couple of drunken college students had gotten out and were now frantically making a ruckus around what seemed to be his body.

"Uh? That's it? My story came to an end this soon?" Pro couldn't help but sadly bemoan his luck, "Dude, I seriously made sure to check the roads before picking up the book. Where did that car come from? Well, at least it wasn't truck-kun, so I was a bit more unique wasn't I?"

Pro helplessly muttered to himself as he looked down at his transparent hands and body. It was then he noticed the book being held in his hand.

Bringing the book up for a closer look, Pro couldn't help but frown in confusion.

"Eh? Why is this book still here with me? Pretty sure most of the books on death said that the soul shouldn't be able to interact with the physical world, assuming I'm a ghost of some sort."

As if affirming this conjecture, the book in Pro's hand began to slip through his fingers. Pro imagined that the book will now fall down with the help of gravity and predicted that its current trajectory will knock on the head of one of the unlucky fellas below.

"Unfortunately, I can't stop it. Sorry buddies that brought my death. I guess this is a kind of revenge of some sort-"

However, Pro was shocked by what happened next. It was literally a cliff hanger.