Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

It was midnight on the sixth day of the Third Red Moon, in the year 2418 of the Celestial Calendar. Inside the vast sea of trees that stretched seemingly to the ends of the earth. The two moons, shrouded in shadows, overlapped, leaving only a faint glimmer of light. Soon, true darkness would fall upon the land. Beneath that waning light, four shadows raced swiftly across the terrain.

“Have we finally arrived?!” A child-sized shadow muttered in relief.

“We’ve come this far; the Demonic Beasts shouldn’t be able to enter. This place is protected by an ancient barrier.” A shadow with a feminine silhouette replied quietly.

“Phew! This is one hell of a place! But it was fun! Though I’m glad that it’s over now! Kuhahaha!” A large shadow said with amusement.

“We took longer than I thought we would. Let’s hurry.” A robed figure urged the others forward.

“Yes, Master Rodolphe!”
“Damn it! How could we let this happen!”
“We got here in one piece, didn’t we? Chill, Orbet! Kuhahaha!”
“I’m not a battle maniac like you, Halbert!”
“Really? You seem to have the energy for it. Kuhahaha!”
“Screw you!”

A clearing suddenly appeared amidst the dense trees. Though there were no tall trees within it, vegetation thickly covered the area, tall enough for a person to hide. The space was roughly the size of a sports stadium. A hill overlooked the open field.

The hill was covered with plants, but rocky surfaces could still be seen, gazing down upon the clearing below.

The four shadows climbed the hill by the gentle slope on the other side of the clearing that allowed one to climb up easily. At its peak was a space resembling a small stage or the remnants of an altar—just large enough for one person to stand.

“Clarimonde. You all wait here.”

The shadow named Clarimonde kneeled, her beautiful platinum blonde hair falling forward.

“As you command, Master Rodolphe.”

The robed figure, Rodolphe, walked towards the space. His face was obscured by a hood, but a slight glimpse of his mouth revealed that he was still young. The velvety sheen of his black robe and the luxurious gold-thread embroidery on its cuffs and seams suggested his high status.

“Look at him acting all high and mighty. He’s nothing more than a human!”

The small shadow named Orbet spoke in disgust. He wore black outerwear over a white shirt and a noble-style jabot at his neck with a bright crimson jewel gleaming with a pure light at its center.

“You seem to be in a bad mood, Orbet! Kuha!”

The large, dark-skinned shadow—Halbert—responded. He wore only a small vest above loose, sarouel-like pants that covered the lower part of his body. Tattoos with magical symbols adorned his bare upper body. His long dreadlocks, red eyes, black beard, casual manner of speech, which did not give even a hint of carelessness, and his massive sword strapped to his back gave him a wild appearance. The sword’s bare blade shimmered with a fearsome gleam, as though forged from blood. It was unrefined, yet ominous, as if created in a very questionable manner.

“Be quiet, both of you. The ritual will begin shortly.”

Clarimonde, dressed in a red gown that exposed her shoulders and bosom, warned both men.

Rodolphe stood at the altar’s center and pulled a tool from his pocket. It was a small, lantern-like object that fit in his hand. He placed it on his palm and raised it high.

The two moons in the sky eventually overlapped, and their light vanished, cloaking the world in darkness. At that moment, the stars shone brightly, illuminating the earth. The lantern absorbed this starlight, its center beginning to glow faintly.

As the lantern emitted a pale lime green glow, light also radiated from Rodolphe’s feet as if responding to it. Geometric lines formed a magic circle around the altar.

As the magic circle fully surrounded the altar, the clearing below also lit up alongside it. The vegetation-covered earth shimmered, and another circle, similar in design to the one surrounding the altar, expanded outward on a grand scale, creating a towering pillar of light that swept away the plants.

All the light converged into Rodolphe’s raised palm. The light from his feet, the pillar below, and the stars above flowed into his right hand—into the lantern—as though the sky itself collapsed into it.

“Beautiful. It’s beautiful, Master Rodolphe!”
“Wow… Well, that’s a buttload of Mana gathered there.”
“Tsk.”
“This place was once the site of a ritual made during the time of the gods to bring down gods from other worlds. Whether that plan succeeded or not, we may never know. Still, it is only during a lunar eclipse, when both moons disappear, that this ritual can be performed. All the Mana needed for the ritual has now been absorbed into the Magic Crystal. This area has currently turned into a Mana void. You have done a marvelous job, Master Rodolphe! It is no ordinary feat to gather such a torrent of Mana!”
“All of this wouldn’t have been possible without His Highness’ support! You better be grateful, human!”
“I am aware of that, Master Orbet. Only through Mimroad’s guidance have we reached this place. The gate that led us here was also all thanks to Mimroad’s power. We should always strive to honor his will and not disappoint him, Master Orbet!”
“Tsk.”
“There is still a long way to go to the **‘key’**…”

Rodolphe muttered as he stared at the pale, glowing Magic Crystal within the lantern.

“Clarimonde. Let’s hurry.”
“Yes, Master Rodolphe!”
“What’s up? Is that all?”
“Master Halbert, this area has now become a Mana Void. Soon, a wave of Iroshio’s Mana will surge in here, trying to fill that void. That Mana will become a storm that will be dangerous even for us.”
“Whoa! Well, that’s bad. Do we have enough time to go back to where we came?”
“Mimroad has entrusted me with the gate key. But this area doesn’t have the Mana needed to activate it.”
“What are you going to do, human?!”
“We will use that.”

Rodolphe pointed to the Heavenly Pearl on Orbet’s chest.

“What?! Are you f̲u̲c̲k̲i̲n̲g insane?!”