General Lore 1: Guidebook to Infinity

The Guidebook to Infinity, occasionally abbreviated as GtI, is an important item in Infinite Aincrad. This article details the lore surrounding the Guidebook to Infinity and more.

The Guidebook to Infinity comes in two different, but very similar editions. These editions are known as the Standard Edition, which is occasionally abbreviated as GtIS, and the Extra Edition, which is occasionally abbreviated as GtIE.

Appearance of the Standard Edition
The Guidebook to Infinity Standard Edition is a thick book that is around 15 cm (6") in width and 23 cm (9") in height. Its cover is composed of a thin wooden board covered in a dark blue fabric that goes over both the front and back covers as well as the spine of the book. On the front cover of the book, the words "Guidebook to Infinity" are printed in swirly, calligraphic letters in a shimmery, silver-colored ink. The same words in the same style and same ink are printed lengthwise on the spine of the book. The back cover of the book has an infinity symbol on each edge and an outline of Aincrad in the center drawn in the same shimmery, silver-colored ink as the words on the front cover and spine.

The section title pages of the Guidebook to Infinity Standard Edition consist of thick, ivory-colored paper with yellow, gold-colored foil wrapping around the edges. These pages are single-sided with words only on the front side of the page. The words on these pages are written in a bright blue ink that is just dark enough to be read clearly. The words of the section title pages seem to be almost handwritten, but they are just barely too neat and precise to be mistaken for handwriting.

The content pages of the Guidebook to Infinity Standard Edition consist of thick, ivory-colored paper with gray, silver-colored foil wrapping around the edges. These pages are double-sided with words printed on both the front and the back sides of the pages. The words on the pages are written in a blue ink that is dark enough to be read clearly on the ivory of the pages, but is light enough to still be recognizably blue. The words of the content pages seem to be printed out. The words are very neat, precise, and easy to read.

Appearance of the Extra Edition
The Guidebook to Infinity Extra Edition is nearly identical to the Guidebook to Infinity Standard Edition except for the addition of 1 extra single-sided page known as the Notice Page and 5 extra double-sided pages known as the Bronze Pages. The Notice Page is located immediately before the Bronze Pages, which are located immediately before the last section of the Guidebook to Infinity.

The Notice Page of the Guidebook to Infinity Extra Edition consists of thick, ivory-colored paper with red-brown, copper-colored foil wrapping around the edge. The words that are the content of the entire Notice Page are printed on the front of the page in large letters that look elegant and almost handwritten at the same time. The words are only known to not be handwritten because of the precision and neatness of the letters. The words on this page are written in a shimmery, brown, bronze-colored ink.

The Bronze Pages of the Guidebook to Infinity Extra Edition consist of thick, ivory-colored paper with brown, bronze-colored foil wrapping around the edges. The words on these pages are printed in letters larger than normal for content pages and are written in a dark red ink that almost looks to be the color of blood that is neither fresh nor old. The words of the Bronze Pages seem to be printed out. The words are very neat, precise, and easy to read.