The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-289

The 31st Piece Turns the Tables

Chapter 289

[Adventure 33. (Special) 'Solemn Library'

You're seeking a way to defeat Yaksha, who has caused chaos in both the Ghost and Mortal Realms.

Currently, the situation has improved significantly thanks to the assistance of Hamun, a descendant of Orgo.

Hamun mentioned that to counter Yaksha's sword, the knowledge inside the Library of All Knowledge is essential. Thus, he has led your party to the Library of All Knowledge.

Here, you must obtain all—or at least some of the books Hamun has set as the objective.

Objective: Obtain at least one book from Hamun's list.

Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous.

Caution. This Adventure can change at a moment’s notice.

Remaining time 「Unknown」]

Upon entering the library, a surreal sight greeted them: patrons seemingly made of smoke.

There were human-like silhouettes made of smoke wandering around.

"Shh…"

Hamun placed his index finger on his lips and pointed to a sign in front of the entrance.

[In the 1st floor's reading room, many people come and go. That is why we ask patrons to maintain greater silence.

Only silence is required for reading. Any behavior contrary to this may result in a warning from a librarian.

Causing excessive disturbance may lead to being expelled.

Additionally, patrons staying in the library without an entry pass may also be expelled without notice.

If they are caught talking or entering without permission, they will be beaten to death and thrown out.]

That seemed to be the gist of it—rules that could be found in any library.

However, Hamun's expression was far from pleasant.

Scribble…

Hamun wrote on a memo sheet that he had prepared.

- This is bad.

Seol's party's faces became filled with doubts.

- The rules per floor seem to have changed.

"…"

- The translation of the rules is now useless. From here on, we'll have to proceed using our wits.

Everyone’s faces became confused.

It felt like they had shown up for a lunch gathering only to find that everyone else had brought packed lunches except them, leaving them feeling bewildered.

Scribble…

- The 1st floor is where unnecessary information is gathered. There's little chance we'll find the books we need here. The books we're searching for are most likely on the upper floors.

Seol Hong borrowed Hamun's memo sheet and wrote a response.

- Where's the door that leads to the upper floors?

Scribble…

- The terrain changes constantly, so maps are useless. Since each floor’s structure is different, there's no point in memorizing the paths.

- Let's rendezvous on the 5th floor. That's the resting floor where we can all talk comfortably.

Nod…

With Hamun's last sentence, the group began moving in perfect coordination.

Because they stayed close together, they resembled a band of thieves targetting the massive library. Compared to the vast library, they looked as small as cockroaches, making them feel like petty thieves.

'A librarian, huh…'

Creak… Clang…

Creak… Clang…

A presence was making rounds within the library's sections. It was a golem made of unusual material.

'This is my first time seeing a librarian in person…'

Because he had been here before, he knew how the system worked and how the patrol routes were set.

Creak…

Clang…

Creak…

Clang…

As a librarian passed near where Seol’s group was, he was given a set of choices.

[[A librarian on the 1st floor of the Library of All Knowledge is patrolling nearby. One librarian has just passed by you. How will you act?]

1. There's no need to overthink. Quickly move before it's too late.

2. Stand still and observe the librarian's patrol route.

3. This spot is dangerous. Change your position.

4. [Required: Mountain Shamanic Spell] Erect an earth wall to block the librarian's path.

…]

If this were his first visit to the library, he would have chosen one of these options. After all, each choice seemed fairly reasonable.

Swoosh…

Just as Hamun thought this was a chance and tried to move forward, Seol grabbed his shoulder.

"…"

He looked at Seol with a puzzled face.

Seol made a motion with his palm facing downward and crouched.

Trusting Seol, Hamun didn't make any sudden moves.

'Not yet. The perfect moment will come soon.'

It was an opportunity that came about every few minutes.

Moving too soon could cause the librarians to swarm them.

Creak…

Clang…

Suddenly, all the librarians froze in place.

Swoosh…

At that moment, the choices before Seol changed.

[[A librarian on the 1st floor of the Library of All Knowledge is patrolling nearby. One librarian has just passed beside you. How will you act?]

1. There's no need to overthink. Quickly move before it's too late.

2. (New) It seems the librarians are changing their patrol route. Move during this gap.

3. Stand still and observe the librarians’ patrol route.

4. This spot is dangerous. Change your position.

5. [Required: Mountain Shamanic Spell] Erect an earth wall to block the librarian's path.

…]

A new option was added.

This was the exact moment Seol had been waiting for.

'Now!'

After signaling the group, Seol moved while staying low to the ground. Although crouching made his legs uncomfortable, the effort would be nothing compared to the trouble they would face if they clashed with the librarians, so he endured it and searched for the exit.

The librarians changed their patrol routes every few minutes. They seemed to have been designed to make it difficult for unauthorized visitors to move around freely.

There was a roughly 10-second gap between each patrol route shift. During this gap, all the librarians stood in place, apparently absorbing the updated information.

They had 10 seconds.

This short 10-second window, given in brief bursts, was all they had to move without being detected.

Step…

Seol stopped.

Creak…

Clang…

Creak…

Clang…

After a few minutes had passed again.

Clang…

The librarians stopped moving.

This time, everyone began moving swiftly, even without Seol's signal.

They were now just a few steps away from the door, with light spilling through its edges.

Tap…

- Disturbance has been detected.

- Disturbance has been detected.

The librarians all turned their heads to the source of the noise, but no one was there.

Seol's group had already slipped through the door where the light was escaping.

"Oof!"

"Hahaha! Fools!"

"Shh!"

"Oops…"

Despite being connected, the 1st and 2nd floors had different rules.

In other words, there should be a sign indicating the rules related to the librarians on this floor.

"There doesn't seem to be a sign."

"Huh?"

However, the sign that should have been on the 2nd floor was nowhere to be seen—there wasn't even a hint of anyone's presence.

"Maybe there are no rules here?"

"That might be the case. Let's split up and search for now."

From the second floor onward, they had to search for the books as they ascended. Before entering the library, Hamun handed a note to each member of the group.

The note contained the titles of the books Hamun needed.

'A lot of them seem to be related to Yaksha.'

Even though the library was massive, there was no need to worry about not being able to find the books. This was because of the special energy within the Library of All Knowledge.

Thanks to this unique energy, the Library of All Knowledge was often called the Library of Bonds. If the book the patron desired existed within the library, they would sense it as they passed by its location.

Although they had to walk past every shelf, they would eventually find the book.

In fact, the odds of not finding a desired book in the Library of All Knowledge were nearly zero.

Even if the book had yet to be compiled by someone, the library would absorb the information of the region and create a collection from it.

The library not only distributed books but also produced them.

Generally, the obscure information was on the higher floors. However, this wasn't an absolute rule. Rare books occasionally appeared on the lower floors as well.

'There were those who exploited that too.'

When the Library of All Knowledge appeared in the Mortal Realm, those who couldn't make it to the higher floors would target the lower levels for their research.

After all, any valuable book they find would still prove useful.

WHOOM…

Seol had been searching for a bit while being lost in thought.

He had nearly searched the entire second floor, leaving only one section untouched when he finally got a signal.

'Found it…'

It was this place.

Seol approached the bookshelf and placed his hand on it.

A set of options appeared before him.

[[You've placed your hand on the bookshelf].

1. Pull out 「Know your Lumbar for a Straight Back」.

2. Pull out 「10-second Vegetable Preparation Methods」.

3. Pull out 「Yaksha's Origins」.

4. Pull out 「Oops! My mistake」.

…]

Seol quickly grabbed 「Yaksha's Origins」 and was about to return to the group.

'Hmm?'

A pile of books had toppled over in a corner of the second floor. After feeling something foreign, Seol approached the pile and looked through it.

Swoosh…

He suddenly felt a cold sensation.

'An information sign!'

Within the pile of books was an information sign.

Someone had concealed the sign intentionally.

Seol dug further into the pile to check the contents of the sign.

"…"

At that moment, a small dog approached him—it was Chi Woo.

Because Chi Woo had been behind the bookshelf, he hadn't seen what Seol was doing.

"Did you find something?"

Acting nonchalant, Seol approached Chi Woo.

"No. There's nothing here."

"Let's go over there. I found something, but I can't reach it."

"You want me to grab it for you?"

"Yes, it's over this way."

For some strange reason, the rest of the group was already gathered in the spot where Chi Woo had led him.

"Seol?"

"What, already?"

"Did you find the book?"

Seol tilted his head and asked Chi Woo, "Everyone's here, so why did you ask for my help?"

"Ah, that's because you see…"

At that moment, the atmosphere changed.

Fwoosh…

CRACK!

The skins of his party members began to tear as their appearances changed. They were manifestations of Evil Spirits, waving their sharp claws menacingly at Seol.

Thud…

Thud…

"Ugh…"

Their arms pierced through Seol from multiple directions.

But the smile of the Evil Ghosts who had succeeded in impaling Seol twisted suddenly.

"You… What are you?"

"Fake…?"

Seol, whose body had been stabbed and slashed from all sides, grinned, "You’re right. I'm a fake."

Fwoosh…

"Just like you." Seol's figure dispersed into black smoke and disappeared.

The Evil Ghosts turned their heads toward the exit.

"There he is!"

"He's over there!"

However, Seol was already standing in front of the exit.

The content of the hidden sign reads as follows:

[The 2nd floor connects to an independent space.

Do not continue traveling with your companions if you encounter them.

If the things that resemble your companions don't notice you, head to the next floor as quickly as possible.

There might not be just one but several of them. Good luck.]

After reading this, Seol summoned his clone and sent it to follow the Evil Ghost disguised as Chi Woo while he stealthily made his way toward the exit.

'Although I didn't have to use such a method…'

This was the Library of All Knowledge.

Not everything could be solved with brute force, and the beings that appeared were nothing short of bizarre. That's why he had to proceed with caution.

"Stop right there!"

"We won't let you get away!"

"Stay here! Remain in the Library of All Knowledge with us forever!"

Hmph.

After snorting, Seol walked toward the stairs that led to the next floor.

'The others should be fine, right?'

They had been together on the 1st floor, but since the 5th floor was the rest floor, they had to move separately through the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors—the chances of anything going wrong on these floors were slim.

Furthermore, Seol Hong, who had been the weakest among them, had awakened the power left behind by Yu Hwa, which alleviated most of his concerns.

Step…

Step…

The 3rd floor.

As Seol came out from the door, someone else burst out screaming.

"AAAHHH! GET AWAY!"

"Jin Ryeo?"

The one who came out through the door heavily panting was Jin Ryeo.

"Oof… Oof… Is anyone chasing me?"

"No…"

"Oof… Oof… There was definitely something behind me… Those dark and creepy things… Anyway, could you lend me some money?"

- The weather's nice, can you lend me some money?

- Ah, that's right. Do you remember yesterday? Could you lend me some money?

- I'm sorry, but could you lend me some money?

- Chronic debtor, hahaha.

- This Jin Ryeo isn't a fake.

"Money?'

"I'm out of funds I was supposed to give to Kunna… I almost got caught by those Evil Ghosts."

With a blank expression, Seol handed over a pouch filled with platinum and gold coins. Although he had accumulated a lot of money, he hadn't found anything worth buying at the auction house. That's why all he had bought were some spare pieces of gear.

"I'm lending it to you."

"I'll work like a dog. Should I destroy the library? Hey, Kunna. Huh? You brat… Answer me! I have the money!"

"That's enough. But haven't you run into anyone else?"

"I have, but…"

"They were fakes, right?"

"Yes. Phew… At first, I was wondering about what the independent space was about, so I asked Seol about it."

"…"

"But when your eyes turned all red, and you started chasing me, I just bolted. Thankfully, the exit was right there."

Jin Ryeo looked around nervously and then clutched her head, "Agh! There's no sign again!"

"Yes, we must be careful."

"S-stay close, please."

"What will you do if I'm a fake?"

"Argh, I almost swore at you! Don't joke like that! I'm going to ask Kunna to confirm it!"

And so began their search on the 3rd floor.

"This isn't it… Neither is this one… Why is this place so huge?! Have you found anything?"

"Not yet."

"Hmm… I wonder if it isn't on the 3rd floor."

After two hours without any results, both of them were starting to feel a bit tired.

Seol stood in front of the bookshelf, letting out a deep sigh.

"Oof…"

"Sighing won't do any good for your life."

Startled, Seol quickly stepped away from the direction where the voice had come from.

An elderly gentleman was grinning while pulling his hat low.

"Why so surprised?"

"That's because…"

He hadn't felt anyone.

Seol hadn't noticed him at all—even with his sharp senses, he hadn't felt the old man approaching him.

"Young man…"

Seol was surprised, but soon, he recognized something from the old man's attire.

'Don't tell me…'

Encounters in the Library of All Knowledge were often unwelcome. But in some rare cases, there were beings you wished you would run into—for example, the old gentleman standing before him.

The old man asked him, "Do you happen to have a favorite book?"