The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-291

The 31st Piece Turns the Tables

Chapter 291

The sign gave a rough idea of what had happened.

[We kindly ask you not to open any books on the 4th floor under any circumstances.

If you wish to check the contents of a book, please take it off the shelf and wait at least fifteen days before opening it.

If any issues arise due to not following these rules, the library won't be responsible for the safety of its patrons.]

More small letters were written at the bottom of the sign.

[If any issue has arisen and you are still alive, please calmly wait for it to resolve itself.

The more serious the problem, the faster it will be dealt with.]

After reading the sign, Seol glared at Joneh, "Did you carelessly open a book…?"

"That's…"

"Just which book…"

From a distance, Santio held up the book that was the source of the trouble, "This one."

「Griz's Future Imagination」

It seemed they hadn't been careful about the potential side effects of giving words like “future” and “imagination” to an engineer.

Joneh quickly excused himself, "Th-that bastard made me curious…! The guy who wrote the review made it sound so meaningful I just couldn't resist!"

- 'The most shocking ending since writing was invented!'

- 'The story that shocked America!' - America Kim

- 'The book that moved the world!' - World Hong

- Only those who have been deceived by book reviews will get it, hahaha.

- This thumbnail can't be resisted!

- Joneh's innocent!

Seol pressed his temples and asked, "More importantly, how exactly did you get here?"

"Is that really important right now?"

"It is. After all, the Library of All Knowledge is currently in the Ghost Realm."

"What…? Th-the Ghost Realm? Is that true?"

Seol found it strange that they even appeared in the Library of All Knowledge.

He knew that Zodiac's 12 Magic Towers were a multinational organization spread across all of Pandea, but they weren't evenly distributed. Furthermore, the towers located in the Khan Empire weren't under Aries or Scorpio’s control. So it was hard to believe they were sucked into the Ghost Realm and had reached the Library of All Knowledge before Seol.

Joneh snapped at Santio, "Santio! What did I tell you?! I told you we should stop and go back, didn't I?"

"Actually, I'm the one who said that. Joneh insisted we keep going up."

"Really…? Anyway… If what you're saying is true, then we were calm, not knowing what was going on. We've been in the Library of All Knowledge for months. We didn't get here through the Ghost Realm."

"Months…? Don't tell me you've been wandering the lower floors all this time."

"Lower floors?! Who in their right mind would divide the Library of All Knowledge into lower and higher floors? Can you really say that after seeing the mess on the 4th floor?"

Santio adjusted his glasses, "Joneh, you're the one who turned the 4th floor into a mess."

"Really? I guess that's why I was feeling this inexplicable guilt while talking."

Santio turned to Seol and said, "We encountered an unforeseen variable on the 3rd floor. We wasted most of our time dealing with that."

"Young man, isn't there some way to solve this? That thing is blocking the exit, so we can't move to the next floor."

"How about waiting for it to disappear on its own?"

"It's been 3 days already."

"…"

"We don't know when it will disappear, so it would be faster if we dealt with it ourselves."

Seol, who was hiding behind the bookshelf, joined them.

"Do you remember how that Large Soldier appeared?"

"I remember it perfectly! Right over there! As soon as that book was opened, the illustration on it jumped out!"

"Joneh, you need to explain it properly. To be more precise, it didn't just jump out from the book—it came out from that specific 'chapter.'"

Joneh pouted as Santio corrected him, "That's right. But I'm not sure if it came from an illustration or text. Keep that in mind."

"Something jumped out of the chapter… So, neither of you can handle that giant?"

"Griz's creation? We're scholars. My specialty is teleportation magic. And this sheep is specialized in astrology and magic resistance. If anyone has a chance, it would be you."

"Unlike Joneh, I have two areas of expertise."

"Astrology is useless right now! Also, teleportation is a deep field of study!"

"Are you making fun of the future revealed by astrology? Let me predict Joneh's future right now. Hmm… I see the shadow of death lingering over Joneh's face."

"That's just a regular shadow! You're standing awkwardly, casting a shadow on me!"

"Ah, my apologies."

Jin Ryeo whispered to Seol, "Do you know these people? If I just tell Kunna…"

"I know them."

"Ah, I see…" Jin Ryeo kissed her teeth.

Joneh asked, "Come to think of it, where's your master?"

"It's been a long time since we've been apart."

"Hmm… That's unfortunate. Libra would have been a valuable ally."

"How about using teleportation magic on that giant and moving it to another floor?"

"Something so big? That's impossible."

"Why?"

"To teleport something so big, I would need to draw a sigil. It's a magical process where I have to mark the location I'm teleporting it to. It's a magic ritual, so there's no way around it."

"Then, why not just move it away from the exit?"

"There's another issue. Teleporting something so big would leave me magically exhausted for weeks. Recovery is slow at my age… I don't want to be vulnerable in a place like the Library of All Knowledge."

"Teleportation magic sure has a lot of limitations."

"I told you, it's a deep field of study!"

"As expected, I foresaw this ridicule the moment you made fun of astrology," Santio added.

"Does that even make sense…?"

Seol fell into thought while looking at the Large Soldier.

'I could have just dealt with it if it were a normal Large Soldier. But if it's a Large Soldier created by Griz's imagination… It might be troublesome.'

Griz was the genius who designed 'Space,' which used to be Seol's belt a long time ago.

Not only that, but he was a legendary inventor who had influenced the entire continent.

He didn't even want to imagine the damage something imagined by someone like him could deal.

'To make things worse, Agony is struggling right now…'

Due to Agony’s struggles, Seol couldn't perform at his usual level.

Agony shone the brightest with Seol. And the same was true for Seol.

Joneh cautiously shared his opinion, "That's why I thought, how about this?"

"What…"

"Since that giant came out of a book, why don't we pull something out of one to take it down?"

"Fight fire with fire…?"

"Yes!"

Santio shook his head.

"It won't be that easy. That monster is one of Griz's creations—it's a creature born from Griz's terrifying imagination."

"Hihi! That's not a problem! We just need to summon something that can knock that thing down for sure!"

"…"

"For example… Something like this!"

Swoosh…

Joneh pulled out a book with a very eye-catching title.

「The Prosperity and Glory of the Zodiac」

In small letters written beneath the title was the author’s name.

Author - Joneh Fria.

"This…"

"Yes, it's a book I wrote! Do you know how the first chapter begins?"

"…"

"Azran! The icy chill that freezes even death…"

"Isn't it a book about the Zodiac? Why is a story about the Grand Duke of Frost…"

"Who would read a book that starts with a stiff talk about the Zodiac? The first few chapters need to be exciting! Is there anything more exciting than the Grand Duke of Frost? The book sold like hotcakes because I added illustrations of Azran."

Santio tilted his head.

"So, if we open the first chapter of this book, the most powerful Magician in human history will pop out?"

"Exactly. What do you think?"

Seol shook his head.

"I think it's a bad idea."

Santio backed Seol's objection.

"Joneh… Didn't I tell you it's too dangerous?"

"Why?"

"Can we guarantee that the Azran that comes out will be on our side?"

"Well, that's… Huh?"

"Since we've never summoned an intelligent being on the 4th floor, we can't be sure. This should only be a last resort."

"Tsk… Fine."

"But still, I'll keep it in mind. It wasn't the worst suggestion, after all."

Azran's magic mostly consisted of wide-range frost magics.

His understanding of magic was unparalleled as a Magician who had nearly ascended. However, there was no guarantee his copy would be able to distinguish between friend and foe.

"So what now? There's no way we could face him directly…"

"How about a book like this?"

"What book…?

Swoosh…

Seol held out a book and explained his plan.

The two Archmages stared at the book for a while before saying, "This seems like a good idea…"

"We'll have to find several books of the same kind."

"I know a few books in a similar field! I've read them before, so I'm sure they will work."

"But in the end, someone will have to approach the large soldier. Which of us will take on that role?"

Translator - SCM

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

Creak…

Clank…

BOOM!

Each time the large soldier that was at the center of the 4th floor swung its arm, the bookshelves toppled over.

Although the books would eventually be restored thanks to the Library of All Knowledge's magic, the chaotic terrain made it extremely difficult to fight the large soldier.

However, someone still had to step up.

"Griz… Why did you imagine something like this?"

Creak…

Creak…

As Seol muttered that to himself, he stepped on the broken bookshelves, and the Large Soldier turned its gaze toward him.

Pshuu…

The giant began exhaling steam.

Seol quickly opened the book he had brought.

[You have violated the rules.]

[The story contained in 'Witch Wilraim's Basic Alchemy - Sticky Glue I' Chapter 1 is now unfolding.]

[- Sticky glue is made by adding the bodily fluids of the moss widow spider and...]

Splash!

Suddenly, a thick, pungent-smelling mucus sprayed out from the pages of the book.

In an instant, the mucus covered one of the Large Soldier's arms.

Jonhe shouted, "Ms. Wilraim always skips the introduction and jumps straight into her sticky glue formula! It's the same up to the 3rd volume, so don't worry!"

"How do you know it so well?"

"Because I was a fan!"

BOOM!

Seol dodged the Large Soldier's fist, which slammed helplessly into the ground where he had just stood.

The Large Soldier twitched.

It seemed the sticky glue was taking effect.

Creak…

Creak…

'This won't be enough!'

The Large Soldier was trying to pull its arm out from the ground.

Ziinng…

[Joneh used Stepping Stone.]

[A two-way portal has been created.]

Whish…

Joneh's teleportation magic came to assist, and a book was tossed out from the glowing portal.

"Catch it! Open any chapter except the last one! The later the chapter, the better!"

Seol quickly caught the book and climbed onto the Large Soldier's shoulder.

Tap… Tap…

And he opened the book.

[You have violated the rules.]

[The story contained in 'Abominations with Bizarre Effects' Chapter 167 is now unfolding.]

[- The weight of Ishtald's Obsidian Axe increases based on the strength of its wielder…]

Thud…

The Obsidian Axe that flew out of the book landed on the Large Soldier's arm.

BOOM!

As the axe lodged into its arm, the Large Soldier's arm became stuck to the ground, rendering it unable to move.

"Perfect! You got a wonderful piece of trash! What great luck!"

Pshuuu…

Steam came out of the giant's body, and its useless arm detached.

"Ugh!"

It seemed Griz had even imagined such unnecessary features.

Ziing…

"Catch it! It's Volume 2 of Sticky Glue!"

Seol snatched the book and immediately opened it.

[You have violated the rules.]

[The story contained in 'Witch Wilraim's Basic Alchemy - Sticky Glue II' Chapter 1 is now unfolding.]

[- Sticky glue can be used for a wide variety of purposes in everyday life. As an eco-friendly material…]

Splash-!

The sticky glue scattered all over the back of the Large Soldier's knee.

"Watch out!"

The Large Soldier spewed flames at Seol.

Fwoosh-!

"Oof!"

Luckily, Seol jumped into Joneh's portal and avoided the flames.

Thanks to Fire Monkey, he resisted most of the fire damage, but it was better to be cautious. Taking unnecessary damage could be detrimental.

"That damn thing is setting the library on fire! Santio!"

"I know."

Snap–!

Ziinng…

[Santio used Fire Resistant Cloak.]

[The fire resistance of allies within a certain range increases by 30%.]

Snap-!

[Santio used Refreshing Breath.]

[For a limited time, breathing is unaffected by harmful effects.]

Seol quickly dashed back to the large soldier.

Bzz…

Seol clenched his fist and struck the Large Soldier's chest with all his might.

Clang—!

'It didn't work…!'

The Large Soldier’s outer shell was so solid that Seol's hand throbbed with pain—he decided to avoid direct physical attacks.

Creak…

"Damn it!"

As soon as Seol noticed the mana gathering in the Large Soldier's mouth, he quickly moved away.

BOOM-!

Although the attack wasn't as powerful as the iron cannons Seol Hong had used, its destructive power was utterly absurd, considering it was a weapon attached to a giant.

Although he managed to dodge it, the sheer force of the attack made his hair stand on end.

'At this rate…'

Everyone became afraid that the library might collapse before they could defeat the giant.

'Should we change our approach?'

Just as Seol was considering whether they should all band together to attack the giant, someone shouted.

"I-I've found it! Seol! I've found something great!"

"Jin Ryeo!"

"Believe me! It's a book I've read hundreds of times!"

It was Seol's first time hearing Jin Ryeo sound so certain.

"I'll believe in you!"

"Great! Gramps, please pass this over!"

"You brat!"

"Quickly! It's urgent!"

Ziing…

Whish-!

Seol grabbed the book that was handed over to him and checked the title.

「 The One Who Reclaimed the Winged Mountains 」

"This…"

"Chapter 30…! I remember it clearly! It's definitely in that chapter!"

"A person’s spear?"

"Spear!"

Creak…

Fwoosh…

The one-armed Large Soldier swung its fist at Seol. But instead of dodging, Seol climbed up the Large Soldier's arm and headed straight into its head.

Paf—!

Before opening the book, Seol hesitated for a moment.

'This is too risky… If a person comes out, it's game over.'

Noticing Seol's doubt, Jin Ryeo tossed some coins into the air.

As a few platinum coins vanished midair.

"Kunna confirmed it! Chapter 30 is a spear!"

"Then…"

Fwoosh—!

The book burst out a golden light that radiated an energy Seol had never felt before.

[You have violated the rules.]

[The story contained in 'The One Who Reclaimed the Winged Mountains' Chapter 30 is now unfolding.]

[- The black spear of the Dragon Lord, forged by the Sky Dragon's thunder…]

WHOOM–!

A bold of lightning struck the large soldier on its crown.