전생검신 93권 02화

What do you mean?

Before I could even think about the meaning, the evil god spoke again.

[Oh, those who move with attachment (我執) like the Corrupt Emperor. Even if you reject true chaos, it won’t help you… ]

“…”

Al Karda didn’t respond. But as if to speak in his stead, one of the summoned shadows around him shook off its own will and spoke to the evil god.

[True chaos, huh… Are you suggesting I compete with the foolish son of my father? Hehehe.]

[… ]

[You and us… There’s no point in arguing about that, yet you’ve made yourself foolish.]

It was a tone as if mocking the evil god.

However, I couldn’t fathom what that Outer God was laughing at, or why.

[Regardless, you’ve brought about your own unclean destruction and have gone through sacrifices that are almost unheard of in eternity.]

The being stretched out its strange body, which seemed like a slender tentacle or claw, pointing at the evil god.

[I’ll graciously accept your law of cause and effect… ]

Tsutsutsutsu!

In the next moment, a faint mist seemed to rise from the evil god’s entire body, and tiny particles started to emerge, as if his whole being was disassembling. It looked like the evil god was slowly disappearing, and I was taken aback.

“…!”

Is the evil god actually going to be erased by that Outer God?

The Outer Gods likely didn’t take an aggressive stance against the evil god because they predicted such a result would occur, right?

While I was struggling to grasp the situation, the evil god’s voice reached my ears.

[Is this the conclusion you desired?]

“…”

I stared straight into the evil god’s eyes. There was still no emotion in those eyes; only a dark glow flowed from them. I couldn’t help but shudder at those chilling eyes, which seemed to regard even its own demise with indifference.

The evil god seemed to want to say something to me.

Something very significant.

But for that, a ‘preceding condition’ needed to be satisfied.

I instinctively realized that, but I also felt I shouldn’t show it at this moment. For some reason, the idea that even the Outer Gods present here were untrustworthy flashed back into my mind. So, I answered the evil god’s question as calmly as possible.

“The world has perished… how can you talk about satisfaction?! If your death could solve everything!”

I didn’t even know if defeating the evil god was my true goal or not!

I was still searching for a process, so the evil god’s words were like poking at my reverse scale.

As I held back my anger and spoke, the evil god retorted.

[But you still exist after destruction. Depending on how the destruction unfolds. ]

“…?”

[Have you thought about what happens after the ‘end’… foolish one.]

The evil god’s eye glow darkened further.

[Is ascension (昇天) the only choice you can make… !]

Wha… what do you mean?

What the evil god wanted to say struck a chilling note deep within my heart.

It was a word that seemed to reach out for the very ‘taboo’ that I had endeavored to ignore.

That’s when it happened.

Puff!

Suddenly, the evil god’s arms erupted into chunks of flesh! It was due to two bookcases that appeared, devouring the evil god’s arms in an instant. Then the Outer God, Al Karda, the high librarian of the Void Record, coldly said.

“That was for the earlier debt.”

[… ]

The evil god looked silently at Al Karda. They stood in silence, and I contemplated this bizarre standoff.

‘What’s going on… this atmosphere…’

After a prolonged pause, the evil god crumbled into dust and disappeared.

Fwoosh…

It was shocking how emptily the powerful evil god met its end. I had worked so hard to defeat the evil god, so I didn’t expect the Outer Gods to interfere.

And as the evil god vanished, Al Karda addressed the Outer Gods present.

“For this cycle, I will not establish a buffer (廢曲) of the original ring. I shall manage it in the library with [memory].”

Brrrr…

A tremor echoed. It felt like the Outer Gods expressed their intent through their far-dimensional powers in response to Al Karda’s statement, something I couldn’t interpret at all. It seemed as if they had a separate communication method only understood by them.

Brrrr…

Soon after, the previously present shadows disappeared in unison. Feeling the Outer Gods had retreated, Al Karda let out a sigh and snapped his fingers.

Swish!

As the sound from Al Karda’s finger echoed, the place where Al Karda and I stood transformed back to the earlier grand hall. The go board engaged in a past-life performance was just a few steps ahead, and the tranquil room felt timeless, steeped in an antique ambiance.

Al Karda slowly raised a pipe in his hand and took a puff. After a moment, he spoke.

“I didn’t expect the evil god to act this way.”

“Do you mean…”

“If it means dancing to our tune, he’d rather suffer injuries. What a troublesome fellow…”

That statement felt less like directed at me and more like a soliloquy. Standing by the window and quietly smoking for a moment, Al Karda stated.

“In this game, you’ve won. I acknowledge your success in rescuing Seo Mun-hye.”

“Really? So Seo Mun-hye hasn’t perished?”

When I questioned, he nodded and shared an unbelievable revelation.

“That’s right. And because of the cause and effect of not being able to extricate you in time before the evil god, I will grant you the right to read one book from this library as a high librarian.”

“…!”

“You must use this right immediately, so go out for now.”

What?! I can read one book from the Void Record?!

‘Then what’s so great about that?’

Although all the records of the universe are present, I wondered what book could be truly useful for me among just one!

As I was turning these thoughts in my head, Al Karda gestured to me with his pipe, prompting me to leave.

“Go on.”

Whoosh…

With that command, I found myself flying out the door, adrift like a leaf in the wind, without any resistance. As I barely regained my footing and landed, the shut door appeared in the distance. I was utterly taken aback, not expecting to emerge again while the grand game was in play.

‘What? This is so out of the blue… why ask me to read just one book?’

It was a good opportunity, but it felt fishy.

I frowned in thought when suddenly a thought passed through my mind.

The two books that burst the evil god’s arms earlier…

‘Did Al Karda really counterattack just to repay a debt to the evil god?

Or did he seal the evil god’s mouth with the books themselves…?’

“…”

Regardless, it’s time to seize this opportunity.

I just need to read any book in this vast Void Record library.

Eventually, I looked at the books lining up on the shelves and felt a problem.

“Damn it… of course, none of the books have covers.”

Without a cover, how am I supposed to know what the book is?!

This opportunity seems fantastic, yet utterly meaningless!

The odds of randomly choosing a useless book are just too high!

I complained internally but at the same time was racking my brain to make the most of this chance.

‘No, even without covers, there must be some method to select a valuable book.’

Even the Void Record was still a library.

And a library is defined by the fact that books are organized according to certain criteria!

So, books placed in the same section are likely to be of similar kinds!

‘That’s basic, but… is there a special way to find valuable books?’

I pondered as I walked forward. To make it easier to find my way back later, I walked forward absentmindedly.

And while I was walking, a good idea suddenly struck me.

“Ah!”

I remembered that!

As soon as the good thought came to mind, a gruff voice sounded behind me.

“What’s with the ‘Ah’?”

I recognized that voice. Upon hearing it, I turned around and spoke to the owner of that voice.

“I think I figured out how to find a valuable book.”

“Huh. What a pathetic guy. You managed to figure out some important knowledge instinctively like a beast.”

“… You read my memory again, didn’t you, Chronos?”

I retorted in an annoyed voice, and Chronos, the low-level librarian of the Void Record and once a divine being, spoke gruffly.

“I’ve faced a pay cut because of you. A pay cut means that the time until I rise up in this Void Record has been delayed by billions of years. Do you think I have any reason not to resent you?”

“…”

Now that I think about it, that’s right. I had asked him to tell me how to find the grand hall in the Void Record, ruining Chronos’s chance for advancement.

“However, I’ll help you find the book.”

“What’s your reason?”

Chronos glared at me with a particularly disdainful look.

“After helping you previously, the high librarian created new regulations making it mandatory for lower librarians to assist outsiders. Therefore, helping you now will earn me merits.”

“Oh! But could you not glare at me so much?”

“Hmph… Just read this book.”

Whoosh!

Chronos tossed me a thick book. I took the book and said.

“Hey! I’ll pick the book I want to read. No matter how important a book you give me…”

“What are you talking about? That book is the request code (請求記號).”

“Request code? What’s that?”

“As you might’ve guessed, the Void Record’s books are categorized systematically. Using the request code, you can find the book you want or not.”

“…?”

“That book won’t count as read even if you skim through it, so go ahead and read it.”

I eyed Chronos suspiciously before opening the request code book. At that moment, I felt an influx of knowledge blooming in my mind.

“…!”

Request codes… classification codes… book codes… auxiliary codes… It’s composed of four types of codes, and they’re arranged according to each code…?

But the types and amounts of codes that entered my head were absolutely vast.

This was dangerously close to infinity, and I screamed and shut the request code book.

“Ahhh!”

My head feels like it’s going to explode!

The amount of request codes engraved in a single book alone… easily surpassing millions!

As I held my head in agony from the headache, Chronos grinned mockingly, as if he expected this.

“We, the lower librarians, study and acquire that request code for an eternity. Even after billions of years, we won’t even scratch the surface of that book’s dust. We classify and organize books for eternity. You can’t even bear the fleeting memory of the request code since you’re a mortal.”

“…”

“And what you thought is pretty much correct. The books with ‘covers’ are all the more precious.”

“Really… is that so?”

From Chronos’s words, I could see my prediction was right.

Covers!

During my exploration of the Void Record, I noticed some books had covers while others didn’t. The books with covers were quite rare, and the colors of the covers varied. Even without covers, I could see the covers were the essential criteria of importance.

I asked Chronos another question out of curiosity.

“With this much knowledge, shouldn’t I be able to find a valuable book? Why is it possible or not?”

“The Void Record contains the knowledge of ‘everything.’ Have you ever imagined how much knowledge encompasses the entire Three Thousand Worlds?”

“…”

“You might not be able to find the book you want here until the universe collapses.”

“Hey, then can’t you help me out a bit? You are the librarian, after all.”

“Sorry, but I won’t help you that far. Giving you the request code is all the lower librarian is obligated to do; finding is your job.”

“Damn it…!”

I fumed, but Chronos coldly turned away.

“I’ll tell you this; if you mess up the books again, I won’t let it go. Among the new regulations, lower librarians now have the right to punish anyone who tampers with the books.”

“Ha! You think you can fight? What are you flaunting…?”

“Oh…?”

Swish!

In that instant, Chronos turned back to me and released his divine power with a chilling gaze.

The moment I faced that divine power, I felt my whole body freeze.

“…!”

This guy… how the hell is he so strong…?!

I had thought he was merely all talk up until now, but that idea vanished in an instant. I sensed a profound gap in power, feeling that defeating someone like him with my current abilities would be like plucking stars from the sky! With this level of power, he could dominate the entire universe at any moment.

Chronos jabbed at my frozen state, sealing the deal.

“Even if by chance you defeat me, I’m not the only lower librarian around. If you think you can take us all on, then go ahead and create chaos.”

“…”

I had momentarily forgotten.

This place is the Void Record… the treasure trove of the greatest knowledge and the stronghold of the Outer Gods.

Even if they are just the minions of the Outer Gods, they would undoubtedly be on a whole different level than beings of the earth.

“Well, eventually, you’ll get what you want based on your law of cause and effect… don’t overthink it, just choose. ”

“Law of cause and effect? What do you mean by that?”

“It’s just saying that within true infinity, a finite existence like yours is merely flaunting its paltry wisdom.”

With those words, Chronos began to walk away, gradually fading from view.

“Choosing a book is a trial for your fate.”

As he vanished from the spot, I stood for a long time, sighing.

“Ha.”

In conclusion, it was to find a book with a cover.

However, the grades of the covers weren’t clearly stated in the request code book. The knowledge of the cover was the sole privilege of the high librarians, while the lower librarians could only deduce that it was important.

‘One thing is certain: the importance varies by the color of the cover… it’s all just luck.’

Still, thanks to having gained at least a bit of knowledge from the request code, I now had a basic understanding of the rules that governed the library, once a chaotic sight before me. It felt like a dramatically advanced form of earth’s bibliographic studies, allowing me to roughly know where any book is located by simply adhering to established rules.

‘Now I can return to the grand hall even without Chronos’s help. Thanks to the request code, I’ve gained that much discernment.’

I ambled along dependently relying on my request code knowledge. After a considerable distance, I felt my eyes drawn to a book adorned with a peculiar cover.

“…”

It has an orange cover.

‘I’ve never seen this color before…’

A unique cover should indicate a remarkable book, right? Then even if I don’t know what book this is, should I check it out?

Overthinking it seems pointless, as Chronos said…

Carefully, I lifted the book with the orange cover and opened it.

I had prepared myself to not regret whatever book it is.

However, as I opened the book, I immediately felt a surge of regret.

‘This… this book?!’

Bam!

The title of the book instantly read into my mind.

[Necronomicon (死者之書)]

Woooon!

I could immediately tell this book was a grimoire (魔道書). The moment I read the Necronomicon, countless demonic symbols and formulas ingrained themselves vividly in my brain. However, what was strange was that none of the knowledge provided by the Necronomicon overlapped with any magical knowledge I had learned from Zhuge Sa so far.

‘Ah, no… it’s not that it’s overlapping…’

The very laws are different?!

How is this possible?!

I realized just how alien the knowledge the Necronomicon was providing me and was positively frightened. That was because it contradicted every fundamental aspect of magic that Zhuge Sa had taught me. If this continued, I would have to conclude that either Zhuge Sa’s magical knowledge or the Necronomicon’s knowledge was entirely a scam.

What if the Necronomicon’s knowledge truly is a scam?

I’d only become even more confused due to this piece of junk knowledge!

‘I’m done for! Damn it!’

I’ve heard of the Necronomicon, but I’d never actually heard it being discussed by Zhuge Sa! I’ve only heard stories about famous grimoires!

To be stuck with this ridiculous grimoire, wasting memory capacity just because of it?!

Especially since it was an opportunity I had gained in the Void Record, getting stuck with a rotten grimoire is just…!

I panicked greatly and tried to quickly pull my hand away from the Necronomicon.

“Ugh!”

But my hand wouldn’t let go, as if it were glued!

“Damn this third-rate grimoire!”

As I shouted out, a strange voice echoed in my head.

[Am I a third-rate? How dare you speak so insolently!]