전생검신 87권 10화

The prophet’s words hit me like a fresh shock.

“A librarian? A true god?”

Information I had never heard in all my past lives! And the moment I heard the word librarian, something clicked.

That being who caught Nailatop as easily as swatting a fly.

The owner of the Dark Book.

When I asked who they were, they replied with a heartbeat filled with will—

“Surely… that being said they were the librarian beyond the Cycle!”

No doubt about it. There couldn’t be anyone else but that being.

So you’re telling me that the entity that suddenly appeared and caught Nailatop was actually the librarian of the Void Record and an Outer God?

As I wracked my brain, I suddenly said, “Prophet. I need to meet Al Karda, but is there any way to do that?”

[…….]

“Why are you silent all of a sudden?”

When I asked again, the prophet stretched their head out extravagantly and said.

[The information I just shared is a free gift for you. It’s a bit of a hassle for an Evil God to keep up appearances, you know? But for anything beyond this, I’ll need compensation.]

“Compensation?”

[Why act clueless? If you’re a Reborn Person, you’ve probably struck deals with me countless times… Did you truly think there’s such a thing as a free lunch in this world?]

“Ugh.”

I smacked my lips. I was trying to subtly keep getting free information, but the prophet was not that easy to deal with. Out of habit, I pressed the side of my head.

“You want payment for information? I can give you something fair.”

The prophet smirked smugly.

[Heh. You’re just puffing up your chest. This information from an Evil God is surely something you want to acquire by any means. Especially since it concerns the god of our race… I know how much a Reborn Person like you would crave it.]

“……”

Darn it… clearly the prophet figured out that I was in a tough spot, didn’t they?

Just as I frowned at my predicament, the prophet said.

[If the Evil God chose to act directly, it may not be far off… However, we are a race that has jumped into this game, and we must meet the qualifications.]

“……?”

[To summon our god, Al Karda, and meet him directly, you’ll need certain preparations. If you want to know what they are, you must bring ‘knowledge unknown to our race.’]

“……What?”

They want me to bring knowledge that the prophet’s race doesn’t know?

What nonsense is that?

I exclaimed in disbelief, “Hey! Can’t it just be some magical treasure? Isn’t divine power good enough? You guys used to accept such things easily, but now you’re just talking nonsense.”

[No can do. No matter how precious the treasure is to a Reborn Person, it’s just fleeting foreign matter in the grand scheme. What we want to confirm is whether the Reborn Person has the capability to surpass our race’s wisdom.]

“Why do you care about that?”

[To present someone with such limited ability before Al Karda would be utterly disrespectful. If you angered the Outer God, who’s going to take responsibility?]

“……”

Ugh… that guy always talks so much, it’s hard to get a word in edgewise…

I grumbled internally, and finally, relented, “…Fine. As long as it’s knowledge you don’t know, any information will do, right? That shouldn’t be too hard.”

Then the prophet laughed as if they heard something hilarious.

[Heh heh heh. Really?]

“Eh? Aren’t you being a bit too arrogant? It’s not like you know everything in the universe. How would you know if I pick up some random ore from billions of light-years away?”

[Do as you want. This task will likely be harder than you think….]

“……”

What’s with all that confidence?

I felt something fishy and said to the prophet, “Let’s set that aside for now; there’s one thing I definitely want to clarify.”

[What is it?]

“The Evil God told me that meeting Al Karda will present me with choices. Do you have any idea what that might be?”

[……]

“If you need more payment for information, just say the word. I’ll figure it out even if it takes ten thousand years.”

[You don’t need to worry about information fees… That’s essentially Al Karda’s power in the first place…]

“What?”

In response to my inquiry, the prophet said, [As the librarian of the Void Record… that being shares a part of the knowledge of the Omniscient… And presents choices to those who come to see them, choices that surpass even the ‘Great Cycle’… Outstripping a mortal’s common sense.]

“Hmm.”

[Our race also gained a dominant position in the universe thanks to having passed that being’s trial… Those who pass the Wisdom Trial are granted a fitting reward.]

“……!!”

So, the strength of the prophet’s race grew because of the Outer God Al Karda!

‘Well, it makes sense for a race backed by an Outer God…’

But in that moment, a doubt crossed my mind.

If that’s the case, why would the prophet’s race bother hiding that their god is an Outer God?

Just revealing that would cause all celestial beings to subconsciously fear them and make life so much easier… why do they treat Al Karda like a hidden god and keep it under wraps?

“……”

There’s definitely another secret the prophet is hiding from me.

I thought so and told the prophet, “Alright. I’ll get that ‘information fee’ to you soon.”

[Don’t get your hopes up.]

“But if I die in this life, will I get a chance to try again in the next life?”

[Of course. But even as a Reborn Person, it won’t be easy.]

I was baffled by the prophet’s words.

“Eh? What’s with that confidence…?”

[Heh heh heh.]

Where’s all that confidence coming from? I couldn’t figure it out, but since it was a matter I could only find out by challenging the prophet directly, I let out a sigh and said.

“Alright. In any case, send us back to Earth. I have a lot to do.”

[Safe travels.]

Paa-t!

When I regained consciousness, I was back in the capital of the Lemuria Empire with Heuk Woong. It’s clear the Tao King prophet had used some incredible magic to leap through time and space.

As soon as I returned to the Lemuria Empire, I headed to the waiting room. I shouted at the young man sitting there sipping a cold ice juice.

“Lee Hwan-woong!!”

Lee Hwan-woong blinked a few times when he heard me and looked my way, then waved his hand brightly as he said.

“Did you have a good trip while exploring the underground? Baek Woong.”

“……Well.”

I told Lee Hwan-woong about everything that had happened in somewhat detail. After I had talked for a while, he wore a thoughtful expression, and I said to him:

“Of course I know it’s not something easy to believe. But I’m definitely [transcending the Great Cycle] now and am briefly back in the past.”

“What’s hard to believe? Right now, I’m here inside the Heavenly Secret, having unwittingly come back to thousands of years in the past thanks to you… that’s enough to believe.”

Lee Hwan-woong said as he tapped the table with his finger.

“So what you need to do now, Baek Woong, is simple. Pass the prophet’s trial, meet Al Karda, and use this knowledge to move on to the future of the [Great Cycle]. Right?”

“Yeah. That’s likely the plan.”

Suddenly, Lee Hwan-woong let out a deep sigh.

“…Hah! This seems really tough. Are you crazy?”

“Is it going to be tough?”

When I tilted my head, Lee Hwan-woong replied in a heavy voice.

“Baek Woong, have you ever heard of the Akashic Records?”

“Akashic Records? What’s that?”

“Back in my time, it was a pretty common concept, and it’s something my master told me about… It’s basically an infinite repository of all information from the present, past, and future—essentially a [library] where all the information of the universe is recorded. Everything in this universe is stored there.”

“……”

“In my time, countless psychic powers claimed they accessed the Akashic Records and gained infinite wisdom. But they were all liars. Even my master acknowledged that while the Akashic Records exist, he personally could never reach them.”

“Nailatop…?”

I flinched.

Nailatop was a being who boasted strength rivaling the Three Sovereigns, known for being one of the strongest in the universe with the guise of [science]. The power and wisdom he possessed were of such a high level that I couldn’t even hold a candle to him without using the Sun and Moon Spirit! And yet, that incredible higher existence couldn’t access the Akashic Records!

Lee Hwan-woong leaned forward, speaking cautiously.

“However, it seems that the prophet and their race can use the Akashic Records… Think about what you’ve just said.”

“Eh? They can use the Akashic Records?”

“Yeah. Does it not make sense? A library containing endless information… The librarian of that library is the Outer God Al Karda… and the prophet’s race is blessed by them. That makes them the heirs to the Akashic Records.”

“……!!”

“So those who can use the Akashic Records can theoretically know any information from the universe. They just might not have it in their hands immediately.”

I stood there dumbfounded by Lee Hwan-woong’s words.

“Then you’re saying if I went to a nameless planet billions of light years away and harvested a never-seen-before ore and figured out its elemental arrangement, they would nail it right away?”

“Cough cough cough. You were planning to pass the prophet’s trial that way? Even at the level of the Three Sovereigns, one would know all that.”

With a laugh, Lee Hwan-woong firmly said,

“They won’t let you pass like that. They may not have that knowledge right now, but if they [search], they’ll find it.”

“……?!”

“Well, it might be easier if you think of it as a search engine for the Great Universe.”

Wait, wait, there’s such a thing?!

I could only drop my jaw in disbelief. I had no idea that the prophet’s race had capabilities of that scale!

Just then, Heuk Woong, who had been listening in, crossed his arms and said,

[Then isn’t this a test that’s essentially impossible to pass from the start? If what you’re saying is true, then it means you have to submit records that aren’t in the Akashic Records, but that’s fundamentally contradictory.]

Lee Hwan-woong nodded at Heuk Woong’s words.

“That’s right. Since it’s a library where [everything is recorded], it doesn’t make sense to submit knowledge that doesn’t exist there.”

[Could it be that the prophet set a trap on purpose?]

“No, I don’t think so.”

[What’s your reasoning?]

Lee Hwan-woong leisurely stretched his body and took a sip of his cold juice.

“The prophet knows a lot about Reborn Persons. And it seems they also have some knowledge about the plots of the Outer Gods surrounding Reborn Persons. Hence, the reason behind presenting this trial is simple.”

Lee Hwan-woong’s eyes sparkled.

“…To prove whether a Reborn Person’s ability can even affect the [Great Cycle]… They want to see if you have the extraordinary ability to present something that never existed in this universe. Otherwise, it would be insufficient to deal with the Outer God. It’s a reasonable trial.”

[What a cocky little brat. Who do you think you are, to make demands like that of your lord?]

“If they are a race that can use the Akashic Records, they have every right to do so. In fact, the prophet’s race might be underestimated in this universe.”

As Lee Hwan-woong said that, he looked at me.

“Baek Woong. I don’t think this task is something that can be dealt with lightly at this moment. So for now, why don’t we focus on the task at hand and think calmly?”

“The task at hand?”

“Did you forget? It’s just a few days away.”

With Lee Hwan-woong’s words, I suddenly realized.

“Oh! The Demigorgos Reden. I need to gather all the points to challenge the reigning overlord!”

“Ah…!!”

Right!

The Universe Sword Saint, the Overlord Ajidahaka!

The battle with the being I would later meet as the Mercenary King was right around the corner.

In that moment, I recalled the words of the Asura I encountered in the future.

[Baek Woong. I’ve figured out how you can move onto the next stage.]

[Ensure you fight Ajidahaka when you go to the past.]

The stepping stones needed to elevate my Divine Domain were waiting.