전생검신 92권 04화

Eek!

I stepped out of the room where I was playing a game of Go with Al Karda. And as soon as I stepped out, what hit me was the sheer vastness.

“Hmm…!”

A huge library crammed with books in every nook and cranny visible to my eyes! After seeing countless gigantic beings, I had gotten somewhat desensitized to ‘size,’ but something divine hung in the air here. I reached out to a nearby bookshelf and pulled out a book.

“…”

The cover bore no title. It just seemed like an ordinary book. But I knew that in this library, nothing could be ordinary, and I was overtaken by a massive temptation to read it.

The library of external news, Void Record!

What secrets do the books here hold?

‘…No way.’

I shook my head and put the book back. Just moments ago, Al Karda had clearly stated that [reading books] was taboo. Observing the covers seemed to be within acceptable limits, but I had a vivid instinct that flipping the pages would surely break that taboo.

Ouch!

Suddenly, a sharp pain jolted through my brain.

“Cough!”

Why? It felt as if my intuition was warning me even more fiercely than ever. It seemed like an intense pain was pleading me not to breach the taboo as if I already knew the terrible punishment awaiting me for doing so. I could sense there would definitely be unimaginable repercussions.

“Damn it. Do you think I’m foolish? I’m not going to do it.”

I grumbled and walked aimlessly forward. After strolling for about a distance of an ‘ili,’ I realized that even after walking this far, there was still no end in sight.

‘Holy moly. Even when I was the Emperor of the Great Bear Empire, after walking this much in the imperial library, I would’ve found the end by now.’

Here, it felt like not only was there no end, but it hadn’t even started. Theoretically, the Void Record’s library was close to infinite in quantity, so even if I ran faster than light, I likely wouldn’t find an end. Realizing that walking forward wouldn’t help me find my way, I leaned against a bookshelf and sat on the floor.

“Ha.”

Thinking back, a lot happened in an instant during that ‘rebirth game.’ Now that it was over, I understood that each of those events had particularly worn me out, and with my tension somewhat easing, fatigue surged through me. Feeling my judgment slipping and drowsiness creeping in, I closed my eyes and channeled my internal power to dismiss the fatigue.

Whooosh

As my internal power soared throughout my body, my fatigue significantly diminished, and after spinning the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique, I felt completely refreshed. It was possible to forcibly awaken myself and eliminate fatigue at my current level.

‘Taking a breather is important. I guess that’s why Al Karda sent me out.’

Not only was my physical fatigue weighing me down, but I also needed time to refocus mentally. I halted my internal power operation, closed my eyes, and drifted into thought.

‘Moving forward, my goal is… to avoid defeat in the rebirth game.’

And there were a few conditions to avoid defeat. I pondered the conditions that Cheon Yong Su Sa Yoon Gun had told me about, assessing whether they were realistically achievable, and eventually let out a sigh.

“Ha… No, there’s only one way.”

Yoon Gun hadn’t stated those conditions believing all of them were feasible. He’d merely mentioned the scenarios where means and methods were disregarded. But looking back, I felt that I was also walking a fine line in the current rebirth game. Could I make it to the end?

If there was any hope, it was in what just happened. I clenched my fist while recalling the single exceptional event that had just occurred.

“Let’s keep it up!”

Somehow, I’m going to return from here and turn this reality back around!

I don’t want my current life to end in a mess like this!

Once I had organized my thoughts, I started making my way back to the room where I had been playing the game of Go. I thought I could just walk straight back the same way I came. But after walking for about forty paces, I panicked.

“…Huh?”

Is this the right path? I should be able to see the door to the room where I was playing by now, but why can’t I?

“….”

I tried to suppress the ominous feeling and kept moving forward. When I finally walked the distance of an ‘ili,’ I made a realization.

“Damn!”

I’m lost!

How could this happen?! I had walked in a straight line, almost like a one-way street, without deviating onto another path! Did I misjudge the direction?!

‘W-What do I do if I’m lost here?’

Something seemed to have gone awry inside the Void Record as if I had lost my way, and I had no clue how to resolve it with my abilities. After all, this was practically the home of the external news, possibly the cradle of the most magnificent beings in the world—what chance did my flimsy skills have in here?

However, I knew I had to try something, so I extended my divine power and perception to assess my surroundings.

Roar!

‘I have no idea!’

My divine power sensed an enormous distance in an instant, but I simply couldn’t grasp the layout of the place. Technically, I had emitted my divine energy, but it seemed this energy couldn’t manifest omnipotently like it did in the material world. All that returned was an empty echo, making me feel like I was doing something utterly meaningless.

‘Damn… Who would’ve thought I’d get lost in the library of the Void Record.’

My vision darkened.

“Hmm….”

In times like these, I had to stay calm, so after calming my mind, I hatched a plan.

Thud!

Using my spatial perception, I started pulling out a ton of books from the shelves and laying them on the floor. As a result, the shelves became largely empty, and I kept repeating this task as I walked on.

“Nice!”

Since damaging the books felt off, placing them down like this would create a mark, right? No matter how lost I wandered, seeing the empty spaces left by the books should help me remember where I’d been!

Thinking this way, I kept pulling books out and trudging ahead.

“Hm.”

Since just pulling them out wouldn’t be very noticeable, should I throw them down with a bit of flair?

I put my creativity to work and diligently tossed down the books in a distinctive manner.

And after walking for a while, I felt something strange.

‘What’s this?’

There was a chilly sensation. This was the intuition of a martial artist; I felt some kind of discomfort. The moment I sensed that, I turned around and flinched.

“…!”

That guy… When did he get there?!

Somehow, standing behind me was a young man in a neat red robe, with striking red hair and golden eyes. He was staring intently at the dark bookshelf without even glancing my way.

I couldn’t help but be startled. This was because the intuition I had earlier had been purely coincidental, and under normal circumstances, I shouldn’t have been able to spot him at all. I understood that if my instinct had not kicked in, I would’ve remained completely oblivious as he continued to shelve books.

‘There’s no way an Absolute Realm expert could conceal his presence to this extent…!’

As I sweat coldly, staring intently at the red-haired young man, he continued to place books back on the shelf without acknowledging me.

“Don’t mind me; just go about your business.”

“Y-You… who are you?”

“Why should I be of concern to you? You’re here to meet with a Great Being, right?”

“…”

Wait, does he know I’m playing Go with Al Karda?

‘This guy’s no joke!’

As I cautiously placed my hand on my sword hilt, preparing to raise my energy, the young man paused for a moment and glanced at me before sighing.

“What a hopeless fool. Do you not understand what fighting here means?”

“What? What happens if we fight here?”

“You’re breaking the taboo. The books you damage will bring the backlash upon you.”

“……!”

“What will you do now?”

His voice was calm, yet it had an overwhelming authority. I sensed that this aura belonged to someone who had reigned over others, and he was undoubtedly not a common person. I finally agreed his words had merit and dropped my fighting spirit, allowing the red-robed young man to return to shelving his books.

While quietly observing him work, I decided to speak up.

“I got lost after playing Go with Al Karda. If it’s not too much trouble, could you point me in the right direction? I need to get back to the room.”

The red-haired youth replied in a low voice.

“I have no reason to help you.”

“What?”

“Unless the Great One intends for you to wander the library of the Void Record, there’s no way you’d be lost. Everything is orchestrated by the divine; you should just follow your heart.”

“…….”

“I don’t know when you’ll find your way, but that too is the will of the divine. Accept it humbly.”

I was taken aback by his cynical and nihilistic attitude. So essentially, Al Karda had it all planned out, and this guy wasn’t going to help at all? Stunned, I crossed my arms and shot him a sharp remark.

“Damn it. Enough with the nonsense; just tell me your name! I’m Baek Woong.”

“Are you inquiring about names after coming to the Void Record? What a meaningless endeavor….”

Mumbling incredulously, he continued.

“My name is Chronos.”

“Chronos?”

“Indeed.”

That name sounded vaguely familiar…?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Chronos picked up a book that had fallen on the floor and swapped it with one in the middle. He seemed to prioritize organizing the books over engaging with me.

“Chronos, why are you organizing the books? Why are you following me around?”

“Ridiculous question. I’m cleaning up because you made a mess, aren’t I?”

“No, well, I mean… I had to find a way to leave markers in this labyrinth without damaging the books.”

As I stumbled through my explanation, Chronos responded coldly.

“You don’t need to justify to me. Organizing books is my duty as a lowly librarian; I’m just fulfilling it.”

“A lowly librarian…? Is there a hierarchy for librarians?”

Curiosity piqued, I asked back, and Chronos replied.

“Isn’t it obvious? Even a great external news entity cannot manage the entire Void Record alone. A few of us, including me, work under him as junior librarians.”

“So you’re saying Al Karda is the senior librarian?”

“Precisely. Aside from him, all other librarians could be considered junior librarians.”

I had no idea there was a hierarchy even among the librarians of the Void Record; it seemed fascinating. How could one possibly learn about such things in a lifetime?

‘I’ll have to tell my companions about this later.’

Just then, Chronos spoke in a sharp tone.

“Don’t even think about it.”

“……?!”

“You cannot disclose any information from the Void Record to the outside without the permission of a senior librarian. That too is a taboo.”

Chronos seemed to have reacted more sensitively than at any other point so far. I was intrigued by how reactive he was, but as I realized what he was doing, I was flabbergasted.

“You… did you just read my mind?!”

“Indeed.”

“How did you…? I’ve been shielding my body with my divine power since earlier.”

That was true; I had been enveloping my whole body in a protective barrier of divine power since I didn’t want to fall victim to some unexpected trap. With this barrier in place, any divine being below a certain rank would surely struggle to breach my mental defense. No, even most gods would have difficulty.

And yet, to read my thoughts so swiftly!

Chronos brusquely replied.

“Just because you have a bit of divine power doesn’t mean you’re a great being. If you think that, it’s time for you to be humble. Even I, here in this minor role, can’t be challenged by your level of divine power.”

Chronos continued, clearly agitated.

“… And reading minds is a capability and curse of those bound to the Void Record.”

“What? Are you saying you also possess divine power?”

“Cough cough… Of course I do. All those working as lowly librarians here used to….”

Clank clank

Chronos mumbled in a seemingly downtrodden voice, shelving a few more books before he appeared to finish his task.

“All done.”

“…….”

“What? Aren’t you going?”

With an aloof nonchalance, Chronos addressed me, and I was flabbergasted.

“Hey! If you do that, I can’t create markers while pulling books out. How am I supposed to find my way?”

“That’s not my concern. I only do my job.”

“And don’t you get upset when I mess with the books while you’re at it? Why don’t you just tell me to stop?”

“Because it’s my duty.”

“……?”

“Once again, don’t mind me. Just think of me as a passing breeze or a passerby.”

“What the hell! How can you be so nonchalant?”

I was exasperated. In this situation, to have such an absurd guy following me was infuriating!

‘Damn! Usually, I’d challenge someone like this, but here, reading or damaging books seems taboo, so I can’t do it… I don’t even know if I could shake this guy off.’

It was bizarre that he didn’t seem to bear any animosity toward me.

It was the first time I’d encountered such a situation, and while I was bewildered, a thought occurred to me.

‘Ah!’

An idea sparked, and I turned to Chronos.

“You mentioned duty, right? Does that mean you’re affected by the Law of Cause and Effect too?”

“……?That’s obvious.”

“In that case, how about this?”

I clasped my hands together and invoked my divine ability.

Trimurti!

Jingle…!

With that, I offered part of my divine power as a sacrifice through Trimurti to summon gold coins of commerce. When I summoned a handful of gleaming gold coins, I noticed Chronos’s eyes momentarily flicker with interest. I subtly presented the coins to him.

“Here, take this and guide me to Al Karda’s Go room. How about it?”

“……!”

“It’s a coin from the Law of Cause and Effect. Wouldn’t it be sufficient karma?”

If I couldn’t engage in combat with the opponent, then ‘trading’ was the way to go!

I suggested this trade to Chronos based on what I had learned throughout my rebirth, and I could see him struggling with the temptation as his gaze wavered.

“Ugh… Hmm…”

Thinking he might be just on the brink, I gently coaxed him.

“Surely, what a librarian does isn’t limited to organizing books, right? You could equally guide a visitor who’s lost. The reasoning is sound.”

“Hmm… but… it’s an act I haven’t received permission for from the senior librarian….”

“Just trust me. If I say you’re innocent, that should be enough.”

“…….”

Chronos seemed to be lost in contemplation. Then he finally spoke.

“Fine… But remember, my assistance will be limited.”

“Oh! So you’ll help then?!”

“……Just give me those gold coins first.”

“Of course.”

With a clink, I handed over a bunch of the gold coins, and suddenly Chronos let out an explosive shout.

“G… Good… with this level of karma… maybe I can wrap up this tedious task soon!”

“……?”

What’s he talking about?

Is this guy not working here by choice?

“Hmm… I’ll have to show some sincerity.”

Chronos said, then suddenly summoned a brilliant red book into one of his hands.

Blazing Flame!

The book emanated an unknown fire, flowing along its spine like a decorative ribbon, and after flipping it open, Chronos began muttering some strange incantations.

“O Grimoire Titanomachy, I, the divine being Chronos, command you to open the [Channel] as the ancient Titan king upon the divine seat.”

Crumble…!

In the next moment, a chaotic door of darkness burst open behind me with a loud noise. The door was adorned with bizarre ancient carvings that depicted all kinds of giants and monsters, and it exuded an unsettling, powerful aura of divinity.

Summoning an eerie door through the power of the grimoire, Chronos spoke toward the darkness.

“O ancient divine kings of Olympus, I seek your strength. Do you agree?”

From beyond the door, a grand voice echoed.

[Shall we not speak of a price?]

“I will give you half of this coin. Would that suffice?”

[…… Is that the power of the creator god Brahma? What exactly are you up to down in the lower realms?]

The voice from within the darkness sounded perplexed. I could deduce one fact from it.

‘For some reason, those on the other side of the door seem unaware of where Chronos is…’

Then Chronos said.

“Will you act or not? You must be in need of the Law of Cause and Effect too.”

[It seems we have no choice… I will lend my powers, including mine, Zeus!]

Boom!

In the next moment, with a flash of brilliance, the dark door vanished, and three peculiar symbols floated above Chronos’s palm. As these symbols glowed transparently, Chronos pointed towards me, and the symbols began to drift around me.

Chronos said.

“Those symbols will guide you toward your destiny. Follow them.”

“…Is this for real?”

“As I mentioned before, my help comes with limitations. Even if you swear that I’ll be innocent, if the senior librarian casts a glance at me, my life will be discarded like a fly. Therefore, I can’t guarantee how it will end, but…”

Chronos continued speaking.

“What I have granted you now is power from those ancient gods, among the most formidable on the earth. Even compared to me, who is basically obsolete, it will be much easier for them to lead you toward your fate.”

“……”

“And let me give you one last piece of advice: You shouldn’t harbor empty hopes for ascension.”

After saying this, Chronos slowly turned his back and walked off somewhere. As he vanished, he left me with one final remark.

“If you don’t want to end up like me….”

“……”

Once Chronos disappeared, I followed the movements of the symbols and continued walking.

Step, step

How long had I been walking? After about half a moment, I stumbled upon a presence I had never anticipated.

“……?!”

W-What?!

Why is that guy here?!

Frozen in shock, it felt as if I had been knocked on the back of the head as [that being] perched majestically atop a massive altar that resembled a swirling mass of stars, looking down at me. Strangely, the altar blended perfectly into the bizarre topography of the library.

Then it spoke.

[It seems you have not yet fulfilled our contract, yet here you are?]

Stunned, I could only speak in a trembling voice.

“Y-You… Phoenix…?”

Indeed.

Before my very eyes stood the Phoenix, the strongest among the Four Divine Beasts, who should have been [within the Boundary].