Translator: WH Editor: Sasha
4.
No matter what field, latecomers are always at a disadvantage.
It was already a Red Ocean that was filled with the dead.
Latecomers would’ve had to jump in and prove their worth. Just like the soldiers that were struggling to climb the walls occupied by the enemy.
In this regard, the tower was no different.
“—Welcome!”
As the white rays of light faded, I opened my eyes again.
It wasn’t the Goddess’ voice that greeted us.
“Warriors that came from the Tower!”
It was a child who I couldn’t discern as a boy or a girl.
The kid was wearing loose clothes.
At first glance, the clothes resembled traditional oriental clothes.
“I have been waiting patiently for a day that felt like three autumns (一日如三秋)!”
[T/N: it’s an idiom that means one day apart seems like three years.]
But once I looked closely… It was completely different.
Except for the long sleeves, there was nothing else that resembled an oriental attire. No, in fact, it was exceptional, starting from the sleeves. The cuffs were not long enough to be stretched more than 5m.
“But it’s okay! Life begins with encounters and ends with encounters. In the end, once you look back, the meaning of life isn’t all about encountering people. Waiting is like a seasoning that deeply sweetens life!”
There is a saying that the face completes fashion. No matter how special the clothes someone wore was, in the end, it depends greatly on who wears them.
In that sense, the kid that was flapping his 5m long sleeves was definitely unique.
“Once again, I’d like to sincerely express my respect!”
Air.
“Welcome to the Great Library of all things!”
The little kid was floating high up in the air.
He looked down on us who had been summoned out of nowhere.
[Librarian Bang Gu-seok welcomes you all!]
A Constellation, Librarian(圖書館長) Bang Gu-seok.
Those who manage the 21st floor up to the 30th floor.
The representative of this world spread his arms wide and smiled.
Unfortunately, no one accepted his greeting. Chattering chattering. The Hunters had yet to figure out what was going on and looked around in confusion.
“Uhhh uhh, uhhhhh…”
“What’s this? Why did we get transferred automatically all of a sudden?”
“Where is this?”
At a glance, there were hundreds of people.
The Hunters whispered around as they were confused. Most of them had just gathered in the plaza to do the countdown together.
But, there were also people who were spending ‘personal time’ in places other than the plaza.
“Kyaaaaaaaa!?”
“He-, don’t look here!”
Embarrassed screams came from here and there.
A Hunter summoned during a shower. Lovers transferred here naked. Whether they were summoned while asleep, or even a person looking around with sleepy eyes. The unfortunate Hunters who had to face this unexpected situation popped out one after another.
“Oh my.”
The librarian, a Constellation, giggled.
“It seems I have been a little lacking in consideration.”
Amid Hunters who were floundering around without knowing what to do, Thuckkk! The librarian flicked his finger. Then large bookcases flew around. Those bookcases that had holes for the head, arms, and legs, just like an outfit, went to the naked Hunters and suited up on its own.
“Ah… .”
“Thank, thank god.”
The Hunters who were watching sighed with relief. I was relieved too, as I was pretty flustered.
“Wha-, what the hell is this shit…”
Actually, the people involved were fussing over the cardboard-made Gundam suit that looked as if it were worn inside out, but that was only a minority. A wave of embarrassment gushed over them just like that. The people barely regained their composure. One by one, they began to look up in the air.
“…Who are you?”
On behalf of the Hunters, the Witch opened her mouth.
“And this place is…”
“Ah. I’m just a small character who manages this slightly larger than normal library. Black Dragon Witch. Compared to you, I’m just an existence close to an extra. Just treat me as a unimportant person.”
“……..”
The Witch frowned.
How did he who she didn’t even know, find out about her identity? It was suspicious to the point that she got an ominous feeling.
It couldn’t be helped.
I had already gotten used to the Constellation to some extent, as I was able to put [Devil King of Fall Rain] and [Goddess of Protection] under my control. However, to the other Hunters, the Constellation was still an unknown existence.
“- Just a library that’s a little bigger.”
Waiting for the timing when the Witch closed her mouth, I spoke out this time.
“I’m not too sure about that. I don’t think it’s just at the level of ‘a little big’ though?”
The 21st floor Stage.
There was a Great Library here. Maybe, it wasn’t enough to simply just call it huge. From the surrounding vicinity to the far horizon, from the floor we stepped on to the ceiling above, there were countless bookshelves filled with books.
It would be better to call it ‘A world made of libraries”.
“Hooooo.”
The owner of this world stared at me.
An innocent and simple gaze.
Eyes as pure as an innocent child glistened.
“I see. You’re the Death King.”
Yes.
“Ahhh, don’t be so vigilant. Gentlemen. I don’t mean any harm. I just want to welcome all of you. For me, the lot of you are no different from heroes of an epic story.”
Heroes in an epic story.
The meaning of that word, after regressing 4,000 days, I knew what it was. Because this place wasn’t an ordinary library. But I pretended not to know deliberately.
“What do you mean by heroes in an epic story?”
“It’s like this.”
Thuckkk!
The librarian flicked his finger. Then, two hardcover books were picked out from countless bookshelves. The hardcover books flopped as they flew and hovered around the librarian.
A title was written on the cover respectively.
+
[The Chronicles of the Aegim Empire]
[The Tale of Deungcheon City (登天都市).] [T/N: 登天 means ascending to the heavens.]
+
The librarian smiled gently.
“Reading books is my hobby. However, the books that are gathered in my library are by no means ordinary archives. The history of the lot of you. These are books that talk about the world where the tower is built.”
The librarian touched the back of the book with his sturdy fingers.
“I know you all must be wondering why you were summoned among so many warriors. The reason is simple! Because in your world, only you all are a “character” who have a name.”
“…A character’s name?”
“I suppose you all call it a Title (異名).”
The librarian gently grinned and looked down towards us.
“The 302 people gathered here. You are all warriors who carry a Title.”
The Hunters were buzzing.
“Only Hunters with Titles will be summoned?”
“Oth-, what about other people…”
“Wait a minute. Don’t tell me we’re going to be the only one raiding the tower!?”
That was right.
Not the real name used in the outside world, but the name given by the Tower to the Hunters. Title. That was the entrance ticket needed from the 21st floor onwards.
‘…So that was why before I regressed in time, I couldn’t even step in after the 20th floor.’
Front-runners with Titles.
Latecomers who didn’t receive a Title.
‘The gap between the two groups will widen more and more.’
I fiddled with the hilt of the sword on my waist. It was something I relied on to calm down…It was my own little ritual.
‘The me now is different from who I was before.’
The failure that didn’t have skills or a Title who couldn’t even step in after the 20th floor, was no longer here. There was only the Hunter who held the 3rd rank in the newly updated rankings.
‘I wouldn’t have been able to participate, and would’ve fallen behind.’
However, other than me, there were only a few Hunters who remained calm.
The Witch was like that.
Unable to hide her confusion, she muttered.
“What a load of nonsense. What do you mean by 300 people, raiding the tower with such a small number…”
“Fret not!”
The librarian grabbed the [Chronicles of the Aegim Empire] and chuckled.
“You all protected the Aegim Empire with just three people. 300 people is a whopping 100 times that! You’ll clear the stage I prepared without much difficulty. Have some confidence!”
“…….”
Most of the Hunters looked at each other with anxious faces. In the middle of the Great Library that extended endlessly even beyond the horizon. There were over 300 Hunters present who looked like a handful of sand.
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