53. Elven Ruins – The Repository of Records (2)

I floated several white flames in the air.

The dim space brightened slightly.

Flames weren’t necessary, but human psychology plays a role. According to the safety guidelines, no one knows what the intruders did here. The flames could serve as a warning.

However, I decided to ignore the control room.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

A suspicious ringing sound came from the dark control room, which I shouldn’t enter.

“Damn it.”

Should I ignore it? No, ignoring it could lead to trouble if it rings continuously.

I turned the doorknob and entered. Inside, I saw colorful magic gears, unlike anything I’d seen before.

Earth’s magic gears resemble phones, but these looked more like computers.

Ting! Ting!

A ringing sound demanded a response.

I activated the pink magic gear that was ringing.

“This is Yongyang, the head of the Repository of Records. How may I assist you?”

-“This is Krak from Marita Fortress! Humans have betrayed us! They colluded with demons and invaded! Requesting support! Requesting support!”-

They’re speaking Korean. Or at least, I can understand them. But why are they calling the repository for support?

“Why are you calling the repository for support? Are you insane?”

-“It’s urgent! If this place falls, the capital will be next! Please, we need your support!”-

“…….”

It seems like this is the end of the Elven Kingdom.

Unfortunately, this is just the Repository of Records. It’s likely just a discarded record. Even if it’s from another timeline where the elves didn’t go extinct, I can’t provide support.

So, I turned off the magic gear.

Ting! Ting!

-“Urgent request! Please, if anyone hears this, tell the queen!”-

I threw the magic gear aside. I couldn’t listen to this annoying conversation any longer.

Maybe I should keep it in case, as it might work with magic.

After ignoring the ringing several times, it finally stopped.

It’s sad, but I can’t intervene, and I need to focus on escaping myself.

“Aca Record, is this a record or a real message?”

[The Repository of Records contains multiple possibilities. It could be the records of extinct elves or actual messages from another world where Krak requested support.]”

In short, it’s like Schrödinger’s cat. It could be a discarded record from the fallen kingdom or a real plea from a living Krak.

Sad as it is, I need to focus on finding an exit.

Ting! Ting!

This time, the ringing came from a purple magic gear.

It was probably nothing, but I decided to answer anyway.

-“My body… my body is burning! My body!”-

“When will you burn?”

I threw the magic gear to the ground, shattering it. The control room itself seemed unreliable, likely a trap. This call was probably a ploy by intruders to create a 2-hour window.

Why would they leave the repository intact if they could manipulate the records?

Still, the books here were intriguing. Why would they go to such lengths to hoard them?

“It seems the control room can open and close sections.”

Even the back door’s lock could be controlled from here. I turned it on, and a strange “Geeong!” sound echoed from afar.

The lights in each section lit up, illuminating the entire repository.

It’s unclear how vast this place is, but the back door seems like the exit. The entrance I used was likely a trap.

I checked the bookshelf map on the control room wall. It was a massive layout leading to the back door.

“What kind of repository has a map? Crazy.”

Well, it makes sense for a trap.

“Let’s see what records are here.”

I picked up a random book from the floor.

[The Lewd Lizard Maid Vol. 1]

“What the hell? Hmm.”

Despite the ridiculous title, the content might be decent. I’ll take it.

The illustrations of lizard maids look terrible, but the story might be good enough. Intruders probably found porn here.

The hallway was as complex as the safety guidelines described. Straight paths led to winding corridors between endless bookshelves.

It’s not overwhelming. The map makes navigation easy, despite the narrow paths. The high ceilings and vast bookshelves are a bit suffocating, but book lovers might enjoy it.

Reina, for instance, loved books. I like them too, but Reina was obsessive.

-“What is Hell Joseon? Why read such books?”

-“A true intellectual doesn’t discriminate between books.”

During free time, Reina would pile up mountains of books. She read everything, east and west. Now that I think of it, she was a bookworm too.

If she were here, she might cling to the shelves and kiss me passionately.

“But I didn’t expect this.”

Skeletal remains blocked my path, like those from fantasy games or novels. They seemed to be low-level monsters.

“What are these?”

They had the aura of basic monsters from any game. I knew something was off when the phone rang earlier.

But elves wouldn’t use such trivial traps. They should have recruited beauties instead.

I slightly raised my hand.

Clack!

Nothing happened. My chaos didn’t affect them.

“Just poking them doesn’t work? Hmm.”

Oddly, the skeletons didn’t fight each other. Instead, they approached me with swords, unaffected by my chaos. This was frustrating. My power, as the Black Dragon, was useless here.

“Maybe mental attacks don’t work?”

If they lack self-awareness, my attacks are meaningless. Perhaps physical attacks would work.

I kicked the ground and punched the skeletons.

“Grrrgh?!”

The skeletons crumbled with a strange noise, their bones disappearing completely. They were likely made of magic.

“Not much, huh?”

“Grrrrr!”

“What? Are they coming back? Their magic should be gone.”

Magic-based monsters vanish when defeated. I confirmed their magic was gone, so why were they returning?

Perhaps my white flames would work.

I set the skeletons ablaze, and they disappeared into the ground once more.

These were stubborn creatures, not fully dying and crawling back.

Only after covering the floor in flames did the path clear, and I sensed a presence.

“Don’t kill them!”

“Are you a bookworm?”

“They’re from the books! You must destroy the books themselves to get rid of them!”

Pointed ears, pure white skin, silver hair. Familiar, but different from Reina. This elf had a gentle expression, unlike Reina’s tsundere nature. Her breasts were smaller, yet somehow alluring.

She seemed older than Reina.

With my recent heightened libido, it was hard to resist. But I must refrain.

Yes, she’s a bookworm.

Or a bookwhore, if she’s a woman.

“What are you doing? Find those books and burn them!”

Typical of a bookworm, she began searching through the shelves.

No need to search; the skeletons would just come back. Burning everything would be faster.

“No, just burning everything works.”

Burning the books would solve the problem. Aca Record might object, but a little fire should be fine.

Since skeletons appeared where I entered, the book must be nearby. Avoiding them and moving forward would make them disappear.

Burning now would also help against other monsters.

“Suddenly-“

“Burn in white flames. Hellfire.”

With a cool incantation, the nearby bookshelves caught fire.

“This is madness! You’re burning all the books!”

She was clearly a bookworm.

As the shelves burned and collapsed, the skeletons finally disappeared. It seemed chaos didn’t affect them. Maybe this elf was also a bookworm from a book.

“Yeah, but even if they’re discarded records, they’re still knowledge. Burning them all-what’s the point?”

Her innocent face reminded me of Reina’s pure expression.

To test if she was real or fake, I pinched her cheeks.

“Ow! That hurts! What are you doing?”

“Like mochi. Are all elves like this?”

After releasing her, her skin felt artistic, similar to Reina’s.

“Are all elves like this? You’re not an elf?”

“U-um, I…”

What could she say? Dragon? Human?

She’s more human-like, despite having the Black Dragon’s power.

“I’m a…”

“You damned imperial wench! You must have entered the Repository of Records with the intent to destroy it! You’ve fallen here! My name is Rachel Silverluck! As a proud member of the Elven royal family, I’ll kill you to vent my anger!”

Rachel Silverluck? A royal? Why is she here?

She drew her sword and charged at me without hesitation.

“No, listen to me first.”

“Die!”

She wasn’t just a ordinary bookworm. Her swordsmanship, like a raging woman, was terrifying. She was clearly trained in martial arts.

But who am I?

I am the reincarnation of the world’s strongest, the Black Dragon Azidahaka.

Her skills are like a child’s compared to mine. My martial arts were taught by Musin himself.

Puck!

“Aaaah!”

I delivered a powerful kick to her abdomen, stimulating her deeply.