episode_0136

The future me takes something out of his pocket and throws it out.

A white, long, rod-shaped object was left on the floor.

It was a finger. It was bloodless so I couldn’t tell right away, but it was definitely a person’s finger.

“What is it?”

As I stood there blankly, a mocking voice returned.

“Can you see it?”

He shook his head.

Now that the flow of the story has stopped, the librarian’s abilities cannot be used.

Of course, we don’t know whose finger it is.

But why is my body shaking?

“Huh?” I froze in front of my future self who asked back.

“Ah, I can’t see it.”

As I barely opened my mouth to answer, my voice came out as if I was about to burst into tears at any moment.

In a situation where we can’t get proper information, we rely on our intuition at times like these.

And what that intuition was telling me was one scary thing.

Among the possibilities heading towards the future. One of the vaguely visible endings.

Future Dabin came over and lightly tapped my shoulder.

“Then I’ll help you.”

Bam.

[ ㅓ■ㅁㅅ■ㅐㄱ■]

Sentences appear before my eyes, and letters that seemed to break apart for a moment fall back into place.

[… … displays search results for that object.]

It’s a librarian’s ability that has been used countless times.

The power to solve questions, understand situations, and gather information.

There was no other choice but to believe, no matter how unbelievable the outcome.

But right now, I don’t want to believe it.

There’s no way it could have been me, let alone anyone else.

[■■■’s Finger]

… …

[Choi Se-rim/Finger]

[Part of a damaged body]

The librarian from the future keeps dropping his fingers to the floor.

[Yoon Da-joo/Finger]

[Part of a damaged body]

[Jeong Hae-won/Finger]

[Part of a damaged body]

Thud thud.

Bloodless fingers pile up on the floor, forming a small tower.

“… … Why?”

There is no answer.

[Heo Yun/Finger]

[Part of a damaged body]

[Seok Hyun-min/Finger]

[Part of a damaged body]

Bam.

[Rico/Finger]

[Part of a damaged body]

[Dan/Finger]

[Part of a damaged body]

Bam.

Even though so many fingers were piled up, not a single drop of blood appeared on the floor.

Perhaps the victims lost all their blood before they died.

And some of it is stuck in that body.

[Heo Yun/Finger]

[Part of a damaged body]

[Seok Hyun-min/Finger]

[Part of a damaged body]

[Im Ye-bin/Finger]

[Part of a damaged body]

Everyone died.

Im Da-bin, wearing a blood-stained white shirt, is now looking straight at me.

As if everything was done.

why?

Again, barely. I ask myself who has seen the future.

“Why?”

“Huh?”

It’s a reaction that seems to say, “I don’t know why you’re asking yourself that.”

What’s in front of me is clearly me, but at the same time, I can’t help but think that there’s no way I could be like that.

“I… … . Am I like that?”

“What? This?”

“Please.”

I feel like I’m about to fall over.

I stumbled and fell onto my future body.

“Why.”

“… … .”

“Are they all dead? Really?”

No answer comes back.

My question returned as an echo that echoed through the emergency exit.

[why?]

Only then did I realize.

My future self asked me the same question.

That’s when I discovered internet broadcasting.

I feel a gentle push on my shoulder.

Im Da-bin from another time zone opened the apartment door and disappeared as if she were an illusion. Just like countless other versions of myself who had gone down the stairs and disappeared.

What was different this time was that I could feel the wind on my face.

Im Da-bin of that time zone stepped into a clear reality, not an empty void.

Only then was I able to breathe a little easier.

“Ugh… … .”

Being able to get out of here safely means we can see the story after escaping from the apartment.

It means that rather than being swallowed by the Seven and returning to nothingness, we can move forward into a future where there is a possibility of salvation.

So what is the price?

“Oh my.”

There are still fingers piled on the floor.

What have I done? What will happen to me in the future? I squatted down and buried my face between my arms.

Actions to take. Choices to make. Of the countless possibilities, only two survived.

Either I kill all the others, or I pay the price.

“No.”

I won’t kill. I won’t kill Da-ju, Se-rim, Heo-yoon, Seok-hyeon-min, Jeong-hae-won, or anyone else.

So what should we do instead?

I can’t figure out what it is.

Even with the authority of a librarian, I could not know what happened after this.

Before I knew it, I was biting my fingertips in my mouth.

I put my fingernail between my teeth and bit it.

My chin was trembling.

“… … No.”

It is clear that Dabin from the future has met the ‘Professor’.

The branches did not diverge that far.

What matters is what happens after that.

Have you been brainwashed by the ‘professor’?

Or maybe he failed to attack the ‘Professor’ and was instead captured? And so was forced to kill the others.

“No.”

Neither.

I couldn’t find any trace of that in my future self.

If I killed someone, I wouldn’t act like that.

But what I saw was definitely my future self. It was also clear that he was sane.

Ordinary brainwashing doesn’t work on me in the first place. I can easily block it with the power of a librarian. The same goes for my future self, so it doesn’t make sense that I was subjected to ordinary brainwashing.

Next is brainwashing using anomalies. This is possible, but if it was, I would have noticed it a while ago. The ability to observe anomalies remains intact.

I felt nothing from my future self.

Even though he had chosen all of this entirely of his own free will, he acted without any hesitation.

“Hi!”

The hiccups came out without warning.

Tears flowed down my face.

“Ugh. Black. Ugh… … .”

I was so scared of everything that would happen in the future that I cried endlessly.

Until I realized that time still stands still.

The finger had disappeared without a trace.

After crying for a while, I looked at the front door.

There is only one exit out of the apartment.

It’s a bit of a daunting task to just go down to the first floor and go outside, but it’s definitely the only escape route from this apartment.

But, when you go outside, there is nothing.

Because if you don’t choose one of the few right paths, there is no future.

I will be swallowed up by the ‘seven’ and disappear. Along with all the stories surrounding me, that is, the world.

But is that a bad thing?

Not a single breath of wind blows through the crack in the door.

I got up and grabbed the doorknob.

Suddenly.

There is only darkness.

If I go out there, I can cut off my fate.

I didn’t even want to think about saving the world. There’s no rule that says you have to become a librarian.

I just wanted to live. I wanted to leave the apartment and live a normal life. I wanted to escape this place and live with Da-ju, Se-rim, and the new people I met.

It’s all over now.

Excitement, fear and doubt are mixed together.

Now you can be free.

Am I really going to die? Just completely annihilated? Will I feel pain right before that?

The smooth iron handle was soaked with sweat. It was cold and slippery, but I held on tight and didn’t let go.

The last thing that remains is the question.

All this can’t end just by stepping outside.

The established story is that I won’t die here.

But why am I able to stand here now?

It’s time to test fate.

I took a big step forward and lifted it towards the outside.

The abyss gapes wide.

In Greek tragedy, fate appears in the form of prophecy or oracle.

The most wise, the most courageous, even the most heroic, cannot escape a tragic fate.

Struggling to escape from the predetermined fate only accelerated the predetermined destruction.

… …

Oedipus will kill his father and sleep with his mother!

I stopped moving.

The moment my body made contact with the outside air, a rippling film appeared and disappeared beneath my feet.

That’s… … .

It was a being that any librarian at the Infinite Library could not help but know. However, this was the first time I had seen it with my own eyes.

Was it a concept that could be seen with the eyes in the first place?

Thanks to the hasty withdrawal, extinction did not occur.

I close the door again, sit on the floor, and think.

I thought wrong.

The me of the present, and the me from a different time zone. The branch existed before I met the professor.

Right now. At this moment.

Turn around, climb the stairs again, and go back to where everyone is waiting.

But before that, there is one place we must stop by.

[0th floor]

[0.1245ㅊㅡㅇ]

[1ch!@]

[1st floor]

[2nd floor]

… …

As you climb the emergency stairs, you get closer to the 6th floor again.

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“Hoo. Hoo.”

I continued to climb the stairs, out of breath.

I was exhausted both mentally and physically. As I climbed the last staircase, the 7th floor slowly appeared before my eyes.

The emergency exit door was closed.

After taking a moment to catch my breath, I pushed the heavy iron door with all my might.

Rattling!

“Huh?”

Rattling!

No matter how hard I push, the emergency exit door won’t open.

It’s not because I’m tired. I know because I’ve been through a lot.

If so, then something else is blocking the door.

The ‘story’ has still stopped. The other people who are still on the hotel floor are still there.

Because of this, I can’t use my librarian’s authority, so I have to get through this with only my own strength.

I lay flat on the floor and quietly listened through the crack in the door.

“… … Eeee… … .”

A low, sobbing voice is heard.

The high-pitched and thin voice seems like it could break at any moment, but don’t be fooled.

I carefully reached out and picked up the fire extinguisher sitting in the corner.

All you need is a deep breath.

He held the red blunt weapon tightly in his hand and greeted something inside the door.

“Excuse me.”

“Ugh. Huh. Huh… … Ugh… … .”

“Are there people there?”

I wonder if the acting will be awkward.

I was worried, but I tried my best to keep my anxious expression from getting blurry.

“Are you human!? Is the door open on your side?”

The sobbing suddenly stopped.

Immediately afterwards comes an eerily calm answer.

“Yes.”

“Then please open the door. No matter what I do, the door won’t open… … .”

“Just a minute. I’m really hurt right now, so it’s a bit difficult. I think you’ll have to push me outside too.”

The answer was that he was so injured that he could hardly move properly.

But it’s not the voice of a hurt person at all.

“Can you help me a little?”

I pretended not to notice the voice that was trying hard to suppress its joy.

“Then shall we push together when we count to one, two, three?”

“Yes. I have a number cell,”

“I’ll count.”

I clenched my fists again.

“One.”

I just gave the door a little push, and the door that was previously firmly shut and wouldn’t open opened easily this time.

But it is difficult for an average person to notice anything unusual.

Finding other survivors in this apartment is incredibly welcome news. The knowledge that the other person is injured also helps to put my mind at ease.

“Wait a minute. You’re pushing the door right now, right?”

“Yes.”

“Push a little harder. With all your might. I think I can open the door then.”

“Okay.”

To open a door with all your might, you have to press your body against the door.

If you put all your strength into the door and it suddenly opens, you’ll fall inside in an instant.

It is enough to just use one arm to push.

Anyway, there are no injured people inside there.

“Two.”

“Three!”

I pushed the door with one hand and the door opened with great ease.

The moment the interior of the 6th floor was revealed, I swung the fire extinguisher with all my might again.

Phew-

Kaang!

With a refreshing sound, a woman with sharp teeth stumbled into the sixth floor hallway.

“Get out of the way.”

I don’t have time to waste on a guy like that.

Right now, there’s something you need to find here.