Ch.15Chapter 1. To the Academy! (2)

Academy Library, 3rd floor, office.

“This is Do Ji-hwan, the new librarian starting today. Say hello.”

“Hello, pleased to meet you all.”

I greeted them, but the response was cold.

I could tell from the start that the atmosphere wasn’t exactly welcoming.

“I’ll introduce everyone individually later, let’s go out for now.”

The library director who introduced me took me outside with a sour expression.

Click.

After locking the door to the director’s office, he whispered quietly, checking for any potential onlookers.

“I’m sorry.”

“Talk.”

“Pardon?”

“Casually.”

The balding director had been speaking formally to me, but I immediately issued him a warning.

“What do you mean by speaking casually…”

“Act professionally. According to your position. According to the situation.”

As I frowned and warned him, the director finally understood what I meant.

“A-ahem. I’m sorr… sorry. I’ve been distracted lately.”

The director cleared his throat awkwardly while fanning his face with his hand.

“I’m Baek Ok-gi, the library director. I’ve been serving as the director since the academy library was first established.”

“You’ve worked here a long time.”

“Yes. And the reason for that cold reception is because they think you’re my parachute appointment.”

“I understand.”

If I’m seen as a parachute appointment, it can’t be helped.

The others probably had to take difficult exams to get in, so it’s natural they wouldn’t warmly welcome someone who got in through connections.

In reality, I’m a high-ranking member of The Syndicate known as Goblin, entering under the guise of a librarian.

“This library has five floors in total. Three above ground, two below. You’ll be in charge of the second basement level stacks.”

“I noticed the stairs go down to the third basement level?”

“The third basement is the preservation archive. It’s where we keep books that should be discarded. The first and second basements are general stacks, the first and second floors are reading rooms. The third floor combines a book café and offices.”

“So I’ll be working underground?”

“Yes. You’ll need to work in the basement for the time being. Normally you’d take over your predecessor’s position, but they were quite high-ranking.”

“Didn’t I come in at the same rank?”

“Yes. But, well, seniority is difficult to ignore. Especially in an isolated place like Sejong Island.”

“I understand.”

In other words, I’ve been assigned to the most difficult area where I’ll barely see sunlight, partly to dump the grunt work on me.

“So what will I be doing?”

“Have you worked as a librarian before?”

“Yes.”

I learned how to.

Before coming to Sejong Island, I spent a week learning librarian duties at a small library in Busan with help from a Syndicate employee.

“I believe I can handle things according to the manual without major issues.”

“Good. There will be hardly anyone visiting the second basement. After all, most books there are about science, technology, and arts.”

“…Excuse me?”

Wait.

“Wasn’t I supposed to be in charge of ‘general literature’?”

“That was the plan. But things got complicated. General literature books are spread across the first and second floors, and they’re no longer your responsibility. It’s also an area where you’d have to deal with many people.”

“Huh….”

“Think positively. Except for people writing dissertations, almost no one will visit your section.”

Libraries have classification numbers.

They’re used to categorize books easily, with the first digit ranging from 000 to 900 based on the book’s subject.

The sections I’ve been assigned are the 400s (Natural Sciences), 500s (Technology), and 600s (Arts).

The books I was targeting are all in the 800s, located not in the second basement where I’ll be working, but concentrated on the first and second floors.

“Perhaps you came here to read the books in this library?”

“That’s part of it.”

All kinds of novels unavailable outside.

Why are they unavailable outside? Because the novels here serve as “textbooks” for those who have awakened abilities in this world.

For example, there’s a novel called “Crimson Dragoon.”

As the name suggests, it’s about a lancer who wields crimson flames.

This novel, once published in print at rental shops, has been removed from circulation and now exists only within the Academy.

Why is it treated as a forbidden book?

Because the protagonist in this novel uses abilities very similar to those of “Scarlet Dragoon,” an A-class ability user in Korea.

The cause-effect relationship has been reversed.

Scarlet Dragoon became immersed in the novel and adopted the protagonist’s techniques as his own skills. When he showed A-class potential, the government immediately collected all copies of the novel and placed them in the Academy.

Everyone knows this publicly.

It’s not like the novel’s existence has been erased—the Hero Wiki clearly states “the origin of this hero’s abilities lies in ‘Crimson Drake’.”

But the complete collection of the novel was to prevent certain situations.

To hide Scarlet Dragoon’s skills.

To hide Scarlet Dragoon’s weaknesses.

To prevent people from understanding information about Scarlet Dragoon through the novel.

The original author might feel wronged that their hard work was suddenly sealed by the government, but such complaints tend to disappear in the face of “patriotic pensions.”

My novel inspired a hero’s abilities?

Authors whose works become the “original source” of hero abilities receive a minimum monthly pension of 5 million won from the government, depending on the hero’s rank.

That’s why all kinds of literature are pouring out in this world.

Success as literature is one thing, but in this world where human imagination is closely related to the manifestation of abilities, if you’re chosen by a hero, you can live a life as comfortable as a building owner.

An era where imagination becomes power.

That’s this world.

And this library is like an infinite repository where that imagination is concentrated.

…In that sense, being sent to the second basement filled with natural science books rather than humanities is like being exiled far from the mainstream of this world.

Sad, but that’s the current reality.

In this world, humanities that can stimulate human imagination are the “mainstream.”

“You’ll have to stay underground for a while. I’m sorry. Soon I’ll…”

“It’s fine. Even as a librarian.”

I pointed downstairs.

“I can still borrow books freely, right?”

And so.

I became a librarian who wasn’t welcomed by everyone.

* * *

About a week after starting work.

Fewer than 100 people visit the second basement of the library each day.

100 might seem like a lot, but considering that 2,000 people come and go through the humanities sections on the first and second floors every day, this place is practically heaven.

‘There really are a lot of students here.’

Through the computer checkout program, I could see which books were frequently borrowed and who was borrowing them.

Most are Academy students.

They all read novels to improve their abilities.

And they read novels that formed the basis of their seniors’ abilities to gain indirect experience and build their power.

‘How dreadful.’

Having to view novels not as novels but as some kind of “ability textbook.”

It’s so pitiful it almost brings tears to my eyes.

My condolences to these unfortunate souls who can’t enjoy content as content.

With no users coming in, I was just about to take out a book I’d borrowed to read.

But I had to put it back immediately.

“Returning these.”

A woman placed books on the return desk in front of me.

She was a foreigner with red hair, and I stood up to receive the books from the woman who smiled at me.

“How did you know to come here?”

“Well, I’m someone who helped a lot in getting you here. I outrank even the library director.”

“I see.”

I carefully asked while scanning the barcodes of the books one by one.

“Which department are you from?”

“Why? Are you planning to create your own ‘Night Parade of a Hundred Demons’?”

“I’m afraid someone might hear us.”

“My, you’re actually afraid of something? Don’t worry. Nobody comes to a place like this. I wouldn’t bring up such topics aloud in a situation where I might be overheard by others.”

The woman took a business card from her wallet and handed it to me.

“Lisara Lakshmi. Professor of Ability Studies at Sejong Academy.”

“Ugh.”

“…What kind of reaction is that?”

“I have an allergy that flares up when I hear the word professor.”

“What? Were you a graduate student or something?”

“Something like that.”

I was a graduate student before the possession.

“Anyway, this is interesting. I didn’t expect the boss to deploy you of all people here directly. Is it a coincidence? All these beautiful women from different countries gathering here.”

“I doubt it’s a coincidence.”

It must be by design.

“Once the academy semester starts, I won’t be able to come often. So I’ll tell you now. I don’t want to reveal my identity and lose my professorship because of unnecessary meddling. So I’m counting on you, villain executioner.”

“You mean handle things without revealing my identity?”

“Something like that. I’m looking forward to seeing how many female students you’ll charm. And doing it as a librarian, not even a student, teaching assistant, or lecturer.”

“You can look forward to it.”

I extended my hand to Professor Lisara.

“After all, it’s a fantasy rule that librarians are the strongest.”

Ding dong dang dong.

The Academy’s first semester has begun.