Ch.384384 – The Library’s Archive

<384 – Library Stacks>

“What kind of ridiculous skill is that?”

Did she notice the cheating aspect at a glance?

Zhang’s lips protruded in a pout.

“You just synchronize the space under your feet from a distance and stomp on it? That’s completely broken.”

Honestly, I have nothing to say.

Because it is broken.

“You can do it too if your spatial aptitude exceeds 1000 points!”

“How do you raise that aptitude?”

“You need to have genius-level talent for spatial aptitude!”

“…And if you don’t have talent?”

“I guess you’d have to experience relevant environments, like with other attribute resistances? For spatial aptitude, you’d need to experience various spaces.”

Spaces with high humidity.

Spaces with high ozone levels.

Spaces with high heat.

There are many spaces one could experience.

“How many such spaces would I need to experience?”

“At least 1,000!”

“And the maximum?”

“100,000!”

“I give up.”

Zhang cleanly dusted off her hands.

A wise decision.

“Everyone has their own aptitudes. Fortunately, the fox-masked assassin lady gives up quickly.”

Zhang pressed her mask firmly onto her face as Velvet Ballette approached, dragging the bloodied Tetrapos.

It was a desperate struggle to hide her frightened expression in front of a powerful person.

It’s not easy to remain composed before someone who could crush you with just a twitch of their foot.

“Senior Velvet. Are you going to attack us too for violating school rules by trying to leave the dormitory during curfew to go to the library?”

“Me? Attack you? Why?”

“You did that to that senior because they violated school rules.”

“This one’s a third-year. You’re first-years. No matter how much you break the rules, I wouldn’t beat you to a pulp like this.”

The Tetrapos in Senior Velvet’s hand was swung left and right demonstratively.

“There seems to be a big misunderstanding. The student council doesn’t consider you evil.”

“Really?”

“What crime is there in being curious? If you open a forbidden book that shouldn’t be opened, it’s ultimately yourself who will suffer.”

“…”

“The student council’s rules are merely minimal safety measures to protect lower-grade students. The moment this line is broken, the difference between inside and outside the academy disappears. We are the guardians who maintain order in this academy, so don’t be too hostile toward the student council.”

“Yes!”

Zhang stared at me as if thinking there’s no way Oknodie would respond like this.

My hand flailed around behind my back searching for Zhang’s hand, and finally caught it.

“!”

Zhang looked surprised.

I nudged her to open her hand, and her fingers spread cautiously like a frightened virgin on her first night.

I wiggled my fingers diligently on Zhang’s palm, which was softer than expected, to write:

-Let’s get the senior away first

Just agree with whatever the senior says to escape this nightmarish time and crisis?

Understanding my intention, Zhang raised her finger and pressed it against my palm.

Then she twisted and pinched my flesh.

“Ouch.”

“My, it seems the Foundation’s little miss has been injured.”

“N-no, that’s not it, ouch.”

“Unlike the stories about your extraordinary ability to endure pain, you’re surprisingly honest with your emotions. Hmm. I don’t dislike such honest children.”

Pinching me twice.

Zhang, you’ll pay for this later!

“It was bad of Oknodie to play around and joke.”

“Hey! It wasn’t a joke!”

Senior Velvet showed curiosity at our bickering, thinking we were talking about the previous fight.

“Yes… shoes. I definitely heard footsteps from some vent. Was that you calling me?”

“Yes!”

“I’m surprised a third-year would talk about me to first-years. Not embarrassed to reveal their defeat to a peer to their juniors?”

“Because you’re incredibly strong, Senior!”

“I’m still just a frog in a well. At least in this academy, there are at least three students stronger than me.”

Her confident attitude, claiming only three people in the entire academy including fourth-years surpass her, might seem arrogant, but she is genuinely strong.

It wasn’t for nothing that I treated Andersen Pretzel of Seogwiyeon and the Five Fools as people who made the wrong choice.

Voluntarily choosing to become a mining slave to such a terrifying senior—since they can never escape by force, how do they plan to get free later?

“Well, this must be fate. As a reward for helping capture a wanted student, I’ll give you a small gift.”

Senior Velvet manipulated something on her magic watch and handed it to us.

[Student Council Member Velvet offers you a <Student Council Tour> opportunity.]

[30 days remaining until expiration.]

“Thank you!”

“You say such nice things. Unlike during the sports festival.”

“Hehe.”

“If higher-grade wanted students bother you in the future, report to the student council through your magic watch. Just hearing footsteps might make other student council members who come to help run away.”

“Yes!”

“Don’t struggle so badly that you end up covered in blood. If you happen to run into a madman and suddenly die, you’re the only one who loses, right? Thinking about it makes me more upset.”

An alert sounded from Senior Velvet’s watch as she was slamming the poor Senior Tetrapos against the wall.

“Oh right, look at me. I forgot I need to go work on an assignment. Well then, little misses, enjoy your night play in moderation.”

“Yes!”

With my polite responses, the senior soon left through the portal.

Zhang cautiously lifted her mask after watching carefully for a while.

“That was a scary senior.”

“Right?”

“Third-years having to do assignments at this hour is scary too.”

“That is scary too!”

“Let’s gather the kids.”

At Zhang’s urging, we regrouped with Dorothy’s faction and Irene’s faction who had scattered along the way.

“Oh my god, Oknodie! You’re completely covered in blood!”

“This? It’s fine. Doesn’t hurt at all!”

“It looks extremely painful!!”

Dorothy was horrified.

“That senior, to do this to a child…”

“Irene? I’m completely fine!”

“…Right. You always have to be fine. Because you’re the Foundation’s top scholarship student. Sorry for saying something inappropriate.”

“???”

Irene seemed more distressed herself.

I played hard and collected plenty of blood, but why is everyone acting like this?

“It’s because of the blood splattered on you.”

“Even if it’s not my blood?”

“Most people would worry about that much bleeding, even if it’s someone else’s.”

“Really? No one’s ever worried before.”

During my <MaxStrengthOneHitCharacterLover Marine> days, I only received suspicious glances wondering if that monster would really fall from this much bleeding, never concern.

“Actually, me too. My master told me not to be a crybaby.”

“Right? That’s normal, isn’t it?”

“Hehe. Yes. We’re the normal ones.”

We reconciled, feeling a sense of kinship again as if we’d never fought.

“Eeeek! Oknodie has become a ghost!!”

“Oww! My eyes!!”

“Take this, white light that puts ghosts to rest!!!”

Son Ocheon and Titosoga, who joined last, were attacked with eye-searing light by the group.

Thanks to borrowing Senior Tetrapos’s power to sweep away the boss mob, all paths were now open.

Rubbing our stinging eyes as we advanced, we finally completed all the quiz gates.

[Quiz Corner! You have completed the surprise event.]

[Intelligence experience points increased by 10 as a reward.]

[You have reached the library before becoming second-years.]

[You acquire 10,000 points as an early arrival reward.]

[The loyalty of organization members who participated in the expedition increases.]

All the organization members were delighted looking at their magic watches.

“We got points for completing the challenge.”

“Must be a hidden reward from the academy.”

“I heard third-years have an art room too. Should we sneak in there later?”

I tightened the reins of tension that had loosened while the organization members casually planted death flags.

“Don’t get too comfortable, everyone. The reason the path to the library is treacherous is because the library itself is that dangerous—the gates are meant to filter out those without the skills to overcome them!”

“Even more than this…?”

“Maybe we should just go back now that we’ve seen the library…?”

“If we return books late, do they take our organs as payment…?”

The previously excited organization members’ morale visibly dropped.

The growing anxiety!

Hector, who had been quietly freeloading, stepped forward.

“We’ve come this far comfortably thanks to you. I appreciate that. From here, we’ll act separately.”

Hector’s god faction, who were rescued along with those playing with Oknodie, parted ways in front of the library.

“Go ahead!”

“Though you’re enemies, I’ll repay today’s debt someday.”

Hector’s god faction headed proudly toward the library’s <General Stacks>.

“What’s with those guys? They split off acting all cool, but won’t we just meet them again inside looking for books?”

“Pfft. That would be so embarrassing.”

Even Titosoga laughed cheerfully at what seemed like a comical scene, but to my veteran eyes, it looked like a very sad and pitiful tragedy.

“Sigh. Newbies always do that when they take the lead.”

“Oknodie. Is something wrong?”

“‘General’ stacks by whose standards?”

“Um… students?”

“What’s the minimum grade of students who come here?”

“S-second year…”

Titosoga’s face turned pale.

“Then can they… make it out alive?”

“Only if the bookshelf they stepped into is one of the easier ones!”

“Then where are we going?”

“What obvious question is that?” Zaku scolded Titosoga.

“We came for fairy tales, so obviously we should go to the ‘Children’s Stacks.'”

“No! We’re going to the ‘Archaeology’ stacks!”

“Why would you look for fairy tales in the archaeology section?”

“Fairies can only read picture books!”

“…Picture books are in the children’s section too, aren’t they?”

“The art style is different!”

If it’s not the art style they’re used to, they can’t adapt!