To the Academy! (2)
Sejong Academy Library, 3rd floor, office.
"This is Do Jihwan, the new chief librarian starting work here today. Say hello."
"Hello. Nice to meet you."
I gave my greetings, but the response was ice-cold. From the start, it was clear this wasn't a welcoming atmosphere.
"I'll introduce you to everyone one by one later. For now, let's head out."
The library director who had introduced me led me outside with a sour expression.
Click.
He locked the office door, checked for any prying eyes, and whispered softly.
"Sorry about that."
"Speak casually."
"Pardon?"
"Casually."
The balding director had been using formal speech with me, but I shot him a warning right away.
"Casually? What do you mean by—"
"Act professionally. According to your position. According to the situation."
As I furrowed my brows and warned him, the director finally caught on to what I meant.
"Ahem, ahem. Sorry... sorry about that. I've been a bit out of it lately."
The director fanned his face with his hand and cleared his throat awkwardly.
"I'm Baek Okgi, the library director. I've held this position since the library first opened at the academy and right up to now."
"You've been here a long time."
"Yeah. And the reason everyone's reacting so coldly to you is because they think you're my parachute hire."
"Understood."
Nothing I can do about being seen as a parachute drop. The others must have busted their asses on exams to get in, so some guy sliding in through connections via an empty spot wouldn't look kindly on them. In reality, though, I'm a high-ranking Imae Mangnyang executive known as Dokkaebi, planted here under the guise of a librarian.
"This library has a total of five floors. Three above ground, two below. The section you'll be in charge of is the stacks on sublevel 2."
"I thought there were stairs going down to sublevel 3?"
"Sublevel 3 is the preservation stacks. It's where we keep books slated for disposal. Sublevels 1 and 2 are general stacks, floors 1 and 2 above ground are reading rooms. The third floor doubles as a book café and offices."
"So I'm heading underground?"
"Yeah. For the time being, you'll need to work down there. Normally, you'd take over the previous guy's spot, but he was a bit higher-ranked."
"Didn't I come in at the same rank?"
"You did. But seniority isn't something you can just brush off easily. Especially in a cut-off place like Sejong Island with no outside connections."
"Understood."
In other words, I've been sidelined to the toughest spot—no sunlight, the crappiest job, all because of my newbie status.
"So what exactly should I be doing?"
"Have you ever done library work before?"
"Yes."
I'd trained for it. Before coming to Sejong Island, I'd spent a week at a small library in Busan learning the ropes with help from an Imae Mangnyang staffer.
"I should be fine following the manual."
"Good. People coming in and out of sublevel 2 will be few and far between. Most of the books down there are on science, technology, and arts & physical education anyway."
"......Pardon?"
Hold up.
"I-I thought the section I'd be handling had 'general literature' books?"
"It should have. But things got complicated. The general literature books are spread out across floors 1 and 2, and that's not your area anymore. It's a high-traffic spot, too."
"Damn..."
"Think positive. Aside from the occasional thesis writers or whatever, hardly anyone comes looking for your section."
Libraries have classification numbers. They're for sorting books by subject, starting with the first digit from 000 to 900. Mine is 400s for natural sciences, 500s for applied sciences, and 600s for arts. The books I was aiming for are all in the 800s, concentrated on floors 1 and 2 above ground—not my sublevel 2.
"Did you come here to read the books in this place, by any chance?"
"That's part of it."
Novels you can't find outside. Why? Because the ones in here are 'textbooks' for ability users who've actually awakened superpowers in this world.
For example, there's a novel called Scarlet Flame Dragoon. As the name suggests, it's about a dragoon who wields crimson flames. The paperback version sold at rental shops? Its existence was erased, and now it only exists inside the academy.
Why treat it like forbidden literature? Because the protagonist's abilities are eerily similar to those of Korea's A-rank ability user hero 'Scarlet Dragoon.'
Of course, the timeline got flipped. Scarlet Dragoon immersed himself in the novel, adopted the protagonist's techniques as his own skills, and once he showed A-rank potential, the state swooped in, confiscated every copy, and stashed them in the academy.
Everyone outside knows about it publicly. It's not like the existence was wiped clean—Hero Wiki even states outright, 'The origin of this hero's abilities lies in Scarlet Flame Dragoon.' But they collected every copy anyway to prevent certain incidents.
To hide Scarlet Dragoon's skills.
To hide Scarlet Dragoon's weaknesses.
To keep people from piecing together his info from the novel.
The original author might feel hard done by—his heartfelt work suddenly sealed by the state—but complaints vanish in the face of something called the 'Patriotic Pension.' If a hero bases their powers on your novel? The author gets a state pension starting at a minimum of 5 million won a month, scaled by the hero's rank.
That's why this world churns out endless literature. Success as literature is one thing, but in a world where human imagination directly ties to superpower manifestation, getting picked by a hero means a life richer than any landlord's.
An era where imagination is power. That's this world.
And this library is an infinite treasure trove where that imagination is concentrated.
...Which makes getting shipped off to sublevel 2—stuffed with nothing but natural sciences, no humanities—like being exiled from the world's main stream.
Sad, but that's reality right now. In this world, humanities that stimulate human imagination are the 'main stream.'
"Looks like you'll have to stick it out underground for a while. Sorry. I'll sort something out soon..."
"It's fine. Even as a librarian."
I pointed downstairs.
"I can borrow books anytime I want, right?"
And so, I became a librarian with zero fanfare.
* * *
About a week into the job.
Fewer than 100 people visited sublevel 2 per day. Might sound like a lot, but compared to the 2,000 daily visitors to the literature sections on floors 1 and 2? This place was paradise.
Students really flock to those areas.
Through the computer checkout system, I could see how popular the literature books were and who was borrowing them. Mostly academy students. They all read novels to hone their superpowers. Underclassmen read the books that formed their seniors' ability foundations, building indirect experience and strength.
How tragic.
Treating novels not as stories, but as superpower 'textbooks.' So pitiful it brought tears to my eyes. My condolences to these poor souls who can't enjoy content for what it is.
With no users in sight, I pulled out a borrowed book to read. And immediately had to shove it back.
"Returning this."
A woman placed a book on the return counter in front of me. Red-haired foreigner. I took it from her as she grinned at me and stood up.
"How'd you know I was here?"
"I'm the one who helped get you placed here, after all. I'm higher up than the library director."
"Makes sense."
I scanned the barcode carefully and asked,
"What's your affiliation?"
"Why? Planning to start your own 'Night Parade of a Hundred Demons'?"
"Scary if someone overhears."
"Oh? You get scared too? Relax. No one comes here. And I wouldn't blab this stuff out loud in a situation where I might get caught anyway."
She pulled a business card from her wallet and handed it over.
"Lisara Lakshmi. Professor of Superpower Studies at Sejong Academy."
"Ugh."
"...What's with that reaction?"
"Professors give me an allergic reaction."
"What? You been to grad school or something?"
"Something like that."
Before the possession, yeah.
"Anyway, this is amusing. The Total Leader personally inserting you here, of all people. Coincidence piling up? All the beauties from every country are converging."
"Doubt it."
It was inevitable.
"Once the semester starts, I won't be able to drop by often. So let's chat now. I don't want my cover blown over some nosy busybodying and have to quit professoring. So take good care of things, you villain executioner."
"Keep your identity hidden and handle it clean?"
"Pretty much. I'll be watching. How many female students you'll seduce. And as a librarian, not even a student, TA, or lecturer."
"Expect good things."
I extended a hand to Professor Lisara.
"Librarians are the strongest in fantasy, after all. It's canon."
Ding dong dang dong.
The academy's first semester had begun.