Chapter 1: Do the Librarian (1)
Weekend, Saturday. But there I was, sitting at the desk on the rarely visited basement level 2 of the library, flipping through books as usual.
"It's the weekend—go out and have some fun!" didn't apply to me. Librarians had to work weekends too. The library closed one day a week on weekdays, and my days off were Monday—the closure day—and Sunday. So while Friday was the end of the workweek for most people, Saturday was mine. Back in the day, I might have complained about what a shitty schedule it was, but now? I loved it.
Weekends might seem busier with more people around, but in reality, hardly anyone showed up!
Basement level 2 is pure gold.
They didn't even call me out for meals—like a total parachute drop, isolating me, and even assigning me to hole up in the library basement just watching the desk. It was perfect. It probably started as the library director telling others not to burden me with too much work, turning into this isolation, but I wasn't the type to get stressed over that.
No reason to be stressed anyway. Right in front of me sat a stack of ten literature books I'd borrowed from the second floor during lunch.
This is paradise.
Living as a librarian, reading completed series from start to finish or ongoing ones from worlds in serialization. It wouldn't last a lifetime as a career, but sticking around here like this, I'd never be bored. What, work at a library and chase heroines? Just eliminate the protagonist, build up over three years, and it's done.
This year's goal: Kill the protagonist.
Take him out first, then worry about the rest. A guy with immense power who corrupts and drops a meteor on Earth, dooming it? He deserves to die. Future stuff, you say? Destined fate that can change? Who cares. My survival comes first. And if possible, returning to my original world—Earth—too.
So I needed intel on the protagonist, and this librarian gig was surprisingly ideal for gathering it. With the "library card" system, I could access all sorts of student data. As long as it synced with the Taeguk Watch, anyone could pull basic info from the database—even the academy director could check names, borrowed books, and loan histories.
Problem is, the protagonist's data won't hit the database until next week.
Just like how Do Jihwan, the new staffer, only got his Taeguk Watch and database registration after a week on the job, the incoming freshman protagonist would take time too.
Which meant...
Until then, I can just read books and chill.
Whether tomorrow—Monday—was orientation or not, today's me was just a reader diving into books...
"I'd like to check these out."
"...Huh?"
A somewhat familiar face appeared before me. Unlike ordinary folks, her hair was a striking pink that screamed I'm a superpower user!
"Student council president?"
"Yes. Yoon Isun, student council president."
Yoon Isun, student council president. At 150cm, she was quite short, but her superpower was top-tier—the living embodiment of "good things come in small packages." Like the typical student council role in academy stories, she was one of the "heroines." A sly little pinku, as the public saw her. In reality, she was incredibly capable both in superpowers and politics.
She'd dominated the student council from high school to college divisions, earning her the nickname "president for life." Yoon Isun had founded it, advocated for its necessity, and organized it. Despite the image of student councils as "superpower private militias," she'd argued that even powered folks deserved youth, creating events for students.
Those events naturally became the rom-com setups where the protagonist and heroines flirted and built their harem. Yoon Isun herself fell into the protagonist's grasp.
Never thought I'd run into her here.
Winning her over would please the Total Leader, but right now, I wasn't Dokkaebi—just plain librarian Do Jihwan.
"Please place the books you'd like to borrow here."
Yoon Isun pointed to the four books on the loan machine. I processed them calmly and professionally, but I kept feeling her gaze.
What? Why does she keep staring?
Don't tell me she's like Baek Seolhui?
"Ah, yes. Please place your Taeguk Watch on the scanner."
"Sure."
She pressed her wrist against the fingerprint-like Taeguk Watch scanner on the desk. Beep beep.
Her biometric info popped up on the monitor, followed by the titles of the books she wanted.
Mana Iron Studies [Revised Expanded Edition]
Loan Code: 4050769
How Do Humans Awaken Mana?
Loan Code: 656587911
Books that looked boring as hell at a glance.
In a world where imagination is power, these are just pure academics.
Natural or technical sciences could spark imagination but also limit it.
Dinosaurs can't fly in space!
No romance, no romance at all.
Most visited the humanities section to boost their powers, but some came for metaphysical dives into mana itself—like grad student wannabes. That crowd frequented here.
Yoon Isun seemed a bit like that type. But...
"...Huh?"
Four books visually, but five registered. Checking closer—
"You're new here, right? What happened to the previous librarian?"
"Ah. She resigned. Quit on her own."
"I see..."
Seemed like she was changing the subject? As I scanned the books, Yoon Isun fidgeted, her pink eyes darting away.
"All set?"
"...Yes. Good for 14 days. For extensions, please apply via Taeguk Watch at least a day before."
After the standard spiel, I eyed one suspicious title among her loans.
How to Live Without Stress
Poor student council president. Must be tough. Reading that might stress her out more, but probably the council work was worse.
She's got so much on her plate.
Student council alone was rough; with new students incoming, it'd be hell. Sadly, I couldn't help. Just "do your best."
"Um, Mr. Librarian."
"Yes?"
"I'm preparing a paper, so... could I interview you?"
"Interview?"
"Yes. What are your thoughts on mana?"
"I'm just a regular guy..."
"It's fine."
She looked desperate.
"Just answer a few questions. If it's uncomfortable..."
"No, it's okay. No one's here anyway; I was bored. One sec?"
I brewed some instant coffee from the back supplies. Mix, but surprisingly, she liked it.
"Sorry, I made it without asking. Want green tea instead?"
"No, I like mix. First question, then."
She sipped lightly and asked.
"Mana spread across the world when the meteor fell from space, right? So, are there other planets where mana has fully spread?"
"Yes."
Clear answer.
"This is my 'imagination' talking. Kinda conspiracy theory—wanna hear?"
Original spoilers.
"What if the meteor that hit Earth wasn't from our galaxy? What if that Pluto-orbit asteroid was from another galaxy, another world?"
"Like from Andromeda?"
"Something like that."
Meteor in 1999. First spotted near Pluto—no one knows if it passed by or originated there. I did. It was an otherworldly meteor: a 9th-circle archmage's Meteor Rain teleported to our galaxy.
"I'm a believer in the 'Otherworld Theory.'"
"...Other worlds exist?"
"Yes. A mana mass from another mana-filled world spread here, and kids born after 2000 absorbed it in the womb, becoming mana-sensitive. 'Alien' isn't outside the galaxy—it's a whole other dimension."
"...Pretty fantastical."
"Superpowers are fantastical too."
"......."
As expected. Spoiling the lore got a lukewarm reaction from a smart character like Yoon Isun—no big ripple.
"Think about it: the 'demonic powers' medieval folks talked about? What if that was mana?"
"......Ha. So contracting with demons boosts superpowers?"
"Yes. That's my take."
"Ha. Gotta contract with Satan, Lucifer, Belphegor?"
"Nah. Why them? This is Korea."
This novel. This world.
"Contract with a gumiho or hobgoblin."
Nationalist power fantasy lit. And.
This woman was a gumiho.