The Insect Den (1)
I opened the map app on my smartphone to find the way. According to the location Kim Gwa-jang had sent, there was a library not too far from my house. I wondered if it might be connected to some anomaly, but since it showed up normally on the map app, I let go of my suspicions.
"This must be it."
The library was about a ten-minute walk from the apartment complex where I currently lived. Straddling the line between the city streets and a mountainous neighborhood, it was in a spot where foot traffic was naturally sparse. The building itself was small and unassuming.
"...."
I pushed open the glass door and stepped inside. The library was quiet, bathed in the warm afternoon sunlight that created a drowsy, relaxed atmosphere.
"Hmm..."
There was no one at the front desk. I'd wanted to ask a few basic questions about the place, but it looked like they'd stepped away—maybe to the bathroom. For now, I decided to wander around on my own.
"...."
The books looked quite old, but they were well-maintained, easy to read without any issues. If anything, they had that lived-in feel from human hands, with the distinctive paper scent and soft texture that put me at ease.
"Hm?"
As I flipped through a few, something tugged at my senses. It wasn't quite natural mana—too alien for that—but it blended seamlessly with the library's gentle flow of mana. When I reached out toward it, I felt the mana guiding me somewhere.
"Leading me along?"
[....]
Anomalies usually exuded mana that felt unpleasant, but this didn't give off that vibe, so I followed its lead without resistance. Past the first-floor lobby, up the stairs to the second floor. In a secluded corner of the library, my eyes caught a book glowing faintly with mana.
"...What is this."
The guidance pointed straight to that book. As I approached and picked it up, an intriguing title jumped out at me.
The title piqued my interest immediately, and I cracked it open to start reading.
"...."
It was written in Korean, so I didn't need my magic eyes. But there was no reason not to use my enhanced vision, so I speed-read through it, absorbing the contents rapidly.
"Huh."
Before I knew it, I'd finished the book, and evening had fallen. I'd been so absorbed that time had flown by unnoticed.
"You must have liked the book."
"...."
A soft voice came from beside me. I turned to see a middle-aged man with a faint smile on his face. He hadn't registered on my senses at all. How long had he been standing there?
"No need to be on guard."
"...Who are you?"
"I'm the librarian here."
Now that I looked, he seemed to be the curator. His mana felt pure, and he wasn't awakened...
He's just a regular person?
At least, he wasn't from our world. I quickly dropped my guard, flashed an awkward smile, and switched to polite speech.
"Uh... Mr. Curator? Do you know anything about this book?"
"Of course. I know every book in this library."
He knew about this one... It definitely wasn't an ordinary book—more like a grimoire on the cusp of becoming one. It held mana, and the contents were extraordinary. If he knew that and was just a regular guy, that was hard to buy. But he truly had no mana of his own.
"You're wondering about my identity."
"...You read minds too?"
"It's written all over your face."
I'd mentioned it before, maybe, but I was good at keeping a poker face. In Mafia games, I won ten out of ten rounds.
"I am an ordinary person."
"Doesn't seem like it."
"Heh heh. My uniqueness doesn't come from within me."
The curator spouted some cryptic words and led me somewhere—the book storage room, no less.
"Pardon me for a moment."
"...."
He pulled a key from his pocket and turned it. The hinges creaked... Dust-covered shelves came into view inside the old warehouse. We stepped in together, and suddenly the scene shifted—the space expanded massively.
"I'm just the library's caretaker. The books' true owner is the library itself."
"...."
"The library welcomes those who love reading. It seems you meet its standards, sir."
With those words, he took the book from me. I could have refused, but something told me not to, so I stayed still. The man smiled faintly.
"I also help find books."
"You mean...?"
"Just tell me what book you're looking for."
A bit dazed, but no reason to refuse. I requested the book I needed most, the one that would help.
"A book that can protect the people precious to me."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his gaze gleamed, and his voice was distinctly different.
"Remember the past. The book you seek is there."
"...."
"That's what it says."
He returned to normal and led me out of the storage room. I pondered as we walked. The past... Any past events involving books, or places where I could get one?
"Could it be?"
Suddenly, something clicked. Not directly related to books, but not entirely unrelated either. There was one secret place I hadn't visited yet.
"You've got an idea, I see."
"Yeah, thanks to you."
"I just did my job. Glad you found what you wanted."
I thanked him, and he accepted it with a kind smile. Leaving him behind, I hurried out of the library and back home. I needed the other smartphone at home—the fortune-teller's phone.
****
I successfully rooted the smartphone and delved into the albums, reviving old memories. Sure enough, several anomaly photos turned up, just as I recalled. At first, I'd thought they were random shots, but now they seemed off. He wasn't into photography as a hobby—why these?
"This is the entrance."
Anomalies usually went fishing. They erode a tiny part of reality, dangle the bait, and reel in the humans who bite. Most of these photos showed spatial anomalies—likely gateways to specific places. The fortune-teller must have used one as a hideout.
"Let's go."
Searcher
Shuruk.
I summoned the Searcher right away to scout the photo locations. Dozens of eyeballs floated through the air, scanning the area. After a while, it pointed in one direction and vanished. I dashed that way.
"Let's get some pork cutlet!"
Go-seo (companion)
By the way, Go-seo was tagging along this time. She was the star of this event, after all. After running for a good while, I reached a valley pulsing with eerie mana.
"Here it is."
A relic from bygone days—a public phone booth, now mostly gone. This one was pristine, blocking the middle of the road. Bathed in streetlight glow, but the inside was pitch black, impossible to see.
"...."
Had the anomaly sensed me? It started fishing immediately—shaking the bait to draw eyes, luring with irresistible temptation.
"...."
A little sister's voice echoed from the unseen booth interior. I listened for a moment, then approached silently. Gripping the handle, I slowly opened the door.
"...."
Mist dragged me inside, and the door slammed shut, trapping me in black fog. All I could see was an old telephone. A voice leaked from it.
"...."
It had tricked people plenty of times before. Its voice dripped with mockery and contempt, sneering at the dumb beast that bit the bait. An ordinary person would meet some grim end here. Unfortunately for it, the one who bit was a deep-sea monster.
"Haa... you little shit."
"Whose voice are you mimicking right now?"
Rage exploded outward, filling the space. The black fog filling the area was pushed back by the deep-sea pressure. The air rippled faintly, recreating the ocean depths, putting everything beneath my feet.
"...."
The phone hit the floor and shattered. Without reining in my aura, I approached and said,
"I'll give you ten seconds. Guide me."
"The bug bastard's hideout."
Overwhelmed by the pressure, it screamed. It hastily moved the booth, leading me not to the real world, but somewhere else. Opening the door revealed a filthy stone underground prison.
Crush that bastard.
The booth tried to flee after I got out, but impersonating my little sister was unforgivable, so I summoned tentacles and crushed it flat. A metallic screech and scream echoed, but soon it was gone entirely, leaving only a red iron lump.
"Made it."
Go-seo (companion)
And so, I'd successfully reached the fortune-teller's hideout. Now I just had to clear it, grab the treasure, and level up Go-seo.