Naughty Books and the Deep Warehouse Crisis
The Anomaly Management Bureau? What the hell. I entrusted them with managing the stacks, and they got so lazy they straight-up locked the library door? In the end, I slapped the prime culprits—Swamp Zone, Earth Religion Studies 1, and Universe Door Darkness—with a "[No Management for One Week]" penalty.
The three books threw a tantrum, flapping and rustling like they were wailing, but my mind was made up. Flap flap! "You don't even have noses, so why pretend to blow them? You can't even cry real tears." Thud! Thud! "Unbelievable. You're the ones who led the whole thing, aren't you?"
These guys—I gave them punishment to make them reflect, and now they're demanding I punish the other books too. Apparently, dozens joined in on that war game earlier. I glanced at the shelves, and sure enough, several books flinched and trembled. But I made myself clear.
"I only asked you three to handle it, didn't I?"
Flap. Thud rustle.
At my firm words, the three books finally despaired. Universe Door Darkness even floated aimlessly before splat, dropping to the floor. There was a time when I'd pick them up and dust them off... but hmpf, not this time. Let them reflect a little.
Leaving the three books amid their sea of tears (paper dust), I headed deeper into the stacks. The inner sanctum was a space even the books couldn't enter—a private domain for the librarian alone. It was where I spent most of my time, sleeping, rolling around, reading to my heart's content. A cozy little studio apartment of sorts, reminiscent of my old bachelor pad before my body changed.
But this room's true value went far beyond that. Dubbed the "Management Office," it housed the library's essence in several forms. Most notably, there was a book that monitored and recorded information on all the other spaces connected to the library.
Unlike the lively books outside, this inorganic tome linked in real-time to the library's countless entrances, watching and logging them like a CCTV system. The outer books had no idea it existed. Grandmother had strictly ordered it kept secret—probably figuring those curiosity-driven tomes would try to invade the office if they knew.
I wondered if any patrons had tried to enter during that brief moment the books locked the door while I was in another room. On weekdays, visitor numbers hovered near zero anyway, so probably not... Shrrk. Swipe. Swipe.
"As expected, mostly nothing..."
Knocks or attempts to open doors would be logged, and there were none. No patrons trying to use the library today. Oh, and becoming a library patron requires certain conditions—mainly three kinds: thirst for knowledge and enlightenment.
First: Someone passes by an entrance, and at that exact moment, they desperately want to know something. The library casts a subtle illusion, guiding them to a door they can enter. Grandmother said most patrons arrive this way.
Second: Like those three visitors the other day, they realize on their own that this is the Shinbi Library and come knocking. Grandmother mentioned this was for slightly special beings only.
Then again, does that mean those three were special?
But whether "special" meant someone with insane innate talent, or just an "anomaly" deviating from the norm—like that monster trying to kill me and the library—I couldn't say. Probably the latter.
And finally: Those who forge their own door and force entry. Rarer than the second, but with sheer willpower, they link an unfamiliar door to the Shinbi Library entrance.
"...Huh? What's this, one log?"
About to close the surveillance book, I spotted a late entry. The illustrated scene showed a blonde woman and... a familiar face trying to open the door to Goru Bookstore. It happened just minutes before I returned and realized what was going on.
"That woman's... one of the first visitors?"
I recognized her from the sketch instantly. Which meant, contextually... she'd come back to the library. And with someone even more special-looking.
Anomaly Management Bureau personnel 2. Attempted entry via the Goru Bookstore entrance. Entry failed due to sealed doorway.
I stared at that one bolded word, puzzled.
"Anomaly Management Bureau...?"
What the heck was that?
"Alright, welcome aboard Field Response Division 3 Team of the Anomaly Management Bureau Anomaly Processing HQ."
Clap clap. Clap clap.
Section Chief Lee Cheol-won's half-hearted applause drew a dry response from the five seated people: Agent Lee Kyung-seong and the four newbies. In the end, Clerk Seo Yun-ah hadn't returned to 3 Team and stayed at Anomaly Pioneering HQ.
Sigh, how the hell did that section chief piss off the HQ chief? All over helping one rookie clerk. On the bright side, Pioneering HQ might actually be safer. They handled anomalies with "potential" to cooperate with humanity. Hostile ones or those without hope went straight to Processing HQ.
But on the dark side... She's marked by that weirdo chief.
Section Chief Lee offered a quick prayer for Seo Yun-ah's soul, then erased her from his mind. These five were his team now.
"You all got the rundown on each other?"
"Yes, sir. Through the files this morning."
"Fine, skip the stiff intros. We'll get to know each other over drinks after today's op. Now, about today's support request..."
Team 3, including the chief, flipped through their paper briefings.
"Linked teams: Anomaly Investigation Division Team 1 and Emergency Support Division Team 4."
Lee Kyung-seong took over. "Anomaly name: Deep Warehouse. Type: spatial. Manifested at XX Elementary School's gym storage. Photos attached."
Flip. Flip.
The newbies checked the pics: a small storeroom door under the elementary school stage.
"Originally a tiny spot for gym gear, about 100 square feet. But three days ago, the interior space massively expanded."
"How massive, exactly?"
"On the scale of a mega logistics warehouse."
"Hmm..."
"Think at least ten warehouses combined."
"Three sixth-graders went missing when a PE teacher sent them to grab balls. Discovered during storage errand."
"Missing persons report triggered info lockdown. Investigation Team 1 took over. Then shit hit the fan."
"What kind of problem?"
"Whole team vanished."
"..."
"..."
The news of total disappearance dimmed everyone's eyes slightly—that was it. "Total disappearance" was commonplace in the Bureau. Hell, Field Response 3 Team had been wiped out before.
"And Emergency Support Team 4 too."
"Ugh..."
Now faces darkened for real. Emergency Support got the most backup, loaded with firepower and cutting-edge gear. If they vanished completely, this warehouse was seriously dangerous.
"...Chief, can our team handle this alone?"
The question was fair. Six people against a space the size of ten warehouses, after those powerhouses vanished?
"Yeah."
"..."
"Kidding. Reinforcements incoming: Field Response 6 and 10, Emergency Support 6, and Emergency Medical 4."
That many? Relief.
"But they're follow-up. We go first for initial response—no change there. Some can't deploy immediately anyway. And crucially, both teams are 'total disappearance,' not confirmed dead."
Total disappearance meant they could still be alive. Especially in this massively expanded space—maybe just lost.
Still, they had to handle the entry themselves. The newbies' faces fell again. Veterans or not, nobody loved charging into a zone that ate teams.
"What can ya do? Gear up."
"Yes, sir."
With the brief over, 3 Team grabbed their kit and prepped for field ops.
...
"Ch-Chief! HQ! Respond!! Emergency Support Team 4—all DEAD!! Anomaly Investigation Team 1—all DEAD too!!"
Shhhk! Clatter. Thud~!!
"HQ! Damn it! Comms dead in here! Fuck!!"
Bang! Bang-bang-bang!! Squelch.
"Gahk..."
Thud. Thud-thud...