Deep Warehouse #6: The Slow, Piercing Gaze

With a slow, deliberate gaze, she scanned her surroundings. The girl in the pure white dress was trembling violently. Scratch. Scratch. After recording that she was "allowed to tremble," she looked around once more. The various balls were rolling this way and that, trembling in sympathy with their owner. But what stood out more were the two people and single book in front of the girl.

[Elementary Physical Education Textbook - Grades 1~6]. The very book she had been seeking. And the two people... Huh?

"...The patron who broke the rules before?"

"...!"

He flinched. The man shuddered at her words. It seemed the previous violation in the library had left him deeply shaken. Well, he should've just followed the rules. Still, she hadn't expected to run into him here. This place was another mysterious space... It looked like that "Anomaly Management Bureau" specialized in wandering through spots like this.

Hmm, that was about the extent of her impressions. He wasn't capturing her interest right now. If they'd met inside the library, maybe, but they were in a different place now. It felt like bumping into the owner of your favorite café at a nearby department store.

Her eyes were drawn more to the girl shivering in front of her and the textbook. There was much she wanted to discuss with this girl—the root cause of the entire incident.

"You and your book—who called me here?"

"A-ah... A-aah."

Oh no. The girl was still shaking too hard to speak clearly. It was so intense she couldn't make out a word. So...

Scratch. Scratch.

The girl finally managed to exhale and speak.

Scratch. Scratch.

"G-gah... M-mon, monster...!"

"Yes. So who called me here?"

Regardless of what the girl said, she pressed on with her questions to satisfy her curiosity. What she wanted to know wasn't how many people the girl had killed, whether she was a bad child, or the extent of her influence. She needed to uncover what she could right now—to prevent any sudden ejections from the library next time.

Once she had that, she planned to head back quietly.

"So, will you tell me? If you explain well, I'll make a note of it."

But the moment she picked up her quill, the girl wailed as if consumed by madness.

"No, I'm not trying to do anything to you this time."

Even if the girl had forcibly dragged her here, there was no crime to punish—why was she freaking out like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this? A sigh was starting to build inside her.

"Aaaah!"

"I just want you to tell me."

"P-physical... education textbook!! Kill that bitch!! It's scaary!!"

"..."

The textbook reacted to the girl's screams.

Shraaap.

The book flipped open, red veins dripping down, and several corpse chunks burst out. Judging by the two already wandering around, it wanted to make more to torment her.

"Hmm..."

Grandmother had transformed her into this mystical body, but unfortunately, it hadn't brought any explosive physical changes or superhuman abilities. A librarian didn't need such things in the first place. Her physical limits were about the same as an ordinary middle school girl's.

In contrast, what the [Elementary Physical Education Textbook - Grades 1~6] spat out were victims' corpses—mostly adult men and women, showing abnormal muscle growth. True to its name, it seemed to have altered the corpses inside with some kind of physical education twist.

This is tricky.

Getting hit by those corpse chunks wouldn't kill or injure her. But... if they touched her, there would inevitably be traces on her clothes and body.

Then, if the books noticed those changes, who knew what mischief they'd cause. Even she couldn't predict it.

"D-danger... ous...!"

The fallen passenger muttered something. She slowly opened her ancient tome and pulled out the paper tucked into the very first page.

Sometimes, while managing books in the library, torn pages would appear. Whenever possible, she'd restore them, but some pages simply refused to be repaired.

This paper was one such irrecoverable page from a book. Back then, when she'd teared up realizing it couldn't be fixed, the book had fluttered its cover to comfort her. Instead of restoration, it told her to carry it as a symbol of luck and protection. It promised to help her anytime, anywhere.

Shhk.

She unfolded the page. Its contents—written not in human language—began to emerge.

She could understand that fragment. In a way, it was similar to the content of the physical ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠education textbook over there.

"Oh."

Human Anatomy. More than that—exploring the ecosystem within the human body, uncovering humanity's primal origins, foretelling the destined future of the human species... Humans were no simple creatures. Countless ecosystems breathed within them, and perhaps they were merely a massive host...

Vast knowledge from the page began invading the space.

* * *

Beeeep...

Section Chief Lee Cheol-won felt his body momentarily paralyzed as knowledge dominated his vision and hearing. The flood of information overwhelmed his active thinking.

He realized it. His body wasn't just his own. It housed food chains of countless worlds and creatures. Not cells or parasites—but even smaller, a micro-world felt at the atomic scale and beyond.

They were tiny, yet not frail. Their world's collapse meant the human body's collapse. At their world's whim, the human form could structurally disintegrate.

Incomprehensible content poured into his mind. From a single page. It halted all humanoid structures in the Deep Warehouse.

All except one—the Librarian.

Splat.

The corpse chunk swinging a fist at the Librarian completely disintegrated into raw meat. Moments ago, the micro-world inside that corpse had rebelled.

Like oxygen leaking from a space station into the vacuum of space, the fleeing letters gathered back into the page.

Shrrrk.

Though it was just one sheet of paper, it sounded like countless pages turning in a bookshelf.

Clack. Clack.

"..."

Expressionless, the Librarian approached Section Chief Lee, collapsed nearby with his pale crotch exposed, and knelt. Noting how he'd tried to protect the woman beneath him even in paralysis, she pulled out her ancient tome.

Scratch. Scratch.

Section Chief Lee Cheol-won and intern Kim Seo-young were probably innocent. They forgot the contents of [-----], returning to ignorance.

Scratch. Scratch.

"...H-haaah!"

Section Chief Lee gasped ragged breaths as his mind cleared instantly.

Wh-what just... happened...?

His whole body had felt paralyzed. But... he remembered nothing. He'd clearly realized something, yet it was gone.

"Don't try to remember."

"...Librarian. You're really from that library...?"

"Our world ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and theirs are fundamentally non-interfering. Don't perceive it, don't antagonize it, don't fear it—and nothing will happen. They're part of you, after all. Just don't give in to the dread of being spotted by a massive predator."

"What...?"

"Don't try to remember."

The Librarian warned him impassively. And Section Chief Lee... simply accepted it. He emptied his mind of complicated thoughts.

Whatever it was, the situation was already resolved. All the balls had vomited blood and collapsed, as had the girl and corpse chunks. Somehow, the Librarian had cleaned it all up—except for him and Kim Seo-young.

At least... she's not hostile right now.

"You're a patron who visited the library before."

"...Yes."

He steadied his pounding heart and answered.

"How did you end up here?"

"You mean the Deep Warehouse?"

"Yes. That was its name."

"...We came to rescue a missing elementary student."

"Is that part of the Anomaly Management Bureau's duties too?"

"...Yes."

For a moment, he nearly asked how she knew his affiliation. But thinking back... she'd written and erased his real name in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Shinbi Library without him telling her. She must know somehow.

"Hmm."

The Librarian stood as if her interest had vanished. She then smoothly picked up the now-magical textbook.

"Ah, that's—!"

"What's wrong?"

"...That's a magic book. By procedure, it must be quarantined or disposed of."

"Magic book...? Is that the Bureau's job too?"

"Yes, bu—"

"Then isn't managing books the librarian's job?"

With that, the girl turned to leave, signaling no more conversation. This would be ideal. The Deep Warehouse neutralized, him and Kim Seo-young safe to return.

But... letting her go might sever ties with the "Shinbi Library" and its Librarian. Anomaly Pioneering HQ had reported tracking impossible. Given her power and nature, she could benefit the Bureau somehow.

But how to stop her from leaving? Then, a memory flashed in his mind.

"...There are two more textbooks!"

Clack.

The heels echoing through the Deep Warehouse stopped. The Librarian turned to look at him.

"More friends like this one?"

"Yes, the girl definitely said so."

"There are no more books here."

"Not here—in the elementary school. Art room and music room."

"Hmm."

"We'll acquire those two through Bureau procedures. And... if possible, we'd like to donate them to the library."

The Shinbi Library's rules were based on common sense. So most rules and info likely were too. And the library accepted book donations.

"Understood. New books are always welcome."

She gave a positive response.

"I'd love to take them now, but I suppose that's not possible."

She opened a nearby locker.

Kreeeak...

The rusty iron door swung open to reveal a familiar sight: the Shinbi Library. The locker door had become an entrance.

"N-next time, where should we go? Here? Or...?"

"Enter through the same entrance you used before, patron."

With that, the iron door closed, and the Librarian vanished.

He tried opening the locker with his injured body, just in case—but it was empty inside.

"...Ha."

A few minutes later, they were rescued by the follow-up team and team members who arrived pale-faced with support.

"Section Chief, are you alright? We need to get you to HQ fast. Just emergency treatment for now."

"What? Agh! Easy! Kid, do you know what I saw in there? It was... right..."

"A WA Scenario (World Annihilation Scenario) has been issued. Source: Multidimensional Observatory."

"...What?"