Desperate Flight to the Shinbi Library

Hello, dear patrons. In the night-shrouded city, a group of people hurried through the alleys.

Huff... huff...

The three people in suits were in no shape to be seen in public. Their shirts, meant to exude crisp professionalism, were soaked in blood and torn in places. One man was so badly injured in the leg that he needed support from another just to stay upright.

"Hold on just a bit longer, Section Chief."

"Haa... haa... Yun-ah, any word from the Bureau?"

"I sent the support request, but they said it'll take at least ten minutes...!"

"Fuck... ten minutes? We'll all be dead by then."

The section chief's mind raced even as he leaned on his subordinate. He remembered more than usual thanks to the trail of blood he'd left behind, but this was no time for nostalgia—it was an emergency. He had to think of something.

"Agent Kyung-seong."

"Yes, Section Chief."

The man supporting him responded to the call.

"If that thing gets close before HQ sends backup..."

"Don't you dare tell me to leave you behind. I'd rather die with you."

"Aigoo, my subordinate won't listen to a word."

"Your stubbornness makes it hard on me too, sir."

"You wanna die, you little shit?"

"Might be better to die by human hands than by an anomaly, at least."

"Never lose an argument, do you... Cough. Cough."

"Waaah! Section Chief! Don't die!"

"I'm not dead yet, Yun-ah. Don't turn me into a zombie so soon."

Making jokes in dire straits was the section chief's habit. It was the only way to fend off the terror of the anomaly that would otherwise drive them mad. And these two juniors, with far less experience than him, were keeping up admirably. That meant he had to find a way out for all of them.

"Yun-ah, search everything around here. See if there's anything useful."

"Y-yes, sir!"

At his words, the brown-haired woman quickly pulled out her terminal and began scanning.

Escaping at this pace from that anomaly was impossible.

'That insane speed... only someone like the Anomaly Pioneering HQ Chief could manage it.'

Unfortunately, he was just a section chief without such abilities. To survive, he had to squeeze out every option.

But...

"Th-there's no safe house or anything like that...!"

"Argh, I told them to develop this area properly. Nothing at all?"

"N-no, sir..."

Seo Yun-ah, the team's rookie, answered with a pouty frown.

What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now, then?

As the section chief's hazy vision pushed him to keep thinking, a sound rang out.

Clank. Grind.

"Stop."

Thud!

At his command, the three halted instantly. At the same moment, mismatched gear noises started from a nearby alley.

Grinddd. Clunk. Rattle. Screech. Screeeeech.

Soon, the harsh scrape of rusted metal grinding against metal echoed loudly enough to rupture eardrums. Yet the three didn't flinch. It wasn't until blood trickled from their ears that the noise finally stopped.

Clang. Clang. Clang. Rattle... Grind...

The sounds faded, and they exhaled the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠breaths they'd been holding.

"Gahk. Kkh..."

"Everyone, stay sharp. A Rusty Robot here too? Fuck..."

It wasn't a high-rank anomaly, but sudden encounters like this always inflicted heavy damage.

"Section Chief, I can't hear in this ear..."

Lee Cheol-won patted Seo Yun-ah's flailing shoulder to snap her out of it and sighed. The brief pause meant they'd gotten even closer to the anomaly hunting them. At this rate, death was certain. He might accept his own end, but these two had so much life ahead—in the Field Response team, they showed real talent.

But at this rate, backup from the Bureau wouldn't arrive in time.

Just as despair closed in...

"Section Chief, but... I think we're not alone here..."

"What?"

Lee Cheol-won whipped around at Seo Yun-ah's words. The area was sealed by the Anomaly Management Bureau due to the anomaly outbreak. Civilians shouldn't be here.

She pointed to one side.

"There—a bookstore. Lights are on..."

Had some hard-of-hearing old man left them on? But that was odd. The Bureau's Seal-Off Decree wasn't like a disaster alert text; it was absolute.

Lee Cheol-won stared hard at the bookstore's sign. Years in the Bureau sharpened his instincts, whispering something.

The sign had changed. From a modest bookstore to a library—far grander than its size suggested.

That meant one thing: it was an anomaly space.

Lee Cheol-won hesitated. Anomaly spaces defied reality's laws, potentially harboring other anomalies or possessing powers themselves.

But there were no other choices. Bet their lives on the unknown anomaly space? Or face death from the pursuing entity?

The decision was quick.

"We're going into that bookstore."

"Pardon? Section Chief?"

"It's an anomaly space."

"...!!"

"...Section Chief."

"Agent Kyung-seong. Better to leave intel on an unknown anomaly space than die like dogs, right? More honorable, more constructive."

"...I'll follow your lead, sir."

"Uu... M-me too...!"

Dodging the approaching anomaly, the three climbed the narrow stairs to the second-floor bookstore. The steps were so tight an adult barely fit, so Lee Cheol-won brought up the rear, hauling himself up alone.

Screeech... clunk.

Agent Lee Kyung-seong entered first, followed by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the tense Seo Yun-ah. Finally, Lee Cheol-won pushed open the antique, luxurious brown door—unlike the creaky stairs.

Screeeeech... click.

What lay beyond was...

The lobby of a vast library.

"Yun-ah... start recording."

"Y-yes, sir."

Seo Yun-ah pulled out her terminal and began logging in a standard format.

"Agent Kyung-seong, standard protocol."

"Understood."

At that, Lee Kyung-seong relaxed his body and feigned a natural expression, as if he were just a regular library patron.

Unknown anomaly spaces were full of unknowns. But intel could be gleaned from the space's name, informing basic protocol.

If it was an apartment, act like a resident. A hospital? Patient or doctor. They had to role-play flawlessly, never hinting they were outsiders. That was the protocol.

The three advanced slowly. Fortunately, the entrance wasn't hostile. A truly antagonistic space would have killed them on entry for some absurd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reason.

In that sense, it seemed rather benign.

Reaching the lobby center, they spotted crucial info.

"Yun-ah, there."

"Rules...!"

"This'll make things easier."

Rules. Spotting them in an anomaly space skyrocketed survival odds. Obey them, and things stayed relatively normal.

"Log it."

"Got it...!"

Seo Yun-ah transcribed the rules into her terminal.

The rules were surprisingly mundane—no absurdities.

Lee Cheol-won muttered about the entity mentioned repeatedly.

"The librarian, huh..."

An anomaly entity definitely lurked here. It could dictate their fates...

Then, the door to the stacks burst open.

As the three froze, staring, someone appeared.

"Hello, dear patrons."

Black bob hair to her shoulders. A petite girl, middle or high school age. Clutching a book in an incomprehensible script, wearing a beige cardigan.

"Welcome to the Shinbi Library."

The absolute ruler of this anomaly space resembled an utterly ordinary human girl.