Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Grimoire Librarian
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Not long after I emerged from the Tower, So Seori and Iru Ri came looking for me together, appearing like ghosts out of nowhere.
I protested my innocence.
"I'd only caught one monster. I didn't smash the Tower or do anything weird like last time!"
"But why do you automatically assume it's me?"
"Who else could it be?"
"......"
This time, it really wasn't my fault, so I explained everything to them step by step.
"You cleared the labyrinth that fast? By smashing all the walls and escaping, right? That's why they're doing the inspection!"
"It really wasn't me. If it's an extended inspection, shouldn't the Tower administrator be the one at fault?"
"Now that you mention it, that does make sense..."
They finally started to buy my explanation.
"It really doesn't seem like it was your fault, Moon Byul."
"I told you it wasn't."
Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up.
"Still, you cleared it incredibly fast."
"Even catching the Minotaur triggered the clear."
"Pardon...? You're not supposed to catch that."
The Minotaur was known to have near-invincibility status to begin with.
No one challenged it to catch it because every Climber who attacked it died.
The two exchanged glances with blank expressions before lunging at me again.
"This is your fault, Moon Byul!"
"How is this related to the inspection?!"
Only the Tower administrator would know the truth.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Afterward, we enjoyed a brief tea time in my room.
"I have to head back into the Tower later."
Iru Ri let out a sigh.
"Less than a month left now. It's time to buck up."
"Are you a T-type, unnie?"
"Do I look like an F to you?"
"No..."
When I asked what TF meant, they said it was some trendy personality test going around these days.
"I'd be an F, then."
"Why?"
"Because I'm a very emotional person."
"......"
So Seori quietly sipped her tea, recalling what the Association President had said.
'But he said my coin isn't human.'
As the division chief had implied, Moon Byul was just a transcendent being mimicking a human.
In truth, she had suspected he wasn't human from the start. No human should possess that kind of power.
The fact that he wasn't human might actually be a relief. With such overwhelming strength, he always seemed to underestimate his own abilities.
No matter how powerful a pistol shrimp's punch is, it's still just a shrimp to humans.
From Moon Byul's perspective, humans were probably on the level of pistol shrimp. It made sense that human standards and shrimp standards wouldn't align, making comparisons difficult.
It was a blessing that such a being took a liking to pistol shrimp.
"By the way, unnie, when are you giving me that artifact?"
"What artifact?"
"The attribute enhancement one you promised."
"Oh."
With all the recent chaos, she'd completely forgotten.
"You're rich as hell anyway."
"Wow... you're a total sleazy boss."
"Why do you need a fire attribute artifact?!"
"Because it's pretty!"
"It's a waste!"
As the two bickered, I sensed spatial coordinates fracturing in the room.
"...Something's coming. Be careful."
"Pardon?"
"Whirly-whirl!"
Wisph, who had been behaving, suddenly zipped around. The ceiling's space began to warp.
"...Magic."
The space rippled before shattering like glass.
'Inefficient.'
If you wanted to traverse space, fixing coordinates in imaginary space and passing through was far more energy-efficient.
"Whoa!"
What fell from the shattered space was, surprisingly, Akashic.
I made sure she landed safely in front of me without injury. But upon hitting the floor, she toppled over from the sudden gravity.
"Long time no see, Akashic."
"Thank you! Moon Byul-nim."
"Isn't that the thief from before?"
"I'm not a thief!"
So Seori and Akashic growled at each other. I stepped in with a laugh, and they finally stopped.
She dusted herself off and greeted me.
"Did you find a way to take me to the 90th floor?"
I'd been wanting to meet Akashic anyway, so this was perfect timing.
"Unfortunately, that seems impossible. I looked into it, but it violates the Tower's rules."
Akashic explained that I lacked entry permission for the 90th floor, making it impossible.
She added that the Tower's spatial coordinates differed from three-dimensional space, so simply entering was difficult anyway.
'That's why they use that method.'
To begin with, that rift wasn't spatial translocation—it was tearing space itself.
Exiting the Tower wasn't the same as moving within the same dimension, which explained the approach.
"So, what brings you here?"
"Ahem. How much do you all know about Grimoires?"
It was a sudden question.
"A book containing magic?"
"Not much."
"A magic storage device that contains spells in book form for three-dimensional manifestation?"
Everyone's answers varied. For some reason, they were all staring at me. Why?
Being eyed by three beauties—one with red hair, one with blonde, and one with silver—felt overwhelming.
"What? It is a magic storage device."
Akashic cleared her throat and began explaining.
"Ahem, Moon Byul-nim isn't entirely wrong. To explain why I'm here, you first need to understand Grimoires. Moon Byul-nim, may I see yours briefly?"
"Don't open it. It's dangerous."
I readily handed over my soul to her. She closed her eyes and caressed the book. Mana swirled faintly, stirring a breeze.
"...How did you obtain this Grimoire, by any chance?"
"I picked it up."
"It probably found you, Moon Byul-nim."
She nodded.
"Grimoires all have a nature of seeking their owners. As I mentioned before, this is an unauthorized Grimoire."
"Right."
"Because it doesn't belong to this dimension."
I'd vaguely suspected as much. It was fundamentally different from Iru Ri's Grimoire.
"Do you know how Grimoires are made?"
"Some genius mage makes them, right?"
"They can be made?"
"Whirly?"
I just listened. Akashic wagged her index finger.
"A mage turns themselves into a book."
"What?!"
"That's surprising, even for me."
She continued her explanation.
"When a mage's lifespan nears its end, they often think something like this."
Akashic mimicked an old person dramatically.
"Ah! My great magic will vanish from the world!"
"..."
"That's why they developed a method to engrave spells onto their soul and manifest them through a medium called a book. Since it's magic using their own soul as material, only the mage themselves can activate it."
"Whirly."
It was fascinating. So Grimoires were mages' souls.
"Grimoires seek owners because they want their magic to keep being used, searching for a suitable match."
Before long, everyone was listening intently.
"And until an owner appears, all such books are stored in my library."
She pointed to herself.
"Allow me to reintroduce myself: I am Akashic, the Grimoire Librarian of the 'Lameison' Library on the 90th floor."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Then my Grimoire came from your library too?"
"Whirly."
"Yes."
Iru Ri's light Grimoire had originated from Akashic's library.
"So what's the problem with mine?"
I asked curiously. Akashic chose her words carefully.
"A Grimoire finding its owner is a meeting of souls. The mage's two souls merging to wield one spell—soul bonding, so to speak!"
She handed my Grimoire back to me.
"But this Grimoire and your soul are rejecting each other."
I understood what she meant. It was probably me unilaterally overpowering it.
"Given how dominant your soul appears, if this continues, the Grimoire's soul will eventually perish completely."
"That's exactly what I want."
"Pardon?"
The startled Akashic asked again.
"I want to sever ties with this Grimoire. It won't let go, so I'm unilaterally destroying it."
Absorbing star power was devouring the soul-engraved spells. I'd realized the soul entanglement occurred as my soul filled the voids.
The new revelation was that not just mine—all Grimoires were alive.
"Eh? No, mages and Grimoires coexist... together? To grow stronger... right?"
"This way, even if it takes time, I can eventually discard it."
I asked her.
"One thing I'm curious about: if I reach the 90th floor, can I completely free myself from the Grimoire?"
"It's... possible. In fact, that's part of why I wanted to bring you to the 90th floor. That Grimoire shouldn't exist in this dimension... but you might never use magic again."
I smiled.
"Perfect."
Stars existed endlessly in the universe.
Eating them one by one would take who knows how many years. But now, there was a much faster, surer way.
"Honestly, I thought you were the one who created this Grimoire."
"Why?"
"Powerful soul entities sometimes retain consciousness even as Grimoires. That's why I assumed I couldn't take it—the Tower doesn't allow jumping."
"Jumping?"
"Climbing the Tower without clearing floors is called jumping."
So Seori, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
"Then... why does the Tower exist? You live there, Akashic. You must know."
"Well... it's a bit hard for me to say. And 'living' in the Tower is slightly different."
"Tell us. It's a disaster for us."
I was curious too. The sudden Tower and Awakeners.
Why had the world become like this? She seemed to know.
"All I can say now is you'll learn by climbing the Tower."
"Then who's the Tower administrator?"
I showed everyone the sealed letter I'd received from the Tower.
"Someone really is managing it."
"I don't know the administrator well either."
"......If I keep smashing the Tower, maybe they'll show up?"
"But... what if the Tower collapses?"
We discussed various things, but everyone thought it too risky.
In the end, we didn't learn much new about the Tower.
"The reason I brought this up is a group of shamans trying to turn mages into Grimoires has emerged from the Tower. To create Grimoires..."
"Hold on. Can you turn other mages into Grimoires? You said it has to be the mage themselves."
"Whirly!"
Akashic had definitely said that. The mage molds their own soul to activate the spells.
"Yes... but you can transfer a mage's engraved soul into a book at the boundary of death. Forcibly, of course."
"Th-that's..."
"That's horrifying."
Akashic nodded too.
"Shamanism isn't true magic. It's people without talent borrowing doll power to mimic spells."
"......"
"That's why they crave becoming true mages via Grimoires. As Grimoire Librarian, I can't forgive those 'illegal' Grimoires."
She clenched her fist.
"I said it's a meeting of souls, right? Forcing use of such a created Grimoire causes backlash—the caster won't survive unscathed."
It sounded dangerous.
"We must stop them. I'll recover the Grimoires too..."
"Why us?"
"Pardon?"
So Seori's response left Akashic dumbfounded. Crossing her legs, So Seori spoke dismissively.
"Why should we do it? Are we suckers?"