Chapter 57. Bibliomania (2)
Chapter 57. Bibliomania (2)
3
The hunters sat in a circle around the library.
"......."
"Hmm...."
The hunters sat in a wide circle. In the center of it, hundreds of [Apocalypses] were stacked in piles. From now on, they had to choose one from among them, but no one dared approach the pile of books.
That was only natural. Just moments ago, their comrades had been devoured by books. Fifty of them, no less. Everyone was afraid or sunk in gloom.
In a situation like this, to laugh cheerfully, you'd have to be a certified lunatic, wouldn't you?
"Ahahaht!"
Amazingly, such a lunatic existed.
"Fifty eliminated right from the start. That stings."
A blond boy. Self-proclaimed and universally acknowledged, one of the top lunatics in our world. The Heretic Questioner stroked his chin.
"But sacrifice is the price of progress. We must not forget their sacrifice! We must devote ourselves even more diligently to the raid!"
"......."
"Cheer up! We nearly lost a hundred, so keeping it to fifty is tremendous luck. Instead of grieving what we lost, we should rejoice in what we protected!"
The more the Heretic Questioner spoke, the fouler the mood became.
Even now, bookmark maids wandered around us. The bookmarks served hot coffee and black tea they had brought from somewhere, and out of the 250 hunters, only the Heretic Questioner said, "Ah! Thank you!" and promptly accepted.
"Hm?"
The Heretic Questioner sipped his black tea and tilted his head.
"Are you not drinking, everyone? It's quite delicious?"
"First......."
I cut off the Heretic Questioner.
Nothing good comes from letting a psychopath talk for long.
"Heretic Questioner, you keep your mouth shut for a bit."
"Huh? Why is that?"
"The more you run your mouth, the lower our morale drops. We lose motivation. If morale drops any further here, we're in real trouble, so shut up until I say it's fine."
"Ah, then it would indeed be real trouble."
The Heretic Questioner beamed.
"Understood, Death King! I shall gladly shut up!"
The hunters looked back and forth between the Heretic Questioner and me with baffled faces.
Don't look at me like that. I just got a feel for how to handle that lunatic, that's all.
"Now."
I deliberately raised my voice to change the mood.
"Everyone, you've all figured it out by now. That we can't recklessly attack that Constellation. For now, we have no choice but to quietly follow the quest the Librarian gave us."
The hunters' gazes slowly gathered on me.
I instinctively felt the pressure, but I swallowed it down my throat.
'I'm rank 3 now.'
The hunter with the third most influence in this room!
I had to get used to receiving people's attention as naturally as breathing.
I put on a thoroughly expressionless face and spoke.
"But just because we follow the quest doesn't mean we're at a disadvantage. Everyone, please take a look at your quest window."
At my words, the hunters' gazes fixed on empty air.
The same hologram I was seeing would be reflected in their eyes too.
+
[Remake the World. Volume 1]
Difficulty: Undetermined (未定)
Mission Objective: There are many worlds, and there are many destructions. The Constellation 'Shut-In Librarian' refers to this as serialization cancellation. Shut-In Librarian wishes for worlds that met with serialization cancellation for unjust reasons to continue their stories once more.
First, choose one volume from among the Apocalypses that suffered Serialization Cancellation!
If you succeed in saving the world, that world will be registered as your 22nd floor.
※However, if you fail the mission, the 22nd floor will not be opened.
+
"You've all read it, right?"
The hunters nodded. Some even answered, "Yes." Was this the effect of making the Heretic Questioner shut up? For the time being, no hunter seemed likely to challenge my authority.
"The most important part here is the last line. [If you succeed in saving the world, that world will be registered as your 22nd floor]. Do you all understand what that means?"
The hunters looked bewildered.
They still didn't realize how enormous a reward this was.
I spoke.
"The reward can vary infinitely depending on which world you save. Now, let's say we save a world with massive diamond deposits! Then that world becomes our 22nd floor."
"......!"
The hunters' expressions began to change dramatically.
"Diamonds are just an example. For people like us who live in the Tower, those lumps of coal are useless. But what about a world rich in food, water, and all sorts of ores?"
"Self-sufficiency......."
The Witch muttered.
"We could truly become self-sufficient."
"Exactly."
I rose from my seat. And I walked toward the pile of books stacked in the center—the Apocalypses the Librarian had selected for us, saying 'choose from among these.'
"H-hey! Death King!"
Viper shouted from behind me.
"If you touch that carelessly, the tentacle monster will—!"
I picked up any random book from among the Apocalypses. Hic! The hunters screamed and squeezed their eyes shut. Some hunters even fled immediately, afraid the tentacle monster would burst out again.
But even as 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds passed, nothing happened.
The Apocalypse sat quietly in my hand, like an ordinary book.
"Wh-what the?"
Viper cautiously opened his one eye.
"Nothing's happening......?"
"Heh heh."
The Librarian, floating gently in the air, laughed.
"Indeed! As long as I do not exercise my power, the Apocalypses are nothing more than ordinary books. Of course, there are forbidden books (禁書) that become dangerous merely upon touch. But I have sealed such books away in the deepest recesses, so worry not."
"Mm."
I nodded.
And when I opened the book in my hand, another hologram rose up.
It was information about the book.
+
[The Tale of Sormwyn Academy]
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Difficulty: D-rank
Party Limit: 4-5 people
※The serialization is currently discontinued.
Introduction: Sormwyn is a magic academy with a long and storied history. It is an ordinary academy where friendship and rivalry, love and jealousy come and go. This Apocalypse could have remained an ordinary academy story. If only an artifact of world-destruction class hadn't been sealed beneath the academy!
Reason for Cancellation: The villainess young lady had her fiancé (the Crown Prince) stolen by a female student who had regressed into her second life. She snapped and released the artifact's seal, freeing a great demon that destroyed the world.
+
"......."
The reason for cancellation—in other words, the cause of the world's destruction—was truly pitiful.
Worlds destroyed by meteors or tsunamis would be better than this.
'How pitiful. A world destroyed because of kids' love squabbles.......'
The Librarian had every right to be angry.
Let's think about it.
* * *
"Ahh."
Like a crack spreading through a blue jewel, understanding began to seep into the Crown Prince's icy eyes.
The long misunderstanding that had kept the two apart had finally melted away and vanished, now that they had passed through their second lives.
"My other half was here all along. Lady Sylvia. You were my other half."
The Crown Prince, murmuring as if in lament, knelt on one knee. Sylvia silently held her breath and wept with her heart.
That they would never forget this moment until death—the two realized it without knowing.
At that very moment.
With a bang, the Crown Prince burst apart entirely.
"Huh?"
The next moment, Sylvia burst apart too.
What reached Sylvia's fading consciousness was a jumble of screams.
"Kyaaak!"
"A demon! A demon has appeared!"
"What bad luck."
The world.
That was the moment it came to an end.
* * *
Imagine reading a romance novel that had been thoroughly engrossing, only for it to abruptly cut off like that. Any reader would be furious.
If it's like that even for a novel, how much worse for a real world?
'Anyway.'
That's not what matters right now.
"Everyone! Come over here and take a look at the books."
I shouted to the hunters.
"Each book has different difficulty and content. We need to pick out the books at a difficulty we can clear. And separately, the books that will benefit us the most if we clear them!"
A few hunters rose from their seats.
But the majority still just stared blankly at each other.
-Idiot, that's what happens when you keep using polite speech with them. Do you still not know how bad hunters are at listening?
The guardian spirit spoke.
-Right now, the number of hunter heads you have to handle is 250. 250. You have to spit casual speech at those bastards for them to even half-listen.
'Really?'
-Every time you level up, you hear [Your presence has become more distinct]. Do you know what that means? It means [Your pride has grown stronger]. The higher a hunter's level, the more fucking massive their pride. They don't listen worth shit.
I see.
I infused my voice with aura and let out a lion's roar.
"There are hundreds of Apocalypses, how am I supposed to read them all by myself! Get over here and read!"
Flinch.
Only then did the reluctant hunters finally rise.
"Everyone listen!"
I gave orders without pause.
"Let's split into groups. Those of you who've read some novels or history books, to the left! Those who honestly don't know a damn thing about novels or history, to the right! Hurry! Fast!"
The hunters' footsteps quickened.
Rumble!
The people split into two groups.
"The readers, split up by your favorite genre! Romance lovers to the romance group! Fantasy lovers to the fantasy group! If you like mystery novels, separate mystery group! Hurry!"
At last, the library atmosphere became somewhat bustling.
Under my command, the hunters began scurrying about.
"Now, from here on, we all read books!"
I held up an Apocalypse and tapped it.
"We'll divide hundreds of books by genre and distribute them. Romance group, read the romance books. Other groups, read through your respective genres! Read the books and judge whether they're trash or hits."
"Mmph! Mmph!"
The Heretic Questioner waved his arm energetically.
He was still keeping his mouth shut per my instructions.
"...Yes, go ahead."
"Death King! I don't know what a trash work is! Please give me the criteria! Is it a hit if the story is good, and a shit-trash work if the story is bad?"
"No, not at all."
I opened one Apocalypse and showed it to him.
"For example, this is a trash work."
+
[Surviving the Volcano!]
Genre: Survival, Romance
Difficulty: D-rank
Party Limit: 2 people
※The serialization is currently discontinued.
Introduction: This world was devastated by nuclear war. But the vitality of humanity is wondrous! Even on the surface after nuclear war broke out, the protagonist and the protagonist's lover survived. The protagonist couple overcomes all manner of adversity and hardship, then swears to become the new Adam and Eve.
Reason for Cancellation: The place where the protagonist couple camped on their final day happened to be an active volcanic zone. The volcano erupted in the middle of the night. Both the protagonist and the protagonist's lover were struck dead by rocks hurled from the volcano. Humanity went extinct.
+
I spoke in a grim tone.
"It's not just an ordinary trash work, it's a shit-trash work."
"Why?"
The Heretic Questioner tilted his head.
"A new Adam and Eve. Isn't that romantic and wonderful!"
"There's no point saving this world. It's already had a nuclear war."
I sighed and closed the book.
"What would we do with a world crawling with radiation as our 22nd floor? So we can all get radiation poisoning and die together?"
"Aha."
For reference.
In the past, the Flame Emperor cleared the Great Library in an ingenious way.
From the 22nd floor to the 29th floor, he exclusively conquered worlds covered in [lava] or [volcanoes].
'A madman, really.'
The Flame Emperor was immune to fire. Even in a hellscape world where lava flowed and volcanoes erupted, he could stroll around at his leisure.
He chose Apocalypses based purely on [how easily they could be cleared].
He didn't give a single speck of consideration—truly, not one bit—to which Apocalypses would benefit us if saved.
'If done right, this is a chance to gain eight treasure vaults!'
Anyway, people who lived on their own self-importance were no help.
Because in the end, it's a loss for everyone else living in the Tower.
'This time, I'll pick only the Apocalypses that can squeeze out maximum value.'
Apocalypses where monsters that would help hunters' practical experience spawn, or Apocalypses full of rare minerals, or Apocalypses set in ruins packed with treasures, or Apocalypses where seasoned fried chicken and sweet-and-sour pork frolic through forests and fried shrimp dance in the sea.
No, let's cancel that last one. If it actually existed, it'd be pretty terrifying.
Anyway!
"Keep this in mind! Whether the story is shit or not doesn't matter!"
I shouted as I handed out books to the hunters.
"I don't care if the protagonist is frustrating as hell or if the plot logic is a mess. Just read! Read from beginning to end, and calculate whether saving this world would truly benefit all of us......."
I stopped.
I froze mid-book-distribution.
One hunter met my eyes.
"...Um, Black Dragon Master?"
"Mm, what is it?"
It was the Witch.
I slowly began to speak.
"This is the [Mystery] group."
A gathering of people who regularly enjoyed mystery novels.
For some reason, the Witch was sitting there with perfect confidence.
Didn't her character window show her as a romance fan earlier?
"I know."
The Witch nodded as if it were obvious.
"Did you think I'd sit here without knowing where I was?"
"Uh... Black Dragon Master, you like mystery?"
"Of course."
Slurp.
The Witch demurely sipped her black coffee.
"I'm an intellectual woman."
"......."
Crazy.
Why was this guild master suddenly cosplaying as a normal person again? She liked dramas, liked romance, and was obviously the kind of reader who went wild for trashy romance.
'No way.'
I realized something.
'Because she doesn't want people around her to know she's into romance......?'
Come to think of it, there were remarkably few hunters in the [Romance] group. Not a single man, even. Conversely, for some reason, the [Wuxia] group was crawling with men only.
I'd bet not even a handful of them actually read wuxia.
'Wow.'
My head went blank.
'These people are cosplaying even in this situation?'
-Told you.
The guardian spirit grumbled sullenly.
-High-level hunters live on pride alone. And these guys all have epithets, too. They'd rather die than lose face. Didn't you see? Those 50 guys doing suicide charges all at once earlier? They're all lunatics.
This is driving me insane.
"No, Black Dragon Master... no matter what, this is......."
"What's 'no matter what'?"
The Witch asked back calmly.
Her impassive face felt like an impregnable fortress.
I desperately racked my brain for something to say, then slowly continued.
"No... I always thought you were a very romantic person, Black Dragon Master... I've thought that for a while. So seeing you in the mystery group instead of romance was a bit unexpected......."
The Witch's fingers, holding the coffee cup, twitched.
"Hmm, is that so?"
The Witch's voice was exactly the same as usual.
"Do I seem like someone who suits romance?"
"Yes, if anything, I'd say it'd be strange for you to be anywhere other than romance....... It feels like you're wearing clothes that don't fit you at all......."
"Hah."
The Witch set down her coffee cup and stood.
"If the Death King insists that much, I have no choice. I've never read a romance novel in my life, but fine. Shall I use this opportunity to get acquainted with a new genre? Challenging new things is the proper attitude for a hunter."
"Well said......."
"Mm. Got it."
The Witch headed toward the romance group with light steps.
She looked like a cowboy walking toward the far side of the wilderness in a western film.
I could only watch her back with very mixed feelings.
"Remarkable, Death King!"
The Heretic Questioner looked up at me with sparkling eyes. He was sitting in the mystery group too.
"Once the Black Dragon Master sits somewhere, she rarely gets up. Ahah. Truly, a remarkable rookie has appeared!"
"...Pantheon Master, do you read mystery novels too?"
The Heretic Questioner smiled brightly like an angel.
"I know Sherlock Holmes!"
"......."
"Ah, I know Doctor Watson too."
I silently recited a command in my mind.
'Character window.'
Slither.
Text appeared before my eyes.
+
Name: Heretic Questioner (異端審問官)
Favorability: 50
Preferred genres: [Fairy Tale] [Mythology] [Legends]
Disliked genres: None
Preferred characters: [Humans]
Disliked characters: None
Preferred plots: [The Greatest Happiness of the Greatest Number]
Disliked plots: None
Psychological state: 'I know Sherlock Holmes! Ah, I know Doctor Watson too.'
+
Crazy.
Chills ran down my spine.
'His outer appearance and inner thoughts are exactly the same?'
Moreover, there was nothing he disliked, nothing he hated.
'Is this guy even human?'
It was shock and horror.
Truly a pure, natural-born crazy psycho.
"Hm? What's wrong, Death King?"
The crazy psycho tilted his head.
I pondered for a moment how to handle this.
Then I took a marker from my pocket and wrote on the back of the Heretic Questioner's hand.
[Fairy Tale]
I spoke with a solemn expression.
"Heretic Questioner."
"Yes!"
"You're in the fairy tale group from now on."
"Fairy tales!"
"That's right. You're the only one in this group. You'll have to verify and review all the books that come into the group by yourself."
"Ohh! What a weighty responsibility!"
The crazy psycho's eyes sparkled.
I nodded.
"Yes, it's weighty. So I'm counting on you."
"Ahahaht. Don't worry! Death King, I shall review them thoroughly!"
Right.
Even though there isn't a single fairy tale among the hundreds of Apocalypses.
I searched thoroughly for any other hunters pulling the normal-person cosplay. The results were staggering. Out of 250 people, well over 100 were lying about their reading tastes.
'These crazy bastards.......'
In the end, just dividing into groups took three hours.
I sent a whopping 112 cosplayers back to their proper places.
But even I.......
When it came to the last one, I couldn't hold back my silence.
+
Name: Viper (毒蛇)
Favorability: 32
Preferred genres: [Isekai], [Power Fantasy], [Chaos], [Harem].......
Disliked genres: [Political], [Crime]
Preferred characters: [Older Sister], [Little Sister], [Married Woman], [Pure], [Playing Hard to Get], [Crossdressing Pretty Boy].......
Disliked characters: [Mafia], [Thug], [Blond Tanned Delinquent]
Preferred plots: [I Was Summoned to Another World and Turns Out I'm a Pure Cheat Character Inheriting the Blood of the World's Strongest Dragon and the Demon Realm's Strongest Empress, So Let Me Show You What True Musou Means—Is There a Problem?], [It Seems My Little Sister Became the Creator God for My Sake, but as an Ordinary High School Student Who Just Wants a Quiet Everyday Life, This Is Nothing but Trouble], and so on: [Cheat], [Musou], [Harem], [Well, Well, I Guess I Have No Choice but to Step In].......
Disliked plots: [NTR]
Psychological state: 'Wow, fuck. What's with the Nine Great Sects and One Gang? What's with wuxia, seriously? Every line I read is full of beggar gangs, escort warriors, and sweaty bastards. Shit. Isn't this way too inconsiderate of the readers?'
+
That person wore an eyepatch over one eye.
That person was a swordsman called the Heavenly Martial Sect Master.
That person was... the emperor of light novels.
"Huh?"
Viper turned to look at me.
"What, what're you looking at? I'm busy reading."
And Viper was sitting in the [Wuxia] group.
"No......."
I couldn't bring myself to say anything.
"Sorry for disturbing your reading. Please continue......."
"Sure."
I turned my back and walked away weakly.
Coming to this 21st floor, I had clearly realized one thing.
High-ranking hunters were all, without exception, lunatics.
And I had to carry these lunatics.