Chapter 300
Chapter 300
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 300
>Chapter Title: The Frozen Library
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A fierce blizzard swept through the spire.
Whooooosh…
“Urgh…”
Thwack-!
Jamad’s hand struck the book, knocking it from Kang Seol’s grasp.
“What the hell…”
- Are you okay, Kang Seol?
Kang Seol rubbed his sore hand.
“Ah, I’m fine. Just startled, that’s all.”
Kang Seol picked up the white book that had fallen to the floor.
Ssshh…
The cover closed in on itself.
A rough, uneven texture, and the solid weight unique to a thick tome pressed against his palm.
‘The chill is gone now.’
Kang Seol suppressed his pounding heart as best he could and tried to open the book.
“…Ah.”
But every time he tried, the book reacted strangely.
Crackle-!
It froze solid immediately, refusing to yield even a single page.
Step…
Step…
Footsteps approached.
“You really made a mess of that door. Worse than a troll. I came to bring you the key.”
“……”
It was Bron.
Bron raised one eyebrow as he looked at Kang Seol, who was huddled up and groaning.
“Looks like you got what you wanted.”
Kang Seol hesitated to respond.
Whether to admit he’d gotten what he came for, or play dumb. It was a dilemma born of not yet grasping what Bron truly was.
But the hesitation didn’t last.
“Yeah, thanks for that.”
He didn’t know what Bron wanted yet, but there was no need to spurn someone who’d shown goodwill. After all, it was clear this man had helped him obtain the book.
“Oh? Admitting it straight up—see, this is why you’ve gotta do good deeds once in a while. Well, consider this me paying off a bit of the debt I owe you.”
“Debt to me?”
“Well, you and your group took down the Curator, and you crushed Branca’s insane plan.”
“You could’ve stopped it but didn’t.”
“How could I stand in that man’s way? I might not agree, but I had to keep my mouth shut. Honestly, I was grateful you showed up at the right time. And besides…”
Bron turned and walked away.
“The Curator thought a fake like me couldn’t touch him. You saw it yourself—when he grabs something, it turns to letters.”
Kang Seol had witnessed that scene most vividly.
Branca’s leg, caught by the Curator, turning to letters and scattering into the air.
“Anyway… now that you’ve got what you want, you leaving?”
Swoosh…
Kang Seol glanced down at the book and said,
“…Yeah.”
* * *
Back at the inn, Kang Seol marveled at how tidy everything had become.
If this weren’t a trapped world, living inside a book might not be so bad.
More importantly, though…
- The Curator thought a fake like me couldn’t touch him. You saw it yourself—when he grabs something, it turns to letters.
The word “fake” stuck with him from Bron’s words.
Bron seemed to think of himself as a fake.
‘It’s not unreasonable—the real Bron is long dead. He might see himself as a replica inheriting those memories…’
Bron and Glacial Grip’s friendly demeanor left him honestly perplexed.
It even made their past fierce battles feel a bit bittersweet.
What if Branca had come to his senses a little sooner? His words echoed in Kang Seol’s mind.
- Hah… hah… Jamad. If this Branca had lived in the same era as you… would our fates have been any different?
Maybe they really would have.
No, even if he’d changed his mind before awakening the Curator, things might have turned out better.
‘Whatever. It’s meaningless now. Glacial Grip will survive on their own…’
Whether they saw themselves as fakes or sought a true life, it wasn’t Kang Seol’s concern.
He had nothing to offer their future anyway.
“Hmm…”
So, he needed to focus on the matter at hand.
This book left by the Duke of Frost.
Even back in his room, trying to open it yielded the same result—it wouldn’t budge.
Which meant…
“A waste of time.”
The seal was too strong to even pry it open.
Kang Seol briefly thought of the two grand magicians in his party, then shook his head.
Voronoil had warned they might be after the Duke of Frost’s book too, so provoking them was risky.
He knew full well that magicians got eccentric about their pursuits, so he avoided any missteps here.
If it was truly necessary, asking Frannan would be best. He was trustworthy.
‘No, wait—there’s one more.’
Kang Seol had a grand magician from this era at his side, one who’d been part of Zodiac just like the Duke of Frost.
‘Voronoil, you there?’
- …….
‘Voronoil?’
- The old man’s sleeping.
“……”
Urr answered in Voronoil’s stead.
‘Urr, I found the book.’
- Ah, that book. So, what’s inside?
Kang Seol explained the current problem to Urr.
- Happens all the time. Books limited to certain readers often have seals. But it’s just mana tricks at best, so the lord of mana like myself can break it in an instant.
Sometimes Urr felt utterly reliable. Mostly in moments like this.
In matters of mana or magic, Urr’s knowledge was so vast he could be called the greatest. He’d even solved that riddle of nothingness.
‘So, how do I do it?’
- Send the book to the Void. You know how, right?
‘Of course.’
The mental power he’d honed to exhaustion in Watara’s ruins. Close his eyes and envision it—a massive door.
Swoooosh…
Boom…
Kang Seol now stood before the giant door.
A power now matured to perfection.
“Alright then… Hm?”
But the book in his hand had vanished.
Kang Seol tilted his head, then returned to reality. He’d definitely been holding it.
“……”
- What are you doing?
“One sec.”
Swooo…
Kang Seol stood before the Void door again.
The book was gone once more.
“Ha…”
Kang Seol relayed the situation to Urr.
- What? It disappears when you enter the Void?
“…Yeah.”
- Heh… heh heh… pffahahaahahaha!
Urr burst into laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
- Masterpiece. An absolute masterpiece. A conceptual seal, no less…
“Conceptual seal?”
A seal whose name even its creator didn’t know.
The Duke of Frost had handled everything himself, so Kang Seol had no idea how formidable the book’s seal was.
- What’s the essence of a weapon?
“The essence of a weapon? The weapon itself.”
- Then what’s the essence of a book?
Finally catching on, Kang Seol said,
“…Its contents?”
- Correct. The cover you hold, the stack of paper—it’s all worthless. What matters is what’s inside. But knowledge and truths like that are a pain to manage. Too easy to copy.
“Copy?”
- Yeah. Stealing the physical object is hard, so they make copies. For weapons, copies are inferior and pointless, but books? Just steal the contents.
Kang Seol nodded.
“Azlan prevented that. Ensured this book is one of a kind. Only openable by the chosen one.”
- Exactly. That’s why it can’t transfer to the Void. In the mental realm, it can be copied. Not your average book. Now I’m curious about the knowledge inside. Azlan… what a guy.
Kang Seol felt a bit bashful.
Azlan was his namesake.
Urr’s praise circled back to him in part.
“Impressive, right?”
- I’ll look for a way… no, you find it. Relying solely on me like last time might waste too much time.
Nod…
The book issue would have to wait.
Kang Seol recalled another worry.
‘Lost Branca’s sorcery too…’
The adventure’s end felt unsatisfying overall. He’d gained something, but not enough to satisfy.
Probably because he had nothing tangible in hand right now.
Kang Seol asked Jamad if he regretted missing Branca’s sorcery.
- It’s a shame the old man’s sorcery is lost… but unavoidable. He went and died on his own terms.
Kang Seol chuckled, then wondered about the others.
Jone and Santio had climbed to the 8th floor with their own goals—what had they gained?
He’d already claimed Azlan’s book, so he hoped they’d snagged something else…
Thud thud thud!
Just then, someone pounded on the door.
“You in there?”
Jone’s voice. Sounded urgent.
Well, he always sounded urgent.
“What’s up?”
“A major problem has… or rather, will occur.”
“Something with Glacial Grip?”
“Did you just assume I caused trouble too?”
“…Santio too?”
“……”
“Anyway, I’ll come out.”
Creeeak…
Opening the door, Kang Seol found Jone, Santio, and Bron staring down at him with wide eyes.
“Bron? You too?”
“Yeah, they say I need to know about this.”
Jone and Santio made sense, but Bron—whose allegiance was unclear?
‘This isn’t good…’
Kang Seol frowned as he followed them. The destination was unexpectedly outdoors.
Bron crunched through the snow, grinning like he was enjoying this.
“Hey, Kang…”
“Kang Seol.”
“Right, Kang Seol. Things just got interesting.”
He had reason to grin, apparently.
“Interesting?”
Bron spoke his mind frankly.
“At first, I was dazed—figured I’d just live out my days here till my lifespan ended or I faded away. But watching you all has sparked my interest. Problem is…”
“Why’s it a problem?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Bron’s expression was bittersweet, full of regret.
“It makes me want to live. Even as a fake.”
“……”
“I’ve already died once. Those guys rolling around in the fortress have too. Nothing uglier than the dead clinging to life, right? Struggling like that… it’d feel like an apology to the real Bron, who lived his life fully.”
He distinguished between the real Bron and the fake one.
He took pride in the real Bron’s life. And seemed anxious about tarnishing Bron’s end as the fake.
“Who knows…”
“…What do you think?”
“Depends on your goal in life.”
“Heh heh… you sound like Branca. Fine, it’s been fun for a bit—that’s enough.”
“Really?”
“…What?”
“Are you really satisfied with that?”
“…I don’t know. Once I wondered why I woke again—was it fate? But that’s just wishful thinking…”
Then Bron stopped, eyes widening.
Kang Seol looked where he gazed.
“This is…”
A familiar spot.
“A transfer gate, right?”
“More precisely a messenger gate—no, doesn’t it seem off?”
“Yeah… it does.”
The messenger gate still lingered on the ground, maintaining its form days later.
And not only that…
“Wasn’t it always this flashy?”
Before, it had been a plain wooden door; now it gleamed like the grand entrance to a noble’s estate.
“It resonated with mana. The gate absorbed it without knowing.”
All eyes turned to Jone.
“Jone…”
“Not me! I cut off the mana ages ago! Didn’t even need to—it was depleted by then.”
It didn’t add up.
Then why was the messenger gate still there?
“So why’s it lingering…”
Jone stammered.
“Look, it sounds crazy—and it is crazy. But I’m not crazy.”
“Tell me.”
He said fearfully,
“Someone on the other side is holding the doorknob and not letting go. Keeping this gate from vanishing…”
“……”
“Who do you think it is?”
In that moment, everyone recoiled in bewilderment. A bad premonition hit.
Santio backed away, muttering,
“This… this can’t be…”
“If that guy’s still alive, what does he want…”
Right then.
Whoooosh…
Light leaked from the messenger gate.
Flash-!
Bron rushed to block the gate.
“What the hell?!”
The ominous vibration wasn’t just from the gate.
Rumble…
The Duke of Frost’s book in Kang Seol’s possession began to vibrate too.
An anomalous mana surge detected.
‘Danger!’
Crackle-zzt-!
Kang Seol transformed into the night raven.
Jone conjured an emergency escape transfer gate.
Santio raised mana resistance to shield them all.
Their response was swift and flawless.
Rumble rumble…
“Hey… I get it.”
“…What?”
Bron said while blocking the gate,
“The guy beyond… isn’t trying to come through.”
His words stunned everyone.
“He’s trying to drag us over.”
“What…”
That instant.
Fwoooosh-!
No sensation of a door opening.
The scenery flipped in a blink. Iridescent ice adorned everything. The snow mountain and fortress had vanished without a trace.
If the ice fortress was crude art, this felt like a living world flash-frozen.
A meticulously sculpted realm.
“Library…”
“…Bookshelves. All of them… frozen.”
“My god…”
Kang Seol couldn’t believe his eyes.
“…The Curator.”
The Curator and Branca were frozen in the center of the 4th floor—their final moments as Kang Seol had seen them.
“4th floor…”
“We need to escape!”
“Grab onto me, everyone!”
At Jone’s shout, the group seized him instantly.
Swooo…
White mist blanketed the floor.
Crackle crackle-!
Their bodies began to freeze.
No sense of cold.
Sensation deadened.
How do you even breathe?
“Th-the Thousand Frost Lord! Let’s talk…!”
“Hundred Frost Lord here! Please, dialogue…!”
Jone and Santio cried desperately, but…
Crackle crackle-!
Their bodies froze solid.
“Urgh…”
Veins bulged on Bron’s temple.
Mana flowed, attempting alchemy.
But.
Crackle…
He froze too.
“Hah… hah…”
Kang Seol gasped raggedly.
Step…
Step…
Someone approached from behind.
Whoooosh-!
Suddenly Jamad burst from Kang Seol’s body.
- Run, Kang Seol!
Releasing the night raven, Jamad swung at the approaching figure.
Crackle…
And froze.
Everything froze.
Cold invaded Kang Seol’s face.
The figure stood before him.
Then plucked the book from his chest.
“Why… how…”
Crackle…
“Why are you still…
The question died unspoken.
The Duke of Frost, Azlan.
He glanced at the book in his hand and said,
“This book…”
As if resolved, Azlan pressed a finger to Kang Seol’s forehead.
Swoooosh…
Invading his mind, crossing to the Void in an instant.
Everything around him froze.
But right then.
Shrieeeeeek-!
Azlan halted for the first time, unintended.
Roooar-!
A line split the ground like fire, and a sword-wielding knight stood before him.
“……”
The knight piqued his interest, but his gaze went elsewhere.
To the being seated, watching him.
“Do not cross the line.”
Glasses piercing the Duke of Frost, Azlan.
“…A mere magician.”
It was Urr.