Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Idiot
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Ian bought the signature menu item from a nearby sandwich shop and ate it while walking.
The abandoned library was located in a residential complex. However, it wasn't a place where many people lived. Most of the residents had fled due to a massive fire in the past.
From what he'd heard, flames had suddenly shot up from a single household, but he wasn't sure if that was the truth.
Whatever. There was no point dwelling on it now. Whether some crazy mage had set the fire or an anomaly had caused a terrorist act—it was all in the past.
Ian finished his sandwich cleanly and strolled through the quiet residential complex.
There was hardly any sign of life. Almost no houses had lights on, and even those that did showed no human silhouettes. Only cats roamed the streets. A few stray ghosts were visible too.
Ian approached a ghost staring blankly at him, converted it into materials, and thought to himself.
‘Maybe this place is better than an officetel.’
The houses were pricey due to their nature, and the layout made it easy for neighbors to peer in, so he hadn't seriously considered it. But now, once he saved up some money, moving here didn't seem like a bad idea. It lacked nothing for use as a home rather than a workshop.
Of course, he couldn't move right now without cash. Even a cheap house would cost billions at minimum... Better to finish this commission first and then decide on moving.
“……”
After walking while lost in pointless thoughts for a while, he arrived at his destination.
A tall building that resembled a bookstore more than a library.
The massive library standing alone in the residential complex looked terribly out of place, which confirmed it as an anomaly. Ian checked the ammo in the revolver tucked in his coat and peered through the window into the building.
As expected, nothing was visible beyond the window. Only his own face was reflected clearly.
An unknown space that even the Cartel couldn't properly investigate.
It was similar to the situation right before entering the theme park.
The difference was that back then, he hadn't known how horrific the theme park space was, allowing him to act boldly. Now, he knew the anomaly infesting this space wasn't very human-friendly. Anyone with a brain could judge that charging in blindly was a bad idea.
Unlike back then, he was alone now. He could only rely on his own judgment and quick thinking.
“Whew……”
Ian put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it slowly amid the mounting tension. As the acrid smoke filled his lungs, some of the tension eased.
He rummaged through his backpack, stuffing the prepared items into his coat and pants pockets as he got ready to enter.
He'd sewn a new pocket inside his coat for the grimoire, so there was no need to hide the book anymore. Ian slipped the pristine white grimoire into the large pocket and patted it with his fist.
“Let's go.”
He stood up. Loosening his joints in case of emergency, he held the half-smoked cigarette and slowly opened the library's front door.
What came into view was... a gloomy hallway. Not a single ray of sunlight from outside penetrated inside. Instead, it shimmered with a pale gray light.
No people. Just a straight hallway ending in a single door.
Ian flicked the cigarette butt onto the floor and fully stepped into the hallway.
Creak, slam.
At the same time, the front door closed and locked by itself. He pushed it just in case, but it didn't budge.
“Guess leaving without doing anything isn't an option.”
As he muttered that and looked up, his body jolted.
A massive window above the front door. Beyond it, a gigantic creature with grotesque engravings was peering down into the library hallway.
Its face was covered entirely in countless eyeballs. Sharp teeth dangled from the pupils like eels. Its head was as large as a bus, and its curved body was about the size of a small building.
It wasn't the only one reflected in the window. Beyond what had been shimmering gray glass, grotesque creatures plastered themselves against it, staring piercingly at Ian.
This was different from the theme park. The monstrosities there hadn't openly shown hostility. They only lunged to kill after a specific trigger.
These ones looked desperate to devour his flesh right now. Drool dripped from their gaping mouths, and his form was perfectly mirrored in their bloodshot eyes.
“……”
Fortunately, as long as the door didn't open or the window didn't break, there shouldn't be any immediate danger. Still, it didn't sit well with him. Ian captured the monstrosity stuck above the front door in a Dying Eyeball and crushed it.
At that instant, all of its eyes burst simultaneously. Whether that was the way to kill it or not, the creature toppled to the floor without a twitch.
[……?]
[……! ……?!]
As the largest one died, the creatures on the window cocked their heads in surprise before turning and fleeing. Ian saw the bloodstains left where they'd been and let out a long breath.
He had no time to worry about them.
He turned immediately and headed toward the door at the end of the hallway.
With a creak, the door opened, and a thick scent of books wafted out. It wasn't unpleasant at all. Quite comforting, in fact.
The library looked more ordinary than expected. No windows, but curtains covered the entire walls. Bookshelves towered high, packed densely with books, and thin volumes were neatly arranged on the tables.
It even had a faint lived-in feel. A peaceful, quiet scene completely opposite the horrors of the theme park.
Ian closed the library door and, as he entered, carefully examined the book titles.
[Human Flesh Recipes]
[Human Body Assembly Manual]
[52 Ways to Deliciously Season a Dying Human]
“……”
Ian was speechless upon checking the titles. Even if the scenery seemed normal, the contents clearly weren't. Clicking his tongue, he began properly exploring the library interior. He noted the layout and atmosphere in his notebook.
“Welcome.”
After a short while, the librarian seated at the circulation desk greeted him. Ian observed its form and kept writing steadily.
It had a normal head attached. But no facial features. Just a head and nothing else. Its limbs were elongated, a massive eyeball writhed on its pelvis, and its wide-open chest held thick books like legal tomes lined up neatly—presumably storage.
[Library Rule 1]
[Library Rule 2]
[Library Rule 3]
Three books in total. They explained the rules of this library. Each was enormously thick, but their prominence was a stroke of luck.
Ian finished describing the librarian's appearance and cautiously asked it.
“Could I learn about the library's rules—?”
“QUIET!!!!!!”
Before Ian could finish, the librarian's head split vertically open, unleashing a horrific screech. The deafening roar made his head spin; he gritted his teeth and braced against the wall.
“IN THE LIBRARY!!!!!! BE QUIET!!!!!!!”
“Urk!”
“Aaaaaaah!!!!!!”
The resounding voice felt like it would burst his eardrums. Ian clamped his hands over his ears desperately and clenched his jaw to keep his head from shattering.
After a long while. When Ian said nothing more, the librarian abruptly cut off its screech and returned to its prim posture. Ian sat on the floor, panting raggedly.
‘This is insane.’
A shrill ringing echoed clearly in both ears. His brain felt shaken—vision blurry, nausea rising, balance unsteady. His fingers trembled.
“……Urgh.”
He somehow forced himself back up and pulled out his lighter, flicking it on. Suddenly, all surrounding noise vanished.
The librarian didn't twitch even as the lighter ignited right in front of it.
It flew into a rage at the mere sound of his voice but ignored a potential fire hazard like the lighter. Typical anomalous logic—its standards were utterly arbitrary.
In the silence, Ian swept back his sweat-soaked hair and tried to regain his composure. His head throbbed from the sudden commotion, but at least it wasn't a lethal threat. Not yet.
However, if it reacted that violently to just speaking, other actions would likely trigger the same.
“……”
In a way, this place was trickier than the theme park. Ian sighed deeply in the silence and pulled out the red paper from his pocket.
Paper that slowly degenerated intelligence, ultimately turning its victim into an idiot before killing them.
He'd planned to gauge the situation before deciding whether to use it, but now he had no choice. Best to achieve his goal and escape as quickly as possible.
With that thought, he carefully slapped the paper onto the librarian's back. Fortunately, it didn't react to touch; it just stood there dumbly.
After a while, judging enough time had passed, Ian extinguished his nearly spent lighter and coughed lightly.
“Ahem.”
“QUIET—!”
At his cough, the librarian's head split open instantly. But the word cut off. Instead, it stared at Ian with the eye on its pelvis, then scratched its head with a long arm.
“Sir, shouldn't one be quiet in a library? My memory's so fuzzy. Ah, I want some eels.”
Ian chuckled at the sudden nonsense.