Chapter 299

"Huff... Huff..."

The group barely prevented the Head of the Library from resetting the 8th floor.

Seol, Joneh, and Santio exchanged glances.

"D-did we survive?"

"For now... That seems to be the case."

"Haha... Ha..."

What came out of the book Seol threw through the Scorpion Door was an absurdly overwhelming power.

The sensation they felt was impossible to describe with words—the sensation of having felt a being far beyond the standard for the first time.

'Was the gap really this big?'

It was a distance that felt unreachable. For now, it was far beyond his grasp.

Joneh and Santio said while lying on the ground.

"He... Hehe... We definitely landed a hit. Did you see that?"

"I'm exhausted. I don't even have the strength to move a finger."

Seol looked into the distance.

The beam of light that poured from the sky had already faded. And everything had turned into bookshelves, from the entrance of the snowy mountain onward.

'Is that... How the 8th floor originally looked?'

They were at a snowy mountain, but beyond it was a library full of bookshelves. He couldn't help but marvel at the strange sight.

"But..."

However, now wasn't the time to admire such scenery. There was a more pressing issue.

"What do we do about them?"

"Can you still fight?"

"A bit more... But with this many..."

The surviving Shamans of the Frostmaw Tribe approached Joneh, Santio, and Seol.

"P-please, let go of me..."

"Say something to them, please! This is what your knowledge of troll language is supposed to be used for!"

Joneh and Santio fell into their grip, but Seol didn't bother intervening because he couldn't sense any hostility from them.

A Shaman who appeared to be their leader approached Seol. The energy he emitted suggested he was on the verge of becoming Transcendent-rank.

"Humans, are you the one who defeated Branka?"

"What if we are...?"

"It seems we need to talk. Although it is humble, we would like to invite you into our castle."

They didn't feel like refusing despite having already gone through the castle.

'There are too many of them.'

Although the Head of the Library had slaughtered a lot of trolls, the number of trolls coming out of the castle far exceeded the ones who died.

It seemed the trolls who had fought the Head of the Library were among the Frostmaw Tribe’s best warriors.

'No wonder they were extraordinary.'

The image of the troll warriors who charged toward the Head of the Library remained in his memory.

Someone who had never encountered a troll before would have probably broken out in a cold sweat if they saw that.

"Wh-what are they saying?"

"Is it Joneh? Are they after Joneh?"

"Damn it! I didn't do anything bad!"

"It seems... They want to invite us."

"To the castle? Didn't it collapse? But why?"

"I'm not sure about the reason. But they don't seem to harbor any ill will."

"Hmm... Then, let's go."

"That's not something you should say while being dragged, Joneh."

"Santio, your situation isn't much better than mine."

Seol followed behind as he watched the two great Magicians being dragged by the trolls.

He still couldn't believe the battle had ended. Jamad seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep as soon as the battle was over.

Seol fell into thought while following the Frostmaw Tribe's trolls.

'I wonder what will happen from now on?'

He had no idea what the Library of All Knowledge and the Frostmaw Tribe without Branka's fate would be.

Creak...

BOOM.

Along with the Shamans, a sturdy Troll entered the room.

Inside, the two Magicians and Seol, who had been waiting, greeted them.

"We can't understand a single thing they're saying, so you'll have to take care of this."

"Once again, we can do nothing but cheer."

"We can't help it due to our lack of learning."

"But I don't think I've seen that troll before..."

"I wonder why he's in the middle."

Seol shared their doubts.

A sturdy troll he had never seen before sat in the center, staring at Seol and his companions.

"You understand our language?"

"Yes."

Seol gave a blunt answer to a blunt question.

"Branka was my father. My name is Bron. What's yours?"

"..."

"Your name?"

"Kang Seol."

"I see..."

- Somehow...

- This TV series is quite interesting.

- Most TV series these days are fun, haha.

As the viewers speculated about the troll’s identity, Bron continued speaking, unconcerned about their chatter.

"Are you hostile to us?"

"That depends on your answer."

"Haha... I like your resoluteness. So, what answer are you seeking? Or why don't you ask a question instead?"

Seol thought for a moment and then asked.

"What are you going to do from now on...?"

"If I give the wrong answer, will my head roll?"

"Just know that joking is the worst possible answer."

"Well... You don't seem to have the headspace... How cold."

"On the other hand, you seem too relaxed."

"I, along with Branka and my Tribe, had already died once. What is there to fear? Death is less significant than one might think."

His behavior exuded a sense of ease.

'What is this feeling?'

An uneasy sensation crept up Seol's neck.

In the opponent's pupils, both ferocity and nonchalance coexisted.

- Ugh...

'Jamad, so you've woken up.'

Jamad, who had fainted, had woken up.

As soon as he regained consciousness, he urgently said.

- Bron...? Damn it...

Jamad seemed to recognize the opponent.

'Why are you... Wait, Bron?'

"The castle is being restored by itself."

"Hmm... Is it the power of the Library of All Knowledge?"

"And..."

What the troll said next was even more important than the previous statement.

"Bookshelves are appearing in the castle."

"What...?"

The meeting with Bron ended abruptly.

Perhaps because the once-collapsed castle had been restored and bookshelves were springing up everywhere, there was no longer the feeling that they were being watched closely by the Trolls.

"This is bad..."

"For someone like him to have returned... We barely managed to take down that ferocious chief thanks to the Head of the Library's help."

Joneh and Santio's expressions darkened.

"At least, the fortunate thing is that they probably won't be able to leave the Library of All Knowledge."

"Y-yeah. With the Head of the Library gone, they won't be able to open the books on the 7th floor carelessly either."

"Haa..."

"It's a bit disappointing that it’s the only positive aspect..."

"We need to start thinking about how to get out of here now."

"Yeah, let's stay here for a while and come up with a plan."

What they thought would be a quick resolution had become more complicated than expected. The biggest issue was that they couldn't see a way out yet.

'Since we have some time, I guess it's okay?'

Even if they returned, there was still some time left before Agony could recover. Waiting was inevitable. Instead, they decided it would be more effective to move within the Library of All Knowledge to achieve their goals.

And so they spent a few days in the frozen castle. It wasn't what they had hoped for, but surprisingly, the Frostmaw Tribe treated them kindly.

* * *

"Hahaha! You fool! I won!"

"You definitely cheated!"

"You just cursed, right?"

Joneh and Santio got surprisingly well with the trolls despite the language barrier.

The only problem was that Seol had to step in as an interpreter every time they interacted constantly.

Still, Seol didn't think the current situation was all that bad.

His body was slowly returning to normal.

The twisted energy within him was easing up.

- The recoil from using a Forbidden Shamanic Spell is stronger than expected. I'll have to be more cautious before using it.

'Yeah.'

- But more importantly, is it okay?

'What?'

Jamad asked Seol.

He asked something similar to what he asked Bron.

- Didn't you come all the way up to the 8th floor because you had a goal?

'Yes.'

- Did you have any results?

'Not yet...'

- Hmph, don't get anxious.

Jamad offered encouragement in his own way.

Seol's goal for coming to the 8th floor was to find the book the Grand Duke of Frost had left behind.

The book was definitely in the Library of All Knowledge, and according to the old gentleman, it was on the 8th floor.

'The problem is that the 8th floor isn't the same as before.'

The bookshelves were scattered all over the place, and a snowy mountain appeared, making matters worse, causing the bookshelves that disappeared to reemerge slowly.

'Maybe I'll find it when all the bookshelves have reappeared...'

He kept repeating the location of the bookshelf over and over again, so much so that he could almost recite it while sleeping.

Perhaps the end of the Library of All Knowledge was there. That's why he couldn't help but feel anxious.

'Bron and the others... Honestly, they have nothing to do with me.'

Bron wasn't devising a dangerous plan like Branka. Opposing him just because he was stronger than Branka didn't feel right.

It seemed true that in this world, there were more uncertainties than clear answers—at least, his relationship with Bron was like that.

"I found it."

Someone suddenly called him from behind.

"Don't talk to me from behind..."

Although he had already sensed his presence, he hadn't expected him to talk to him so directly.

It was Bron.

"Really? I thought you'd be pleased."

"Why?"

"Didn't you ask me for something?"

"Don't tell me..."

Bron grinned.

"I found the bookshelf you mentioned."

"What...?"

"At the top of the castle, if you go to the spire, is the one you mentioned..."

Paf—!

Seol bolted off before Bron could even finish speaking.

"Hahaha! The key is..."

Although Bron seemed amused, Seol was too focused on the important task at hand and didn't care.

- Seol, calm down.

Huff...

Huff...

Paf!

The Frostmaw trolls shot Seol strange glances as he ran incredibly fast.

After running past them, Seol headed toward the top of the castle.

Whoosh—!

The snowstorm stopped as soon as the Head of the Library fell.

Seol kept running as the pure white snowfield revealed itself from outside the window.

The spire.

He reached the spire.

The door was secured with chains. Perhaps this was why Bron mentioned retrieving the key.

Crack—!

With a powerful kick, Seol blew off the steel door. Nothing could stop him now.

"Huff... Huff..."

Inside, there was a bookshelf.

The 9th bookshelf that started with the letter 'ᄆ.'

As Seol approached it, he couldn't stop trembling—it was here. He could feel it.

His gaze swept over the bookshelf.

"It's here."

He knew it.

As if there were a thread connecting them, he could clearly see a book with a white cover and golden patterns engraved on it.

Seol slowly extended his hand toward the book.

Swoosh...

And at that moment.

WHOOSH—!