I’m the Madman of This Family

Chapter 375. A Future Without Me (3)

Underground Level 1, a boiling desert.

Underground Level 2, a rainy swamp.

Underground Level 3, a floating castle.

This was all Keter knew about the underground.

Since he had been to the first three levels before, moving through them was easy. But starting from the 4th level, it was all new to Keter.

No one could guarantee whether reaching the 8th level, his goal, would take hundreds of years or not. However, Keter managed to find the stairs leading to the 5th level in just one hour on the 4th level, the Mountain of Sisyphus. All thanks to Marhan.

“Keter. You plan to keep going deeper underground, right? But the furthest you’ve been is the 3rd level. I know how to conquer up to the 6th level, so I’ll give you that information.”

Marhan handed Keter the crucial information and clues needed to reach the 6th level.

Thanks to this, Marhan was able to escape Keter’s grasp, and Keter smoothly reached the 5th level.

And so, the 5th level, Nipur’s Library.

“Huh.”

If the boiling desert or the 24-hour rainy swamp were places that shocked people, the endless expanse of books was a place that left them in awe.

What was peculiar was that while the ceiling was high, the bookshelves only reached waist height.

“How evil.”

This meant that to check the books on the shelves, one had to bend over. If one had to check each one, they might as well crawl on their knees.

Keter had heard from Marhan how to escape the 5th level, but how could a sparrow pass by a mill without stopping? Keter picked up the nearest book.

-[How to Cook the Most Horrifying Tomato Soup in This World]

When he picked it up, the book seemed about 100 pages thick, but upon reading, it only had five pages.

-First, prepare tomatoes left at room temperature for 79 days. This is when the tomatoes maintain their form but taste the most horrifying.

The book detailed, without a single lie, how to make the most horrifying tomato soup. And it was extremely detailed.

The amount of ingredients, the amount of water, the intensity of the heat, what to stir the soup with, which direction to stir, how many times to stir—everything down to the smallest detail was written.

As Keter read, he couldn’t help but imagine the taste, like salivating at the thought of a lemon, and eventually closed the book.

“This is truly the worst tomato soup.”

Annoyed, he tried to tear the book, but of course, it didn’t tear.

Keter had expected this. If the books could be damaged, all the unnecessary ones would have been destroyed by now.

“Well, even so, I doubt I’ll find the book I need.”

Each level isn’t an infinitely expanding world. They are incredibly vast, but you eventually end up going in circles.

But this place is different. It’s a truly infinite space with infinite books.

Moreover, all the places look the same. You can only know the title of a book by pulling it out from the shelf.

If Keter hadn’t heard the clue from Marhan about where the exit might be, it would have taken him a long time.

Keter picked up any book and kept walking south. There were markers everywhere.

Corpses. From skeletons to mummies. The common point was that they all held a book tightly in their hands.

Keter even encountered a living human. The white-haired old man made eye contact with Keter but ignored him, continuously checking books.

How long had he lived here?

How strong had he been before coming here?

What book was he looking for?

It was impossible to guess.

‘He’s probably not looking for how to make horrifying tomato soup.’

If not, then Keter couldn’t help him.

Keter walked for a solid hour. Stubbornly in the same direction.

At this point, doubts naturally arise. What am I doing right now? Is the method Marhan told me really true?

It’s all the same scenery. An endlessly stretching library with no walls in sight.

But Keter kept walking stubbornly. Not running wasn’t about not hurrying; it was the rule of this place.

Up to the 3rd level, finding the visible ‘entrance’ was enough, but from the 4th level, it’s different. Special rules exist. If you don’t know them, you’ll never know.

For example, in the 4th level, the Mountain of Sisyphus, you had to carry a rock from the ground to the summit using only physical strength to open the door to the 5th level.

The 5th level, Nipur’s Library, had three conditions for escape.

First, you must hold a book.

Second, you must keep going in one direction.

Third, you must remain silent in the library.

Keter followed Marhan’s instructions. Even if no signs appeared, he kept going. Then, at some point, Keter’s surroundings changed in an instant.

A white space with nothing.

A single desk with a book on it.

-[The Solution to the Riemann Hypothesis]

This was the title of the book Keter had picked up randomly to escape the 5th level.

Then, a boy sitting at the desk came into view. A boy with an ordinary appearance, the kind you’d see anywhere.

But Keter frowned upon seeing him.

“You… are you Nipur?”

The boy grinned.

Keter suspected the boy was Nipur because this was information he hadn’t heard from Marhan.

According to Marhan, under the assumption that all three conditions were met, you would wake up on the 6th level. Moreover, the book you were holding would disappear, and only its contents would be imprinted in your mind.

But Keter woke up in a strange place, not the 6th level. And the only being who could do such a thing was the master of the 5th level, Nipur.

Nipur picked up the book Keter had chosen.

“Did you know what this was when you picked it?”

“Of course not.”

“This is something of little importance in the current civilization. Unless it’s a civilization exploring the universe. So, I’d like to recommend another book to you. A book you truly need.”

Swish.

Nipur placed a book he pulled from under the desk.

Keter let out a hollow laugh upon seeing the title.

-[The Purpose of Alkione Brigid]

*

The purpose of Grand Duke Alkione.

Certainly, a book with a title that wildly stimulates Keter’s curiosity.

But Keter isn’t naive enough to grab it immediately.

“If you’re not giving it for free, get lost. I’m going to the 6th level.”

“It’s free.”

“……”

Keter stared at Nipur silently. He tried to read Nipur’s inner thoughts, which were as transparent as a child’s, but that was the problem.

“You’re just going to give me this information?”

“Yes. The reason is, it seems fun.”

“That’s a convincing reason, which makes it even less convincing.”

“Hehehe. Keter, you don’t need to be wary of me. If anything, I’m on your side.”

“Should I trust the words of someone with ulterior motives?”

“What will you do if you don’t believe me? Do you want to be trapped here forever?”

“Try it.”

“Do you believe in the Authority Unchain? Do you think it will help you escape this space? Do you think mere ‘human will’ can surpass ‘divine will’?”

“Testing it sounds fun.”

“Kukuku. I’d like to test it too… but I can’t stay here for long.”

Nipur stood up, picked up the book, and threw it at Keter. Keter tried to dodge, but the book disappeared mid-air.

Nipur chuckled and said, “It’s enjoyable to watch your journey. This is a reward for that, so don’t refuse.”

New ‘information’ was imprinted in Keter’s mind. It was information about ‘Alkione’s Purpose.’

The purpose of Grand Duke Alkione, something no one in this world could uncover. Keter learned it in just one second, thanks to ‘divine power.’

-To hand over the dominance of this world to the ‘Outer God Ruquer.’

As Keter expected, Ruquer wasn’t the name of a ‘region’ or ‘city.’

It was the name of an Outer God—

The fog of Ruquer was the fog of the Outer God.

The reason why the Grand Duke was doing this wasn’t in the information, but the reason was obvious.

“It’s probably to survive.”

Just as humans eat plants and animals to live, Alkione must be similar. To survive, sacrificing and killing others.

Of course, Keter isn’t understanding or supporting the Grand Duke’s feelings now. It’s just that understanding the opponent makes fighting easier.

“Nipur, you pretended to be kind but ended up mocking me.”

If he wanted to stop the Grand Duke’s plan, he should have done it before Ruquer’s fog started spreading. Once Ruquer’s fog starts spreading, it can’t be stopped.

Moreover, Ruquer is in a ‘cooperative’ relationship with the Demon Realm. If Ruquer’s fog reaches the Demon Realm, the monsters of the Demon Realm can move through Ruquer’s fog.

Transcendent beings struggling to handle the monsters of the Demon Realm, and now they’re starting to spread across the world?

“It’s the end of the human era.”

A world ruled by monsters will come. Humans will become livestock.

Keter doesn’t want such a world. So, he wondered.

“Not just me, but everyone would hate it.”

The world is already paying attention to Prince Rukan, who dragged the monsters of the Demon Realm into the war.

If Ruquer’s fog starts swallowing the world, no one will stand by idly.

“Do you think you can win even after turning the whole world against you?”

Keter acknowledges that Ruquer and the monsters of the Demon Realm are strong.

But if the entire world’s power combines, it’s a different story.

“No matter how great the Grand Duke is, he can’t handle that.”

The kings of each country are all ‘gods.’ Can the Grand Duke handle all of them alone?

Impossible.

And the Grand Duke must know that.

“The Grand Duke must have a countermeasure for that.”

What it is, I don’t know, but it must be something powerful enough to kill a ‘god.’

“The Grand Duke hates gambling.”

Alkione isn’t the type to act recklessly. He only moves when he’s certain.

This makes Keter tense. And excited.

“It’s going to be tough.”

An era of chaos.

A world where even Transcendent beings will struggle to survive.

In such a world, protecting a family of tens of thousands while fighting is an enormous burden for Keter.

Yet, Keter laughed. Out of excitement. Imagining himself desperately protecting his family in a world turned into chaos.

Keter brushed his bangs aside. While the death of a loved one is frightening, the very situation of fighting while carrying that fear makes him feel alive.

Keter had to admit it.

He had been denying it until now.

That the world made him a madman.

That the world went mad, so I went mad too.

But that wasn’t it.

“I guess I really am a madman.”

Keter realized his identity.

Perhaps Nipur was watching this too. The pure white world scattered like fog, moving Keter to another space.

6th level, the Afterworld.

This is a land that rejects living beings.

Boiling lava flows like rivers, and poisonous gas spews from the ground. Acidic green rain falls from the sky.

A place where even Transcendent beings struggle to last an hour. In such a place, someone called out to Keter.

“I almost fell asleep waiting, crybaby.”

Sword Demon Walt.

He, who had started later than Keter, was waiting for Keter on the 6th level.

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