NOVEL WEB Chapter 18
A library appeared before them.
“Wow, they said it was a big library, but this is no joke!”
“Right? I was totally shocked when I first came to Zone 4 too!”
They admired its grandeur as they stepped inside.
A strangely aromatic scent of paper wafted through the air.
It wasn’t just adventurers here; there was a calm and quiet atmosphere.
As they looked around, they saw books here and books there. Countless bookshelves filled their vision.
“But why a library? Is there some special information we need to find?”
“By any chance, how much do you know about magic? Like, magic for tracking someone, perhaps?”
Yeriell shook her head after thinking hard for a moment.
“Um, sorry. I’m a cleric, so my knowledge of magic is just the basics that anyone knows. Should we ask a librarian?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
It was pretty foolish to hesitate while there was an expert available.
“Hello! Could you help me find a book or two?”
Approaching the desk, they greeted a librarian in a robe that screamed ‘mage’ and explained their request.
“Sure! What type of book are you looking for?”
“Is there any magic for tracking someone’s location in a labyrinth? Or even just a general direction? I’m okay with something that isn’t magic.”
“Hmm, no matter your motives, the library is open to everyone, so I’ll do my part. For tracking or compasses… just a moment.”
Phew. They were relieved, worrying that the librarian might suspect their ulterior motives.
The librarian placed a hand on a square object that looked like a magical tool and began to chant.
“Inveni Quierio.”
Vrrrmmmm…
After a moment, the librarian lifted her hand, and a blue hologram appeared on the surface of the magical device.
Glancing closely, she spoke.
“In the magic classification books on the 2nd Floor, you’ll find two books: ‘What is Common Magic’ and ‘Compilation of Curse Magic.’ You should find the information you’re looking for. I hope you find it!”
“Thank you!”
Having expressed their gratitude, they left the librarian behind and ascended to the 2nd Floor with Yeriell.
“Wow! This shelf is packed too! It’s a magic bookshelf, right? Let’s search around!”
“Yeah, sounds good. You don’t need to help me find books while you could be resting. Thanks.”
“Hehe, it’s fine. I don’t have anything else to do other than following Aren!”
After exchanging smiles, they began searching the bookshelves in opposite directions.
‘Mythology section. History section. Religion section. Fiction section—huh?’
While passing a shelf full of novels, something caught their eye; a book gleaming brightly in the upper corner.
Seriously? How could someone not notice it with a shine like that?
They reached out and pulled the book off the shelf.
‘Let’s see. The title is… nonexistent?’
Strangely, the cover had nothing but a pure white background.
They flipped it open to the first page.
───────────────
“I, Sophia, the apostle of the goddess Neftis of wisdom, declare myself the author of this book.
In hope that the summoned ones won’t be easily used by a group or die in vain, I leave behind this small arrangement.
Labyrinth of Deity.
Commonly known as the God’s Labyrinth.
A compromise reached by the gods to stop the war and a medium of summoning humans from Earth in the form of a game.
In the minors game, few users are summoned as it requires clearing specific fractures.
Those summoned fall into three categories.
[Apostles]
Possessing tremendous latent talents compared to their lives before Earth, or, by astronomical odds, having been destined to live well in the future.
In such cases, a massive causal rate is paid upon summoning, consequently granting randomly assigned powerful traits.
They are extremely rare, each favored by a god, and most grow immeasurably strong through the traits they receive.
[Divine Followers]
Regardless of whether they are good or evil gods, most summoners fall into this category.
They are summoned by selecting users who seem to expend less causal rate after clearing the game.
Most gods lead them into the Great Labyrinth, hoping to earn distinguished traits related to them to stand above all gods.
[Slaves]
These are summoned by Evil Gods who judge the summoners to be worthless, below their expectations.
After sealing their lives, they are branded and sent to the Great Labyrinth or made to expend their lives while wreaking havoc in Labyrinth City.
───────────────
‘Wow. What the heck is all this?’
[Chaos is amazed that such arrangements were hidden in the library.]
Turning the pages, they discovered details about the groups that support and those wishing to eliminate the summoned ones, as well as a list of known apostles in Labyrinth City at the time of writing.
“Aren, what book are you staring at so intently?”
Hmm. It’d be a bit weird to hide it, saying it’s nothing.
They opened the book to show Yeriell the content.
“Huh? That, her waist is curving like a bow? …Uh-oh, that’s… lewd. Is this your taste?”
What the.
“I guess there’s a section in the library after all for those colorfully descriptive novels. As long as it’s something you enjoy, who am I to judge…”
Wait, is the content automatically changing to be only readable for the summoned ones?
They regrettably found themselves in the dignified Great Library, now reading what seemed like adult stories.
‘Damn. Yeah, I guess someone reading adult stories is better than a suspicious character.’
[Chaos is rolling with laughter at the scene.]
“Anyway, here are the books I’ve found!”
[What is Common Magic]
[Compilation of Curse Magic]
“Well done, Yeriell!”
“Hehe. Let’s read them quickly.”
They carefully examined the first book.
Alarm magic. Barrier magic. Basic magic based on mana.
Flipping through, they finally found what they were looking for.
‘The Compass of Connection. Ah, this magic links positions with companions who entered the labyrinth together. Not quite what I wanted.’
Somewhat disappointed, they moved on to the second book.
‘What the heck, there are so many curses. Not this. Not that either.’
Found it!
“Curse of Tracking Arrow!”
“You found it? I’m glad you found what you wanted!”
“…It’s good I found it, but I’ll need to look for a dark magician, a curse user, or a magical tool. I’ll remember it for now, but let’s explore Zone 4 some more.”
They decided to rent the curse-related book along with Sophia’s lewd arrangement.
Due to unavoidable circumstances, they had to rent it in Yeriell’s name, having not yet completed the new adventurer training.
“The rental under adventurer Yeriell’s name has been confirmed for three days. Be advised that late fees will apply if not returned within the period.”
After leaving the library, they pondered where to go next.
…Actually, there was something they should do first.
Yeriell could no longer simply go along with their stubbornness. They had to say something.
They led Yeriell to a secluded alley where no one was around.
Squinting at the surroundings with a suspicious gaze for anyone lurking about, they found not even a rat in sight.
‘Alright. This should be safe.’
Lowering their voice, they spoke.
“Um, Yeriell.”
“Yeah, Aren?”
What a coincidence; they were on the same wavelength.
“Do you want to go first?”
“Sure! Earlier, I asked the librarian about magic to track someone, right? I was just looking through the common magic and curse magic books.”
Right. That had happened.
“Is something significant going on? I don’t know what it is, but could you tell me?”
Yeriell fidgeted, smiling awkwardly.
“Hehe. If it’s something I can help with, I’ll assist in any way I can! Of course, if it’s something hard to talk about, I understand.”
Damn. How could they explain to this kind girl that they needed to kill someone in the labyrinth because of a grudge?
‘Let’s think this through. If I tell Yeriell the truth, will it come back to bite me?’
Honestly, the chances were low.
They had seen it in the book earlier, right? There are groups that support summoned ones and those wishing to reject or kill them.
After falling into the 3rd Floor, weeks had passed since then.
Now Yeriell and Ivelyn had become inseparable from their life in the labyrinth ahead.
As soon as they revealed themselves as a summoned one, they wouldn’t be mindlessly killed; knowing this, it felt right to tell at least these two.
‘Now that I think about it, Ivelyn mentioning the game name was probably a test for memory loss, to distinguish whether the summoned one belonged to the good or evil gods.’
If they went around claiming they’d kill someone, just because of that, they would come off as a complete psycho.
It would shatter the image they had built so far.
They made a decision.
“The truth is, when I saw Isaac’s face in the guild, I remembered something I’d forgotten.”
Before seeing him again, it was true that they had forgotten his face, so it wasn’t a lie.
“Whoa! Really? What kind of memory is it?”
Even now, they felt their teeth grind unconsciously.
“One day, while walking with joy from what felt like a life-changing stroke of luck, I ran into him. I was so busy staring at what he was holding that I crashed into him hard.”
Hah. With a sigh, they continued.
“He apologized, helped me up, and that’s when the incident happened. A magic circle appeared beneath him and started to consume him.”
“A magic circle consumed him? Then someone intended to send him to somewhere, which means… you got dragged into this because of that person, right?”
Exactly. Nodding slowly.
“He seemed to panic at first, but soon he had a bright smile, as if he knew exactly where the magic circle would take him. Even as I begged him to let go, he just kept laughing weirdly.”
Crack!
They involuntarily clenched their fist. They felt anger rise with every remembrance of the past.
“Finally, I managed to peel his hand off, but it was no use. While someone watched my struggle with amusement, they summoned me.”
“How terrible…”
Yeriell looked sorrowful.
“When I regained my senses, I was in some fracture, and after meeting the god, I was dumped naked on the 3rd Floor of the Great Labyrinth. You know what happened next, right?”
“Yeah… I don’t know what to say. That must’ve been so painful.”
Yeriell gently grabbed their hand.
“You were swept away in an instant to a strange place. You lost everything you had and knew no one. I would’ve been in despair.”
Despair… They had indeed lost control and thrown a fit as soon as they fell into the fracture.
“Honestly, I might be guilty of blasphemy, but at first, I blamed both Isaac and the god who summoned me.”
There was no denying it. At that time, in their reckoning, the cause of the summoning was not just one party.
“But in the end, a god is a god, and I couldn’t keep any resentment, even if it was minor. They gave me strong traits to survive here, so my feelings toward her were quite diluted by now…”
[Chaos looks down, glancing at Seres.]
“However, that Isaac guy was responsible for my initial plight, even though he didn’t even recognize my face. He was too busy flirting with you.”
Yeah. Even if he didn’t acknowledge them, at least if he had recognized them…
“As I realized he saw me as nothing but a nobody back then, it made me angry to no end. After finally escaping from the labyrinth, I thought I’d forget all about that guy and just move forward. But that was far from the truth.”
“No, no! He took away a person’s life and was flirting around with you? How infuriating!”
Yeriell blushed with anger, bouncing around.
“So, Yeriell, I’m sorry, but I have to settle things with him in the labyrinth this time. If I kill him, can you look the other way?”
Yeriell flinched, lowering her head at the mention of killing.
“I mean, he’s the only one who knew my face before the summoning, so I need to do it to eliminate the risk of my identity as a summoned one leaking out.”
But as soon as they finished speaking firmly, she raised her head with a determined look and replied.
“That’s fine. You don’t have to say more. I’ll support you, whatever you choose to do.”
“…”
“Even if you decide to kill someone, as long as it isn’t a senseless massacre, I’ll stay by your side.”
Saying that, she suddenly hugged them, as if comforting them.
“You’ve been through so much, haven’t you? To me, that disgusting Isaac or whatever is nowhere near as important as you. So, don’t ever think I would be disappointed in you or that I’d see you differently!”
After releasing the hug, Yeriell laughed brightly.
Then she leaned in, whispering softly.
“That’s a huge secret about you being summoned, but thank you for trusting me enough to tell. I won’t speak a word to anyone; I’ll keep it until my grave! Don’t worry!”
“…Thanks. I’ll tell my master directly. Haha, things got a bit weird. So, shall we check out Zone 4 before sunset?”
“Yeah! It will be tough to find a dark magician or curse user right away, so let’s start at the magical tool shop!”
Honestly. They didn’t even understand why she was trusting them so much.
Right now, they were just grateful. Perhaps the best perk since arriving in this world was Yeriell.
Feeling warmth in their heart, they moved forward.
Let’s go. To the magical tool shop.