In truth, the objective wasn’t all that grand.
Ding-!
[You have discovered a new location: Seiran Library]
The only library in the Middle City of the Border City. The mont I stepped inside, the first thing I saw was the impressive motto engraved on the plaque near the main entrance:
“Information is the key to survival and the seed of power.”
The library had been closed for internal renovations over the past few days, but today it had reopened its doors. In the ga, this location only beca accessible after clearing Act 1, Chapter 2. It seed that, in reality, the sa condition had applied.
“If not for that, I would’ve co here much earlier.”
[Alphonse of Red Street gapes in astonishnt at how enormous this library is]
Ten floors in total, including the underground levels. Between tightly packed rows of bookshelves bustled ard adventurers, researchers, and scholars. The collections here were so vast and so useful that representatives of every profession stopped by.
Various walkthrough guides compiled by renowned exploration squads.
Foundational books necessary for novice adventurers.
Even banned books — the kind one wouldn’t dare imagine outside Luthien’s sphere of influence.
“There’s every kind of book here.”
That was because the city administration actively replenished the library’s holdings. The diverse knowledge contained in these books increased the survival rate of adventurers. And higher survival rates inevitably led to more expeditions and better results.
As part of this effort, book donations were encouraged. Donors received various rewards and privileges, so adventurers and scholars not only submitted mysterious ancient tos found in the Labyrinth but also wrote and contributed books themselves.
[King of Ninety-Nine Defeats notes that this is a good strategy]
There were even novels and art collections for those exhausted in body and spirit. No wonder the place was so crowded.
“...Does this world need a hero? What kind of book title is that?”
[Drug-Addicted Saint asks which book I am looking for]
“The book I’m looking for...”
I shifted my gaze to the shelves filled with literature about gods. Folk tales, myths, legends, various scriptures... exactly what I needed.
“I’ll start there.”
But before beginning the search, I had sothing to take care of.
Tap—
I turned away from my objective and walked to a shelf on the opposite side. Then I found and pulled out a book. Its title was strange: . But the mont I placed it before the cat statue on the 9th floor—
Ding-!
[Hidden object discovered! The cat wants to read too]
— Luck 1
— Noise while in stealth permanently reduced
— Night vision improved
[※ The cat statue seems to be smiling]
I exhaled in satisfaction.
“So it works after all.”
Seiran Library. Because of the countless small hidden objects scattered throughout, players had nicknad this place the “honey pot.”
.
.
.
Half a day passed like that.
I scribbled nonsense in the corner of a reading desk. Wrote the word “Book” backward on the bathroom mirror. Buried a ghost storybook in the lower garden. It was a mont when the ta-knowledge of a transmigrator shone in full glory.
[Luck 1]
[Reputation growth rate slightly increased!]
[Luck 1]
[Divine magic resistance slightly increased!]
[Luck 1]
[Chance of rare item drops slightly increased!] .......
There were no combat bonuses, but non-combat privileges and the Luck stat had increased noticeably. Especially Luck, which rose by 1 for every hidden object. Luck is a special stat whose official description reads: “affects evasion chance, critical damage, and strange coincidences.” It is also a stat that cannot be invested in directly like Magic Power, making it extrely difficult to raise on one’s own. But thanks to sweeping today’s hidden objects, my Luck had reached a full 19 points. Nearly double what it was before.
“...Could the companion event trigger again?”
With anticipation, I completed the final hidden object in the library. It involved secretly placing desserts and love letters on people’s tables and slipping away unnoticed.
Ding-!
[Luck has reached 20]
[Your Luck shines even brighter. Minor misfortunes naturally avoid you, and unexpected small fortunes hover nearby]
[Companion character affinity growth rate slightly increased!]
Passing by people who looked around in delight, I returned to the quiet shelves. It was already late. The many visitors began leaving one by one.
“Well then... let’s begin.”
Ti to focus on the main objective. I gathered the volus I had marked earlier and sat at a reading desk.
All books declared forbidden by Luthien because they questioned their myths. If it were peak hours, I would surely have drawn the sharp gazes of Luthien’s believers. But that couldn’t be helped.
“The information I’m looking for won’t be in ordinary books.”
Luthien’s mythology is falsified. They committed countless fabrications to swallow this world. For a long ti, they presented the Seven Evil Gods they worshiped as “seven benevolent gods,” preaching it to the world. They seized every sphere of life on the continent — from scriptures and education to art, songs, literature, and legend.
“And the gods who truly protected humanity and led civilization to prosperity were entirely different.”
The so-called “Forgotten Era.” The na of the ti of gods erased by Luthien. Whether that thorough falsification had been reflected in the ga’s settings or not, records and legends connected to it were nearly nonexistent even in the ga. As a result, even I — an avid player — knew little about the Forgotten Era.
“A kind of MacGuffin.”
The problem was that even now, with everything made real, information was hard to find. Only a handful of banned books remained, filled with vague speculation.
“But I have to uncover whatever I can.”
I needed to find a god not listed in any guidebooks — one connected to Return After Death and Karma. It was unlikely such a god would appear in myths or legends edited by Luthien.
Rustle—
I opened the first page.
[This world is woven from threads of lies...]
***
About nine hours of reading later. In short — no direct clues. I combed through every keyword that might be relevant, but no legend or tale fit. I suppressed the rising disappointnt.
“Well, Ro wasn’t built in a day.”
At least I found ntions of “ti flowing backward” in a couple of books.
[Our conclusion is this: ti is a cosmic constant, and no deity or being can surpass this law]
[Ti is a wall shaped like a door. It appears open, but no one has passed through it]
[They burned worlds and overturned the order of stars. But they failed to bend ti]
...Though all of them declared it “impossible.” Be it a renowned scholar, a devout priest, or a great archmage. All spoke with one voice.
That not even the most powerful deity could interfere with ti itself. That ti was an absolute concept, never to be altered or falsified.
“If you think about it...”
Whether by coincidence or design, had been a ga without a conventional save and load system. But then... what exactly was happening to now?
“Moreover, you three imdiately realized I had returned. If everything written here is true, how could you be so calm? Doesn’t that contradict the laws of the world?!”
[.......]
“A god who governs ti truly doesn’t exist?”
Naturally, no answer ca from the three gods.
“If you know anything at all, spit it out. I’ll pay in Karma.”
[......]
As expected. With a sigh, I closed the final book.
, by Ellen Beyra. One paragraph clung stubbornly to my mind.
[Countless experints have proven powerless before the irreversibility of ti. However, I will not stop. For sowhere along this path, I glimpsed a single possibility]
Ellen Beyra. The only person ntioned as having allowed for the possibility of reversing ti. But unfortunately, Seiran Library held none of her other works. This book had been lying in a dusty corner. If the title hadn’t caught my eye by chance, I would have missed it.
“...An unpopular author, maybe?”
Perhaps the Upper City library had more of her books. But access to the Upper City was currently sealed.
“Damn. A dead end.”
Still, it wasn’t a waste. Though unrelated directly to Karma or Return, there had been so gains.
I opened my notebook and reread the dense notes I had taken. They were brief summaries from books published by a research society called the “Circle of /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Oblivion,” and they were intriguing.
— Under Luthien’s tyranny, most ancient gods vanished, but so survived.
— In rare cases, their existence has been observed in the form of artifacts or naless guardian spirits.
...Doesn’t that sound familiar?
“That’s practically written about you. Isn’t it?”
[The three gods remain silent]
I continued reading.
— Unfortunately, Luthien’s side appears to swiftly purge such traces. However, it remains an undeniable fact that they still exist in this world.
That was a crucial lead. Deities who once watched over humanity but lost their status after being driven out by Luthien’s Evil Gods. In the original ga, these forgotten benevolent gods remained re lore — never stepping into the forefront of the narrative.
The player interacted only with the gods of the current era and overca trials with their help. That was the established formula. And it made sense. There was no point interacting with weakened, withering gods. ...But I was different.
“Because I can restore the ancient gods’ status with Karma. The status of gods who were once strong enough to stand on equal footing with the Seven Evil Gods.”
[......]
“My guess is correct. You are truly great deities. And sowhere out there, other great benevolent gods still remain.”
I didn’t need an answer. Find the forgotten good gods. A new and clear objective had taken shape. There was no concrete thod yet, but— I felt this path was the only loophole that could lead a background character like to the true ending.
“Alright. That’s enough for today.”
In any case, even within this fog, I had found a faint point of orientation. Satisfied, I stretched and looked out the window. The sky was ink-black. It was already four in the morning. The library was unnaturally quiet, and the few remaining visitors dozed in the applied literature section. The ancient manuscripts wing where I sat was practically deserted.
“.......”
...At least, it had been.
“What the... when did he get here?”
A silhouette wrapped in a black robe sat quietly at the table across from . I instinctively looked closer. Imdiately, I felt sothing wrong.
“Why didn’t I notice him approaching? ‘Serpent’s Nest’ should be active...?”
Moreover, in the several seconds I watched him, he didn’t move once. He held a book but did not turn pages or shift posture. There were no breaths — none of the subtle movents a living being should make. He simply sat there, head bowed, completely still.
“.......”
A chill crawled down my spine. This wasn’t imagination.
Sothing was wrong. The mont I beca certain of that—
Our eyes t.
“......?”
I realized it too late. His gaze had not been directed at the book, but at — through the bookshelves. From the very beginning. All this ti.
“Ah.”
...I don’t know what happened first.
In an instant—
Those unfocused, murky, ominous pupils disappeared behind his eyelids. And the monstrous silhouette dissolved into the air like a mirage.
“.......”
I stood there for so ti, frozen in the silent library.
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