GDCG c283

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Chapter 283

note: I'm posting this slightly early cause I'm scared. The web novel translations got taken down and many other google drives with translations. 😰 I'm so cooked. If this is the last time I post, it's been nice knowing you all and knowing how much we all enjoy this novel o7 I can only hope that this doesn't get taken down.

update a day later: there was one chapter that got taken down because it linked to the manhwa teaser but I reposted it after removing the link. Other than that, no bad news so far so we're safe for now! I will continue posting chapters based on my schedule (next chapters on the 31st) :D

 

The silent corridors of the Hanbit Library.

The security team leader quietly lowered his head.

His gaze remained fixed on his own hand.

As if recalling how, just moments ago, he had raised that black, grotesque forepaw-shaped contamination to subdue the wolf team leader.

…Or perhaps reflecting on his own state just before that attack, when he had torn his tongue and partially loosened his restraints.

"......."

I accepted everything I had experienced in the Hanbit Library—split into Golden, Grapes, and Roe Deer—as my own, becoming one again.

If that was the case, then perhaps the security team leader as well…

"Mm……"

“...!"

The security team leader opened his mouth.

And then…

"So this is what it was like."

A quiet voice.

Without thinking, I called out.

"Wolf team leader?"

The other man raised his head.

Then he looked back at me and spoke again…

"Um… I’d rather… you not call me that…… It’s too confusing……"

Ah.

His limbs hung weakly, and his eyes remained drained of energy.

The security team leader was still the same as ever.

"Didn’t the two of you merge back into one?"

"Mm……"

The security team leader seemed to choose his words carefully.

"If we speak of it… as a book…… Even if I know that page exists inside me… a page stained with ink… or crumpled… can’t be read like it was before……."

"......."

"And the one who restored that page…… was probably… this library’s power……."

…To J3, who already barely remembered himself before contamination, his days as the wolf team leader had been a kind of 'damaged page.'

And damaged pages still couldn’t be read. But…

"Even so, the sensations from walking together with me today must still remain."

"......."

"That’s why you said, ‘So this is what it was like.’ Because you felt something different from before."

About his own past.

About who he had been before contamination.

Because he had merged with a state that had once known himself before becoming damaged.

And then…

"Right……"

“...!"

Only then did another emotion appear on the security team leader’s face.

A numb expression.

The stillness that surfaces when someone long accustomed to failure and pain—someone who had grown dulled to it, and eventually lost even that sensation—finally feels the ache again.

"I remembered… what it felt like… again……."

"......."

I didn’t know.

'Is that a good thing? Or a bad thing?'

If remembering the self that had grown numb, forgotten, and lost was itself overwhelming pain.

'…Maybe we’ll only know after some time passes.'

What would remain after he processed that pain?

What would J3 regain?

I remembered clearly.

The question I had asked him more than half a year ago.

—By any chance, Mr. J, what wish brought you into this company?

…Maybe someday, I would finally hear the answer.

But instead of asking now, I stepped closer to the security team leader and bowed my head.

"You worked hard."

"......."

"And thank you. Because of you, I survived several times during today’s exploration. …Mr. J."

"No……."

The security team leader adjusted his dental mask.

That movement of his hand… was exactly the same as the way a certain former elite team member who had been beside me moments ago used to adjust his mask….

"......."

"…So what exactly is all this supposed to mean, Roe Deer?"

Ah.

"Assistant Manager."

The others, who had quietly stayed silent because of the atmosphere, finally began asking me questions, and only then did I start explaining everything that had happened to us.

What I had experienced while traveling alongside the wolf team leader.

Exploring Segwang Technical High School, realizing the truth of the situation just before becoming a librarian.

And even how we had merged back into one.

"What a wild ride."

"Seriously."

Incidentally, in the case of the former Team D that had been with 'Grapes,' events had unfolded in a completely different way from the groups with Golden or Roe Deer….

—Everyone, stay alert.

—Our rookie Badger, be careful in here.

—Y-Yes, yes sir…!

Specifically, it was Team D from the era before I had joined that had appeared in another corridor…!

The Team D members recognized it immediately from the hairstyles and forms of address, and they moved even faster to uncover the library’s truth.

All while coaxing and reassuring me—now turned into Grapes—and desperately trying to avoid encountering their own doppelgängers.

"No, but our team leader was literally identical. I thought I’d split in half or something."

"Hahaha…"

Incidentally, Section Chief Lizard had appeared as two completely identical lizard heads, making it utterly impossible to tell them apart….

—T-Team Leader?

—Yes.

—Yes.

—Holy shit, he heard me from that distance. Run!

"......."

Come to think of it, hadn’t they said those alien reptiles were barely affected by contamination?

Maybe Section Chief Lizard really was the same person on every page, no matter which one you looked at….

'Anyway, I’m glad we safely merged back together.'

And even more surprising was…

"We’re out. The entrance."

My yarn had functioned properly and guided us to the exit.

As though all the bizarre and grotesque things that had happened while following the yarn until now had been lies, we returned to the station entrance where we had first entered.

"So wasn’t this library looking for a librarian? Wasn’t it trying to kidnap us like a Venus flytrap or something?"

That’s what I thought too.

As I pondered it, I realized something.

The usage rules.

Stare into the window

Do not go underground

If you obtain one thing, leave

"Maybe… it was a kind of test."

"A test?"

"Yes. It was judging whether someone was qualified to properly use the library."

"...!"

In myths and legends, it was common for places that stored knowledge to 'verify whether a visitor possessed enough wisdom to deserve that knowledge.'

Meaning it wouldn’t be strange at all for an urban legend or ghost story to operate that way as well.

"When we stared into the window and split into multiple forms existing simultaneously, only those who realized the truth instead of trying to eliminate the others or offer them as sacrifices were qualified to become users."

There was a reason doppelgänger ghost stories existed all over the world.

When faced with something identical to yourself, existential rejection naturally rose up inside you, making it an extremely difficult trial.

"So anyone who lacked the mental discipline and killed their other self just got forced into librarian duty?"

"Sounds like labor reeducation punishment. Mm, Roe Deer’s explanation actually makes sense."

Supervisor Park Minseong nodded in agreement.

And I recalled the final usage rule.

If you obtain one thing, leave.

Maybe it didn’t mean "leave after obtaining a librarian."

Maybe it meant that once you understood the truth of the situation and regained yourself as one whole being, that was when you could safely leave.

'Hmm.'

Thinking about it that way, this Hanbit Library felt somewhat different from the ghost stories we had encountered until now.

Almost sacred, even. Rather than malice or horror, it inspired awe and fear through a vast will beyond human understanding.

'Is it because of the nature of the 'being that must worship,' the one that made the library its sanctuary?'

Of course, those thoughts were only possible because we had passed the test.

"Either way, we can see the entrance now, so let’s head out. That alright with you, Team Leader?"

"Yes."

We agreed to leave the Hanbit Library and return to reality.

There were simply too many things from this exploration that needed to be confirmed once we got back.

'…I also want to investigate the train Ms. Yeongeun mentioned.'

I felt anxious, but after thinking about Segwang Technical High School, there was no way I could keep delaying things and continue exploring….

But then—

"Um, should I just stay here?"

"Huh?"

Supervisor Park Minseong stopped walking.

"I mean, I’m normal here…… So I was thinking maybe I could stay and act as backup or something! I’ve got both arms, and I’m in my right mind."

Ah.

Section Chief Lee Jaheon’s voice cut in decisively.

"Denied."

"......."

"The probability of surviving alone in that darkness for longer than fifteen days is low, and numerous uncontrollable variables are presumed to exist. Return."

"Ah…"

Supervisor Park Minseong’s voice weakened.

"Um, treatment probably continued in reality too, so there’s a high chance your contamination has improved compared to before."

"Right. We… have to confirm it first……."

"Yeah, let’s go, Badger."

"…Yes."

And just like that, the situation was settled.

'Phew.'

[Ah, at last, the ending. It was quite an interesting exploration.] 

You… sigh, forget it.

'This isn’t exactly a one-time thing.'

Since today ended well, I’d let it slide for now.

As we left the Hanbit Library, we took the euthanasia drug.

"We’re going to have a lot to do once we wake up."

And so, the Segwang Special City exploration came to an end—its first conclusion without immediate danger, and with everyone safe.

***

A short while earlier.

Just before everyone took the euthanasia drug.

"......."

J3, the one who had lost his name, raised his head and looked back.

Toward the corridor overflowing with books, toward the entrance of the bizarre library and the place beyond it. 

And he remembered.

The hidden path.

Himself walking, both bound and binding another, through the strange corridor beyond the bookshelf.

And at the dead end of the black-and-red passage leading downward to worship the owner of this library by turning his companions into librarians… the words written on the signboards.

· ■Room■chive

→■deo■Vi

←■■■■om

↑■chive Room

The others had not noticed.

But this contaminated being, possessing an inhuman vision capable of piercing completely through the darkness, had noticed.

There had not been only one signboard.

Small supplementary signs had been attached separately to the bookshelves in each direction indicated by the main sign.

And the one attached to the right side had read this.

■chive■Video

: piece now■Master II Fairy■Tales

To reconstruct it properly—

Video Archive Room

: Masterpiece Fairy Tales II now showing

"......."

He remembered.

Long ago, another fairy-tale ghost story that had once been lost within Daydream Inc., and the method of entering it.

Entry Method:

Viewing a specific video purchased from a used video store located in an alley within the redevelopment district on the outskirts of ■■ City.

(The viewing method follows the special exhibition screening procedure developed by the research team.)

That video was a movie, and its title was—

He remembered.

'World Masterpiece Fairy Tales.'

"......."

"Mr. J. Let’s go."

"Okay…." 

The exploration had already ended, and J3 had long since worn away any motivation to act upon his own desires or emotions.

So he obediently took the euthanasia drug.

At least this time.

***

"You’ve awakened."

I opened my eyes.

In front of me was the familiar sight of Ho Yuwon looking down at me with a smile.

"What kind of things did you experience this time? And what did you uncover?"

Obsessive questions poured down like bombardment, but there was something I needed to confirm first.

Confirmation: Dream Essence Collector

I pulled out the item I had brought with me. The object I had taken along just in case contained…

A rippling golden liquid.

"...!"

It had been collected.

Suggestion: Visual appraisal

Ho Yuwon’s eyes narrowed.

"B. Almost… close to A. No, it might even qualify as A."

'...!'

The result exceeded expectations. 

'If we had directly met the owner of the library—or at least fully perceived it as an existence—we might have gotten an even higher grade.'

But without needing to take that level of risk, this alone was already an incredible result.

Researching a method of dark exploration that entered through dreams and extracted high-grade potions without casualties?

'This is absolutely going to work.'

And we had brought four Dream Essence Collectors with us.

'Even excluding the one entrusted to the security team leader, three is more than enough to submit to the company as an initial achievement…!'

But the truly shocking part came after everyone woke up.

As everyone checked their Dream Essence Collectors, the security team leader also pulled his out….

"Wait, that’s……."

“...….”

Brilliant golden light shimmered within it.

Even the Dream Essence Collector given to the security team leader had filled with liquid. 

'Good lord.'

That one had practically just been handed to him temporarily because it had been difficult to entrust it to Supervisor Park Minseong in his fully contaminated state. Yet it contained liquid.

But Ho Yuwon’s next comment made me understand the situation.

"Hmm. The purity is a bit lower compared to the others……."

Ah.

'It was counted as having been collected while he was in the wolf team leader state.'

It had clearly been evaluated based on the period when he explored Segwang Technical High School with me—and when we escaped from it….

"......."

However, until Ho Yuwon collected it, the security team leader stared blankly at the Dream Essence Collector taken from his chest for several seconds.

He had clearly felt something from it.

'.......'

As politely as possible, I turned my gaze away from it and asked about the condition of the other team member.

More specifically, the teammate who was not present with us.

Question: Badger’s condition

"Ah, that person did wake up, but… holding a conversation with him will be difficult. He’s still contaminated."

Ah.

"Unfortunately, his arms haven’t regenerated either. But he seems to think they’re there, because he keeps making training manuals appear from somewhere and trying to pick them up."

"......."

So it was as I thought.

It seemed Supervisor Park Minseong could only remain sane and regain both arms while inside Segwang Special City.

'Still… if he slowly recovers from contamination in reality too, then regeneration potions should eventually start working on him.'

For now, I had to force myself to think that way. Letting out black smoke, I painfully redirected my thoughts.

"So… can you answer me now?"

Ho Yuwon’s eyes gleamed again.

"What exactly did you uncover in Segwang Special City this time?"

…….

I moved the smoke, forming words.

Question:

Regarding the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau’s Deployment and Rescue Division.

"Those agents are still aggressively trying to contact us even now. Saying it’s urgent, threatening us to inform them immediately once Roe Deer wakes up…… Though it’s rude, I suppose it’s something I have to deal with. More importantly, what happened in Segwang Special City……."

…….

I added another question.

More specifically.

Question:

Regarding the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau’s Deployment and Rescue Division.

Deployment and Rescue Division Azure Dragon Team

Ho Yuwon froze.

As though pierced by a spear, as though crushed beneath a building, his body went completely still before a voice emerged from it….

"Finally."

A voice filled with joy.

I raised my head.

"You figured it out."

A smile brimming with exhilaration spread across Ho Yuwon’s face.

 

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