The third floor of the Academy Library, office.
“This is Do Ji-hwan, who will be working as a librarian from today. Greet them.”
“Hello, I look forward to working with you.”
I greeted them, but the response was cold.
I felt it from the start. The atmosphere was not welcoming.
“I’ll introduce you to each one later. Let’s go out for now.”
The library director, who was introducing , led outside with a grim face.
Click.
After locking the director’s office door, he checked for any potential prying eyes and whispered softly.
“I’m sorry.”
“Speak.”
“Yes?”
“Comfortably.”
The director, who addressed formally, was imdiately warned by .
“‘Speak comfortably’, what do you an by that…”
“Behave professionally. According to your position. According to the situation.”
As I frowned and warned him. Only then did the director realize what I wanted to say.
“Ah, ahem. I’m sorr… I apologize. I’ve been out of sorts lately.”
The director fanned his face with his hand and coughed awkwardly.
“I am Baek Ok-gi, the Library Director. I have been in charge of the library since it was established in the Academy.”
“You’ve been working for a long ti.”
“Yes. And the reason why the reaction to you is so cold is because they think you are my parachute appointnt.”
“I understand.”
If it was a parachute appointnt, it couldn’t be helped.
Unsurprisingly, the others, who had to go through a strenuous examination process to get here, would view an individual who secured a position through connections unfavorably.
In reality, though, I was an executive-level talent known as the Goblin that had co under the guise of a librarian.
“This library consists of a total of five floors. Three floors above ground and two underground. You will be in charge of the storage area on the second underground floor.”
“I thought there were stairs going down to the third basent level?”
“The third basent is a preservation storage area, where we keep books that need to be discarded. The first and second basents are general bookshelves, and the first and second floors are reading rooms. The third floor doubles as a book cafe and an office.”
“So, I’m supposed to go down to the basent?”
“Yes. For now, you will need to work in the basent. Ideally, you should have taken over the position of your predecessor, but they were of a higher rank.”
“Didn’t I co in at the sa rank?”
“That’s true. However, it’s hard to ignore the seniority system in place, especially in isolated spaces like Sejong Island.”
“I understand.”
In other words, I had been placed in the most challenging space where I wouldn’t even properly see sunlight and was treated as a spare.
“So, what am I supposed to do?”
“Have you worked as a librarian before?”
“Yes.”
I had learned, at least.
Before coming to Sejong Island, I worked in a small library in Busan for a week, learning what librarians did with the help of a Goblin staff mber.
“I believe there should be no major problems if I follow the manual.”
“Good. Well, there will hardly be anyone on the second basent floor. Most of the books in the second basent are related to science, technology, or arts.”
“……Yes?”
Hold on.
“Aren’t there ‘general literature’ books in the section I’m supposed to be in charge of?”
“That was supposed to be the case. However, it got a bit complicated. The general literature books are widely spread across the first and second floors; you’re not responsible for them. It’s also a place where you would have to deal with many people.”
“I see…”
“Think positively. Aside from those coming to write their theses or such, almost no one will seek the section you’re in charge of.”
Libraries had sothing called classification numbers.
It was a system that categorized books for easy organization, with subjects ranging from 000 to 900, initially distinguished by the first digit.
I was responsible for sections 400 Natural Sciences, 500 Technology and Engineering, and 600 Arts.
The books I had been targeting were all in the 800s, which were concentrated not on the 2nd-floor basent that I was in charge of, but on the 1st and 2nd floors above ground.
“So, perhaps, did you co here with the purpose of reading the books here?”
“That’s part of it.”
Novels that could not be seen outside.
Why couldn’t they be seen outside? Because the novels inside were ‘instructional materials’ for those, who had awakened their abilities in this world.
For instance, there was a novel called “Dragon of Crimson Flas”.
It was a novel about a warrior dealing with red flas, literally crimson flas.
This novel, once available as a physical book in rental stores, had its existence deleted and beca a novel that only exists within the academy.
Why was it treated like a forbidden book?
Because the protagonist in this novel used an ability very similar to a Korean Class A superhuman nad “Scarlet Dragon”.
Naturally, the order of events was reversed.
Scarlet Dragon imrsed himself in the novel and adopted the main character’s techniques as his own skills. As he demonstrated Class A aptitude, the state imdiately seized all copies of this novel and stored them in the academy.
Everyone outside knew this.
It was not so much that its existence has been erased; on the Hero Wiki, it’s clearly stated that the origin of this hero’s power was the “Dragon of Crimson Flas”’.
However, the complete seizure of the novel was to prevent any potentially unwanted situations.
To hide Scarlet Dragon’s skills.
To hide Scarlet Dragon’s weaknesses.
To prevent information about Scarlet Dragon from being deduced through the novel.
As the original author, you might feel wronged that the state had sealed the story you worked hard to write so suddenly. Still, such complaints tend to disappear in the face of sothing called a ‘patriotic pension’.
A hero existed that used the superpowers in my novel as a motif?
The author who beca the ‘original work’ for a hero’s power received a minimum monthly pension of 5 million won depending on the hero’s grade from the state.
So, this world was teeming with all sorts of literature.
Success as literature was indeed a success, but in this world where human imagination was deeply linked to the manifestation of superpowers, if one was chosen by a hero, one could lead a life as enviable as a property mogul.
An era where imagination beca power.
That was this world.
And this place, the library, was like an infinite treasure trove where all that imagination was concentrated.
…In that sense, being sent to the basent second floor, which was filled with content about natural sciences and not humanities, was like being exiled from the mainstream of this world.
Sad, but that was the reality right now.
Because in this world, humanities that could stimulate human imagination were the ‘mainstream’.
“I guess you’ll have to stay in the basent for a while. I’m sorry. I’ll try to…”
“It’s okay. Even though I’m a librarian.”
I pointed down to the lower floor.
“Couldn’t I borrow a book or sothing to that effect?”
And so.
I beca a librarian who wouldn’t receive everyone’s hospitality.
About a week after I started working.
The number of people that visited the library’s second basent floor didn’t even reach 100 a day.
It felt like even 100 was a lot. Still, considering that 2,000 people visited the humanities corner on the 1st and 2nd floors every day, this place was heaven.
‘So many students really do co.’
Through the computer lending program, I was able to see who was borrowing many books in the humanities.
Most were academy students.
They all read novels to enhance their superpowers.
And seniors indirectly gathered experience and gained strength by reading novels that ford the basis of superpowers.
‘It’s terrible.’
Having to view novels not as novels but as sothing like the ‘norm of superpowers’.
It was pitiful enough to make my tears co out on their own.
My condolences to these poor people who couldn’t enjoy content as content.
While no users were coming in, I just pulled out a borrowed book to read.
And as soon as I took it out, I had to put it back in.
“Return.”
A woman placed a book on the return table in front of .
She was a foreigner with red hair, and I took the book from the woman, who was smiling at , and stood up.
“How did you know to co here?”
“Well, I’m the one who helped you get here. I have more authority than the library director.”
“I see.”
While scanning the barcode of the books one by one, I carefully asked.
“Where do you belong?”
“Why? Are you planning to create your own ‘Night March of a Hundred Demons’?”
“I’m scared soone might hear it.”
“Oh, there are things you’re scared of? Don’t worry. There’s nobody here. I wouldn’t be shouting such stories in a situation where I might be caught by soone else.”
The woman took out a business card from her wallet and handed it to .
“Lisa La Lakshmi. Professor of Superpower Studies at Sejong Academy.”
“Ugh.”
“… What’s with that reaction?”
“I have an allergic reaction to the word ‘professor’.”
“What? Have you been a graduate student before?”
“Sothing like that.”
I was a graduate student before this possession.
“But it’s interesting. I never thought that the leader would personally deploy you here. Is it a coincidence? Beauties from every country have gathered here.”
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”
If anything, it was inevitable.
“When the academy sester starts, I won’t be able to co often. So I’ll tell you in advance. I don’t want to reveal my identity because of my unnecessary ddling and be forced to give up my professorship. So, I’m counting on you, the villain’s person.”
“You an I should handle it well without revealing your identity?”
“Sothing like that. I’m looking forward to seeing how many female students you can attract. Especially since you ca in as a librarian, not a student, teaching assistant, or instructor.”
“You can look forward to it.”
I reached out my hand to Professor Lisa La Lakshmi.
“Because it’s a basic rule in fantasy that librarians are the strongest.”
Ding dong dang dong.
The first sester of the academy had begun.
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