Chapter 53

Along with the sudden pouring of immense light.

Crackle— Crackle—

Soon, the Abyss’s Toughening Cobweb composed of Roan’s mana began to make precarious sounds.

‘Is it going to break?’

Even Roan, who was watching, felt a slight sense of worry.

No matter how much it strengthened in proportion to the internal force, there was naturally a limit.

If the barrier collapsed and the energy leaked outside…

‘For start, rumors would spread that some crazy guy had summoned an authority.’

At the current point in time, the number of officially existing authorities in Akerandir could be counted on one’s fingers.

Three of them were held by Harden.

But what if a famous figure like Roan obtained an authority?

The Holy Empire’s unique, exaggerated fuss would explode.

It was an event of a completely different dimension from awakening holy power before baptism.

But what if that authority was strictly the Administrator of the Forbidden Library?

‘Well… most people would still congratulate me.’

But what about Professor Kaina?

Since the things inside it were what they were, it would likely become extremely troublesome.

If attention was drawn like that, unwanted secrets could leak out as well.

Either way, not getting caught was the best.

While Roan hurriedly repaired the barrier, he summoned the False Divinity.

‘Since this is your doing, eat up the holy power on your own!’

Hummmm…

The False Divinity struggled to vibrate.

I’m already doing it…!

And it was your doing, not mine!

Anyway, after the tearful efforts of the two and the authority.

Swoosh—

The light emerging from the authority summoning circle gradually faded.

The Divine Tree leaf spread on the desk had floated into the air before he knew it.

In front of it, the patterns and Hilonian letters Roan had engraved emerged in the air and rotated mystically.

“This is… the Administrator of the Forbidden Library…”

Roan watched the scene with slightly dazed eyes.

Although he had thought the illustrations in “God and Devil” were close to perfect.

Just as the real Akerandir did, and just as the majesty of the Divine Tree did.

The emotion of actually facing a sacredness that could not dare be expressed in illustrations was immense.

‘Still, I must stay focused.’

But Roan soon corrected his expression.

In fact, summoning the Administrator of the Forbidden Library itself wasn’t a very difficult task.

‘The problem is the trial to be recognized as its master.’

The trial of the authority, which had harassed players to a truly brutal extent in the game.

It was so difficult that even Roan had failed it several times, clicking his tongue.

A minimum of five attempts!

Knowing that, he had gathered plenty of ingredients from the Divine Tree management service.

Roan swallowed his saliva and was about to place his hand on the summoning pattern.

‘This looks a bit different from what I saw. Is it done properly?’

Since he was highly tense, Roan was pointing out even minor details paranoidly!

Hum— Hum—!!

Just shut up and enter!

Naturally, the authority felt thoroughly annoyed.

Then.

Hum—?

Where did you see this?

It suddenly had a doubt.

Where on earth did this sixteen-year-old kid see the scene of summoning an authority?

‘…Looking closely, it seems well done.’

Instead of answering, Roan subtly changed the subject.

Hummm—

I asked where you saw it?

‘As expected, it is a great authority. To think it even summoned the same authority. I didn’t expect it at all.’

But when Roan complimented it a few times, the False Divinity soon puffed up and forgot its doubt.

Simple guy.

Roan grinned and placed his hand on the pattern.

Flash—

A bright light flashed, and Roan vanished without a trace.

Only the Divine Tree leaf, returned to its normal state, fluttered down onto the desk.

***

The place Roan opened his eyes was a hollow stone room with nothing in it.

Crossing the giant gate in front of him would lead straight to the Forbidden Library.

However.

‘Phew… to think I have to pass that trial again.’

Recalling what lay ahead, Roan gritted his teeth.

The trial to be recognized as the master of the Forbidden Library.

That nightmare was still deeply engraved in his mind.

If there was a saving grace, it was that since this was strictly inside his mental world, whatever happened here wouldn’t affect his physical body outside.

‘And that as a black mage, I don’t need to worry about my vision.’

In the first phase, he had to endure a storm of mana bullets flying from who knows where.

Whether to block or evade was up to him, but the sheer quantity was one thing, and the fact that he didn’t know where they would fly from was the problem.

But.

Click— Clack—

Ominous mechanical sounds echoed from all directions, even from above and below.

It was the sound of the weapons that would fire the mana bullets emerging from behind the bricks to aim at Roan.

‘Normally, there are many attacks coming from behind the vision, so as long as I watch out for those…’

Roan calmly recalled the patterns he had acquired through experience.

And in fact, the first trial wasn’t even considered difficult.

One could pass it with just a decent level of skill.

Hummmm—

Soon, the sound of the mana bullets warming up echoed like an echo against the walls of the stone room.

The moment Roan tensed his muscles and mana to react at any time.

Swoosh—

“?”

Suddenly, the hundreds of mana weapons retreated behind the walls again, as if they had never emitted a murderous aura.

‘Is it broken?’

It might be a trap.

Since he didn’t know the reason, letting his guard down was forbidden.

Who knew if they would suddenly pop out and pour a storm of mana bullets?

But the anomaly did not end there.

Rumble—

With a heavy sound, the giant gate in front also began to open slowly.

And a bright light emerging from beyond poured into the stone room.

“???”

This time, Roan had no choice but to show an absurd expression.

‘Was it patched in the meantime?’

He hadn’t felt that way at all?

Furthermore, why on earth would only the trial for the Administrator of the Forbidden Library be patched separately, leaving other things alone?

‘Could this also be a trap.’

Since he didn’t know what kind of vicious intent was hidden, Roan didn’t take a step forward easily, even though he broke out in a cold sweat.

Roan, who did not withdraw his suspicion despite the gate representing passing the trial being open!

Hum—

Unable to watch any longer, the False Divinity vibrated lightly.

Just believe it!

But Roan did not believe even the advice of the False Divinity.

‘To survive, it is best to suspect everything.’

If you die because you didn’t suspect, it’s your fault, but if you live even because of a false suspicion, you survive anyway.

It was a precious experience Roan had gained while playing “God and Devil.”

Ultimately, after ten and twenty minutes had passed, Roan, who had merely glared at the gate without any movement.

‘It seems the trial has changed.’

Without letting go of his lingering attachment until the end, he walked cautiously toward the gate.

Hummmm—

I said you can just go!

In the end, the one who was frustrated was the False Divinity.

No, if you couldn’t trust the authority’s words even after entering the authority, who on earth could you trust!

Of course, Roan also had something to say.

‘I only trust myself.’

From the Holy Spirit to the black mages, trust no one.

…No, maybe a black mage was okay to trust.

In any case, holding an uneasy mind, Roan moved his steps beyond the gate.

That place was, surprisingly.

“!!!!”

The real Forbidden Library Roan knew!

Although the wide and giant space looked similar to the Elront Grand Library, it was actually completely different.

Bookshelves that soared to the sky were placed endlessly.

Not only that, but numerous books that couldn’t be slotted flew around in groups like asteroids flying in space.

All of those were black magic or heretical books.

‘Even this could be a trap—’

Booo───!

The False Divinity now openly booed.

‘Being cautious is good, but isn’t this a disease at this point?’

But to Roan, it couldn’t be helped.

Since the number of attempts he made to enter the Forbidden Library in “God and Devil” exceeded hundreds of times.

He simply didn’t want to admit that he had entered this easily.

‘Then what does that make all the struggles I’ve gone through…’

Roan’s feeling was similar to that of veterans complaining, ‘Is today’s military even a military!’

‘I suffered like that, so the people behind me should suffer just as much!’

…Of course, in this case, the one who suffered and the one who entered easily were both Roan.

In any case, just as there was Molay in the Elront Grand Library, a librarian also existed in the Forbidden Library.

It was that blonde man sitting on the comfortable rocking chair over there, staring blankly at Roan who had crossed the gate.

But even though he was the librarian, Roan hadn’t paid him much attention.

Because that blonde man was a librarian who was the peak of unfriendliness, in a different sense from Molay.

‘To think I don’t even know his name…’

In “God and Devil,” he was merely introduced as the ‘Unidentified Librarian’.

If one spoke to him, he rarely answered, and if one pressed him, he would only get annoyed.

If asked where a book was, he would lazily give a half-hearted or completely wrong answer and tell them to find it themselves.

Most of the time, he merely sat in that rocking chair and stared silently at the user.

So Roan also didn’t pay attention to the librarian later.

‘Since this authority, full of black magic books, wasn’t particularly needed for a priest character…’

In the first place, because the nature of the authority ‘Administrator of the Forbidden Library’ was too ambiguous, there was rarely a reason to enter.

A priest had little use for it even if they obtained it, and a black mage couldn’t open it in the first place.

It was merely like a tool to receive recognition as one who obtained the authority and for achievement hunts during the Akerandir start.

Or to find rare magic in advance in preparation for a black mage playthrough.

‘But this time is different.’

Roan walked toward the librarian with a serious expression.

Putting other things aside, there was one thing he had to address.

“Why didn’t you run any of the trials?”

Roan asked with a murderous expression.

An absurd situation where he complained why the trial wasn’t hard after entering easily!

But Roan was resolved to use force to get an answer this time if the librarian didn’t open his mouth.

“…”

Instead of answering immediately, the librarian looked up at Roan standing in front of him.

And then.

“I have been waiting for a master like you. For thousands of years.”

“??????”

He said this out of the blue.

Roan’s mouth fell open.

“What did you just say…?”

Because he couldn’t believe his ears.

But soon regaining his senses, Roan began to question him step-by-step.

“Why didn’t you fire the mana bullets?”

“Is such a thing needed?”

“What about the trial where one must correct a single upside-down holy symbol among thousands that are all oriented correctly?”

“I’m asking if such a thing is needed.”

“What about the trial where one must watch a worm in a maze repeatedly miss the exit for an hour?”

“No, I said such a thing isn’t needed.”

“Then the dominoes that fall nicely but go out of alignment in the middle…”

Roan listed numerous trials he had to endure while suffering like a dog.

As he said earlier, enduring the first phase of the ‘mana bullet storm’ was nothing.

The trials where one had to endure ‘mentally uncomfortable situations’ for hours were the real deal!

They were truly vicious and cruel trials…

But every time, the unidentified librarian merely replied.

“So, why is that needed?”

“Didn’t everyone else have to do them!”

Ultimately, unable to hold back, Roan raised his voice.

Only then did the librarian nod as if he understood.

“Well, that was to keep those weak priest bastards out.”

“You crazy…”