Chapter 1277: Dark Play (3)
Naoise Penn was a Level 9 Necromancer who had stepped onto the Second World and successfully achieved Transcendent enlightenment.
However, as the price for his existence in this world, he constantly absorbed knowledge, preserving it as records.
His maintenance of Nox Biblio and his ceaseless collection and translation of Old World grimoires were all part of that process.
Remembering the questions and answers they had exchanged before Lennok’s departure for Kundara, Lennok could infer the reason why Naoise Penn borrowed a human body to observe the mortal realm.
He even knew what to ask first of a Transcendent who had surpassed the Second World.
“Though I haven’t frequently checked the posts on the Deepweb, I have still gleaned a few facts.”
“……”
“A collection of information that no one on the continent can easily access. The existence of records encompassing information and knowledge that no Transcendent could fully comprehend.”
Lennok walked forward, watching the back of the staff member who had stopped Naoise Penn.
“Evaluations and analyses imbued with an almost omniscient transcendence were present there. Just as you leave records in this archive for the mortal realm, proving and sustaining your own existence.”
Nox Biblio. The Sorcery Archive that collects and translates all records and information about sorcery existing in both the present and old worlds.
Having understood the operating principles of the Archive through the Kabahim incident, Lennok now comprehended how Naoise Penn managed the archive.
He knew that the continuous flow of his records from the archive into the mortal realm, disseminating widely, was also an intentional outcome of the Lich before him.
And that the series of writings that shook the Central Network, including the Power Ranking, were by no means unrelated to this Transcendent.
“If you require a price to exist as yourself in the Third World, I can infer why you acted in such a way. However, I have one question.”
Lennok tilted his head, having come up behind him, stepping over a hill made of stacked books.
“The Power Ranking. Don’t you think it’s too blunt a term for an ancient Transcendent like yourself to conceive and write down?”
“……Perhaps.”
Thud.
The Lich slowly set down the pen he was holding and spoke calmly.
“But the struggle of Transcendent beings in the world where I was born was far more stark and brutal than that.”
“……”
“Even those who gained qualification had to fight other Ascendants to reach the next stage. Great Transcendent beings waged war and died across the entire continent.”
Beyond the face of the librarian who turned his gaze, the lingering shadow of a hollow skull peered through.
Infinitely dark ocular light flowed from beyond the empty skull facing Lennok.
“To discern superiority among Transcendent beings, compare their powers and authorities, and debate their victories and defeats, is for me a most natural thing…… so I’m not quite sure how to answer your question.”
“……”
Lennok understood the sentiment behind his answer.
For the Ascendant Seonjong, whom he had met in Kundara, had also spoken of the Second World in a similar tone.
A hellish human realm where even Ascendants killed each other, waged wars, and fought like mad to reach the next stage.
In a place where the entire world felt like a single, all-encompassing solitude, he was The Answerer who had achieved ascension in a different way than others.
Was he, perhaps, supremely accustomed to comparing superhumans and debating their superiority, even without borrowing from the archive’s knowledge?
“Do you mean that creating the Power Ranking and disseminating knowledge about it was a natural act for you?”
“Regardless of who acted, the intention and essence would not have differed greatly.”
The Answerer smiled.
“The means of the action you refer to were mine, but the will was not entirely mine.”
“……What do you mean?”
“Right now, I don’t have the leisure to consider all possibilities and pursue enlightenment. Nor am I in a position to encompass boundless diversity and accomplish many things simultaneously, like you.”
The Lich shifted his gaze.
“All I can do in this world right now is organize and translate knowledge, and convey it to those who seek the archive…… For that, I have repeatedly made various attempts by borrowing the causality of others.”
“……”
“In that process, an existence similar to mine cooperated in the dissemination of knowledge and lent its authority, so it’s not strange for you to ask me about that fact.”
Naoise Penn’s answer implied that he had transferred the foundational knowledge for the Power Ranking through interaction with another entity.
He was aware of the information and provided it, but he wasn’t the sole agent of its execution.
And that other entity was one of the Transcendent beings who existed in a similar manner to The Answerer.
“Are you saying that during the creation of the Power Ranking…… another Transcendent, not you, intervened and carried it out?”
“Translation is the process of connecting two different cultures and languages.”
Naoise Penn spoke leisurely.
“It’s also the process of connecting concepts that existed on different timelines, as we briefly discussed once. Do you remember?”
“……”
“However, records don’t always have to exist solely in the form of textbooks or written characters. Likewise, knowledge is not simply transmitted or handed down unilaterally.”
The Lich smiled, slowly carving a name onto a booklet with the quill he had picked up again.
“Whenever I convey the archive’s knowledge to the mortal realm in any way, those who perceive it disseminate that knowledge to others and record it in their own ways. That’s how, even in this closed world, continuous feedback to one another occurs, and the cycle continues.”
“……”
“That it’s possible is ultimately because we have an inherent desire to know each other, and as living beings, it’s natural to feel such emotions. It’s because there is the unknown that the concept of omniscience exists, and because we desire omniscience, we can value the act of exploring the unknown.”
He slowly stopped the hand that was manipulating the pen, finally changing the name and closing the book.
Holding the translated grimoire of the [Six Fiends’ Rift-Gate Spellcraft], the Lich turned towards Lennok and said,
“By delivering the knowledge I’ve translated, meaning is created in a finite process moving towards a result. Is this not also a part of the great quest for enlightenment?”
“……”
Simply by disseminating the knowledge within the archive to the world, new feedback is generated in the closed Third World.
Naoise Penn’s answer was that he managed Nox Biblio because the quest for enlightenment continued through this cycle.
But because the goal is the dissemination and connection of knowledge, The Answerer does not act alone when intervening in the causality of the mortal realm.
The act of disseminating records and knowledge is, after all, impossible alone.
However, the true meaning of The Answerer’s statement that he interacted with another Transcendent in that process—
“What exists beyond the continent…… certainly isn’t merely abandoned land or a frontier.”
Lennok’s gaze chilled.
Because he knew where this Transcendent, who faced Lennok in Nox Biblio, actually resided in reality.
Beyond the Sea of Understanding, the incomprehensible land beyond the continent. The backside of the star, where concepts, not humans, rampage, dominate, and subjugate.
“Are Answerers like you, who have succeeded in ascension…… wandering the outer continent to avoid entanglement in the causality of the mortal realm?”
“Perhaps. It might be best for you to confirm that answer yourself.”
Naoise Penn let out a faint smile.
“Just as Cheondun did.”
“……”
Suddenly, their conversation ceased, and a hollow silence descended.
If Croken Asylus had headed beyond the continent, guided by The Fisherman.
If even a monster of Croken’s caliber sought to confirm something in the unknown realm during that process.
Then, surely, he had gone to ‘personally’ meet the extraordinary Transcendent residing beyond the continent.
Another reason Lennok had revisited Nox Biblio, seeking traces of The Answerer.
At this moment, The Answerer answered the question Lennok was certain of but hadn’t yet voiced.
Naoise Penn had known from the beginning why Lennok had sought the archive.
“……If you have no intention of hiding anything about Croken, there’s no need to hesitate further.”
Lennok said in a subdued voice.
“Why did he come to Vulcan as soon as he returned from beyond the continent? Is it related to his meeting with you?”
“You know well about his origin.”
The Lich smiled.
“He is one who was born on a line, and can only live by stepping back. Such existences, born and bound by themselves, are extremely rare.”
“……”
“He accepted and acknowledged that fact long ago, but he was not pleased by it. His visit to me must have been part of that.”
The ocular light in the skull flickered darkly, letting out a chuckling sound.
“His return, acknowledging what you have accomplished, must surely be because he instinctively sensed that the time to keep a promise was near.”
“A promise, you say? From the start, Croken was—”
“He returned to Vulcan because of a promise he made with the patriarch of the oldest family.”
“What……?”
Lennok’s body stiffened, having heard something completely unexpected.
Because Lennok instinctively knew, the moment he heard it, who The Answerer was referring to as the patriarch.
Could it be that Myeong had made some deal with Croken and left him a request before leaving?
If so, his return to Vulcan and taking Ermont was to directly participate in the operation to retrieve the Nether King’s legacy—
“Actually, such a secret is not something I should tell you directly.”
The Lich leisurely said, turning his back on the frozen Lennok.
“Although your existence is entangled in the promise, the motives and emotions are their own…… It is a ‘record’ that should not be spoken of carelessly.”
“……”
“Yet, I make an exception because you are a most peculiar person among all seekers who have existed across both worlds.”
Seeing Lennok lost in thought, the Lich chuckled.
“You must have many questions, yet the questions you formulate with words tend towards emotions and motives rather than clear answers. That is proof that you already know what is truly important.”
“……”
“Indeed, because you do not obsess over the outcome and immerse yourself in the moment…… is that not why you no longer ask about that?”
Lennok silently looked in the direction the Lich’s quill pointed.
Because Lennok had long since perceived what lay in that direction.
[Fate Sealing: Causality Reversal]
The title of a book, written half in comprehensible characters, half in incomprehensible ones.
“A future record,” that Lennok himself had once written and left in this archive.
Sealing fate. Because he had dimly touched upon its mysterious meaning in Kabahim.
“By sealing the fate of an Ascendant and using it as a vessel, you were finally able to exist here.”
The Lich said.
“By reversing the causality of an Ascendant and making it the cause, an existence like you could arrive as the result.”
“……”
“Beyond that outer world, where everything has faintly vanished…… beyond a timeline that transcends even past and future, did an answer truly exist?”
Kwooohhhhhh……!!!!
Suddenly, a terrifying will-thought exploded from beyond the shadow of the staff member who had turned his back.
Simply by calmly stating the knowledge he possessed, the essence of The Answerer was revealed from beyond spacetime, pressing down on everything around them.
With each instance, the staff member’s body and the Lich’s skeletal form overlapped as if superimposed in a single spacetime, trembling as if they might disappear at any moment.
Whoosh!!
Then, as if a lie, the Lich slowly suppressed his presence and turned around.
“The answer cannot be known. For all endings in this world are still buried beyond the star’s veil.”
“……”
“In that sense, I believe you will be both the answer to the ending, and conversely, the despair that renders all efforts meaningless.”
Thud, thud.
The staff member, placing [Automeus Automated Calculus] and [Demonic Realm Travelogue] before Lennok, offered a vacant smile.
“For no other ending could so perfectly signify the fate of demise, and the demise of fate itself.”
“……”
“Will not the very moment you confirm whether it is success or failure be a joy that surpasses all moments we have ever existed?”
“……Indeed.”
Lennok replied.
“Surely, neither is far off.”
He knew.
From the moment he realized the destination of his endlessly long journey, he knew the end was approaching.
Facing the place where a journey of unpredictable direction and trajectory concludes, Lennok’s own ending was not far off.
Indeed, the ending would be decided in a fleeting moment, concluding everything.
What choice would Lennok make to face the end of this world?
Naoise Penn had merely articulated what Lennok dimly perceived into clear language.
As Lennok slowly raised his gaze, the darkness filling Nox Biblio crumbled.
“For all that you’ve answered without being asked…… I offer my thanks.”
Lennok, sensing their farewell, spoke softly.
“Next time, I will return all the borrowed books.”
“It was a great pleasure to meet a quiz enthusiast after so long. I hope we meet again, should the opportunity arise.”
The Answerer raised his hand in greeting, watching Lennok, whose expression remained unwavering.
The ocular light of the skull flickering in the darkness illuminated Lennok with a peculiar sense of regret.
“If there is a ‘next time’ for you.”
Kwaaaaaaaa-!!!!
At the end of the spacetime-shedding darkness, everything lost its form and collapsed.
Tens of thousands of endlessly sprawling bookshelves, and the guests and skeletons who wandered within them.
Grimoires and parchments, strewn about haphazardly, swirled like a storm.
And then, at the moment everything peeled away into a handful of shadows before The Answerer’s eyes.
Lennok slowly opened his eyes, having returned to the reading room of the dark library.
“……”
Whoosh!!!
The librarian who had been organizing books beside Lennok moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
Only the full moon, reappearing after the lunar eclipse, brightly illuminated the reading room.
On the return desk, bathed in moonlight, three borrowed books from the archive were neatly laid out.
[Six Fiends’ Rift-Gate Spellcraft]. [Automeus Automated Calculus]. And [Demonic Realm Travelogue: Ethan Bajour].
Components to complete abilities and spellcraft acquired in the past.
Formulas to assist the computations of his current Ultimate Lightning Magic.
Means to head towards the Demonic Realm, his next destination.
“……Indeed.”
Lennok silently stared at them for a long time, then reached out and picked up the books.
The research of the Six Fiends’ Rift-Gate Spellcraft and Automeus Automated Calculus could wait for now.
But he had to check what was written in the Demonic Realm Travelogue immediately.
As Lennok thought this and was about to open his notebook to read the travelogue—
Click.
Lennok stopped his hand, realizing a strange lock was placed between the notebook pages.
“……A sealing device?”
The lock resembled twisted plant leaves and vines binding the notebook shut.
It had a unique form, but it was a very high-level sealing mechanism.
It must be a safeguard to prevent information tampering and unauthorized access.
The sealing device hadn’t been there when he took the journal from Nox Biblio.
Was it a type of seal that didn’t exist in the conscious space, but manifested as part of the travelogue in reality?
[No, this is a scam!]
“Well……”
Lennok pondered, listening to Davi’s indignant voice.
“He is a Transcendent who enjoys and takes on the task of disseminating and transmitting knowledge. Playing a trick that prevents someone from opening a borrowed book isn’t his style.”
Even though the information from the Demonic Realm, which he had gone all the way to the archive to borrow, was now at risk of being fruitless, Lennok was thinking about something else rather than getting angry.
Because the master of the archive, though he might enjoy posing riddles to tease visitors, was not one to play tricks during the process of lending out books.
“It’s highly likely that this seal was placed not by The Answerer, but by Ethan Bajour, who wrote the travelogue. If I consider that, there’s a plausible reason.”
[And what’s that?]
“If the travelogue had an unbreakable seal, The Answerer would have either told me beforehand or personally broken the seal and translated it. The fact that he didn’t do so means……”
Lennok murmured.
“That I…… already possess the key to unlock the seal?”
Paaat!!
At that moment, a red light burst from Lennok’s embrace, filling the reading room.
A powerful, heavy radiance of flame, strong enough to dye even the moonlight crimson.
[Kyaaahhh?!!]
Davi, who had been curled up in his embrace, jumped up and scrambled onto Lennok’s shoulder, then climbed to his head.
[Wh-What is it?! What is it?!!]
“……I see.”
Stroking Davi, who was trembling in fright, Lennok slowly reached into his embrace.
Lennok’s gaze deepened as he pulled out and clutched the pulsating, burning red sphere.
“From the beginning…… was this a gift given for this very purpose?”
The core of the bio-battleship Megiddo, obtained from the Sixfold Demonic Mirror of Return.
The flame of courtesy that The Director had given Lennok was reacting to the travelogue’s sealing device.
Kiiiing!!!!
With a sharp resonance, the travelogue’s notebook and Megiddo’s core began to vibrate in sync, transforming simultaneously.
The sealing device wrapped around the travelogue melted under Megiddo’s heat, beginning to be absorbed into the core.
At the same time, a series of distinct characters suddenly floated above the core.
[12-step Security Authentication Complete: Ars Nova Imperial Royal 6th Strategic Weapon]
[Outer Beast Giant Ship, Immortal Body, Sun Ship Megiddo]
[Exploration, Landing, Assault Battleship Form Unlocked]
[Demonic Realm Exploration Vessel Hull Route Revealed]
Kwooohhhhhh!!!!
The flame flickering within the core Lennok held transformed from a colossal sailboat into the shape of a massive warship, swaying.
New functions and forms were unlocked as if transforming to explore and pioneer extreme environments, and operating methods were seared into his mind.
At the same time, Lennok, understanding the value and reason for existence of this ability, silently raised his gaze.
The true meaning of The Director’s ‘inevitability,’ telling Lennok that he would need Megiddo’s core to meet Ethan Bajour.
“To gain knowledge of the Demonic Realm, I need a byproduct obtained from the Demonic Realm…… How ironic.”
Lennok said, watching Megiddo’s core intensely emit light and slowly change its form in his hand.
“It seems this power was prepared from the beginning, knowing I would head towards the Central Front.”