IN GAMAND
NO. 18
W. Seolha
"Even if it was neglected, how could there not be a single guard?"
"If you keep talking so loudly, you'll even call the guards who weren't there."
"No, I said there's no one?"
"Usually in horror movies, characters like you are the first to die."
“…Please don’t say such unlucky things. If you do that, it’ll seem real….”
Jung Hoseok, who had been listening to Kim Taehyung and Min Yoongi's conversation, held his breath and let out a small laugh. With that pointless thought, "When did those two get along so well?", I descended the stairs. They said it was lower than the basement, but the stairs leading down were endlessly long. Furthermore, the stairs were left unlit, leaving us with no lights to illuminate them. To safely descend the stairs, we had to rely on Jung Hoseok's magical vision. We followed the light ball floating in the air as we descended.
Perhaps because no one bothered to come to the library so late in the morning, and perhaps because they were certain no student would know of a place further down, the basement of the library was unguarded. Only one or two guards occasionally patrolled the area around the library building, performing their academy patrols. Consequently, we were able to find the stairs leading from the basement to the forbidden books room without much interference.
"Isn't this more than just neglect? Isn't it that everyone at the Academy has simply forgotten about this place's existence?"
"…cobweb…."
"Look ahead. You'll get hurt if you do."
The small circular staircase was filled with the voices of five people. Min Yoongi, who was in the lead, paused, wondering how far down they had descended. It was the end of a long staircase, a long corridor with three small doors lined up in a row. Min Yoongi pulled a key from his pocket.
“…there is only one key.”
"Let's go first. Just in case."
I walked through the corridors filled with antique sculptures without hesitation. They were remarkably similar to the hallways of the Kingdom era I'd only seen in books. Come to think of it, I'd heard the Academy was built over 500 years ago. Since it was a building built during the Crea Kingdom era, it wasn't all that surprising that the architecture retained its period style. Except for the eerie feeling.
The three doors looked identical on the outside. They were all wooden, identical in design. Unlike the hallway, they were so small that they almost looked shabby. They were so tall that even Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook would have to duck to pass through.
"Do you know where the door to the forbidden book vault is?"
"I don't know that much. All I know is that 'there's a forbidden book vault even lower than the basement of the Academy Library.'"
“It could be a trap, and you never know what’s beyond the door, so don’t touch it carelessly…, Hey, Yu, Julia!”
The door gave off a suspicious vibe, but somehow it didn't feel dangerous. So I put my hand on the handle of the central door. I heard Kim Taehyung let out a startled yelp from behind me, but I ignored him and turned the handle. The door opened slightly with a worn-out squeak. Opening? At my words, Kim Taehyung and Jung Hoseok looked as if they were about to faint. Seeing Jeon Jungkook nod with a calm expression, I opened the door wide.
"……."
"…and,"
“…Surely, all of these aren’t forbidden books…, right…?”
The spectacle unfolding before us left us speechless. It was understandable. Beyond the door was a place shrouded in semi-darkness, and the interior, glimpsed only by the light of a light ball, was hardly empty, to say the least. Dozens of tall bookshelves stood before us. The bookshelves were even more numerous. I wasn't the only one who was speechless, gazing at the densely packed shelves.
I left the middle door open, strode forward, and swung open the doors on either side. Not a single one was locked. Beyond the doors on either end was no different from the middle door. Dozens of tall bookshelves, densely packed with countless books. Needless to say, our expressions were slowly turning to despair. In short, this was the message: The [material] we were looking for might exist among these, but…
“…So, you’re saying we have to search through all these libraries to find that [material]?”
"Does that make sense? When did you manage to get rid of all that?"
"Honestly, I didn't know it would be like this. Who would have imagined there would be this many banned books?"
"……."
"Oh no…, morning classes will start in a few hours."
Although I had used the quiet, early morning hours to sneak into the Forbidden Books Vault, I obviously didn't have a ton of time. At the very least, I had to return to the dormitory by daybreak. I only had about two hours left. Should I come back again?
"You don't have to look through the whole book."
At Min Yoongi's words, the rest of the gaze turned to him. Min Yoongi shrugged at the puzzled looks he received and continued. "The key, you haven't even used it yet," he said. Everyone simply gaped in agreement, as if they'd just realized something.
"Yeah, you had a key."
"Since the key wasn't needed to open the door... that means the key is used somewhere else. Then I shouldn't have looked through all the books..."
We just needed to find a place where the key could be used, or something else. To quickly navigate the three storage areas, we split into teams of three. Since there were five of us, one of us had to go alone, and Min Yoongi readily agreed to go alone to the right storage area. Kim Taehyung and Jung Hoseok headed to the left storage area, while Jeon Jungkook and I naturally headed to the center storage area.
"Let's meet back at the entrance in two hours."
Everyone nodded at Jeon Jungkook's words. The footsteps scattering into the darkness seemed a little excited.
IN GAME
The library, which seemed spacious at first glance, proved, the moment we stepped inside, that what we had seen was only a fraction of what we had imagined. The back of the windowless library was swallowed by pitch-black darkness. "Go quickly," Jeon Jungkook told me to do, and I nodded and followed him. The light ball Jung Hoseok had newly created hovered near Jeon Jungkook.
We agreed with Jeon Jungkook's suggestion to first look for a side door or a door that seemed to lead to another location, so instead of carefully examining the bookshelf, we quickly passed by. Our eyes scanned the floor and even the walls.
“…Are you planning to ask Kim Taehyung about the story about memory?”
At Jeon Jungkook's sudden words, I forgot to even scan the wall and stared at him. Jeon Jungkook's gaze remained fixed on the wall, but judging by the occasional glances he gave me, he seemed to be waiting for my response. I turned my head again and gave him a simple answer. "That's right."
"You said you realized it after hearing what I said, so the chances of Kim Taehyung realizing it on his own are low. Wouldn't it be better if I told you?"
"Are you going to ask everyone?"
"I can't just sit back and watch. If the player's memories are fading over time, we need to come up with a plan before they completely disappear."
"……."
"Rather than two people racking their brains and worrying about it, it might be much better to borrow the brains of several people."
The library was larger than it looked, and even though I walked briskly for quite some time, I couldn't see the end. Jeon Jungkook walked, illuminating the still-dark space with a light ball. I followed him, not forgetting to scan the walls, including the bookshelves.
"Well, do you have any other methods in mind?"
"Just in case, I've been keeping a diary since I came here. I thought writing everything down might be helpful later."
"That's a good way."
"It's written in Korean, so I doubt I'll be able to read it later."
"……."
The seemingly endless library finally came to an end. I don't know how many bookshelves there were, but after walking for a while, we came upon a wall directly opposite the door. Jeon Jungkook and I were speechless, staring at the wall, which, like the hallway where the door once stood, was hung with decorations that looked like they might have been used during the kingdom's time. Last time we checked, there was no door on this wall either. Not even a keyhole or a small box.
"I have a favor to ask, Julia."
Jeon Jungkook opened his mouth as he looked at the unidentified creature carved into the wall. "What is it?" I asked, but he seemed hesitant, his lips moving several times.
“You might think this is strange, but… first, I’d like you to tell only Kim Taehyung that the players seem to be slowly losing their memories.”
"Uh, why? Do you mean to hide it from Min Yoongi or Jung Hoseok?"
"Yeah. It might not be definitive evidence, but I have a feeling I shouldn't tell anyone. No, to be precise, only Min Yoongi. That ability and all, I keep getting the feeling it's dangerous."
“Yeah… that being said, what about Jung Ho-seok?”
Jeon Jungkook stroked the back of his neck a few times before answering. "Jung Hoseok… , Honestly, I don't know." I tilted my head at his answer. He seemed quite embarrassed even saying such things, and kept scratching the back of his neck.
"I don't know how it might sound, but sometimes Jung Ho-seok doesn't seem like a human being."
"…?"
"As expected, you have a look of disbelief. Aside from your actions and such, it means that your presence and other things are a bit subtle."
"Do you feel all that?"
"Well, it seems like things have become clearer little by little since I changed my job."
Jeon Jungkook turned around. He gestured for me to return to the door, and I, too, turned from my gaze to the wall and followed him. Unlike when I'd come, my pace was considerably more leisurely.
"I'll just tell Kim Taehyung first."
"thanks."
“Well, it might not be Kim Taehyung. It might not be that he lost his memories… It might be, too…”
Jeon Jungkook smiled faintly at me, my voice trailing off as I felt somewhat uneasy. "I wish that were the case," he said, and I couldn't help but show a bitter expression. The fact that Jeon Jungkook was losing his memories was already a given. If Kim Taehyung was losing his memories too, it could be seen as a commonality among the players, but if not...
“…! Ugh,”
"caution…!"
The toes of her low-heeled shoes caught on something, and her body stumbled. She let out a short scream and stretched her arms out in case she fell, but her palms never touched the floor. She saw Jeon Jungkook's arms firmly supporting her waist. In an instant, she felt her face flush. To the words "Be careful," she managed a dumbfounded "Uh, uh..." response.
Jeon Jungkook straightened me up without much effort. I quickly straightened myself, making sure my feet were firmly planted on the ground. Jeon Jungkook's arm fell from around my waist. This wasn't the first time someone had grabbed my waist, but my face remained frozen. "Why?" I asked, trying not to let anyone see my blushing face, and lowered my gaze to the floor. Jeon Jungkook's gaze followed mine.
"What are you up to?"
"Just a dent on the floor…, huh? Wait a minute, this…,"
"knob?"
Jeon Jungkook knelt down on one knee and examined the floor. It wasn't a dent. A metal handrail was right in the middle of the floor. I quickly bent down and examined the floor. I hadn't noticed it when I was standing, but a square crack near the handrail caught my eye. I quickly shifted my body within the crack, not forgetting to pull Jeon Jungkook back, who was stepping on the crack. I then grabbed the handrail and tried to lift it with all my might...
“…What is so heavy!”
I pressed hard enough that my face flushed, but the floor wouldn't budge. Jeon Jungkook, unable to bear it any longer, stepped forward, but the door only rattled and didn't budge. "It won't open," Jeon Jungkook said, and I bent down again to examine the floor.
"Is that a keyhole?"
I pointed to the small metal circle at the bottom of the handle and asked, "What's that?" I pressed down on the center of the circle with my fingernail, which had grown quite long, and saw a key-shaped hole forming. "Found it," I said, and Jeon Jungkook quickly stood up.
I stared blankly at the hand extended before me. Blinking, I stood there, still, when Jeon Jungkook shook my hand, as if urging me on. "What? Don't you want to hold on?" I asked, looking at him with a questioning look. Then he replied,
"You shouldn't fall again, right?"
For some reason, my ears burned with the feeling of being a protected child. I cautiously placed my hand in Jeon Jungkook's. His firm hand firmly gripped my hand, which had been trembling for some time. Feeling a sense of relief, I pulled the corners of my lips up into a smile.
/
The hallway with three doors was empty. Which meant only Jeon Jungkook and I had returned to the hallway. I glanced at the wristwatch Jin had once given me. It was about an hour earlier than our scheduled meeting time.
Finding the door and the key was a good thing. The only problem was how to gather everyone scattered across different rooms into the hallway where the door was. If only I had a cell phone… I thought as I rummaged through my inventory, hoping to find something useful.
Jeon Jungkook, perhaps unable to think of anything else, simply bit his lip and stared intently at the three doors. "It'd be faster if I went in myself and fetched them," he said, shaking his head. The forbidden book repository was larger than I'd expected. The one Jeon Jungkook and I had been to was like that, but the others were no less massive. It would be a waste to miss the boat.
"are you okay."
“But I can’t just wait forever…”
"I just found a way."
"Oh, I knew this would be helpful," I said, pulling something out of my inventory. "Come on, Jeon Jungkook and Kim Taehyung had already used this to great effect in the last 'Search' quest. I opened it just in case, and who knew it would yield exactly what I needed?"
Jeon Jungkook's expression filled with doubt as he saw the round object in my hand. "What is that?" I smirked as I answered. "Soybean."
“Beans… where did you get those….”
"There's a random box, right? I got it from the last cooperative quest."
At my words, Jeon Jungkook nodded. As a reward for that gruesome quest, where three players had died, I had received the skill [Barrage] and a [Random Box]. Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook had the same. The only difference was that Jeon Jungkook and Kim Taehyung had used the Random Box in the previous search quest, while I had still had it tucked away in a corner of my inventory, forgotten about it.
“In my opinion, it’s not a random box, but a box that gives you what you need at the time.”
“What are you going to do with soybean powder…”
"Didn't you ever play with a soybean ball when you were little?"
Even if this is like this, the sound is no joke-, I put five or six soybean bullets in Jeon Jungkook's hand, and after leaving a similar amount in my hand, I put the rest in my inventory. I gave a playful smile to Jeon Jungkook, who still had a puzzled expression, and threw one of the soybean bullets to the floor.
'Ttak-,'
Jeon Jungkook flinched and frowned at the ear-piercing sound. Only then, as if understanding what I meant, did he move toward the door on the right.
"Let's close the door and throw it. If we do it right, it'll be heard outside."
“…Aren’t there any things like earplugs?”
“Well… there’s nothing you can do about it. Just bear with it.”
Jeon Jungkook let out a deep sigh and stepped through the door. The door slammed shut with a heavy thud, and a loud noise began to emanate from beyond. A soft click, a thud, could be heard from beyond the door. "Yeah, I guess it's safe from being heard outside," I thought, and entered the left door. The door slammed shut, and no one remained in the hallway.
/
"I thought someone had thrown a bomb in the library, Julia."
"I'm sorry, but I can't just wait around."
"Jung Ho-seok was also quite surprised?"
"Really? Sorry, I was in a hurry."
“No, no, it’s okay….”
Kim Taehyung and Jung Hoseok ran over, gasping for breath, at the sound of those little bean bombs exploding one after another. Their faces were a mess because they were startled by the loud noise, and when they saw me throw the bean bombs on the floor one by one, their crumpled faces became even more menacing. They stayed like that ever since. Jeon Jungkook sighed deeply as if he couldn't live anymore, watching Kim Taehyung grumble all the way to the door I and Jeon Jungkook had discovered. Min Yoongi heard the sound of the bean bombs exploding and sent his spirit to find out what was going on. That's why he wasn't that surprised and met Jeon Jungkook safely.
In our haste, Jeon Jungkook and I hadn't marked the door's location, leading to the unfortunate incident where the five of us walked around with our eyes fixed on the floor. But the door was still there. Min Yoongi pulled a key from his pocket. He seemed to be roughly checking the shape of the keyhole and the key. The size seemed about right, so he inserted the key without hesitation. There was a click as the door opened.
"It's open."
At Min Yoongi's words, the rest of the crowd retreated to avoid stepping on the door. Min Yoongi pulled out his keys, put them back in his pocket, grabbed the handle on the floor, and lifted it. With a clanking sound and an unpleasant metallic creaking, the floor slowly lifted. A thick cloud of dust rose.
“…Stairs again?”
"You really hid it so thoroughly."
A basement even lower than the basement, and a suspicious passage leading even lower. Just as Jeon Jungkook had said, it was thoroughly hidden. Security was lax, though. Jung Hoseok created another light ball. Min Yoongi, who had opened the door completely, floated a light ball and led the way down the stairs.
The stairs weren't that long. Considering the long walk down to the forbidden book depository, it was only about a third of that. We decided there was no need for the entire five of us to go down, so only Min Yoongi, I, and Jeon Jungkook entered. Even with just three people down, the cramped stairs were jam-packed, so it was a brilliant choice.
"What's over there?"
The place Min Yoongi's fingertips pointed to was shaped like an altar. "Altar," I couldn't think of any other word to describe it. An altar carved with all sorts of grotesque figures, and a book neatly placed atop it. Without saying a word, we were all clearly thinking the same thing: that's what "data" means.
“…Why did they hide it like this?”
It was an old book. No, it looked more like a notebook than a book. An old notebook, bearing the imprint of someone's life. I approached the altar and reached for the book. Unlike Jeon Jungkook, who warned me it might be dangerous, Min Yoongi remained silent.
When nothing happened despite touching the bookshelf, Jeon Jungkook seemed quite relieved. Holding the lightball in one hand, I turned the pages with the other. It wasn't written in Imperial language, but in a language used during the Kingdom era. The writing looked similar to Imperial language, though it was considered ancient, but it definitely wasn't Imperial. I tilted my head, unfamiliar with the language, and then...
"It's Hishak."
"Hishak?"
"It's said that when the Empire was a kingdom, it was weaker than the Kingdom of Hishak. Naturally, the language had no choice but to follow the example of a powerful nation, so most records from the Kingdom era are in Hishak. Of course, after the Empire was established, there were more documents that were converted to the Imperial language."
Jeon Jeong-guk, who had come closer, explained himself. I nodded. Hishak, the kingdom right next to the Empire. I remembered it because it was constantly mentioned in history books, but it was the first time I heard that the Crea Kingdom was so weak that it used Hishak. After all, it would have been damaging to their prestige to reveal to the world their past, when they were practically a weak nation, to an empire.
"Can you read Hishak?"
"I know a little."
The first page, written in flowing cursive,[Diary]That was all, he said. A diary? Jeon Jungkook nodded at my surprised question. To think someone's diary was banned, I had no idea what it might contain. Jeon Jungkook ignored him and turned another page and began reading. Occasionally, I could guess the meaning of letters resembling Imperial Chinese, so I stared at the sentences, vaguely guessing the content. I didn't notice Jeon Jungkook's face quickly hardening.
“…I’m going back, I’d better hurry.”
"Suddenly? Why are you rushing…?"
"The sun will rise soon. So, I guess it's best to go back to the dorm and interpret the rest."
I nodded at his somewhat confused expression. Min Yoongi didn't particularly object. "I'll take care of this," I said, picking up the book. The alarm blared loudly.
“…! Damn it, it was so sloppy.”
"Hurry up, hurry up!"
Jeon Jungkook shoved him in the back, leaving him no time to panic. He hurried up the stairs. The alarm was blaring loudly even in the forbidden book storage room. Kim Taehyung and Jung Hoseok were also shocked.
"What! Why are you suddenly doing this!"
"It was fine until I touched the data… I was too complacent. The moment I picked it up, the alarm went off."
"The security guards must have already stormed the library entrance."
"Isn't there a place to hide, like a window or something?"
“It’s underground here….”
"Go out first. Just go to where there are three doors."
At Jeon Jungkook's words, we ran without even a moment to consider anything. I was wearing shoes, of all things. I grumbled inwardly, then kicked them off and held them in my hands. The wooden floor beneath my bare feet felt chillingly cold. Surely, there's no such thing as fingerprint scanning in this world, I thought, with a sense of futility.
Arriving at the hallway with the three doors, we anxiously watched Jeon Jungkook's every move. He closed all three doors and took something out of his inventory. Relief spread across both my face and Kim Taehyung's as we confirmed what he had in his hand.
"Portal!"
"I left one in your dorm before I came. You should just move right away-"
"Wait a minute! This isn't going to be solved just by us disappearing from here!"
I quickly grabbed Jeon Jungkook's arm. Seeing his expression, filled with bewilderment, as if asking what he meant, I said, "The Academy is overflowing with wizards, have you forgotten?" Jeon Jungkook was the first to lose color at those words.
"Memory magic…,"
"Yeah! That one thing alone will reveal that we're the culprits!"
I'd seen it before at the Duke's residence. Memory magic. The Duke's confidential documents had once gone missing, and that was the magic used by a wizard. It was a magic that allowed objects to visualize their memories. It was said to be used only by high-ranking wizards, but there was no way a place the size of the Academy couldn't have one of those high-ranking wizards.
"But I can't erase the traces right now."
"No, I can."
Jung Hoseok stepped forward and smiled brightly. "I can do it," he said. Jeon Jungkook frowned slightly at his words and asked back. "How?" Jung Hoseok silently gestured in the air. Wherever his fingers passed, light green lines appeared. A circle, lines crossing the circle in all directions, a peculiar, unintelligible character, a magic circle. As Jung Hoseok clasped his hands together, a bright light erupted from the magic circle, engulfing the entire library.
"Okay, open the portal!" At those words, Jeon Jungkook threw a yellow orb onto the floor. As soon as it hit the ground, a bright yellow line of light flowed out, creating an oval-shaped portal. Before anyone could say anything, the five of them practically crumpled into the portal. The footsteps of the guards could be heard near the entrance to the hallway.
“…Let’s never, ever do something reckless again, us…”
A210, I burst out laughing at what Kim Taehyung said, sprawled out on the floor of my dorm room. I still held the old notebook in my arms.
✨
It's so full of beans lol
When writing a chase scene
I wrote "pabababaaag" without knowing it.
I thought I was being chased too...
I love those who leave traces♥️