Record of a Thousand Lives - Chapter 135

Chapter 135
A librarian rushed and brought tea, but Kang Yoon-Soo shook his head and said, “Alcohol.”

“We don’t have that here,” the chief librarian replied while unpacking the backpack he had spent all night packing.

Then, Kang Yoon-Soo suddenly got up from the sofa and walked toward the cupboard where the tea leaves were being kept. He opened one of the tea boxes and found a small bottle of alcohol.

The chief librarian asked in shock, “That is our hidden stash, but how do you know about it?”

Kang Yoon-Soo just responded by silently pouring the alcohol into his teacup. The librarians were upset by his rude demeanor, but the chief librarian waved his hands and told them to back off. The librarians withdrew, and the chief librarian sat on the sofa across from Kang Yoon-Soo.

“That book, please give it to us,” the chief librarian said.

“I don’t want to,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“That book originally belonged to the library,” the chief librarian protested.

“It’s mine now,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

The chief librarian had always thought that books and people were very much different. He was very adept and confident when it came to books, but he was not that good at reading people. However, the current situation he was facing was somewhat strange for him. Even he, who was very bad at reading people, could tell at one glance what kind of person the young man in front of him was—this young man was a troublemaker and a headache.

The chief librarian furrowed his brow and said in a low, threatening tone, “Isn’t it written on that book as well? The Epics of the Ancient Heroes, Volume 17 is the property of the library. You may be punished for arguing that public property belongs to you. In fact, you may spend at least ten years behind bars for that.”

Kang Yoon-Soo immediately replied, “That right is extinguished for any public property that has gone missing for over twenty years, according to imperial law. That means anyone who finds it, even if they picked it up on the side of the road, may claim it as their own personal property. In fact, you, the chief librarian, may be charged with theft if you forcefully take this book from me.”

The chief librarian was speechless. Others would usually have been scared by his threat and immediately handed over the book at that instant, but the young Traveler was not fazed at all. In fact, he even had the audacity to recite imperial law word by word.

He decided to take a step back for now and asked, “Then how much will you sell it for?”

“I don’t need money,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

That was another surprise for the chief librarian. Why was this guy being stubborn and refusing to hand over the book if his main objective was not money?

The chief librarian’s question was soon answered, as Kang Yoon-Soo proposed his terms for the trade. He said, “Grant me the right to enter the secret library. Then, I’ll hand over this book to you.”

“The secret library?” the chief librarian exclaimed, flinching. However, he soon composed himself and said coldly, “I do not know what you are talking about.”

“I came here already aware of everything,” Kang Yoon-Soo said with a hint of hostility in his voice.

The chief librarian continued playing dumb as he replied, “Secret library? I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“The place that exists solely to seal away the continent’s most dangerous magic scrolls,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

The chief librarian could not open his mouth as he thought, ‘What the hell is this young man? How does he know about that place?’

Kang Yoon-Soo took a sip of alcohol before adding, “I wonder how the people would react if they found out that this peaceful Library of Knowledge was actually an arms depository that could instantly trigger a war?”

Kang Yoon-Soo was basically making a threat at this point, but the chief librarian was not fazed at all. Instead, he smiled confidently before replying, “I have no idea where you heard about the secret library, but I guarantee that you will not be able to take out a single book from that place even if you manage to enter it.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

The chief librarian found Kang Yoon-Soo’s arrogant demeanor to be contemptible. However, he got up in the end and said, “Follow me.”

***

The vast library was not only filled with books. There were countless rooms in the Library of Knowledge that only those who knew of them could enter, such as the secret library and the librarian’s quarters. The only person who knew how many secret rooms there were was the one who had created the entire library, the Sage Akenil.

“I can only allow you to enter the secret library for one hour,” the chief librarian said.

He had been holding a bundle of keys while guiding Kang Yoon-Soo to the basement of the library. When they arrived, he inserted one of the keys into a small hole on a bookshelf located in the basement. The bookshelves spread out as soon as he turned the key, and a small opening revealed itself. The chief librarian walked in front with a lamp in hand, while Kang Yoon-Soo followed him from behind. The smell of dusty old books tickled their noses.

“Alright, this place is the secret library,” the chief librarian said as he placed the lamp on the ground.

However, the place they were in was a dark, empty room that did not have a single book in it. The floor in front of them was not visible at all; it felt as if they were standing on the edge of a steep cliff, and the entire place was filled with empty bookshelves from top to bottom. It was a place that seemed completely unsuited to be described with the word ‘library’.

Right as Kang Yoon-Soo took a step forward…

Flap!

The sound of a bird flapping its wings filled the air.

No, it sounded similar to a bird, and yet different. The thing flying through the air was not a bird, but rather a book.

Flap! Flap! Flap!

Kang Yoon-Soo took a step back as hundreds of books suddenly shot up from the darkness. They flapped their pages wildly as they flew around.

The chief librarian let out a hearty laugh before saying, “Alright, take as many books as you want—if you can, that is.”

There were numerous kinds of books flying around. There were some that were as thick as encyclopedias, and some as thin as scrolls. However, all of the books had one thing in common; it was that they were flying around as quickly as hummingbirds, and were difficult to follow with one’s eyes.

“I can guarantee that even a knight captain would be unable to catch a single book,” the chief librarian said confidently.

That was the main reason why the chief librarian had so easily agreed to bring Kang Yoon-Soo to the secret library. The secret library did contain powerful and destructive scrolls that were highly dangerous; however, those scrolls, as well as all the books within, flew around at high speed. In fact, they were flying around so quickly that it was impossible to even lay a single finger on them. Most people would end up gravely injured by jumping to catch a book and falling into the basement.

The chief librarian took out an hourglass, saying with a gleeful expression, “You have exactly one hour. You will have to leave the secret library and hand The Epics of the Ancient Heroes, Volume 17 over to me once the time is up.”

“I only need ten minutes,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“What did you just say…?” the chief librarian asked with a nervous expression.

Kang Yoon-Soo silently opened his backpack and took out a long stick—it was Nell’s Fishing Rod.

[You have equipped Nell’s Fishing Rod.]

[You will be able to perform above your current Fishing skill level.]

[Your luck will be greatly improved while you are holding this fishing rod.]

Kang Yoon-Soo let the fishing line loose, casting a hook toward the flying books. As soon as he did, he caught one of the books. He skillfully pulled on the rod and reeled the book in.

[You have caught an immensely destructive magic scroll.]

[Your Fishing skill proficiency has greatly increased.]

[Your Fishing skill has leveled up.]

[The chance of you catching a rare item has increased.]

A terrifying magic spell was written on the magic scroll.

[Meteor Storm]

Countless meteorites will fall from the heavens. This is a destructive spell that indiscriminately targets everything in its path, and you may not set a target for it. The area where it is cast will be devastated; the caster’s survival cannot be guaranteed.

The chief librarian’s eyes almost seemed about to pop out as he shouted, “An immensely destructive magic scroll!”

The magic stored in the scroll could be cast instantly just by tearing it apart, but the Meteor Storm magic stored in that scroll was not an ordinary spell. It was a terrifying spell that would not only devastate a huge area, but also change the landscape itself.

Kang Yoon-Soo was unfazed, and continued to fish magic scrolls after magic scroll out of the air.

[Comet Crash]

[Day of Destruction]

[Hell Storm]

[Life Force Explosion]

“Eh…? Aaaaah! Aaaaaah!” The chief librarian’s face turned ghastly pale.

Incredibly, Kang Yoon-Soo was fishing only the destructive magic scrolls out of the air; they were scrolls that had the destructive capacity to level not only the entire library, but also the entire area around it.

Only when Kang Yoon-Soo had fished out more than twenty of the magic scrolls did the chief librarian realize what he had done. He decided to throw away his pride, clinging to Kang Yoon-Soo’s leg as he pleaded, “I am sorry! I was in the wrong! Should such death not just be something mentioned in books for the countless young people out there who have bright futures ahead of them? Where are you planning to use those destructive scrolls?”

Kang Yoon-Soo, on the other hand, nonchalantly put away the magic scrolls into his backpack. In total, he had been able to collect twenty-four destructive magic scrolls. He had collected all of the useful items from the secret library, and the rest were just useless books to him.

‘These are all frightening spells that are highly destructive,’ he thought. He was well aware of how frightening and powerful the spells in the scrolls were, and it was guaranteed that the user would be swept up and die if they dared to even use one such scroll.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo calmly turned around, looked at the chief librarian, and replied, “I’ll use all of them.”

The chief librarian passed out.

***

Kang Yoon-Soo lay the chief librarian, who had fallen unconscious, on the floor and placed The Epics of the Ancient Heroes, Volume 17 beside him. Then, he left the area and went up the stairs.

The magic stairs changed their direction once in a while, depending on the time tables set for each and every one of them. Kang Yoon-Soo went up the leftmost staircase, and found himself in front of an old room that seemed to have been left unused for a long period of time.

‘It was around here,’ he thought. He pulled out a book on a shelf located in a very isolated section of the room.

The bookshelf quietly split open, and a hidden room revealed itself. Kang Yoon-Soo promptly entered the room. In its center was a table, and atop that table were multiple thick books. Not counting that table and the books on it, the room was just an empty space with no apparent special qualities.

Kang Yoon-Soo picked up and read the title on one of the thick books.

[Horrible History]

It was a history book that was as thick as an encyclopedia.

His wrist device suddenly vibrated.

Bzzzzzt!

[Warning!]

[A horrible trial will start as soon as you open the book.]

[Let go of the book this instant if you do not have the courage to challenge the trial.]

Kang Yoon-Soo nonchalantly opened the thick book, and a bright light shot out from between its pages. The room flashed pure white, and as the light faded, he found himself standing in a corridor with no end in sight.

‘It’s finally started,’ he thought as he lightly stretched his body.

A message popped up on his wrist device.

[You will go back in time and experience horrible trials throughout history.]

[The results of your trials will not affect the present day’s reality.]

[There are a total of five trials.]

[You will be rewarded for each trial completed.]

[You may not take the trial again once you fail it.]

[You will be left in a coma for thirty days if you fail a trial.]

Kang Yoon-Soo nodded.

The trials given by the Horrible History book were extremely difficult, but they granted rewards proportionate in value to their difficulty.

‘I’ll definitely obtain all of the rewards, and I have to meet her in this library,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

The pure white corridor slowly started to warp and change.

[You will become a certain historical figure.]

[All of your skills, equipment, and levels will disappear.]

[Your items will remain with you.]

[You may use the skills and abilities of the historical figure you are assigned to be.]

[The stats you receive will vary greatly depending on the historical figure you are assigned to be.]

[The results of the trial will be based on how well you were able to utilize the skills of the historical figure you are assigned to be.]

The pure white corridor shifted into a completely different scene. The place was no longer a room. It was now afternoon, in a noisy back alley that reeked of the stench of trash.

A loud shout suddenly rang out. “Catch him!”

A man smacked Kang Yoon-Soo’s shoulder. He was a prisoner drenched in sweat. He shouted, “Hey, Orcon! What are you doing standing around? Hurry up and run if you want to live!”

Kang Yoon-Soo was wearing a worn-out prisoner’s uniform. He was far more muscular than his natural build, and he was over two meters tall. His face looked rough and aggressive, the complete opposite of his normal looks. Additionally, chains bound both of his hands and reduced his mobility.

A new message popped up on his wrist device.

[Reorkan Empire Calendar Year 173, 23rd Day of the Beginning Moon.]

[This is the day when five prisoners who were on death row for treason escaped.]

[The prisoners all had powerful skills and abilities, as they were the leaders of the rebel forces.]

[You have been assigned to be Orcon.]

[Orcon is a prisoner on death row, as well as the leader of the northwestern rebel forces.]

[You must successfully escape to the rebel forces’ secret hideout before sunset!]

[You will fail the trial if you either die or get arrested.]

Several masked, halberd-wielding executioners chased after them, yelling, “There they are! The prisoners are here!”

“Damn it! They’ve already found us! Let’s meet up alive, Orcon!” the other man said, then bit his lips and ran away as fast as he could.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo just stood there and looked at the executioners.

“Die!” one of the executioners shouted as he swung his halberd.

Kang Yoon-Soo ducked and avoided the attack, then choked the executioner with the chains on his hands.

“Keu! Keuhuk!” The executioner groaned as he tried to gasp for air.

“How dare you resist!” another executioner yelled as he swung his halberd.

Kang Yoon-Soo used the executioner he was currently choking as a shield and blocked all of the incoming halberds.

“Keuk!” The first executioner groaned as a halberd cut his neck and he started bleeding.

One of the halberds accidentally cut through Kang Yoon-Soo’s chains.

Clank!

The chains and cuffs broke, falling to the ground. Kang Yoon-Soo quickly picked up a halberd on the ground and swung it with all his might.

“Keuuuak!”

“W-What the hell? Spare me!”

All of the executioners who had entered the back alley were murdered. Kang Yoon-Soo lightly stretched his arms while covered in blood. The main objective of this trial was to run away and not get caught; however, he had no plans to do as he was told.

‘I guess I have to kill everyone,’ he thought as he put on a mask and gripped the halberd tight.