Episode 9 – Library (4)

The landscape shifted as we were engulfed by fiction. The Library Dungeon's interior transformed into a row of houses made of logs and bricks. Before we knew it, we had arrived in an entirely different world.

Everyone fell into confusion especially Lee Su-hye.

"What is this place? An Illusion?"

"No, it's a bit different from the Illusion dome."

If this place was a simple illusion, the 'Impenetrable Wall' would have already destoryed this artificial world.

I touched the wall made of bricks. This sensation... it was indeed real. It was a different realism yet felt similar to the real world. This was the power of the Librarian of the 10th floor. He can bring fictional stories to life.

"This is a Fable."

"Huh? Do you mean a story?"

"That's right. It's a bit complicated but I guess you can say we're inside a story."

"Ridiculous. This is ridiculous."

If a novel can manifest into reality, then what was stopping another story from becoming real. The fiction within the fiction. Yes, that's the right term to describe our current situation.

The books in the library dungeon were filled with stories and those stories contain trials. Since the stories in the library dungeon are mostly small stories, we should be able to manage.

Well, that depends on the theme of the story. If it's a horror story then things might become difficult.

"Move! Move!"

"Reinforce the wall!"

"We're going to die! We're going to die!"

The place was noisy so I surveyed the surroundings.

The people crunched in fear while armoured figures swiftly traversed the streets. It seemed like something big was happening. What kind of story was this? I needed information.

I approached a man that was despairing on the floor and opened my mouth.

"What's happening?"

"You mean you don't know? It's a monster horde! We're all going to die! This is the gods judgement!"

It was difficult to make out the words of a despairing man but I managed to capture a few key words.

Monster horde. From those words alone, I was able to determine what kind of story this was. That bastard Sung Jaewon, he was a really nice guy.

"Everyone, let's gather together!"

At my words, the party members who were looking around, assembled.

"What's happening here? Why are the people despairing?"

"From what I've gathered, it seems they're under attack."

"By who? Is it a war?"

"Not exactly. It's a monster horde."

"...!"

Everybody's eyes opened at the word 'Monster horde'. Perhaps they already have a clue what we needed to do here.

Ryu Eun opened her mouth and asked an important question.

"What's our mission here? Are we fighting against a monster horde?"

"It seems so. In any case, we need to gather as much information as possible. Let's scatter and explore the area. Ryu Eun, take the high grounds. Angell and Jung Yunhee, you two will check the current state of our allies."

"Understood."

"Let's meet back here after five minutes."

Everyone nodded and moved at the same time. The party members scattered in four directions.

Since we haven't received the mission for the story, it means the main event hasn't started yet.

During this time, we need to gather necessary information such as number of enemies, their positioning, the number of the counter force, and the condition of the battlefield.

Conveniently, there was a bell tower nearby. I ascended the stairs quickly and soon reached the top.

From this height, I had a clear view of the surroundings. It seemed we were summoned in the heart of the city.

There was the sight of the party members running around, the despairing people and the soldiers that were running towards the front wall.

Next, I looked up at the sky.

The once-clear blue sky gradually turned a crimson hue, shifting into an unsettling shade, as though a disaster had already arrived. It was a sign that the Nightmare had descended upon this world.

I slowly redirected my gaze downward and activated a skill.

[Exclusive skill 'Eagle Eye' has activated.]

My vision sharpened, allowing me to see far into the distance. It was an unfamiliar sensation, as if I were looking through the scope of a sniper rifle.

To the far north of the city, there was a vast forest. Even from this distance, I could sense the ominous presence dwelling in it as if all the world's darkness has gathered there.

In the darkness, several shadowy figures squirmed about. Their forms were indistinct, but it was clear that there were at least thousands of those creatures.

[Nightware weavers: x 2588]

In essence, more than two thousand nightmare monsters were approaching the city from the north.

I turned my gaze to the east and noticed a bridge above the riverbank. Monsters were also approaching from the east.

Unlike the monsters at the north, these guys appeared to be fewer in numbers and looked rather weak.

[Nightmare weavers: x 399]

If I remembered this story correctly, those guys would destory the bridge and meet up with the monsters coming from the north.

No good. If that happens, the destruction of the city will be guaranteed. What about our counterattack squad?

I surveyed the city and saw the soldiers stationed in the outer fortification. Even from here, I could tell they were only around hundreds at best.

[Human Soldiers: 553]

To be specific, there were only around 500 hundred of them. On the other hand, the number of monsters were 2,987 in total if the monsters approaching from the east were considered.

2,987 and 553. The difficulty level was atrocious considering this was the lowest floor of the dungeon.

Perhaps we might be able to manage somehow if the soldiers were Magic Knights. Unfortunately, the soldiers stationed here were just normal knights armed with swords, spears and bows.

We would be able to turn the situation around if a Mage was present. However, I was not positive enough to believe such an important figure would arrive this early. In the end, I can only rely on my knowledge.

Below the bell tower, the party members had gathered. It seems they were done with their observation.

[The nightmare scenario has arrived.]

I took a deep breath and read the conditions of the nightmare scenario.

(T/N: Nightmare scenario is another name for sub scenario. I'll be using it instead of sub scenario for now on.)

+

[Nightmare Scenario – Small Story]

Clear conditions: A dark, enigmatic force has turned the animals into grotesque monsters. Block these creatures and safeguard the city from destruction.

Time limit: None

Rewards: ??

Penalty: ??

+

This was a fable, an untold story brought to life by the Librarian of the Library Dungeon.

To escape this fantasy world, we had no choice but to complete the story.

With a sense of urgency, I descended down the stairs quickly and met up with the party members.

They must have noticed my worried expression but I hid it as much as possible. I moved forward and opened my mouth.

"Has everyone seen the system notification?"

"Yes... but I don't understand. What does it mean by completing the story?"

"We defend the city and repel the monster horde. If we succeed, we can create an exit."

"Exit? We can escape here by passing the Scenario?"

"That's right. But the situation is not simple. Now listen very carefully..."

I began to explain the severity of the situation. There were thousands of monsters approaching the city and city's last line of defence were seriously lacking manpower. As they continued to listen, their expressions slowly became darker.

Lee Su-hye opened her mouth and asked some questions.

"You're saying the mission is defense?"

"Yes."

"And you're saying thousands of monsters are currently marching their way here and the city's defence is greatly outnumbered?"

"That's right."

"What are we going to do? It's logically impossible to win. Can't we just run away?"

I shook my head. "No. If we fail the mission or run away, our lives will be forfeit."

Lee Suhye's expression stiffened.

It was a cruel reality. This was the story trial of the library dungeon. The difficulty ranged from story to story but if we fail to complete their tale, there will be serious consequences.

My gaze moved next to the tower. Next to the tower stood a modest cathedral, its courtyard embellished with a statue made of plaster. The statue emitted a radiant luminescence.

The statue depicted a male figure clad in body armor, a sword gripped tightly in his hand, his gaze unwaveringly fixed on the heavens.

This was the legendary Siegfried, the hero who had vanquished the dragon Fafnir.

I pointed at the statue and explained.

"The situation is similar to the 3rd Nightmare. If that statue falls, we will fail to complete the story."

"That's unreasonable."

"I know. But if we want to live then we have to prevent the destruction of this city somehow."

I crunched down and sketched a grand circle on the ground.

A total of two circles; the large circle and a small circle. Then I drew a dot in the middle of those circles. I pointed towards each of them and explained.

"The large circle represents the outer defense, the small circle represents the inner defense. And the dot represents the hero statue. The number of allies may be modest, but the defensive structures are steadfast."

With the stroke of my finger, I sketched circles to the north and east of the city.

"The monsters are approaching from the north and east. Although I couldn't properly identify them, I assume their ranks consists of mostly unintelligent monsters. It's just a guess though. In the end, lack of information is a major problem."

"Can we just stall for time?" Angell asked.

"That won't work. It's different from the 3rd nightmare."

Merely stalling for time won't lead us to victory. If Han Sanghoon was with us, the scenario would have been easier but that was not the case.

There was only four of us. Objectively speaking, the walkers were far more stronger than the allied soldiers since they were just ordinary people. However, it didn't mean we could handle thousands of enemies on our own.

Of course, it didn't mean victory was completely out of the window.

I came up with a strategy and then opened my mouth.

"We are going to abandon defense."

"W-WHAT?"

The party members looked shocked.

"W-What do you mean by that? If we abandon defense, we'll surely..."

"Listen, I'm not done. Even if we join up with the allied soldiers, it will be meaningless. We might be able to defend the wall for a while, but ultimately the enemy would break through our defense."

"Then what do you suggest?"

I pointed at the drawing on the ground again and explained.

"There is another gate apart from the northern gate on the east. Since the main forces were concentrated on the northern gate, the eastern gate was left unguarded. We'll go through there."

"Why are we going outside? There are thousands of monsters out there. Going there will only result in death." Lee Su-hye retorted.

"You'll stay here? No matter how you look at it, staying here will only result in total annihilation."

"Then..."

"Just listen. There's a bridge located at the east but it's going to be destoryed by the monsters. If we want to survive then we have to prevent the destruction of the bridge at any cost."

I stood up, drawing the sword in a menacing manner. While some might say I was trying to look cool, it was an unconscious action.

"If we can prevent the destruction of the bridge then reinforcements will arrive."