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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: The Librarian Awakens
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To hold the position of Border Count, one needed at least the skills of an Expert.
So she had no choice but to struggle.
From her perspective, things were already tough enough, and then in the dead of night, I suddenly started shouting and laughing. How ridiculous and infuriating must that have been for her.
I wasn't oblivious to her plight.
But I had my own side to the story.
No one could possibly understand the sheer euphoria of escaping that hellhole called Labyrinthos.
Even if the king himself had been standing before me, I would've shouted with joy. Even if a famed Sword Saint from across the continent had been there, I'd have acted the same.
It absolutely wasn't something a human should endure.
Of course, now that it was just a past memory, I could laugh it off.
They say memories become scars.
Honestly, I'd thought severe PTSD would hit me hard, but Labyrinthos's mental defenses had protected me almost perfectly in that regard.
I tried circulating my aura to calm my mind and body.
Then I froze.
Labyrinthos was the Dream Labyrinth— a dream, in other words.
The experiences I'd gained there remained, but right now, I was in the weak body of Leon Cascadia, devoid of any power.
And yet...
"Why is my aura still perfectly intact?"
In the past, upon realizing I had no talent for the sword, I'd abandoned aura cultivation techniques and swordsmanship early on, settling for life as a mere priest.
So my body shouldn't have been capable of holding any aura.
"This is insane."
But right now, within this body flowed the aura I'd built up in the Sword Hall—no, nearly double that amount—asserting its overwhelming presence.
If I focused purely on circulating it, I could draw out tremendous power from this vast reserve.
"What the hell? Where did this come from? The aura should've definitely vanished..."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ All energy forms, including the aura currently stored within you, are rewards for clearing the Hall.
"Whoa, you scared the shit out of me!"
The text floating before my eyes was a different color from the ones I knew.
This bastard—didn't it say it would vanish? Selling me snake oil now?
But it responded as if seeing me for the first time.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Pleased to meet you. Henceforth, address me as the 'Librarian.' I am here to provide necessary information.
The vibe was distinctly different from before.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The moment I saw the text floating in front of me, I freaked out.
I'd seen that script countless times back in that damned dream, Labyrinthos. No way—was this place not reality either? Had I just deluded myself into thinking I'd escaped?
Suppressing my swirling confusion, I asked,
"What the hell are you?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ This entity is the 'Librarian,' an artificial intelligence created to assist Leon Cascadia.
The text cluttered my vision with what looked like cute emoticons, as if it were alive. For an AI, using those cutesy things was downright infuriating.
"Librarian, my ass—what are you doing out here? This isn't still a dream, is it?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You have definitely exited Labyrinthos. This is reality: death is permanent, madness is possible, and time flows forward.
Three propositions, completely opposite from before.
But I could finally breathe easy again.
"So, what are you, exactly?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ I am the 'Librarian.'
"No, forget 'Librarian'—what's your deal? Your true nature?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ My identity is the 'Librarian.'
I'm gonna lose it.
What kind of garbage is this?
"Fine. Whatever. You don't make any sense."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Leon Cascadia, your memories are currently sealed in multiple layers.
That was already agreed upon.
Taking in that massive volume of memories all at once could overwhelm even my pinnacle-level mental fortitude, without any safety nets in place now.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Thus, a privileged administrator must remain present to sequentially restore your memories.
In other words, this thing was sticking around to help me recover all my memories.
Right now, I held memories from the Sword Hall and the Fist Hall—two sets.
I hadn't reclaimed the rest yet, but even those two alone made my head throb.
"So, I definitely exited Labyrinthos, right?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Affirmative. Labyrinthos was dismantled the moment you exited.
"Who made that thing in the first place, and why?"
I didn't really expect an answer.
This was a question I'd asked endlessly in the Sword Hall and the Fist Hall alike.
Back then, it had never responded.
But this Librarian in front of me now—different from the Hall's text—gave a new reply.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Upon Labyrinthos's destruction, most records pertaining to it were erased.
"..."
Didn't seem like a lie.
Beep!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [T T]
Seeing it pull out that crying emoticon somehow pissed me off even more.
One thing I'd realized during my long imprisonment there: these texts had their own form of ego.
At least to me, they felt more like programs than living beings' consciousnesses.
In other words, no amount of time affected them.
"Ugh, whatever."
Realizing further conversation was pointless, I waved the text away and flopped onto the bed.
Come to think of it, I'd never once slept peacefully in the Hall.
But here was different.
Here, I didn't have to worry about raids while I slept.
So, as recompense for all that accumulated fatigue, I figured I could sleep the day away.
With that, I closed my eyes for my first proper rest in ages.
Until I snapped them open ten minutes later, bloodshot and wide.
"Can't sleep a wink."
Those words carried a world of meaning.
Side effects from not sleeping too long? No, this was something fundamentally different.
Right—what was it?
After agonizing over it, I finally realized.
What had led me to fall into Labyrinthos in the first place?
Simply falling asleep, wasn't it?
They'd said it was perfectly protected, but apparently the PTSD hadn't vanished entirely.
In the end, I pulled an all-nighter, exhaustion mounting, yet sleep eluded me completely.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
It was a serious issue, in its own way.
But what difference did complaining "I can't sleep" make anywhere?
In Labyrinthos, skipping sleep caused no problems.
But now was different.
The causes could be many, but the biggest factor was probably trauma—or habit.
Not trauma from there, though. Likely a side effect after emerging.
Currently, I sat alone in the count's training grounds, gathering my energy.
I couldn't deny the irritability from sleep deprivation.
It was more like flailing to create a focus and forget the pain.
I currently held memories from two Halls: the Sword Hall and the Fist Hall.
Memories of slicing foes with a blade.
And memories as a bare-handed fighter.
Both used aura, sure, but the body movements were fundamentally different.
Fortunately, the Librarian could output my status like the old Hall texts.
Beep!!
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👤 Name: Leon Cascadia 🎂 Age: 17 ♂️ Gender: Male ⚔ Abilities: (Sword Hall) 🗡️ Swordsman (Beginner) Pinnacle [Aura] is preserved. (Fist Hall) 👊 Fighter (Beginner) Fierce Star [Aura] is preserved.
The Pinnacle and Fierce Star labels, along with everything I'd mastered inside, were gone—but who cared about that.
The fact that the aura quantities from both Halls were preserved was more than enough.
"At least both use aura... that's a relief. Yawwwn."
I yawned hugely while stirring the aura within me.
Aura was fundamentally the energy source for those engaging in physical combat.
It was a power primarily used to reinforce the body or manifest externally, sharpened to a razor's edge.
However, aura was notoriously harder to accumulate than other energies.
Even Sword Masters—called strategic weapons—possessed amounts that paled compared to great archmages of 6th circle or higher, when judging purely by maximum capacity.
Of course, even small quantities yielded massive efficiency.
But.
The aura I now held far exceeded what any living being could reasonably contain.
"Having too much aura causes problems too, huh."
I'd known it in theory, but experiencing it firsthand was new.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Correct. We recommend rapidly recirculating the aura to ensure bodily safety.
The first stage for swordsmen was Swordsman. After training and refining cultivation methods, mastering aura control led to Aura User.
Aura User was the realm where one could sense, control, and circulate aura within the body.
The hardest part was that initial circulation, which demanded massive expenditure.
Like using a battery to kickstart a car engine.
Or the immense energy a rocket burns in its first phase.
Moreover, the more aura one held, the tougher that first loop became.
And I had a colossal amount from beyond Grand Master?
This wouldn't be easy. Still, I thought:
Difficult, but not impossible—and the benefits of success were immense.
Once started, it would circulate through the body on its own, reinforcing everything without further effort. That initial hurdle was why Aura Users were rare.
And here I was, with aura on another level entirely...
"This stuff isn't moving easily."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ In normal cases, failure to control aura leads to bodily collapse. In your case, the sheer volume predicts massive consumption for the initial startup.
I ignored the Librarian, which knew exactly how to grate on my nerves.
It felt like shifting a massive iron block.
Still, I focused, slowly circulating the vast aura.
I had my own method, forged through endless repetitions and bodily breakdowns, but this case was unprecedented, so caution was key.
Tension unwavering, I began shifting the aura fully—and soon succeeded in completing the circulation.
I hadn't pierced the middle or upper dantians like in wuxia tales, but that wasn't the point.
Circulating the aura was what mattered.
The sheer volume, flowing through basic meridians, permeated every joint, muscle, organ, and vessel in my body.
And it began reinforcing them, bit by bit.
The surprise didn't end there.
"Already leaking out of the body."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ A phenomenon due to exceeding capacity limits.
Breaking through to Expert required several stages, but this external manifestation alone would upend the academic world.
Of course, I had no intention of bragging about it now.
By my standards, it was still too feeble.
Still, the status had updated meaningfully.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ (Sword Hall) ⚡ Aura User (Beginner) Pinnacle Aura is preserved. (Fist Hall) ⚡ Aura User (Beginner) Fierce Star Aura is preserved.
Not a huge change, but a clear shift to Aura User—the realm for those who wielded it.
Beginner or not, advancing through beginner, intermediate, advanced, and peak was trivial for me; I could do it sitting down.
Then, suddenly, something occurred to me.