CRACK!
Han Yuseong smashed open the storage case and took out the book inside.
[Windstep Technique (S)]
A book containing the Windstep Technique, composed of three forms.
It was an S-rank skill book, one that would be hard to obtain even for a mountain of gold.
In his past life, it had been the signature movement technique used by the Great Thief.
Han Yuseong had seen that thief use it with his own eyes.
"But in this life, it won't belong to the Great Thief—it'll be mine."
He didn't feel particularly guilty about it.
After all, in his past life, he had suffered plenty because of that thief.
"And the books here weren't all just Pungunbo Method."
"There are so many good ones, I don't even know which to choose."
Unlike the outside, this space had only a few libraries.
However, the skill books within those libraries were all of high rank and exceptional performance.
They were skill books that could be sold for a high price.
Mirrors were illuminating those books.
"So this is the illusion."
The mirrors possessed the power to create illusions.
The books reflected in the mirrors appeared as illusions in the outer library, deceiving players and luring them in.
The Pungunbo Method that was in the storage was the same.
In his previous life, the great thief exposed this truth and denounced the Eye of Knowledge.
"They played a shallow trick, so now they must pay the price."
After quickly scanning through the libraries, Han Yuseong picked out one book.
It was an A-rank skill book of illusion called
Having taken even that, Han Yuseong was about to leave the room without hesitation.
Just then, an overwhelming presence was felt from somewhere.
[The Eye of Knowledge reveals confusion and anger.]
[He asks you how you managed to find this place.]
A pale eyeball appeared, floating in the air.
It was the Eye of Knowledge. The eyeball trembled slightly, clearly shaken.
Seeing him, Han Yuseong smirked as if he found it all pathetic.
"So you really thought you'd get away with this forever?"
[The Eye of Knowledge is furious at your insult.]
[He exclaims: 'This nonsense? How dare a mere human speak that way to a lord!']
The eye glowed with a cold blue light.
And within the library, there were beings that responded to the Eye's wrath.
[You have selected a Grade 5 Skill Book. All librarians in the library have begun tracking you. Escape now!]
— Kyaaamaaaamaaaa!
— Kkiiiimiiiiimiii!
Shrill screams were rapidly approaching.
The librarians. They were swarming to subdue Han Yuseong.
The floating eyeball gleamed as if glaring at him.
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["I don't know how you found this place..."]
["But you will not leave here with that."]
Blood-red letters etched themselves before his eyes.
Han Yuseong scoffed and walked calmly toward the exit.
"Try and stop me if you can."
"Kyaaamaaaamaaaaak!"
A corridor filled with disarmed traps.
Beyond that point, grotesque-shaped beings—the librarians—revealed themselves.
They extended their blade-like sharp hands, radiating clear hostility.
A message appeared before Han Yuseong's eyes.
[Librarians grow stronger as their numbers increase.]
[A sufficient number of librarians have gathered. A buff is activated.]
[Solidarity of Knowledge: The librarians' levels and stats are enhanced!]
It was a message stating that the librarians had become stronger.
At that exact moment,
Han Yuseong ignited an uncontrollable red killing aura from deep within.
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[This opponent is too strong to handle at your current level.]
[Due to the effect of the Martial God's Blessing, the buff 'Giant Killing' has been activated.]
[All stats +5, fist damage +10%, speed +10%.]
The buff had been triggered.
With this level of buff, he wasn't quite as strong as the tutorial ogre, but close enough.
The real issue was the sheer number of enemies.
"I don't have time to deal with each and every one of them."
If Bunju is enraged, all the librarians will swarm in.
I need to neutralize the enemies and get out of here quickly.
More importantly, the librarians here are just regular monsters, so they don't give any extra rewards.
In other words, there's no reason to deal with each one of them.
"Kkyaamamamamama!"
There are two librarians in the corridor.
Han Yuseong kicked off the ground and charged at them.
The librarians spread their arms wide, ready to slash at him with their claws.
And at that very moment—
Srrrk—
"Kkiiik?!"
Han Yuseong's figure vanished in an instant.
A new form that vanished as if it had never existed in the first place.
The startled librarians looked around in confusion, trying to locate Han Yuseong.
But there was no need to search for long.
Crunch!
"Kkiimeeek?!"
With a gruesome sound, the librarian's arm was broken.
Han Yuseong's fist, appearing from the right side of the creature, had shattered the arm.
And with just a single blow.
The librarian's eyes were filled with shock.
But the surprising part wasn't over yet.
Boom!
"Kkiamamamak?!"
"Kimimamak!"
Fists flew with ferocious force, striking the librarians' knees.
Once again, their joints snapped with a single blow.
The librarians' bodies crumpled to the ground.
It was thanks to his Mana Release and the effect of Bone Crusher.
A weapon specialized in shattering bones, with exceptional attack power to boot.
On top of that, there was the Trial's Blessing, which increased skill damage.
"Librarians may have high attack power, but their defense is weak."
How could a bony, emaciated creature have high defense?
That weakness, combined with his strength, led to this outcome.
The librarians collapsed from a single bone-breaking strike, and Han Yuseong charged ahead, ignoring them.
A devastating result that would make even the Lord of Knowledge flinch.
"Kkiimamamama!"
"Kiyamamamak!"
More librarians appeared ahead, trying to stop Han Yuseong.
But it was a futile effort. Han Yuseong neutralized them with minimal movement, never pausing for even a moment as he pressed forward.
The sight was so intense that even the Lord of Knowledge momentarily forgot their anger.
[How can someone who just became a Premier move like that...?]
The Lord of Knowledge felt a strong sense of unease.
New players who reach Premier rank are usually full of useless confidence.
"I became a Premier. I'm special." That kind of self-assurance.
But that confidence is shattered in real combat.
In front of monsters charging at you to kill, confidence means nothing.
But that player—Han Yuseong—was different.
[There's no hesitation in his movements. He doesn't fear battle.]
Like a seasoned Premier who's been through countless battles,
Han Yuseong calmly found escape routes even as the librarians swarmed to block him—and he carved out a path when there was none.
There wasn't a trace of fear in his actions.
And more than anything, he was powerful.
[He's holding his own against buffed librarians without being pushed back.]
Countless librarians were pursuing Han Yuseong.
At that level, the entire group of librarians must have been granted a powerful buff.
It was far beyond what a player under level 10 could handle.
And yet, Han Yuseong was fighting them—almost on equal footing.
The Lord of Knowledge considered one possibility:
[A unique ability.]
There was no other way to explain how he was going toe-to-toe with the librarians.
Though the specifics were unclear, it must be a unique ability that enhances strength.
And not just any ability—it had to be of fairly high grade.
[And on top of that, that human has… experience.]
It became evident upon closely observing the battle.
Han Yuseong's physical ability was inferior to the librarians.
He only seemed to possess the bare minimum strength needed to face them.
But he was compensating for that shortfall with his experience.
'Of course he wouldn't be afraid.'
Han Yuseong deflected the incoming claws and struck the librarian hard in the solar plexus.
The librarian's body doubled over in agony.
He immediately grabbed both of its arms and used them to skewer the librarians chasing from behind.
The librarians screamed in pain as Han Yuseong charged through the library.
The reason he felt no fear toward them was simple.
"There's no killing intent in their attacks."
A rule that librarians cannot kill Premier players.
Despite their grotesque appearance, they were holding back their attacks, which naturally made the battle easier.
Han Yuseong clicked his tongue.
"How boring. Still, thanks to that, the job got easier."
[There's no denying it... At this rate... we won't be able to stop that human.]
Even the Lord of Knowledge came to realize that fact—albeit too late.
He was a human that couldn't be stopped by librarians who follow the rules.
If left alone, that man would surely succeed in escaping the library.
The lord made the logical decision.
"Will we let that man escape?"
Losing a Tier-5 Skill Book was acceptable—it was a loss that could be endured.
But allowing the true nature of the library to be revealed was unacceptable.
How many coins had been poured into building the Library of Knowledge? They hadn't even broken even yet.
Breaking the rules would be cheaper than allowing that to happen.
And more than anything…
[I want him. I want him so badly I can't stand it.]
That man—Han Yuseong—was desirable.
Because the lord had realized the potential of his unique ability.
It was also triggering an intense intellectual curiosity within them.
What is that unique ability? What does it do? How much potential does it hold? They wanted to know.
They wanted to know so badly they couldn't contain themselves.
And so—
[The Lord of Knowledge has modified the rule.]
[Rule: Librarians cannot kill Premier players. However, Han Yuseong, who selected a Tier-5 Skill Book, is now excluded from this rule.]
['Chief Librarian' has begun to move to stop you.]
The Lord of Knowledge had decided to break the rule.
This too required a significant amount of coins, but it was still a cost worth bearing.
If they still failed to capture Han Yuseong after this, the compensation penalty would result in a tremendous loss.
[But that won't happen!]
Han Yuseong clicked his tongue.
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"To think I could make them break their own rules this easily."
The Eye of the Stars holds overwhelming power.
To beings like them, suppressing a human like Han Yuseong should be as easy as breathing.
But the Lord of Knowledge couldn't do that.
Because they were under a kind of restriction.
[When a Lord of the Stars attempts to directly intervene in a world under trial or a challenge that has already been opened, they must pay a price.]
[The cost varies depending on the level of intervention.]
The forms of payment are diverse.
Among them, the most common is "coins."
When the Eye of the Stars intervenes in reality or an active challenge, it must pay the cost in coins.
Since Lords are typically obsessed with coins, they tend to avoid direct involvement in reality unless it's something significant.
"If they're intervening just to break the rules, the price will be even higher."
In that case, a "compensation penalty" is also applied.
Any ordinary player would be trembling in this situation.
A Lord had resolved to kill them—how could they not be terrified?
Han Yuseong was trembling too.
But for a slightly different reason:
"I'm trembling at the thought of making them pay compensation."
If it was the Lord of Knowledge, they would surely possess "that item."
It would become a good bargaining chip.
Thinking that, Han Yuseong continued running through the library—until he suddenly came to a halt.
It was because a librarian was blocking his path.
This one looked different from all the others he had seen so far.
And the aura it exuded was different as well.
"Judging by the looks of it… that's probably the Chief Librarian."
"Kkiiimimiiiii…"
It was unlike any librarian he had encountered before.
Its body was larger, and the previously skeletal frame was now packed with muscle.
More than anything, it radiated a strong killing intent—
The intent to tear Han Yuseong apart on the spot.
["Human, I want to know you."]
["You will never escape from this place."]
"To think I'd hear something like that from a monarch… Should I be honored?"
Boom!
Han Yuseong twisted his body.
The librarian's claws grazed across his chest,
leaving a wound and splattering blood.
He had deflected the attack with the bare minimum movement.
A feat only possible with a perfect read of the enemy's motion.
At the same time, his fist tore through the air.
Crack!
"Kia-mamak?!"
His mana-infused strike smashed into the Chief Librarian's wrist,
and the sound of bones breaking rang out.
Unlike the other librarians, the limb didn't snap completely—
but it was just as unusable.
Activating the effect of Shadow Step, Han Yuseong burst forward.
His eyes locked onto the Chief Librarian's exposed chest—
BOOM!
"Guh...!"
A heavy impact exploded from Han Yuseong's fist, fired like lightning.
The mana burst struck cleanly into the Chief Librarian's solar plexus.
The creature doubled over in agonizing pain, and naturally, its chin dropped downward.
The follow-up fist smashed into the librarian's jaw.
That was the final blow.
"Ki… heeek…"
The massive body of the Chief Librarian crumpled to the ground.
And with that, the exit it had been blocking was revealed.
Han Yuseong was about to press the attack to finish the creature off but managed to hold himself back just in time.
Now wasn't the moment to end it.
"Kyamamack!"
"Kkiamamamaa!"
"Kkiimimii…!"
The librarians rushed after him in a panic, but it was already too late.
Han Yuseong hurled himself toward the exit.
"Lord of Knowledge. Prepare to pay the price for breaking the rules."
Beyond, eyes stared from this side as if piercing through a veil.
Han Yuseong met that gaze and grinned slyly.
"For the record, I'm a guy with a whole lot of audacity."
The eyes twisted in rage.
That made Han Yuseong quite amused, and he couldn't help but laugh.
At the same time, his body was engulfed in a shimmering light and vanished.
What remained were the librarians who had lost their target and the quiet library.
[Maaamaamaaamaaaa!]
Only the Lord of Knowledge, howling in fury, was left behind.