Chapter 20 – “I Was Looking for Someone Like You”

The walk to the guild’s library was not long.

In fact, it was quite easy to find. Even though he had forgotten to ask Mila for the exact location during the heat of his conversation with Isolda, Mark didn’t need much effort.

He was already standing in front of the library. The building was an imposing structure directly connected to the east wing of the guild itself, still within the Bronze District.

Its structure stood out from the others, with pale stone walls and tall stained-glass windows that captured the midday sun, functioning like a beacon and drawing the eye.

Mark paused for a moment, feeling slightly surprised by the effort they had put into constructing that place.

He had expected something simpler and more ordinary, perhaps a functional room with basic shelves, but the guild seemed to have invested a considerable amount of resources there. It made some sense, considering that Gold Rank granted full access to the place, but the luxury of the architecture still made him question the real reason an adventurers’ guild would possess a library of that magnitude.

Well, he didn’t want to think too much about that right now.

As he arrived before the large oak doors reinforced with metal, Mark was immediately stopped.

Two guards in full armor, their breastplates shining from careful polishing, crossed their spears while maintaining a rigid and impersonal posture.

“Identification, please.” One of them said, the muffled and deep voice coming from behind the visor of his helmet.

Since Mark carried no visible plaque hanging from his body or attached to his cloak, the guards exchanged a quick glance and relaxed their posture. They seemed to have concluded that he was just another clueless traveler who had recently arrived in Luminaris and gotten lost.

Mark said nothing.

He simply reached inside his cloak and took out his Gold Rank adventurer plaque.

“!!!”

The effect was immediate.

As soon as the golden shine of the metal reached the guards’ eyes, their posture of authority collapsed. The two quickly lowered their spears and showed expressions of deep respect, bowing slightly in a formal gesture while opening the doors with an agility that bordered on nervousness.

“We apologize for the interruption, sir! Please, go ahead!”

Mark merely gave a short nod, storing the identification back beneath his cloak.

“Thank you.”

He thanked them simply, without extending the conversation, and moved inside. Passing by the guards with steady steps, he quickly disappeared from their sight as he entered the library.

The two guards remained still, watching Mark’s figure vanish behind the doors. The silence lasted a few seconds until one of them relaxed his shoulders, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Do you know that adventurer?”

The other guard shook his head, still processing the shine of the metal he had just seen.

“No. And you?”

“Me neither.”

Inside the library.

Mark entered, hearing the heavy sound of the doors closing behind him, isolating the external noise of the Bronze District’s streets. He stopped for a moment, remaining still while his eyes adjusted to the soft lighting of the place.

The interior of the library was vast, with a high ceiling that made the silence feel even more pronounced. The smell of paper and wood filled the air, and the sunlight, filtered through the colored stained-glass windows, drew geometric patterns across the polished marble floor.

Mark looked around, analyzing the arrangement of the immense shelves that stretched out of sight along the side corridors. Some were so tall they reached toward the ceiling.

“…”

There were many books here, which was expected of a library.

The problem was that, in his previous life, he had never been someone who read much. Books were, most of the time, just game manuals or mandatory texts he ignored whenever possible.

Mark couldn’t even remember the last time he had set foot inside a real library.

And now, ironically, he was here.

Well, he was inside a library that was inside a game… or something close to that.

Mark took a few steps forward, noticing that the place was enormous. The main hall opened in several directions, with corridors that seemed endless, giving the impression that the library was far larger inside than its external structure suggested.

As he walked through the silent corridors, his eyes searched around for any sign of life. Mark expected to find other people or perhaps staff members, but to his surprise, he found no one.

Completely empty.

‘Strange…’

Mark continued forward, feeling Pippin stir slightly beneath his cloak.

“Sovereign…” Pippin poked his head out, blinking his enormous milky eyes at the immensity of the shelves.

The small servant looked eager.

“What?”

“Can I come out?”

‘Come out?’ Mark looked around, confirming that the corridors remained deserted and that there were no guards or other people in sight.

“Be careful.”

With permission granted, the small homunculus jumped out from his hiding place beneath Mark’s cloak.

“Look for anything related to this world, maps or general records. I need information.” Mark thought for a moment before giving the order.

He intended to find a librarian or someone who could help him, but there was no one around.

Fortunately, he had his servant.

Pippin nodded promptly, his ears swaying with the motion. Without wasting time, he began rummaging through the lower shelves, moving nimbly between the dusty books while Mark continued examining the titles at his eye level.

Mark walked along the corridors, his eyes jumping from spine to spine.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

His intention was clear: he needed information about the current world. He wanted names, locations, and any record that could explain where he was and what lay around Luminaris.

Since this was the guild’s own library, Mark expected to find useful local information, perhaps detailed maps or records about the surrounding areas.

If he could understand the geography of the region and how the city connected to the rest of the continent, it would already be a major step forward.

While looking upward, focused on trying to read the titles engraved on the spines of books placed on the upper shelves, he failed to notice another person approaching as they passed through a crossing between shelves.

Thump!

The impact was sudden and unexpected.

Mark felt a smaller body collide against his left shoulder. The hit was followed by the dull sound of several books hitting the floor and a muffled groan of pain.

“Ow!”

Mark took a step back.

“Ow… ow… ah-sorry! I-I didn’t see you!”

Sitting on the floor, in the middle of a mess of books, was a girl rubbing her hip with a pained expression.

She had vibrant green hair cut to shoulder length and wore round-framed glasses that were now slightly crooked on her face. Her body was dressed in a robe of cream and brown tones, with several pens and pieces of parchment tucked into a utility belt.

From her appearance, she looked to be around twenty years old.

The girl quickly adjusted her glasses, looking up with her face completely flushed with embarrassment.

“I-I’m sorry! I really didn’t see you in the way!” She exclaimed, her voice trembling. “I was carrying some books and… I wear glasses, and you just appeared out of nowhere! I swear the corridor was empty a second ago!”

Mark looked at the several books scattered across the floor.

The girl had been carrying at least twenty thick volumes. That definitely wasn’t what he would classify as just “some.”

While some people read little, others read that much… The world really balanced itself.

Upon hearing that he had appeared out of nowhere, Mark remained expressionless but felt a spark of understanding.