Chapter 302

0.

Because of his mother’s birthday, Seonghyun had not logged into the game for two days, and now he was finally logging back in after a while.

It was only two days, so calling it a long time might be a stretch.

But since it was his first time not logging in for two whole days after he started the game, it felt unusual.

He logged in and looked around, following the routine he had become completely used to.

His memory was intact, yet being in Septem Arcana felt a bit awkward.

Heptarion’s scenery had grown familiar to him.

‘Since I stayed there for quite a while.’

Not that he felt regretful about it.

The NPCs and the fun there had their charm.

But what mattered in the end was the succession of the Necromancer Lord.

He wondered if all the preparations they had promised were finally done.

Carrying that expectation, Seonghyun entered the Serul Spire Magic Tower.

As if he had arrived at just the right time, Will greeted him.

“You have timed it perfectly.”

“Oh, so that means?”

“Yes, the preparations have just been completed.”

He wondered what preparations they had been making.

At that moment, an ashen energy rose from deep within Will’s core and drifted toward Seonghyun.

At the same time.

[The final condition for the succession of the Necromancer Lord is now unlocked.]

[Obtain weapons imbued with demonic energy. (5 / 5)(Complete)]

[Destroy the heart of the demon race, the source of demonic energy. (Complete)]

[Experience all of the Necromancer Lord’s chronicles. (Incomplete)]

‘The Necromancer Lord’s chronicles?’

Was it telling him to experience all of them?

What came to mind first was a scenario like when he had met Hindel, a journey into the past.

But it seemed that was not the case.

Will spoke, sounding regretful.

“This condition is quite demanding.”

“Is there a portal that takes you to the past?”

To that question, Will shook his head as if troubled.

No portal to the past?

At the unexpected answer, Seonghyun looked at Will.

From behind, Helena spoke as if there was no helping it.

“Going to the past is not actually going to the real past.”

“Then what is it?”

“A living person extracts their memory and turns it into a field. Like Noctrinium.”

Wouldn’t that make it possible then?

He had said the soul was different, but the memories themselves were with Will.

However.

“Even if Will has the memories, if the soul is different, then they are not the soul’s memories.”

“As expected, you understand this very well.”

At Helena’s words, Seonghyun could follow.

Memories reside in the soul.

That is also why Seonghyun can absorb a soul’s memories and experiences through the soul.

But although Will possesses the memories, his soul is different.

Since the memories are not his own, they remain only as information, not as actual memories.

Because this was his ability, Seonghyun understood this explanation immediately, though he looked puzzled.

“How can I experience the chronicles of the Necromancer Lord then?”

Just then,

“That’s it.”

Helena said as if she already knew.

Will nodded in agreement.

Seonghyun looked between them, curious about what they meant.

Will explained,

“In the expressions of outsiders, there is a place called Septia among the Seventh Cities.”

“Septia?”

“Yes, it is called the City of Books, the City of Stories, the City of Libraries. It is a very special place. The books stored there are not normal ones.”

“Hmm?”

Seonghyun, looking puzzled, asked what that meant.

Will continued,

“Septia records everything in the world and expresses it as books. When you read those books, you can experience those records firsthand.”

“Oh? Then?”

“Yes, you have to find the real Will Baghdad’s records and experience the chronicles of the Necromancer Lord. Only by doing that can you inherit the Necromancer Lord.”

Seonghyun smiled at this explanation.

The last condition seemed difficult but he thought it might be more fun than expected.

‘Going into books to experience stories like that...’

He guessed that Septia’s dungeon was likely represented this way.

However,

“To acquire the reading rights, you must clear books of difficulty to gain access to higher-level books.”

“Hmm, this might take a long time.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

Still, Seonghyun smiled, looking forward to exploring an interesting city again after a while.

Suddenly, he thought,

‘A library, huh.’

He recalled a quirky player met in a library before but quickly dismissed the thought.

Though rare for players to visit libraries in-game,

if they weren't leveling faster than him, he probably wouldn’t meet them anyway.

He recalled the first city he saw was the Fifth City,

so suddenly being in the Seventh City was unusual.

His backup team was currently struggling to catch up with him.

Thinking that, Seonghyun decided on his next goal and stood up.

“Wish me luck.”

Seonghyun smiled and answered.

“Thank you. I will return as quickly as possible.”

Seonghyun replied and left the tower. As Will watched him go, he nodded with a faint smile.

It was a structure that would inevitably take a long time.

But he muttered, thinking that with Seonghyun, it might be different.

“May you travel safely.”

1.

Septia, the City of Books.

A great city that belonged to no nation, its origins unknown even in historical records.

No city in the world could boast more books than this one.

Based on the description alone, it was a city he might not have cared for.

But contrary to its name, it was a very popular place.

A fantastical system where opening a book turned it into a dungeon.

Few cities were as unique as this one.

So it was only natural that it was popular.

Players who wouldn’t normally be seen near a library in reality were now scrambling to open books.

It was an unfamiliar sight, but everyone was struggling to do so.

“There are so many people.”

Seonghyun thought as he looked around, seeing nothing but people.

Not just users, but also a considerable number of NPCs.

The streets were bustling with NPCs seeking information and users wanting a unique experience.

Considering there were few users in the level 220 range.

He could see that it was quite saturated.

Seonghyun also felt a bit awkward and walked carefully through his surroundings.

By the way.

‘How do I find it here?’

In a city with as many as seven libraries.

It was daunting to even think about where to start.

He had learned.

‘It’s divided by rank, right?’

From Normal rank to Rare, Epic, Unique, Legendary, Almighty, and finally, a seventh library for the Ungraded tier.

Among them, no one knew what rank the Necromancer Lord’s chronicle would be.

‘I hope it’s in the Legendary rank.’

He hoped it would be in the Legendary rank at least.

But what were the chances of that?

All the Lord-series skills Seonghyun had were Almighty rank.

Could the Necromancer Lord also be in the Almighty rank?

Feeling a mix of daunting uncertainty and excitement, Seonghyun first stopped by the Normal rank library.

The number of books one had to read also differed by rank.

For the Normal rank, he had to read a staggering ten books to get an access pass to the Rare rank library.

‘I have to do it.’

He was already starting to feel a sense of tedium.

But what could he do.

As Seonghyun entered the Normal rank library right away.

He couldn't help but be surprised by its immense size, so different from what it looked like from the outside.

‘Is this space distortion?’

So many books that it made him think that.

‘So if I pick and open ten of these, I can move on to the Rare rank?’

As Seonghyun realized this and went to the bookshelf to choose a book, he noticed a strange sign near it.

“Huh?”

[The limit for reading in the Normal rank is 100 books.]

Honestly, he doubted anyone would come here and open a hundred books.

But he made a mental note of it anyway.

To think there was a reading limit.

Seonghyun thought it was what it was and examined various books.

Looking at them based on their titles, he found many that were quite interesting.

[The Perilous Death of a Country Youth]

[A Monster Wave in a Backwater Village]

[Won’t Someone Stop the Bandits?]

…

…

There were some quite intriguing titles.

Looking at them, Seonghyun opened the one whose title was the most ambiguous: The Perilous Death of a Country Youth.

Why a perilous death?

As he opened the book with that thought.

A description of the dungeon flowed out just like a real book.

Along with the mission, it provided a brief overview of the story.

The Perilous Death of a Country Youth was the story of a country youth who got caught up in a strange affair.

The story of a young man who, for some reason, felt like someone was after him and eventually died.

The mission of this dungeon was to prevent the youth’s death and catch the culprit.

‘This is more fun than I thought.’

Being Normal rank, it was naturally easy to solve.

The culprit was the village chief.

He revealed that the chief had intended to kill the youth to swallow the inheritance he received after his parents’ death, and he disposed of the chief.

However, although it was easy, it took more time than expected.

Still, it was quite good.

Because it was very entertaining.

On top of that.

[You have acquired a significant amount of experience!]

Even for a Normal rank, the amount of experience gained was substantial.

‘Oh?’

It seemed this single book was treated as a scenario.

He now understood why they had set a reading limit.

With a hundred of these, he could probably gain more than enough to level up ten times.

Though Seonghyun had this tempting thought.

He couldn't let the means become the end.

First, he had to find the Necromancer Lord’s chronicle, so he quickly cleared the Normal rank.

Seonghyun cleared ten Normal books in just one day.

‘Phew. Ten wasn’t as easy as I thought.’

It was fun, but trying to finish them quickly was definitely tiring.

But no matter how easy they were, clearing ten in one day was still a remarkable achievement.

On top of that.

[You have acquired a significant amount of experience!]

[You have reached Level 231.]

He even leveled up.

He was satisfied.

‘That's enough for today.’

Tomorrow, he had to go to the Rare rank library.

‘Still, it's a relief that it’s fun.’

After he inherited the Necromancer Lord, he decided he would level up here.

The leveling efficiency was quite high.

As Seonghyun logged out.

A lone user in the Normal rank library belatedly muttered with a hint of disappointment.

A short user in his early twenties with glasses and curly brown hair.

He mumbled as if it were a great pity.

“Why did they limit it to 100… It’s so much fun, what a shame.”

He licked his lips, having apparently already read all one hundred.

Then.

“And for Rare, I could only see a measly 50…”

He was already feeling disappointed, having finished the Rare rank library as well.

And.

“I’ve finished the Epic rank too… Now I have to go to the Unique rank. I hope they let me see a lot more there.”

The user pushed up his glasses and muttered to himself.

The user who had once crossed paths with Seonghyun in the fifth city.

Barbaros headed towards the Unique rank library with a look of disappointment.