Chapter 379

Taesan left the flustered Jorge behind and entered the secret room. The ghost, who came to his senses belatedly, asked,

[What the—? How did you find it so fast?]

“You already know.”

[What are you talking abou—ah.]

The ghost also realized it a moment later.

It remembered that Taesan had returned from the past. And it also knew that an adventurer had been involved in the process.

The ghost fell silent. Taesan passed through the corridor and entered the room.

Inside the small room was a single book.

Taesan picked up the book.

[Analysis of Reading Methods for In-Depth Exploration of Knowledge.]

Taesan carried the book outside. He held it out to Jorge, who stared at him blankly.

“Did you read this?”

“…”

“No.” Jorge shook his head. “It’s the first time I’ve seen that book.”

“I see.”

“How did you find that place so quickly?”

Jorge couldn’t understand.

This was Metis’s domain. Reconnaissance powers didn’t work here. To discover the secret room, pure judgment, time, and luck were necessary.

Yet Taesan had located the secret room immediately.

“You…”

“I have my own method.”

Taesan sat on a chair and opened the book.

Just like the title suggested, the contents were about deepening knowledge through reading methods. It wasn’t particularly interesting, but it was readable.

And once he finished the book, Taesan gained a skill.

[You have acquired the special passive skill [Speed Reading].]

‘It’s real.’

A book that granted a skill just by reading it. That was why it was hidden inside a secret room.

Taesan handed the book to Jorge after obtaining the skill. Jorge composed himself and accepted it.

“I admit it. I don’t know how you found it, but you’ve brought me a book I’ve never read. Congratulations. You’ve fulfilled the clear condition for the 78th floor.”

Now, Taesan could descend to the 79th floor whenever he wished.

“You may go down now or remain here and continue building your knowledge. Do as you please.”

“I plan to.”

Taesan moved once again between the bookshelves.

His movements weren’t those of someone reading but rather of someone searching for something, and Jorge spoke up with a doubtful look.

“…Don’t tell me, you’re—”

“Found it.”

Rumble!

The bookshelf moved, revealing another corridor.

[You have discovered the second secret room.]
[First Discovery Bonus]
[Strength +10]
[Agility +10]
[Intelligence +10]

Jorge was now at a loss for words.

* * *

Taesan continued wandering throughout the Library of All Things.

As a result, before long, he discovered as many as six secret rooms.

[You have discovered the sixth secret room.]
[First Discovery Bonus]
[Attack Power +5]
[Defense +5]

[Ha.]

The ghost couldn’t hold back a gasp.

[People might’ve suspected something, but… this is incredible.]

The ghost knew about Lee Taeyeon.

Partly because Taesan had occasionally talked about her, but mostly because it had met her in the trial bestowed by the God of Despair.

Though it was only a single encounter, the ghost could clearly tell what kind of person Lee Taeyeon was.

Someone full of fear and always wanting to run away, yet unable to abandon her duty and always stepping forward in the end.

That was the Lee Taeyeon the ghost had seen.

It knew she had the talent to clear the labyrinth, but still believed she was clearly lacking compared to Taesan.

But this exceeded its expectations.

The ghost hadn’t even realized there were secret rooms here.

And not just the ghost—other adventurers likely hadn’t either.

Finding secret rooms in a vast library where reconnaissance powers didn’t work was nearly impossible.

But Lee Taeyeon had found them.

Not just one, but several.

[In some ways, she’s even more amazing than you.]

“She is.”

Though she blamed herself, she was an impressive person.

It had been quite some time since she spoke about the 78th floor, but Taesan still remembered the general locations.

Back then, Lee Taeyeon posted incessantly on the community.

Struggling in the Deep Layer, she constantly wanted to share her story with others.

Her messages, bordering on pollution, were engraved in Taesan’s memory.

Though much time had passed and he couldn’t recall everything exactly, the current Taesan was more than capable of finding things based on rough information alone.

“…This really is surprising.”

Jorge, who had been observing, murmured to himself.

After Taesan discovered the second secret room, Jorge had closed his book and started following him around.

Rumble!

[You have discovered the seventh secret room.]

As before, Taesan tried to step inside.

But the corridor rejected him.

Taesan’s body was pushed back.

He looked at the passage.

A gently fluctuating force was denying entry.

[Secret Room of the Demon God.]
[Entry is impossible without divine permission.]

“What is this?”

“I told you. There’s knowledge here that requires qualifications to obtain. The room before you belongs to the Demon God. It’s one of them.”

Jorge explained.

“This place is called the Library of All Things, so it also contains information about the gods. But not everyone can access it. You must gain permission from a god to enter. It’s practically impossible. Just give up.”

Lee Taeyeon had said something similar.

She once found a secret room but was unable to enter.

Taesan placed his hand on the corridor.

The force guarding the passage wavered as if observing him.

And Taesan sensed a gaze from beyond the power.

A familiar gaze that he had felt over and over.

Its owner smiled gently.

At that moment, the restriction of the guarding power disappeared.

“…This is absurd.”

Jorge’s eyes quivered.

Taesan stepped inside.

There, a sphere of power, black as pitch, was waiting.

The sphere seeped into Taesan.

[You have acquired the special passive skill [Trace of Darkness].]

The skill was obtained.

And at the same time, memories flowed into Taesan’s mind.

* * *

Even after that, Taesan continued searching for secret rooms.

Like the Demon God’s room, he found several more that were related to gods.

Among them were those belonging to the God of War and Death, Rakiratas, and the God of Victory, Baltazar.

Both gods had permitted Taesan to access their secret rooms, so he obtained the rewards without much difficulty.

Before he knew it, Taesan had discovered over fifteen secret rooms.

Jorge silently watched him.

‘What the hell is this guy?’

He was utterly stunned.

He knew Taesan was powerful. The Library of All Things was his domain. It was only natural to assess the strength of its visitors. He had already discerned that Taesan possessed power beyond mortality.

It was certainly surprising, but not enough to unsettle him. After all, this was a place frequented even by those who had already cleared the 78th floor. There were people here far stronger than Taesan.

However, when Taesan continued to find secret rooms, even Jorge couldn’t help but be shaken.

No matter how outstanding one’s analytical skills were, it would normally take months to discover a single secret room. Yet Taesan had found ten of them in an instant.

He considered the possibility that Taesan had been told by someone else, but that was impossible. These were secrets no one had ever uncovered. There was no one he could have heard it from.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

Recognition from the gods.

As the manager of this place, Jorge knew. The Library of All Things also held information about many gods. It was an important place to them as well.

Yet a god had granted access to knowledge hidden within their secret room.

That meant they regarded Taesan as someone worthy of being more than a mere [Apostle]—as someone fit to become their confidant.

And not just one god—three different gods had done so.

‘How fascinating.’

Jorge’s eyes gleamed.

He was a seeker who had gone mad with the thirst for knowledge.

He had craved and yearned for knowledge so deeply that he was recognized by the [God of Knowledge], thus becoming the manager of this place.

And now, the existence known as Taesan was igniting that hunger once more.

Jorge quietly observed him.

Taesan, who had been searching for secret rooms nonstop, finally paused. He had acquired more than enough. His plan was to organize what he had obtained, then resume his search.

Each [First Discovery Bonus] wasn’t individually significant, but having accumulated fifteen of them, the total was considerable. That alone made the search worthwhile.

Taesan’s rewards included five books, seven items, and three [Secrets of the Gods] with accompanying skills.

All seven items were gear related to magic and [Black Magic]. He planned to use them as offerings.

The five books mostly granted skills that supported knowledge accumulation. They wouldn’t significantly affect combat.

Deeming them of little use, he handed them all over to Jorge after acquiring the skills. Jorge accepted them with a satisfied expression.

The [Secrets of the Gods] were also quite useful. Each one granted a fitting skill.

The [Demon God]’s reward was a skill that increased the power of [Black Magic].

Rakiratas’s was a skill that temporarily boosted stats when pushed to a near-death state.

From the [God of Victory], Baltazahar, he gained a skill that increased stats against a specific type of monster after defeating enough of that type.

All of them were [passive skills], which meant he didn’t need to manage them actively—overall, they were very practical.

Moreover, from the secret rooms tied to the gods, Taesan also received memories alongside the skills.

At first, they were too jumbled to make sense of, but now that his thoughts were clearer, he could understand.

They were memories from when the gods were still mortal.

That was likely the reason divine recognition was required to access them.

Just as Taesan was about to reflect on those memories—

Step. Step.

He heard footsteps. Someone was approaching.

Jorge frowned.
“A bothersome old man has shown up.”

“Let’s not be too harsh, Jorge.”

A familiar voice echoed from his memories. But the emotion behind it was vastly different now.

There was no strength in the voice.

An old man with golden hair appeared from between the bookshelves, his expression hollow.

“We’re going to be here together for a long time. Might as well build some rapport.”

“I have no intention of getting chummy with a madman.”

Jorge replied curtly, clearly displeased.

But the old man didn’t seem to mind.

He simply slumped into a chair absentmindedly, apparently unaware of Taesan seated right beside him.

Something was wrong with him.

Eventually, Taesan decided to speak first.

“Greetings.”

“Hm?”

Only then did the old man notice him.

His eyes widened upon seeing Taesan’s face.

“…You’ve already made it here?”

“It’s been a while, Ainzhar.”

[You have encountered the One Who Sought a God.]

* * *

Ainzhar.

“Ha, haha!”

Ainzhar burst into laughter upon seeing Taesan.

“You’re fast. As expected of the talent I acknowledged. To reach this place so quickly!”

“I worked hard. Did you find what you were looking for?”

The [Paladin] who had entered the labyrinth in search of his beloved goddess, [Levinenov].

Taesan had told him that she was located here—on the 78th floor.

Even though considerable time had passed, Ainzhar was still here. Whether he had achieved his goal or not was unclear.

“…Did I find what I was looking for?”

Suddenly, Ainzhar’s expression changed.

“Yes. I did. I found it.”

He smiled faintly.

A bright smile that seemed to say there was nothing to worry about. But that very brightness felt unnatural to Taesan.

“It’s all thanks to you. I found Lady Levinenov.”

“…I see. Congratulations.”

Something felt off.

Taesan remembered Ainzhar well. Though he had blindly worshiped his god, he was otherwise a normal man. Always energetic, his thoughts and actions were in harmony.

But now, something about him was strange.

He couldn’t pinpoint what, but it felt like Ainzhar was faking composure in front of him.

“…Perfect timing.”

Ainzhar clapped his hands. That unsettling smile turned toward Taesan.

“Would you care to join me in meeting Lady Levinenov?”