“Are you really buying these?” Kara asked.
She had displayed the hard bread but never expected it to sell. It was just there to fill the shelves.
“Yes, I don’t have much leeway. It’s 20 breads for 2 gold, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Here.”
Soohyuk handed over 2 gold and bought 20 hard breads.
“Goodbye.”
After purchasing, Soohyuk turned to leave the bakery.
“Wait a moment!” Kara called out, stopping him.
Soohyuk turned back with a puzzled expression. Kara stepped out from behind the counter and approached the display shelves.
What’s she doing?
Kara picked up some hard breads and a few soft breads from the display and walked toward Soohyuk.
“I’ll give you these,” she said.
“…!” Soohyuk, who had suspected this might happen, was still surprised when Kara offered the breads.
What?
Why was she suddenly giving him bread?
“Thank you,” Soohyuk said, accepting the breads and putting them in his inventory. He wasn’t one to refuse free bread.
Why’s she giving them?
As he stored the breads, Soohyuk wondered why Kara was doing this.
“I was going to throw these out by today if they didn’t sell, so don’t feel burdened,” Kara explained.
Soohyuk got a new realization from her words.
Do I look pitiful?
It seemed like he looked pitiful. After all, he was frantically buying hard bread that no one else would eat, so it made sense.
“Thank you again,” Soohyuk said, expressing gratitude once more before leaving the bakery.
He opened his inventory to check how many hard breads he had. Including what he already had, those from users, the purchased ones, and Kara’s gift, he had 112 hard breads.
112? That should last forever.
112 was an enormous amount. He couldn’t even estimate how long they’d last.
She gave me 6 soft breads too, huh?
Kara didn’t just give hard bread—she included soft bread.
I’ll eat one when I can’t stomach the hard bread.
He was curious about the difference between soft and hard bread but had no intention of eating the soft ones just to find out. Soohyuk decided to save them for when the hard bread became unbearable, then closed his inventory.
With satiety solved and plenty of bread secured, it was time for his final destination: the library.
Step.
Leaving the bakery and continuing to walk, Soohyuk soon arrived at the library.
Pausing to look at it, his face was full of anticipation. With that expectant expression, he walked inside.
“Who are you?” asked Kejan, the librarian guarding the entrance.
“I want to use the library,” Soohyuk replied.
“May I see your pass?” Kejan asked, holding out his hand.
“I don’t have one. I’m here to buy it,” Soohyuk said, opening his inventory.
“Oh, I see,” Kejan said, retracting his hand with a small exclamation.
“It’s 50 gold, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Soohyuk took out 50 gold from his inventory. Seeing it, Kejan asked, “What’s your name?”
“Soohyuk.”
“Soohyuk…” Kejan muttered, beginning to make the pass.
“Here,” Soohyuk said, handing over the 50 gold.
“Wait a moment, please!” Kejan replied.
It seemed making the pass took a bit of time.
“It’s done!” Kejan announced, handing over the completed pass.
[You have acquired Oren’s Library Pass.]
As Soohyuk took the pass from Kejan, a message appeared. Looking at the message, Soohyuk handed the pass back to Kejan and said, “I’ll use it right away.”
“Yes, you can retrieve it when you leave,” Kejan replied, taking the pass and placing it in a storage box behind him.
Hearing Kejan’s words, Soohyuk passed through the entrance and entered the library.
“Wow…?” Soohyuk let out an exclamation as he took in the sight of bookshelves and books filling his view, but then he tilted his head.
What’s that?
The library’s interior was as grand as it appeared from outside. There were plenty of books, too. But that wasn’t why he tilted his head.
Why are they sparkling?
The reason for his confusion was that the books on the shelves were sparkling. Soohyuk rubbed his eyes and looked again. The books were still sparkling.
What’s that one not sparkling?
Not all the books were sparkling. One book wasn’t. Curious about why it didn’t sparkle, Soohyuk approached the shelf where the non-sparkling book was placed.
“A guidebook?”
The non-sparkling book was a guidebook.
Do only unread books sparkle?
A sudden thought struck him. Soohyuk shifted his gaze from the guidebook to the sparkling books. It wasn’t certain, but since the guidebook—the only book he’d read in Pangea—was the only one not sparkling, it seemed highly likely.
Swish.
He’d find out by checking. Soohyuk took a few sparkling books from the shelf next to the guidebook and went to a table in the center. Sitting down, he began reading.
A travel journal?
He was curious about what kind of books they were. The first book he read was someone’s travel journal.
- Arte Calendar, November 23, 1252
The first day of the adventure.
Met a great companion, Hardrus. A good start. - Arte Calendar, November 25, 1252
Met a second companion, Yuris. She’s really beautiful. Hardrus was grinning, so he’s probably thinking the same as me. - Arte Calendar, November 28, 1252
The adventure is so different from what my father told me. Already met a third companion. Seems to get along well with Hardrus and Yuris. - Arte Calendar, November 29, 1252
Met a fourth companion, Keril, an excellent swordsman. Incredibly strong. But something feels off. Shouldn’t I be happy about a strong companion? Hardrus, Yuris, and Temel don’t look pleased. - Arte Calendar, December 1, 1252
There was a battle with orcs. Hardrus made a mistake, and Keril almost died. The mood isn’t good. - Arte Calendar, December 3, 1252
Keril left. Probably because of what happened the other day. Now it’s just me, Hardrus, Yuris, and Temel. - Arte Calendar, January 24, 1253
Hardrus got information about a dungeon—an ancient wizard’s dungeon. It seems dangerous. Can we really explore it? I’m uneasy. - Arte Calendar, February 2, 1253
Found the dungeon. I was happy just to find it, but Hardrus, Yuris, and Temel’s expressions are cold. Are they nervous? - Arte Calendar, February 14, 1253
Finished preparing to enter the dungeon. We go in tomorrow. - Arte Calendar, February 15, 1253
First day in the dungeon—or is it? I can’t tell exactly. Only time is unclear; the exploration is going smoothly so far. - Arte Calendar, February 16, 1253
Yuris got caught in a trap and was badly injured. Yesterday, I thought we’d clear it easily, but I was wrong. Luckily, Hardrus had a potion, and we treated her quickly. But I don’t recall buying that potion—did he always have it? - Arte Calendar, February 18, 1253
The dungeon has too many traps. I suggested turning back, but everyone refused. Hardrus’s cold stare told me to go back alone if I wanted. This isn’t the Hardrus I know. Or am I only now seeing his true nature? - Arte Calendar, February 20, 1253
Found out something shocking today. Hardrus, Yuris, and Temel didn’t meet for the first time this time. They already knew each other. Why did they act like they just met? - Arte Calendar, February 25, 1253
If the information is correct, only one trap remains. The dungeon’s end is in sight. - Arte Calendar, February 27, 1253
I was betrayed. Will I die like this? - Arte Calendar, March 1, 1253
Met a demon.
It was called a travel journal, but to Soohyuk, it felt like a novel. No, an interesting novel. Smiling, Soohyuk read the final page and closed the book.
And at that moment:
Swish.
[Wisdom increases by 1.]
The book’s sparkle disappeared, and a message appeared.