Chapter 54
Arrived at the ruins portal in Gangnam, Seoul.
"The explanation is complete. This entry pass allows you to spend 10 days in the Elf Ruins when used. Would you like to enter the Elf Ruins?"
No need to tell me twice.
I handed the entry pass to the guide who had been explaining about the ruins.
"Yes."
"Entry pass confirmed. Have a pleasant visit."
Following the guide's instructions, I stepped through the portal and an incredible ruin site came into view.
Buildings similar to medieval European architecture lined up everywhere, but most were in ruins.
Well, that's expected since it's ruins, but if the Elf Kingdom hadn't fallen, this space would have been Reina's homeland.
"Wow, so these are the Elf Ruins."
Pretty damn impressive seeing it in person after only reading about it in novels.
The destroyed ruins were the remains of the Elf Kingdom.
According to the ruins guidebook, the Elves who once lived in the forest finally defeated the Demon King and established the Elf Kingdom, breaking away from forest life.
"But there's really few people here."
"Because it's boring."
"Eunha too! How could you!"
Reina gets angry.
No, it's seriously boring, that's the problem. If there was at least something exciting like a roller coaster it'd be perfect.
"But what if we add some hot and steamy action in this boring place?"
"Not this time!"
When I casually reached for Reina's crotch, she slapped my hand away fiercely.
Made me question why I even bothered coming to these ruins for Reina's sake.
"Tch!"
"Hey, you weren't like this before. Why are you trying stuff all the time now?"
True, before awakening I might have been different. Though I didn't like getting fucked by men, I probably wouldn't have thought I needed to grind either.
But that's in the past.
"Because I want to fuck Reina."
Can't call myself a lesbian if I can stay calm looking at such a lewd and seductive body. Reina's body is the kind that pisses off both males and females.
Of course, wanting to do it now is just a joke.
I'm plenty satisfied with Dark Elf Reina right now.
Rather, thinking about female corrupted Siwoo who'll attack me later, I need to be fully prepared.
"Sigh, at least let's mind the time and place. I'll do whatever you want when we get back. Here I want to feel my ancestors' presence."
"I can make you really feel it."
"What? If you keep saying weird stuff I really won't grind with you?"
Reina angrily misunderstands something.
The Elf Ruins event originally involves crossing time to go to the Elf Kingdom. She'll definitely feel their presence.
"Both of you, that's enough."
"This is all Eunha's fault!"
Reina points her finger at me and fumes.
No, you're the one who's been clinging to me saying it feels good until now.
"Well, you're also at fault for not being able to fully reject it."
Yoo-jeong, who had been quietly watching, confronted Reina with jealousy in her eyes.
Should I work on her affection too?
"Senior Yoo-jeong, I was planning to do that Japanese thing called yobai to you at night."
"Ah. T-that's fine..."
At my casual comment, Yoo-jeong blushed and went ahead into the ruins.
Hmm, important to note - Yoo-jeong didn't reject my offer of yobai.
Just threw it out there but... looks like I really need to do it now.
That's how we entered the ruins.
"This must be part of the ruins."
"Yes. According to texts, the Elf Kingdom was said to be as large as South Korea. It's a shame we can only see this small part."
In fantasy manga or games, countries are often just city-sized, but from the descriptions the Elf Kingdom seems to have been quite large.
Ah, not saying South Korea is big. Just that in fantasy world terms, the Elf Kingdom was said to have split the continent with the most powerful empire of the time.
"Hmm. That area's off limits?"
"They say there's nothing to see even if you go in. Just that the building structure looks like it could collapse if you enter wrong."
Just looking at it, it really does seem like it would collapse as soon as you enter.
Feels like a temple, but even in the original work they said there was nothing there.
Originally Siwoo would go in and cause trouble, triggering the event. But now that Siwoo is staying in Songdo, I have to handle everything myself.
"Nngh. Then can't we just solve it with force? Just clear everything out."
Reina tilts her head while making gestures of clearing the ruins with her hands.
"Even just parts of these ruins have value. They need to be preserved in this state for research. We can't destroy them."
Though I wonder if we really need to care that much about ruins from another world. Still, being 'Elf' ruins makes them worth paying attention to.
For a long time, Elves only appeared in novels, manga and anime. Of course from people's perspective these would be quite intriguing ruins, and Other Worlders who could be called their descendants - Elves are important.
"Why so complicated?"
"That's not even the entrance anyway. Where we need to go is somewhere else."
I led the two away from the collapsed building entrance and went around to the side.
At a glance it looks like the kind of place where delinquent girls would grab passing girls while chewing gum. But according to the novel's description, this is definitely it.
"What do you mean?"
"Before the Elf Kingdom fell, its leaders recorded their final moments in the historical archives left by their ancestors."
Not just their final moments, but a kind of grudge.
They wrote barriers that could only be opened with noble Elf blood, hoping their descendants would see it someday in the distant future.
"What's that."
"And that records archive survived through dozens, hundreds of layers of barriers even as numerous worlds went through the Great Cataclysm."
Setting-wise, Earth suffered relatively little damage from the Great Cataclysm.
Well, there was the disaster of the monster invasion, but other worlds had severe geological changes.
Entire countries collapsed into giant sinkholes.
"That records archive area became ruins and is now open to Earth people."
Though Earth people don't know about the records archive.
"You're saying it's here?"
"Yeah. Like I said, they're so careful about preserving the ruins that they didn't realize there was a records archive."
Who would think there'd be an Elf records archive in a place like this?
Originally humans only know about Elves from the ruins and Other Worlders. So no one knows about the records archive's true identity, and Other Worlders who grew up on Earth don't know about the records archive.
Moreover, there's little information about the records archive.
Even in the Elf Kingdom only the top leadership secretly filled it, and information never leaked outside.
Above all, when the Elf Kingdom fell, the royal library burned so information about the records archive was basically... buried forever.
"How do we get in?"
"Elf blood. Even if only half, your blood is needed. Exactly here."
I pointed at the ground covered in dust.
"This is."
After kicking the dusty ground a few times, the dust scattered and revealed the pattern hidden on the floor.
It was the Elf Kingdom's crest. At a glance it looks just decorative, but this is the key to unlock the barrier.
Not just any Elf descendant can open it.
Only Elves who inherit the bloodline of the Elf Kingdom's royal family qualify.
"This is a magic circle."
"It's a chance to see your ancestors' history. Who knows when you'll be able to come to the ruins again if not now."
Originally Siwoo would accidentally cut Reina while causing trouble and a drop of her blood would fall here and activate it.
But this time is different.
I basically dragged Reina to the Elf Ruins when I didn't even want to come. Reina needs to shed blood directly.
Fwoooooosh!
"Kyaaaah!?"
"Eunha is this okay?"
"Everyone hold hands tight!"
Makes me think of "go with the rhythm."
And seems I couldn't ride the rhythm well, as I got separated from them in the storm of space-time.
[You have entered the Elf Records Archive.]
[Warning! Detected presence of life form alien to humans. Blocking intruder.]
[Warning! Barrier cannot be activated due to intruder's high rank!]
[Warning! As alternative to barrier activation, moving intruder to Library Records!]
* * *
I opened my eyes at the cold, dirty feeling of wind brushing against my skin.
Looking around, I was in a space with mountains of books.
Strange. According to what I know, in the novel there were orbs of Magic Power floating and glowing brightly, bookshelves neatly organized in order, and in the middle was a record player operated by Magic Gear.
But here there's just piles of books everywhere.
Come to think of it, I think I heard "Library Records" at the end. What's that? Need help from the Akashic Record. At least it means this isn't a normal records archive.
It never appeared in the original work.
"Hey Akashic Record, what is the Library Records?"
[The Library Records is a type of trap created in the Elf Kingdom's records archive. Originally intruders would be blocked by a Barrier, but when an intruder's rank is too high for the Barrier to block them, the Library Records was created as a backup plan to contain them. While the records archive stores the official history of the Elves, the Library Records is like a garbage dump where discarded knowledge, logic, and unnecessary ancient information is piled up.]
My head hurts a bit. Is this place important enough to cause headaches?
Archive. Library. Well, the fact they didn't outright call it a garbage dump means it's still part of the records archive.
Probably since it's hard to set traps inside the records archive, they repurposed the Library Records where they dump discarded materials as a trap.
"So this place is still part of the records archive then?"
[Yes. To be precise, you can think of it as the library's garbage dump.]
"I see."
In other words, we're fucked.
[Master could escape using the Evil Dragon's Power, but I don't recommend it since there's a risk the entire records archive could burn down.]
"Reina and Yoo-jeong are the issue."
[However, Master's Power isn't just at the level of a high-ranked intruder. While this is normally an inescapable area, it couldn't handle Master's existence so an escape route has opened.]
In other words, I'm trapped in a dungeon?
"I see. Alright, first I need to find the exit."
I dusted myself off while checking my surroundings. But right on the left wall was something like a weird bulletin board.
Looking from afar, seems like some parts were erased and rewritten.
"What's this, safety guidelines?"
Welcome to the Elf Kingdom Library Records. The Library Records provides safety guidelines for staff. The following must never be disclosed outside and the authorities take no responsibility for accidents caused by ignoring or violating these items.
Is this some Neapolitan urban legend shit?
Pain in the ass to read, but I might get hints for escaping from it.
1. If you discover a 'closed bookshelf' while patrolling corridors or through the control room's Magic Gear, stop all actions and immediately exit the library to report to the person in charge. Never look inside or enter 'closed bookshelves'. Closed bookshelves are bookshelves that have vanished even from the Library Records. They do not exist. Therefore there should be no instances of closed bookshelves being visible.
2. If you hear a voice from the control room's Magic Gear that manages all library areas saying records of rebel Ralph have disappeared from the rebel records bookshelf, absolutely do not go looking. First respond that you'll handle it immediately, then replace the Magic Gear and close off the rebel records bookshelf. The Magic Gear installed in this Library Records has no call functions, and the Library Records is currently managed by only one guard.
3. Sometimes bodies are discovered in the library. This is a common occurrence that other libraries experience too, so just follow safety guidelines. However, if there is wet paper on the corpse's face, absolutely do not approach and close off that area. Also inform other workers about this.
4. If while heading inside towards the library's back door, it feels like you keep going in circles in the corridor, curl up facing a corner with your eyes closed and ears covered. Day shift workers check the back door corridor first thing every morning when arriving. You must stay in that state until a worker finds you in the morning.
5. If you suddenly hear the sound of pages turning, immediately lie flat on the ground and try not to even make breathing sounds until the sound disappears. You don't need to hide behind cover or enter a room, just get low as quickly as possible. Afterwards, call cleaners to remove stains from the bookshelves. Additionally, if there are any items after this one, absolutely do not pay attention to them.
6. If burn marks are found in a corridor, immediately sound the control room's fire alarm Magic Gear to evacuate all researchers. Check that the headcount matches and re-enter after more than 2 hours. Please inform visitors that the fire alarm went off due to a researcher smoking in the bathroom. If anyone is missing during headcount, when you re-enter after 2 hours, go to the area with burn marks and follow them to the connected bookshelf. You will find a dried up mummy-like Elf unconscious.
7. Sexual acts are absolutely forbidden anywhere anytime in the library regardless of gender.
8. Among the Magic Gear placed in the control room, absolutely do not answer if the purple Magic Gear rings. This Magic Gear has no Magic Power supply and no call functions.
9. On rainy days, if a human woman with white hair, pale skin and bloodshot eyes visits, do not chase her away if she has no umbrella or raincoat yet isn't wet. Check the records from 3 years ago in the control room and only tell her the location of the closed bookshelf. Afterwards ignore any screams of men getting beaten up badly after being caught cheating on rainy days. You could get unnecessarily involved.
-xxxx Year xx Month x Day Administrator Maxim Western-
10. Ignore items 1-9 of these safety guidelines. The control room is currently closed due to explosion. Workers should just do a quick patrol inside and leave immediately.
-xxxx Year xx Month x Day Administrator Raina Silverluke-
11. Item 10 of these safety guidelines does not exist. Whatever content is written in item 10, absolutely ignore it. If the administrator name is registered as Raina Silverluke, ignore it unconditionally. Raina Silverluke is a dead Elf. Therefore she cannot modify safety guidelines.
-xxxx Year xx Month x Day Administrator Maxim Western-
The year and date were erased.
Fuck. I'm scared shitless of this kind of stuff. No, wait a minute.
I looked at the door visible on my right.
There was a sign with what looked like Elvish writing on it.
This feels ominous.
"Hey Akashic Record. What language is written on that sign?"
[It says "Control Room".]
"Oh dear God."
Fucking safety guidelines. What am I supposed to believe?
No.
Let's think positively. Looking at it rationally, those can all be interpreted.
This is an Elf Kingdom ruin. Setting-wise, Elves were a race with advanced civilization in knowledge and magic.
Maybe not on pre-Great Cataclysm Earth where magic didn't even exist. But this can be interpreted somehow.
1. Says closed bookshelves are gone. In other words, literally interpreting it means when it was time to close they closed it, but it reappeared due to control room malfunction, so don't approach carelessly and get hurt. Or an intruder skilled enough to restore vanished bookshelves has entered.
2. In short some clever bastard hacked the magic gear and whined that rebel Ralph's records were missing. Since it's happened multiple times, close off the bookshelf where the intruder is and serve justice.
3. Means book-obsessed bastard intruders died face-planting into records. Tell other workers not to be surprised if they find more bodies since it might happen again.
4. This archive is so fucking complicated the corridors are like a maze where you can go in circles. If you get lost, don't do anything stupid and just stay huddled in a corner until the next worker comes on morning patrol.
5. Book-obsessed Elf bastards are doing dangerous stuff messing with bookshelves so keep your head down until they get crushed under bookshelves then call cleaners to handle it. Those book-obsessed bastards might write more guidelines after this so be careful from here on as later items could be written by others.
The problem starts from here. From 6 on are fake safety guidelines by those book-obsessed intruder bastards. Need to interpret while noting they're traps by the book-obsessed bastards.
6. Dirty perverts' sneaky scheme to get 2 hours of comfortable, leisurely book-obsession by pretending there's a fire. Even though there's only one guard on duty. Planning to drive out all users by faking a fire means either the book-obsessed bastards want to monopolize records from each other, or they don't know the archive only has 1 manager. So they're idiots.
7. In other words this means "Only I'll fuck the books." A phrase showing desire to monopolize records. Also shows that rather than being idiots from item 6, their true aim is to monopolize the archive.
8. The purple magic gear does have call functions and magic power supply. The book-obsessed bastards took measures to prevent the guard from contacting outside with magic gear.
9. One of the book-obsessed bastards' wives might visit. Not the first time, she's dead set on beating up her book-obsessed husband. So send that woman to where her husband is - meaning to the vanished closed bookshelf where the book-obsessed bastard is busy planting his face in records. The book-obsessed bastard infiltrates the archive on rainy days, and this item was written by rival book-obsessed bastard #2.
This Maxim Western guy wrote the first 4 items but since there was too much empty space the book-obsessed bastard bastards made up items as they pleased. And finally the 10th item was written by someone named Raina Silverluke, and Silverluke is the Elf Kingdom royal family's surname.
10. Fuck writing this confusing shit. As royalty I can't allow this. Let's just destroy it all. That's what it means.
11. Is the book-obsessed bastards' indomitable will to restore the control room and show the archive is fine so they can continue their damp activities after the royal left, since they're fucked if the archive closes. They add credibility by writing the manager name Maxim Western.
Interpreting it, this really does seem fit to be used as a trash bin.
No wonder they adjusted it to block intruders from the main records archive with this shit.
"Then I need to find this back door."
These bastards make even ruins a pain in the ass.
* * *