Chapter 375: A Future Without Me (3)
All Keter knew about the underground world of Liqueur was the first three floors: the Boiling Desert, the first floor; the Raining Swamp, the second floor; and the Floating Castle, the third floor.
Since he had already been to the third floor, moving through it was easy. From the fourth floor onward, however, even Keter was a newcomer. His goal of reaching the eighth floor might take centuries, and even then, no one could guarantee success. Yet, he was able to find the staircase leading down to the fifth floor in just one hour on his very first visit to the fourth floor, Mount Sisyphus. It was all thanks to Maran.
“Keter. You’re planning to keep going down, aren’t you? You’ve only been as far as the third floor. I know how to clear up to the sixth, so I’ll give you that information.”
Maran handed over crucial information and clues needed to reach the sixth floor. Thanks to that, Maran managed to escape Keter unharmed, and Keter was able to descend smoothly to the fifth floor.
Thus, Keter reached Nippur’s Library, the fifth floor.
“Woah…”
If the Boiling Desert and the endless drizzle of the Raining Swamp inspired shock, this place inspired awe. Endless shelves of books stretched in every direction. What was strange was that the ceiling was towering high, yet the bookshelves only reached waist height.
“How malicious.”
To check the books, one had to bend down. If everything had to be examined one by one, it would practically require crawling on one’s knees.
Keter had already been told how to escape this floor, but curiosity got the better of him. He picked up the nearest book.
How to Make the Most Horrific Tomato Soup in the World
It looked thick, having about a hundred pages, but it actually only contained five pages when opened.
First, prepare a tomato left at room temperature for seventy-nine days. At that point, it retains its shape while achieving maximum horrid flavor.
The book described, in absolute detail, how to make the worst tomato soup imaginable—every measurement, every step, even the direction and number of times to stir.
It was so vivid that Keter could practically taste it, like imagining a lemon and feeling saliva form. He quickly shut the book.
“That really is the worst tomato soup.”
Annoyed, he tried to tear it apart, but of course, it wouldn’t rip. If the books here could be destroyed, useless ones would have long since been removed.
“Well, even then, it wouldn’t make finding the right one any easier.”
The floors were not infinite worlds. They were vast, but in the end, one would eventually circle back to the same place.
But this place was different. It was a truly infinite space, filled with infinite books. On top of that, every location looked exactly the same. Even the books themselves revealed their titles only when taken off the shelves.
If he hadn’t received a clue from Maran, Keter would have wandered for a long time without knowing where the exit was.
For now, he picked up a random book and continued walking south. Along the way, there were markers of a sort—corpses. From bare skeletons to fully mummified bodies, the one thing they all had in common was that each clutched a single book tightly in their hands.
Keter even encountered a living person. He was an old man with white hair. He met Keter’s gaze for a brief moment, then ignored him entirely and continued checking books without pause.
He couldn’t tell how long the old man had lived here, how strong he had been before entering this place, and what book he was searching for.
Probably not looking for terrible tomato soup recipes.
If that were the case, there was nothing Keter could do to help.
Keter walked for over an hour, steadfastly in one direction. At this point, doubt would normally creep in, wondering if he was doing the right thing, or whether Maran’s method was really correct.
Everything looked the same. No walls, no boundaries—just an endless library. Still, Keter kept walking. He didn’t run, not because he wasn’t in a hurry, but because that was the rule.
Up to the third floor, one only had to find a visible entrance. From the fourth floor onward, each place had special conditions. Without knowing them, one would remain trapped forever.
For example, on Mount Sisyphus, one had to push a boulder to the summit using only physical strength to open the path to the fifth floor.
For the fifth floor, Nippur’s Library, the escape conditions were threefold: carry one book, move in a single direction, and remain silent in the library. Keter followed those rules exactly. Even without any sign of progress, he kept going. Then in an instant, the surroundings changed—it became a white, empty space. A single desk stood in the middle, with one book placed on it.
The Solution to the Riemann Hypothesis
It was the same book Keter had randomly picked up. Sitting before the desk was a boy. He was an ordinary-looking boy, one that could be found anywhere. However, Keter frowned.
“…Don’t tell me. You’re Nippur?”
The boy grinned. Keter suspected as much because this situation wasn’t part of Maran’s instructions. According to Maran, fulfilling the three conditions would lead directly to the sixth floor. The book would disappear, leaving only its knowledge behind. But instead, Keter had arrived somewhere entirely different, and there was only one being who could have done this—the Ruler of the fifth floor, Nippur.
He picked up the book Keter had brought.
“Did you know what this was when you chose it?”
“Of course not.”
“This is something trivial by the standards of your current civilization. Perhaps useful for a spacefaring one, but not now. So… I’d like to recommend a different book—one you truly need.”
He placed another book on the desk. Keter glanced at the title and scoffed.
The Goal of Alkione Brigid
* * *
The Godfather Alkione’s purpose; it was certainly the kind of title that stirred Keter’s curiosity to no end. However, he wasn’t naive enough to grab it without hesitation.
“If it’s not free, get lost. I’m heading to the sixth floor.”
“It’s free.”
“…”
Keter stared silently at Nippur. He tried to read the boy’s thoughts, but they were too easy to read.
“You’re just going to hand over information like that?”
“Yes, because it seems entertaining.”
“That makes sense, which makes it even harder to believe.”
“Heh. Keter, there’s no need to be wary of me. If anything, I’m on your side.”
“As if I’d trust someone scheming behind the scenes.”
“And if you don’t? What will you do, stay trapped here forever?”
“Try me.”
“Do you trust Unchain, your Authority? Do you really think a mere human will can surpass a god’s will?”
“Testing that sounds fun too.”
“Kekeke. I’d like to test it myself… but I can’t stay here long.”
Nippur rose from his seat, picked up the book, and tossed it toward Keter. Keter tried to dodge, but the book vanished mid-flight.
Grinning, Nippur said, “Watching your path is entertaining. Consider this a reward, so don’t refuse.”
A new piece of information forcibly engraved itself into Keter’s mind. It was the truth behind Alkione’s purpose. It was something no one in the world could have uncovered, yet Keter had figured it out in one second through a god’s power
To hand over control of this world to Liqueur, an outer god.
Just as Keter had suspected, Liqueur wasn’t a region or a city. It was the name of an outer god. The mist of Liqueur was the mist of an outer god. The reason wasn’t included, but it was obvious enough.
“He’s doing it so he can survive.”
Just as humans consumed plants and animals to live, Alkione would sacrifice others for the same reason. Of course, Keter wasn’t empathizing or supporting him. He simply understood because understanding made fighting easier.
“That bastard Nippur… acting generous just to mess with me.”
If the plan were to be stopped, it should have been done before the mist spread. Now that it had begun, it couldn’t be halted.
Worse, Liqueur was cooperating with the Demon Capital. If the mist reached it, monsters could travel through it. This would mean that the monsters of the Demon Capital, which overwhelmed even Transcendentals, would spread in the world. If that happened…
“…That would be the end of humanity.”
The world would be ruled by monsters, and humans would be reduced to livestock. Keter didn’t want that.
“And no one else would want that either.”
The world was already watching Rukan for bringing Demon Capital monsters into the Lillian Kingdom’s civil war. If Liqueur’s mist spread as well, everyone would step up.
“Does he really think he can take on the entire world?”
Even if Liqueur and those monsters were powerful, the combined strength of the world was a different matter.
“Even the Godfather couldn’t handle that.”
Every king was effectively a god. Could Alkione face them all alone? No, it would be impossible. However, he had to know that.
“He must have a plan.”
Keter didn’t know what it was, but it had to be something capable of killing gods.
“…The Godfather hated gambling.”
Alkione never acted on uncertainty; he only moved when he was sure. That made Keter nervous, but also excited.
“This is going to be rough.”
Now, it was an age of chaos. Even Transcendentals would struggle to survive. Protecting a family of tens of thousands in such a world would be a massive burden. And yet, Keter smiled. It thrilled him; the thought of desperately protecting his family in a world falling into chaos made him feel alive.
At last, he admitted it. Until now, he had denied it, claiming the world had made him this way. However, that wasn’t true.
“I really am insane.”
As if Nippur had been watching his self-realization, the white world dissolved like mist. Keter was transported elsewhere. It was the Afterlife, the sixth floor.
It was a land that rejected life itself. Rivers of molten lava flowed like streams. Poisonous gas rose from the ground. Acidic green rain fell from the sky. Even Transcendentals could barely last an hour here. And yet, someone called out to him.
“Thought I’d fall asleep waiting, you crybaby.”
It was Balt, the Sword Demon.
Though he had left later, he had arrived first and was waiting.
