Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 286: Star, Doomsday City (6)

Chang-Sun tensed up, because the man with golden eyes had a Class that was on another level entirely. It was not merely high; it was incomparably higher than his own. Chang-Sun had met many great Celestials and knew the <Horoscope> and <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials. However, he could not think of anyone with a level that was remotely close to that of the man with golden eyes.

‘...He isn’t just a deity,’ Chang-Sun thought.

The man looked ordinary. Judging from the thick book he was holding, it seemed that he had been organizing books. His black hair was disheveled, and he had large, dark bags under his eyes, making him look scruffy. The man was the spitting image of someone who had been working all-nighters for days, unable to go home.

In contrast to his appearance, however, there was something overwhelming about him. Idea, the law of the world, surrounded him. Despite that, Chang-Sun had never seen or heard about such a being.

‘Who in the world is he…?’

Everything about this place felt foreign to Chang-Sun. He did not even know what [Li’s Fragment] was yet, but he had entered the ‘Changgong Library’ using the item. The man seemed to be this place’s librarian; Chang-Sun needed some clues to think of potential countermeasures, but it was difficult even for him.

However, the man suddenly looked up at the sky and exclaimed with a frown, “So you want me to fix the way I speak? It’s not like me? Hey! Why do you think I’m this mess…! What? I remind you of my brother? You gotta be kidding me. There are things you should and shouldn’t say! How can you insult me like…!”

It seemed the man was talking with someone, and he looked noticeably annoyed; perhaps it was because the person he was talking to was saying unpleasant things.

“So twins…! I really should quit this job… Fine, fine! Stop laughing like that! Come on!” the man said, heaving a very long sigh. “Phew!”

He set down the book on the balustrade and massaged his temple with his index finger, seemingly trying to clear the fog in his head.

When the man opened his eyes again, Chang-Sun flinched in surprise. Until that moment, the man’s eyes had been filled with fatigue, annoyance, and lethargy. However, the man now looked strong, with eyes that were so deep that they almost seemed as if they would swallow everything in the world.

Even up until that moment, Chang-Sun could not say anything.

Pah!

[The ‘Coordination Machine Eyes’ have been opened!]

The man looked straight into Chang-Sun’s eyes and said, “Your name is Lee Chang-Sun, and you’re from Worldline 801. You’re quite close to an Original.”

Chang-Sun froze. His mana stopped circulating, and [Yuchang Sword] and [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] also froze. Although he wanted to resist, he had a strong feeling that it would be unwise.

“Your Divine Name is… ‘■■ne ■■’? It’s broken, but you still got here? I can feel a trace of the King of the Underworld on you… and the <Fallen Stars> did quite a number on you,” the man said, rattling off details about Chang-Sun.

“…!”

“Your Authority is Inverted Pentagram? They’re pretty systematic. You have the [Black Mountain King’s Claws]? Whoa, this Skill is very tricky to use, but you use it very well. You’re a very skilled fighter, and…”

“…”

“Huh? You have quite a lot of Karma in your soul.”

“…”

“<Muspelheim> and <Asgard>... You were born with a harsh destiny. It must be very nerve-wracking.”

“…”

“Even if you start over and over, you’re destined to desperately fight life and death battles. That’s why you’re a fiend… There are people who became twisted after trying to defy the weight of the destinies the world gave them, so they were named fiends. But you immersed yourself in it all the way down to your soul.”

Chang-Sun could sense deep wisdom in the man’s voice. The man was reading every single detail of his destiny, and he usually hated it when people did that. For some reason, however, it was different this time. The man sounded as if he was consoling Chang-Sun, who was covered in scars…

[‘Deus Ex Machina’ reviews your story with his knowledge!]

‘He’s <Deus Ex Machina>?’ Chang-Sun thought, widening his eyes. If the message that had just appeared was true, the man before him was a being so great, Chang-Sun could not even dare to hold his head high before him.

The <Supreme Light> expanded universes and brought knowledge and wisdom to each civilization to develop conscious beings, while the <Dull Darkness> embodied the universes themselves, giving conscious beings space to act in. Although it seemed at first glance as if light and darkness would fight, they did not; rather, they meshed with each other, making up the laws of universes and worlds.

However, the <Supreme Light> and <Dull Darkness> were just entities in charge of ‘stages’ and ‘characters’. They did not provide those characters with rules to guide them in leading their lives. That was why there was an entity beside the two dualistic powers that adjusted those rules as the occasion demanded.

That entity’s name was <Deus Ex Machina>, also known as the Machine God. Each world and universe was one giant machine for <Deus Ex Machina>, and if necessary, he could adjust the springs and gears that made up the universe and world as its Mediator.

Chang-Sun had never thought he would meet such a being. His eyes shone as he thought, ‘Maybe this is my chance…!’

<Deus Ex Machina> was the third greatest entity after <Supreme Light> and <Dull Darkness>. As the two other beings were inactive at the moment, <Deus Ex Machina> was the Supreme Celestial—no, the Emperor that ruled over all the universes.

No matter how Celestials achieved <Transcendence>, they were unable to overcome Wordlines’ restrictions completely, but in contrast to them, Emperors were known to have complete freedom!

Thus, if Chang-Sun could ignite the interest of <Deus Ex Machina> and become acquainted with him, perhaps he would be able to get closer to <Supreme Light>; that was the goal he intended to achieve no matter what.

“…That’s why you’re a fiend. You seem to have many connections to odd people too. Mephisto…? You know him too? Ha! Well, it looks as if it isn’t strange of you to end up here.”

The man, who was also known as <Deus Ex Machina>, Machine God, and Mediator, no longer looked fatigued. He had the air of an absolute being that oversaw all creation.

<Deus Ex Machina> looked at Chang-Sun and said, “Anyway… The child who ended up here with no reason. The child who has a very strong wish. Is there something you want from me?”

[<Deus Ex Machina> looks at you!]

[You are currently a visitor of the ‘Changgong Library’.]

[You have been given Grade 3 clearance for the ‘Changgong Library’.]

[Follow the librarian’s instructions on how to use the ‘Changgong Library’.]

“I…” Chang-Sun began.

“Before you say anything, there is one thing you have to keep in mind,” <Deus Ex Machina> said with a mischievous smile, interrupting Chang-Sun.

Chang-Sun had a feeling that he was seeing the Machine God’s true self.

“You’d better think carefully before you speak your wish,” <Deus Ex Machina> continued.

“…”

“I’m just the librarian of this place, so I have limits when it comes to helping you with your wish. And this will be your only chance to use this library,” <Deus Ex Machina> added.

Chang-Sun narrowed his eyes. Although <Deus Ex Machina> had said it jokingly, it was genuine advice, and a warning for Chang-Sun to choose with caution. That suggested just how remarkable the ‘Changgong Library’ was.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve heard about this,’ Chang-Sun thought as he took a look around again.

Bookcases filled with books large and small lined the library, extending infinitely into the distance. It was impossible to determine the size of the library.

‘...Beyond Idea, the law of nature, there is an archive that keeps the records of every incident in all universes and Worldlines.’

It was known as the ‘Akashic Records’ or ‘Void Records’, but there had been many arguments even among <Heaven> Celestials regarding whether or not the place existed.

Supposing that the Akashic Record really kept records of all the universes as well as the universe <Heaven> Celestials ruled, that meant acquiring omniscience was possible. In addition, <Heaven> Celestials would be able to study other knowledge beyond their Divine Ranks. On top of that, they could obtain the Emerald Tablet, which contained the secrets of the worlds. Acquiring complete gnosis was every Celestial’s dream! In other words, they would be able to overcome their limits as Celestials.

Of course, there was no way such a convenient place would exist. Thus, people had always ignored the rumors of the Akashic Records… Chang-Sun had been unsure whether he would be able to get there even if the place was real, but here he was.

[You have been given Grade 3 clearance for the ‘Changgong Library’.]

Following the advice of <Deus Ex Machina>, Chang-Sun did not answer and merely looked at the message floating in front of him. The part about Grade 3 clearance especially caught his attention.

‘It means there is someone more powerful,’ Chang-Sun thought.

<Deus Ex Machina> had said that this library was not his, and that he was just a librarian. In other words, there was a being above him. A librarian who was above this librarian… That had to mean that there was a top-rank librarian, or a head librarian.

‘...The grade of clearance granted is probably decided based on the visitor’s Class,’ Chang-Sun thought, contemplating whether or not he actually needed to use this place right now. ‘If I gather gnosis here, I’ll definitely get way stronger, but I can only do it within my Grade 3 clearance. There will be a limit.’

On top of that, gathering gnosis would be very time-consuming. As the fight against Heoju was imminent and Chang-Sun needed to retrieve Ithaca’s legacy, he could not afford to waste time, so …

‘I can only use this place after I finish my preparations, not now.’

Once he defeated Heoju, retrieved all of Ithaca’s legacy, completed <Radiant Starlight>, obtained [Blood Lightning], and passed all of Mephistopheles’ tests… He would be able to regain his complete Divine Name of 'Divine Twilight,' instead of his current incomplete name of '■■ne ■■.' After that, if he returned to this place after acquiring clues about the <Supreme Light>...

‘I’ll be able to get so much more,’ he thought, his gaze turning sharp.

“Sir,” Chang-Sun began. Instead of getting straight to the point, he politely referred to <Deus Ex Machina> as ‘sir’ first, thinking it would be best to show respect to the librarian. He continued, “I would like to save this opportunity for the future.”.

<Deus Ex Machina> curled up one end of his mouth and said, “You’re smart.”

[You did not use your clearance!]

“Very clever,” <Deus Ex Machina> added. After hearing that response, Chang-Sun realized that he had given the right answer.

“The guys who usually end up here are too preoccupied with taking the treasures in front of them to satisfy their greed without thinking far enough ahead. Then they regret it later and throw a tantrum about why they weren’t given more time… Lots of people are obnoxious, but you can look at the bigger picture, can’t you?” <Deus Ex Machina> remarked with a smile.

It was Chang-Sun’s plan to return later with a higher clearance by earning more achievements. Thus, he intended to ask <Deus Ex Machina> to preserve his clearance and send him back to where he had been.

“But…” <Deus Ex Machina> trailed off.

Chang-Sun somehow felt nervous. He had answered correctly, and it seemed that <Deus Ex Machina> also agreed. Why did he have a bad feeling about this?

“...it looks as if your other selves have different thoughts,” <Deus Ex Machina> said, raising a brow.

Chang-Sun was about to ask what <Deus Ex Machina> meant, but just then…

‘What in the world…?’

…he suddenly felt a horrible headache, as if someone had hit him in the back of the head with a blunt weapon.

“Urgh!” Chang-Sun groaned.

[Your ‘Gnostic Eye’ has been forced open!]

The vision in one of his eyes distorted, as if it were malfunctioning. The space within his eye warped and shattered, overloading it. The pain was so horrible that it felt as if his eye would pop out. An abnormal change was taking place against Chang-Sun’s will.

[Your ‘Gnostic Eye’ is guiding you!]

Amid the distorted space, blue streams of energy branched out and reached a variety of books.

―Look at that book. Reading it will make you stronger. After finishing these books, you’ll be able to accomplish what you want. Everything you—no, I want is over there…!

―This place is the fountainhead of all knowledge, the spring where knowledge gathers… This place is where you... I belong…

―What do you mean?! I…!

Chang-Sun felt light-headed due to the numerous voices echoing in his head. Something else seemed about to escape from deep in his subconsciousness.

Badump!

From the innermost depths of Chang-Sun’s subconsciousness, Odin, whom he had met some time before, was looking at him.

Badump, badump!

Numerous beings beside Odin were reaching out their hands to get to Chang-Sun’s consciousness; Chang-Sun’s past lives were trying to emerge.

Badump, badump, badump!