Chapter 197: Behind the Bookshelf

“...What do you mean,

what are we doing

? Are you here to pick a fight with the Immortal Council? Not even the emperor himself would stoop so low to act like you’re acting right now.”

“Huh... Maybe that’s true,” Karyl replied nonchalantly, disregarding Nain Darhon’s rebuke.

“The emperor values human lives less than you do. He wouldn’t bat an eye over something like this. But to erase a settlement of that size... At least three hundred people must have lived there. To just wipe them out without even a trace... Are you even human?”

“...?”

“I’ve only seen such a thing once in my lifetime. And it’s not magic.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Nain Darhon looked at Karyl as if he were speaking nonsense.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The first Tarak, Blood.

High-rank dungeons always had lesser dungeons as precursors, and Pharel was no different. Before the tower unleashed the Tarak on the continent following the Oracle prophecy, there had been ten instances of Tarak baring their fangs upon the world.

They called them the Ten Disasters...

Those terrifying monsters—true calamities for humanity—had become known throughout history as the Ten Disasters, and no one disputed that designation. And in the process of destroying Blood, humanity had learned how to hunt the Tarak.

You cut out the heart.

A simple discovery for which everyone in the empire’s 1st Legion had died. Humanity had learned that in order to kill the Tarak, they had to cut out their hearts—but the cost for that discovery had been too great.

As they were taking out Blood’s heart, the explosion wiped out the tens of thousands of troops present at the scene.

Despite being devastating, the explosion had left almost no traces. The surrounding area had been completely wiped out, turning pitch black as if scraped clean.

How did I not realize it?

Thinking back, the ruins he had seen at Antihum were almost identical to the aftermath of that explosion.

Of course, he had visited Antihum prior to the emergence of the Tarak, so it was understandable that he hadn’t paid much attention to the blackened surroundings of the Great Library. Besides, he had been too preoccupied with assembling the Ten of the Oracle.

Karyl had no way of knowing that a Tarak could leave behind a black stain on its surroundings when it died. Even after witnessing it, he didn’t understand the phenomenon, especially since, after the Blood incident, every hunt was successful, with no more explosions.

But now, knowing about the Tarak’s explosion, he immediately sensed that something wasn’t right in Antihum.

“You,” he called out to Nain Darhon, who had a look of disbelief on his face.

“

You

?”

No one had spoken to him like this before. After all, he was the head of the Immortal Council and one of the only four Great Sorcerers on the continent.

“This is ludicrous...”

“What is your relationship with the Assembly of Seven Elders?”

Nain Darhon was about to shout at Karyl but stopped at his question.

“...What?”

Karyl recalled the time he had met Allen Javius at the Gray Training Ground and captured a creature similar to the Tarak.

I found it strange back then. Why was that thing, which looked like something out of Pharel, there at the Gray Training Ground? Especially since that site is a relic of the Magical Era.

However, linking Nain Darhon and the Assembly of Seven Elders from the Magical Era didn’t seem right.

Unless Nain Darhon, who supposedly has vampire blood running through his veins, has actually lived for nearly a thousand years...

The Grand Library of Antihum had no relics from the Magical Era, only books from at most 250 years ago. Of course, it was possible that Nain Darhon, the creator of this place, had deliberately chosen not to include any relics from the earlier era in the Grand Library.

“What nonsense is this? Why are you suddenly bringing up the Assembly of Seven Elders?”

“Because they conducted research similar to what you're doing. Or rather, you’re replicating their research, aren’t you?”

“...”

In an instant, the atmosphere grew heavy in the hall.

“It wasn’t that fool Benedict who created the mana net, it was you. White it’s true that it activates upon sensing spirit power, the net holds both magical and physical lethality.”

“...”

“Why would a Great Sorcerer like you make such a crude trap?” Karyl said, locking eyes with the pale Nain Darhon. “It’s because you don’t know. Is it a spirit, a magical byproduct, a living being? Not even the creator knows. Isn’t that right?”

“...What?”

“You don't know the true nature of that byproduct of the rift you call the Dust of the Void. You’re trying to capture the monster you accidentally created by throwing everything at it.”

Karyl took a step forward.

Click—

A mechanism activated, but Karyl pressed down on the marble floor with force, shattering it and disabling the trap.

“This black spirit lingering around Antihum that you’re trying to capture... It’s not really a spirit, is it?”

Karyl paused briefly before continuing, “Your failed experiment, the Dust of the Void, is similar to the monsters created by the Assembly of Seven Elders. If that’s the case, there’s a way to kill it.”

“How?”

"You can’t catch the Void Specks. I’ll help you. If it’s left alone, it could... No, it

will

kill hundreds.”

Nain Darhon frowned slightly at Karyl’s definitive statement.

“Be grateful we got caught in your mana net. If, by chance, the heart was destroyed and caused an explosion...”

Now, Karyl wasn’t surprised that Antihum’s surroundings had become a blackened ruin back then.

“How far has your research progressed?”

“I... don't know what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, I’m not here to condemn you. Quite the opposite actually. Your research might be related to necromancy, which I’m trying to look into.”

At that, Nain Darhon cocked his head.

“Necromancy?”

“Specifically the art of summoning Dark Spirits. If I do it right, I might be able to complete your research. There was a pioneer who started studying the rift long before you.”

“That’s nonsense.”

“It’s not. It’s the truth, and unlike you, that man didn’t fumble with it.”

At that, Nain Darhon’s face hardened slightly. As the head of the Immortal Council, it was clear he was researching the Tarak. But if he knew that Allen Javius had started this research a thousand years earlier and had achieved far higher accomplishments, he would be shocked.

“Well, that’s not urgent right now. The immediate concern is eliminating the Dust of the Void, but I’ll only help you under one condition.”

“And what would that be?”

“I want access to the back of the library.”

“...”

Nain Darhon frowned slightly.

"Specifically, I want to check the box in the back.”

“You crazy bastard...”

Nain Darhon couldn’t help but chuckle.

“How do you know about the Dark Tome? Only the librarian and I know about that,” he said as he glared at the hunchbacked man beside him.

“I-I don’t know anything about it...”

The haggard-looking man hurriedly waved his hands in denial and shook his head. It seemed like he was the current librarian.

This guy wasn’t the librarian back then... He must’ve died in the explosion.

Karyl couldn’t possibly tell them that he had heard about the Dark Tome from Israphil, the future librarian.

“Oh, it’s a tome? I only knew about a box in the back of the library. Well, with someone as loose-lipped as you, how can anything be kept a secret here?”

“You—”

“Listen, it’s not that big of a deal,” Karyl cut him off. “I’m merely looking for someone, a necromancer from 250 years ago. There might be a clue about him in that Dark Tome or whatever. Or maybe you could tell me? You might know, given your age.”

“You arrogant bastard.”

Nain Darhon was taken aback by Karyl’s defiant tone.

“That book doesn’t contain such information, so don’t bother with it.”

“In that case, I can’t help you with capturing the Dust of the Void. But beware. If you mishandle that thing, it might even consume the whole of Antihum. You know what I mean, right? After all, you’re the one who created that monster.”

Nain Darhon gritted his teeth.

The librarian beside him, seemingly unaware that the Dust of the Void was the result of Darhon’s experiments, looked increasingly shocked.

“Sigh...”

Karyl finally understood why he had been on edge ever since stepping near Antihum.

This aura...

The sticky, unpleasant air in the library felt like the Tarak’s breath, causing him to be on high alert instinctively.

So Nain Darhon has been researching the Tarak just like the Assembly of Seven Elders. Does that mean the Tarak existed in this world even before Pharel?

Until now, Karyl had thought of the Tarak simply as the monsters of the Oracle. But if such creatures could be created by humans...

Then they’re not invincible.

***

“Nain Darhon? He’s a peculiar man. Even as a child, he was obsessed with magic. Want to hear an interesting story? There’s a secret passed down only to the librarians.”

“Can you share something like that with me?”

“Well, the Immortal Council is gone now, so it doesn't matter.”

The tenth Tarak, Son, had fallen. On that day, everyone celebrated the end of the calamities. Israphil sat atop a pillar in the ruins of Antihum, speaking in a hollow voice.

“The leader always kept a small box in a secret spot in his study, just like how children leave a basket of candies."

“Is that supposed to be funny?” Karyl murmured with indifference.

Israphil smiled faintly as he brushed a piece of debris.

“No one could open the box. I once asked what it was. Every time, he would say the same thing. ‘I’ve locked away my mistakes and sins.’”

“...?”

Karyl turned away, seemingly uninterested. Israphil often used to ramble like that.

“Nain Darhon said that an unimaginable nightmare lies in that box. I don’t get it. Why would anyone be curious about the contents of the box? This world is a living nightmare already.”

Karyl sighed softly, looking at the remnants of the Tarak left in the ruins of Antihum.

Son’s lingering aura writhed as if it were alive, still searching for prey. Everyone at the scene instinctively knew that they would have to fight more of these monstrosities.

“Nightmare...” Karyl murmured as he gazed at the Tarak remains.

Karyl slowly opened his eyes, recalling a forgotten part of his past.

Israphil, if I can prevent Nain Darhon’s mistake, maybe what’s in that box isn’t a nightmare but a flicker of hope.

He gazed at the hidden bookshelf behind the study as he remembered Israphil.

Sure, the book inside doesn’t say anything about a necromancer who was Kaye Aesir’s companion. But instead, it holds something more crucial. If my guess is correct...

Karyl was eager to look into the hidden box.

Inside must be the Dark Spirit King.