SSS-Class Suicide Hunter Chapter 124

Translator: thursdays Editor: Yahiko PR: LightBrin

2.

A cruel fate awaited those who were bewitched by stories.

I wasn't talking about people who simply enjoyed them. I was talking about those who were bewitched. Crazed. They fell deeply again and again, and eventually, they gave up half of their lives to stories.

For them, reality was nothing but a world that could not be a story. There were no dramatic plot twists. No shocking endings. People were just people who could not be reborn as [characters].

Reality was a disappointment.

Humans were contemptible.

And above all else, they worshipped stories.

Disappointment, contempt, and worship made up the true identity of 'those who were bewitched by stories.' That was why they became fanatical when a story unfolded in real life and cheered when real people were reborn as characters.

They hadn't actually lost the heat in their hearts.

They were just waiting for the right moment.

The final boss of all readers was standing before me now.

“L-Lefanta Aegim and… your crossover?”

This individual loved stories so much that he built a library himself.

“For certain, that's… an attractive offer.”

The library he built was so large and magnificent that it covered a whole world and was called the Great Library of All Things, for it contained the thoughts of all creation.

“However, I can only offer you Apocalypses. It is an inviolable rule for me. All stories have the right to end autonomously, so rashly intervening is…”

His lips were quivering now.

'He's wavering.'

I was certain. In the end, the Librarian would be persuaded. No practical logic could convince the Librarian.

But the words [Don't you want to see it?], referring to the story, could tempt the Librarian down to hell.

“Ah. You can just drop it if you don't want to see it.”

It was an irresistible offer.

“I was just making an indulgent suggestion. I could make a scene where your two favorite characters interact. But if you don't want it, I won't force you.”

“But you actually want to see it, don't you?”

The Librarian's complexion changed visibly. His emotions were transparent. Suffering. Agonizing. Craving for a decadent dessert, a crossover that would never transpire organically.

“I…”

Eventually, the Librarian opened his mouth.

“I signed a contract with the Tower.”

The breath coming from his lips was hot.

“Not all Constellations make contracts with the Tower. Only the Constellation who sign contracts can enter. We're tenants, basically. In exchange for renting a floor of the Tower, I have a restriction.”

“What is the restriction?”

“To provide humans only Apocalypses…”

The Librarian flailed his hand.

Each time his hand sliced the air, the books that orbited around him fell to the floor.

“An Apocalypse can mean many things, but The Epic of Lefanta Aegim is not one of them.”

These books had the same function as being the Librarian's guards. When Hunters attacked him the other day, the Librarian used the power of the books to subdue them.

“A contract is a contract… I cannot violate it as I please. The Tower, the Master of the Tower, will be furious. I do not want to anger the Tower Master. Mm. Traditionally, aren't tenants at the mercy of their landlords…?”

In other words.

The Librarian was stripping himself of his weapons.

“J-just for reference…”

Dozens of books were dropped. Neutralizing all the powers he held, the Librarian looked at me.

“I actually don't have much power on my own…”

[1]: This might be a little confusing, but basically, Lefanta Aegim's original last name is “Kim” (김). ㄱ is a consonant that is sort of a mix of the “k” and “g” sounds. The “Ae” of Aegim is pronounced “Aye,” or the English first person pronoun “I.” In other words, Aegim means “I, Kim.”

[2]: The term “isekai” is used here since that's what most readers would be familiar with, even though it's Japanese. The “Isekai Student” genre is referring to a subset of the isekai genre that deals with high school students. If you're curious, the name of this genre in Korean is 이고깽 (igokkeng).

Chapter end