Chapter 100
The gifts that the two Great Spirits sent me personally were nothing but well-packaged stories.
I was dazzled by the stories contained in the cube-shaped boxes.
It was as if they had conspired to send me stories.
Or rather, did they compete to see who could give me a better one?
‘How lucky.’
Considering that I might not be able to use the items they gave me, the stories were more versatile and useful for me.
They were good gifts indeed.
Especially since they were stories sent by two first-generation Spirits who boasted of their prowess.
They were obviously different from ordinary stories in terms of quality.
The one in the white box was from Michael.
The one in the black box was from Satan.
I decided to check Michael’s gift first.
The story that looked like a white egg was made of much denser text than the ones I could buy from the Dimensional Shop.
It was packed with so much content that it would have been impossible for me to digest if I were still a regular employee, but now that I was an Assistant Manager, I could make it mine without much trouble.
Michael must have considered that and sent me an appropriate level.
[The Leader of Temptation and Sorrow, The Trial of Ordeal]
“Wow.”
I let out a faint admiration as I checked the contents.
“So you sent me a mental enhancement story?”
It seemed like a very Michael-like story.
If I guessed his relationship with Satan, who also sent me another gift, it surely implied some advice for me as well.
‘Satan, or Lucifer, is the symbol of corruption. On the other hand, Michael is an angel who mediates such spiritual conflicts and guides them to the right path.’
Michael also played the role of a guardian who appeared to people when they were troubled by evil or rough temptations, and showed them the correct way and resolved their conflicts.
This story was ultimately a mental barrier that helped me not to waver at any moment and overcome the trials that shook my values.
Of course, that was part of it, but what Michael wanted to tell me with this gift was also a kind of warning: ‘Don’t get too close to Satan.’ It was like saying don’t get stained black by hanging out with crows. They really didn’t get along well.
‘Is it really necessary for me right now? I’m not sure, but it wouldn’t hurt to accept it in advance in case of any future situations.’
I sometimes felt that my will was weak.
Wouldn’t it be easier if I did this?
Wouldn’t it be better to choose an easier path even if it meant taking a detour?
Like all humans, I unknowingly stepped into the swamp of laziness and mannerism.
Even if I tried to endure it by whipping myself, sometimes I couldn’t even notice the existence of the swamp until I got out of it.
Surely, Michael’s gift would be a great help to me someday when I faced an unintended situation.
‘Then what is Satan’s gift?’
I opened the black box and checked the story inside.
Then I hardened my expression.
“What is this…?”
If Michael gave me a mental protection story with Satan in mind, Satan did the opposite.
[A Fragment of Laplace’s Demon]
“…You’re giving me this?”
Laplace’s Demon.
A being that knows the position and momentum of all atoms in the universe.
A scientific demon that is said to know not only the past and present, but also the future.
“What are you thinking?”
It sounded like an absurdly overpowered story just by hearing it.
But that was only when I judged by looking at the surface.
I knew how hard it was to get such a story, and even if I got it at the end of heaven, whether I could use it or not was another matter.
A story that gives you knowledge of past, present, and future?
There’s no way an individual can handle that.
‘It’s not even a story that I can accept yet, since I’m only an Assistant Manager.’
Even though it was just a fragment, a seed of a story, it was the same.
I’m sure even a teller at the level of a director couldn’t accept this story.
If there was a being that could accept this story, it would surely be
“The omniscient and omnipotent God who governs everything.”
Satan couldn’t use this either, so he must have just kept it.
But why did he give this to me?
Did he just want to get rid of it under the name of a gift?
‘There’s no way Satan would have such a half-hearted intention. Did he think I was a suitable being for this?
Or maybe he wanted to see what reaction I would have out of curiosity?’
It was hard to guess his true motive.
But it was hard to believe that he just gave it to me casually, considering the meaning that this fragment of Laplace’s Demon implied.
This was practically ‘omniscience’.
A title of supreme wisdom that was given to only one person in mythology.
I had shown through various previous stories that I knew more than ordinary tellers.
Even if I tried to hide it, a Spirit like Satan must have seen through it.
‘Is he trying to test me?’
I don’t think Satan knows that I’m from the future.
But he must have suspected that I had something, so he gave me this story.
‘But it’s useless.’
Laplace’s Demon was too out of the norm for me to have.
It would be the same for anyone else.
This was something that should be displayed in a museum, nothing more, nothing less.
“It’s like food made of jewels. You can appreciate its value, but you can’t even use it.”
But since I received it anyway, I thought I’d put it somewhere in my guardian’s room as a decoration.
It was then, when I touched the [Fragment of Laplace’s Demon].
Swoosh!
“…!”
The story of Laplace’s Demon was split into text as if to show off, and it was absorbed into me through my palm.
I was startled and quickly pulled my hand away from the story, but the story of Laplace’s Demon had already disappeared completely into my body.
[The Fragment of Laplace’s Demon settles in your body.]
I checked the notification window that popped up belatedly and immediately checked my body condition.
I didn’t know if my body would explode if I accidentally failed to handle the story.
“…I’m fine?”
There was nothing wrong with my body even after a few minutes.
I pinched my cheek. It hurt, so it wasn’t a dream. It was unbelievable.
Contrary to my expectation that there would be a rejection reaction, my body was very healthy.
‘What the hell….’
When I checked the stories I had, [The Fragment of Laplace’s Demon] was firmly settled inside my body.
There was no rejection reaction at all.
No, in this situation, the fact that this came into my body meant that the story had found a suitable owner.
‘Did I think I couldn’t use it, but that wasn’t the case?’
No, why am I fine even though I accepted this?
It was incomprehensible.
But I couldn’t find an answer by worrying about it. It was doubtful, but I had to let it go for now.
‘Maybe it has something to do with why I went back.’
I didn’t intend to absorb the story, but it was a good thing that there was no rejection reaction.
Compared to what the original story implied, this was just a fragment of it, but it was still related to Laplace’s Demon.
It wasn’t an endless ocean, but a reservoir filled with fresh water, but I was satisfied.
‘For now, let’s just check the gifts.’
I immediately called Celine.
“Celine.”
“Yes.”
She had a stiff personality, but she was good at her job.
As soon as I called her, she showed up.
She had the authority to enter and exit my personal guardian’s room because she had the pretext of supporting me.
“I’m going to open the library soon. So get ready. You know what you have to do, even if I don’t tell you.”
“I understand.”
She answered right away and started preparing for work.
Her job as a support room teller was to collect information that I needed or to control excessive chatting of Spirits during stories using some of the library’s authority.
Her role was like a manager.
Well, other tellers treated support room tellers like their subordinates, but I didn’t have any intention of doing that.
Not for now.
“Story. Start.”
“Yes.”
I told Celine that and left her alone and left the guardian’s room.
***
‘Did he leave?’
Celine sighed softly as she recalled Yu-hyun who left to present his story.
‘How did this happen?’
She was supposed to be a promising rookie.
But her situation now was the opposite of her reputation.
Celine was higher than Yu-hyun in terms of class.
She was expected as a promising candidate in her class.
In fact, she revealed her appearance faster than other tellers, and even her appearance was a hybrid species with high recognition in the hybrid system.
Naturally, there were many tellers who paid attention to her.
The problem was her stiff and blunt personality.
She didn’t bend, she said what was wrong without sugarcoating it, and she didn’t bow down to anyone who had a higher rank than her.
She had skills, but because of her personality, she became disliked by her seniors and eventually got ‘sidelined’ to this place because of politics.
‘They say they’re giving me one last chance.’
Her task was to assist Kang Yu-hyun, the teller who set an unprecedented record as the youngest Assistant Manager.
And to help him with his work while monitoring him and sending information to the upper line regularly.
She remembered the notification window that came up late and checked her body condition right away.
She didn’t know if her body would explode if she accidentally failed to handle the story.
‘But I don’t need any last chances.’
She didn’t care about their threats or persuasion.
She wasn’t the type to be swayed by such things.
‘I’ll do my job as a support room teller.’
But that was not because someone told her to do so, but because of her own conviction.
She would help Yu-hyun with his work, but not with anything unfair.
She wouldn’t spy on his actions and send data to the upper line either.
She only did what she was given as a support room teller.
Celine was such a teller.
‘And Kang Yu-hyun is not impressive either.’
She didn’t trust Yu-hyun easily either.
The youngest Assistant Manager was definitely an amazing title.
She also heard the rumor that he gave up the protection that no other teller would ever do.
But so what?
She didn’t think highly of Yu-hyun either.
She was partly responsible for her being used as a political sacrifice.
If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have come to this place.
This ‘unqualified’ world.
‘He must be a great teller as the rumors say. I haven’t had much conversation with him, but I can tell that he thinks differently from other tellers. But that’s it.’
Rumors are just rumors.
She only believed what she saw.
‘No matter what, I don’t intend to be tied down in this place to do what I want.’
Celine looked at the authority window of the library that she had partially received from Yu-hyun with an unwavering gaze.
A huge number of Spirits were entering the newly opened library. She checked their logs and managed their chats, but she didn’t take her eyes off Yu-hyun.
‘Let’s see how good you are.’
***
‘She must be grinding his teeth by now.’
I smirked as I thought of Celine, the regular employee who gave me a challenging look.
I knew she didn’t like this situation, and that she didn’t come here willingly.
Maybe some sparks of anger flew at me too. I could tell by her eyes.
‘So show me what you can do.’
Who you’re assisting now, and what kind of being I am, who you thought was nothing special.
Make sure to imprint it in your brain.
“Welcome, Spirits. It’s been a while.”
[100TP donation!]
[Hi hi.]
[100TP donation!]
[Is it a rookie again today, not Geomhu?]
[100TP donation!]
[What are you going to do today?]
“Our rookie is still a bit lacking in growth, so we’re going to clear another world of thought to make her stronger.”
Another world of thought?
They might ask, but the Spirits were rather excited.
What they wanted was not only the teller’s performance, but also to enjoy the world of thought itself, where unknown stories were hidden.
A different world where a story was realized, it was very satisfying for the Spirits to access it indirectly.
“Today we’re going to the world of thought called Underground Kingdom.”
Today I was planning to get the reward item here.