Chapter 14 14: Paradigm Shift

Following the Librarian's fiery proclamation, I held my chin in contemplation. Despite possessing the face of a little girl, that vehement rage aimed towards the existence called Protagonists was not something I could take lightly. Overall, the lengthy explanation could, in essence, be boiled down to three words: 'Antagonists are precious'. Or 'we protect Antagonists', or something like that, though I guess that's why the name was what it is. Either way, it was undeniably strange. Characters usually associated with the word 'evil'―were claimed to in fact be vital to life. In other words, Antagonists must be protected in order for the world in which they live to sustain itself, assuming there was no disruption of the balance. Is that right...? Protagonists, on the other hand―characters typically possessing unparalleled kindness, bravery and heroism―are in fact monstrous beings that drain the vitality of the world merely by existing. And, if the Protagonist were to do something like kill the Antagonist, the world would end. Is that... right...? '...Hey.' Librarian described with great passion how Protagonists aimed to hunt the lives of Antagonists and destroy the world as if it were some universal law like gravity or the speed of light. But... 'Isn't this wrong somehow?' This description of things completely flipped what perception of stories I previously held. In fact, didn't she just have it the wrong way around? Antagonists being the ones holding the world up? Protagonists being the ones destined to destroy it? This was an unprecedented paradigm shift, wasn't it? And, for the record, it was, without a doubt, ridiculous. "Our ultimate aim as the Antagonist Protection Service could be said to be 'the prevention of the collapse of Illusory Worlds'. This is accomplished, of course, by protecting the endangered Antagonists in question from the threat of the Protagonists that emerge." The Librarian's high-pitched voice was still lowered into a tone containing utmost gravitas, not allowing me any room to make jokes or laugh... No, let alone come up with some kind of witty remark, I couldn't even find the space to think straight. This wasn't just the crazed delusion of some little girl's fantasies, was it...? Needless to say, I couldn't just chalk it up to that. After all, hadn't I already gone through one world and reaped a life there before disappearing like a phantom? The sensation of warm, metallic, viscous blood on my hands, on my face... couldn't just be some delusion. Above all, the significance of the whole thing was clearly conveyed to me through the Librarian's attitude. Even if I couldn't meet her eyes―the so-called 'window to the soul', as it were―her zeal, her earnestness was all very palpable. I recognised that. And, subsequently, I realised that there was something missing from her explanation. Previously, the Librarian mentioned that a portion of the World Stability returned from the death of the Protagonist would be received by the Library as compensation for saving it. That was the whole point I was relying on to get back home, so of course I remembered it clearly. But, surely, that wasn't the only use for this World Stability there was, right? Considering that it was the very thing―force, energy, whatever it was―that maintained the stability and continued existence of those Illusory Worlds... I just couldn't accept that there wasn't something more to it. Believing this, I made my doubt known. The response was swift. "Certainly! Does this mean you won't resign after all?!" The Librarian raised her voice excitedly, to which I could only scratch my cheek awkwardly. "Uh. Well, I guess that depends on the answer." "Understood! Please focus on the Mark of the Illusory Library on your hand!" "Hm? Oh, the tattoo?" I glanced down at my hand, raising it up in front of me. The peculiar tattoo had vanished before, but now that I had re-entered the Library, it was back and glowing again as if it were never gone. "Uh-huh! Now, depending on your aptitude, this may require some level of concentration. Please inject your conscious will into the Mark." "Inject what... Oh, I guess I can try that." I spoke with a straight face, but the reality was that I had absolutely no clue what she was telling me to do. '...Should I ask for help?' Such a thought floated around in my mind for a while, but at some point, something bizarre abruptly appeared in front of me. Antagonist Protection Service Specialised Authority & Assistance Menu Status | Shop | Storage | ??? (Locked) "Oh!" A transparent screen emerged from thin air before my eyes. Seeing that triple-S, 'Status, Shop, Storage', which were all ubiquitous gaming terms, my previously dubious mood immediately began to skyrocket―alongside my heart rate, of course, as even the blood pumping through my body was galvanised. "Do you see it? This is the Library and the Service's method of assisting you in your goal of protecting Antagonists and the Illusory Worlds they serve! You could call it the perks of being an employee of the Illusory Library!" "Y-yeah, I'm seeing it. Does it work just by pressing on it?" Without waiting for a reply, I tapped with my finger on the very first 'Status' option. Enki Valentine | Operations Assistant General Physical Ability - Poor General Magical Ability - Nonexistent Spiritual Synergism - Nonexistent Protagonists Dispatched : 1 Skills : None Traits : [Professionalism] Blessings : [Authority of the Library of Illusory Worlds (Tier One)] My eyes ravenously analysed the text displayed, devouring it as if it was cuisine forged deliberately for my personal palate, but I could only be dismayed by what I found. 'Magical Ability', 'Skills', 'Traits', 'Blessings'―Now this is what I'm talking about. Things like this―true fantasy, true thrill―could only ever have been discussed in a realistic sense whenever the topic revolved around the Augury Tower or the Challengers who cleared it. Finally, after all this time, it was my turn to experience that joy―― "Wow, I'm shit." ―Or not. "This is a total load of garbage, isn't it? Is this just me?" Looking twice, thrice, seven times over at the Status displaying my details, I couldn't help but frown. "E-ehh?! W-w-w-whatever could you mean?! Isn't it just a magnificent system...?" Glancing over to the Librarian, who seemed to be grabbing her head as if in great distress, I clarified. "Oh, no, not the system. Me. 'Poor', 'Nonexistent', 'Nonexistent'. 'No Skills'. You really scouted someone talented for this job, huh? Crazy stuff." 'Well, I guess it's just my fault for being F-tier, huh.' "E-Enki, please..." "Sorry. It's my problem. Can you go through this for me?" "Ah, certainly! That's why I'm here! Ahem! This 'Status' menu displays your status as the individual employee, "Enki Valentine"! As you can see, it includes your job title as well as various other measured statistics!" Nodding my head, I moved my gaze down. "Okay. I don't think I'm missing much, but what about the following things? I'll need to hear more about 'Spiritual Synergism', but what about the first two? I guess they're..." "Mmh, indeed, those are probably as you expect―a representation of your physical and magical prowess, respectively! Currently, the display shows you as rated 'Poor' in Physical Ability, but... a-ah, but fret not! That can be fixed with just a little bit of working out!" "Uh. Right..." Well, that was a given. "Mh, ah! And, if you make sure to eat more consistently, and take particular care in digesting more proteins, you can start building significant muscle mass in no time!" "Yeah... Well, what about Magical Ability? Am I useless there?" The moment I asked something like that, something occurred to me. '...Wait, how does she even know what my body is like? She's blind, isn't she?' Seemingly disregarding my internal curiosity, she continued. "Certainly! As for Magical Ability, simply put, yours is classified as 'Nonexistent' because your body contains no innate source of mana generation! However, fret not! It does not necessarily denote that you cannot use magic, just that the process of doing so is more complicated!" Upon hearing the Librarian's words, I paused for a moment. At first, I was confused; I was doing all this wild fantasy stuff, but I couldn't use mana? What's even the point? But then, I remembered. I'm only a normal human who happened to stumble across this otherworldly Library. Last I heard, the only humans with naturally-occurring magical powers were the children of people who acquired them through chance―the Awakened. Since Awakened themselves don't have 'naturally-occurring' powers, it could only be like that. They were all lucky bastards who just happened to stumble across something good and get rewarded for it. Although I did the same, I didn't get rewarded. In fact, I had to commit a severe crime in order to not get fucked. Then, did that mean I didn't technically Awaken despite finding that magical critter...? 'Well that's a bit unfair, isn't it?' "That doesn't mean I'll never be able to use magic though, right? There must be other ways..." If that were the case, maybe this ordeal wasn't for nothing after all. At least, I held such a faint hope in my heart, no matter how reality seemed at first glance. Fortunately, the Librarian's next words seemed to empower that wish. "Certainly! There are myriad ways in which one can pursue the path of magic, even without the ability to generate mana within your body! In fact, you've already cast magic more than once before now!" "...I have?" Doubt surged within me at the Librarian's claim.