Beyond the Eternity

I stood frozen in place, staring at the scene before me with a blank expression, as it resembled a murder site.

Soo Jinyoung, the unfortunate victim, lay motionlessly in a pool of her own blood like a wounded animal. At a glance, it was almost impossible to recognize the reincarnator. I couldn't even tell if she was alive; she looked more like a corpse than a living being.

Three of her limbs were twisted at grotesque angles that seemed humanly impossible, with broken bones protruding from the joints. Her right hand, which she used to wield the sword, was severed at the elbow. It didn't appear to have been cut by something sharp; rather, it seemed like it was forcefully ripped off with immense intensity.

I frowned as my nose picked up an unpleasant smell.

My eyes narrowed as I noticed an inky black substance mixed with the blood. It was a strange, unidentifiable substance that I had never seen before. It was clear that this was the source of the foul odor.

Large chunks of flesh were missing from various parts of her body, revealing shredded remnants of muscle and cracked bones barely held together. A large gash on her chest, as though slashed by something sharp, was oozing rivers of blood from the exposed skin.

As if all that wasn't enough, the perpetrator must have felt unsatisfied with the physical torment he had unleashed upon this helpless woman and forcefully ripped out both of her eyeballs, leaving two empty holes in her eye sockets.

[A few constellations frown at the brutal scene.]

[The constellation 'Primordial Evil Dragon' is impressed with the destruction.]

[The constellation 'Golden King of Heroes' shakes his head.]

[The constellation 'Ruler of War and Wisdom' asks you to unleash justice.]

This sight was not for the weak-hearted. The party members reacted differently.

Angelica resisted the urge to vomit, Jung Yunhee turned her face away, and Lee Suhye's eyes became moist.

Yet somehow, I remained unaffected. I regarded the gruesome sight with an indifferent expression. There was no sorrow, no sadness, no pity, or even a feeling of remorse.

There was only a lingering sense of annoyance.

It felt wrong to feel nothing when confronted with such a scene. I had known her for a long time, yet I felt nothing. Perhaps my mind regarded the scene as an illusion, or maybe I thought everything was fiction.

In any case, it was useless to dwell on such irrelevant things.

"Tsk!"

This idiot, what the hell did she do? Did she break the Librarian's rules? No, that wouldn't warrant this level of punishment. More importantly, why did the Librarian waste his time tormenting this person in such a manner?

What a tasteless bastard. Now my plans have become even more complicated.

My attention shifted to Lee Suhye, who suddenly dashed towards the Immortal Flame.

I slowly closed my eyes.

When Lee Suhye got close to Soo Jinyoung, she paused, seemingly unsure of what to do. Those injuries were impossible to treat with basic first aid. That was obvious even to an amateur like me. She must have also realized this.

All evidence pointed to one conclusion: no human could survive with those injuries, even a superhuman like Soo Jinyoung.

As if to reject that cold truth, Lee Suhye gritted her teeth like an animal and screamed.

"Damn it! How the hell is this possible?! She can't be dead! Soo Jinyoung can't be dead! You... WHY ARE YOU GUYS JUST STANDING THERE AND WATCHING?!

SHE'S DYING! WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!!"

In response to her scream, I nonchalantly shrugged my shoulders and opened my mouth.

"We can't do anything."

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT? LOOK! SHE'S STILL BREATHING! SHE'S STILL ALIVE! SHE CAN STILL BE SAVED!"

"Yes, she's still breathing. Most people would have died already in such conditions, which is honestly impressive. But so what? Her bones have been crushed, one of her eyes has been pierced, she has lost too much blood, and her breathing is faint. There's nothing we can do for this woman."

"...!!!"

"What's up with that expression? You knew from the start, right? So what's the point of shouting so needlessly? It's not like she's magically going to be healed."

Suddenly, Lee Suhye lunged towards me and lifted me up by my chest with both hands. Look at her, doing something even more useless.

"You cruel bastard! How could you remain so calm in this situation? How could you say those words in front of a dying person?"

"I was merely stating the truth. Why are you trying so hard to deny the obvious reality presented before you?"

"T-That... Even so... We can't leave her like this."

"Tsk. How annoying."

"What did you say?"

I gently removed her hands from my shirt and responded.

"Even if I explained it to you a thousand times, it would enter one ear and exit the other. So let's try this: go and touch Soo Jinyoung, and see what happens."

"Fine. I'm going to do it."

Lee Suhye approached the unconscious Soo Jinyoung and stretched her hand forward. However, it was suddenly pushed back by a mysterious force.

Pushed back was not the right word. Repelled was more accurate. It looked like her hand was going to snap. If she were a normal human, her shoulder would likely have been dislocated.

"Wha—"

Lee Suhye looked puzzled by the strange phenomenon, or maybe because her hand was nearly blown away. Either way, there was an invisible barrier preventing her from reaching Soo Jinyoung.

"What was that just now?"

I answered, "It's the effects of the boundary."

"A boundary?"

"You don't know? Sigh... Of course, you wouldn't know. Tsk! Tsk! What a tasteless woman, do I have to explain everything?"

"Stop being a jerk and explain already."

"Alright. Let's imagine a scenario where you put a cat inside a black box. You can't see or touch the cat when the box is closed, isn't that right? Something is preventing you from doing so, which is the box cover. In essence, a boundary is the cover preventing you from seeing or interacting with the 'inside' from the 'outside'.

A barrier that traps you in a different space, another world you may call it, which is unreachable from the outside world."

"You mean to say that Soo Jinyoung is trapped within a different space."

"That's correct."

Lee Suhye seemed even more puzzled than before. Perhaps the information was too difficult to process on short notice, even when I explained it simply. Not everyone has knowledge about the occult, so the term 'boundary' must have felt alien to Lee Suhye.

Maybe it was because I didn't explain everything completely and left out a few details.

A boundary is a concept originating from Buddhism. The idea behind it is to isolate an open area from the outside world. Boundaries are usually placed in places like hidden dungeons to prevent them from being found. There is no point in having a hidden dungeon if it is not 'hidden'.

There are various kinds of boundaries of different levels, with infinite different effects possible within a boundary. Some conceal the area from people's eyes, like this dungeon, while others inflict fear in people's hearts to chase them away.

But the boundary placed on Soo Jinyoung was different. It seems she was trapped within a separate space on the tenth floor.

It's like the two sides of a coin. Soo Jinyoung was the 'front of the coin' and we were the 'back of the coin'. Just like how the front and back of the coin cannot interact with each other, we cannot interact with Soo Jinyoung, who is inside another separate space despite being physically present before us.

If we attempt to touch her, the space around her will slightly distort and repel the intruders.

Lee Suhye clenched her fists tightly and swung them towards Soo Jinyoung as if hoping to destroy the impenetrable wall to pieces. Of course, the barrier did not break, but her hand was forcefully repelled with a dull sound.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

I tilted my head slightly upon seeing Lee Suhye roll all over the floor. Was she an idiot?

"What are you doing? You know that won't dispel the barrier, right?"

"S-Shut up... How are we supposed to free Soo Jinyoung then?"

"It's not that difficult. We just have to defeat the person who placed the boundary in the first place. The master of the library dungeon."

Suddenly, Jung Yunhee opened her mouth and asked,

"The dungeon master? You mean the same person that reduced Soo Jinyoung to this pathetic state? Is it possible to win?"

"It will be difficult, but there will be a way."

Despite saying it confidently, I was unsure. Although it was Sung Jaewon who discovered the hidden dungeon, it didn't mean that he conquered the dungeon.

The regressor and the reincarnator. It was intriguing how both of them lost to the same opponent. They didn't lose because they were weak; on the contrary, they lost because they simply lacked information.

Suddenly, a voice spoke out.

"Ohohoho! What's this? New guests? I wasn't expecting a crowd."

"!"

Everyone's attention was drawn forward. The tenth floor was a large space that encompassed the entire level. It resembled a director's office with a huge see-through window at the front.

Though the huge room was luxurious, it lacked class and represented the Librarian's twisted tastes. It was like entering a restaurant designed properly but not caring for the customers. The man responsible for this design was standing while looking out the window.

Even as he spoke, he did not turn his head to address us as if declaring we weren't worth turning his head for. That arrogance belonged to a being carefully designed and nourished by the constellations.

I snapped out from my reverie when the slender man turned away from the window and looked at us.

"!"

My body was filled with goosebumps. The slender man just stood nonchalantly with both hands in his pockets and yet, his presence was overwhelming. Even more so than Soo Jinyoung and Song Jaewon.

The pale-skinned man was the dungeon master of the library dungeon — The Library Keeper.

The slender man did not dress like a librarian of a library. Instead, he wore a black suit and a top hat. However, what truly set him apart was his most distinctive feature: a white mask adorned with a smiling face. His appearance leaned more towards that of a clown rather than a librarian.

The slender man asked with a curious voice.

"So travellers, how was your journey so far? Was my dungeon to your liking? I really want to hear your thoughts. It took me a very long to design everything, you know."

Lee Suhye spoke with an angry voice.

"You bastard, are you the one that put Soo Jinyoung in that state?"

"Hmm..."

The slender man wearing the mask tilted his head. Then, he laughed upon realising something.

"What's so funny?"

"Soo Jinyoung? Hmm... Ah, yes. You mean that person over there. Are you perhaps acquainted with her? If you're wondering whether I'm responsible for her current condition, then yes.

She was rather rude, so I felt compelled to administer a little punishment."

"A little?"

My gaze shifted to the disfigured body of Soo Jinyoung on the cold floor. Her breathing was faint as if threatening to stop at any moment. Was that what you would call a light punishment?

The slender man shrugged his shoulders and continued speaking.

"I admit it might seem a little cruel. In fact, I find that level of violence very distasteful. But don't worry, you've already noticed, haven't you? That person can still be saved. However, that is only if you're able to defeat me. Will you defeat me and save that person or will you fail miserably and die along with her?

It's a story where the ending is not clear. Perhaps the ending of this story will be different."

Lee Suhye looked confused. "What the hell is he saying?"

"Don't listen to him. He's insane."

Talking to this guy was useless and we needed to clear the dungeon. But we can only do that but killing the dungeon owner so fighting was inevitable.

"Now then..."

The slender man's tone of speaking suddenly changed and the party members stiffened. Before it was a nonchalant tone, now it was a serious tone.

"Let's begin the performance, shall we?"

The library keeper snapped his fingers and black mist formed around the slender man.

In the next moment, several black shadows materialized before us wielding weapons of darkness. They were the puppets of the dungeon master.

At the same time, a system message announced the start of the battle.

[The contents of the hidden trial has been updated.]

[Kill the owner of the library dungeon on the tenth floor.]

[Failure penalty: Death]