The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 342

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 342. The Archive of Truth (1)
The Archive of Truth.
The last place Gwendolyn had seen Iliana.
This was it.
What I knew about the Archive of Truth was this.
In other words, I had just heard of it.
Yet I felt an unmistakable sense that this was no ordinary place.
I immediately turned to Gwendolyn with a question.
“It’s different from a typical library, isn’t it?”
“Ah, yes. Completely different.”
Gwendolyn nodded briefly before continuing her explanation.
“A typical library houses theories and research that mages have discovered, studied, and proven throughout history.”
It was exactly what the term suggested.
A space where knowledge accumulated.
A repository of all manner of magical knowledge that mages had uncovered and illuminated.
But on the other hand.
“The Archive of Truth holds truth itself—quite literally. It contains all knowledge in this world.”
“…?”
“More precisely, every sentence possible in this world exists there, along with every theory, every falsehood, and every truth.”
“…??”
What in the world was she talking about?
Gwendolyn, as if anticipating my bewilderment, added further explanation.
“It’s an endless space. Every corridor is lined with thousands upon thousands of books, and within them are written every possible sentence that can be formed from characters.”
“…What does that even mean?”
“Literally what I said. Every possible combination of characters that could exist.”
I asked no further questions.
I simply could not comprehend it.
Still, true to her nature as a mage.
She had a tendency to speak of mind-bending concepts as if they were trivial.
Regardless.
This was where Iliana was last seen.
Perhaps I could find traces of her there.
“Could you guide me there?”
“Well… guiding you wouldn’t be difficult, but…”
Gwendolyn bit her lip, looking troubled.
“The Archive of Truth cannot be accessed by just anyone.”
“Is permission required?”
“Yes. And originally, I had the authority to grant it. I’m the Deputy Archivist, after all.”
Gwendolyn cleared her throat with an ahem and straightened her shoulders.
She even puffed out her chest with unmistakable pride.
But soon I let out a sigh.
“However, recently when the Magic Tower was sealed, the Archive of Truth was also converted to a sealed state. Now… I’ve been blocked from accessing it as well.”
“Then there’s no way to enter?”
“That’s correct.”
This was incredibly frustrating.
The Archive of Truth was the last place Iliana had been sighted.
There had to be some clue or trace left behind in that place.
But if I couldn’t enter, it was meaningless….
“Unless the Council of Elders passes it as an agenda item, access is currently impossible.”
Ah, what was I thinking.
“Is that all it takes?”
“…Yes? What, what do you mean?”
“If the Council of Elders passes it as an agenda item, I can enter the Archive of Truth?”
“That’s technically true. But… it’s absolutely not something that happens easily.”
Gwendolyn shook her head from side to side as if telling me to give up.
* * *
The Top Floor of Langritd Magic Tower.
Three Supreme Elders were quietly continuing their discussion.
“We absolutely must obtain the Dragon’s byproducts.”
“But the price is far too high. With our current budget… it’s impossible to afford.”
“We can’t just let this slip away though. Could we reach out to The Empire for assistance?”
“I’ve already tried.”
“And?”
“Impossible. The Empire’s budget is tied up with the Runesteel contract matter, they said.”
“Sigh….”
One Supreme Elder rubbed his forehead.
Silence followed.
The Supreme Elder who had rubbed his forehead spoke again.
“…We have no choice. We must report this to the Tower Master.”
Right at that moment.
Vwooooong!
A vibration that cut through the air resonated outward.
At the same time, the crystal orb embedded in the center flashed with crimson light.
“What is this?”
One Supreme Elder waved his hand.
Soon, text appeared from the crystal orb.
====
-Council of Elders Assembly Request
-Agenda: Special Review of Archive of Truth Access Rights.
-Proposer: Richeld and 14 others.
-Rank: Emergency
====
“…?”
“…?”
“…?”
The Supreme Elders simultaneously found themselves bewildered.
* * *
The key resting in my palm.
Its surface was etched with intricate runes, and a soft azure glow seeped through every crevice.
Perhaps because of this, my fingertips grew cold merely from holding it—.
“Incredible!!!”
Gwendolyn trembled as she cried out.
“How did you manage this?!?!”
“What do you mean?”
“This! This right here!”
Gwendolyn stared intently at the key in my hand and exclaimed.
“This is the key to the Archive of Truth!”
“That’s correct.”
“How did you obtain it?!”
“I secured the Council of Elders’ permission, just as you instructed.”
“That’s exactly what I’m asking!! How did you manage that?!?”
Gwendolyn’s eyes widened as she stepped closer to me.
“Those obstinate Elders actually granted you access to the Archive of Truth? And in less than half a day at that?!”
“….”
“Especially since the Magic Tower is currently sealed, so the Council of Elders meetings themselves are being held at a minimum!!”
Gwendolyn grabbed my arm with an expression of disbelief.
“How on earth did you do this???”
I gently separated Gwendolyn from me and replied.
“…I merely presented a rather persuasive proposal.”
“A rather persuasive proposal?”
I withdrew a small glass vial from my robes.
The bottle, brimming with crimson liquid, held a deep and rich hue that seemed to absorb light itself.
“What is that?”
“Dragon blood.”
“…The blood of a Dragon?!”
Gwendolyn’s eyes sparkled as she rushed forward.
“Don’t tell me you obtained the key in exchange for this?”
“Precisely.”
“Unbelievable!!”
Gwendolyn gasped, her mouth falling open in astonishment.
“That’s not persuasion—that’s coercion!”
Is that all?
Just a couple of drops of blood?
“Dragon’s blood is a crystallization of mana itself!! Even without refinement, it possesses 231 times the efficiency of the highest-grade mana stones!!”
“….”
“In the field of alchemy, it’s nothing short of legendary! With that, an entire Magic Tower could leap forward entire technological stages!!”
…No wonder the proposal passed in less than half a day.
“You really gave them that as compensation? Then it’s guaranteed to pass! Absolutely guaranteed!!”
Gwendolyn clutched her cheeks and let out a jubilant cry.
She circled around me, practically ready to dance.
Well, she certainly lived up to her reputation as a mage—her dramatics were considerable.
‘Is there really a connection?’
Come to think of it, mages and dramatics.
There wasn’t necessarily any causal relationship between the two.
Anyway.
“Then might I trouble you for guidance?”
“Of course!!”
Gwendolyn clenched both fists tightly, as if to say she had everything under control.
* * *
The Library Section within Langritd Magic Tower.
Specifically, the innermost depths—not easily reached.
As we descended along the silent corridor, the temperature around us shifted.
As if time itself had frozen.
The air hung heavy with silence, as though holding its breath.
And before us loomed an enormous door.
At first glance, unmistakably extraordinary.
Upon it was inscribed the following words.
[Archive of Truth]
I glanced around the surroundings.
But not a soul was visible.
I tilted my head in confusion and asked Gwendolyn.
“The Archive of Truth is an exceptionally important location within Langritd Magic Tower, is it not?”
“That’s right.”
“Then why is there no one here?”
“You’re asking why there are no guards or gatekeepers protecting the Archive of Truth?”
“Precisely.”
Gwendolyn nodded slightly and answered.
“Because there’s no need.”
“No need for guards?”
“Yes. The Archive of Truth has a perfect defensive system against external intrusion.”
Gwendolyn pointed toward the door.
“Do you see it over there? Those chains floating in the air.”
When I turned my gaze, I found magical chains suspended and coiled tightly in place.
Around them, incomprehensible runes drifted aimlessly.
“That’s a sealing barrier. If you approach carelessly, you’ll be repelled without even making contact, or in worse cases, your very existence could be erased.”
I gazed at the door once more.
The floating chains.
The drifting runes.
And the resonating vibrations of mana.
It certainly appeared far from ordinary.
I drew out the key and slowly approached the door.
As I drew closer, the magical chains suspended in the air trembled.
As if something invisible had detected me, their trajectory warped ever so slightly.
I brought the key forward slowly.
The azure light spread deeper.
Rumble!!
The magical barrier enveloping the Archive of Truth resonated.
The floating magical chains trembled and twisted simultaneously.
The runes drifting in the air ignited crimson before crumbling one by one.
Crash!
Soon the chains snapped, and the tightly sealed door slowly swung open.
I drew a deep breath.
And before entering the Archive of Truth, I asked Gwendolyn a question.
“Are there any precautions I should know about?”
“There are. Quite a lot, actually.”
Gwendolyn shrugged and continued.
“But I’m not going to tell you.”
“…?”
“You’re someone brimming with courage and recklessness, so precautions would be meaningless anyway.”
…Was that a compliment?
Gwendolyn stepped closer to me.
“So you need to listen carefully to what I say. Understood?”
“Are you saying you’ll enter with me?”
“Yes.”
Gwendolyn pressed close to my side.
Her bright smile remained fixed on my face.
Come to think of it, I wasn’t Adrian right now.
Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound.
I had undergone cosmetic alteration again to persuade the Elders.
“It would be such a waste to let such a handsome face go in alone, wouldn’t it?”
Truly, Gwendolyn hadn’t changed one bit.
* * *
The moment I crossed the threshold, reality twisted.
Uuuuuuuung─!!
It felt as though I had stepped into a Barrier Space.
No, it wasn’t merely a feeling.
◆Error: Inventory is not responding.
My inventory had ceased to respond.
In other words, this place was undoubtedly a Barrier Space, isolated from reality itself.
The Infinite Labyrinth.
And the Royal Social Society.
I surveyed my surroundings, recalling those memories from that time.
Inside the Archive of Truth.
The landscape unmistakably evoked an archive.
Yet, befitting a Barrier Space, it was extraordinarily bizarre.
Gravity did not distinguish between up and down.
Staircases stretched across empty air, touching distant walls.
Within them stood towering bookshelves that seemed to reach endlessly.
They extended upside down, sideways, and sometimes in spiraling patterns, with no distinction between sky and earth.
The space continued without end.
Every corridor was lined with thousands upon thousands of volumes, their arrangement twisted as if to shatter all conventional understanding.
‘What kind of place is this?’
It was far more bizarre than the Valley of Kardun.
As I stood there, dazed by the sight of the archive, Gwendolyn’s voice suddenly reached my ears.
“Do you remember what I told you about the Archive of Truth?”
I searched my memory and replied.
“You said it contains all the knowledge of this world.”
“To be precise, it’s an archive where every sentence, every theory, and all falsehoods and truths of this world exist in their entirety.”
“….”
“And each book contains every sentence that can be formed through the combination of characters.”
I gazed quietly at Gwendolyn.
Just as before, even now.
I couldn’t understand it at all.
Gwendolyn, reading my expression, continued.
“Therefore, whatever sentence Adrian—or rather, Kim Fujiwara—imagines, that sentence already exists somewhere in this archive.”
Gwendolyn took a step forward.
She then withdrew a single volume from the nearest bookshelf and handed it to me.
“Would you like to take a look?”
I accepted the book and examined its contents.
====
What does this mean?
I couldn’t make sense of it at all.
It was nothing but a sequence of characters with no rules, no meaning whatsoever.
====
“What is this?”
I couldn’t comprehend a single word.
It was merely a collection of meaningless characters strung together.
“99.99999…% of the books in this Library Section are exactly like that.”
Gwendolyn took the book back.
Then, with a whoosh—
She burned the book to ash.
“Do you understand now? It means this place contains every possible sentence that could exist.”
“….”
“Simply put, the books here are arranged based on every possible character and every combination that can be formed from them.”
“….”
“But as you just saw, almost all the books are nothing but sequences of meaningless sentences.”
Conversely, that meant—
“No matter what content it is, it must exist somewhere in this Library Section.”
Whether it’s a single sentence.
Or a million-page theory.
“If it’s a possible combination, it must exist here.”
Because this place contained every character and every combination that could be formed from them.
“So theoretically, somewhere in this Library Section, there’s a storybook with Kim Fujiwara as the protagonist.”
“You mean me?”
“Yes. And someone might have read that story.”
“…..”
“Of course, the probability of that is virtually zero.”
Gwendolyn chuckled softly.
I paused for a moment before asking her.
“Why did Iliana come to this place?”
“She… desperately wanted to know something.”
Gwendolyn’s gaze turned toward the distance.
Stairs that stretched impossibly high into the sky.
Endless bookshelves and the infinite, meaningless books within them.
What had Iliana wanted to discover in this place?
And—
“Theoretically, the ‘absolute truth’ also exists somewhere within this Archive of Truth.”
What had Iliana come to know in this place?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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