Chapter 9: Just a little bit

At the Magic Tower, they didn’t call it a leave of absence.

Just “self-directed study,” a fancy excuse for irresponsible adults to dump books on us and call it a day.

“Ugh… I’m so sick of this.”

Every day, the same rote studying.

None of it felt useful, but I played along, dutifully attending classes without complaint.
Yet the moment something comes up, they abandon us like this.

All the capable fighters were sent overseas or to remote areas to hunt Erosion Entities.
Even the teachers at the Magic Tower weren’t exempt.

Soon, a massive operation will kick off.

Around Jeju, they’ll split into thirteen teams to take down Gates and climb to the summit where the Flower, the root of it all, resides.
They call it the “Mountain Ascent” operation.

It’ll take weeks at least.
By now, they’re probably gathering supplies and setting out.

And in the meantime, we’re left floating, aimless.

“Sigh…”

The clueless teachers, too busy dodging responsibility, tell us to watch their battles on TV for “observation.”

What nonsense.

What can we learn from watching their frontline fights through grainy, low-res cameras?
Even staring at their movements up close with enhanced senses, you’d barely catch a speck of insight.

And yet, some idiots eat it up.

God, I just want to quit everything.

“…Tch.”

I click my tongue.
What’s the point of venting?
Nothing changes.
In the end, I just need to calm myself in a quiet place.

The library it is.

An old, neglected space in this harsh world.
My personal sanctuary where no one else goes.

I turn my steps without hesitation.

I open the library door.
Creak, the sound of hinges long overdue for oil feels familiar.
The bells above jingle.

I close the door naturally.

My usual haunt.
Almost a second home.
The sunlight streaming through the windows, the dim fluorescent lights—everything’s the same.

—But.

‘What’s… that smell?’

A metallic scent fills the air.

My enhanced senses, honed as a mana user, pick it up instantly.

Blood.

No mistake.
At the Magic Tower, you encounter it often, for better or worse.

The thick stench of blood vibrates through the entire library.

“…”

I look at the floor.

One, two.
Faint, but my eyes catch it.
Bloodstains on the gray floor.

I cover my eyes with my hand.
Darkness.

‘Let’s think.’

A homeless person?

Erosion Entities set up nests anywhere—coastal areas, mountains—attacking humans.
It’s inevitable that people lose their homes and wander.
Could someone like that be here?

But I dismiss the thought.
The guards at the entrance wouldn’t let someone injured like that just waltz in.
They’d send them to a hospital, not the library.

Did an Erosion Entity appear inside the welfare center?
No, if that happened, alarms or screams would’ve gone off.

Then what?

“…”

Step by step, I follow the faint bloodstains toward the thickening scent.

From far off, I hear pages turning.

Past a few shelves, in the library’s quietest corner.
A red sofa.

The only sofa not completely broken, my usual spot, practically reserved.

And my destination.

“…”
“…Hmm.”

There’s a girl.

She hasn’t noticed me.

I stand where I can see her, hidden behind a shelf.
If I can see her, she could see me.
But she’s too absorbed in her book to notice.

I watch her from afar, concealed by the shelves.

A girl in a long-sleeved, slightly oversized black hoodie.

A face I’ve never seen in this town.
Her features are hidden by the hood, but faint blonde hair peeks out.

An young girl reading in a library early in the morning.
Sounds wholesome and peaceful, right?

But.

I frown slightly.

“…”

Her weak hands flip the pages.
Each time, I see white cloth stained red.

Bandages.
Drenched in blood.

Not just her hands—her knees, calves, ankles.
Bandages, hastily wrapped over wounds, cover her legs.
I saw her wrists earlier too.
Meaning, under that outfit, there could be as many wounds as those visible.

Wounds that haven’t even healed.

“…F*cking hell.”

My breath quickens.
I lean against the shelf I’m hiding behind, sliding down.
My hands tremble.

She looks so young, like an elementary schooler.

Like my little sister… ■■■■■■—

She’s sitting on the inner sofa, a few books in hand.
Mostly history, some specialized ones on mana and Erosion Entities.
Is she a mana user too?
That would explain coming to a library with those injuries.

Using mana to push through isn’t exactly healthy, though.

Like my sister… ■■■■—■■■□■□□□

Why is a kid like that walking around with those wounds?

Worried she’ll notice me, I bury my head in my arms, peering through a narrow gap in the shelves.
She keeps reading, oblivious.

She finishes one book.
Fast.
That’s a tough read.

Second book.
Not reading thoroughly—skimming for practical info.
No guardian?

Third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh.
Books pile up on the table as time passes.
I glance at the clock.
It’s past lunch; the sun’s starting to set.

From morning to evening, she stays there, flipping pages.

Finally, a piercing electronic chime signals closing time.
She leaves all the books and heads out.

I snap out of my thoughts.
The library’s lights are off, and it’s dark outside.

Only me and the lingering smell of blood remain.

I stand.
Did I drop something while crouched?
I pocket it and stumble outside.

What am I trying to do?

I head home.
A car speeds by, its honking further scrambling my already messy mind.

I don’t know.
I’ll just sleep.
No school tomorrow.

Yeah, I’ll come back to the library.

I get home and collapse into sleep.