NoveLight ™
Arriving at the portal in Gangnam, Seoul, that led to the ancient ruins:
"The briefing is over. This entrance pass grants access for ten days in the Elf Ruins. Would you like to enter?"
As if they even needed to ask. Handing the entrance pass to the guide, who had been explaining about the site for quite a while, I nodded.
"Yes." "Pass confirmed. I hope you have a pleasant time."
Following the guide’s instructions, I stepped into the portal and was greeted by a vast, awe-inspiring expanse of ruins. Buildings reminiscent of medieval Europe stretched out in rows, most of them in ruins. Naturally, as it was a ruin site. But had the Elf Kingdom not fallen, this could have been Reyna's homeland.
"Wow, so this is the Elf Ruins."
It was one thing to read about it in novels, but seeing it up close was overwhelming. The ruined structures were once part of the ancient Elven Kingdom. According to the guidebook, the elves, who once lived deep in the forests, had defeated the Demon King, establishing a kingdom and abandoning their woodland lifestyle.
“There aren’t many people here, though.” “It’s boring, isn’t it?” “Even you, Yoo Eun-ha! That’s just mean!”
Reyna glared at me. Well, the place is dull. It would only get exciting if there was, say, a roller coaster or something.
"But imagine if we added a little thrill—maybe some steamy moments right here?" "Not this time!"
I moved my hand playfully towards Reyna, only for her to smack it away with a sharp slap. Was this the reason I even brought her here? Regret set in.
"Tsk!" "You didn’t act like this before. Why now?"
Maybe it was because I hadn’t awakened back then. It’s not like I liked the idea of being intimate with men, but was that reason enough to hold back? Not anymore.
“Well, Reyna… you’re just irresistible.”
With a body as tantalizing as hers, could I even call myself a woman if I stayed passive? Reyna’s figure stirred both men and women alike. I wasn’t serious about it, of course. For now, I was satisfied enough with Dark Elf Reyna. But thinking of Si-woo, who’d come hunting for me in his twisted female form, I needed to be ready.
"Sigh, let’s at least be mindful of the time and place. When we get back, I’ll let you do anything you want. Here, though, I want to feel the breath of my ancestors." "I can make you really feel it." "Huh? Say one more weird thing, and I won’t snuggle up to you anymore!"
Reyna’s tone suggested she was seriously misunderstanding something. The portal here didn’t just bring us to an Elf Ruins event; it allowed us to step through time to the actual Elf Kingdom. She was bound to feel some ancestral presence here, whether she wanted it or not.
"Alright, cut it out, both of you." "This is all Yoo Eun-ha’s fault!"
Reyna pointed her finger at me, fuming. Right, as if she hadn’t been clinging to me happily until now.
"Oh, come on, you’re not exactly saying no either."
Yoo-jung, who had been quietly watching, suddenly spoke up, her face filled with jealousy. Maybe it was time to raise her affection score too.
"I had planned to do that yo-bai thing with Yoo-jung later, you know." "W-Well, that’s enough, okay?”
At my casual remark, Yoo-jung’s face turned red, and she hurried inside the ruins. Hm. One thing was clear—she didn’t outright reject my offer for a late-night visit. I’d just thrown it out there, but now it looked like I’d actually have to follow through.
With that, we moved further into the ruins.
"This must be just a part of the site." "Probably. According to the books, the Elven Kingdom was supposedly as large as South Korea. It’s disappointing that we can only see this small section."
In fantasy novels or games, nations are often depicted at the level of cities, but the Elven Kingdom here seemed quite substantial. Not that I’m saying South Korea is huge, but considering the Elven Kingdom once rivaled the continent’s top empire, it matched the scale within this fantasy world.
"Hm. That area’s marked off as restricted?" "They say there’s nothing worth seeing inside. Just that the building’s structure is so unstable it could collapse if anyone went in, so it’s blocked off."
It did look like it would crumble the moment someone stepped inside. It had a temple-like vibe, but even in the original story, nothing important was inside. Originally, Choi Si-woo would have stormed in and caused a scene, triggering an event. With him back in Songdo, I’d have to handle everything myself this time.
"Can’t we just bulldoze through it and see for ourselves?" Reyna leaned forward, pretending to clear the ruin with a swipe of her hand.
"Even a partial structure holds value. Preserving it allows for study. We can’t just go wrecking everything."
I questioned if we really needed to care about preserving ruins from another world. But since these were Elven ruins, they held a certain allure. The existence of elves had always captivated people, appearing frequently in novels, comics, and anime. To the humans, these ruins, along with the elves’ human hybrids, were quite enticing.
“Why make it so complicated?” “This isn’t even the entrance. Where we need to go is elsewhere.”
I turned and led them away from the collapsed building’s entrance, heading toward the side. If one were to describe it, it looked like one of those alleyways where school delinquents would chew gum and hassle passersby. But based on the novel’s description, this was definitely the place.
"What do you mean?" "The leaders of the Elven Kingdom left their final moments recorded in the archives created by their ancestors before the kingdom fell."
Not just a record—more like a wish. A hope that future descendants of the elves would find it, with a protective spell that only allowed entry to those with noble Elven blood.
"What does that mean?" "And that archive survived numerous catastrophic changes in various worlds, thanks to multiple protective layers."
In the lore, Earth was one of the worlds least affected by the cataclysm. There was the disaster of the monster invasions, but in other worlds, tectonic shifts were severe. Some nations were swallowed up by enormous sinkholes.
“That area has been open to Earthlings as ruins.”
Of course, Earthlings had no idea it was actually an archive.
"This place?" "Yes. They kept it mostly untouched for preservation, so nobody suspects an archive lies within."
Who would ever guess an Elven archive was hidden here? Humans only knew the basics about elves from the ruins and interdimensional travelers, so no one knew of the archive’s existence. Even among interdimensional residents, those raised on Earth wouldn’t have known about it. Besides, information on the archive was scarce. It was kept secret by the highest-ranking elves, and when the kingdom fell, the royal archives burned, burying most of this knowledge for good.
“So, how do we enter?” "With Elven blood. Only half-blood, but yours will do. Right here."
I pointed to the dust-covered ground with my finger.
"This is..."
After kicking away some dust, a pattern began to reveal itself—a crest of the Elven Kingdom. At a glance, it might look like mere decoration, but it was actually a lock that activated the protective barrier. Not just any elf could unlock it; only direct descendants of the Elven royal line could do so.
"A magic seal." "It's your chance to witness your ancestors’ history. Who knows when we’ll return to these ruins again?"
Originally, the scene involved Choi Si-woo accidentally scratching Reyna, a drop of her blood activating the seal. But not this time. Now, it was up to me, having dragged Reyna here, to make her spill her own blood.
Fwoosh!
“Kyaa!?” "Yoo Eun-ha, is this safe?" "Everyone, hold hands tightly!"
I thought of the phrase, "Go with the flow," but missed the rhythm and got separated from them as the temporal storm surged.
[You have entered the Elven Archive.] [Warning! Presence of foreign and incompatible lifeforms detected. Blocking intruders.] [Warning! Intruder’s rank too high for barrier activation!] [Warning! As an alternative to the barrier, transporting intruder to the Archive of Knowledge!]
The chill of the wind stinging my skin woke me up with an uncomfortable feeling. Surveying my surroundings, I realized I was in a space filled with towering piles of books.
Strange. According to what I knew, this place should have been described in the novel as well-lit, with floating, magically illuminated shelves arranged in perfect order, and a magical device in the center that stored records. Here, though, it was just stacks and stacks of books.
Come to think of it, I remembered something about an "Archive of Knowledge" just before arriving here. I had no idea what it actually was, so I’d need help from the Akashic Record. At the very least, this didn’t seem like an ordinary archive.
"Hey, Akashic Record. What exactly is the Archive of Knowledge?"
[The Archive of Knowledge is a kind of trap set up within the Elven Kingdom’s archive. Normally, barriers prevent intruders, but if an intruder's power level is too high for the barrier to repel, they’re redirected to this place as an alternative. While the main archive holds the official history of the Elven Kingdom, the Archive of Knowledge stores discarded information, outdated theories, and ancient, unnecessary data—a trash bin of sorts.]
A bit of a headache started to form. Was this place really that significant, even if it seemed to cause literal headaches?
So, the archive… or trash bin? The fact that it wasn’t blatantly labeled as a “trash bin” suggested it was still technically part of the archive. Likely, since traps would be hard to set within the archive itself, the Elves had repurposed the Archive of Knowledge—a dumping ground for discarded materials—as a trap.
"So, this place is still part of the archive, then?"
[Yes. To be exact, it’s the library’s trash bin.]
"Fantastic."
In other words, I was royally screwed.
[Master could escape by using the power of the Evil Dragon, but it would risk burning down the entire archive, so that’s not recommended.]
“Reyna and Yoo-jung could become a problem.”
[However, Master’s power level is far above that of an average intruder. Although escape is usually impossible here, Master’s presence has opened an exit.]
So, I was essentially trapped in a dungeon.
"Alright, then. First things first—find the exit."
I brushed myself off and stood up, taking a look around. On the wall to my left, there was something that looked like an odd bulletin board. A few items on it seemed like they’d been erased and rewritten several times.
"What is this, safety guidelines?"
Welcome to the Archive of Knowledge of the Elven Kingdom. These safety guidelines are provided to ensure the security of our staff. Under no circumstances should this information be disclosed to outsiders, and the authorities are not responsible for any accidents that result from ignoring or violating these instructions.
What is this, a horror story? Even though I didn’t want to read it, I might need these instructions to find a way out.
If you encounter a "sealed shelf" while wandering the corridors or via the magical device in the control room, stop all actions immediately, leave the archive, and report this information to the person in charge. Under no circumstances should you look inside or enter the sealed shelf. Sealed shelves do not exist in this archive, so you should never encounter one.
If you hear a voice from the control room’s magical device, claiming that "the records of Traitor Ralph have disappeared" from the "Rebellion Record Shelf," do not search for it. First, respond that you’ll take care of it, then immediately switch out the device and close off the Rebellion Record Shelf. Note that the magical device in this archive has no communication function, and only one guard is assigned to the Archive of Knowledge.
Occasionally, corpses may be discovered in the archive. This is a common occurrence in all archives, so simply follow the safety guidelines. However, if you see damp paper on the face of a corpse, do not approach it. Close off that section and inform other workers of the incident.
If you’re on your way to the back door of the archive and find yourself looping around the same corridor, crouch down in a corner, close your eyes, and cover your ears. The day-shift staff will check the back door corridor first thing in the morning, so stay in that position until they find you.
If you hear the sound of pages turning, lie flat on the ground and stay as silent as possible until the sound stops. There’s no need to hide behind cover or enter a room; simply lower your body as quickly as possible. Then, call a cleaning staff member to remove the stains from the shelf. Additionally, if there are further instructions after this item, under no circumstances should you pay attention to them.
If you find burn marks in the corridor, immediately activate the fire alarm device in the control room to evacuate all researchers. Check the headcount, and after waiting over two hours, re-enter. Inform visitors that the alarm was due to a researcher smoking in the restroom. If someone is missing during the headcount, go to the section with the burn marks and follow the trail to a particular shelf two hours later. You will find a mummified elf passed out in that area.
Regardless of your gender, any form of sexual activity in the archive is strictly forbidden at all times and in all locations.
If the purple magical device in the control room rings, do not answer it. This device has no power source and no communication function.
On rainy days, if a pale-skinned woman with white hair and bloodshot eyes arrives, do not turn her away, even if she’s completely dry without an umbrella or raincoat. Check the records from three years ago in the control room, and provide her with the location of the sealed shelf. Later, if you hear a man’s screams, as though he’s being beaten, ignore them, or you might get caught up in it.
-xxxx xx xx Administrator Maxim Weston-
-xxxx xx xx Administrator Reyna Silverlake-
-xxxx xx xx Administrator Maxim Weston-
The dates and years had been scratched out.
Damn it. I hate creepy things like this. But before anything else…
I looked over to the door on my right. There was a sign hanging on it in what appeared to be Elvish. The whole thing felt ominous.
“Akashic Record, what does that sign say?” [It says ‘Control Room.’] “Oh, dear God.”
These ridiculous safety instructions… what was I supposed to trust here?
No. Let’s think this through rationally. There’s a way to interpret all of this.
This is, after all, part of the Elven Kingdom’s ruins, and according to lore, the Elves were an advanced civilization of knowledge and magic. If this were Earth before the cataclysm, where magic didn’t even exist, it’d be a different story. But here? It’s possible to decode this.
The “sealed shelf” is something that’s disappeared. Basically, it’s likely a shelf that was meant to be sealed off long ago, but due to a control room malfunction, it might show up again. So, it’s telling us to avoid it to prevent getting caught in something dangerous. Alternatively, it could mean a particularly skilled intruder has arrived, capable of restoring that shelf.
In short, some sneaky hacker messed with the magical device, which keeps whining about Traitor Ralph’s missing records. If it’s happened more than once, close off the area and “deliver justice.”
This probably means that some idiot intruders got so deep into the records that they ended up dead. If it happens again, tell the other staff not to be startled when they find bodies.
The archive is infuriatingly labyrinthine, enough to make someone walk in circles. So, if you get lost, don’t wander aimlessly—just curl up in a corner and wait for the next morning shift to find you.
Some idiot elves are probably doing dangerous things with the shelves. Keep your head down; if they get crushed, call the cleaning crew. Who knows what other nonsense they might try, so stay cautious here.
And here’s where things get even weirder. From instruction 6 onward, these fake “guidelines” feel like traps set by those intruders. I’ll need to keep an eye on them as I decode the rest.
This rule seems like a ploy to fake a fire and kick everyone out, allowing some creepy perverts a quiet two hours alone in the archive. But the fact that there’s only one guard here makes this even sketchier. It suggests they either want to monopolize the records or don’t even realize that only one guard is assigned. So, in short, they’re idiots.
This one’s about staking a personal claim on the records. It’s basically an aggressive declaration of monopoly over the information, showing that they’re hellbent on keeping the archive for themselves.
The purple magical device has both a communication function and a power source. The idiots behind this are likely trying to prevent the guard from calling for help.
One of these fools might have a wife who’s out for blood, hellbent on catching her husband in the act. So, this part is essentially telling them to point her towards where her cheating husband would be hiding.
Maxim Weston seems to have written up to guideline 4, but the rest of the document got filled in by these moronic intruders. And as for guideline 10, it was written by someone named Reyna Silverlake, which, if I’m not mistaken, is an Elven royal family name.
This one is phrased in a way that’s downright infuriating. Essentially, as royalty, they won’t stand for any of this nonsense and would rather burn the whole place down.
If the archive closes, these morons would be left stranded, so this is them desperately declaring that they’ll restore the control room and keep their sneaky activities going. They even threw in Maxim Weston’s name to make it sound more credible.
Reading through it all, it really does seem like this place is indeed used as a trash bin for discarded records.
No wonder the Elves set it up as a trap to keep intruders away from the main archive.
"Well then, I suppose I’d better look for that so-called back door."
Ugh, even in ruins, it seems there’s no end to the ways these pests can get on my nerves.