What is an immortal? What is a transcendent? How does human faith work?
The Library of All Things held information on these subjects as well.
Most of it aligned with what the Wraith had already told Taesan, though the Wraith hadn’t fully explored everything here.
The reason was simple: the Wraith had little interest in faith or transcendence.
The Wraith’s focus was always on the sword and saving worlds on the brink of destruction.
Thus, some details in the Wraith’s knowledge were uncertain.
“Hm.”
Taesan closed another book. He had spent time in the library reading through various texts on faith and transcendence, filling in any gaps and verifying what he knew.
He’d also found more intricate details.
**[Reflections on Immortality and Transcendence: An Inquiry into Two States of Being]**
The book was dense with complex information.
**[A transcendent is one who has acquired a divine name and established a domain of their own. Such beings are sometimes called gods.]**
**[In contrast, an immortal lacks a divine name. They have no domain to govern. Though they rise to the position of an immortal solely through power, they exert little cosmic influence.]**
**[While it is possible for an immortal to become a transcendent, most do so incompletely, relying on faith from others. Only a rare few throughout the universe achieve true transcendence by obtaining a domain.]**
The difference between an immortal and a transcendent was whether they possessed a domain—just as the Wraith had told him. However, the later details were new to him.
**[It is possible to transcend mortality by gathering the faith of others, though this is unstable and limited.]**
This resonated with Taesan’s experience. Through the faith of many, he had temporarily surpassed mortal limits.
With sufficient quality and quantity of worship, reaching transcendence might indeed be possible. After all, a world under one's rule could be considered a kind of domain.
“That might be the path the Green Witch was searching for.”
The Green Witch had aspired to transcendence.
Faith from people—perhaps that was one path she had in mind.
As he pondered, a gentle voice echoed in his mind.
**[That’s not quite it, dear.]**
The voice was soft and warm.
Taesan paused, realizing who the voice belonged to.
“The Green Witch.”
**[You remember me.]**
A chuckle followed. Taesan refocused on the book in his hands.
“So you can communicate like this?”
**[I can manage a brief conversation. I had intended only to watch, but I felt the need to correct your thoughts.]**
The witch’s voice was calm and soothing.
**[What you think is correct. With enough faith, one can temporarily reach the level of transcendence. But, child, didn’t you experience it yourself? How precarious that position truly is?]**
“Yes, I understand.”
When Taesan announced his departure, his followers despaired.
The outpouring of their grief had burdened him immensely, even to the point where he momentarily felt his rank waver.
**[One can indeed reach transcendence through faith, but that position is hardly secure. Humans all perish, and so does faith. As time passes, the strength of belief weakens, eventually vanishing altogether. I don’t seek such a temporary position.]**
Her voice was laced with a quiet intensity.
**[What I desire is a pure, solitary position. A divine name that no one can interfere with—a place that shines with eternal and undying brilliance, unaffected by time.]**
“I see.”
Reflecting on it, it made sense that an immortal like her would be well aware of faith’s fragility. She sought a position much higher than one built on unstable worship.
“That’s unfortunate, then.”
**[Not at all. Things are different now. There is hope where there wasn’t before.]**
The witch’s voice was light, almost excited.
**[You’re truly remarkable. Even if it was only temporary, you reached the same level as me—and in such a short time.]**
It hadn’t been long since Taesan had met the witch.
Within that time, he had crossed the threshold and surpassed mortality.
The speed of his growth was beyond explanation. Many powerful beings spent their lives without ever reaching that threshold. It was that difficulty that had driven the Emperor to pursue divine blood so obsessively.
**[Perhaps... if anyone can...]**
Of course, it was still a distant possibility.
He was not a true immortal, and the place of true transcendence was even further away.
But he had potential.
**[I’ll keep watching over you. Don’t lose heart.]**
With those words, the Green Witch’s voice faded.
The Wraith exhaled, clearly relieved.
**[Whew. That was intense.]**
“What’s wrong?”
**[The presence of an immortal isn’t easy to endure, you know? It’s strange that you were fine.]**
The Wraith grumbled, having had to spend energy protecting himself against her presence.
Taesan continued reading up on deities and ancient gods.
Most of the information aligned with what the transcendent beings had already told him. The Wraith, looking at Taesan’s calm reading pace, murmured in disbelief.
**[Doesn’t this make you dizzy? I could never get through this stuff.]**
It wasn’t just that the Wraith had little interest in faith or ancient gods—some texts were simply inaccessible.
Each time the Wraith tried to read certain books about the gods, a mental strain took over, as if he lacked the capacity to understand.
Taesan, however, seemed unaffected.
“No issues.”
He felt no mental strain. Taesan continued reading in silence, and the Wraith clicked his tongue.
Just as he was about to close one of the books, a particular line caught Taesan’s eye.
**[A transcendent governs a domain aligned with their divine name, and no one can interfere within that domain.]**
According to the book, a transcendent who held a domain was untouched by outside forces. Even Taesan, who had turned back time, couldn’t fully evade the gods’ gaze.
The truly intriguing part, however, lay in the following lines.
**[However, even these gods can rarely intervene in the flow of time. The moments they can influence are limited and specific.]**
“So even gods can’t fully manipulate time?”
But Urboros’s Time Stone had returned Taesan to the past.
“How did Taeyeon acquire something like that?”
Taeyeon had kept her knowledge of the Time Stone a secret. So, Taesan didn’t know how she had obtained it.
He was curious, but without divine help, the mystery would likely remain unsolved.
Taesan stood up.
**[What’s this? Are you done already?]**
“Not quite.”
He still had many questions, but with unlimited time here, there was no need to rush. First, he intended to get his bearings on this floor.
He already knew a fair amount about the 78th floor.
‘The goddess Levienoff resides here.’
He wondered if Ainzhar had found his goddess.
It seemed likely, though he couldn’t be certain. Levienoff’s residence made things complicated.
The goddess Levienoff was said to reside in the twenty-fourth secret room.
In other words, this floor had over twenty-four secret rooms.
“A floor filled with secret rooms.”
Taesan made his way back to where Jorge was stationed. Jorge, without looking up from his book, spoke.
“Did you bring a book?”
“Here.”
Taesan handed over a random book he’d picked up on his way back.
Jorge glanced at it briefly before returning to his own book.
“I’ve read this. Bring another.”
“Understood.”
Taesan moved away but didn’t go far.
He lingered near the shelves, idly browsing the books.
Annoyed, Jorge scowled and spoke.
“If you’re thinking of trying some sort of trick, don’t bother. I’ve read all the books in this vicinity. This floor isn’t the type to reward cleverness or shortcuts.”
Jorge had likely read nearly every book in this library. Many tried to exploit the nearest shelves, assuming Jorge hadn’t read them.
While some floors required unconventional thinking, Jorge dismissed this possibility.
Though searching nearby was futile, Taesan continued to circle around him.
Jorge clicked his tongue, choosing to ignore him.
After browsing for a while, Taesan asked Jorge a question.
“This library holds vast knowledge, but it seems to lack specific information on deities and ancient gods.”
There were explanations of realms and powers, but nothing detailed about the gods themselves—what it meant to be a demon god, what powers Maria, the goddess of choice, wielded, or the exact nature of ancient gods.
The Library of All Things was supposed to contain all knowledge the God of Knowledge possessed.
Yet, there was no trace of this information, leaving only two possibilities.
Either Taesan hadn’t found it, or it was sealed somewhere deeper within the library.
“Is that what you seek?”
Jorge frowned.
“This library holds much knowledge... but there are truths that cannot be accessed by those without the necessary qualifications.”
The information Taesan desired on gods and ancient gods was part of that restricted knowledge.
Even Jorge could not reach certain books for this reason.
“If you wish to obtain that knowledge, prove yourself worthy. Seek it out on your own. That is the will of Metis.”
If one desired knowledge, one had to demonstrate their worth.
Taesan was prepared to do just that.
“Found it.”
He murmured softly as he pushed a book deeper into the shelf.
*Rumble!*
The bookshelf trembled.
With a loud sound, the bookshelf slowly shifted, creating an empty space.
**[
Huh?]**
“...What?”
Both the Wraith and Jorge turned in surprise.
Beyond the opened space, a hidden passage was revealed.
**[You have discovered the first secret room.]**
**[Bonus for First Discovery]**
- Health +500
The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.
- Mana +300
- Demonic Energy +50
**[What’s this? A secret room on this floor?]**
“You didn’t know?”
**[Of course not. I scouted everywhere and found nothing; I assumed none existed here.]**
The Wraith hadn’t known about the secret rooms on the 78th floor. The revelation left him visibly stunned.
**[How did you...?]**
“I heard something about it.”
Taeyeon had spent a long time on the 78th floor.
During that time, she shared various trivial stories, including many minor details that few cared about.
It was this information that had led Taesan to know about Levienoff’s room being the twenty-fourth secret room.
During her stay in the Library of All Things, Taeyeon had discovered over twenty-four secret rooms and had shared this information widely in the community.