The Yellow Universal Ticket, Registration Card- Argus’s Eye (1)

“Hey, did you hear about that?”

“Huh? What? Is there some interesting news?”

“There is. They say the Demon Star missed the Wise Star again.”

“What? Really? Didn’t they say he was going to attack with some special spatial disruption formation this time?”

“Yeah, that’s right. But the Wise Star already knew about it.”

Everyone in the tavern pretended not to be interested in the two men’s chatter, but they were all listening intently. That’s how mysterious the Wise Star’s actions were.

The Wise Star, a lizardman, always moved in a way that was both captivating and like the wind.

Appearing and disappearing like a mirage where needed, he was the most revered representative among those living in the ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’

“What? Summoning?”

“Yeah. I heard from a maid who works at the house of a friend of a lover of a guy in the Demon Star’s legion that when the Demon Star found the Wise Star, he was performing some ritual, and later it turned out to be a summoning.”

“No way! Are you saying the Demon Star retreated just because of that?”

“You fool! The soul that the Wise Star summoned was the Demon Star’s father, the Ancient Black Dragon Terimnus. The Dragon of Destruction, you know.”

“What?!”

―In the 22nd year of the ‘Battlefield of the Gods,’ at a tavern in the capital of the Dark Empire, Consumo.

After leaving Jimnas’s training hall, I turned north again, towards the residence of the superhumans, and walked slowly.

Not far from Jimnas’s training hall, I arrived at the only library in Exorsus.

In my previous life, this place and I had nothing to do with each other. I didn’t want to study in the “Battlefield of the Gods.”

Perhaps because it was a battlefield. In reality, there were hardly any representatives who visited this library.

The area around the library was old, but more importantly, there were almost no books needed for battle; most were humanities, general knowledge, and history books.

Creeeak.

Before I even stepped inside, the scream of the old wooden door greeted me, and the musty smell of old paper overwhelmed me.

The interior of the library, as if to assert its noble past, was dusty in places and felt like a damp, musty attic.

“Welcome. Is this your first time at the library?”

Turning my head to the voice coming from the left, I saw a man who seemed to be the librarian, smiling broadly with his eyes curved like crescent moons.

“Yes, it’s my first time.”

“Would you like a tour of the library then?”

“Yes, please.”

Contrary to the musty smell and old exterior, the bookshelves were neatly organized by category.

The largest section was history, filled mostly with books that scholars would appreciate.

After the short library tour, the librarian, who had been watching me, asked what kind of book I was looking for.

“Oh, are you working here alone, by any chance?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes. Haha. I work alone. I’m the only librarian in Exorsus. Hahaha.”

The man’s cheerful laughter made me smile involuntarily, and I felt my guard drop as I became certain.

“May I know your name, Librarian? I’m Kim Han, a representative.”

“What? Ah! If you’re Kim Han, a messenger… are you perhaps the divine messenger who saved us during the Three Gods’ Manifestation?”

“Some people do call me that.”

“Oh! I must apologize for not recognizing such a remarkable person. I rarely leave the library, so I was quite rude. Ah! My name is Shio. My full name is unnecessarily long, but just call me Shio for convenience. Hahaha.”

Shio. After confirming the librarian’s name, I laughed brightly just like the librarian who was smiling cheerfully.

Perhaps liking my demeanor, he offered to serve me tea and led me to the counter.

The heavy aroma rising from the steaming tea indicated it was no ordinary brew.

The depth of his knowledge in tea ceremony was evident as the fragrance spread from the tip of my tongue to fill my entire mouth.

“This is really good tea. I don’t have much to offer in return, but would you accept this?”

“What? Oh, no, you don’t have to… all of it? Oh?!”

Facing Shio, I carefully placed a yellow ticket on the small, aged tea table that showed signs of long use. Shio fell silent.

Whoosh.

A gentle breeze from somewhere made the yellow registration card flutter, pleading not to be forgotten.

Shio stared intently at the yellow registration card with a blank expression.

Since entering the library, his face had always been smiling, but now his expressionless face and the uncomfortable, stifling silence began to pile up like dust, until Shio’s cough chased away the silence that was about to settle.

“Ahem. Divine messenger? What exactly is this?”

“It’s a registration card.”

“A registration card? What’s that?”

“It’s a registration card.”

“So…”

“It’s a registration card.”

“That…”

“It’s a registration card.”

After that, Shio fell silent again, and the awkward silence that had receded uncomfortably wedged itself back between us.

Just as the silence seemed determined to settle in, and the steam rising from the tea had cooled to a chill, Shio finally spoke.

“What do you wish to learn from me, representative? Organizing bookshelves? Or… cataloging? Cleaning? Service? Reading books?”

“The eyes that oversee the battlefield.”

“…!!”

“I wish for you to pass on ‘the eyes that oversee the battlefield’ to me.”

“…You! No, you! How, how did you……?”

“Transcendent Skio Shio, I wish to learn your skill, ‘the eyes that oversee the battlefield.’”

His face hardened even more than before.

He didn’t ask how I knew his full name and skill. He just chewed on his tightly closed lips.
Well, I would feel the same.

If I were living quietly on Earth and some stranger came and recited my personal information, I’d be pretty pissed too.

But right now, I don’t have the luxury to worry about someone else’s feelings.

In the meantime, Shio seemed to notice he had bitten his lip to the point of bleeding and began to glare at me, shaking his head.

“Damn it! Whose slave are you? Let’s at least know that. Is it that damn crazy woman? Or the madwoman?”

“Neither. You already know, don’t you? You said you saw my patron god manifest.”

“That’s why I’m asking! As far as I know, one of the three gods who descended that day was the Goddess of Time, Aitas. She’s famous. That haughty and annoying tone is really unlikable!”

“That’s correct.”

Shio’s expression softened a bit, perhaps pleased with my agreement, and he continued speaking.

“The fish head and the faint blue glow are characteristics of the river god. But among the gods who rule the rivers, the only one who can wear a skirt with a fish head is Ister. Does she even know what she’s doing?”

“Exactly.”

“Right? Even you think it’s completely ridiculous, don’t you? But there’s something I don’t understand. Even Ister is clearly a high-ranking god, and Aitas is beyond comparison. A goddess who led everything from the front, surpassing such great gods. If she were a crazy woman or a troublesome woman, I might understand, but she’s neither of those, right?”

“Exactly. Isn’t it amazing?”

At my sly remark, Shio’s face crumpled instantly.

“Damn it! Who’s your patron god?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Ugh!!”

Suddenly, he jumped up, stomping his feet in frustration, and downed the cold tea in one go.

“Damn! You steal someone else’s precious skills and hide your own information! You really… I like you.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah, that’s right. You need to be like that to survive in this harsh ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’ I like it, a lot.”

“Thank you.”

I stood up and bowed politely, and he looked at me with a curious gaze.

His eyes started from my face, scanned my body, and then nodded.

“Alright, let me ask you one thing.”

“Yes.”

“Are you really confident?”

“…Pardon?”

“Are you really confident you can mercilessly strike those two women from behind?”

“…How, how did you?”

I was so surprised I didn’t even realize I was stuttering to answer.

Truly, I was really surprised. I hadn’t told anyone until now… Ah! Jimnas!

No, but even if Jimnas didn’t need to tell the librarian and moved slowly, I left first, didn’t I?

“Jimnas…?”

“Hah! You fool, I’m the first among the transcendent to enter the ‘Battlefield of the Gods’! My eyes and ears reach everywhere in Exorsus! You rascal!”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you confident?”

Shio answered the question with another question.

“Do you perhaps have some power that allows you to see and hear everything happening in Exorsus?”

“I asked if you’re confident!”

“Hmm, I see. Then… Ah! Is it because of that power that you can’t leave this library? I think I’ve heard something like that before.”

Not only had I never heard of it, but I hadn’t even heard anything similar. However, Sio visibly tensed up.

He glared at me with a face filled with shock. If it weren’t for the representative protection period, he might have killed me to silence me.

“Where did you hear that?”

I answered Shio’s question, which was filled with a beast-like ferocity, with a gentle smile.

After staring at me for a while, Shio let out a self-deprecating laugh and plopped down into a chair with a thud.

“The mighty Skio Shio has become a laughingstock. Did you just guess that?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t deny it.

“Damn! This guy, I’m starting to like you more and more. So, what do you want to learn?”

“The ‘Eyes that Oversee the Battlefield.’”

“Really? That, huh. Alright. Here! Take it.”

“…?”

He didn’t gather power over time like Jimnas, nor did he place his hand on my head.

Just like packing snow before a snowball fight, he pressed his empty hands together tightly, then extended his hand into the air as if tossing something, like a master giving a bundle of coins to send someone on an errand.

“What am I supposed to recei—?!”

“Would you like to receive the persistent, growth-type skill ‘Argus’s Eye [Ex]’?”

“What is this?”

“Just take it when it’s given, you fool! It’s similar to Jimnas.”

“I accept… the transfer.”

Unlike Heavenly Strength, it didn’t feel like a massive force was sweeping through. It just felt like my brain was alternating between hot and cold baths. The changes in my head turned my vision white.

When I received Heavenly Strength, there was no particular pain, but this time it was different. It felt like someone was pricking my brain with thousands of needles, and I almost lost consciousness.

“Are you okay? You look like you’d fit right in lying on the street with a bottle of booze next to you.”

“…Ugh. I feel like I’m going to die.”

“Hahaha. So you’re a physical type, huh?”

“…If I had to say, yes.”

“Damn it! So, this bastard Shio got tricked by a muscle-bound brute?”

Once again, Shio was throwing a fit.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. Could it be that in this cramped library, he’s just excited to see someone after such a long time?

While Shio was having his outburst, I checked the skills I had acquired.

‘Would it have been better if Lee Hyo-ju had learned this? No, it’s not just about killing like before…’

The thoughts that seemed to endlessly connect were interrupted by Shio’s scream.

“At first, you have to adapt slowly, or you’ll end up like a madman, you fool!”

“…Thank you.”

“Enough! Take this.”

A massive book flying through the air. To be precise, it wasn’t flying but rapidly approaching my face as its destination.

Instinctively, I reached out to catch it, and it seemed heavier than it looked.

Holding the hefty book upright to check the title, it read 『Strategy and Tactics Compendium』.

“Keep it handy. It’s not just about having skills, you know. That thing you inherited called ‘Argus’s Eye’, for instance.”