Floor 3 - Archive (3)

**

What?

I couldn’t believe my ears.
What the Librarian had just said was that unexpected.

“I am the Floor 3 Administrator… but unfortunately, I do not know which book has been designated as the answer.”

How do you not know that?
You’re the Administrator.

“Wait. So…”

I pressed a hand to my forehead and slowly organized the situation.

“You’re the Floor 3 Administrator.”
“Yes.”
“And the game is currently in progress.”
“Correct.”
“The goal is to find the book designated as the answer.”
“Exactly.”
“But you don’t know the answer?”
“No, I do not.”

He nodded confidently in response. What kind of ridiculous situation was this…?
It made no sense.

“Didn’t you choose which book would be the answer?”
“I do not possess that authority.”
“Then who did?”
“The Tower itself.”
“The Tower?”

The Librarian maintained his machine-like composure.

“The Tower designated the answer. I am merely responsible for explaining and conducting the game.”
“…”
“That is everything I know. As such, I am also quite curious as to what the answer is.”

I was speechless. Things had taken a completely unexpected turn.
He didn’t know the answer.
Earlier, he’d refused to answer my questions. But it hadn’t been because of the Tower’s rules.

‘Because he genuinely doesn’t know…?’

Was that why he couldn’t answer?
It was absurd. At the same time, an obvious question came to mind.

“The rules say I’m supposed to present the answer to you.”
“Yes.”
“How are you supposed to judge whether I win or lose if you don’t even know the answer?”
“It is simple.”

With that, the Librarian began taking off his jacket and shirt.
What the hell was this bastard doing?
His sudden pervert-like behavior startled me. Then I saw his body and was even more startled.
There was a large rectangular hole in the left side of his chest, exactly the right size for a single book.
He grotesquely poked at the opening in his own chest.

“Insert the book you believe to be the answer here, and the Tower will judge the result automatically.”
“Why is your body like that?”
“I do not remember clearly. It has been this way for as long as I can recall.”
“…Fine. Just put your clothes back on.”

It was a disgusting sight. Watching him put his suit back on only made my thoughts more tangled.

‘So it wasn’t Twenty Questions?’

I’d been wrong from the beginning.
I’d made a huge assumption. Floor 3’s game wasn’t Twenty Questions built around exchanging questions and answers.
It was something completely different.
It was more like an open-book exam where information was freely provided.
Its defining feature was simple.
It was shameless.
They’d give me as much information as I wanted, then tell me to figure it out if I could.
Because even with all that information, finding the answer was practically impossible.
Just as I’d suspected, it was hopelessly difficult. The difficulty was downright vicious.

‘Whew.’

I took a moment to steady my breathing. Like hell I was giving up here.
There had to be a way. You couldn’t call something a game if defeat was the only possible outcome.
Finding that way was entirely up to me. It depended on what I could do.
And so I searched for a method to find the answer. An hour passed before I knew it.

**

I was rummaging through a bookshelf when the Librarian suddenly spoke.

“One hour has elapsed.”
“…I see.”
“When the game began, you confidently declared that you would finish within one hour. How do you feel now?”

Couldn’t he tell just by looking?
The thought came naturally.
Was he trying to pick a fight with me…?
I did my best to ignore him. But I’d made no real progress.
I felt like I’d tried just about everything, yet none of it had brought me any closer to the answer.
I couldn’t even find a way to approach the problem.
After trying everything I could think of, I finally became certain.

“There isn’t one.”

A way to find the answer.
The Librarian tilted his head.

“What is the matter?”
“This doesn’t make any sense.”

Floor 3’s game was fundamentally flawed. How was I supposed to find the answer when nobody knew what it was?
Title, subject, genre, author, location… Every single thing about it was unknown.
There was only one fact I had.
It was one book among the countless books here.
Other than that, I had nothing.
Asking the Librarian questions was meaningless too.
He didn’t know the answer either. No matter what information he gave me…

‘It has nothing to do with the answer.’

I couldn’t see any way forward. Then the Librarian suddenly pulled out a book and held it toward me.

“What’s that?”
“I noticed a book that appears useful to you in your present situation, so I am recommending it.”

I glanced at the cover.

[Seven Ways to Prepare for Death]

I hurled it away.

“Fuck off.”
“…I will correct my behavior.”

This bastard.
Was he trying to piss me off on purpose…? I was already anxious enough, and now he’d only made me feel worse.
Stay calm.
I forced myself to regain my composure. I still had twenty-three hours left.
It felt like several hours had passed already. Being alone made everything drag on endlessly.

Maybe coming alone really had been too much…
My initial confidence had vanished, replaced by regret. I wasn’t particularly smart.
If I were, I would’ve seen through the trick and escaped the Floor 2 Mansion right away.
Would we have figured it out if the others had come with me?
Maybe someone would’ve thought of some brilliant solution I couldn’t see.

‘Gyeong-ah’s an idiot, so she’s out.’

Kang Se-rim didn’t exactly look academically inclined either, so scratch her too.
Lee Sa-hyuk might’ve known something, at least.
It was pointless speculation.
Backed into a corner, my mind kept drifting through vague thoughts like these.
Sand continued piling up at the bottom of the hourglass. I still had plenty of time, but no progress.
Unease began creeping over me.

‘If the game ends without me finding the answer…’

I die.
That alone sent a chill down my spine. But there was an even bigger problem.
My ability.
Regression…
When I die, I return to the past. Truthfully, I’d come to Floor 3 alone relying on that fact alone.

…Because death wouldn’t be the end.

Just like in the Floor 2 Mansion, I’d assumed that even if I died, I could start over and eventually clear the game.
I’d thought anything was possible as long as I had enough time. But this was different.

‘I was way too complacent.’

Time didn’t solve anything in Floor 3’s game. No matter how much of it I had, it was useless if I couldn’t find the answer.

‘If the game ends without me finding the answer…’

I die.
Then I regress.
Floor 3’s game starts again. Would I be able to find the answer after regressing?
The answer was obvious. I’d spend another twenty-four hours searching just like this, then die.
Then I’d regress.
Floor 3’s game would begin again. Would I find the answer that time?

“…”

The endless cycle would repeat like a musical repeat sign.
I might spend eternity trapped here, regressing every twenty-four hours without ever being able to truly die.

Until I found the answer.

The realization made my heart plummet. The vast Archive suddenly felt like a horrifying tomb.
It was like I’d pressed the Five-Hundred-Million-Year Button. My blood ran cold.
The true severity of the situation was finally sinking in, and terror crawled down my spine.

“Damn it…”

I looked at the Librarian.
His eyes were empty. He looked as though he couldn’t care less whether I lived or died.

“You appear unwell.”
“You’re imagining it.”
“Are you giving up?”
“No… I’ve still got plenty of time.”

I barely managed to shake off my thoughts. I pushed aside the negativity and focused on finding the answer.
Then I noticed the book I’d thrown onto the floor.

[Seven Ways to Prepare for Death]

It was the ominous book that bastard had just given me.

‘And he calls this a recommendation…’

I was about to look away with a grumble when something on the book suddenly caught my eye.

Huh? That’s…
As if drawn to it, I hurried over and picked up the book.
It was an ordinary book. But the moment I saw it, intuition struck me like a bolt of electricity.

‘No way.’

Everything that had happened flashed through my mind like a panorama. The pieces linked together, all pointing toward one conclusion.

“…I got it.”

I shot to my feet and shouted. Was this how Archimedes felt when he ran naked through the streets?
I’d found the clue leading to the answer.
After being pushed to the brink, the realization filled me with almost euphoric relief.

“Right… Why did it take me this long to notice?”

I’d been racking my brain without getting anywhere.
Now that I’d seen it, the answer seemed almost absurdly simple. I’d overlooked the most basic thing.
And I’d realized it because of the book that bastard gave me. I was almost moved to tears by how fucking grateful I was.
Once the dam broke, ideas came rushing in like a flood.
The Librarian tilted his head, wondering what had happened. I ignored him and asked,

“How many books did you say there were here in total?”
“There are around 150,000 books catalogued in the Archive.”

He’d told me that before. But I wasn’t asking for an estimate this time.
I emphasized my words and asked again.

“No, not an approximation. I’m asking exactly how many books are catalogued in the Archive.”
“The exact number is 151,382.”
“Not off by even one?”
“Correct.”

He nodded.
Then I confirmed the classification system again.

“They’re divided by category and shelved one after another in alphabetical order… right?”
“Yes.”
“So basically, all 151,382 catalogued books are organized according to the same system.”
“Correct.”
“Which means if you numbered them in order, there would be a definite first book and a definite 151,382nd book.”

Through our exchange, I verified what I’d realized. I could feel myself getting closer to the truth.
I was almost there. This next question was the most important. I asked him directly, almost interrogating him.

“Have you lied even once while answering my questions? Hand on your heart.”

I’d meant it as an expression telling him to answer honestly… but the Librarian literally placed a hand over his chest.

“…No. I speak only the truth.”

Exactly as expected.
Only the truth…
Just as he’d said, he hadn’t lied. But that didn’t mean he’d revealed the entire truth.
Maybe you could call it wordplay.
He spoke in a way that was technically not a lie while subtly avoiding the complete truth.
Again, he didn’t know what the answer was.
Then what determined what he did and didn’t know?
I’d find out soon enough. I asked him to guide me.

“I want to find a particular book. Tell me where it is.”
“Are you attempting to find the answer?”

A hint of interest appeared on his otherwise expressionless face. I dusted off my hands and shrugged.

“Yeah. I want out of this damn place.”
“Understood. If you provide the book’s identifying information, I will guide you to its location.”

He readily agreed.
Everything was ready. All that remained was to verify it. I took one step closer to the hidden truth.
I specified the position.

“The 75,691st…”
“Pardon?”
“Take me to the 75,691st book according to the Archive’s classification order.”

The Archive contained 151,382 catalogued books. I had chosen the book positioned exactly at the midpoint.
If my theory was right, I was certain this would lead me to the answer.