I Have Become an NPC at the Tower’s Used Bookstore

A bookstore with a serene atmosphere.

The ceiling lights soak the surroundings with a soft glow, creating a cozy ambiance.

In this warm and comfortable atmosphere, only the sound of turning pages is noticeably loud.

All the used bookstores Iseo had seen before had books stacked haphazardly.

There were more books piled on the floor than on the bookshelves. Most of them were not in good condition.

In that sense, the well-organized books here gave the impression of a library rather than a used bookstore.

When she looked up, she could see a ceiling that rose so high it was impossible to tell where it ended.

Multiple layers between them.

There were no empty floors, and the sight of spaces filled completely with books had something overwhelming about it.

The hundreds or thousands of skill books positioned instead of ordinary books gave a bizarre impression.

What was the reason for collecting so many seemingly useless second-hand items?

She was curious about the reason and also intimidated by the owner’s madness-tinged obsession.

Used skill books were items valuable only to collectors. They were used more for showing off to others rather than for their essential purpose of knowledge transfer, or for decorative purposes to enhance the atmosphere of a space.

But what about the books here?

There are traces of handling visible throughout.

These weren’t marks caused by a lack of maintenance.

Rather, the external condition of the books was kept clean, as if they had been well-maintained.

Those marks were created by frequent reading, literally from the hands of people who had touched them.

The books here seemed more loved than those displayed for collectors’ viewing.

“Ah, you’re here? You could have made some noise to announce yourself…”

Lib, the store owner, closed the book she was reading and looked up.

It’s hard to tell whether her concentration is excellent or if she’s just oblivious.

I thought I made plenty of noise when I came in.

Her crooked beret and disheveled hair revealed the character of a woman who was rather careless.

Yet even that disheveled appearance looked incomparably beautiful compared to an ordinary person.

“S-so did you bring it? The thing the old man promised to give!”

“Ah, yes. Here it is.”

When handed the well-packaged book, she doesn’t know what to do.

She stamps her feet nervously, and her hands tremble pitifully as she receives the book.

At a glance, she might appear anxious, but her slightly flushed cheeks revealed that it was due to excitement.

“Haak, haak.”

Her rough breathing, like that of a pervert, gives me goosebumps.

She’s so excited that she’s even drooling.

“Ha, sssip.”

It’s hard to believe this is the same person who swept away the monsters at the coast.

Looking at her now, she seems like just a socially awkward person with a pretty face.

“Hehehehe. Finally!!”

She’s rubbing the book against her cheek in joy.

Then our eyes met. Perhaps feeling awkward herself, she quietly avoids my gaze.

“Ahem. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Is that okay?”

“Please, sit down for a moment.”

I see books placed on the table.

Open books, writing utensils scattered around, and well-organized notes catch my eye.

I had been wondering why an NPC would need skill books. They don’t even have status windows, so they shouldn’t be able to acquire skills from skill books.

Is it just a hobby? Or does she gain knowledge by studying skill books? What use is that knowledge?

Many questions arose, but I soon put them aside. It was because I thought I wouldn’t understand anyway.

“What kind of coffee would you like?”

I see various coffee supplies placed around.

Does she enjoy coffee? I thought that books and coffee were quite a well-matched combination.

“I’d like an Americano, please.”

“What? I don’t know how to make coffee.”

“Excuse me? Then what are these?”

“They’re just for interior decoration. I was going to learn properly, but I gave up because it was annoying. Well, since then, I’ve just kept them as decoration. But they match well, don’t they?”

“Yes, they do match.”

Thanks to that, I was deceived.

A strange situation where there was no one deceiving, but someone who was deceived.

In this situation, Lib opened her mouth.

“I have mix and black, which would you like?”

“Black, please. And you can speak casually with me. I heard about you from the Sage.”

It felt uncomfortable that someone who spoke informally to a person called the Sage was using honorifics with her.

“Ah, should I?”

I didn’t expect her to drop the formalities so readily, as if she’d been waiting for it.

But this was more comfortable.

According to what the Sage told me, she’s an NPC who has been here since the Tower’s creation.

If it hadn’t been the Sage who told me these things, they would have been unbelievable stories.

No, if I hadn’t seen the scene at the coast with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it even if the Sage had told me.

Unbelievable stories like how all the rankers were once her disciples, or how she once held back the Abyss alone.

“Ooh, wow! I almost spilled it.”

Watching her precariously bringing coffee, I still have slight doubts.

The woman who was with the old man, that secretary or Iseo or whatever, brought the book as requested. She said the old man was busy so she came on an errand instead.

It felt awkward to just send her back, so I offered her coffee.

I showcased my coffee-making skills honed over many years. I might not know how to brew coffee beans, but I was confident in making instant coffee.

After sending the woman back, a familiar silence returned to the used bookstore.

The ticking of the clock sounds unusually loud, and the sound of turning pages interjects between them, creating harmony.

The book the old man brought was filled with substantial content, living up to its legendary reputation.

It looks at the skill from various perspectives and even points out the right direction for growth that the skill should take.

Yet it doesn’t give a complete answer, but guides you to reason on your own.

Skill books containing legendary-grade skills always had this high quality.

The skill itself has been recognized by the Tower as legendary.

As I mentioned before, a skill is registered as a skill when one’s ability is repeatedly mastered and reaches complete understanding.

Those who created legendary-grade skills are naturally extraordinary individuals.

Skill books are written by such individuals. Of course, they are bound to be different when compared to skill books of other grades.

That’s not to say that normal-grade skill books are useless.

If legendary-grade is an advanced course, normal-grade is a basic course.

Without a solid foundation, nothing can be built.

Therefore, normal-grade skill books might be more important for beginners.

Because they are related to the direction of one’s growth.

In the case of acquiring skills using a status window, it’s true that understanding the content of the skill book is not necessary.

But it’s not that there’s no influence at all.

Even when learning the same skill, the potential is different, and the specialized areas are different.

Knowingly or unknowingly, the content of the skill book has had an influence.

The room is filled with the sound of turning pages. It’s the most pleasant sound to hear.

With each turn of the page, knowledge accumulates, and a smile naturally forms.

Rising satisfaction, and in proportion to it, rising regret.

It was good that the content of the book was interesting, but it was also a problem because it was too good. I wished the book would never end.

That was the source of the regret.

But the end always comes. The narrative built up so far is completed because there is an end, and it becomes perfect because of that.

A flower that never withers, a story that never ends, a road that keeps getting longer without reaching an end.

A flower that continues to bloom cannot bear fruit. It cannot show any results. A flower that has lost its scent over time is just a beautiful decoration.

A story that doesn’t conclude ruins the flow of the narrative. It even negates everything that has been built up so far. It makes the sacrifices of the characters just meaningless, futile deaths.

An endless road is hell in itself. It tortures people by showing only futile hope. Unable to even find direction, they wander, and at the end of their wandering, they collapse. Their anguish and effort become a useless process.

Things that don’t end when they should become rather shabby and difficult to look at.

The same was true for me.

And it was a story that applied to those two as well. Born together when the Tower was created, entities that could be called sisters of sorts.

‘Tower’ and ‘Abyss’.

They were too distant to be expressed in familiar words like family or friend, but too ambiguous to be called strangers.

Nevertheless, a strange sense of kinship was formed.

The unconquerable Tower, the ever-expanding Abyss, and me who only watches them both.

While watching the end of others, we ourselves cannot end.

“Haah.”

With a sigh, I reach for the coffee.

Thud. The cup tips over and falls under the table.

Fortunately, the book didn’t get wet, but the floor became a mess.

Broken glass shards and coffee stains soak the floor.

Strangely, I didn’t dislike the sudden incident.

Because it could erase the strange thoughts that kept coming up.

Perhaps because of the unusually humid weather, it felt as if moisture had also accumulated in my heart.