"Ugh…"
A murmured sleep talk echoed in the silent space.
Aize felt as if he had returned to his mother's womb, his entire being immersed in warm water, both body and soul relaxed.
Just as he was about to completely sink into this comfort and fall into a deep sleep he didn't want to wake from, a sudden thought descended upon him.
[A suitable target has been selected and successfully integrated into the Library.]
[You are now the Administrator of the Library.]
It was a pure and direct thought.
As if a voice had suddenly echoed in his mind, it startled Aize awake from his unconscious state.
"Splash!"
As Aize instinctively sat up, the sound of water splashed around him.
Only then did he realize—he really was soaking in water.
Strangely, despite being submerged, his clothes weren't wet at all, not even his hair or body—it all felt fresh and dry, as if untouched by water.
"What… what's going on?"
Aize looked around in confusion.
"Splash…"
The sound of water continued, echoing clearly, forcing Aize to momentarily put aside his confusion and survey his surroundings.
And when he did, he was stunned by the environment around him.
What greeted his eyes was an incredibly spacious area.
The space was cylindrical, at least several hundred meters in diameter, and equally tall. Yet it didn't feel empty at all—instead, it felt perfectly balanced.
That was because the area was filled with bookshelves arranged in a specific manner throughout the space.
Some bookshelves were on the ground, some ascended the cylindrical walls. Each was neatly filled with books, creating an atmosphere of mystery, tranquility, and intellect.
A deep red carpet covered the floor. Balconies stretched along the walls and in mid-air, and the ceiling was open to a dazzling starry sky, where stars shimmered beautifully.
Aize stood at the very center—an area encircled by a wooden railing that dipped lower than the rest.
This central area seemed designed as a lounge, complete with a large fountain, a pavilion, grassy patches, and even a swing made of flowering vines—it looked like a dreamland from a fairy tale.
Aize was in that fountain, immersed in crystal-clear water. Even though the water splashed from the center onto him, it still didn't get him wet—as if everything was just an illusion.
"Where… is this place?"
Mesmerized by the beauty around him, it took a while for Aize to snap out of it and realize the importance of the question.
Then—
"Buzz—"
That thought descended once more.
Wrapped in its presence, Aize instinctively closed his eyes.
Minutes later, when he reopened them, the confusion was gone. Only clarity and understanding remained.
"'The Library of Fantasies'… So this is the magical place I've arrived at?"
This was a space formed by the collective fantasies, curiosity, longing, regrets, and emotions of all mankind about other worlds.
It didn't exist in any particular place, yet it connected reality and fantasy.
Every book here represented a fantasy world imagined by someone.
Each page held a life born from those dreams.
The Library of Fantasies collected these lives, these dreams, turned them into books, and stored them on its endless shelves.
That was its function—to collect fantasies, turn them into books, and make imaginary worlds real, crafting countless diverse and vibrant universes and dimensions.
But there was one problem.
"To make a fantasy world real, a real person must live it."
"A life imagined by someone else is still just fiction. Without someone truly experiencing it, a fantasy will always remain a fantasy and never become reality."
And so, from the moment the Library of Fantasies took shape, it required someone to serve as its Administrator—someone to live through those imagined lives and worlds.
Thus, Aize was chosen.
He became the very first Administrator of the Library of Fantasies.
"…Does this count as finally finding my dream job?"
Before arriving here, Aize was a clerk at a bookstore.
His family wasn't exactly happy—his parents divorced early, and his grandparents raised him with difficulty. By the time he gained independence in college, his grandparents passed away from old age.
His parents had each built new families. Wherever he went, he was unwelcome—the odd one out. So he juggled work and school, got a mediocre degree, and became an unemployed graduate. Eventually, he landed a job at a bookstore, which brought him a bit of stability.
He remembered that the night before, he had been sorting new books at the store. It got late, so he just fell asleep in the back room.
Who would've thought that after sleeping, he'd wake up to find himself chosen as the Administrator of the Library of Fantasies?
"Well, whatever."
Stepping out of the fountain—still completely dry—Aize looked up at the open sky above, the stars reflected in his eyes.
"If reality is unsatisfying, then let it go."
"From today on, I am the Administrator of the Library of Fantasies."
"Traveling through countless worlds of imagination, living real lives—this should be quite the adventure, right?"
Years of independent living had given Aize a decent ability to adapt and accept new things.
So he quickly accepted his identity and began thinking about what to do next and how to proceed.
"Buzz—"
The formless thought descended again for the third time.
By now, having already received some knowledge of the Library, Aize understood that this thought was the Library of Fantasies itself.
It had no will, no intellect or emotions. It was like a rule—only appearing when the Administrator needed it, delivering necessary knowledge through unseen power.
It wasn't a voice, nor written words in his mind—just a feeling he could absorb and interpret in his own way.
This time was no different…
[You are now the Administrator of the Library.]
[As Administrator, you are granted a gift from the Library—one power most compatible with yourself.]
[When you complete a life experience, depending on the richness of that life and the realism of the world, the Library will reward you additionally based on your gifted power.]
[Initiating power bestowal…]
At that moment, the entire Library began to change.
The floor emitted soft light, bookshelves glowed in varying brilliance, and even the stars above grew brighter and more radiant, one after another.
Bathed in the light, Aize felt something swelling within him.
Soon, that feeling surged outward—manifesting as a page that flew from his body.
"This is…?"
Aize stared blankly.
Under his gaze, the page hovering before him began to absorb the Library's light and then ignited.
As it burned away completely, golden patterns appeared in the air.
These golden lines connected, intertwined, and formed a complex, mystical geometric symbol. Then it flew into Aize's body.
In that instant, Aize instinctively understood exactly what power he had received…
(End of Chapter)