The Programmer's Dungeon

Chapter 2 : Library, the Dome of Knowledge

I continued to proceed along the pathway, passing through dozens of moving carriages. Much to my shock, many three-meter-tall horses with a sharp horn on their heads pulled the towering carriages with vigor. I took a deep breath, calming myself down, I didn't want to be overly shocked by just this.

Yup, this is definitely not my world. I assured myself. The Medieval era building coupled with the style of the Victorian era made me sure that this world held a deep history to tell.

Not long after, the plaza was finally within sight. A large water fountain in the center was the first thing that caught my eye. In its center, right atop the platform, a large knight statue raising his sword to the sky with a shield in his right hand could be seen. The statue was very iconic. I even went so far as to subconsciously take a picture of it with my smartphone.

Other than the large fountain statue, I noticed this place was crowded, like so crowded. It seemed that because the plaza was gigantic — equaling twice the size of the basketball field, give or take — it was additionally used as a small market. The plaza itself appeared to have a round form, so there were lots of stands circling the fountain right a few meters from it. Apart from a few small streets, two wide roads led here, forming an inverted "V" in the round square.

According to Igor, the library should be located across the Liberator's Guild. I then wondered which of these buildings was the Liberator's Guild. I meant, if I considered the name, it should have a symbol relating to—

"Aha! I suppose that one hit the mark."

The building was located behind the fountain and had a round metallic symbol on top of the double door. The symbol was that of a shield with four white wings. One would be blind to miss such a symbol that stood out like a sore thumb.

I decided to ignore the guild for the moment and instead, turned to the building across from it, and managed to find the library with ease. It was a marble building with a book sculpture sign above the double door that reminded me of a certain gimmick.

Without further ado, I pulled open the large double door of the library.

***

"Calling... a strange power said to have been bestowed by gods upon the intelligent beings in the secular world. And the 'Great Cataclysm'... that destroyed the great civilization of the past and triggered the 'Day of Calling'... At that time, monsters ran rampant as numerous unknown dangerous places, known as 'dungeons,' surfaced from the earth. All intelligent beings, no matter whether they were elves, humans, dwarves, beastmen, demons, and countless minor races, were slaughtered in the struggle. Not wanting to see the world dyed completely in red, the gods bestowed upon them the power to fight the darkness. And this was known as the Day of Calling. At least according to this book," with a bit of nonchalant voice, I commented.

The book currently in my hand was called "The Origin of Calling," authored by John arc Lorene. It might seem like a legend story, but no, this was nothing of the sort.

One shouldn't completely believe everything written on a piece of paper but rather contemplate it to find the best answer that fits the best, or so I wanted to say... A sigh escaped my mouth as I contemplated the ordeal I had been through.

The library had a weak light source, as it was quite dim. Even though the room's interior was filled with books, there were no lights to be seen anywhere. The only light source came from the colored glass window above the entrance and several strange, dim lanterns and chandeliers here and there.

"This truly is another world..." I murmured, giving myself a wry smile. Well, I'm familiar with this situation as I've read numerous books about it in the past...