I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 108: Shelves stacked on eachother.

The moment Si Hon and Han stepped into the Comics section, the atmosphere shifted into something... quieter. Stranger. Towering shelves stretched endlessly in every direction, stacked so high they blurred into the distance. At first glance, it looked like any other part of the library— until Si Hon tilted his head upward.

The rocky ceiling that should’ve been there was gone, replaced by a drifting layer of dark smoke, slow and heavy like clouds that had lost their way.

The shelves didn’t stop beneath it. They pierced straight through, continuing upward into something unseen, as if the space itself refused to have a limit.

And yet—

It was empty.

No scrambling prisoners. No shouting. No frantic grabbing of books like in the other sections. Just silence, thick and undisturbed. Si Hon’s gaze swept across the aisles, narrowing slightly.

For a brief moment, he caught sight of two distant figures at the far end— barely more than silhouettes between the shelves, but he didn’t dwell on it. Whoever they were, they weren’t his concern. Not yet.

"Wow, Dad— there’s so many comic books!!!"

Han-Gyeol’s voice burst into the quiet corridor of shelves, his arms already waving excitedly as his eyes jumped from one towering stack to another.

The endless rows of comics seemed to pull him in completely, any trace of earlier tension slipping away as bright curiosity took over, his small figure practically buzzing with excitement at the sight of it all.

Si Hon let out a small breath, the corner of his lips lifting as he reached over and gently patted Han’s head.

"Go ahead and read," he said calmly, his hand lingering for a second before pulling back. "But just one, alright?"

Han’s shoulders drooped almost instantly, his gaze falling to the ground as a small pout formed on his face. "Why just one...? There’s so many..." he muttered, his voice carrying that soft, sulking disappointment. "If there’s this much... why can I only pick one?"

Si Hon crouched down in front of him, lowering himself to meet his eyes, his expression soft but firm. "Because that old rabbit announcer said so, remember? One book per person."

Han blinked, then slowly nodded. "Yeah. I forgot. Sorry."

Before Si Hon could respond—

A voice slipped in from behind him.

"Old rabbit woman...? I’m not old."

It was casual. Almost playful.

But close.

Too close.

Si Hon moved instantly.

In one smooth motion, he scooped Han into his arms and stepped back, his body already turning as his eyes locked onto the source.

There, leaning lazily against one of the shelves as if she had always been there, was the rabbit masked woman. A wand twirled idly between her fingers, her posture relaxed, but her presence... sharp.

"You know Si Hon," she continued lightly, tilting her head, "you can let the kid— here in the Comics section, he can read whatever he wants. It’s mostly useless anyway... maybe." Her smile widened just a little. "But places like Martial Arts or Cultivation? That’s where the ’one pick only’ rule actually matters."

Si Hon frowned, suspicion settling in almost immediately. "Wait... how do you know my—"

"Woah~! Almost forgot, I’m busy!" she cut in abruptly, her tone flipping in an instant as if she had just realized something inconvenient. "Tehe~"

And just like that—

She was gone.

No sound. No trace. Just empty space where she had been.

The silence returned just as quickly, but it felt different now.

Heavier.

"Dad?"

A small tug at his shirt pulled him back. Si Hon looked down to see Han staring up at him, confusion written clearly across his face. "Why did you suddenly pick me up...?"

Si Hon blinked once, then let out a small, awkward breath as he gently adjusted his hold before setting him back down. "Ah... sorry. That woman startled me a bit."

Han stared at him for a second—

Then his face lit up.

"But that was cool!!! You moved so fast!"

Si Hon paused, then gave a small, casual shrug. "Yeah... I just do that sometimes."

That was enough for Han.

The earlier confusion vanished completely, replaced by excitement as he turned back toward the endless shelves, his energy snapping back like a spring.

"Can I read now?!"

"Go ahead."

That was all it took.

Han immediately dashed off, grabbing random comic books without hesitation, flipping through pages as he moved before settling down near one of the shelves. He dropped onto the ground, leaning back comfortably as he opened a dark covered book, completely absorbed within seconds.

Then—

An echo rolled across the entire arena.

"Well then~ since our dear participants need time to study..." the announcer’s voice rang out, playful and amused, "we’ll be taking a four hour break!"

The crowd above reacted immediately— cheers fading into movement, footsteps echoing in waves as people began dispersing, their earlier frenzy replaced with something more casual. The shift was almost surreal.

Han glanced up briefly, tilting his head. "Maybe... pee, poo, eat break?" he said thoughtfully, as if that was the most logical conclusion.

Si Hon let out a quiet breath through his nose. "Yeah... probably."

He stepped closer, glancing down at the book in Han’s hands. "What are you reading?"

Han’s face lit up again as he lifted the comic slightly. "It’s called ’My Sh#d#w Sl##e!’ It’s about a god watching a kid named M##nless who suddenly gets chosen to use his power! And— and there’s like... three hundred sixty-six Chapters!"

Si Hon froze for half a second.

"...ಠ_ಠ... I see."

He didn’t question it.

Didn’t want to.

Instead, he gave a small nod, stepping back as he glanced around the endless, quiet maze of shelves once more.

"Just stay there and read, alright?" he said calmly. "I’ll look around a bit."

Han nodded without even looking up this time, already pulled back into the pages.

And just like that—

Si Hon turned away, stepping deeper into the Comics section alone, his figure slowly swallowed by the towering shelves and the strange, smoke-covered ceiling above.

Somewhere in the distance—

Those two figures still hadn’t moved.