I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 109: sage of guide.

For a moment, Si Hon’s steps slowed.

His gaze drifted— just slightly, back toward the far end of the towering shelves, where those two distant figures still stood. They hadn’t moved much, but now that he looked closer, there was a faint shift, subtle, almost easy to miss. One leaned lightly against the shelf, a book open in hand, while the other stood beside them, flipping a page with unhurried calm.

Just reading.

Quiet. Still. Completely absorbed.

Like this place belonged to them.

For a second, the scene felt... off. Too calm compared to everything else.

Then—

Si Hon looked away.

"Not my problem."

The words were quiet, almost lost in the stillness, but his decision was firm. Whatever those figures were— this wasn’t the place to dig into it. Not now. Not when Han was here. Not when there were better opportunities waiting elsewhere.

Without another glance back, Si Hon turned fully and began walking, his footsteps steady as he moved through the endless rows of comics. The silence followed him, heavy but undisturbed, as the shelves slowly parted and gave way to the exit.

And just like that—

He left the Comics section behind.

After leaving the eerie quiet of the Comics section, Si Hon made his way toward the edge of the colosseum, his steps steady as his eyes swept across the massive, shifting library.

From here, the different sections stood out more clearly— towering markers hovering above each section. Comics. Magic Theory. Martial Arts. Cultivation. And countless others branching into the paths of the unknown.

His gaze lingered briefly on the Cultivation section. (Too slow... too much patience required.)

Then it shifted toward the Magic-related shelves. (Seong and Suha are probably there.)

He paused for a fraction of a second—

Then turned.

Without another thought, Si Hon stepped forward and headed straight toward the Martial Arts section.

The closer he got, the louder it became.

Shouts. Grunts. The sharp sound of fists colliding. The moment he crossed into the section, the difference was immediate— this place wasn’t calm like Comics. It was chaos. Prisoners were already fighting, pushing each other aside, throwing punches just to get their hands on certain books.

Some clutched manuals like treasures, others tried to rip them away mid-read. It was less of a library and more of a battlefield disguised as one.

And yet—

In the middle of all that noise, tucked slightly off to the side, Si Hon spotted a familiar figure.

"Edur."

The old man stood calmly near a corner shelf, completely out of sync with the surrounding mess. Si Hon let out a small breath through his nose.

"Of course he’s here."

He started walking toward him— but before he could take more than a few steps, his vision flickered.

For a split second, everything blurred.

Then—

It turned blue.

A golden, faintly glowing window unfolded in front of his eyes, layered over reality like a second skin.

「.....,....STRATEGY GUIDE」

Your perception has evolved. You can now evaluate the relative value of each book. The clearer your focus, the more precise the assessment.」

The message lingered only briefly—

Then vanished. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Si Hon blinked once, his brows knitting together slightly as he looked around. His gaze landed on a random book resting on a nearby shelf— And something appeared above it.

[Tiger Punch — ✧]

"...Huh?"

He shifted his eyes.

[Snake Liver Strike — ✧✧]

[How to Run Away Properly... Why is this here? — ✧✧✧]

[Fist of Power — ✧✧]

[Martial Form of Demoncracy — ✧✧]

The stars hovered quietly above each title, faint but undeniable.

Si Hon turned slowly, scanning more shelves, more books— each one revealing its worth in a simple, brutal ranking.

For a moment, Si Hon just stood there, his gaze drifting from one book to another, the glowing stars flickering in and out of his vision. The noise around him— shouting, fighting, bodies colliding, blurred into something distant, almost meaningless as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

His eyes moved again.

Another title. More stars.

Then another.

And another.

"What is this...?"

The words slipped out under his breath, confusion settling in as his focus wavered, his head turning slightly as if chasing something he couldn’t quite grasp. Everything felt... cluttered. Too much information, too fast, layered over reality in a way that didn’t feel natural.

For a few seconds, he just stood there like that— looking, shifting, trying, failing, mindlessly.

Then—

He slowed down.

His gaze steadied.

Instead of taking everything in at once, he focused on one book... then the next... then another. The noise around him crept back in, but it no longer drowned him out. The flickering stars began to make sense, each one settling into place as his mind adjusted.

"Ah."

Knowing what mattered— before anyone else did.

His lips lifted slightly.

"...This is actually overpowered."

Without wasting another second, Si Hon tilted his head upward— and there it was. Higher shelves. Books placed far above the chaos below, untouched, ignored... unreachable for most.

Immediately, he moved.

Gripping the edges of the shelves, he began climbing, his movements quick and controlled as he scaled upward like it was second nature. Below, Edur finally noticed him, his brows furrowing as he stepped forward.

"Kid! What are you doing up there?!" he shouted, craning his neck. "Get down before you break something!"

Si Hon didn’t stop.

"Wait for me!" he called back, glancing down briefly. "I’ve got a present for you, Uncle!"

Edur froze for a second—

Then dragged a hand down his face with a tired sigh. "What is our leader doing..."

The chaos around them didn’t stop. No one cared. Fights continued, books were snatched, bodies collided— but above all of it, Si Hon climbed higher, ignoring everything else.

Until—

He saw it.

Near the uppermost reachable shelf, resting quietly like it had been waiting—

A book.

He reached out, grabbing it firmly before pulling it close.

[Fist of Destruction Techniques — ✧✧✧✧✧]

His eyes sharpened instantly.

"Jackpot."

Even his voice dropped to a whisper, though no one was close enough to hear him anyway.

Then—

He looked down.

"Oh."

Silence.

Hundreds of feet below, the ground looked... very far away.

"Fuck."

His grip loosened— just slightly.

Too slightly.

And that was enough.

His foot slipped.

"?!"

The world tilted.

And suddenly—

He was falling.

"What the?!"

Wind rushed past him, the shelves blurring as gravity pulled him straight down. For a split second, his mind went blank— no plan, no movement, just instinct scrambling to catch up.

Then—

Focus.

And suddenly, three familiar skill windows of his appeared beside him.

And in the next instant—

He vanished.

A sharp flicker—

And Si Hon reappeared on the ground.

Right beside Edur.

The impact never came.

Instead, he landed cleanly on the sand, steady— like he had always been there.

Silence rippled outward.

For the first time, the fighting slowed. Prisoners nearby turned, confusion spreading across their faces as they tried to process what they had just seen.

"What?"

"Did he just—"

A voice cut through the air then— low, amused, and unmistakably sharp.

"Interesting... guess the pink leader isn’t just for show."

Si Hon glanced around, but whoever said it had already melted back into the noise.

He didn’t bother chasing it.

Instead, his attention dropped to the book still in his hand.

[Fist of Destruction Techniques — ✧✧✧✧✧]

Edur stepped in immediately, crouching slightly as he grabbed Si Hon by the shoulders, his expression tight with concern. "What did you just do? No— forget that. Are you okay?"

Si Hon waved it off, already pushing the book into Edur’s hands.

"Uncle— read this."

Edur blinked, caught off guard, but took it anyway. He glanced down at the cover, then back at Si Hon, his expression shifting.

"Alright," he said slowly. "But we’re talking later. You almost died just now."

Si Hon nodded once.

"Yeah. Later."

But before Edur could say anything else—

Si Hon was already gone.

One step.

Then another flicker—

And he vanished into the crowd, moving fast, cutting across sections until the noise of combat faded behind him once more.

A few seconds later—

He reappeared at the center of another section.

Magic...~

The air here felt different. Quieter. Heavier. Less chaotic— but no less dangerous.

Si Hon stepped forward slowly, his eyes scanning the towering shelves once more.

"Alright," he muttered under his breath. "Let’s find them."