After spending more than a month gathering all the knowledge from the first floor, even with his brain having undergone multiple rounds of enhancement, Orsaga still felt somewhat lightheaded.
Although he hadn't immediately analyzed all the knowledge in depth, just glancing through the contents left him sighing with emotion—people in this world truly had broad interests. Setting aside the countless bizarre research topics, their hobbies were even more colorful and, in some cases, downright twisted. There were even some strange fetishes that made Orsaga, a literal demon, feel uncomfortable.
Take, for instance: "What does it feel like to sleep with one's own clone?"
Truly, the bigger the forest, the stranger the birds.
It made him lament how the mages here, when collecting knowledge, clearly accepted everything without judgment—morality, ethics, and even public safety be damned. Even the kinds of knowledge that were detrimental to physical and mental health, or posed a danger to social order, weren't spared.
From "Methods of Cooking Soil," to "How to Assemble a Functional War Chariot Using Chicken Bones," and "A Detailed Guide to Efficient Throat Slitting for All Species"—the range of topics was simply beyond comprehension.
Even during his knowledge-stealing days in the Wizard World, he hadn't encountered such an abundance of absurdity.
From this, he concluded that this world's approach to entertainment was far more varied than the Wizard World's.
Back there, the profession of "wizard" was absolute. Everything operated under the iron rule of wizards, resulting in a far more oppressive environment with little room for other social strata to express themselves freely.
Even though both worlds had the profession of spellcasters, in Orsaga's view, the mages of this world were weaker than the wizards of the Wizard World at the same Rank. Not only were they physically fragile and frail, but their pursuit of power and truth also lacked the fanaticism of the wizards.
Wizards would not hesitate to experiment on themselves in all kinds of twisted ways.
Though many of them ended up looking like monsters due to rampant bloodline experiments, their power was undeniably immense. They had virtually no obvious weaknesses. To defeat one required overwhelming force—a stark contrast to the mages of this world, who could still be dealt with through more indirect means.
Moreover, when it came to the highest levels of power, the Wizard World remained dominated by high-Rank wizards, while in this world, top-tier power had little to do with mages. Even if some of them started as mages, once they reached the summit, they preferred to call themselves "gods."
Their sense of identity simply wasn't on the same level.
The Wizard World, too, once had gods—but they were ultimately strapped to operating tables by wizards for experimentation. In contrast, the mages of the Myling World chose to assimilate into the divine system, merging themselves with the concept of godhood.
One path pursued knowledge at all costs, with power belonging solely to the individual; the other pursued faith or cosmic order.
There was no definitive answer as to which was stronger. At least Orsaga couldn't say.
After all, his own strength was only at the High-to-Greater Rank range. He was still far from the top and had no right to speak with authority on such matters.
Perhaps only when he someday stood at those same heights could he make a definitive judgment.
That said, in terms of war potential, he did understand a thing or two.
And in that regard, the Wizard World far outclassed the Myling World.
Thanks to their constant warfare against other worlds, the wizards had developed superior war machines and amassed deep knowledge of inter-world conflict. Their experience and weaponry surpassed the Myling World by several orders of magnitude.
The number of servant beasts they commanded was incalculable—the base unit of measurement was hundreds of millions.
Their countermeasures against homeland invasions were just as vast and varied.
Trying to land an invasion force on their native world without first crushing their main armies was essentially impossible.
Under such conditions, the Wizard World could absolutely engage in war of attrition against a demon lord.
After all, while abyssal creatures might be as cheap and abundant as wild-growing weeds, teleportation wasn't.
The cost of interdimensional travel wasn't something even demon lords could ignore. If things dragged on long enough, any demon lord who felt the situation was too much trouble would likely just retreat.
If the Myling World and the Wizard World were to switch places…
Demon Lord Ignarok's forces would never have gained so much ground in just a little over a century. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if most of his armies were still stuck in the Abyss, unable to even enter.
But now, with the Myling World's homeland dotted with abyssal portals blooming like mushrooms, it was clear that its native defenses had already been torn wide open. After getting a taste of such easy prey, demon lords would naturally cling even harder.
Barring some unforeseen variable, the likely outcome was obvious.
This was a world where the demon lord's main army alone was enough to keep all high-Rank combatants occupied. Once Ignarok's true body managed to squeeze through, the situation would spiral completely out of control.
At that thought, Orsaga's lips curled into a subtle smile.
He didn't believe the top powers of this world were oblivious to the situation. Surely, they wouldn't just sit around waiting to die.
And the options available to them weren't many.
Break through by force.
Call for external aid.
Resign themselves to death.
Try to stall and hope the demon lord gives up.
Maybe it was a single-choice problem, or maybe it was multiple-choice.
But for demon lords—who had been doing this sort of thing for countless years—none of these options posed any real threat. They already had countermeasures prepared for everything.
So whether they chose one or all, the result probably wouldn't change.
On one side: a force that roamed the entire multiverse.
On the other: an isolated group from a provincial world.
Their vision and their methods… simply weren't on the same level.
---
Orsaga stepped onto the second floor of the library.
With his prior experience, he quickly deciphered the defense mechanisms guarding this level.
Once again, he extended tendrils of his spiritual power, probing toward the books shielded by layer upon layer of protection.
Compared to the first floor, the knowledge stored on the second floor was noticeably more "serious."
This level was clearly intended for Mages. The random, bizarre nonsense was much less prevalent.
That said, less didn't mean none. Many strange and obscure texts were still tucked away in corners, like someone's carefully hidden personal stash.
Even Orsaga couldn't help but be constantly amazed.
[Can a Non-Living Object Get Pregnant?]
[Do Magical Particles Have Genders?]
[Is It Faster to Walk with the Left Foot or the Right Foot?]
[Why Must the World Have Day and Night?]
Just reading the titles was enough to reveal the authors' wild imaginations—each one more serious than the last, with volumes of "theory" to back them up.
Still, Orsaga didn't mind. While a large portion was indeed complete nonsense, some of the ideas did have merit.
After all, many great discoveries had been born from "unacceptable" or fringe theories.
With so many perspectives coming together, even Orsaga found that his way of thinking was beginning to shift. A few strange yet intriguing ideas started bubbling up in his mind.
_
T/N:
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