A nauseating stench lingered in the air, creating a field of sickness wherever it lingered for the librarians who arrived a moment ago. The Patron librarian in charge of the Floor of Technological Sciences frowned at the horrid smell, bringing back terrible memories in his mind.

The assistants by his side, however, barely showed any reactions at the smell and the sight of bloodstains everywhere. As ex-employees of Lobotomy Corporation, a scene like this was nothing too shocking to them.

Of course, they weren't completely unfazed, they still has a sliver of humanity that they clung onto in this hellish world but their reactions were more akin to silent complaints. Dana groaned, remembering how the smell of iron would fill her nose as she worked in the Information team, forced to ignore her dead colleagues.

The third member simply ignored the invasive odor attacking his nostrils and focused on the Abnormalities standing not too far away from them.

Abnormalities. Instead of a singular, main Abnormality, the one they were now facing was duplicated twice, creating a trio to oppose their own trio. Both sides were on equal footing, putting the librarians on their guard.

Yesod: This should not be difficult as long as we have clear information on that machine.

Dana: Let's hope they'll be easier than when we fought them before...

Y/N: Yea, let's hope...

With the exception of the man trapped in Angela's cold grasp like a powerless doll, the remaining librarians were equipped with a Zwei loadout, copying the movements of the one named Walter.

Unlike them, the fatigued worker had no choice, forced to wear the clothes imposed on him by his captor. He remembered loathing them when he first woke up and now, that feeling grew from loathing to... slight distress.

He was never allowed to change the outfit he wore and was never provided a second set despite the many days, weeks even, spent in the Library. His human instinct still had the unconscious desire to take it off to switch to a more relaxed attire...

...Weeks have passed since he woke up, weeks trapped in the same outfit. It almost felt like a second layer of skin attached to his and the more he thought about it, the more his mind fell into a downward spiral.

So, for the sake of his own sanity, the assistant discarded that thought for now and ran into battle, followed by his allies. The All-Around Helpers quickly moved in their direction, one targeting each librarians.

Once in a short enough distance to exchange swings, the round entity carrying multiple blades stained with blood rose its weapons, spinning wildly in an attempt to catch its victim by surprise. A moment of hesitation formed in the movements of Angela's helper for a brief moment, forcing him to switch on the defensive.

Like during Happy Teddy Bear's suppression, the ex-captain raised his blade and focused his desire, his emotions into it. The blade that saw many fights at this point followed the wishes of its holder and turned into a shield of skin with the creepy grin of a certain Abnormality on it.

The swift instruments, to the shock of one party and the confusion of the other, landed into the flimsy layer hastily prepared by the assistant but was unable to tear through it. The machine tried many times but nothing would change, the outcome remained the same. A drop of sweat formed on the shielded worker's face as a way to evacuate his stress, expecting his defense to shatter at any second.

However, before said possbility could occur, he swung one of his legs at the persistent opponent and sent a forward kick into its body. The machine was shoved back slightly and collapsed on the side.

Y/N: ...Just like back in Lob. Corp., once they lose balance they just fall over.

His quiet remark reached no one but he didn't care in the slightest. Now that he was free from the danger aimed at his head, his sword regained its original form just as he swung his arms downward. The blunt side of it landed on the entity once, followed by a second attack & a deafening alarm that took the attacker by surprise.

"Warning, damage detected, activating trash disposal mode!"

Y/N: ...Easier huh?

A second whisper came out just in time for him to observe the derpy Abnormality in front of him stand back on its feet and pull out multiple sharp objects from within its body. It was set on cutting him apart and mercy was definitely off the table... not like it ever was an option in the first place.

While this was occuring, the duo belonging to the Floor of Technological Sciences were faring much better against the All-Around Helpers focused on them. Unlike the director's puppet, their uniforms were a perfect counter to every slash sent their way in case they found themselves on the losing side of a clash.

Dana: Still the same as ever, it just keeps spinning and flopping on the floor.

Yesod: Please do not let your guard down.

Dana: I know, I know.

The red haired girl calmly replied and raised her zweihander to send her opponent away. Her gaze was firmly locked onto its shape. and showed no signs of stopping. After all, despite looking frail currently, it remained an Abnormality, something that should not be taken lightly at any moment.

A certain man with purple hair was in the same mindset and revealed not a single ounce of carelessness, almost fearing that his own life could be lost if he did.

Slowly but surely, both sides exchanged hits, slashes and injuries with no side seemingly coming on top. The smiling machine showed signs of damage but their weapons stayed as sharp as they were the moment the trio on the side of the Library arrived.

Y/N: Tch-!

Angela's helper let out a barely hushed groan of pain, caused by a clean cut made on his arm. His lack of resistance against the type of attacks used by the enemy they had to defeat only worsened the state of his wounds.

The state of his body gave him terrible memories of the recent battle fought against Happy Teddy Bear. The many tries they had to endure to reach a victory gave him many headaches and just thinking about potentially going back to that cycle made his body release everything it had for the sake of winning.

During that period of thought, without his eyes ever acknowledging what was unfolding, the blade he carried around turned into a golden pages levitating in the air. From it, a familiar arm made brown fur with sharp claws at the end of it swung at his target, crushing it under its weight.

The loud sound of metal hitting the ground, however, snapped him out of his thoughts, only to find All-Around Helper on the floor, its inside exposed for everyone to see. A face of confusion was plastered on him as he observed the opponent struggle to get back on its feet.

With an act that one would have probably call "mercy" against a dying human, the librarian raised his blade and lowered it after putting his entire strength into it. The blunt hit struck the Abnormality and put an end to its existence, becoming a simple group of pages scattered in the wind.

His body was stained with crimson and his breathing grew ragged as he watched what was left of his foe. His own fatigue made his arms sigh out of exasperation at the thought of raising the sword he used during combat.

Dana: Looks like Y/N's done dealing with hi- Yikes!

The girl with a ponytail took note of the missing Helper but her statement was cut short by a sharp knife trying to reach for her neck. Her words froze in her throat and her legs went stiff for a second, unlike her hands who quickly tried to parry the attack.

A spectacle of sparks flew around them the second her weapon reached her opponent's, threatening to land in her eyes and possibly blind her. The malfunctioning cleaning bot, unlike her, remained unfazed and instead lowered its body to the floor before letting out a warning message.

"Warning, resting mode temporarily engaged."

Dana: Ah... ah...

She could feel her heart finally start beating once more in her chest the moment these words entered her ears. It was a miracle that she hadn't collapsed from the lack of air in that short period of time.

Now was her chance to go for a potential victory on her adversary.

She followed that thought, tightened her grip and readied her zweihander. At this point, her blade was resting against the white floor, her strength alone wasn't able to fully keep it up in the air after the damage she took and her irregular respirations.

This was not something out of the ordinary for her. In fact, it was something that she learned, no... regretfully gained during the torment that the employees called "L. Corp.", something that even made her doubt her position as captain many times. Whenever she found herself in a situation of combat that wasn't planned, her body would quickly throw itself into disarray and leave her in a mess until the situation was fixed.

It was like her own body strangled itself at the mere thought of a fight she couldn't foresee. During the 4 days of trials before Day 50, this complication often made her pass out due to the excessive stress imposed on her heart who couldn't keep up. Of course, whenever she did succumb, a sanity injection was sent her way by the Manager to bring her back to her feet.

Now that there was nothing to support her anymore, her energy took a hit. However, in spite of that difficulty, she still held her breath once more and used her power to drag her blade across the floor and raise it in the air, hitting her target during its upward ascension.

All-Around Helper flew for a brief second in the air, following the movement of the sword that struck it and fell back down with a 'thud' that was almost suffocated by Dana's gasp. She was not done yet and she demonstrated that by swinging back down the longsword at the machine.

The pristine steel cried in agony as its toughness became nothing more than wet paper to the charged swing. The Abnormality, unable to snap out of its stagger, collapsed once more onto the floor and remained motionless. Its system could not longer tolerate the damage it took and gave out.

Soon enough, just like the one Angela's assistant took care of, a rain of golden pages flew in the air. While this occured, Dana's head immediately searched for the last enemy they had to eliminate, only to find her superior make quick work of it effortlessly. Seeing the Viper himself easily destroy something that took all of her willpower made her shoulders droop.

She was the one out of the both of them with the most experience dealing with Abnormalities physically, yet he was completely fine unlike her. It made her slightly embarrassed.

...However, her condition was nothing compared to the assistant covered with his own blood. The clothes "given" to him by Angela were not made with sharp slashes in mind and it was showing. He seemed ready to falter at any moment.

Y/N: Are... Are we done?

Dana: ...I think so.

Yesod: Our only objective left is to recover the librarian from within this book.

The ex-Sephirah placed his sword on his back and took a deep breath, finally allowed to take a moment of respite. In his eyes, the toughest part was taken care of, it was only a matter of time before their second goal was accomplished.

Then, with an almost humorous timing, a pair of footsteps echoed in the now silent world they stood in. All eyes turned in the direction of the disturbance just in time to see a person at a normal human size enter the room with a water bucket and a mop. This was no doubt the one they were looking for.

A second passed once their eyes looked back at the trio who dealt with their kidnappers.

Dana: ...Uh, we're here to rescue you.

Y/N: ...Please don't attack us.

The last statement was softly whispered to himself, expecting a second fight to ensue at any moment but to his surprise, the trapped employee simply dropped what they were holding and raised their hands in defeat.

"How the hell am I supposed to clean this mess on my own?! I got forced to clean this place for the past week and now they ditched me!"

Both captains exchanged an awkward look as they stepped closer to catch the hostage's attention. After a few complaints coupled with a few slurs, their attempts was noticed, prompting the worker to raise an eyebrow.

"You need something?"

Y/N: You... don't seem... uh...

Dana: ...Lifeless?

"I got paid with scraps as an office worker before joining L Corp, I'm already lifeless."

Y/N: ...Sorry to hear that.

Of course, the man had close to no memories of the world beyond the prison they were trapped in so he couldn't fully understand but with the way they spoke, he instinctively sent his condolences their way.

The one trapped as a janitor placed their hands on their hips and let out a deep sigh.

"It's fine, I'm used to it. So, what do you want?"

Dana: We're here to save you and bring you out of here.

"Do you have a better salary?"

A second exchange of silent stares were shared between Yesod & Angela's assistants. The question genuinely took them aback for a moment.

Y/N: ...You get free lodging??

Angela's puppet awkwardly raised his hands, almost trying to show the one trapped in this world an invisible object in them. A bead of sweat also became present on his face.

While the negotiations were underway, the Patron librarian of the Floor of Technological Sciences crossed his arms. He certainly wasn't expecting their new addition to the Library to be... materialistic to that extend.

"...Meh, sounds good enough for me."

The worker shrugged in return and walked the distance between them before grabbing both captains' hands.

"I'm Zophia, previously an agent of the Training team, nice to meet you."

...

...

Angela: I have no intention of giving a form of payment to any of you, nor do I have the capabilities to do so.

Y/N: ...Figured as much.

The man had no expectation in the first place. After all, he also asked the AI the same question a few weeks ago, when the Library first started. Her answer remained the same.

Next to him, a blond woman with her hair made into 2 buns, one each side at the level of her neck, sighed. She was wearing the standard librarian uniform to show that she was under Yesod's command. She was a head taller than the ex-captain next to her.

Zophia: I don't think "freedom" can be considered a good pay, that certainly won't pay the taxes we're gonna have to pay once we get out of here.

Angela: This isn't my concern.

Zophia: ...Tch.

A tired click of the tongue followed the director's statement from the recently awakened agent. The tall girl placed her arms under her chest as she did so, making her outfit groan as it tried to follow her prominent form.

Y/N: We're not gonna go far like this, we should just drop it for now.

Zophia: I can tell.

With no need of the short haired machine, the duo turned around and walked out. On the other side, the peanut gallery composed of the assistant librarians had gathered during their conversation. At this point, it was a silent tradition to welcome the new face added to the growing team in a group. Even Morgan was present, the girl who usually kept to herself.

Cereb: Hm... I never even thought about getting paid.

Rin: ...Even if you were to ask, I don't think miss Angela would even bother.

The still genderless worker on Keter's floor replied. Just thinking about what was waiting for them outside was enough to send shivers.

Unlike the General Floor's helper, a certain girl with long brown hair simply showed a wide smile that was often on her face. It was to the point that seeing her without said smug look was enough to make people worry.

Hava: Ever heard of taking it slow? We're not leaving anytime soon so stop worrying, you gonna make your top pop~!

Along with her response, she tossed a single can of beer at Zophia, who caught it with a single hand. She glanced at it in an attempt to see a familiar brand but nothing was visible. It was just a can, plain & simple.

She rolled her eyes afterwards but kept the drink to herself, prompting a face usually full of excitement to step in.

Cereb: Come on everyone, we shouldn't act so gloomy, we should celebrate a new success!

Dana: I say we deserve a break, I certainly do at least.

Y/N: I can still feel some phantom pain from the fight, I'm not gonna argue on that.

Zophia: No comment from me, I'll take any free break. Way better than my old job.

With a consensus shared by every member of the present group, the assistant librarians soon began walking in the direction of a place more secluded. Anyone who walked was allowed to join in of course but the main reason for this was the minimize the disturbance they would create.

The last thing they needed was an angry Angela glaring down at them and ruining the mood.

However, once at their destination, a problem began to become more apparent with each new faces added to the mix. What was once not even a worry in everyone's head was now floating around them like a ghost haunting them.

Cereb: It's getting a little... cramped.

Malkuth's first assistant let out the thought shared by everyone. Patchouli nodded at his side while trying to keep a minimum amount of distance. Thankfully, the restriction was not to the point of being unbearable but the diminishing amount of free space was starting to become apparent. Angela's helper took a mental note for the future.

As he did so, a presence lightly hit his back, forcing him to walk forward. Visible confusion formed on his face and when he turned around, his eyes were greeted by the blond girl making an awkward look in his direction.

Zophia: Sorry.

Y/N: It's fine.

Finally, after a few exchanges, everyone was in a spot they were content with. Some were sitting on chairs while others remained on their feet or resting on the floor. After making sure that everyone was fine, the new addition to the Library opened the can of beer given to her by Hava and made short work of it.

Dana: ...I don't suppose you have brought more?

Hava: Hm? Oh, right-

The girl with red eyes quickly caught on and brazenly unbuttoned her green uniform before digging inside it like a magician. Then, with a grin of confidence, she pulled a second can from inside her outfit and tossed it in the direction of the exhausted ex-captain.

Many questions crossed the witnesses' minds but everyone refrained from pronouncing them. Soon after, a second one followed, then a third, a fourth, a fifth, etc... In the end, almost everyone ended up with something in their hands.

Cereb: ...Should I be more worried about where you stuffed this or the fact that it's still cold despite where you carried it?

Hava: Dunno what you're talking about~

Yuri: S-Still, thank you for the gift.

The lone assistant under Hod's commands looked down at the drink given to her, too shy to face her benefactor.

A long silence soon followed her thank, which only further amplified her flushed expression. In order to combat it, she quickly took a sip of her can. Taking this as a sign, the director's exhausted doll slightly raised his hand holding his own drink.

Y/N: Ahem, I'd like to welcome our new librarian to the Library, miss Zophia. It's nothing too fancy but I suppose it's better than nothing.

A bead of sweat formed on his face as he continued to talk. In his eyes, what he saw was just a bunch of people ready to get drunk to change the mood, including him, which didn't look very professional to him.

It was an introduction that was barely one but in the eyes of the new assistant librarian, it remained one nonetheless. She responded with a smile of her own and joined his raised can with her empty one.

Zophia: So that's what it feels like to relax with coworkers.

The remaining agents followed afterwards, officially starting the "welcome party" that was hastily thrown together. Finally, the pressure was released, allowing everyone let out a sigh of relief.

This started the exchanges and curious questions aimed at the new agent on the Floor of Technological Sciences.

...

...

Roland: Are you sure that you saw them going there?

Malkuth: I'm sure... mostly. I know my assistants mentioned leaving to welcome Yesod's new assistant before going this way.

The Grade 9 Fixer glanced at the girl accompanying him. After being unable to locate any assistant librarians on his way to the Floor of Art, the guest working for the Library couldn't help himself but wonder where they went.

At his destination, he was surprised to find the awakened Sephirahs all gathered with Netzach, trying to clean up the many piles of books scattered on the floor, something that made the Patron librarian in charge of said floor groan before rolling around on a couch.

His question about the employees' whereabouts soon found itself on his mind and with a moment of ponder, Malkuth mentioned something about her helpers leaving somewhere.

This led to the scenario he currently was in. With his hands still in his pockets, he let out a sigh and glanced over his shoulder.

Roland: I thought you were busy cleaning. Why the sudden change?

Hod: W-Well... I...

Yesod: We are coming along to make sure that they haven't caused a mess similar to Netzach's.

Hod: ...I wanted to see if everything was alright.

The girl in charge of the Floor of Literature softly voiced out her reason, holding her hand together against her chest as well. Yesod, on the other hand, remained as cold as ever, wishing to see the state of the place they were using for their welcome party.

Even though he wasn't a target of said gaze, the uninvited guest could feel cold sweat forming on his back. He unconsciously sent a silent prayer towards the workers who had no idea about their sudden visit.

The further they went, the louder their target became. What was once a mere whisper in the distance was quickly turning into coherent words and sentences, signaling them that they were arriving at their destination. After locating the door that would lead them to the group, Yesod took the lead and opened it.

On the other side...

Y/N: You foolish morons, what do you hope to accomplish with a ragtag team like yours? A few weak humans & pathetic Abnormalities are nothing compared to actual talent!

Angela's worker was seen loudly giving a speech to the other assistants. His movements were cold, precise and even ruthless. His frigid stare landed on his coworkers, who stared back in silence.

Y/N: The Well may have granted access to this world but here, you are nothing, worthless! Abnormalities reign supreme and you are nothing more than insects crawling on the floor!

Still unaware of the new group joining in, one of the ex-agents stood up from their seat to face the man.

Cereb: Insects or not, it doesn't matter! Our lives matter and we aren't about to throw them away so easily! Our mission is to return to our world and we'll fight for this until our last breath!

Following his words, Dana stepped closer and brandished a standard sword carried by the librarians when not wearing a guest's outfit.

Dana: You claim that Abnormalities see us humans as nothing more than prey. This only show us how ignorant you are! We've met many who showed kindness and assistance out of their own goodwill and nothing more! Your perceptions are warped, distorted!

Y/N: Tch, of course the dregs of society would side with the likes of you. Look at your laughable group: a frail doll carrying ugliness in the shape of spiders, a washed up hero discarded for her worthlessness and a marksman lacking a purpose. What a joke.

Dana: Unlike you, they have shown more humane reasonings than any your army has ever expressed!

The director's doll took a step away from the duo facing him, turned his back to them for a moment, and then swiftly did a 180 spin while imitating the motion of throwing an invisible cape.

Y/N: Abnormalities do not require your worthless opinion, your pointless emotions that you claim are necessary! You will all find how truly useless said humanity is and weep in your own desp-!

Yesod: Ahem.

Suddenly, the mood was shattered by the purple haired man. His gaze was on the performance in front of him while the ones next to him peeked inside.

The employees all turned to look at their mysterious visitors and waved in their direction. Most employee showed signs of alcohol in their system to varying degrees. While Yesod let out a sigh, Malkuth & Hod entered, followed by Roland.

Hod: S-Sorry to interrupt...

Hava: It's fine, we're just talking.

Zophia: Yea, Y/N was going on about a grand speech, I'm surprised he was able to improvise this much while drunk.

The blond girl took a sip of yet another can and placed it on a nearby table that was used to place empty cans on. Both Patron librarians that walked in at the same time glanced at the AI's helper and noticed a faint trace of red on his cheeks, confirming Zophia's statement.

Said person replied by pointing a finger in her direction.

Y/N: I'll have you know that not everyone is a worthless drunkard.

His words sounded rather clean despite coming from the mouth of someone who had his fill of beer.

The Fixer was the one to resume the conversation.

Roland: What were you all doing, anyway?

Y/N: Oh nothing much. I came up with an idea that seemed interesting at first and everyone seemed mostly onboard... or maybe some are just too drunk to care.

Roland: Hm?

The man in a suit raised an eyebrow, prompting the one in the middle of the room to walk to the table to grab a book he often carried with him while not suppressing Abnormalities. Then, he opened it and flipped some pages until he found the one he desired.

Y/N: There it is. The world of Gan Eden, an alternate world where humanity does not exist, a reality where Abnormalities replace humans. Both worlds are connected through a discovery called "the Well", created by Lobotomy Corporation. With it, Abnormalities from the other side are extracted into ours, which allows the creation of energy for the City to use. The story begins after an incident causes a group of employees to fall into the Well and land in Gan Eden, forcing them to fight for their survival in the hope of returning home.

Roland: That's... a lot.

Y/N: I'm not done.

Roland: Sorry.

The captain of the Central Command team calmly fliped the page and continued his talk.

Y/N: In this reality, the employees stuck in this world will find familiar faces alongside new ones and create bonds, friendships & rivalries with the Abnormalities there for the sake of achieving their goal. They'll have to go to many place and finally, find the Well that will allow them to return to their own world. Their path will be obstructed by many Abnormalities who consider humans to be free, powerless targets. This include a militia of Abnormalities controlled by a leader who's desire is to exterminate them. Due to this, the employees will be forced to confront many unknown forces and emerge victorious... or die trying.

After this long talk, a deep breath was taken by the tired assistant as he closed the book he was holding. Then, he turned towards the group at the door.

Y/N: Now I'm done.

Roland: ...

The man who caused the employee to go on a long tangent was left speechless, unable to formulate a proper answer after everything that was thrown at him. By his side, Malkuth left out a faint laugh.

Malkuth: You've tought a lot about this.

Hava: Even more surprising since he was half-drunk while writing everything~

Y/N: Come on, give me some credit, I think this is a good setting for what we've been doing.

Hod: Oh, it was roleplay?

Y/N: Yea. Everyone had to make a employee that they would play as and give them stats, skills and the E.G.Os they had before falling into the Well... though most of them just played as themselves.

Cereb: I had a character filled with justice and a trusty spear!

Finally, after what felt like a full hour, Yesod stepped in and watched the pile of cans on the table. He sent a frown towards the group and crossed his arms, causing those still mostly in control of their thoughts to avert their eyes.

The Viper took a moment to formulate his sentence before spitting it out like it was a potent venom.

Yesod: You should refrain from causing a mess to this extend, Netzach's floor is already enough for the rest of the Library, we do not need to create more litter.

Cereb: ...Sorry.

Rin: W-We'll clean up.

Hod: L-Let me help, it'll take a while otherwise.

The Sephirah who was once in charge of the Training team walked to the table and grabbed a few empty containers made out of the Light. Following after her, the employees did their own part and grabbed what they could hold.

Afterwards, they silently followed the path made by Hod, guiding them out of the room they used. This left behind a trio made of Malkuth, Yesod & Roland.

Roland: That was a bit much.

Yesod: If rigidity is not applied once in a while, people will start to get complacent. We do not need more Netzachs causing a mess left and right.

Roland: ...I suppose that's also true.

Malkuth: Still, I'm glad to see they were having fun together. Scenes like this didn't happen often during the days they spent inside Lobotomy Corporation.

Yesod: ...

Malkuth: I'm sure we can overlook this once, especially for an occasion like this!

Yesod: Malkuth, turning a blind eye to it would invite-

Malkuth: Just once. After everything they went through, they deserve a moment to breath and laugh.

The Fixer standing on the sideline quietly listened, trying to even begin to formulate a possible scenario that the poor workers had to endure until they reached this point. Just pondering on it was enough to make him drop the subject.

After a few exchanges, the remaining members walked together in the direction Hod used to lead the assistant librarians, hoping to catch up to them. This left behind the room wide open and empty & a lone figure in the shadow

Angela.

Her presence was there ever since Yesod opened the door and none was the wiser. Her impeccable memory and hearing allowed her to absorb every detail of the conversation that occured.

She held her own book against her chest, listening to the deafening silence. She was completely still for a few minutes until she finally budged from her spot, following the path that everyone else took before her.

All-Around Helper's suppression completed.

Y/N's existence has been stabilized.

???'s existence has been stabilized.

A new exclusive Combat Page has been added!

(As a heads-up, you better get used to Gan Eden because it's gonna get brought up often during the story. Just a warning for those of you who absolutely do not give a shit about it. For the 0 amount of people that would like to know more about it then you're in luck I guess.)