Chapter 80: Party Time (2) – Sanctum of Blessings (1)
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 25
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 105
Wise Sage’s Advice: 3
—
Han Kain
First day of Party Time.
Early in the morning, while having a light breakfast, we discussed what we should tackle first today. I started by sharing my thoughts.
“How about heading to the Sanctum of Blessings first? I have a strong feeling that quite a few of us will be enhancing our blessings this time. After our last visit to the sanctum, we worked on Room 104, Hotel High School, Room 106, Hotel Land, and Room 101, Common Sense Renovating Media, right? Just a rough estimate and it seems that many will be recognized for their contributions.”
Jinchul-hyung nodded in agreement.
“I agree as well. Enhancing our blessings will likely give us some new powers. Those will need practice too, so let’s get moving quickly.”
Enhancing blessings! Aside from Inheritances, that must be one of the most valuable rewards, right? I could see expectant looks spreading across many faces.
I started pondering who might be eligible for enhancement.
For Hotel High School, it should definitely be Ahri and me, right? At Hotel Land, Jinchul-hyung and I made significant strides. As for the Common Sense Renovating Media, the official list from the hotel named Elena, Cha Jinchul, and Kim Mooksung.
At the very least, it looks like me, Kim Ahri, Cha Jinchul, Elena, and Kim Mooksung will be in the running.
The five of us appeared to be the most likely candidates for enhancement.
Everyone seemed to have the same thoughts; those involved had stars in their eyes.
*
After swiftly finishing breakfast, I dashed to the hotel’s main entrance. As soon as I arrived, I pressed the switch next to the entrance and turned the lights off.
Ding!
…I could hear my sister and Grandpa grumbling in frustration.
“Hey! Hey! If you run off and turn the lights off, I can’t see anything!”
“That kid! Is he bragging that his blessing is about to be enhanced?”
After turning the lights back on to wait for everyone to gather, I turned them off again and we entered the Sanctum of Blessings.
We were greeted by a familiar notification, announcing our arrival at the sanctum and that we could understand and enhance our blessings.
As I approached the display, the “Enhance” option lit up. I quickly touched it.
Ding!
Kim Ahri, Elena, Cha Jinchul, and Han Kain can enhance. Would you like to proceed? (Yes/No)
…
Grandpa Mooksung’s name wasn’t listed there.
He immediately reacted.
“What the heck? You staff idiots! I worked hard, so why am I not getting any enhancement yet?!”
While listening to Grandpa’s loud outburst for the next few minutes, I pondered the situation.
I could make some educated guesses. Since the ‘Administration Team’ joined our party a bit late, they probably suffered some penalty on their contribution evaluation.
Also, if the biggest contribution was made in the Common Sense Renovating Media resolution, it’s different from the time Songee resolved the Human Farm.
The resolution of the Common Sense Renovating Media came from a collective effort, not a single hero. The contributions were likely spread among various people.
Seungyub chimed in, trying to comfort him.
“Grandpa! It seems like you’ve racked up a lot of experience points but just barely fell short of leveling up. You’ll surely get an enhancement next time!”
“Seungyub, while I get where you’re coming from, how on Earth does Grandpa understand concepts like experience points and leveling up?”
“Ha! Seriously! How can we know if they aren’t even showing us the experience bar?”
Ah, so he gets it. Grandpa seems to be more in touch with the times than I thought.
Jinchul-hyung couldn’t hide his excitement any longer.
“Come on now! Those with low contribution scores should step aside. Those of us who want enhancements, let’s hurry up!”
I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
Without further ado, I pressed “Yes.”
The radiant light that illuminated the sanctum swept over me, Kim Ahri, Cha Jinchul, and Elena.
*
Whoosh!
My consciousness soared high into the sky.
Being my second time, the sensation felt more familiar. I entered a dimension that transcended all realms — a land that was nowhere to be found.
And then, the owl appeared.
Was it going to scold me again about not obtaining an Inheritance? Surprisingly, the first response was different than I anticipated.
“Things haven’t been so bad lately.”
Wait, what? Compliment?
“It’s a shame you didn’t obtain an Inheritance.”
“That wasn’t a useful piece of trash for you anyway.”
The atmosphere wasn’t uncomfortable. In all honesty, it wasn’t a loss since it wasn’t a useful tool for me from the beginning.
“It seems you’ve finally started to get used to your Blessing.”
“Honestly, I had no idea I needed to ask for an answer to properly use Advice.”
“Isn’t it obvious? If you don’t know what you’re curious about, how can you be advised properly?”
“Last time we met, I wish you had just told me how to use Advice.”
“There’s a limit to the forms of help I can provide. Fundamentally, the participant needs to realize it on their own.”
Owl. My “sponsor.”
I mulled over the words. Did it mean it couldn’t provide guidance on how to use the Blessing effectively?
I was still pondering when the owl continued.
“Now that you understand the basics, I can offer a bit more help. Do you remember the moment you called for advice just before entering the hospital ward?”
“It told me to pass the gun to my teammate.”
“Why do you think that was the advice you received?”
“Isn’t that because I had no other options? I interpreted it as a way to die peacefully since there was no solution in sight.”
“That isn’t an entirely incorrect assessment. However, that advice won’t be much help. What value is there in advising you on how to die peacefully?”
You received that unhelpful advice because you sought guidance about something you knew nothing about.
“Something I knew nothing about?”
“The moment you sought advice was before entering the hospital ward. In other words, you had no clue what dangers were inside.”
“What is Wisdom?”
Finding the right choice in a state of ignorance is not wisdom. That’s more aligned with foresight or luck. Even the wisest individuals require at least some information to make wise decisions.
The application of “Advice” is similar. Don’t request advice about unknown matters; gather some information first and you’ll find it much more useful.
The vague sentiments I’ve felt were clarified by the owl. Since I began using Advice, I had an inkling that recklessly seeking guidance in a blank state couldn’t yield proper advice.
Making accurate choices from a blank canvas is more akin to foresight and luck than wisdom.
In other words, I needed to gather as much information as possible before using Advice.
It was a brief yet valuable exchange. Still, it only served as a prologue.
After all, today’s main topic was the “empowerment of my Blessing!” I looked back at the owl with anticipation.
“You seem to be looking forward to the empowerment of your Blessing.”
“Absolutely. I found the teammate information checking tool you provided last time quite useful.”
“I’d like to suggest something a bit different.”
Huh?
“You’ve recently accumulated quite a bit of contribution. Escaping Room 104 and completing Room 106 netted you a considerable amount of points.
Although you fell toward the end, your judgment during Room 101 wasn’t too shabby either. If you gather just a little bit more, I can grant you a ‘very powerful enhancement.’”
Very powerful enhancement. I felt my heart race.
“What does that entail?”
“It means exactly that. It’s a powerful enhancement incomparable to merely checking teammate information. I firmly believe it will significantly aid you in achieving your goals at this hotel. However, you need just a little more.”
“So you’re suggesting I refrain from enhancement for now and save my contribution points?”
“That’s your choice. If you desire, I can immediately grant you a standard enhancement.”
This was a tough decision. The thought of a very powerful enhancement was extremely tempting, but it was undeniably disappointing to miss out on any enhancement this time.
“Could you provide at least a hint about what this ‘very powerful enhancement’ entails?”
The owl hesitated briefly.
“Let’s just say it’s the power to understand the ‘Scenario.’”
I have no idea. The ‘power to understand the Scenario’? That sounds fancy, but…
However, after hearing about the very powerful enhancement, I simply couldn’t let it go.
I made my decision.
“I’ll save it.”
“Good thought.”
Once that conversation concluded, my consciousness began its descent downwards.
…
…
…
Very powerful enhancement. Power to understand the Scenario.
What could it be? I do feel a certain thrill. Yet, ultimately, it feels like I didn’t gain anything at the Sanctum this time.
…A slight feeling of regret washed over me as my consciousness faded.
*
Cha Jinchul
Never in my life did I expect to see such a scene.
There were countless blades and cold weapons scattered all the way to the horizon.
Even the ground I was standing on was filled with swords and spears.
A mountain of blades and a forest of swords.
From atop this mountain stood an impressively massive armored being gazing down at me.
It was impossible to gauge its size, but it appeared to tower several hundred meters tall.
As I looked up at the giant in awe, a voice echoed throughout the entire realm of blades.
“Right when I thought you were just a rotten seed because of the foolish tasks you chose, you’ve brought luck this time.”
“Are you the supposed sponsor or something?”
“Plus, did you not waste an attempt due to your stupid mistake? It’s disappointing.”
For some reason, it felt like I was being scolded the moment we met!
I was overwhelmed by its sheer size, yet being scolded right off the bat left me feeling quite aggrieved.
“There are so many situations with no resolution achieved by sheer force; what am I supposed to do then?!”
“Is dragging your mother to the broadcasting station something that results from lack of strength?”
……
“Let’s wrap it up here. Whether through luck or otherwise, you did well in acquiring the Inheritance. Now, I shall grant you power that will assist you in utilizing it.”
“What kind of help?”
No further words were exchanged. The giant slammed its foot against the ground of the cold weapons realm, and my consciousness immediately began to fade.
*
[Cha Jinchul – Courage → ‘Regeneration’ acquired.]
*
Elena
With a soft clack, a teacup was placed before me.
This feels awkward. Very awkward.
My consciousness floated, and when I came back to reality, I found myself standing in the midst of a pastoral garden.
Following the path of the garden, I encountered a simple tea table where an enigmatic woman was seated.
According to what Kain-ssi explained, this must be my ‘sponsor,’ right?
As I sat down at the table, the woman poured tea for me, and we shared a silent moment over pastries.
…
Would she not say anything? I stole glances at her appearance, but couldn’t discern anything.
It must be some supernatural power because her outer appearance was obscured. My assumption of her being female was purely based on her silhouette.
“You seem restless,” she observed.
“Excuse me?”
“Sip your tea slowly. One needs to maintain calmness even amidst crises.”
“Yes….”
I followed her advice, sipping my tea slowly. Once I nearly finished, the conversation resumed.
“You’re doing well.”
Such an unexpected compliment! Am I doing well? Honestly, I felt like I hadn’t contributed much.
“I’m not implying that your contributions at the hotel were impressive. There were aspects that could have been improved.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“Your belief in ‘Justice.’ I have been observing you closely. The standards of your internal ‘balance’ appear quite similar to the laws created by humankind.”
Punishment of evil deeds, the necessity of evidence, elimination of bias, etc. I find it valuable since it reflects humanity’s long process of contemplating right and wrong.
“Isn’t it natural since I’m a human too?”
“It’s not something to take for granted. I’ve witnessed considerably more humans than you have. Countless people label what does not please them as evil without thinking, making subjective judgments. The previous wielder of Justice before you was a prime example of that extreme.”
Who was the previous wielder of Justice? The sponsor in front of me appeared quite repulsed by that individual.
“The righteous path is always laden with thorns. If you think short-term, you can mistake it for a path without rewards and laden with restrictions. However, look at it from a broader perspective. It’s precisely because it’s the right path that there are potentials ahead.”
“To be honest, I’m having a hard time understanding what you mean. I’ll just do my best.”
“That’s the spirit.”
She handed me another cup of tea. As I sipped slowly, she began to speak about a different topic this time.
“I noticed there’s a child trying to steer you off course.”
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