Chapter: 114
### 114 – Room 107, The Gate Room – ‘Witch’s Forest’ (5)
—
– Han Kain
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 37
Current Location: First Floor, Room 107 (The Gate Room)
Sage’s Advice: 3]
—
Mention of the time in ‘Understanding the Scenario.’ “Midnight.”
At that, Songee tilted her head and asked.
“So, should we just wait until midnight? Luckily, there’s still some time—”
“No. ‘Understanding the Scenario’ isn’t about idly waiting around.”
I cut her off sharply, and everyone looked at me in shock.
I know it’s supposed to be guided, but not being the owner of the Blessing, I get why they’d be confused.
But having used the quirky Blessing of the Owl until now, I was starting to catch on.
“I’ve been using it a few times, and it’s feeling familiar. ‘Understanding the Scenario’ closely resembles my past ‘Crisis Warning Ability.’”
Ahri chimed in, “The one that automatically warns you when your life is in danger? You haven’t really used it lately, have you?”
“Yeah. The biggest issue with that ability is that it warns you right before the crisis hits. When the warning pops up, it’s often already too late.
For example, if the warning is silent, you might let your guard down and suddenly get a notification like, ‘Nuclear missile will hit in 3 seconds.’ Not a very reliable ability, to be honest.”
“Is ‘Understanding the Scenario’ similar to that?”
“Think about the crisis we just faced. We were just chatting while waiting for the scenario to update, right? The refresh didn’t happen until 10 seconds before the monster attacked. If there was no ‘Understanding the Scenario’ from the outset, how would we have acted?”
The first to understand what I meant was Grandpa Mooksung.
“If that ability hadn’t existed, someone would’ve surely been keeping an eye outside the mansion. It’s not our house, so it wouldn’t be hard to think that the owner might come back.”
“And if someone was on lookout, they might’ve figured out that a witch was approaching way earlier. With such a massive creature heading our way, there’s no way it wouldn’t make a racket.
But with ‘Understanding the Scenario,’ we all ended up zoning out, waiting for it to update, completely unaware until 10 seconds before it attacked.”
The summary of this lengthy conversation is simple.
‘Understanding the Scenario’ isn’t a power meant for sitting back and waiting for the content to change! If we get too complacent, we’ll find ourselves in a crisis.
This power is supposed to be a tool to reference while we’re actively doing what needs to be done—if the scenario changes, we should take it into account.
…
This realization applies not just to ‘Understanding the Scenario,’ but to my entire Blessing. The power to warn of a crisis, to advise, to reveal the scenario.
One key principle applies to all abilities.
Don’t just rely on the Blessings and wait for something to be revealed—be proactive while using those Blessings as a reference.
“Blessings are just a helping hand.”
With that thought, an old notification popped up that I hadn’t seen in a while.
[Your understanding of Blessings has increased.]
It felt like the Owl was saying, “So, have you figured it out now?”
“I just got the scenario yesterday; obviously, you have to use it to understand, you irritating Owl!”
After mentally cursing at the Owl, we immediately started to move.
*
– Han Kain
We split the group to search the area.
Since I still couldn’t move properly, Ahri and I took on the role of exploring the mansion’s interior.
… The deeper we went in, the more horrifying things popped up.
“Is this witch some sort of Hannibal Lecter? Everything’s made from human ingredients.”
“Just think of it chill. It’s probably just pig—then it won’t feel so bad.”
“How can you think it’s pig when there’s a finger right there? Are you from the Aztecs?”
“Then you can keep nausea-ing around.”
And so, we exchanged quips while rummaging through the place.
While lingering near the wall, Ahri found something.
“This feels familiar.”
“It looks like the lever we saw in that horror mansion.”
Upon pulling the lever, as expected, stairs leading to the basement appeared.
The underground space was vast, filled with countless glass jars, sharp knives, odd colored rocks, and strange papers.
On one side of the room, there was a thick book on a table.
The contents seemed to be a journal of grand experiments.
There were many phrases that were hard to understand, so I handed it over to Ahri.
She read for a while and summarized it.
“It’s a kind of evil experiment diary. It’s packed with stories of capturing people and butchering them.”
“I figured that out, but what’s with all this weird jargon about separating body and spirit, seeds of flesh, and so on?”
“I couldn’t understand it all either, but the goal of the experiment is straightforward. The witch obtained some dark power, but the more she used it, the more she accumulated side effects in her body. At some point, she turned into a monster, only able to remain human for half of the day. The goal is to fix her twisted body.”
“If it’s a power that accumulates side effects, wouldn’t she just give it up? So, how does she fix it?”
“According to what’s written, she seems to be trying to implant another human’s body onto her own. Once that body stabilizes, her original body can be discarded. It’s like you using a grimoire for body swapping.”
“No way! Just sticking another person’s body onto her? There are blood types and all that to consider; wouldn’t she need immunosuppressants as well?”
“At the point we say ‘witch,’ is there really any point in sticking to medical realism? Let’s just roll with it.”
We searched that much and then headed back upstairs.
Upon going back up, I saw the team in a serious discussion.
“What’s up?”
Grandpa Mooksung looked serious, while Eunsol answered.
“Jinchul hasn’t improved. His Blessing has returned, so he has regeneration, but he still hasn’t regained consciousness.”
“Shouldn’t we wait a little longer? A normal person would have died long ago. Seeing him still alive means the regeneration is doing something miraculous.”
“I guess it’s true that waiting aimlessly might have him wake up, but can we really afford to do that? At this rate, he could be out for a month.”
Though no one outright said it, I understood what it meant.
It was at the point where we should consider giving up on Jinchul. Continuing with the trials in the Gate Room while carrying an unconscious brother would be too challenging.
Giving up doesn’t mean he’d stay dead. Passing through the Gate Room means we could meet again, fine and dandy.
I voiced my opinion.
“Whatever decision we make, I respect it. Even if we give up on Jinchul and proceed, we can always meet again once we get through the Gate Room. But let’s wait until tonight. If he still hasn’t woken up by tomorrow, let’s decide by majority vote.”
Everyone quietly nodded in agreement.
Next, I shared what Ahri and I learned from the basement.
The witch had turned into a monster due to the abuse of dark powers and could only return to human during certain hours of the day. Her goal seemed to be reverting her monstrous body back.
“The witch was originally definitely human!”
Elena responded with a visibly lighter expression.
Now that we had proof she was once human, we’d be able to act with ‘Justice’ in the next battle.
“Did the others find anything?”
Eunsol answered, “It’s ominous news, but there are more monsters in this forest than just the witch. In fact, I was searching for an escape route, thinking maybe getting out of the woods would count as an escape, and I came across tons of monsters. A two-headed wolf is just the start, and there were even birds with octopus legs.”
“It’s strange; we didn’t see any of those monsters while coming from the forest to the mansion.”
“They only come out once you get a bit further away from the mansion. The monsters won’t approach the mansion. They probably fear the witch.”
After chatting, we checked the time. Midnight was drawing near.
After our first battle with the witch, we discovered her purpose, the state of the forest, and what we faced next.
We still weren’t entirely sure how to deal with this, but at least with the witch’s identity revealed, Elena could shine in the next battle.
…
As midnight struck, the scenario updated.
—
/Scenario: The Gate Room – ‘Witch’s Forest’
The party discovered the witch’s identity and purpose in the underground mansion and found out that escaping the witch’s forest would be difficult due to the abundance of monsters.
As they struggled with deliberation, it became midnight.
—
With the moon shining brightly in the sky, the witch regained her senses from madness.
The witch approaches the mansion. It seems she has something to propose?
Will you accept her proposal or eliminate her without a word?
Please check back for updates tomorrow./
—
So the witch regained her senses and approaches the mansion.
She has something to propose? What does that mean?
—Knock! Knock!
There was a loud knock.
I quickly opened the dialogue box.
Han Kain: Witch humanizes. Approaching the mansion. Appears to have a proposal.
Kim Mooksung: Can’t we just kill her?
Han Kain: Not sure.
Kim Ahri: Let’s hear what she has to say. Elena could handle it.
Taking heart in Ahri’s words, now that Elena could use Justice, our party’s power was significantly boosted. We could handle whatever came.
Grandpa Mooksung opened the door.
…
The witch’s humanized form looked nothing like the monster we just fought.
She stood around 160 cm tall—slightly taller than Songee.
She appeared to be in her late twenties. An air of elegance surrounded her.
From her outfit to her fashion (which I’m usually clueless about), everything looked quite splendid and high-class, and every piece of jewelry from hair ornaments to bracelets showcased a certain sophistication.
In her left hand, she held a staff that was anything but ordinary.
Had we met without knowing she was a witch, we might have thought she was just some noble lady from somewhere.
Grandpa pointed his gun at her and spoke harshly.
“What’s this trickery?”
“Isn’t it quite rude for you to be asking that? This is originally my home. Please behave yourself.”
Right, this used to be the witch’s house, didn’t it?
“If it weren’t for all the gruesome things we found inside, maybe we would have decided to behave. Sorry, but shut up and get on with it!”
In this tense atmosphere, I felt a faint glow coming from Elena.
It seemed she wasn’t instinctively activating Justice, but was using a lie detector spell instead.
“You made quite a ruckus earlier, and it looks like one of you is in critical condition.”
“…”
“Let me be direct. I will heal him.”
So, this was the witch’s proposal!
When the scenario said ‘Will you accept the proposal or eliminate her without a word?’ I suspected an unusual proposition would come forth.
It’s a proposal worth considering since we’ve decided not to simply kill the witch right away!
Jinchul’s recovery could sway our decision.
It’s not just because I’m close to him. It’s because his power is unique and stable compared to the rest of us.
Unlike Elena, who needed special conditions, or my unknown ability, Jinchul’s strength is unmatched without any conditions attached.
After gaining the star, Jinchul’s physical strength accounts for a staggering 70-80% of our entire group’s combat power.
We’ve repeatedly refused to give up on him even as he lies in a coma because of this factor.
It looked like everyone’s heads were getting tangled.
With the witch right in front of us, the dialogue box lit up. Maybe in this rush, everyone was throwing words left and right without holding back.
Yusong: Is it possible?
Kim Ahri: Considering she’s a body-swapping ability user…
Kim Mooksung: Even if it is possible, how can we trust her?
Elena: I’m using a lie detector spell, and it appears to be a genuine offer.
Han Kain: Let’s hear the rest. She probably wants something in return.
I stepped forward and asked.
“You’re not just offering treatment without a price. What do you want?”
As I questioned, the witch stared intently at me.
…
She kept staring.
…
Almost a minute passed as she fixed her gaze solely on me, and my teammates began to respond with puzzled expressions.
“What’s she doing? Kain’s face is fair enough, but not like she’d stare at it all day.”
“I thought it was a joke from afar, but it’s real.”
“What’s real—”
“Move aside.”
The witch lightly tapped Grandpa Mooksung with her staff and approached me.
Grandpa looked bewildered by the unexpected gesture but didn’t stop her.
…
With a somewhat tender expression and a light in her eyes.
What the hell was going on? What’s with this bizarre atmosphere? Why is a cannibalistic witch acting like this?
I couldn’t hold myself back and spoke.
“Do you have something to tell me?”
“You are a wizard.”
What the heck is she talking about? I barely managed to gather my thoughts to reply.
“What do you mean by that—”
“No need to hide. I know when I see one. We can help each other.”
With a voice that drips with tenderness—
Spare me, please. I just saw five jars of eyeball pickles that you made earlier!
I was left speechless in incredulity.
—
As always, I’ll be serializing diligently.
I sense many of you are looking forward to Elena’s illustration.
I’ll be sure to prepare the next illustration and cover featuring Elena. Thank you as always!
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