### Chapter 241 – Room 202, Cursed Room – ‘Mermaid Princess’ (19)
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
Date: Day 102
Current Location: Floor 2, Room 202 – Cursed Room ‘Mermaid Princess’
Sage’s Advice: 1
—
– Han Kain
The suicide problem of the “giant snake” that had been a headache for me was resolved more easily than I expected.
I remembered from a documentary that snakes generally don’t have immunity to their own venom, so I bit my tongue with its fangs and, bam! My tongue started melting right away! The following moments were filled with intense pain, as if my entire body was being set on fire.
Of course, I had no intention of suffering through that pain any longer.
“Oops!”
“You’re back! What about the snake?”
“Handled it,” I replied nonchalantly.
The chaos in the cave continued with monsters rampaging everywhere. They seemed to be members of the ‘Kadarudakh’s followers.’ I heard that Rilinganor had the ability to control such monsters; does Lee Sooho have a similar skill?
Luckily, none of the beasts matched the strength of the snake I had possessed, and the cave wasn’t expansive enough for more than five to attack me at once, so it was manageable. With the combination of everyone’s various superpowers and Eunsol uncharacteristically throwing her body into the fray, we quickly opened up a path.
But unease lingered in everyone’s hearts. They felt it was a significant waste of time.
“Everyone, back!”
As a decision was made, Ari pulled out a bottle containing ‘Blood Reserve 500mL’ obtained from the ‘Health Hotel Kitchen’ selection. As she opened the cap and the blood flowed out like it was alive, she added her own blood to it.
What kind of technique is that? All that blood combined can’t be less than a liter, right?
Indeed, a phenomenal phenomenon occurred, undoubtedly “magic,” as a red mist covered a third of the cave, advancing like a living poison gas and starting to sweep up the surrounding monsters!
“What the heck is this?”
“Jinchul, give me a lift!”
Thanks to the incredible magic, we could advance without resistance for about five minutes. By scanning the area, I could see that over 30 to 40 monsters had been swept away and were now little more than shriveled carcasses. Yet, the cave still felt endless, and Lee Sooho’s preparations for more monsters loomed ahead. Grandpa, who could no longer endure the frustration, burst out.
“What the hell is Sooho setting up in this cave? How has he fed all these monsters?”
We must have already killed around 100 monsters by now…
Just then, a sound arrived that brightened everyone’s expressions.
— Bam! Bam! Ta-ta Bam!
The loud gunfire came from the back of the cave! Reinforcements had arrived. As we stood by for a moment, it didn’t take a minute before over 30 elite troops from the Administration Bureau appeared. The elite personnel from Room 202 looked intimidating right from the start. They didn’t resemble the special forces you see on TV at all; for one, their uniforms weren’t standard military attire.
“What the heck are those armors? Reinforced suits? I’ve only seen them in movies.”
“Jinchul, don’t gape; close your mouth. Who would fight monsters bare-handed?”
Soon, Department Chief Park and Serenade also arrived. We were utterly exhausted, so we took a moment to catch our breath and exchanged a few words with the newcomers. The troops from the Administration Bureau seemed prepared for the situation, even sharing what looked like chocolate bars with us.
Unlike the clean and intact arrival of the elite troops, things looked grim for Serenade. She was covered in blood, and seeing her alone gave me a sense of what she had been through. Just as we feared, Serenade and the merfolk likely got lost in the cave and had suffered immensely. Perhaps, aside from Serenade, everyone else was dead.
Elena approached, worry etched on her face. “Sister, what about Rilinganor?”
“I left her behind because she’s too young. Thank goodness. Had I brought her, she…” she trailed off.
In the meantime, Chief Park and Grandpa were having a brief exchange.
“Mooksung, we saw some incredible signs of battle on the way here. Your comrades are quite skilled. Thanks to them, we arrived comfortably.”
“Enough with the flattery. Time is of the essence, so let’s get to the important stuff. There are still many monsters prepared by Lee Sooho up ahead.”
“You can rest now. You’ve paved the way for us, so it’s time to use the weapons you’ve saved. Let’s go right away.”
“That’s refreshing. But didn’t you say we wouldn’t arrive until night?”
“Did your early arrival disappoint you?”
“Just expressing my gratitude, buddy!”
Chief Park’s insistence that we trust them didn’t feel like a joke at this point. As soon as the monsters appeared, the sound of Bang Bang! rang out, and the monsters blew up, making it hard to tell who the monsters even were!
What sort of gear is that?
I continued to inspect the gear of the elite troops while running alongside them. The outer reinforced suits made them look sleek and round, almost like beetles. The way they crushed the monsters beneath them suggested enhanced physical capabilities, yet they didn’t seem to provide the same robust strength as the hotel’s protective suits.
In terms of durability and protection for the occupants, I was a bit disappointed. Just earlier, Eunsol, who knew next to nothing about combat, had relied solely on her protective suit to withstand all kinds of attacks from monsters, yet while that suit had shown no signs of damage, the elite’s armor was penetrated even by weaker attacks, resulting in pain for its wearer.
Of course, that’s judging it against the protective suit, which was crafted from an area where miracles and technology blur together.
While I found the armor somewhat disappointing, the guns were astonishing. At first, I thought they were standard assault rifles, but I realized something was different as I witnessed the massive centipede explode against the cave wall.
Every bullet seemed to be a kind of grenade? It resembled a weapon capable of rapid-firing small grenades. After around 30 minutes of advancing, we finally approached the end of the cave.
– Thud!
“Ugh!”
“What the –”
– Thud!
“Everyone, halt!”
– Thud!
We could hear a booming sound. It was the roar of a gigantic—immense—heartbeat. After seeing the impressive combat strength of the Administration Bureau’s elite troops moments prior, my confidence deflated in an instant.
Ah, right. I forgot for a moment; this is Hotel Pioneer. No matter what kind of weapon humans create, this is a place where entities that consider those weapons toys abound. I heard Chief Park lamenting next to me.
“Unbelievable! It hasn’t even awakened yet, and it’s already this powerful! Once it wakes up, it’ll be even more amazing. We don’t have time to hesitate; let’s keep moving!”
A sound judgment, indeed. But humans do have instincts. Since we could anticipate the nature of the entity ahead, everyone’s movements instinctively slowed down. At the end of the coiled path, a man stood still, staring up at the ceiling.
“Lee Sooho!”
“…”
“I figured I had to kill you since the first time I laid eyes on you! I regret not dispatching you back then!”
— Bang!
Gunshots rang out consecutively, yet there seemed to be an invisible barrier between Lee Sooho and us. We approached the barrier, but neither bullets nor Jinchul’s punch could even shake it.
“Are you planning to blockade us back there? Did you think there’s no means to tear this down?”
As if on cue, Chief Park gestured, and a nimble soldier came forward with some complicated device. That was when Lee Sooho spoke for the first time.
“No need for that. The barrier won’t last long anyway.”
“Then why not release it now?”
Regardless of what Lee Sooho said, the soldiers began dismantling the barrier.
“… Is this the end?”
That tone sounded as if he felt defeated. Serenade, who had been silent until now, took a step forward.
“Yes. This is indeed the end. It’d be great if you could elaborate on the chaos you’ve caused.”
“You’re so foolish.”
“What?”
“Serenade. Did you come along without knowing what you’d face ahead?”
“Face? What do you…”
“You’re babbling about nonsense.”
[Advice: 1 → 0]
[Instantly teleport to the right!]
— Bang!
The bullet whizzed past where I was standing. At the same moment, Songyi’s head burst before my eyes.
Things went smoothly now, as a bullet lodged into the back of Grandpa’s head, who had been calmly coaching the ‘younger ones’ on equipment use.
This time, a hole the size of a head formed in Jinchul’s chest as he leaned back, thinking things were going comfortably.
Mr. Sanghyun, who was asking Ari if he was fine with a worried look, didn’t even understand what was happening until his last moment.
No matter how long it felt, it was one second. Or perhaps just below that. After taking a breath, four people were dead.
…
Immediately, an overwhelming fury boiled within me; I couldn’t even process my thoughts. Operating almost instinctively, I seized the body of another soldier that came into view. I turned the gun in my hand—
— Bang! Bang!
In a hazy conscious state, I suddenly realized what had just transpired. The elite troops of the Administration Bureau had successfully eliminated ‘me’ in a fraction of a second, leaving no hesitation towards my original self or even the ‘comrades’ whose body I had taken over.
The last emotion that surfaced at that moment wasn’t anger or sorrow, but ‘admiration.’
*
“Done! We’ve successfully eliminated the most threatening ability user! Don’t loosen up; continue advancing.”
The bizarre boy who had unnerved us earlier while manipulating the sea serpent, Abrahatas, was dead before he even had a sip of water. Simultaneously, “cleansing” began to occur all around. After taking a breath, corpses lay strewn everywhere. As I observed this surreal sight, Lee Sooho chuckled.
“You lot truly are something else. Aren’t you from the same Administration Bureau? Even with talents like yours, you’re going down like this?”
“Lee Sooho, that expression isn’t quite right. Nobody here has perished in vain. Only the inevitable sacrifices for a great leap forward remain.”
Ah… This sight was familiar. This is how they operated. No doubt they raged against anyone who might uncover their ‘project’ until the very moment it was completed, even ordinary people or the majority of Administration Bureau agents.
Thinking like this, I began to piece together the identity of the current soldiers. Human-born beings transitioning into something inhuman; beneficiaries of the ‘leap.’
Dressing themselves in full-body reinforced suits was no mere choice; it was a necessity. They mustn’t allow their mutated forms to show!
“I’d rather not partake in that grand leap, thank you very much.”
“Lee Sooho, it’s over now. Imelda sends her regards.”
Imelda. The name I had forgotten hit my ears, and Lee Sooho clenched his jaw tightly without even realizing it. The former ocean deity’s saintess, had she not become greedy!
Beneath the cave laden with tragedy, Park Jinsung declared solemnly, “The tragedy of today will also be the fertilizer for a great leap forward. Armstrong once said, ‘This is one small step for me but a giant leap for mankind.’ Today, we shall take that leap once more—”
Lee Sooho covered his ears. He couldn’t stop posturing even now. Was there anything left for me to do?
In that moment, his gaze caught the sight of Serenade and Elena being ‘collected’ unconscious through some means on the other side.
A flash of realization hit Lee Sooho. At least he was confident that Elena and Serenade wouldn’t perish; the administration’s plan absolutely required the daughter of the ocean deity!
Strange letters materialized in the air. As he glanced at Park Jinsung with suspicion, Lee Sooho smiled for the first time.
This game is far from over.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.