### Chapter 270 – Room ???, The Cursed Room – ‘????’ (8)
—
As the presence of the approaching ‘legion’ flew through the sky, we fell silent, making one firm decision: if push comes to shove, we would unite our strength to take on Elena!
This wasn’t going to be easy. Just looking at the sheer number of those monster-like beings made it clear we didn’t stand a chance. Even if Cha Jinchul was perfectly fine, he wouldn’t be able to handle the sheer number alone. But if Elena couldn’t use her abilities since her blessings were gone, there was no way she could resist my ‘Grimoire.’
Unfortunately, the haunting memories of Elena being possessed by the madness of the 0th-dimensional eye clung to my ankles. You see, getting possessed by someone overwhelmed by madness would also affect the one who possessed them. So I thought of possession as a last resort and cautiously approached Elena.
Elena’s condition was, quite frankly, bizarre.
*
“I’ve missed you all!”
Elena, flying through the sky, casually approached us and hugged each one of us. Since I’d never received a hug from such a beauty in my life, everyone turned red with embarrassment. But instead of feeling shy, my cold sweat was due to sheer tension.
The Elena I knew wasn’t the type to hug people like this out of the blue, and the wriggling insect-like wings on her back sent a strong sense of unease. And more than anything, the presence of about 300 grotesque moths lurking behind her added to the seriousness of the situation.
“… Nice to see you.”
“Elena, you must have had it tough.”
After our brief greetings, we started conversing as if it were ‘business as usual.’ Of course, we had to focus more on what Elena had experienced rather than our own stories.
“Honestly, when I first woke up, I was really shocked! The whole world was squirming like flesh! Can you believe it? Even the sky was purple, and I was on a tongue!”
“Purple sky… and squirming flesh, you say?”
“Yes! Didn’t you get shocked?”
“Y-yeah, I mean, if you don’t get shocked at that, are you even human?”
“Elena! Does the ground still look like squirming flesh to you? The ground is—”
“Jinchul, it looks fine now! My ‘fairies’ purified everything. But before I arrived, everything looked like it was squirming from a distance.”
“Elena! You’re mistaken! The floor is solid dirt and stone, and the sky is blue. We’re in a perfectly fine world!”
“Hm, is that so?”
Suddenly, the atmosphere grew tense. Without really rebutting Jinchul’s claims, Elena suddenly switched to a childish tone and continued.
“Han Kain! That uncle seems a bit off, so be careful. This world is dangerous, where it wouldn’t be odd for people to go insane.”
“… Elena, that’s not true. I’m fine. Tell me more. What other things did you experience?”
“Octopuses~! Dozens of wriggling octopuses popped out, remember? They scared me so much I ran around in panic, begging for someone to help me! Why didn’t anyone help?”
Suddenly, the mood shifted, and the moths lifted me into the air. I realized now that Elena was seriously asking why I hadn’t helped her when she was in danger.
The air was filled with murmurs.
Cha Jinchul was contemplating whether to attack, while Sanghyun seemed focused on Elena’s words, and Grandpa slowly moved his hand toward his gun.
I felt I knew exactly what response was needed right now.
“I’m sorry. I was too busy dodging octopuses to think about saving anyone.”
I quickly apologized.
In this vast, primitive continent, how was I supposed to know where she was when she was in danger? Even if I did know, how on earth could I possibly get to her and help? That kind of response wasn’t going to cut it.
— Thud!
Funny enough, it seemed that answer appeased her, and the conversation continued.
“Next time, don’t make such a mistake! But I’ll let it slide this time since I learned how to make fairies while I was alone. Look! Isn’t it so pretty?”
After that, as everyone listened intently to Elena’s bizarre, morbid fairy tale, their expressions gradually darkened. The identity of the ‘squirming octopus horde’ she had mentioned was none other than the ‘primitive people,’ and the meaning behind her saying that the fairies purified the swarm became clear.
Eventually, Grandpa understood the flow of the conversation, sighed dramatically, and was about to draw his gun when the doctor intervened and smiled, stepping into the conversation.
“Elena, may I borrow Han Kain for a moment?”
“Huh? Of course! But is it something I shouldn’t hear?”
“Haha! Let’s just say it’s a private matter.”
The doctor left the ‘management’ of Elena to the other two and started leading me away.
“What were you thinking during that conversation?”
“I think I’m losing my mind. I feel like I’m completely out of it.”
“Your conversation was quite good. Rather than refuting Elena’s words, you just went along with them. Are you used to such conversations?”
“No way.”
“You did well. Given the extreme delusions she exhibits, she’s likely built her own world. Trying to break that would provoke an aggressive reaction. Just keep doing it like this.”
“So you want me to keep talking?”
“Elder or Jinchul couldn’t get Elena to cooperate gently. You’re more suitable for the job.”
I wasn’t sure what to say, but I noticed one thing: the doctor’s expression wasn’t dark at all. In fact, it seemed quite bright.
“I thought we were in a hellish situation, but seeing your bright expression is surprising.”
“Our situation has improved significantly since earlier. Why should I look gloomy? We have a mentally unusual yet powerful ally who can resist the robot menace of the mountain!”
*
Three days passed.
Over those three days, my role became largely to keep the deranged Elena entertained. The others were somewhat burdened by being close to her, and only the doctor approached occasionally to check on the situation, taking care of the remaining 20%.
Of course, that didn’t mean the others were just slacking off. Grandpa and Jinchul were busy training the tribesmen to keep them occupied near the mountain’s boundary to distract the robots.
As training began, Elena expressed a strong desire to ‘purify’ the tribesmen, which darkened our expressions. Fortunately, the doctor, being the only other person who could communicate with Elena, explained that these ‘octopuses’ were smart ones and that they’d follow commands. This calmed Elena down somewhat.
“Han Kain, I have a simple request.”
“What is it?”
“I think my fairies are feeling very hungry lately… Look! They’re down to bones!”
“Is that so? The moths, I mean, the fairies seem to be quite plump.”
“Can’t you just spare a few of the numerous ‘octopuses’? Like about 300?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Really? You can’t spare even 300 out of that many? My fairies are much more efficient!”
“Didn’t I say absolutely not? Those octopuses all have their roles.”
“What roles?”
“… Emergency rations for climbing the mountain? If they eat them now, there won’t be food left when we go up the mountain.”
“Aah! You’re really thinking ahead!”
“Of course.”
“Fine. I’ll tell the fairies to hang in there.”
After Elena decided to tell her fairies to hold on, a gray boy sitting across from me expressed his admiration.
“Wow! The tribesmen would really be shocked to hear that. I wish I could record that conversation and play it for them.”
“Don’t worry; there’s no such thing as a recorder in this world. By the way, Seungyub, how have you been lately?”
“I’m doing fine.”
“… Are you really okay?”
“If I wasn’t fine, would you be able to return me to how I used to be?”
“That’d be out of my hands, but if we go outside, the hotel will probably fix you up.”
“That’s why I decided I’ll think I’m fine.”
I had nothing more to say.
The boy sitting next to me, whose rocky skin seemed to have replaced his actual flesh, was surprisingly composed. Amidst all this chaos, perhaps he still had faith that once they escaped, the hotel would handle everything.
The memory of reuniting with Seungyub two days ago remained vivid in my mind. Elena had taken me to a massive cocoon, claiming it held someone I knew. When that cocoon burst open, Seungyub emerged, transformed into a rocky boy, and I almost screamed.
“What on earth happened to you?”
“If I start explaining what I went through, it could take all night. Seriously, this room is something else! Before I even met Elena, it was hell on earth!”
“I thought so. As soon as I understood the room’s state, I realized you were the most stressed out. Plus, hearing Elena constantly saying she ‘saved’ you made me even more anxious.”
The gray rock boy chuckled softly and gave a brief response.
“Well, funnily enough, that’s actually true.”
“What do you mean?”
“Elena did save me. If she hadn’t shown up when she did, I might have died a lot worse. So, considering that, having a slightly tougher skin is no big deal.”
I paused in shock. Was Elena’s ‘salvation’ real? Come to think of it, she had mentioned seeing Seungyub hanging from a pole when she found him!
“What on earth did you go through?”
“Let’s go outside and talk. I have so much to say. But it looks like we’re entering the mountain range tomorrow. By the way, I’m curious where everyone else is—how are Eunsol and Songee doing? Hope they’re okay.”
“Feels like we’ll find out when we step outside.”
*
Seeing Elena descend from the sky, everyone’s anxiety transformed into relief. The doctor’s assessment that the situation improved with her addition proved accurate.
First and foremost, we finally had someone powerful enough to take on the robots. Over the past three days, I did my best to inform Elena of the threats we faced in the mountains, and she accepted this and regained her fighting spirit.
Moreover, the tribesmen’s ‘faith’ deepened significantly.
The doctor had deceived them into believing that Elena was an ‘angel sent by their ancestors.’ They had absolutely no idea that the angel was planning to ‘purify’ them, nor did they have any clue about the real identity of the moths flying over the plains.
Strengthened forces, reasonable plans, and elevated morale.
It felt like everything was aligning in our favor. We pledged to head into the mountain range together the next morning. Even Elena, who usually spouted off nonsense, was happily cheering, “Let’s do this!”
Just then, Seungyub brought up a foreboding thought.
“Something feels off. Typically, when things are going well like this, it usually means disaster is on its way.”
“Seriously, Seungyub? Why would you say something like that right now? I wish I could smack you right in the head, but it’s too solid for me to do that!”
We all burst into laughter as Grandpa chided him. Meanwhile, the doctor leaned toward Elena and whispered in my ear.
“Oh, Han Kain.”
“Yes?”
“Could you give a brief speech first thing tomorrow morning?”
“A speech?”
“I doubt more than half of the tribesmen are your followers. Your words will carry weight with them. It seems mentioning we need to perform an ‘odd ceremony’ around the ‘Crimson Mountain Range’ has been disconcerting for them.”
“Sure, I’ll give it a shot.”
*
“Listen up! Last night, our ancestors delivered a revelation! The painful march is over, and the time of glory has arrived!”
“Wooooah!”
“After being expelled from paradise, we’ve had tough times. 1,000 years of starvation! 1,000 years chased by monsters! 1,000 years of sleeping in fear every night! How long has it been? Rejoice, for you shall escape despair!”
The shouts of the tribesmen echoed as if shaking the heavens, and many people watched in awe.
“Wow! Han Kain, you’re such a great speaker!”
“That is, except for the fact that it’s all nonsense.”
“Isn’t it even more impressive that you can spin such nonsense so smoothly?”
“Hush!”
Cha Jinchul quickly covered Park Seungyub’s mouth. Of course, he agreed that what I said was nonsense, but with Elena nearby, who was crying tears of joy over the words, it didn’t seem right to provoke her.
The old man chuckled and announced to everyone.
“Well, it’s clear he’s not exactly in his right mind.”
“Isn’t it strange to maintain ‘sanity’ in a place like this?”
“True enough, Sanghyun.”
“Alright, let’s get ready to set off.”
I’ll work hard for a faithful serialization in the future!
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.