### Chapter 320 – Re-entering Room 203
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 138
Current Location: Level 1, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: 3]
– Han Kain
As I woke up early in the morning, I quickly stepped outside Room 105 and recalled last night’s events.
If the being summoned by Miro dies, we die too. Last night, another version of me discovered this tidbit and passed it on.
Got that part down!
But the eerie part comes next. The guy I was chatting with out of nowhere said, “Remember, you must not meet me,” and then shut down communication!
What was that all about? Why leave us hanging, making us curious without explaining? We weren’t even supposed to meet in the first place!
A bunch of possibilities whirled in my head.
Could it be that Miro can sense conversations between the summon and the original? Does the watch have that feature? With Miro already hiding one function, who knows how many other secrets she has up her sleeve?
Or maybe meeting could kill me? There are urban legends about doppelgängers that say such things. But if it’s that dangerous, why didn’t he mention it?
Just when my head was starting to throb, people started gathering, and after a quick breakfast, our meeting commenced.
“Tomorrow morning, if Miro doesn’t mention this, keep your guard up around her.”
I had been eyeing Miro carefully because of this note I saw yesterday, but thankfully, as the meeting started, Miro raised her hand and announced.
“So everyone, be careful! Just because I summoned something doesn’t mean it’ll charge at the enemy all of a sudden!”
Jinchul’s eyes went wide in surprise.
“That’s quite an astounding story! Didn’t you know that yesterday?”
“No… I got the watch and it was like a giant jigsaw puzzle of information. I realized it while I was alone in my room.”
“Yeah, time-sharing is a pretty complicated inheritance.”
That sounded a bit fishy, but everyone else didn’t seem too suspicious.
Anyway, since Miro was the one bringing this up, and time-sharing really is an incredibly complex legacy that the user may not grasp instantly, it was plausible.
Plus, Miro sometimes seemed like she was acting more like a kid than a middle schooler.
My older sister naturally shifted the subject of the meeting.
“All right! So now that we get the hang of time-sharing, let’s talk about the next room. We gathered this early because we’ll have to head to the cursed room later.”
“Which room should we go to?”
The doctor turned to my sister, who glanced around at everyone.
“Let’s go for Room 203? We skipped it last time because it sounded too difficult and overwhelming…”
The “us” now is pretty different from back then. Just a week on hotel time can feel like the universe went through seven days of creation.
Seriously, the recovery of blessings is a big deal. Back then, Seungyub had a rough time but now has an idea of what his initial human powers are. My understanding of the scenario might finally come into play again.
Miro joining us also adds significant weight. Her time-sharing will be crucial in overcoming the ‘joining’ challenge of Room 203, which is extremely difficult.
And then…
My sister directly addressed what was passing through everyone’s mind.
“Let’s be honest. What about trying to kill Ahri, summoned by Miro?”
Ahri yawned and chimed in.
“Go ahead and do it without hurting me, please. And just so you know, even if you chop off my limbs, it won’t kill me. It’s the head you need!”
Seeing ‘partners’ think of ways to murder each other before even stepping into the cursed room made my shoulders shake with laughter.
In this crazy atmosphere, Miro adapted better than I thought.
“So, can I just smash Ahri’s head with a hammer as soon as she’s summoned? Like this?”
Where on earth did she get a tiny hammer? She started tapping Ahri’s head lightly with it, leaving Ahri momentarily speechless.
“… Miro, seriously, just explain the situation to me. You know I’m already aware of everything here. If you explain, I might just end it all right here.”
“Okay.”
“… Put the hammer down.”
“Wait, hold on!”
It felt like we were agreeing smoothly to kill Ahri, so I stepped in to stop it.
“Guys, don’t you forget? The ‘seal’ was made to be unsealed, not obliterated. Oddly enough, it seems like sealed Ahri is fighting us like an enemy in Room 203…”
My sister nodded in acknowledgment.
“That’s true. If we can revert Ahri’s mindset in that situation, she’s bound to smack us with plenty of info to resolve the room.”
At this point, everyone went silent, lost in thought. In that moment, I revisited the situation in Room 203 in my head.
In the primordial age, if you crossed the mountains, you’d see traces of fallen civilizations and a rampaging Ahri.
In the sky, there was an unidentifiable whale-like entity, floating and producing abundance just by its presence.
Still clueless about what that meant, but following the shadow of that whale meant escape.
… I’m really lost here. What on earth transpires in Room 203?
While mulling over what the Owl had said after leaving Room 203, it rang a bell — don’t cling to failed choices, focus on the successful ones?
“How about we all follow the whale’s shadow this time? I think the advice hinted at that.”
Ahri pitched in with a different angle.
“The Owl may have said that, but did it really mean everyone should follow blindly?”
“What do you mean?” I fired back.
“Half of us could follow the whale to ensure an escape, while the rest can work on unsealing me. How about that?”
“Hmm…”
Everyone struggled to reach a conclusion.
Should I use the advice again to ask for clarity? Nah. We’re entering the cursed room again today, and it feels risky to write anything beforehand. Plus, we’re running low on intel.
Just then, a strange sound reverberated through the corridor.
— Crackle!
“What was that noise?”
“Look! Look! The hotel TV just turned on!”
“Huh?”
All eyes shifted to the display mounted on the wall.
Suddenly, a video of a woman in a hanbok crawling out of a well began to play. She slowly approached the screen, reaching out her hand—
— Bang!
“Damn it all to hell!”
Grandpa bellowed in frustration, shooting at the screen with a gun. My brother slapped his forehead.
“They’re telling us to get in there fast! Brilliant move, really.”
With that, the meeting quickly wrapped up. Realistically, we wouldn’t have much more to say.
We’re expected to operate like primitive people scattered across the continent, leading tribes in a time of stone-age chaos. Can we really stick to a predetermined plan?
With too many variables, ultimately, we’d need to rely on each of our improvised judgments.
“Okay, then! I’m taking some time now. Hotel, don’t forget to be patient!”
Miro borrowed time from Ahri through the time-sharing.
An hour later, when I regained my senses, I found the surroundings in utter chaos. The expressions on Ahri’s and my faces hardened as we spotted three corpses of the beastly monkeys we saw on our first day.
“… What the hell is this?”
“Stop talking nonsense and let’s hurry inside. While you were gone, those monkey freaks came out swinging!”
— Click!
*
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 138
Current Location: Level 2, Room 203 – Cursed Room ‘A New Beginning’
Sage’s Advice: 3]
– Han Kain
…
…
…
I can’t move. My vision is hazy and sounds are muffled.
What’s going on? Am I paralyzed or deprived of my senses? Am I sealed? No way that’s happening!
What the—
— Hiss!
A peculiar sound of a gas valve opening started tingling across my body with hot energy.
At first, my touch sharpened, revealing my containment in a very tight spot. Soon, my sight and hearing resumed normally.
I could hear something shifting, and a body that vaguely resembled a human came into view outside. Just as I began to slowly regain control of my body, ‘Ahri’ approached.
What’s going on? Wasn’t Ahri sealed? Confused, I tried to ask her—
[Advice: 3 → 2]
[Keep quiet and observe the situation.]
“Han Kain, have you regained your senses?”
“…”
“Han Kain?”
“…”
“Hmm… It appears you’re having difficulty understanding the situation. Please don’t worry. It’s normal to feel this way after abrupt awakening from a long cryogenic slumber.”
The entity in front of me wasn’t Ahri. It was ‘something’ using Ahri’s body!
The presence seemed to reflect some error in my memories, so I cautiously inquired.
“Who are you?”
The being borrowing Ahri’s body smiled brightly and said,
“Ah! You’ve forgotten even that? I’m the main AI of the ‘Pride of Humanity’ spaceship. You can call me ‘Pride’.”
Pride?
“Han Kain, let’s move for now. As we walk through the spaceship, your memory should gradually return. And there’s a reason I woke you.”
Room 203 wasn’t set in the stone age? Suddenly we’re on a spaceship led by a main AI? What kind of sci-fi twist is this?
Trying to keep my dazed thoughts in check, I followed Pride, questioning,
“… Why did you wake me?”
“There’s been a problem with Adravita. I don’t know if you remember, but you and Eunsol were responsible for communication with Adravita.”
Adravita? What’s that now?
… I pondered while I walked through the pristine white corridor.
First off, the scenario has changed. We went through something similar in Room 102, the Mansion of Horror. Thinking back, the situation was pretty similar. In Room 102, after my first attempt, when Ahri and Grandpa joined, the scenario shifted.
This time, is it because Miro joined? But why? Miro isn’t exactly a character within the scenario, is she?
Secondly, the body of Ahri is currently occupied by this thing called ‘Pride’. Given the circumstances, it looks like it was an enemy when we faced it the first time, yet now it doesn’t seem to hold an antagonistic stance.
If that’s the case, are we now in a much earlier point of the timeline? Did those spacesuits Seungyub saw belong to this spaceship?
Thirdly, where are the other team members? Are they still in cryogenic sleep? How do we wake them up? Maybe I can ask AI for help in that department?
Lost in a chaotic swirl of scenario comprehension—
Suddenly, Pride turned to glance at me.
“You seem to be staring into space. Is something unusual catching your eye?”
A wave of instinct flashed over me. No, this wasn’t mere instinct. Earlier, when I was carelessly interacting with that entity like I would with Ahri, the advice triggered instantly, didn’t it?
Crisis alerts only activate when my life is truly at risk. So, ‘Pride’ is a dangerous entity.
“What do you mean? I was just thinking.”
“Is that so? My apologies. You see, there’s been a situation where Adravita has been trying to infect the spaceship for a few days now.”
“… Infect?”
“Perhaps you’ve been concerned that you too have been ‘infected’.”
“….”
— Click!
Pride gripped the door handle of a vast chamber behind us, spinning back around.
“Han Kain, I need your assistance. This creature refuses to communicate with me. And make sure to activate your mental shields at maximum capacity.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Just come with me and relay whatever I say to you.”
As soon as I hastily tailored the status filters across my field of view, the door opened.
On the other side — I saw a ‘giant eye’.
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