### Chapter 331 – Room 203, The Cursed Room – ‘A New Beginning’ (11)
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 683,624
Current Location: Floor 2, Room 203 – The Cursed Room ‘A New Beginning’
Sage’s Advice: 3]
– Han Kain
Before stepping back into Room 203, we devised a plan on how to proceed. We needed to bring the ship’s power source, the ‘Core,’ to the mountains.
However, that innocent little plan was quickly revealed to be a bit more complicated than just ‘bring it.’
The last time we saw the Core, Miro could only vaguely recognize its form, but in actuality, it was a colossal machine that emitted heat endlessly—way bigger than I can handle.
Wait, hold up! You’re telling me we have to move that thing?
Fortunately, this issue was solved easily. Turns out, the Core was quite the high-tech contraption; it could move by itself if you just pointed it in the right direction.
Not that weird, right? The ancient civilizations surely didn’t cart it around by hand.
So the actual problem was us.
“Are we seriously going to walk to the mountains? Like, on foot?”
“Yeah, hopping onto the moving Core doesn’t seem like an option, does it?”
“Getting too close to that thing might just turn us into toast!”
I bet the group that moved the Core 1,800 years ago had some sort of transportation. It just so happens we don’t have any right now.
A heavy silence descended upon us.
Songee, who trained flying beasts for us, was buried deep in the primordial plains, while the primitive folks who helped bring Elena and Seungyub to the building seemed to have vanished without a trace.
“No way that’s happening.”
At Elena’s calm comment, everyone’s expressions fell. We all sensed the ominous fate that lay ahead.
There was only one person among us who could swiftly move all of us—an entity beyond human comprehension.
—
Inside the building, darkness loomed. Just yesterday, the furniture was pristine, and now it was covered in cobwebs and dust that sprang up from nowhere.
The walls, once polished, were peeling, revealing unsightly metal beams within, and the ceiling began to creak continuously.
— Hooo.
Somewhere, a faint sob echoed. The wind roared, intertwining with the eerie atmosphere unnervingly.
A marvelous building that once showcased the power of an advanced civilization had transformed into a horror movie set.
Jinchul’s grim voice broke the tension.
“… How long are we supposed to endure this?”
“Until Elena says it’s all done?”
“Oh great! Might as well drink some water.”
My sister smirked as she spoke.
“Check the water quality.”
“It’s green.”
As Jinchul poured the liquid on the floor, an acrid stench wafted up, causing the table to begin melting away.
When he lost his words, my sister piped up again,
“Why on earth is this happening…?”
What could turn the building into such a state?
It was because Elena couldn’t conjure up a monster from thin air with a mere gesture.
Just like I couldn’t explain the principles of the grimoire, Elena didn’t grasp the workings of these sinister imaginations. She only knew how to wield them.
According to Elena, demons are birthed in hell, just like angels come from heaven.
“A demon powerful enough to transport us across the continent can only be born in a hell fitting for its strength.”
“I heard that explanation too. That’s probably why this building got turned into hell. What I’m curious about is whether we can skip these complex ‘preparations’.”
Just then, a pale hand snaked out from under the sofa, gripping my sister’s ankle. Before her expression could harden, Jinchul swiftly pulled the hand away.
Sinister imaginations are so powerful; they could rival the peak of the abilities we acquired in this hotel.
The collapse of the building, poisoning, sudden accidents, or diseases—all those ‘ominous events’ a human could imagine could be manifested into monsters worthy of nightmares.
Even though Elena still struggled, the original wielder of that power could enhance themselves too.
“Skipping, huh…”
“Think about it. In the past, the monsters Elena conjured were all temporary, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Since some time ago, the existence period of the monsters has lengthened significantly. It means they are overcoming their weakness.”
I understood what he meant. Time flowed, and so did the longevity of the powers the bearers had.
While I awakened parts of the grimoire’s power in frozen realms, Ahri discovered the colorful powers hidden within ancient blood over an extended period.
Whether this growth was due to the heritage itself or us as its users, either way, it signifies that this power can evolve.
Elena, too, could sustain the monsters for much longer than before.
“Maybe one day it’ll be possible.”
“That sounds right?”
“The only catch is it seems like it’ll take a long time.”
“Oh really?”
I recalled the original user of the ability, Beatrix of Room 201.
She could keep the monsters alive indefinitely and could even create her own powerful body infused with her consciousness.
Indicating she was much more skilled than today’s Elena, and even she couldn’t conjure monsters out of thin air.
That’s why the lead researcher had to create facilities that brutally killed any intruders.
“Demons can only be born in hell… This is a challenge Beatrix couldn’t overcome.”
“That’s right.”
“So—”
Before I could finish, Elena’s annoyance erupted from upstairs.
“Can’t you all keep it down? We’re already in a terrifying situation here!”
“…”
“…”
“Gyaa!”
“Aahhhh!”
“You both stop with your bad acting! Elena, I’m sorry!”
“Kain, if you apologize now, later Elena will feel all embarrassed when she regains her composure…”
“Big sis, that kind of talk seems to be a distraction.”
“True. So, how about we tell a hell-suitable story to help Elena?”
“A hell-suitable story?”
Just hearing that made me uneasy.
“Since Elena took Seungyub with her to conjure up the infernal entities…”
“…”
Right. The reason only my sister, Jinchul, and I were on the first floor was that Elena had taken Seungyub along with her.
“Why does bringing Seungyub help conjure something hellish?”
“Hey sis, just lay it out. What happened yesterday?”
Momentarily gazing upward with a confused expression, my sister suddenly spoke up.
“Seungyub tossed all the primitives into the monstrous maws.”
“Excuse me?”
“Hmm?”
“You remember those five or six monsters near the building, right?”
“…”
“Suddenly, they vanished, and it became safe again?”
“We’ve never witnessed that event; my sister saw it alone and just told us.”
“Right. I saw it, and suddenly the monsters moved off somewhere and began their ravenous feast.”
“…”
“How many thousands of primitives soared in the sky… Probably chased down by the monsters and devoured them. And that’s the gist of it.”
“W-what on earth happened there?”
“According to Elena, early humans acted like sorcerers who could foresee the future. They told the monsters that if they bravely fought them, they’d go to heaven.”
“Does that even make sense? Do people really fall for that?”
“Dude, do you not realize that billions of people back on Earth believe in religion even now? I’m Buddhist myself.”
“Woah!”
“The early humans used by Seungyub would’ve appeared to the primitives as divine angels or apostles sent from above.”
“…”
I started to get the picture.
Looking back, I, too, made thanks to early humans to lure the primitives close to the mountain robots.
Totally feasible. A miraculous figure could indeed rule over the natives of this world with devilish charisma.
Their blessings might have waned, leaving Seungyub from cycle one as a deemed unworthy being, but now he was an entirely different entity using the early humans.
“What did he do next?”
“Here’s where I ask you; the command code for the early humans was created by you and the doc working on it, right?”
That wasn’t quite accurate.
“Nope. Seungyub orchestrates the framework. I mean, neither the doc nor I have ever used those early humans, so we have no idea what should go in or what’s comprehensible.”
“Then was it advice from you or the doc for Seungyub?”
“Yep.”
“What did you advise?”
“Our goal is to find Miro and regroup. We also added don’t harm ‘us’ to the instructions.”
“Sounds pretty standard…”
“What did Seungyub do after sacrificing all those primitives?”
“He leisurely strolled through the chaos, stopping abruptly near the lab.”
“He stopped?”
“When Elena got closer… she found Miro’s ‘remains.’”
“… That’s even worse. What about Songee? Did she have an accident while moving with him?”
“Seems like no traces of Songee were found.”
“Did she vanish without a trace?”
“Maybe. Or if she died in a time-loop, her remains might have disappeared too. We can ask Miro about that afterward.”
Jinchul sighed at this.
“The topics are right on-par with hell! So, did Seungyub find Miro’s remains, awakening the early humans?”
“Looks like it.”
“So he must have remained in that state of the early human until then, right?”
“Probably.”
“No, what I mean is—”
If you overuse the early humans, the time until you can use them again stretches infinitely.
Given the context, Seungyub must’ve remained in the early human state for over a week.
“If he stays in that state for so long, when the heck can we descend back into the early humans?”
“Jinchul, stop worrying about that in this room.”
While he puzzled over what that meant, he soon found his answer.
“… Every time the room starts up, 1,800 years pass, right?”
“That’s right. The cooldown of the ability will end while Seungyub sleeps.”
Seungyub’s patron had told him that this early human power would be incredibly useful in Room 203. Everyone now understood that sentiment.
However, there was one glaring issue.
“What if this is the last iteration? What happens then?”
“Let’s step outside and think that through.”
—
A little later, he smiled at me and said,
“You know, it feels like it’s wrapping up here, but oddly, Room 203 isn’t all that tough.”
“… Why’s that?”
“Just hear me out. Sure, the food’s terrible, walking is a pain, and the suffering is real, but almost no one’s life is in danger.”
“…”
“Are the dead among us really only Miro and Songee? Well, Songee went down with Miro, so technically, Miro is the only one who has faced actual danger—”
“Hey!”
My sister, having heard this, smacked Jinchul on the back of his neck with her towel.
At this point, the words that popped from Jinchul’s mouth felt far more ominous than all the malevolent occurrences triggered by Elena thus far.
— GOOOOOOO!
A profane wail shook the earth. Finally, Elena had conjured the beast that would transport us to the mountains.
Three days later, we reunited with the grandfather and the doc in the mountains.
—
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