### Chapter 378 – Room 205, The Cursed Room – ‘The Absolute Master’ (27)
—
– Han Kain
With Jo Wonhong using the power of the Demon Suppressing Pearl to restrain me and the phantom, the way to resolve this crisis was remarkably straightforward.
‘They are only wary of us.’
Since earlier, Jo Wonhong had only been focused on the ‘phantom.’ He considered Ari and Miro mere subordinates and didn’t even see them as conversational partners.
‘Keep talking to Jo Wonhong and distract him. Meanwhile, I’ll signal my allies.’
Although I couldn’t possess Jo Wonhong due to the Demon Suppressing Pearl, I could still convey my thoughts.
In essence, while I had Jo Wonhong’s attention, Ari and Miro would break the Demon Suppressing Pearl.
“Master. Let’s say I accept your proposal. So what’s the plan now?”
“Now that you and I have joined forces, what is there to worry about? We attack the imperial palace immediately!”
“Are you sure? Didn’t you get trounced by that young emperor?”
“You…”
“Haha! Just joking, just joking! Who are we? The absolute master of phantoms and greatest power in the world, Baehwa! With us coming together, is there anything we can’t do?”
“…”
“Let’s feast! We’ll devour that world as easily as a cake!”
“Cake?”
“Oh, don’t you know what cake is? It’s all the rage in the West—”
— Clang!
The clock ticked forward.
The last shield defending the empire, the North Star General Cha Jinchul, had finally appeared.
*
Emerging among the unsuspecting Baehwa cult members, Cha Jinchul was like a wolf between two sheep.
Wasn’t it already the latter part of the second floor? Everyone was on high alert.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Cha Jinchul swung a metal pipe, turning over ten Baehwa cultists into meat paste faster than they could blink.
As if waiting for the cue, red mist began to spill from Ari’s body, accompanied by her screams.
Shocked, Jo Wonhong widened his eyes, trying to intervene just as—
The winged tattoo beneath his clothing gleamed, and long-awaited “headbutt” hit Jo Wonhong like a ton of bricks.
No matter how absolute the expert, dodging the hotel-style instant teleportation slap was simply impossible!
“Gaaaah!”
What?
At the instant of collision, Jo Wonhong’s scream burst forth, and his upper body turned crimson.
That wasn’t my doing.
Those were injuries already present, and some serious ones at that.
It was as if a sharp spear had punctured his upper body, leaving a gaping hole.
— Crash!
In the blink of an eye, the sound of something breaking echoed in succession.
Jinchul and Ari and Miro had smashed the Demon Suppressing Pearl!
And—
‘It worked!’
Just as the ecstatic voice declared and the spirit of the phantom attempted to seize Jo Wonhong’s body—
The master’s counterattack began.
“Why! Why such a foolish choice!”
From Jo Wonhong’s depths of rage, another Demon Suppressing Pearl emerged, starting to emit light.
Could it be he had hidden another one?
Unlike the earlier scenario where five or six Demon Suppressing Pearls activated simultaneously, the phantom was left with significantly diminished power.
However, it still couldn’t defeat Jo Wonhong on its own.
As the master summoned fire chains in midair, he yelled at me.
“Stop! Everyone stop! Phantom, you too stop your subordinates!”
At Jo Wonhong’s shout, the Baehwa cultists lowered their weapons and took a step back.
Seeing that, my allies also decided to pause and assess the situation.
“Phantom, please! I won’t hold you accountable for the blood spilled so far. Just reconsider my offer!”
“…”
At this moment, there was a chance to retreat.
Jo Wonhong’s words were sincere.
He had already lost the war against the empire and couldn’t recover without the phantom’s help.
In the brief silence, countless thoughts flashed through my mind.
Should I take a gamble now?
Can I actually win? Even if I do, could I survive after?
I couldn’t assure myself.
The only remaining Demon Suppressing Pearl was exceptionally potent.
And Jo Wonhong was genuinely grotesquely strong.
I mean, I only took one hit!
That alone crushed my insides and made me start spitting up chunks of flesh.
But it wasn’t all in vain.
Jo Wonhong’s situation was becoming increasingly dire.
His arms were completely severed, and only one leg remained, with flesh wheezing away.
That was Jo Wonhong’s current state.
At this point, he finally caught on to our major secret.
“One wasn’t… the only one!”
“Now you realize?”
“Who are you? You can’t be the phantom!”
“No need to know, you brat!”
As Jo Wonhong spat out dark blood, he glared at the phantom one last time and cursed.
“You… bug!”
“I’ll grant you your last words.”
“What? King? Master? Ha! Yuseong, have you truly managed to find yet another ‘master’ for your lowly self?”
‘Yuseong’?
Could that possibly be the phantom’s true name?
“…”
“Hah! Did you think I wouldn’t know what you were once upon a time!”
“I am…”
“You lowly creature! So, since your last master has died, you’re seeking out a new one now? You—”
“I will survive no matter what!”
— Crack!
The phantom’s hand crushed Jo Wonhong’s skull.
…
Miro was consumed by the flame of the fire chain.
Ari used her ancient blood to merge with countless Baehwa cultists.
And now, Jo Wonhong had just perished.
I… would soon follow.
The strength of the grimoire had been stretched to its limits long ago.
But I wasn’t worried. I swear I’m not.
This isn’t just me being delusional; there’s a solid basis for this.
The contents of the shining scenario in front of me were solid proof.
—
Scenario: Cursed Room – ‘The Absolute Master’
Finally, as Han Kain awakens, trapped in Cheonnim Mountain, he realizes that the Baehwa cult surrounds the entire mountain.
Should he retreat? Or should he fight?
Han Kain chooses battle and, in the end, succeeds in defeating Jo Wonhong.
Facing great danger rewards great payoffs!
Having taken the huge risk, Han Kain managed to reap the sweet fruits of victory.
—
Having overcome great risks, he will be rewarded with the sweet fruits of victory.
Clearly, the implication can be seen just by the words, right?
It means it’s all over.
Not to mention, the scenario hasn’t even been updated anymore. Yeah, there’s no doubt now.
The hotel’s story wraps up here.
But….
Why is there this anxiety nestled in my heart?
Through my hazy vision, someone approached.
“Your Majesty….”
Ah, now it makes sense. It’s because of this little brat.
With Miro and Ari dead, and me on the brink of death, he’s the only one left standing.
Why am I so uneasy?
Is the phantom causing trouble again? That can’t be.
For the sake of ‘survival,’ the phantom can do anything.
If he didn’t know the truth behind the hotel, it could’ve been a different story. But now that he does, he can’t betray us.
As long as my allies don’t leave behind the legacy and the soul vessel that contains the spirit of the phantom to get out of Room 205, he won’t survive.
“From now on, I will do my best in my own way.”
“…”
“I assure you, I do not harbor the slightest intention to betray the King. That I sincerely promise.”
“…”
“I’ll make sure you’re comfortable. Let’s meet outside.”
In the midst of collapsing consciousness—I shouted until the very end.
What will you do your best for? Just do nothing and stay still!
*
– Lee Eunsol
In just one night, news that would drive anyone insane came one after another.
First, Cha Jinchul suddenly collapsed and died.
No joke here. He seriously dropped dead while eating.
His death was so sudden that the cause was almost predictable.
It was definitely that damn time zone! No doubt about it.
That guy’s past self must have died from afar.
Secondly, Jo Wonhong was dead.
This was genuinely hard to believe, but soldiers arriving at Cheonnim Mountain sent Jo Wonhong’s head, making denial impossible.
There was no way Jo Wonhong had the same trick as the phantom to switch bodies—he was definitely dead.
“Isn’t this… a resolution?”
Elena’s shocked exclamation was quickly stifled by grandpa’s intervention.
“Elena, stop jinxing things—”
“Isn’t it true?”
“… Eunsol, even you!”
No, seriously!
Most of the 13 captains came crashing down, and the absolute master Jo Wonhong is dead?
The Baehwa cult can neither rise from the dead nor come back.
Sure enough, before half a day passed, letters started pouring in from all directions.
Various factions that had sided with the Baehwa cult, anticipating their downfall, began to prostrate themselves, swearing loyalty to the imperial family.
“Wow~! What’s going on? Grandpa, what do you think about the Heavenly Dragon Sect claiming they’ve been deceived by the wicked schemes of the Baehwa cult?”
“They probably got deceived. They thought they would win, but lost.”
At this point, even Grandpa was beginning to come to terms with it.
We won. We won the war!
The only thing left was to eradicate the remnants of the Baehwa cult, and that didn’t even require our intervention.
It was already in the process of being handled in real-time.
In this way, we celebrated the approaching victory.
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