### Chapter 414 – Room 104, The Curse Room – ‘The Preparatory Elite Hotel High School’ Re (13)
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 275
Current Location: Floor 1, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: 3]
—
— Han Kain
Early in the morning, my companions gathered around the snack table for a final tidying up.
Eunsol was already neatly dressed, standing in front of the whiteboard like a teacher, which felt both familiar and oddly impressive.
Is this what it means to be the youngest daughter of a chaebol?
“Do you remember the general layout of Room 104?”
It was neatly organized on the whiteboard.
– Hotel Party: Students and Teachers from the Hotel High School
– Hostile Force: The Old Main Building Cult
– Adversary: Aurelia
– Prisoner: Ju
“The basics of the power dynamics are like this. The cult tries to brainwash students into becoming the Old Main Building’s minions.”
I mentioned the parts I could remember.
“If we took A with us, don’t forget to send in a doll to replace A at the school. It seems like it’s not a complete human, though.”
“Good point. In the first attempt, after chaos ensued and people started dropping like flies, Kain and Ahri caused a commotion at school and managed to escape.”
I attempted to assassinate Aurelia but ended up meeting Ju and dying, while Ahri burned the whole school down and was then captured by the police.
“In that process, we learned one crucial fact. The cult tends to avoid getting noticed by external forces, like the Administration Bureau.”
“Right.”
“In the second attempt, we attacked the cult from the get-go. Once we took down the guards, Aurelia appeared, and she had received revelations about Elena’s information through Ju. Thanks to that, we had a pretty tough fight.”
That’s where the real crisis began.
“When Aurelia was down, the sacred sun, Ju’s avatar, manifested and, right on cue, tried to obliterate everyone.”
“I tried to resist with the grimoire, and after everyone did their best, we managed to escape. I ended up fleeing while possessing Pero’s body.”
“Later, we managed to recruit Aurelia and ambushed the Old Main Building while Ju was incapacitated. By then, Ju had already chosen a new saint.”
“In the end, I pressed the escape button. Even thinking back, what a precious item that was…”
That wrapped up the past events related to Room 104.
“Here’s the key point! Everyone’s been curious for ages, right? Why on earth can Ju act so freely?”
I took the next line.
“The conclusion is simple. The ‘real Ju’ hasn’t intervened since the first attempt. That one time when he gave me the ability to manifest was the last.”
If that’s the case, who the heck is the one fighting us from the second attempt on?
“The entity threatening us afterward is none other than the sacred sun.”
Ju considers the sacred sun to be another aspect of himself. Since he’s a divine being, I suppose his idea of ‘identity’ is different from ours.
But what about the hotel?
To the hotel, Ju might seem like a crazy deity, while the sacred sun could be viewed as an ego-holding legacy.
So, from that perspective, the reason the sacred sun can run wild in Room 104 is quite simple.
To the hotel, he isn’t seen as a prisoner.
He’s just a pretty powerful ‘ego legacy.’
Ahri chimed in, tapping the table.
“Let’s consider the hints we got earlier.”
Hints from the hotel regarding Room 104.
First, it’s about how the daughter betrays the father.
“The first letter of the hint is ‘daughter.’ The father is obviously Ju. So, Aurelia would have to betray him, which I interpret as ‘betrayal.’”
A daughter betraying her father.
“The next thing to consider is the revelation of secrets.”
‘Beware the hazards of the mirror war, the mythos and doctrine of the cult, and empty the adversary’s magazine.’
This time I spoke.
“The risks of the mirror war are something we’ve painfully endured. Ju responded to it as if he was attacking the hotel party. Since the adversary’s magazine, or Ju’s ability, has been depleted, the sacred sun shouldn’t have any way to control me out of nowhere now.”
Lastly, we get to the cult’s mythos and doctrine.
“In other words, we need to further investigate the cult itself. If we consider all this while examining the past events related to Room 104, we might see conditions under which Ju or the sacred sun could intervene.”
In the first attempt, when we tried to escape the school, Aurelia appeared wielding explosive power.
From the cult’s perspective, if someone felt the oddities of Hotel High School and then escaped, they’d likely report it to the Administration Bureau, making it a serious crisis.
When I attempted to assassinate the saint, Ju personally intervened.
In the second attempt, as we tried to turn the tables on the cult, the sacred sun blatantly manifested and wreaked havoc.
Jinchul, who’d been listening, nodded.
“So Ju can only intervene when the cult is in danger?”
“Exactly. Of course, indirect communication with the saint might be more broadly possible. It could be through revelations or precognitive dreams.”
At that moment, Miro tilted her head.
“Does that mean we should avoid provoking the cult? If we put the cult in danger, Ju will step in?”
Ahri quickly countered.
“That’s not true. In the second attempt, we learned the conditions for resolving 104, didn’t we? Ju told us directly: ‘wipe out the cult.’”
Upon hearing that, Miro looked perplexed.
“So, what should we do? To resolve it, we have to take down the cult, but if we do that, Ju or the sacred sun will intervene.”
This is the Alpha and Omega of all issues related to Room 104.
To resolve it, we have to obliterate the cult, but if we attack the cult, a deity-like entity intervenes.
Jinchul’s expression hardened.
“It means we need a powerful force, huh? But look at our current capabilities. How many legacies do we have? At this rate, the Sacred Sun and Aurelia are nothing but a—”
“Hold that thought!”
I stopped Jinchul, who was launching into a daydream.
“E-excuse me?”
“Hyung. The moment you go that way, you’re headed in the wrong direction.”
“Hmm…”
“Don’t forget, Room 104 is ‘on the first floor.’”
“…”
“The way you mentioned is this, right? Smash the cult to make the sacred sun appear. Then we overpower that half-god with our awesome power.”
“Is that strange?”
“Well, to be honest, I used to think that way too. The sacred sun emerges from the underground city; Ju hinted at that. So, did I think I needed to lure the saint to the surface and kill her? That sort of thing?”
“Has your perspective changed now?”
“Firstly, the saint can use her power even in situations where it’s applicable on the surface.”
In the first attempt, she certainly used her power on the surface.
“Are there conditions under which Ju or the sacred sun can intervene on the surface? Or did they simply exhaust the powers they granted the saint beforehand? I can’t be sure which one, but what’s important is that they can use their powers on the surface when they do.”
Ahri brought up a simple hypothesis.
“Perhaps the sacred sun only shows up underground, but the ‘real Ju’ has no limitations of location as long as the conditions are met.”
“What other reasons are there?”
“I mean, the revelation hinted at considering the mythos and doctrine of the cult, right? Isn’t this more about understanding rather than smashing the cult?”
“Ah-ha!”
“Finally, if we just follow the resolution method Ju has in mind, we’ll just end up dancing to his tune. We need to find another way.”
“What you mean is that trying to beat the half-god into submission is off the table. Got it.”
With that, I summarized the discussion points related to Room 104.
The teacher, who had been listening quietly, moved towards the whiteboard.
“I think we can summarize the meeting like this.”
– Firstly, don’t recklessly take action against the cult, especially the saint.
– Secondly, reflect on the cult’s mythos and doctrine.
– Thirdly, the solution should be manageable at the first-floor level.
These three points encapsulate all the key elements.
“Now… if you understand this much, don’t you start seeing how to unravel it?”
The solution I found is something that happens ‘frequently in reality.’
*
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 275
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 104 – The Curse Room ‘The Preparatory Elite Hotel High School’
Sage’s Advice: X]
— Ding Dong Ding Dong~!
As I woke up, the familiar scenery of the hotel came into view.
As expected of Room 104, the sage’s advice and status window functions were all blocked.
But since we’d already prepped our plans outside, it wasn’t a significant issue.
There had been many—
In front of me was a teacher blabbing away in English, while bored students bobbed their heads.
My companions wore rather tired expressions.
Ahri was yawning, Elena was dressed in her school uniform, and Songee had a parrot perched on her head.
Even now, it was absurd.
Who even brings a parrot to class?
Perhaps it was time to get started—
“Dear child, I still don’t understand.”
“…”
“Is there really any need to go to such malicious lengths? Why even bother contemplating a solution? Just go to the Old Main Building and take down the saint. Summon your father!”
“…”
“Then your father will solve the issues, and you may negotiate with him afterward.”
This was also something we discussed in the concluding meeting with my companions.
And this highlighted the peculiarity of Room 104.
Unlike other rooms, the prisoner here, Ju, wasn’t a being that obstructed the room’s resolution.
In fact, he was trying to resolve the room himself.
His aim was to let the sacred sun leave the hotel, and for that to happen, resolving the room was essential.
In this context, the revelation’s criticism that contemplating how to resolve things is pointless makes sense.
‘Are you hearing me?’
“…”
‘As you said, when the time comes, I’ll likely have to negotiate with Ju directly. After all, we came here to take the sacred sun from this room.’
“If that’s the case—”
‘Listen up. There’s something we need to do before sitting at the negotiation table.’
“Something that needs to be done…”
‘We should negotiate from a more advantageous position. To achieve that, upcoming events are necessary.’
“…”
‘Think about it. You are another version of me born from the manifestation. What does that imply? You’re closer to Han Kain than Ju. So don’t try to represent Ju’s perspective; take mine.’
This conversation made me ponder naturally.
What the Bureau personnel often referred to as the caliber of my soul.
Had I been lacking in this, would the revelation have listened to me like it is now?
I don’t think so. I might have been swallowed whole by it long ago.
‘Standing from Han Kain’s viewpoint rather than the father’s….’
‘So you actually consider Ju to be your father, huh? In that case, think along these lines.’
“…”
“What qualifies a father? Typically, they die off when the time comes and hand over the crown to their child. The throne is meant to be inherited—”
…
The last sentence slipped out before I could stop it.
The teacher in class and all the nearby students turned to stare at me.
“H-Han Kain! What’s that about?!”
“…”
“Are you implying that the father is supposed to kick the bucket when the time is right?!”
“Well, I didn’t say it like that exactly…”
“You brat! After class, no—come out here and face the wall!”
This was going to get annoying.
But thinking about what I had to do from now on, it wasn’t that serious.
As I approached the instructor’s desk, the English teacher began waving a wooden stick threateningly.
“Are you going to hit me with that?”
“HAN KAIN! Why’s your tone like that? What, are you planning to post it on social media?”
“No.”
“Then get down and—”
Han Kain Style – Teleport Body Slam!
— Bam!
One hit was all it took to send the crazed teacher, who was ready to ‘sacrifice’ a student to the cult, bent over backwards.
Looking back, Eunsol had smirked and dubbed this ‘Project Terraforming.’
And now, the real beginning was here.
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.