### Chapter 443 – Room 206, The Room of Curses – ‘The Demon King who Revives after 100 Days’ Re (8)
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– Kim Ahri
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Five days had passed since the death of Leon Kadiruf was announced.
We also received the gloomy news that Mooksung had been taken away during the mayor’s death.
And today, we gathered early in the morning at Elena’s house.
“The Sijo’s actions were just as the mayor predicted.”
Eunsol, owing to her position as a Level 2 Executive, was able to meet with Songee easily, so she always had the latest news.
Not that she was the only one; she tends to be the most talkative during meetings anyway.
“Apparently, it didn’t take long before Songee visited as if nothing had happened.”
“Songee must have heard some groundbreaking information. They say the next scenario has come out!”
Kain’s ‘scenario understanding’ had stopped updating for several days.
The arrival of the next phase meant we had cleared the previous stage.
“Oh, really? What’s going on?”
“They told her to visit the ‘Depths of Paradise’ out of the blue… But first, let’s hear from Songee.”
Sijo had a long discussion with Songee about the history of Paradise.
“It didn’t feel like a history lesson, more like a really, really old geezer reminiscing. So, all sorts of stories came up.”
“It would have been fun if everyone could listen.”
Sure, some tales were interesting, but fundamentally, there were plenty of useless ones.
“They say before Leon Kadiruf became mayor, he had quite the colorful reputation with women. Hard to believe, right?”
There were also insane stories about the Kadiruf family where for three generations, kids have been killing their parents.
“By the way, Sijo kept pestering Songee to hurry up and find a husband. Something about having kids to carry on the family line.”
“Ha!”
“Kain, it would be amusing if you confessed again.”
“…”
I mean, for Sijo, that might be important, but for us, it meant nothing.
Of course, it wasn’t just trivial stories that came up.
“They also mentioned the ‘Depths of Paradise.’ In fact, Sijo mentioned it in passing, so Songee wasn’t sure it was important. But thanks to scenario understanding, it became clear.”
It’s pretty rare for vital info to come to us just like that.
Usually, it comes in a jumbled mess like a confusing data collection, and we have to sift through to find what’s essential.
Scenario understanding is a useful ability in that aspect.
Once we got the keyword ‘Depths of Paradise,’ it updated and guided us to that location.
“Kain, you said you saw the Indomitable Reason during the first round, right?”
“Yeah.”
“The ‘Depths of Paradise’ that Sijo mentioned, and that was also mentioned in scenario understanding, refers to a level deeper than where you encountered the Indomitable Reason.”
The Indomitable Reason itself is underground in the city, but there’s something even deeper.
A level below the urban infrastructure the Demon King cult had utilized; in other words, the Depths.
A complete dark world with no electricity and the least trace of topography.
The physically closest place to the Demon King itself.
A land where miracles breathe.
“They say this place isn’t affected by the Indomitable Reason.”
“Hmm… That makes it three locations where we can use our superpowers: the outside world, the top floating mansion of Paradise, and the Depths of Paradise.”
The reason we need to go to the Depths of Paradise is crystal clear.
“According to Sijo, long ago, there was an organization called the ‘Fellowship of Reason.’ They built various facilities on top of the remains of the Demon King that fell to the earth and researched the Demon King.”
The Management Bureau in Room 206, the Fellowship of Reason.
Kain nodded.
“Then the Depths of Paradise must have a lot of records of the fellowship researching the Demon King. So, is that why they’re telling us to go to the Depths?”
“Most probably.”
At that moment, Jinchul raised his hand.
“What fellowship? Are they still intact?”
“Apparently, they were fine during the early history of Paradise. The researchers from the Depths maintained contact with the city’s ruling class regularly for resources and support.”
“Sounds like they’re defunct now, huh?”
“According to Sijo, they haven’t been in touch with the Depths for over a century.”
A century would mean that even if a few survivors remained, they should have all aged and passed away by now.
“Oh boy… So what state is the Depths of Paradise in?”
“No idea. Even before communication was cut off, the Depths were a hellish site. Geographically, it’s close to the Demon King but also beyond the range of the Indomitable Reason.”
“Wow!”
“So, the city’s ruling class sealed off the Depths and the upper Paradise with superalloy and concrete.”
We would be walking into such a place voluntarily.
To acquire the Demon King’s research materials left by the fellowship.
“Remember what I said before? The force keeping the Demon King down is humanity itself, built within the city constructed on the scattered pieces of the Demon King. But a city can’t be built overnight.”
Thus, before constructing Paradise, the fellowship had succeeded in suppressing the Demon King by other means.
“There’s definitely information about the Demon King’s weaknesses for us to utilize underground. Who knows, maybe Miro or Perro will also be around there.”
“There’s a good chance. After all, when the Demon King revives, Miro pops out.”
—
Thanks to the information Songee gleaned, our destination was now set.
Thus, it remained to be seen ‘who’ would head to the Depths of Paradise.
At this point, Eunsol hesitated slightly.
“I don’t have a direct stake in this, but since Grandpa has collapsed, I have to say this… the Depths…”
So, I just opened my mouth.
“Most of the people going down there are likely to die. Let’s think half of them won’t make it back.”
At that, the atmosphere around us grew silent, but no one dared to contradict me.
It’s natural that after years of trying to conquer the Room of Curses, one develops a sense of, ‘This is a crisis!’
And that instinct was now warning me.
The Depths of Paradise were precisely one of the biggest hurdles in Room 206.
Even without this sense, if we thought logically, we’d reach the same conclusion.
An entirely dark world where there’s no map and we have no idea what monsters await.
Not only is there no electricity, but we can’t assure even minimal security on this land.
A hell that even the Fellowship of Reason, which had protected the world for ages, couldn’t survive.
Traveling to such a place and coming back alive together would be plain nuts.
“We know places like this, right? Only a few should go in. If anyone wants to drop out, now’s your chance.”
As my companions hesitated to say they wanted out, I made the call.
“Even though Songee’s not here, she obviously should back out. She’s like the king in chess.”
If Songee dies, there’s no way to control the city.
It’s similar to Seungyub’s role as the emperor in Room 205.
“Elena should also consider backing out, right? The enemies underground likely aren’t human, so justice has no bearing there. Your ominous imaginings might get out of hand.”
Ominous imaginings are difficult to control, and in a place like the Depths of Paradise, the risks seem significant.
If she carelessly collapses a building, the research data on the Demon King inside can be lost, and that would be catastrophic.
“Well, if I manage my powers carefully—”
“The issue that Ahri pointed out is valid, plus Elena is too well-known. If you happen to die, it’ll cause a mess above ground that might be hard to handle.”
Once Sanghyun spoke like that, Elena also conceded.
However, seeing Sanghyun say that, I thought he should stay as well.
“Sanghyun, it’s better for you to stay up here too.”
“Uh? Are you serious?”
Though not as capable as Jinchul, Kim Sanghyun is a kind of martial artist.
For that reason, it’s surprising to see him reacting to avoid a dangerous place like the Depths.
I turned to everyone and emphasized again.
“Most of the people going into the Depths of Paradise are likely to die. Meaning, the escape comes down to those left above handling things well.”
Kain nodded as if he understood the meaning.
“So we need to maintain a good force on the upper levels?”
“Precisely. If both physically capable fighters like Jinchul and Sanghyun die underground, we’re in trouble.”
Sanghyun is a ‘Level 2 citizen,’ so he has more leeway on the upper levels.
Finally, I glanced at Kain.
“You absolutely need to stay.”
“…”
Given he had probably guessed it, Kain didn’t offer much response.
In this cycle, Kain’s biggest role is charging the sacred sun.
If he restores the power of the “similar descent” process, just like during the first cycle, we might escape once again.
This is a crucial, irreplaceable task that can only be done in Paradise.
What about Eunsol?
I thought about it but, ultimately, she must accompany us down.
As a Level 2 Executive and someone close to Songee, she can do much above ground…
But on top of that, Eunsol is definitely needed down in the Depths filled with monsters.
There are bound to be monsters that shake human spirits.
Only Eunsol’s flute can adequately protect vulnerable companions like Jinchul from mental attacks.
So, this settled who’d be going underground.
Feeling good to finally have some work to do after a while, Jinchul stood and clapped.
“So, it looks like it’s me, Ahri, and older sister going! Let’s get ready! Equipment like Yakutkyung should be sorted by Songee and Sanghyun—”
I missed one person.
“Seungyub should go too.”
“What?”
“Excuse me?”
At that, both Jinchul and Seungyub looked shocked.
Could it be that they thought Seungyub naturally would step back from dangerous tasks?
Or perhaps due to his recent patterns in which he often avoided participation in matters, especially after Room 205.
“Think about it. What’s a kid without parents supposed to do left up top? He needs to play the part of a living canary down there. You know, the early warning signal.”
In a dangerous place without information, no ability is more vital than luck.
Three days later, we descended into the Depths via a mechanical lift said to have been used by the researchers of the fellowship long ago.
Thankfully, nothing absurd happened during our descent, like the lift breaking and leading to an instant demise.
—
…
…
…
—
The world, now deprived of electricity, was filled with darkness.
Until we made our descent, it would have undoubtedly been that way.
Now, four lights were pushing back darkness.
“Jinchul.”
“Ahri.”
“Eunsol.”
“Seungyub.”
Regular survival check time.
Fortunately, everyone seems to be fine for now.
While planning, we agreed to minimize light and sound due to the numerous grotesque beings, but the moment we arrived, it became clear that was impossible.
There was a total lack of light; not even a trace, which meant our night vision equipment wasn’t functioning well.
Thus, we had to turn on the helmets’ top lamps.
Plus, with four people having to walk while bumping into each other, trying to keep noise down was just empty talk.
“What is this?”
“… Could it be a car?”
The object Seungyub was pointing at was covered in a slimy, moss-like substance.
However, the shape of the rusty hunk clearly resembled a small car.
That’s when Eunsol warned.
“Jinchul, take three steps back.”
“Huh?”
Jinchul stepped back, shining his headlamp at what Eunsol had pointed out.
A rusty hunk that looked like a trap.
“Is this supposed to be roadside debris?”
“It means something was roaming around here that could’ve caught people in a trap.”
“…”
Eunsol remained silent for a moment while surveying the surroundings.
Though she was the only one not wearing night vision, she was the one to see the most.
“Man… what a strange place.”
“In what way?”
“It’s like an underground city all around.”
“Seems like it actually used to be one.”
“It feels like it collapsed not too long ago.”
“What do you mean?”
At that moment, I couldn’t grasp what she was saying.
According to Sijo, communication with the Depths of Paradise was severed for over a hundred years.
“Bodies are hanging around everywhere. Not skeletons, but full chunks of flesh still intact.”
“…”
Common sense would dictate that flesh wouldn’t last a year, let alone a hundred.
“There, up ahead, about 200 meters, there’s something like a lamp, and a person’s hanging on it like a crucifix. From the expression, it looks like they died a terrible death.”
Even with the headlamp on, it’s still impressive that one can read the expression of a corpse 200 meters away in this dark.
“Next to them… no, never mind. From now on, I’ll take point.”
“Eunsol, are there any movements? Any giant buildings?”
“Hmm… let’s take a look a bit longer. Still not sure. Seungyub.”
“Yeah?”
“I really don’t know where to go.”
“Huh?”
“Just point.”
“Uh, um—”
“Don’t think, just point.”
“Right! To the right!”
“Okay, right it is.”
As my comrades chatted, I bent down and swept the ground with my protective gloves.
A smooth, slimy liquid.
It felt like it had leaked from some creature’s body.
And then…
“Everyone stay alert.”
Could it be my heightened sense of smell?
I’d been catching that acrid scent for a while.
Suddenly, I wondered how many of us would manage to come out alive.
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