### Chapter 477 – Party Time – Fourth Enhancement (2)
—
– Han Kain
I was flustered as I sensed all eyes on me.
It was unusual for Ari and the others to pay such close attention to my responses like this.
Eunsol seemed more inclined towards Unyielding Rationality, not just some fancy irregular polyhedron.
I could guess their unspoken thoughts.
The Unyielding Rationality demands human sacrifice as a requirement.
In a way, it resembled the Holy Sun but was different. The Holy Sun can gather power just from faith without needing to take a life.
But for the Unyielding Rationality, there’s no need for the offering to be voluntary; you could just kidnap a passerby and sacrifice them, and it would still work!
Ari emphasized my past opinions, wanting the Unyielding Rationality. Maybe it’s because she’s a member of the Administration Bureau, which is always more sensitive to the world’s crises…
But this didn’t seem to be the whole story.
It was as if she were subtly testing me. Was I imagining things?
Regardless of the legacy choice, there seemed to be something else she wanted to figure out from me.
“…”
“What do you think?”
I made a decision.
“It’s an important matter, so let’s go to the Sanctum and decide afterwards.”
“The Sanctum? You mean, you want to ask the Patron?”
“Exactly. I’m planning to use my advice as well.”
“You’re already at the 3rd enhancement—hmm. You might be able to pull it off. Not a bad idea. How does everyone else feel about this?”
Since it was an important issue, everyone nodded in agreement to hear from the Patron.
We’d worked hard for those tickets, and once we made a choice, we couldn’t undo it. Therefore, we needed to be careful.
Considering what I had heard before, I felt we could meet the Patron.
Of course, it might not be possible, so it felt wise to give advice a shot.
[Advice: 3 -> 2]
‘Which legacy should I choose?’
[It’s not about what to choose but about who will use it.]
I wasn’t in a rush since it wasn’t the Curse Room, so maybe I should ask more.
[Advice: 2 -> 1]
‘Then… I want to know who will use it as well.’
[You’re missing something.]
Did I miss something?
I racked my brain and wrote for the next piece of advice, but I still didn’t understand what it meant.
—
The next morning, as soon as I confirmed the start of Party Time, I headed straight to the Sanctum of Blessings.
I had grown so familiar with this place that it felt like home.
As I checked who could enhance, two names appeared.
“Elena, Han Kain’s enhancement is available. Would you like to proceed? (Y/N)”
When we solved Room 203, the Owl mentioned that one could reach the fourth enhancement only after resolving at least two rooms.
Considering we had cleared Rooms 104, 205, and 206 by now, I thought it was time, and it turned out I was right!
Suddenly, distant memories of flying through cold space resurfaced, making my heart swell.
Even the companions who would say “You worked hard” wouldn’t truly understand how much I had struggled, and it felt like the only being who witnessed that struggle was recognizing it.
“Oh? My name is here? I didn’t expect that at all!”
“Congratulations!”
Separately, I thought some of my comrades at levels 1-2 would enhance, but I didn’t expect it to be Elena.
It had been a long time since I got the insight after clearing the first room on the second floor, so I supposed it was about time it happened.
Soon, my vision blurred, and my consciousness got pulled to a far-off place.
—
– Elena
My turn, huh?
I really didn’t see this coming.
I felt happy, yet it was weird, and it sounds funny to say, but I felt a little guilty too.
“Guilty? What do you feel guilty about?”
In a somewhat dim and murky mansion, the Patron I hadn’t seen in a while appeared.
Just as before, appearing as a beautiful woman clad in a hood.
Of course, gender means nothing for beings like her.
“Well, that’s not entirely true. I consider myself a woman.”
“…”
I hadn’t spoken a word until now.
This kind of “conversation” still feels awkward.
“Ah, I must have offended you. Here, thoughts and words mean almost the same in this place.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Alright, let’s get back to the topic. Why do you feel apologetic?”
“… Well, I haven’t used the blessings much lately. Ah, but I’ve been using the clarity of mind quite diligently.”
That much was true.
To be honest, I’ve only been focusing on my ominous imaginations lately, hardly recalling the times I used justice meaningfully.
I mainly used clarity of mind just to manage those ominous thoughts.
“I see. Could you tell me the reason?”
“… Because the conditions for justice are just too strict.”
Indeed, they are dauntingly strict.
I never knew it would be this hard to use against villains.
Given the nature of the hotel, there are too many monsters that aren’t human, and most villains aren’t simply malevolent but fall into those “principle-driven villains,” making it tough to label them as evil.
On the other hand, while I initially thought the ominous imaginations were risky when I first acquired them, thanks to clarity of mind, I’ve found it easy to use now.
“You use ominous imaginations as the main method and support them with clarity of mind. That appears to be your formula for victory?”
“Victory formula? More or less.”
That seems to be the case.
“The conditions of justice ultimately depend on your mindset. You now understand that, right?”
“Yes.”
In the past, Ari and others had hidden this fact from me, but that was a long time ago.
The problem is, even if I realize this fact, it hasn’t quite changed much.
“Values don’t change like tools at your beck and call.”
If I could consistently see someone’s intentions as evil when it was necessary, justice could become a very convenient power.
But, if I could keep shifting the benchmarks as needed, how could that be called a belief?
“Exactly, exactly. If you could just change the scale of the weights on your own, it’s not a scale; it’s just violence.”
“Right.”
In this regard, my thoughts align oddly with those of the Patron.
That’s why I might have received justice in the first place.
“What do you think about using justice in a way that ‘takes advantage of’ your friends?”
“… ”
Using justice while taking advantage of friends.
If I put my comrades in a difficult spot, I could use justice more easily when they die in front of me.
Paradoxically, this proves how the activation of justice depends on my mindset.
Back then, perhaps in Room 104, the teacher sacrificed themselves to teach me this.
“You don’t seem to employ that strategy actively. More often, it seems your comrades lead to this situation.”
“… ”
I had nothing to say.
Were I to actively sacrifice my comrades and then, seeing a fallen ally, unleash justice out of rage, that sounds quite bizarre, doesn’t it?
“You’re right; it sounds strange. I didn’t mean to say for you to mercilessly sacrifice your allies starting tomorrow. I just used it as an example of how this new power could create similar situations.”
“Similar situations? What kind of power is it—”
“Before that…”
The robed woman turned gracefully.
“What do you think?”
“Absolutely beautiful!”
“… Thank you. But I’m actually asking how the surrounding scenery looks.”
“Umm….”
Since it was my first time at this place in a long while, I hadn’t realized it at first, but the atmosphere was indeed different from before.
It used to have the vibe of a clean garden, but—
“It’s a bit gloomy and dark.”
“It’s a poor and damp atmosphere. It feels like a rat might come out from above, and the walls seem like they might crumble any second.”
“Not that bad.”
I tried to comfort her but then realized it was totally a frivolous thought.
She wasn’t some friend who grew up in a poor environment but a being akin to a god.
This dark, dim atmosphere isn’t a trace of poverty!
Prompted by my realization, the faceless beauty smiled.
How could I tell she was laughing—
That’s not the point!
“What’s going on? Uh, do I need to explore this mansion? It’s dark, murky, and humid—”
“That would suffice. I hope to see you again next time.”
“Pardon?”
“Keep this scenery in mind. Furthermore, from now on, act more proactively. That’s the power meant for it.”
“Pardon? Pardon?”
My consciousness started to blur.
—
[Elena (Justice) -> Obtained ‘Justified Defense’.]
—
– Han Kain
As always, the Owl established a heavy atmosphere on the clouds.
Whoaaa~ If someone saw, they might think it’s the one god of birds or something—
“Your mental state is getting more audacious by the day.”
“… It’s because you keep reading my thoughts.”
“Not reading; it’s visible.”
“That’s pretty much the same thing, isn’t it?”
“The distinction in levels shows itself through subtle understandings.”
“…”
“That said, something interesting is going on over there.”
“Pardon?”
“Should I give it a try too?”
“Pardon?”
What’s he talking about? Over there? Toward Elena?
— Flap!
As if the mansion were a mere owl, its wings flapped, shaking the scenery around—
“…”
“…”
And yet, nothing actually changed.
Strangely, I found I could read the Owl’s mood now.
A bit awkward, yet it had a slightly embarrassed vibe.
“… It seems the great bird god is trying to perform a miracle, but the scheming hotel of ill repute—”
“Be quiet.”
“What’s going on?”
I asked out of courtesy, but I could vaguely guess.
It appeared Elena’s Patron was crossing some lines, giving her hints about the scenery.
The Owl knew this and attempted to give it a shot, but the hotel didn’t allow it.
Why? My patron has already pulled off many ‘tricks.’
“I’ll only take your heart.”
“When I first took you in, you resembled a sparrow that fell in the mud.”
“When did you take me in? This is the first I’ve heard of this today.”
“Although you thought you were smart, you could barely do anything and were floundering like a foolish sparrow.”
“What were you attempting to achieve by shaking the scenery just now? Wow, I thought you were magnificent, but you can’t even control your own house—”
“If I hadn’t shown you step by step, you wouldn’t have even known how to walk, let alone fly.”
“At first, I genuinely thought there were no blessings. No one told me how to use the status window or how to use advice.”
“A sparrow like that has now grown up; this must surely be the blessing of wisdom.”
“…”
Although I received it lightly as a joke, the Owl’s demeanor was quite different from usual.
Compared to the past, where he would only speak the necessary words, there was a slightly sentimental attitude.
What kind of mood is he in now?
Like he bought shares with low potential but they soared high—
“Stop those vulgar thoughts.”
“… Yes.”
“Remember two things. First, your questions regarding the legacy.”
Which legacy should I choose?
“You said it’s less about what you choose but who’s using it.”
“The Furnace and the Polyhedron. Who do you think should use it?”
“I need to discuss with my comrades—”
“Your comrades have already made their decision.”
They’ve already decided on who should obtain the legacy.
Why didn’t I know about this?
There wasn’t particularly any need to hide it from me, was there?
“…”
They must have discussed it among themselves when it was time for the choice.
This often happens when a group discusses; simple mistakes tend to arise.
The mistake of presuming everyone knows when, in fact, I wasn’t there.
“Who is—”
“Don’t you have an inkling?”
It’s me.
I played a significant role in Room 206 but ended up dying at the end, so I couldn’t obtain the legacy.
Besides this, a significant number of my comrades tend to trust me the most.
The teacher or maybe Miro or Elena must have suggested I should receive it.
“Just as you were unaware of the discussions they held, they too are unaware of your decision.”
After witnessing the end of the Divine Sun, during the process, I made a choice.
“… Excess leads to excess.”
I resolved that I wouldn’t be swayed anymore by the legacy.
The purpose of the legacy isn’t my aim; rather, the legacy should assist my objectives.
I must let go of my obsession with power.
“Looks like that’s enough. The rest is your own issue. Let’s move on to the next topic.”
“To the next topic, is it the fourth enhancement?”
I vaguely recalled what the Owl had said before.
What was it again?
“Those who reach the end of wisdom can see all.”
Indeed!
The power to see everything!
Just hearing it felt overwhelmingly powerful.
As I looked at the Owl with an expression full of anticipation—
Against my expectations, I felt a somewhat worried gaze from him.
“Why do you look like that?”
— Flap!
He flew up, and a sentence imprinted itself into my mind.
“Steady your mind. Distinguish between what you must give up and what you can’t.”
What’s he saying?
—
[Han Kain (Wisdom) -> Obtained ‘Insight’.]
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 933
Current Location: Tier 1, Room 105 – ‘Room of Rest’
Sage’s Advice: 3]
—
I woke up on the soft bed.
“What’s this?”
As always, my Patron loved to deliver cryptic messages, and this time it was no different.
The previous discussions about the legacy choice were concrete enough to understand easily, but—
Distinguishing between what I must give up and what I can’t?
“…”
I had definitely gained the power of ‘Insight,’ but there was no change in my status window.
First, I should step outside.
— Clunk!
When I flung the door wide open, I ran into my Grandpa jogging down the corridor.
“Whoa! You’re awake? Are you alright? What about your ability—”
“Oh.”
I saw it.
I was looking at it.
I would see it.
A chaotic surge of incomprehensible information flooded from the realms of the past, present, and future!
A neon-covered decaying city, towers rising into the sky.
An old man nailed to the top of a tower.
Below, an unidentified figure was smiling.
There was no longer any life in Kim Mooksung.
“Gkkk!”
“What’s wrong? Why do you suddenly—”
As I turned around, feeling a fierce headache—
“Kain? I heard strange sounds suddenly—”
Once again, I saw a girl grasping a pitch-black lance.
Ambitions that had never been possible from the start.
Horrifically failed plans.
Destruction awaited, waiting in the maze of time-telling clocks.
A wretched girl engulfed by a rival stronger than herself.
As my head threatened to melt from the throbbing pain, I realized—
Just how absurd the newly gained ‘Insight’ really was!
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