### Chapter 479 – Party Time – The Seer of the Unseen (4)
—
– Kim Ahri
“Looking back, my experience in Room 206 helped out a lot. I found someone who can effectively use the Irregular Polyhedron.”
What now?
Am I imagining things?
Given the vibe in this room, is the one getting the Irregular Polyhedron—
“Room 206? What experience are you talking about?”
“Remember how I rushed into the sanctuary during the last round?”
“Of course.”
“That was before I met the Ultimate Being.”
“You mean before you met our clone?”
“Exactly!”
What the? Just as I feared, it’s really happening!
“Back then, I met Ari, who had picked up some ominous vision.”
“Ominous vision Ari? Quite the fascinating combo… Right, Ari?”
“…”
Given that this example came up in this situation, it’s clear who Kain will pick.
“Ari’s clone trapped me in a maze made of hundreds of ‘Fractal Rooms.’ To escape, I had to use the Dream Kingdom to meet the real Ari.”
“Wow, I’m hearing this detailed story for the first time, and it sounds fun! Fractal Rooms? That’s something sparse for survivors on our side.”
“Oh? Agent, what exactly is a Fractal Room?”
“Um, simply put—”
As Mooksung starts explaining the Fractal Room to everyone, I glance at Kain, thoroughly confused.
“…”
It’s especially hard to guess what he’s thinking, given that he’s wearing an eye mask.
Kain, are you really telling me to get another legacy?
The conversation naturally flowed toward me getting the Irregular Polyhedron.
The reasoning was evident enough.
Given that the clone has already created a similar phenomenon with ominous visions, it’s only reasonable to assume the original can do the same.
Since it’s a legacy that’s hard for an ordinary person to use, Kain’s argument that someone who’s already caused a similar phenomenon should get it makes sense.
It looks like everyone is accepting this without any dissent.
Even Kim Sanghyun, my expected strong candidate, was grinning, saying, “Kain, you’ve really been through all sorts of things!”
There wasn’t much greed for the legacy, and most importantly, everyone felt a strong sense of loyalty toward Kain.
“…”
I’m the only one looking awkward and feeling a bit left out.
Was I that amusing to watch? Songyi chuckled and playfully poked me.
“Congratulations!”
“…”
“Looks like there’s another person getting a second legacy aside from Kain!”
“Um, everyone, wait a second.”
Everyone looked at me as if to say, “What’s up now?”
“Isn’t the reasoning a bit flimsy? Just because the clone created a Fractal Room with ominous vision, does that mean that I can use the Irregular Polyhedron well?”
Kain nodded.
“True.”
“Even though I’ve never used ominous visions, they’re different legacies. Just because the outcomes are similar doesn’t mean the processes are the same. Elena likely never performed complex calculations while using ominous visions.”
Just because results are similar doesn’t mean processes are the same.
After all, isn’t that what convergence evolution is all about in biology?
Instead of arguing back, Kain just chuckled.
“Why are you refuting me when I’m recommending you? Are you lacking confidence?”
“Uh, that’s not what I meant…”
“Of course, we might not be geniuses who go down in the annals of human history like the chief researcher. However, what we’ll gain isn’t the original but a legacy. You don’t need to be a genius of the century.”
“Haha, if it requires that level of intelligence, none of us would be able to use it.”
“Isn’t that right, Sanghyun hyung?”
“…”
I didn’t have a solid rebuttal from there.
After all, as Kain said, I’m in a situation where I’m about to gain a new legacy, right?
Kain has crafted a favorable situation for me, so it seems silly to argue just because the reasoning looks weak!
“Ari, take this!”
“…”
The third ticket ended up in my hands.
Now I just need to convert it into the Irregular Polyhedron in the Mirror Room.
As the conversation about the legacy wrapped up, Eunsol interjected.
“The Hands of Greed, I’ll use it during dinner.”
“Sis! Have you decided where to use it?”
Using it to gain a tool might bring in some irrelevant junk items.
If I use it for information, the hotel won’t divulge anything about Room 207.
So, Eunsol has been in a quandary since the first day.
“Did everyone hear the story about the sanctum from Elena?”
“Elena, I didn’t hear it.”
“Oh, Kain! It’s nothing much—”
It’s said the Patron of Justice showed us a creepy and stuffy-looking mansion.
I don’t know what it means, but it seems to hint at Room 207.
Eunsol opened her mouth again.
“I think it will be hard to obtain an easy-to-understand sentence hint like during the Revelation of Secrets. But maybe a vague hint based on some background? I think they can provide that.”
So that’s it.
Back during A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the maze that awakened me from a dream gave me bizarre stories about Room 207 in a one-on-one chat.
Considering how tight-lipped the hotel was about the information regarding Room 207, it’s bizarre that the maze knows about it.
Now it clicked.
It seems that such hints can be given if they’re non-verbal, more indirect, and ambiguous.
“I’m thinking of using it for that.”
“That sounds good!”
And thus, our lunch meeting concluded.
—
Lost in thought while walking down the corridor, I bumped into a young man wearing an eye mask.
“Whoa! Almost collided! Be careful, whoever you are! I’m wearing this eye mask right now—”
“It’s me.”
“Oh, you’re not set to leave yet? You should hurry and grab the legacy from the Mirror Room. We need practice time, right?”
“…”
For a moment, I reached out to stop Kain.
“What’s up?”
“I have something I want to ask.”
“Yeah?”
“Why did you choose me?”
“Haha, I already told you! I saw your clone demonstrating a similar ability!”
Not completely nonsense, but it feels insufficient.
It seems there’s more behind it.
“I thought you’d push Sanghyun.”
During the discussions, the person I expected to be the top candidate for the Irregular Polyhedron was Kim Sanghyun.
He’s smart and this should be a tricky legacy to use, so the Blessing of Diligence would suit him well.
Plus, when it comes to deciding “who gets the legacy,” the one making that decision was Kain.
“Why?”
Let’s ask honestly.
“Sanghyun is partly your loyal follower.”
“…”
He’s way closer to ‘Han Kain’s side’ than I am.
He was the one who suggested resurrecting Sanghyun when he fell into hell, and even after reviving him, they’ve shared long-term suffering in Room 203.
Because of that, Sanghyun often gets emotional hearing stories about Kain’s struggles or triumphs.
If I were Kain, even if my abilities were far superior to Kim Ahri’s, I would have pushed Sanghyun as the candidate.
If it’s a treasure I won’t use, doesn’t it make sense to bestow it upon a loyal subject?
So—
— Swoosh!
Suddenly, Kain ripped off his eye mask!
“Whoa! Are you okay—”
Our eyes locked.
My gaze intersected with his.
In that split second, my breath hitched from overwhelming tension.
A gaze, hungry for truth, scoured the spaces between now, the past, and the future.
An intense pressure, which no words can express, weighed heavy on me.
— Pat, pat!
Before I knew it, I turned and leaped back about ten steps.
“…”
“…”
When I finally considered how ugly this scene was, Kain had put his eye mask back on.
“Did you just see something?”
I tried to speak in the most casual tone, joking to mask my unease.
“Was it something like a cow saying ‘Moo!’ while attempting to bite me? Or did I have to dive into hot water wearing a lump of dough?”
“…”
“Or was I seated in a restaurant, enjoying fine dining—”
“Here’s why I chose you.”
Don’t get serious all of a sudden!
“You seemed like you wouldn’t hesitate when it comes to making a decision.”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“I believed in you the most. I mean it.”
What is this all of a sudden! So embarrassing!
“W-w-wait! Why are you suddenly saying such nonsense? I asked why you chose me!”
“You’re not a good person by the standards of conventional morality.”
Sudden harsh criticism?
“Rationality that doesn’t adhere to moral standards. Values that the Administration sees as virtues. While these attributes aren’t always positive, there are moments when they’re absolutely necessary.”
“…”
I’m not even sure what he’s saying.
Reading my face, Kain wore a faint smile.
“I’m merely implying you should keep doing what you’re doing. That way, it’ll be easier for me.”
“…”
The moment I heard the phrase “easier for me,” I vaguely sensed the state he was in.
“You saw something while looking at me, didn’t you? The future? Possibilities? Alright, it’s difficult to just blurt that out, right?”
Instead of replying, he focused back on me.
“Why is it hard to share? If you tell us your story, it might change how we act. If things change, what you’ve seen won’t have its value and likely give rise to new possibilities.”
“…”
“You just told Mooksung about the information of dying on the spire, right? Were you testing what would happen if you said it aloud? What happened?”
“…”
“After you said it, did the existing information lose its meaning? Did something new emerge?”
Receiving possibilities and conveying them to us.
Seeing something horrific, we alter our actions to evade it.
At that moment, whatever Kain foresees degenerates into meaningless information, and he sees something new again.
It spirals into a pointless cycle.
If he wants to break this cycle, he mustn’t reveal what he has seen to us.
“We must act in accordance with your predictions. That way, we can lead to the conclusion you desire, right?”
“Indeed…”
“What?”
“I’m glad I chose you.”
As he finished those words, he smiled.
“…”
Watching him return to Room 105, I began to think.
Why was I, not Sanghyun, getting the Irregular Polyhedron?
The question of who’s more suited to use the legacy is irrelevant; the example Kain provided earlier was merely a means to persuade others.
“…”
It’s easy to understand if you consider chess.
In an area I’m unfamiliar with—someone just gave me the role of a knight.
A knight needs a horse, so I had to obtain the Irregular Polyhedron.
Then what about a bishop?
Surely, a loyal subject has a role to play, and soon the king will issue a command.
“…”
When it comes to the hotel, foresight and wisdom are entirely different powers.
As Kain described it, foresight is about gaining something from nothing, while wisdom is about obtaining greater insights based on something.
Insight is not about reading the future from empty space but about providing concrete possibilities from already acquired small clues.
Thus, Kain must have had grounds for witnessing an ominous future.
It’s certainly information I am aware of.
Memories sparked as my thoughts stretched out like spider webs.
A summer night’s memory when everyone was swept away in a mystical dream.
The Administration Bureau.
I’ve vaguely come to understand what Kain saw and why he chose “me” for the legacy.
“Should I stop?”
Is it wise to continue deciphering Kain’s intent here?
Am I just going to align with Kain’s thoughts?
By aligning, am I inadvertently skewing the possibilities he saw?
Perhaps it’s the opposite.
My falling into such contemplation could be part of a larger picture.
If so, I should think carefully—
“Ah.”
Suddenly, a brutal headache struck.
It’s a problem whether I think too much or not enough!
What did Kain say about me earlier?
“Your decision-making seems much more resolute?”
Okay, I won’t overthink anymore.
…
Finally, I thought back to that moment.
The moment where I reached the extremes of the Grimoire after centuries of hardships in Room 203.
The moment where I stepped into semi-divine territory after accumulating countless souls in Room 206.
In a sense, Kain seems to have become even more enigmatic than back then.
*
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 933
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 105 – ‘Room of Rest’
Sage’s Advice: 3]
—
– Han Kain
Room 105, the most peaceful place in the hotel.
I fidgeted with the eye mask, recalling the conversation from just a moment ago.
Surely, the girl born in this hotel is wrapped up in unfathomably complex worries.
“…”
Perhaps I mistook the idea that I had taken a step into the realm of omniscience.
If that were true, it would be fantastic.
“…”
I used to not know 1, and thus didn’t even know what I was unaware of. Now, I know 1.
I felt more lament than joy about it.
Because realizing 1 means I also understand there’s 0 before it and 2 after it.
Having recognized 1, I’m aware of my ignorance of both 0 and 2.
It’s a strange contradiction where knowing more causes the unknown to grow.
“…”
Whether I desire it or not, I feel myself moving upward more and more.
Initially, I couldn’t even see the shadow of the Patron, but now, I vaguely see a glimpse.
Thanks to that, I realized.
I now understand why the Owl—the Patron—likes enigmatic riddles and keeps giving ambiguous answers.
The answers are always simple problems.
In many cases, the Owl itself may not know the exact answers.
Of course, the ‘not knowing’ that the Owl and I refer to is a whole different concept from what ordinary humans say ‘not knowing.’
— Swoosh!
After lightly wiping the mirror above the sink, I took off the eye mask.
“… Huh.”
Insight is the power to read endless possibilities from trivial clues.
How can such a power only work for others?
I looked at my reflection in the mirror.
At this rate, I saw part of the bleak future that was coming my way.
I saw myself, torn into hundreds of pieces, scattered across the world.
— Boom!
“What the?”
Lee Eunsol: Everyone, come to the front! I just used the Hands of Greed!
Hands of Greed?
At that moment, the displays hanging around the hotel corridors blinked, delivering notifications.
[Today’s Special Event: The ‘Dinner Party’ is starting!]
“A dinner party? In the hotel?”
At this moment, I genuinely thanked Eunsol for putting an end to my complex thoughts.
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