### Chapter 484 – Room 207, The Gate Room – First Trial – ‘Eternal Life and Resurrection’ (2)
—
– Park Seungyub
Suddenly, a threatening sound echoed from behind!
Turning around, I saw mysterious figures cloaked in black mercilessly slaughtering the slave hunters.
“… Ugh!”
A groan escaped me without even realizing it.
It felt like a minute or two had passed, but the hunters tormenting the kids had already been wiped out.
The men in black had been eyeing me since earlier, and I couldn’t muster the courage to move.
“…”
After eliminating the hunters, they began transferring the dazed children into the carts they brought.
It seemed their target was the kids, but why?
As several men approached with an air of intent to either catch or kill me, I knew it was time to act.
— Click!
The container opened.
A girl with delicate features, flowing brown hair, brown eyes, and a white dress emerged from the dusty, desolate scene.
“Ah….”
Yumi has this strange power we call magic, enabling her to create biological mutations or even mold her own body.
Maybe that’s why every time she creates something, it has a slightly different appearance….
That factor makes Yumi feel ever-refreshing, and every time I see her, I feel breathless.
“Um, uh, um—”
“I’ll handle this.”
Seemingly aware of the situation inside the container, she displayed a calm demeanor.
A girl dressed entirely incongruous for the desert appeared in mid-air. While her outfit may have come from the hotel, it only added to her mystique.
Given her supernatural arrival, the men in black looked utterly bewildered.
“Ha! Who are you? A magician? Or the priest of some great being?”
Instead of answering, Yumi placed her hands together and spoke in a beautiful voice.
“O mighty Han Kain, your daughter is in peril. Your—”
“No, you’ve got it wrong! I’m, uh, Taiora! A priest! We mean you no harm!”
Clearly, the sight of an enchanting sorceress about to perform some miracle worried him.
Taiora deftly gestured, creating distance between himself and his men.
“We only came for the children; we had no idea you existed. Let’s go our separate ways.”
Soon, the area fell silent.
“…”
“…”
Do I return Yumi?
This problem resolved way too easily, so there’s still ample time left in the soul container.
Something!
Given the atmosphere, it felt like a while since we had a chat—
“What was that earlier? Mighty what? Brother Kain? That kind of magic—”
“Geh!”
Yumi’s laughter made my heart skip a beat.
Wa-wait, was there something weird about my question?
“You idiot, it was obviously a joke.”
“A joke?”
“Once I appeared like a genie from the lamp, they revealed their fears. So, I merely feigned being a mystical magician.”
“… I was startled when you said ‘mighty Brother Kain.’”
“Well, that part isn’t entirely a joke. You seem to consider him an ally, but to me…”
As Yumi mentioned Brother Kain, I felt a pang of discomfort.
Because the original Yumi, the witch from Room 107, had—
“…”
“I don’t really know. It feels too far-fetched for me to make a conclusion.”
Even someone as clueless as I could tell that Yumi’s reaction had little to do with fondness or affection.
Perhaps she was displaying the attitude of a witch facing a demon or an angel she couldn’t handle?
After all, Yumi is merely a remnant of an ancient witch and has neither inherited the persona nor the memory of that time.
Essentially, she’s a different person altogether.
For some reason, I felt a sense of relief.
“What should we do from now on?”
“How about we keep our distance and follow them?”
“The men in black?”
“Yep. After slaying the slave hunters, they took the kids. What’s their reason?”
“… I don’t have any tracking abilities.”
“I do.”
With those words, Yumi smiled sweetly, ran her fingers through my hair, and took my hand.
For some time now, Yumi had become extremely kind to me.
Since then, I’ve been unable to control my feelings.
“…”
My heart began racing again.
At that moment, someone inside me, the aloof Seungyub cultivated by the hotel, whispered.
This being, no, ‘it,’ essentially loves no one.
—
– Kim Sanghyun
The current Pharaoh is said to be named ‘Omar.’
Before entering Room 207, I collected materials related to Ancient Egypt from a library that popped up underground, seemingly urging me to study.
Pharaohs have five names: the Horus name, Nephthys name, Golden Horus name, regnal name, and birth name.
I’m not sure which one Omar goes by, but everyone calls him Omar.
He is indeed a great Pharaoh.
He has continuously triumphed over the black devils of the South – which likely refers to the black people of the ancient Nubian civilization – protecting Egypt and defeating the barbarians that crossed the sea.
I am his chief physician.
“Sanghyun! Omar is looking for you.”
“…”
It’s time to depart.
—
While heading to the Pharaoh’s palace, I unexpectedly ran into someone.
The high priest Hesperia of the god of the underworld, Malkab, was on his way to the Pharaoh’s palace with junior priests.
In this theocratic society, being a high priest is synonymous with being of high nobility.
Even if I’m the Pharaoh’s chief physician, I must show respect.
“Greetings, Hesperia.”
“…”
At that moment, an image popped up at the top of my field of vision.
“Look behind you!”
“…”
Upon checking the junior priests brought by Hesperia, I spotted Songee.
With so many eyes around, it wasn’t a situation where I could greet her, but I tapped my foot on the ground to signal I had seen her.
— Thud!
Just then, Hesperia, who seemed about to walk past me, turned my way.
“You.”
“Do you have something to say?”
“What is the exact nature of Omar’s condition?”
Last night – in a situation where I hardly understood anything, I was summoned by the Pharaoh to check on his condition.
“It’s not easy.”
“…”
When I spoke as seriously as I could, Hesperia wore a solemn expression and moved back toward the palace.
In reality, Omar’s condition is extremely critical.
Without modern medical equipment, accurate diagnosis would be difficult, but from what I’ve checked, more than five diseases are ravaging him.
Why summon a priest at this hour?
Could it be that Malkab’s priests possess some miraculous ability?
It’s entirely possible in the hotel.
—
The venue, despite being historically ancient, is sublimely adorned.
Paintings honoring Omar’s great deeds decorate the walls, and sculptures of pure gold are placed everywhere.
However, there was a misery that overshadowed even this grandeur.
“Hah… Ugh…!”
Each breath brings forth a hacking cough from the middle-aged man.
He’s not so old as to be called a senior citizen; he looks to be in his early to mid-forties at most.
Even with his inability to rise from the bed, his limbs are still muscular, and his build is robust.
Surely, he never anticipated something like this would happen to him.
He might have believed he could live to see at least his sixties.
Thus, enduring this situation must be even tougher.
A great Pharaoh, born into the most noble status and accumulating historic achievements that will be remembered.
Blessed with a life that many would envy.
Is it possible to relinquish such a life in just forty years?
“Sanghyun…! Come here!”
“Yes.”
I felt a sudden wave of anxiety wash over me.
In the Joseon Dynasty, we often executed royal doctors when the king died, but this is Ancient Egypt!
Could it be that if this chap dies, I’ll be sentenced to death?
“Speak plainly! Guh! Don’t hold back—ugh!”
“…”
Before the wheezing Pharaoh, I presented the diagnosis results in detail.
His esophagus, lungs, and stomach are all damaged, and he has a fever on top of that.
At this point, even with modern medicine, treatment wouldn’t be easy.
“How much longer will I live?”
“…”
“Speak!”
“Perhaps no more than a year.”
In reality, I had estimated a year to be overly optimistic.
Omar seemed speechless by my response, pausing for a moment without saying anything.
“… Hesperia.”
Next, he called upon the priest I had met earlier in the street.
“I have something to say to you.”
“O mighty Omar, son of the sun. I, Hesperia, am willing to listen to your words.”
“I have given my all for this land. I have slain the devils of Nubia and burned the ruthless forest—cough!—to the ground!”
Omar continually coughed while emphasizing how grand his contributions were for Egypt.
It didn’t resonate much with me, but it seemed it was not the case for the others in attendance.
Before long, not only the loyal guards around him, but even Hesperia could not hold back tears.
“Omar, oh, great Omar…”
“Hesperia, would you show me pity?”
“How could I ever dare say something so inappropriate as to call you ‘pity’? I simply—”
“Hah… Hesperia, I have a request.”
“Speak! If it’s within my powers, I shall—”
“Long ago, you offered eternal life to Menes.”
At those words, a hush fell over the room.
Menes, according to lore, is Omar’s ancestor and the Pharaoh who unified Egypt, practically its founding figure.
I understood that much, but…
Did the priests of Malkab really offer ‘eternal life’ to Menes?
What does that mean?
“O, Omar! What are you saying—”
Hesperia displayed a complete lack of talent for deception.
“Don’t hide it from me. Menes left records directly. You all promised eternal life!”
“…”
“The sarcophagus! The immortal sarcophagus!”
“…”
A troubling term emerged.
An immortal sarcophagus?
“Hesperia, must I resort to chopping off a hand to make you talk? Come here!”
At Omar’s signal, the guards rushed forward without hesitation, brandishing their spears against Hesperia’s neck.
“… Omar, even you shouldn’t do this.”
Hesperia, being a high priest of a theocratic society, isn’t something you can simply demean, even if he is the Pharaoh.
“I care not.”
Of course, the concept of ‘political backlash’ held no meaning for a Pharaoh facing death.
“Omar, first, let others go.”
Soon, the guards escorted out not only the junior priests but also me.
—
I busily organized the situation in my mind.
The dying Pharaoh, the high priest of Malkab overseeing the afterlife.
Eternal life, gifted to the Scorpion King by the priests of Malkab long ago.
The immortal sarcophagus.
What does this precisely mean—
At that moment, shimmering words appeared in the air once more.
“Immortal sarcophagus, a holy relic of the Malkab order.”
It was a message sent by Songee via her bracelet.
“It is said that if you sleep in the sarcophagus, you shall remain unchanged for all eternity.”
Hoo?
“It seems to be something straight from the scriptures of mythology.”
I was both intrigued and confused.
Even if it was an object from myth, it sounds like it means you wouldn’t change while inside the sarcophagus.
What’s the point if you’re not going to stay inside forever?
Does it possess healing powers, unlike the myths?
“Teacher, have you found the boss? What about the maze?”
After that last comment, no further messages appeared.
The boss.
The enemy waiting for us at the end of the trial.
Surely, there’s one hidden somewhere that we haven’t discovered yet.
“…”
Menes, the greatest Pharaoh to unify Egypt.
If he was like the founder of the Joseon dynasty or Zhu Yuanzhang of Ming, we refer to him as just “Pharaoh,” or sometimes the “Scorpion King.”
They say he was no ordinary man but a child of a god, performing miracles as effortlessly as breathing.
“…”
If the Malkab order devoted eternal life to him…
He might still be alive.
I suddenly remembered the envelope left by my increasingly incomprehensible companion.
The small envelope hidden in my clothes since the beginning, Kain had said to open it at the crucial moment.
When would that moment be?
—
– Miro
“Look! I got this pretty bracelet as a present, isn’t it nice?”
“Yeah.”
“When we’re alone, just talk casually!”
“… Sure.”
“What? Miro, you’re just going to talk casually and refuse to drop the honorifics? Have you lost your mind?”
“… Yeah.”
“Are you ignoring my request to speak casually?”
“….”
My fist trembled.
The version of me inside was getting ready to smack this dense girl twenty-eight times!
“Hey! Hey! Don’t tell me you’re going to cry? You can’t cry! No crying allowed~𝅘𝅥𝅮 No crying allowed~𝅘𝅥𝅮”
Right now, I’m being toyed with by this annoying girl.
It’s because this girl—Aidia is the daughter of the Pharaoh!
And I’m Aidia’s friend.
“Can you pull just five strands of hair for me?”
“Ouch!”
“Wow! It’s white! It’s so cool every time I see it. You look like a grandma. When did that happen?”
“… I don’t know.”
She seems like a friend and a toy.
I don’t have any blessings, but I do have heritage!
No, rather than needing a time extension to this point, I can use just my ‘voice’—
“You have to respect me—”
“Another strange joke. Stop it, it’s pointless.”
“….”
“Did you forget? I am, we are descendants of the mighty Menes. We have the blood of the skies flowing through us?”
“….”
“I like you just for that.”
Laughing brightly, Aidia tried to hug me while I escaped her grasp.
The Pharaoh is a son of a god, or so I thought it was something made up to wield power freely.
I thought the Pharaoh of reality might be different, but the blood of the Pharaoh family in this trial genuinely flows divine.
Then, Aidia murmured in an anxious tone.
“Miro, what do you think of my father?”
“…”
“Tell me. This time I’m not joking.”
“… I heard he’s unwell.”
“That’s all?”
“….”
“Listen, Miro. My dad is really a wonderful person.”
“Is he?”
“Absolutely!”
Aidia went on for quite a while about the positive aspects of Omar that she remembered.
Early on in his reign, he brutally put down corrupt nobles with minimal bloodshed and continuously won battles against the invaders from the south.
Tears streamed down his face as he abstained from food while witnessing his people suffer from famine.
It seems the youthful Omar was indeed a benevolent and outstanding Pharaoh.
“Father… has been acting strangely for a while.”
“…”
In this situation, could Omar be the ‘boss’?
If I went inside the palace with Aidia and simply took him out now, would that solve everything?!
“Say something.”
“….”
Before entering, I remembered the teacher sternly advising me not to do anything bizarre by myself.
So I decided to keep my mouth shut.
“Aidia!”
A sharp voice rang out from outside.
“Taiora has arrived!”
Soon, a man dressed in black appeared.
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