### Chapter 492 – Room 207, The Gate Room – First Trial – ‘Eternal Life and Resurrection’ (10) Fin
—
– Aidia
Burning ruins, filled with the wails of despairing people, Memphis.
In appeared a picturesque girl resembling a snowflake, along with an unfathomable entity from my past, my dear friend.
Horus’s gaze turned toward me.
“Reptilian princess, what are you thinking right now?”
I gasped.
My heart raced, and my frozen soul melted away in an instant.
Adjectives to describe that moment rushed forward endlessly.
The one who reads destinies.
The greatest one.
The dignified god, Horus.
…
But he isn’t a god.
This is the end of Egypt.
A monster, a devil, and my enemy!
As the plight of my pitiful kin, who were being slain by the mob every moment, filled my mind, I couldn’t contain my rage.
“Uaaah! Die!”
I charged forward like a madman.
Of course, I knew I couldn’t kill Horus.
If even the great Menes couldn’t handle that devil, how could a young, weakling like me expect to?
I understood it better than anyone.
I was going to die at the hands of that cruel deity today.
But….
Even if I was going to die, I at least wanted to swing my sword once.
“Die!”
At that moment, a book resembling the pitch-black night sky appeared.
— Flutter!
A horrible force immediately froze my body.
A wicked magic I couldn’t comprehend or resist with my pathetic self.
Soon, my hands, now out of control, began to choke my neck.
“Grrgh! Huhhh!”
I couldn’t breathe.
Before I could even take a proper swing with my sword, I was subdued.
I hadn’t even touched the devil’s clothes!
Both my body and soul cried tears.
The realization that I, who was once a princess of Egypt only yesterday, was now being toyed with and dying at my enemy’s hands was…
Devastating.
“Grrr!”
I gritted my teeth and lifted my head.
I wanted to die with at least some dignity.
And this was the best decision I made today.
“Uraaaah!”
The man in black clothes became a streak of lightning and struck Horus!
What a magnificent harmony this is?
The great Horus, the evil god that even Menes knelt before, allowed an ordinary human to strike first.
In an instant, Horus’s clothes were stained red.
The being who seemed unflappable enough that the world could collapse tomorrow was thrown off balance!
“Ugh…! You fiend!”
In that moment, the hand that had been choking my master returned to my will, and my neck found freedom.
“Tayo! How did you—”
Like he had been waiting for this moment, Tayo’s voice chimed in.
“Aidia! Run away! You must live!”
Ah…!
Tayo was right.
I still didn’t have the power to defeat that monster!
I ran like a madwoman, over and over.
I heard someone collapse behind me.
It meant that Tayo couldn’t endure anymore either.
Would I even escape?
In a fear strong enough to swallow my soul, as I glanced behind, I saw a second miracle.
A girl, holding the blood-stained hem of Horus’s clothes, held him back.
Miro was teeming with tears, stopping Horus.
How funny that sight was, oddly enough, it brought me some comfort.
As much as I loved that girl, she cared for me just as much.
…
How did this happen?
Me, the utterly weak, escaping from that terrifying devil’s grasp?
A thunderbolt of realization struck me.
There are loopholes even in Horus’s endless foresight.
And look at that blood!
That arrogant god is also ultimately just a being composed of soft flesh.
That means he is a being that can be killed.
“Ha!”
My great ancestor, the absolute ruler of the reptiles.
What he boldly declared before Horus.
“I determine my fate from this moment on.”
So I swore allegiance not to the heavens, nor the sun, but to myself.
I am Aidia.
One day, I will be the one to kill Horus when he returns to this land.
*
– Miro
I was speechless.
I had no idea what to say.
The image of Aidia running away, her eyes wild with fury, lingered.
“…”
Gaining held the blood-splattered cloth while the man in black lay collapsed before her.
Then Tayo got back up.
It would’ve shocked Aidia, but truthfully, this man was not dead.
“Wow, from an observer’s point of view, this is amazing!”
The man chatted with Gaining like a friend.
“What’s so amazing?”
Gaining replied naturally.
“Your acting! You just scratched your skin, and someone who didn’t know would think your heart was ripped out!”
“Were you okay?”
“Totally could’ve been a movie star!”
“Hey, hey! Ease up on praising yourself. There’s no time to waste.”
Soon, Tayo smiled brightly and disappeared.
“…”
Not surprising at all.
Tayo was never really here from the beginning.
That was just an illusion Gaining created with her grimoire.
To me, he had never appeared as Tayo, only a dark, shining shadow.
When did Gaining gain this power?
“Oppa… Are we done?”
I heard the voice of Songyi, who led to the identity confusion of Tayo.
“Yeah.”
“Phew… I’m glad… whatever it is…”
“Good job.”
With those words, Songyi slowly closed her eyes.
This wasn’t sad at all.
From the moment Menes severed her hands, she had wanted to rest.
The teacher had returned with her guts in hand.
Jinchul summoned star fragments to stop the robot’s rampage before turning into a twisted corpse.
Songyi would die soon.
The only ones left would be Seungyub, Yumi, and maybe me.
I would soon fall into a long sleep.
What would happen to Seungyub and Yumi?
“Miro, get into the sarcophagus.”
A thick, black box shimmering with liquid.
The sarcophagus of immortality.
— Splash!
“Why are you doing this?”
A handsome young man smiled brightly.
My dear heart, my first love.
“Got any questions?”
Gaining’s time was almost up, not even 30 seconds left, and I couldn’t hold back any longer.
So many question marks, question marks floating in my mind!
Gaining, what are you thinking?
Aren’t you supposed to eradicate all Reptilians?
Why did you let Aidia live when you could kill her?
Okay, if you had a reason to spare her…
Then why show up in front of Aidia at all?
Why mimic the already dead Tayo and trick her?
Lastly!
Why must I sleep in the sarcophagus?
“I can tell just by looking at you. You have a ton of questions.”
“…”
“You’ll know all soon enough. I’m not into playing twenty questions, so after Room 207 wraps up, I’ll tell you everything.”
And his face came close.
“Uh oh!”
“Good night.”
— Clank
The sarcophagus lid closed.
…
I thought he might give me a kiss, but to end it with a hug in this atmosphere? That’s just cruel.
This was my last memory from the first trial.
「Eternal Life and Resurrection, Fin」
*
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
Date: — Day
Current Location: Room 207, The Gate Room
Sage’s Advice: 3]
– Han Kain
“The status window date has disappeared.”
— Clang! Clang!
The train rushed forward without a moment’s pause.
At the end of the tracks, what trials awaited me at the final station?
Across from me sat Eunsol, Jinchul, and Elena, deep in strategic discussions.
“Jinchul, you’ll probably be a knight. Elena seems like a noble lady, obviously?”
“What about you, sis?”
“Well, who knows? Kain says he doesn’t know either. Am I just some lady from somewhere?”
“Eh~! Only two ladies? There should be at least a maid too.”
“Whoa! Cha Jinchul, did you just say I should be a maid? I’m a lady of a wealthy family, you know?”
“Ah! Come on, you know I was joking, right?”
“Jinchul, just know you won’t be able to find a job in Korea again.”
“Haha! Sis, come on, quit the jokes.”
It felt half like a strategic meeting and half like they were trying to bond.
Not a bad way to relax.
They’re up next.
Just then, someone sat next to me.
“Ha ha, esteemed guest! How’s your train journey treating you?”
“…”
An unpleasant voice. It’s the merchant.
“From now on, please call me ‘Train Conductor’ instead.”
“Did you get a promotion or something?”
“Not exactly, but ‘train conductor’ suits me better on a train, doesn’t it?”
“…”
“I really enjoyed the first trial. You have no idea how impressed I was! Haha! After serving in this hotel for so long, guests like you are truly rare.”
The first trial was entertaining?
That holds two meanings.
Unlike us, the merchant can observe the trial’s progress.
Plus, the first trial just ended moments ago!
Unknowingly, I raised my body to glance at the front car.
“…”
Jinchul, Eunsol, Elena.
All three were laughing and chatting, munching on snacks.
Here I was, amazed that the merchant was sitting next to me and everything seemed chill.
Maybe some mysterious magic veiled my companions’ eyes.
“Why the long face? Surprised everyone’s perfectly fine for the next round?”
“…”
“Did you think someone would faint? Haha! This is a secret, but no matter what happens in the trial, it never impacts the train.”
What happened in the trial didn’t affect the train.
“In simpler terms, if Miro summons Kain, and he dies, it won’t affect Kain on the train whatsoever. Why?”
“…”
“Because you’re not supposed to know what happened in the last trial. It’s a spoiler prevention; you get that, right?”
Spoiler prevention? What’s that all about?
He’s throwing all this at me while revealing everything!
I hadn’t even said a word, yet the merchant was freeballing like he had no care.
I grasped it through intuition, but it meant Jinchul fell in the first trial.
So, he’s not affected on the train.
But what about Jinchul in the second trial?
… My ominous prediction might just come true.
“Thank you?”
“… What?”
“Haha, dear Han Kain. You’re not one of those ungrateful beasts, are you?”
“…”
“I think I just gave you a pretty significant hint.”
“I had an inkling.”
“Guessing and certainty are not the same. I just provided you certainty.”
That wasn’t wrong.
“What are you trying to say?”
“This is a personal curiosity of mine.”
You’ve helped me, and now you want your curiosity satisfied?
“Ask away.”
“Do you consider yourself a hero? Or a reliable ally to them?”
“I don’t get what the question is for.”
“Let’s narrow it down. If it came down to saving humanity or saving yourself and your allies, which would you choose?”
“… Ideally, both.”
“You’re quite greedy! Just one choice, please, one.”
“…”
“Just one. If you try to hold onto both, you’ll lose them all.”
As I fumbled to respond, the merchant suddenly dropped a chilling proclamation.
“I may not be an extraordinary being like you, nor can I read destinies, but one thing I know for sure.”
“What?”
“We’ll be spending a great deal of time together.”
“No, what kind of unlucky nonsense is this—”
“Kain, let’s get friendly. Please call me brother when we meet next time.”
“Hey, you! Are you serious?!”
I turned, flabbergasted, ready to curse more when—poof—no one was by my side.
— Clang!
“Let the second trial commence! Participants, please prepare yourselves.”
“Good luck, everyone!”
“Uraah~! Let’s do well together!”
“Eunsol, Jinchul, let’s power through this!”
*
「Second Trial – The Witch」
—
– Elena
The ground was solid marble, and before my eyes stood an elegant wooden table.
The clothes I wore… oh, it’s silk!
Even in the 21st century, silk is known as a luxury fabric; in the medieval era, it went without saying.
Success starting as upper crust in Rooms 205 and 206, and now Room 207 as well!
I felt a surge of joy.
No matter where you start, the hotel is always a dangerous place, but I’d much rather start as a rich lady than in the slums; at least I can keep my body comfy.
But that wasn’t the end.
— Beep!
An incredibly familiar bird call filled the air.
“Huh? Is that Perro?”
What on earth?
What is going on?
Starting as a wealthy lady with the finest helper, Perro, by my side?
Is this hotel really so kind?
I hate to admit it, but in saying this, I was caught up in thought!
Take a look at the roles the hotel assigned me.
In Room 205, I was an apostle of the god, in Room 206, a renowned actress, and in Room 207, a rich girl accompanied by a mysterious parrot.
Why does this hotel keep throwing me such fine roles?
It must be because I’m pretty!
Pretty enough for such roles to fit me!
“… Um, I’ll hold back.”
Okay, time to get serious.
Things being too kind is spooky.
“Hotel! Why are you doing this? It doesn’t match your usual vibe!”
Feeling the unease, I blurted this out without realizing.
— Rustle!
A hard tactile sensation from within my clothing: it was the envelope Kain gave me.
When was I supposed to open this?
“When Elena’s turn begins in Room 207, check it right away.”
I was supposed to check it right away.
— Flutter!
As I opened the envelope and unfolded the small paper, it had only a simple message on it.
“Sorry.”
“?”
“It seems the second trial is to be conducted by Elena and Eunsol.”
“???”
“Let’s go! Fight for it!”
“Gyaaaah!”
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