### Chapter 512 – Room 207, The Gate Room – The Third Trial ‘Miskatonic University’ (14)
—
— Kim Mooksung
When I arrived at the university, I heard Sophia’s clear shout.
“Eternal winter descends, freeze!”
With that, Sophia squeezed every bit of her magic, freezing Fortuna, who was standing in the sky, causing him to plummet.
For a human, this would certainly mean death, but for that monster? It was merely a matter of buying a few seconds!
Ahri, on the other hand, had taken a heavy hit and was lying on the ground, bleeding from her mouth. It seemed like she was recovering using the old blood’s power, and not long after, she sat up, gritting her teeth against the pain.
Soon, with a pale expression, Ahri clasped her hands together, focusing her mind as translucent barriers rose around the fallen Fortuna.
“Is it working?”
“No. Just buying some time. At best, a few minutes.”
“Ugh…!”
“But Mooksung, something feels off.”
“What do you mean?”
“Seungyub’s current state.”
“…”
I was taken aback.
Is Fortuna really Seungyub?
While Ahri might have already deduced this after rummaging through Yumi’s memories, it was a shocking revelation for me!
Of course, explaining this to Ahri, who was busy isolating Fortuna with an irregular polyhedron while recovering with old blood, wasn’t feasible.
“It’s strange. Seungyub shouldn’t be able to use blessings since he’s part of the first party. How is he using luck? And…”
“And?”
“The power of resurrection. Thinking back, that doesn’t make sense either. Even if there is a Vessel of Souls, it’s implausible.”
I understood what point Ahri was trying to make.
“I remember. If you die with your soul trapped in the Vessel of Souls, you just become a wandering ghost, not regenerate your body.”
The Vessel of Souls itself doesn’t grant physical regeneration. If it did, the demon wouldn’t need to create multiple bodies to move around, and Yumi from the past wouldn’t have so much trouble trying to form a corporeal body.
“From what you’re saying, Seungyub has been alive for a ridiculously long time, but didn’t he learn magic from Yumi?”
“Probably not. The Seungyub I saw in memories wasn’t interested in learning magic. More importantly…”
I understood the direction of Ahri’s thoughts.
“He’s not using magic now either. If he could, he would’ve used it for offense by now, but he’s only using martial arts. He only casts magic during the resurrection moment?”
As I listened to Ahri, I found another oddity.
“Now that you mention it, the way he uses luck seems different from before?”
“Right. Back then, it just augmented himself, but now it seems to invoke bad luck for the enemy over long distances.”
The more I thought about it, the more I agreed with Ahri’s observations.
Fortuna’s power feels off somehow.
Let’s say Seungyub’s powers are A, B, C. It seems like Fortuna is using A, B, C at first glance, but from my friend’s perspective, it feels more like abc or ㄱㄴㄷ.
“It’s vaguely familiar, but if that’s the case—”
“Ahri.”
I firmly grasped Ahri’s shoulders, emphasizing my point.
“It seems you’ve fallen into a complicated train of thought, but sometimes, you need to simplify the situation to find answers.”
“Go on.”
“The solution to the third trial! The terms are clear to both you and me. We just need to kill the boss.”
“Right.”
Ultimately, the key question is, ‘Who is the boss?’
“I initially thought that creature, Fortuna, was the boss. But think about it. Has Fortuna ever threatened the world?”
“Uh—”
“Has Fortuna ever targeted us?”
“…”
“Did you hear what Sophia said? Fortuna killed Eunsol. He probably killed Elena too. What that means is—”
“Fortuna was the boss of the second trial.”
Since his debut, Fortuna has been fixated on hunting chaotic beings, and he hasn’t behaved like a ‘world’s enemy.’
Moreover, he didn’t come after Kim Mooksung or Kim Ahri specifically.
The target was Miskatonic University, and we just happened to be there.
Most crucially, he is the boss of the second trial.
There’s no way the boss of the second trial and the third trial can be the same entity!
If they were the same, wouldn’t it mean that if Fortuna was defeated in the second trial, there would be no boss for the third trial?
“… Fortuna is the boss that the second party failed to defeat. So he’s still running rampant until now.”
If that’s the case, then who is the boss of the third trial?
Just then, a voice cursed the entire world.
“Ahhhh! Ultimately, there is just one answer. There is only one salvation in this wretched world!”
“Lucas! Please—”
Sophia gasped, turning to the dean, and I had already heard that ominous incantation once before.
I understood the motive. The logic of the Vatican is something that cannot be accepted by the minority being sacrificed, and he is a man who has had everything taken away by them.
However, no matter the reason, he’s an insane archmage who tries to summon an alien deity not just once, but twice!
“Truly great beings see no distinction between beginning and end—”
What the hell! Not again?!
As I sighed and prepared to call for ‘One More Chance,’ a pale hand grabbed my arm.
“Don’t use it. Go tell Lucas. I have one last move, so delay self-destruction.”
“There’s no way he’ll be convinced—”
“If I fail to convince him, then revert! I have something I want to try.”
“Something you want to try?”
“I need to see what Seungyub is up against. Ask Lucas to weaken Fortuna for just a moment with the power of self-destruction!”
“… Fine.”
Surprisingly, Lucas accepted the suggestion and changed the content of his spell.
The old man held something glowing strangely in his hand and said, “Priest of Horus! For the sake of your master, who sought Horus until the end, I will heed your words just this once. However, Fortuna is an immortal being. What good is it to suppress him for just a moment?”
—
— Rattle! Rattle!
“Ugh! Are you even listening?!”
Seriously, it’s so frustrating.
Shouldn’t they be responding to me right away since I flanked them with a flashy blink?
All these idiots, why am I every time stuck in Platinum—
“Seungyub, are you having fun?”
“Huh?”
Just as I turned my head, I felt breathless.
Flowing black hair and blood droplets converged into solid crimson eyes that seemed out of this world.
I really felt like I couldn’t breathe, like this person wasn’t from my world at all.
“W-Who are you?”
“How could you not recognize me? Do you mean to say you don’t know your own sister?”
“W-Who’s a sister? I’m an only child—”
“Really? Are you so sure? Are you absolutely certain you remember it right?”
“…”
I was confused.
I am an only child, but then again, I might not be.
Most of my memories about family are hazy at best.
“Are you really my sister? So, um, what’s your name?”
“I’m Park Ahri,” she said.
This stunning beauty claiming to be my sister suddenly pointed at the monitor with a grin.
“Is this really that interesting?”
“Huh?”
“But wasn’t it your fault that Seungyub made a mistake just now?”
“…”
What did she just say?
“I mean, I don’t know much about this game, but your and your team’s positions are way too far apart. Even if it’s a situation where you could start fighting, when your teammates are far away—”
“Who do you think you’re—”
“Huh?”
“What do you know about League of Legends?!”
“Uh, uh, Seungyub, I’m definitely your sister—”
“Don’t you dare give me advice about League when you know nothing!”
“???”
Calming down, I grabbed Sister Ahri and explained slowly.
The appropriate initiation of a fight is something that happens in a single moment, repeating the occurrence and disappearance of time’s sliver.
It’s the one moment captured in the flowing river of time, and to seize it invariably holds the essence of martial arts’ extreme virtue—
“W-Weren’t we just talking about the game? Why are you suddenly throwing around martial philosophy now?”
“Ah, you really know nothing! In the extreme domain, do you not understand that all principles connect at that point? Haven’t you heard of 万流归宗 (Wan Liu Gui Zong)?”
“I don’t think even the greatest swordsman would compare martial arts with League.”
“I am the greatest swordsman! That’s me! Therefore my words are correct!”
“Wow… This really sounds absurd, but strangely feels somewhat correct.”
Reluctantly, I had to sit my sister in front of the computer and teach her step by step.
About 20 minutes in, Sister Ahri had a perplexed expression as she mumbled.
“How could I forget how many family members I have and yet unconsciously remember only this….”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. Seungyub, do you want to watch a movie with me?”
“A movie? What movie?”
“Let me search it up~!”
Sister lightly grabbed my hand, using her other hand to type on the keyboard, searching for a movie.
…
Suddenly, the icy voice of a harsh figure rang through.
“Focus! The intruder is targeting our minds.”
This is the rightful judgment to protect myself from a despicable power that has reached the height of distracting one’s mind, the essence of reason that holds firm.
“Typing on a keyboard or searching the internet means nothing; the true place the intruder is searching is within our memories.”
“You! How do you—”
“Thinking back, wasn’t it Seungyub who made a mistake just now? The teammates were too far away—”
No!
No, no, no, no, no!
Why is this sister so darn infuriating?
“Seriously! I explained everything to you already!”
“And the backdoor? That was the real worst-case scenario. It feels like that’s why we lost, doesn’t it?”
“… I clearly said it was an operation, not a backdoor—”
I was getting angry.
I was so mad that my whole body trembled!
Thanks to her, I no longer knew if my rightful reason was still intact!
“Divided Mind, it’s really nothing special. Found it.”
“Sister, how many times do I have to explain— Wait, found it?”
Sister Ahri grinned and pointed at the movie title.
‘The Dark Knight and the Virgin’s First Encounter – Mirror of Nitocris’
—
— Twitch!
Ahri, who had been sleeping like a mouse, slowly woke up.
Feeling as if Fortuna was about to go on the offense, I shouted urgently.
“Ahri, what happened? Did you find the solution to Fortuna?!”
The black-haired, red-eyed girl gazed blankly at the sky.
“What happened?”
“… Mirror.”
“What did you say?”
“I think I know what the mirror is. I think I understand Seungyub’s condition too.”
“Don’t just keep it to yourself, spill it to me!”
Ahri frowned, deep in thought for a moment before throwing a strange question at me.
“Do you remember the theory of the Administration Bureau regarding the universe?”
“Huh? Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden—”
“There are no parallel worlds. We live in one endless vibrating universe.”
I was flabbergasted.
There’s no one nearby who would understand this, and Sophia was just tilting her head in confusion.
This is one of the Administration’s top secrets!
“Ahri, why are you talking nonsense all of a sudden—”
“When the Hotel Cinema ended, the hotel promised Kain that he would get a conclusion he could be satisfied with. What did that mean?”
A disjointed train of thought, jumping conversations from here to there.
Discussing A, then suddenly jumping to B, and before anyone could grasp C, it was off to D.
“Why on earth are you saying this?”
“Suddenly, I found myself thinking, what color is the sky?”
I found myself thinking the same thing.
Is Ahri really losing her mind after delving too deep into Seungyub’s crazy memories?
“… It’s blue.”
“What color is blue?”
“Ahri, now’s not the time for this—”
I was confused.
Currently, Ahri was too peculiar to be sane and seemed on the verge of madness, but with some valid reasoning backing her.
In the distance, the old dean was rushing towards us.
“What’s happening! Fortuna is still fine! He’ll awaken soon! Even if you kill him, he’s an immortal being. What should you do? You can undoubtedly stop him—”
Ahri simply replied to the dean, distraught and filled with dread.
“I can.”
“… What?”
Soon, Ahri rose and approached the dean.
“If just one person dies today, we can solve all the problems.”
The old man tilted his head in confusion.
“You’ve found a way to kill Fortuna? Hoho…! Indeed, for Horus—”
—
— Swoosh!
That was the last moment of Dean Lucas.
Even as he faced his invisible sword, he couldn’t even imagine Ahri’s ambush until the end.
Of course, none of the others saw it coming either.
“Ugh!”
“AAAH!”
Sophia screamed like a child.
And I, equally shocked as her!
But could you not tell me if you were going to kill the Dean?!
It’s obvious that Ahri has gone crazy.
Seriously, she could have just called for ‘One More Chance’—
“It’s okay.”
“…”
“Mooksung, calm down. It’s really okay. We’re almost through the third trial.”
Almost through?
Ahri reached out and opened the tightly clenched hand of the dean, revealing a glass shard emitting a chilling light.
Soon, the glass fragment was in Ahri’s smiling hand.
In the chaotic chamber, with the dark knight rising in the back, it truly was a life-or-death scenario. With Lucas, who had subdued Fortuna with a forbidden spell, now dead, we were in a position where we would all die unless we turned back time!
Ahri, seemingly oblivious to the looming Fortuna behind her, continued where we left off earlier.
“I’ve been thinking.”
“Ahri….”
“We all live inside boxes created by our own cognitive abilities. Is the blue you see the same blue I see?”
—
The vibrating singular universe.
The promise made by Kain to the hotel.
The boxes created by each individual’s cognition.
The Mirror of Nitocris.
It was as if I could vaguely understand what Ahri’s epiphany might be.
Yet at the same time, I couldn’t understand anything at all.
—
— Zing!
At that moment, the glass shard ominously glimmered.
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