Chapter 544 – Room 207, Gate Room – Fourth Trial ‘Fallen King’ (30) Fin
– User: Han Kain(? Hye)
Date: Day 1,872
Current Location: California, Santa Monica Beach
Teaching: ∞
– ?
I touched “Teaching: ∞!”
Was it a sudden whim, or do I have instincts formed in the twisting process?
The response was unexpected.
“Shouldn’t you preserve the hard-earned enlightenment?”
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
The teaching hinted at one important fact: I might not be able to take Serena’s enlightenment outside room 207.
Looking into Ahri’s somewhat worried eyes, I casually replied, “Do you have a pen?”
She pulled out ‘a familiar pen’ with a confident expression.
“Of course! I found this pen of yours in Korea two years ago. Want it?”
Just like the protective suit that appeared out of nowhere, this ‘anywhere usable pen’ was odd too.
“Forget it. Let the ‘winner’ handle the annoying stuff.”
That was a small act of mischief, a little resistance, I thought. This should be enough.
— Bang!
*
– User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 2,008,924
Current Location: Room 207, Gate Room – Fourth Trial ‘Fallen King’
– Han Kain
Consciousness returned.
Boy, did I feel like I had a really long dream.
When I regained a clear mind, the first thing I did was check my ‘body’ and ‘status window.’
Except for the fact that Han Kain’s ‘Advice’ section was empty, the status window looked perfect.
“… I won.”
“Are you okay? What do you mean you won?”
Ahri’s worried gaze hit me hard.
I had won the coin toss…
In front of my wheelchair, there was the corpse of a girl who had committed suicide with a gun.
“…”
A bit bittersweet.
But hey, that girl probably ended up similar to ‘me’ at the end.
“Ari.”
“I’m listening.”
“I want to hear about what’s been happening.”
“Sure.”
*
Anyway, this has been years in the making.
Adding just another day wouldn’t change anything, so I summarized what had happened.
After recognizing the similarities between room 207 and reality, Ahri collected treasures that had disappeared from reality in room 207.
The thermos that usually held Ahri’s blood contained a ‘bizarre thing’ instead.
“What’s this?”
“If I explain here, it’ll just make your head spin. It’s not directly related to solving room 207. I’ll tell you outside.”
Struggling to overcome the unstable existence dependent on the timeline, the Midnight Maze seemed to have achieved its own purpose.
“… So, Maze, everything’s alright?”
“Yup. Actually, I don’t really understand why you all look so anxious.”
Always the innocent Maze, understanding the situation perfectly.
Now that it’s disconnected from the timeline, the term Midnight Maze doesn’t fit anymore.
Like Ari said, ‘Urban Legend Maze’ seems more appropriate.
She paid a harsh price for it.
Listening to the stories from her allies, I wrapped up the tasks that the ‘clone’ handed over to me.
Incorporating Serena’s enlightenment and a unique use of the grimoire into the Book of Avatars.
Just adding a simple sentence, could I really use this power?
If I had tried this when I first obtained the grimoire, it would have been impossible, but now it seemed within the realm of possibility.
If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.
As I finished up the task, Ahri carefully asked,
“We analyzed your plans among ourselves.”
“Really?”
Room 207 represents another possibility in reality.
It’s a world where demons, monsters, aliens – collectively referred to as chaos entities – eternally battle.
Aidia attempted to resolve this with the mirror, but her answer ended in ghastly failure.
“I couldn’t solve it with one more chance. Probably because Mooksung woke up too late.”
“That’s a shame.”
“So you caused worldwide chaos. It was probably part of the process erasing Aidia’s miscalculations. Am I right?”
Most of it was correct.
Though my hidden goal of ‘growth’ was omitted, my allies had no way to know that.
The old man, seemingly curious, asked,
“In the end, you almost erased the wrong answers. But does erasing the wrong answers mean the answer will appear?”
Erasing the wrong answers means starting from scratch again.
Returning to the first state calls for ‘my answer.’
I revealed my own answer to my allies.
“Eek! What are you thinking?!”
The old man seemed flabbergasted.
“…”
Ahri’s reaction was odd.
“Do you think it won’t work?”
My question made the two exchange complicated expressions.
Ahri’s response was simple.
“… Surprisingly, it might. But I’m not sure if the hotel will recognize it.”
Finally, the old man wrapped up the day.
“Alright, let’s depart tomorrow. If we’re going to write down your answer, we need to head back to the moon.”
The next day, we set off for the moon once again, aiming for resolution.
*
The moon, a land filled with pale gray rocks.
I decided to try something I hadn’t done before due to my previous lack of leisure.
“This is a small step for one man, but a great leap for mankind.”
Taking a light step.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of the cosmos, sounds can’t be heard.
— Crackle!
Instead, communication through my helmet was possible.
“Isn’t it a great leap?”
“…”
“That saying means the very act of a human walking on the moon signifies a victory of civilization, right? But you came flying with a divine sun.”
“…”
“Nothing to do with science. Your step is just a tiny step for Han Kain and a lament for humanity’s sorrow.”
“Ari, you…”
“What? Try to refute me!”
“You knowing this is ridiculous enough. You’re from a world without the moon.”
“Oh dear!”
Oh dear, what’s this oh dear!
I had a rough idea of what kind of organization the ‘Administration Bureau’ was. I thought I could confirm it in reality once the second floor ended…
But still, this girl is way too careless when she’s around me!
Sighing and looking up, the ‘mirror’ atop the lunar base revealed its grand form.
“It’s almost restored.”
Although it had shattered in the process of splitting me, it seems it was rebuilt over five years.
After all, Yumi and Ari had also been shattered, so it was certain there was a way to restore the mirror after ‘splitting.’
“Let’s go inside.”
*
The moment we stepped onto the lunar base, the same thing happened as before.
Bright, colorful lights obscured my vision, and I was left all alone.
“…”
I expected this to happen again, so I wasn’t surprised.
I just walked forward into the endless path leading down as before.
At the end of the corridor, a door where Aidia was waiting.
— Creak!
*
Our long-awaited first encounter was brief.
“Did you do well?”
“Just about.”
Unlike before, the Holy Mother didn’t shoot beams of light or anything.
She simply leaned against the gray wall, looking tired and worn.
Her body looked thinner than before, and her expression void.
It seemed like her heart had been crushed.
“I thought you’d interrupt in the middle, but you didn’t.”
“Interrupt?”
“You know, the happenings on the surface. You were watching, right?”
“Ah, you mean the way you ruined my paradise? Was I supposed to listen if you told me not to?”
There was a slightly prickly tone in her voice.
Aidia did not interfere with my ‘erasure of wrong answers.’ This implied she had accepted it.
The fact that she herself wrote a horrific wrong answer.
“I didn’t ruin it. I merely turned it for the first time.”
“What difference does it make to turn it for the first time? It’s just another endless fight starting again!”
Aidia said there’s no meaning to ‘returning to the blank slate.’
Thus, I must voice the ‘answer I write on the blank slate.’
“… Ah.”
An unimaginable strong instinct struck me.
In that moment, it felt like the attention of the entire world was focused on me.
It was as if the whole universe, not just Aidia and I, was leaning in to hear my words.
Not only the hotel, even beyond the mirror, ‘Yaldabaoth’ was watching me.
Was this just a simple misunderstanding of mine?
“Advice: 3”
It didn’t feel like it was.
The final moment brought back my advice.
For the first and last time, I considered asking the owl a question but decided against it.
My answer means something only when I decide it without someone else’s interference.
“Aidia. I’ve seen various possibilities of the world in realms beyond your imagination.”
I witnessed it in the hotel.
“In some cases, civilizations were far more advanced than the ones you and I experienced.”
Aidia scoffed in response.
“Did you see some kind of sci-fi civilization or something?”
“Exactly.”
The potential of 203, who left Earth to build an interstellar civilization.
The temporary power of ‘unyielding reason’ that restrained the Arch-devil from 206.
“… If the civilization advances that much, do they escape the chaos entities?”
The Holy Mother’s hope soaked in boundless humanity.
“No. Even when they advanced that far, strange happenings continued.”
“Then—”
“However, it was entirely different from now. We could even sit at the negotiation table with what would be called ‘gods’ in the modern era, beings that might crumble the sky with a flip of their existence.”
Adravita, the prisoner of 203, participated in the colonization after agreeing with humanity that built the interstellar civilization.
“…”
The Holy Mother fell silent.
“Aidia, as you said, this world will continue to suffer from an endless battle against the devils… But that does not mean our defeat.”
Soon, she put on a cynical expression.
“Ha, Horus! If you say you’ve ‘seen,’ I won’t deny it. Let’s say the glorious future of humanity escaping to build an interstellar civilization exists. But how likely is that?”
Likelihood, eh…
I don’t know either.
To me, this ‘likelihood’ is a question even the owl, the source of insight, can’t answer.
Still, it seems very low.
After all, there were far more scenarios of civilizations that perished before the 21st century and yet stuck to collecting them, let alone sci-fi.
As I silently pondered, the Holy Mother seemed to glean an answer and lamented again.
“In the end, what significance does it hold that you ruined my paradise? The world has returned to its original state, and we have lost hope. Are you now going to accept your fate? Giving up on change, just praying to the sky—”
“There must be change.”
What is the answer from room 207?
“What’s—”
“There must be change. If things continue as they are, not only will we not surpass the interstellar civilization, but we won’t even get past the 21st century and everything will crumble.”
Hence, something better than the existing must be found.
“We need humans.”
“Huh?”
“People who can endure an eon’s struggle to prevent the apocalypse.”
“…”
“People who retain their humanity and sense of belonging to humanity.”
“…”
“And yet, at the same time, somewhat embark on the path of shedding, to understand the chaos.”
One step.
Another step.
I walked toward the center of the hall, where light streamed in from the top.
Long ago, Ahri had said as she explained about the Administration Bureau.
If the world were a complex machine, humans were merely cogs within it.
Every cog may be replaced as needed.
Sometimes, even the ‘largest cog’ must be replaced.
“What on earth—”
At first, Aidia didn’t understand my words, then her eyes widened in realization.
“Aidia. This world needs change. One person must change.”
“…”
“You need to change into me.”
Silence ensued.
Aidia showed neither anger nor sadness.
She simply hung her head against the outer wall like before.
After a moment, she asked.
“What makes you better than me?”
The divine sun.
The Book of Avatars.
Insight.
I don’t want to explain all that at length.
“Personality?”
“Your personality didn’t seem that great.”
“Exactly. I’ve realized lately that I don’t reflect much.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“In almost every situation, I end up right. So there’s no need to reflect.”
“That sounds quite dictatorial.”
“There’s a significant difference between me and a dictator.”
“What is that?”
“I’m aware that I’m right.”
For the first time, the Holy Mother smiled brightly.
“Ha ha! Hahaha!”
“…”
“Go ahead. You do well instead of me. That’d be nice.”
— Thud!
A knee drop echoed as a ‘prayer’ rang out.
“For the first and last time, I’ll pray to you.”
“…”
“What I said before you today; may it stand unshaken for a thousand – no, ten thousand years.”
— Crack!
Moments later, a chilling sound pierced my ears.
The guardian that had sustained humanity for millennia acknowledged its ‘replacement’ and took its last breath.
Soon, I stood in the center of the hall, gazing outside.
Beyond the lunar base, the universe was filled with darkness.
Through it, a pale blue dot shone.
From now on, this would be the model garden I must sustain.
“This is my answer.”
In the final moment, I harbored slight doubt.
I had thought somehow ‘Yaldabaoth’ would intervene midway, but maybe not?
“Advice: 3 -> 0”
“He’s already accomplished his purpose, so he won’t care anymore. Wait for the conclusion.”
“…”
A long-awaited piece of advice.
Yaldabaoth has already accomplished his purpose.
It sounded like a whimsical phrase, but I sensed a faint understanding within it.
His essence isn’t that of a ‘false creator’ like Headmaster Lucas believed.
Didn’t Ahri say it?
The essence beyond the mirror is a ‘practitioner’!
The practitioner’s duty is to chase the Buddha, not to bring about the end of the lower realms or salvation.
— Boom!
“Congratulations!
You have successfully passed the final trial prepared in the Gate Room!
What a long journey spanning thousands of years, how did it feel?
You must have been surprised to learn that the progress of prior trials affects subsequent trials.
Participants proceeding through the Curse Room often lash out randomly if things don’t go their way.
They probably think it’s no big deal since they’d just restart from the beginning if they escape.
Correcting your bad habits is also one of Room 207’s goals!
An endless battle against demons.
Countless human sacrifices to comprehend over eons.
Eventually, even the great Holy Mother relied on the unknown object called the mirror, having had her heart broken.
You’ve decided to support the world on behalf of that Holy Mother, haven’t you?
To sit on the throne of the Administration Bureau as a dictator.
An intriguing answer indeed.
Some may view your response as lacking, arguing that without proof of how things improve once you replace the Holy Mother, it is incomplete.
Others might argue that it is a fact that you surpassed the Holy Mother; therefore, the direction you choose can be acknowledged.
Since the latter opinion held more sway, I acknowledge your passage.
However, I wish to pose one crucial question.
Did you consider Room 207’s trial a mere ‘mock test’ before returning to reality?
Participant Han Kain, did you provide this answer solely for resolving Room 207?
Or do you plan to keep this same answer for reality as well?
Please think for yourself.
Congratulations once again!”
Finally, the entire universe of room 207 began to collapse!
“Ha, only now—”
In the final moment, the boundary between the material universe where humans live and the high realms broke down, and the form of the ‘practitioner’ came into view.
He was facing ‘the Urban Legend Maze.’
“Wait, what?”
This was my last memory in room 207.
Reflecting back, I wonder if I overdid it in showing too much? I hope the readers enjoyed it all the same.
My apologies to the readers who eagerly awaited the ending of room 207 while repeatedly sending support questions.
+ Thanks, Non-Anon, Sword Master, dbcos, Jinnoksoo, Lemon Ceylon Tea, Kim Do-young_867, and None_387 for your support.
I will repay this with consistent updates and timely releases.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.