Chapter 593 – The Stolen World (8)
—
– User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
– Date: Day 225
– Current Location: Northern Territory, Australia
– Sage’s Advice: 0
—
– Han Kain
The last bit of news I got was that there’s a ‘mirror’ on the ark.
Other than that, the Status Window only tells me that our buddies over there haven’t kicked the bucket yet.
So, has the party on the ark already been subdued by the Administration Bureau?
Can’t say for sure.
…
When I returned to reality, the merchant advised us to lay low for the first six months and only then start moving.
Later, during a run-in with Ryan and his crew, the previous Wise One also said something similar.
Turns out, those six months mark the ‘starting point of the ark’s construction.’
Both the hotel and the former Wise One basically told us to stay out of trouble until the Bureau started building the ark.
But why?
Well, the answer’s scribbled in the freshly revived ‘Scenario Understanding.’
– Scenario: The Stolen World
“The Administration Bureau’s choice for salvation, the ark.
Most of the Bureau’s strength has been spent completing the ark.
In other words, now is the opportunity for those with a third objective to strike!”
“Next, check in ‘The Seal of the Moon.’”
“…”
Basically, this is humanity’s weakest moment throughout history.
A lot of the top brass, including the Silent Ones, have headed off to the ark, and many are already in a sort of hibernation.
Meanwhile, the world left behind is in utter chaos.
The ordinary folks, and even those in the Bureau who realize they weren’t chosen, have completely lost it.
The Bureau can no longer control the world.
They don’t even have the energy left to stop us from sneaking into the underground of Australia.
*
— KABOOM!
With a gigantic explosion, the suppression near Uluru— a famous rock in Australia that I’ve just laid eyes on— is complete.
The small force the Bureau had left is now incapacitated.
Unfortunately for them, the battle was overwhelmingly one-sided.
While dusting off some rocks, Ryan approached me.
“Wow! I totally felt it before, but this is phenomenal!”
“…”
“You’re flying around at speeds we can’t even see, zipping right through! Those soldiers didn’t even have a shot at survival, huh? Major skill, really.”
“What’s the point of this conversation?”
“So, that lovely lady’s Justice isn’t it?”
By now, both of us are aware of that bit.
“Sure, that’s correct.”
“Shouldn’t she be waiting outside?”
Songee, who isn’t exactly suited for extreme battles, and my grandpa Mooksung have been placed in the rear, but Elena and Sanghyun are right here with me.
Ryan is suggesting that we might replace Elena.
“Remember? Your senior, the wise old man, said that if Lady Justice bites the dust, the situation could turn on its head. I heard she isn’t at her best either.”
At that moment, Elena perked up.
“Just because that’s true doesn’t mean we should only send Kain.”
“It’s fine.”
With a casual flick of my finger in the air, Ryan shifted back, understanding my intent immediately.
The only one who didn’t get it was Elena.
“Are you sure? I’ve actually been feeling a bit uneasy.”
“I just asked for advice.”
“Oh! What did it say?”
“… It said it’s better for you to be beside me.”
This morning, the moment I got that answer, three stacks of advice went poof!
That can’t just be an ordinary answer!
“I found it!”
A soldier’s voice broke our discussion.
It turns out, they were a group of soldiers who helped subdue the remaining forces of the Bureau— the same faction the former Wise One commanded.
Glancing over where he pointed, I see what looks like some alien elevator style equipment.
“Your buddy probably took that elevator down below.”
“And what about us?”
“Shattered. Before we could do anything, they already wrecked it. The easy route has vanished.”
“…”
“The elevator’s broken, but the passage the elevator used is still intact. Let’s get moving.”
*
With each other tethered tightly by thick wire, we began our descent into the underground.
Just as we started down, Elena jabbed at me with a question.
“Why do those soldiers follow you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I just think it’s fascinating that they’d obey you when the Bureau can’t even hold the world together anymore.”
“Simple. We promised them salvation.”
“… Provide them a seat on the ark, you mean?”
“Sharp brain you’ve got there.”
“Isn’t that just a fib? Seems like you’ve no intention—”
Before I could finish, Patrick behind us answered instead, looking rather miffed.
“Hey! Ask that question to your partner beside you! That young Wise One is probably still holding a rally in Seoul, is there even a way to save her?”
Elena fell mute, so I answered in her stead.
“Yeah.”
“What?”
“I mean, let’s just move quietly. The guy without a leg here is yapping too much.”
Patrick has yet to fully regenerate his leg after being stomped on by Sister Eunsol.
Maybe sharing the Blessing of Courage with Jinchul has weakened his recovery?
“This punk—”
“Alright, alright, Patrick. Let’s not get wound up for no reason.”
It’s not a lie to say there is a way to save them.
My ultimate goal is to put a stop to the apocalypse itself.
Isn’t that the most certain salvation there is?
*
The standoff lasted about the first five minutes.
As time dragged on, everyone fell increasingly quiet.
It felt like everyone was being crushed by an overwhelming sadness that couldn’t be articulated.
“… It feels suffocating.”
“It feels like something monstrous is squirming beneath us.”
With Elena and Sanghyun sharing their two cents, Patrick and Ryan added similar sentiments.
“Brings back memories… Remember 105? The setting was a desert.”
“The day I lost my son for the first time, that was the vibe I had from morning…”
Listening to tales that could trigger depression in anyone.
…
I can feel it.
The presence of some hideous creature writhing right beneath our feet is relentless.
At some point, Sanghyun, drenched in cold sweat, muttered.
“This is… the moon.”
“…”
“I wish I could just pour my strength into the ground.”
That impulsive wish to fire a final burst at the moon.
Before I could respond, Ryan nearby interjected with alarm.
“Hey now! If you can’t handle the pressure, you might as well head up! If that monster wakes up here, I swear none of us will get a single breath in!”
“Of course, I was joking.”
“Not a particularly funny joke…”
— THUD!
Suddenly, Patrick punched the wall.
And because of that, the wire swayed, almost sending everyone off-balance, prompting Ryan to apologize.
“Oops! Sorry about that. Hey, Patrick! Calm it down!”
“… My bad. I’ll apologize to everyone.”
Seeing Patrick’s face, it was clear he wasn’t in his right mind.
Soon enough, our side began to run into problems too.
— CLANG!
“Still chattering like that, huh!”
“W-What? Doctor—”
“What’s your deal? You want wind and Jin to be saved, so cooperate nicely? With a dimwit like you—”
When Ryan first met Sanghyun, he shook him by calling his family, and whether the feeling lingered on is anyone’s guess.
Still, it’s not like now’s the time to revisit that.
“Sanghyun, calm down.”
“This punk—”
With his eyes blazing red, the way he was reaching for my collar made me think about whether I should knock Sanghyun out right here.
“I’m Miro.”
“… What.”
“You good?”
“My bad, I’m sorry. I let strange thoughts run wild…. Ryan, that goes for you too—”
“Save it. I’ve thought about putting you all down a few times— sorry about that.”
He turned around and said with desperate sincerity.
“Let’s all just move silently together, okay?”
“…”
Elena had been silent for a while, and frankly, that made me more nervous.
I couldn’t guess what thoughts were swirling in her mind.
Ryan, Patrick, Sanghyun, Elena.
None of them are particularly strong in mental resistance like the Flute of Peace or anything, but even so, they’re all hotel escapees.
They are all people with mental power that can’t be compared to those regular folks, and yet they find this so hard to bear?
It’s not that they’re weak; it’s just that the moon’s demonic presence is overwhelmingly intense.
“Was it Ari? Is that why we’re going through this much trouble to rescue her?”
Patrick’s frustration comes to light.
True enough, the reason we’re haunting the underground in Australia now is to save Ari.
“Patrick, this is also the old Wise One’s orders. With a vote from that girl, we can easily take control of the ark—”
I had my suspicions, but it seems they were just what I thought.
Ari is not just our ally; she’s a Silent One too, and the Silent Ones strictly adhere to majority rule.
Therefore, obtaining Ari’s ‘vote’ could make it significantly easier to take control of the ark.
It’s clear the adversaries are cooperating to save Ari with this goal in mind.
“—Let’s keep quiet, Patrick. Please.”
“…”
I’m not particularly upset.
Ari is one of us; it’s only logical that they’d have their strategies on their end.
Yet, it’s not exactly something to be said openly either.
Ryan seems affected by the moon too, his mental state skewed, leading to thoughts spilling out.
For the previous slip-up, it was probably awkward, and while Ryan was clambering down the rocks, he said to me.
“Young man, you—”
“Let’s keep quiet and keep moving.”
“- are actually pretty composed. It’s surprisingly amazing.”
“…”
True to his word—compared to the rest, I am pretty together.
Considering the other four are half-crazed, I really do stick out like a sore thumb.
Is it because my mental strength is beyond comparison?
Nah.
It’s not that I’m stronger. The reason I’m okay right now is unrelated to my strength.
I simply haven’t been attacked at all.
…
I feel fantastic, and the air is refreshing.
We’re closer to the moon now than ever, and I feel better than when we were outside.
The overwhelming ‘affection’ emanating from that colossal being is palpable.
The moon welcomes me.
“Ahh…! This path branches out into different directions? Hey teacher! Don’t you know anything?”
“Know anything… like how would I even find the way?”
“Come on, we’re near the moon! You were an astronaut, right?”
“… True, but we’re near the moon, not in space— wait, you were joking, weren’t ya?”
Ryan and Sanghyun went down on the wire, looking around curiously, while Patrick, adorned with the Blessing of Courage, showed off his immense strength by clearing some rocks.
But honestly, finding the right path? That seems impossible.
“Ga-in, no advice?”
The advice leftovers stand at 0, but I feel like I’m alright.
“No advice to give. Just ask for directions.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean by asking when there’s no advice?”
My comrades are perplexed, clearly not catching on.
I’ve been sensing that lingering gaze ever since we got underground.
“I want to know the location of the tablets. Will you tell me?”
“Who are you talking to right now?”
— RUMBLE!
As if waiting for the moment, a loud noise erupted from one of the passages we discovered.
Ryan’s expression turned uneasy.
“Are we good to go down this path? Young man, just to check, you’re not enchanted by the moon, right?”
“I’m probably way more okay than you are.”
“…”
“Let’s move.”
With each step downward, an exhilarating feeling washes over me.
All the fragmented bits of information I’ve gathered slowly creep together into coherence.
…
Yesterday, when I learned about the mirror being on the ark…
In the shocking clarity that felt like lightning striking, I understood the ark’s principles.
To put it plainly, the ark is the holy sun combined with the mirror.
Why can the ark achieve things the pseudo-ark—the holy sun—can’t?
Because the holy sun itself lacks the powers of a mirror.
…
The sun’s aim is to gather the souls of mortals to ascend toward divinity.
With the sun’s principles, it can only collect people’s souls but can’t distribute them right.
It’s logic meant to combine, not divide, hence it’s only natural for that to happen.
To revert to being human, a force to separate is necessary.
Inside Room 207, the mirror scattered ‘me’ to the farthest corners of the world.
…
The countless souls of the humble who can’t withstand the loop fuse together to sculpt a being resembling a god.
Everyone becomes a part of this great being, enduring the cycle.
Lastly, it’s a series of events that splits that great being back to humanity again via the mirror’s power.
The Administration Bureau terms this process the ‘ark.’
…
Even though I grasped the ark’s principles, countless secrets still linger out there.
For instance, what process creates the ‘light that calls forth the end’ that Grandpa Ari spoke of?
Moreover, dwelling on the ancient info we got from Jeju Island.
The people who constructed the ark to escape the apocalypse.
The usurpers who drove those people out and seized the ark.
And the last survivor who remained despite fleeing from the usurpers.
I still don’t have a precise understanding of this narrative.
However, connecting it with the next tale, a faint memory arises.
According to the information transmitted through the Status Window, I once liberated a mysterious chaotic entity that the Administration Bureau had previously sealed away, which caused all these calamities.
“Ah, you’ve come!”
“You’ve returned, haven’t you?”
“At last, you’re here!”
As I took each step deeper underground, welcoming voices could be heard.
Finally, as I spotted the tablets in the distance…
I asked the ‘moon.’
“What do you… have to do with me? Who am I to you?”
“Teacher.”
“Magician.”
“Researcher.”
“Traitor.”
“Self-righteous one.”
“Unknowable person.”
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