Chapter: 639 – The Path to Ascension (1)
—
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 355
Current Location: Seoraksan, Sokcho, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province
Sage’s Advice: 3
—
– Han Kain
It has been exactly 100 days since I returned from the Moon to reality.
I’m climbing Seoraksan with Jinchul Hyung and Seungyub.
“Phew…”
As I catch my breath a bit, Jinchul Hyung asks,
“Are you really struggling?”
“It’s not like I’m totally dying over here.”
“Wow…”
“Why are you surprised?”
“Can’t believe you’re puffing just from hiking Seoraksan?”
I was momentarily stunned.
Isn’t Seoraksan one of the tougher mountains in Korea?
I’m not crumpled on the ground or anything; just slightly out of breath—it’s a normal human thing!
Seeing my expression, Jinchul Hyung shook his head, sensing something.
“I’m not teasing; I’m just amazed. A superhuman who can fly faster than a plane should find climbing Everest a walk in the park.”
“…”
I get what he’s trying to say, but it’s not really logical.
Whether it’s the divine sun or the grimoire, right now I haven’t even summoned my inheritance.
“It feels like our abilities are oddly unbalanced.”
“Pardon?”
Suddenly, he started rambling.
“I don’t even sweat from climbing mountains.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“But you? You move without using your inheritance and start sweating like a human—”
“Because I am human!”
“Do you really think so?”
“…”
After a few more steps, Jinchul Hyung spoke again.
“Unlike you, I still lack a lot on the mental side.”
Mental side?
Is he referring to something like perseverance or mental strength? Nope, I think he’s talking about that magical force that squeezes the mind.
“Maybe your blessings or inheritance don’t help in that area?”
“But I need that kind of growth.”
“To reach that ‘Ultimate Realm’ you experienced on the Moon?”
“Right.”
For Jinchul Hyung to reach that Ultimate Realm again, he needs ‘something’ more.
At that moment, Seungyub, who was hopping nearby, chimed in.
“Couldn’t you just stick it back in your head?”
“What?”
“Trusting your regeneration, just poke a hole in your head again—”
“….”
After a brief silence, Jinchul Hyung let out a big sigh.
“Isn’t that a bit too much? It’s not your head!”
“Hey! You said last time I lacked the courage to take risks!”
“Is opening up your head and putting a star fragment in it really courage?”
Now that sounds more like a lack of brains than bravery!
Or maybe it’s a deep strategy coming from the lucky holder?
Just sneaking in a star fragment might lead to something amazing!
Should I just drill a hole in my head, then? If he can’t decide, I could just laser his skull open—
“Okay, okay, everyone quiet down.”
Honestly, this doesn’t feel right.
Every time I think about it, Seungyub is the one causing the problem here.
He frequently spouts weird stuff—most of it is nonsense, but sometimes he randomly hits the nail on the head.
Looking back, I think, “Wow, Seungyub got that right too! Luck indeed!”
But when he’s rambling nonsensically, I can’t tell if it’s genius or sheer nonsense.
If I trust Seungyub’s words and just crack open Jinchul Hyung’s head to shove a star fragment in, I could be in big trouble!
“Especially Seungyub, don’t confuse the issue. Please, zip it for a bit.”
“… Okay.”
“So what you’re saying is, for you to reach that Ultimate Realm again, you need ‘something’ more.”
“Right! And that ‘something’ is definitely at the hotel.”
“…”
“Does that answer the question that Kain asked you this morning?”
“What question did he ask?”
“He asked if you were thinking of going to the Third Floor.”
“…”
“I’ll go. No doubt about it. I’m just waiting for the others to finalize their decisions.”
As Seungyub fell silent, something glittered on the ground.
“… Ah, great. Not like we’re being stalked or anything.”
An all-too-familiar letter appeared – so familiar!
“Dear valued customers, we have great news to share! Finally—”
“Seungyub, don’t read it. I’ve memorized it from reading it over a hundred times.”
It’s the hotel’s letter saying the Third Floor is ready.
Anything with the word ‘hotel’ just drags reality to absurdity—this letter is no exception.
I’m pretty sure I tucked it away in my pocket, but here it suddenly pops up on the table, or it’s something I left at home, and now Seungyub has it right in front of him.
It’s like they want to make sure we never forget about the Third Floor.
“Seungyub.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you plan to do?”
“…”
“No one here is going to judge you, just be honest.”
“If I suddenly disappear…”
“Disappear?”
“Wouldn’t my parents be worried?”
“Yeah, I suppose that makes sense.”
He doesn’t seem keen on going to the Third Floor, probably out of concern for his real parents.
That’s a completely understandable sentiment.
As Seungyub lowered his head slightly, looking guilty, Jinchul Hyung muttered.
“Others might feel the same.”
“…”
“Those who’ve started families like Seungyub will probably be afraid of going to the Third Floor.”
“They probably would.”
“Realistically speaking, aren’t you and I the odd ones out?”
“Really?”
“If there’s no clear motive for us to ascend to the Third Floor, then it’s normal to hesitate.”
A clear motive for going to the Third Floor…
Eidia had thrown a similar question my way.
“Why do you want to go to the Third Floor so badly?” That voice is still fresh in my memory.
I wonder how she’s doing?
Unconsciously, I find myself staring at the pale presence of the moon in broad daylight.
And then—
An insight manifests after a long while, showing potential related to Seungyub.
“…?”
A trembling form full of fear?
*
Date: Day 355 -> Day 357
I met with Miro, Ahri, and Songee at a coffee shop near Yeouido.
The place was bustling, at least 30 people were there, yet Ahri immediately pulled out a special Administration phone.
“Wow! Look how quickly the world is recovering. Just a few months ago, we were talking about Earth’s doom, and now barely any space at this coffee shop?”
As she manipulated her phone, a light hypnosis spread.
Within three minutes, we were the only ones left in the café. While it felt a bit rude, at the same time, it was quite comforting.
Songee jokingly remarked.
“Wow~! Isn’t this enough to make you the one on the watchlist?”
“Why?”
“Isn’t it the Administration’s duty to protect civilians’ happy lives?”
“Everyone’s too relaxed. It’s also my job to stir up a little tension.”
“Isn’t that just business disruption? Total nuisance!”
“The real nuisance is that Imperial Idol group! Utterly disastrous!”
“Ahhh! Ahri, seriously!”
While Songee was shaking Ahri by the shoulders with a flushed face, Miro sat across from me, looking thoroughly serious.
“I’ve made a decision about my heart.”
“…”
Seeing Miro so serious was rather strange.
“What decision?”
“Last week, you called and asked!”
“Oh right?”
“Don’t mess with me! I’ve been pondering for a whole week. You asked about going to the Third Floor!”
The moment the words ‘Third Floor’ popped up, something fell from the ceiling.
“Huh?”
“Dear valued customers, we bring you exciting news—”
Before she could read a full sentence, Ahri swatted the letter away.
“Are they seriously stalkers?”
“Let’s pay attention to Miro for now.”
With the collective gaze of us three fixated, Miro slightly turned away, showing a hint of bashfulness.
“I’ve been talking a lot with my inner self.”
“Your inner self? Like the Urban Legend Miro?”
The Miro who went through the ‘Eternal Hell’ on the Moon, leaving her twisted and worn.
She’s still not normal, but it seems she can at least communicate with her younger self.
“I tried to understand what that poor child has lived through…”
Crying, Miro started to tear up—a moment of empathy fitting for her age.
However, the responses around were all completely different; even I, along with Songee and Ahri, looked awkward.
“… the poor child?”
“You know nothing about Miro!”
“…”
“My past self… What I thought while witnessing the chaos of the world…”
“…”
Ahri struggled so much that her mouth was opening and closing, but showing her generous side, eventually kept silent.
“This world is filled with whirlwinds of evil, and the moon is just the tip of the iceberg. Even now, someone in the dark is sowing seeds of malevolence that we cannot fathom…”
Wow, hearing all this from Miro feels incredibly awkward.
Just as if on cue, faint writing glimmered on the table.
“Hyung, is this Miro?!”
“… What Miro means is, despite the moon’s absence, chaos still envelops reality?”
“Yup!”
“Then you’re planning to stay in reality instead of going to the Third Floor?”
I thought she meant she’d stay to solve the chaos.
But that was wrong.
“No? I’m heading to the Third Floor!”
“Huh?”
“Ah?”
I was clearly puzzled along with Ahri, both of us tilting our heads.
“Didn’t you just say the dark forces are filled with evil? Shouldn’t we stay here to fight them?”
“Corruption is like mushrooms endlessly growing in the shadows, so even igniting revealed corruption won’t be the end…”
“Are you just repeating everything Urban Legend Miro just said?”
“… We must eliminate the roots of corruption. We need to uproot the fungi. But that path isn’t in our hands…”
“Did Urban Legend Miro just endorse going to the Third Floor?”
“Stop interrupting my flow!”
Miro thinks she’s saying something profound, but Ahri keeps cutting her off—she looks a bit upset.
Regardless, I understood Miro’s point.
A world drowning in chaos.
The moon is just a big threat, but it’s not the only one.
Just like the Plunderers, there are bound to be other significant powers hiding.
Some of them might sow the seeds for another cataclysm.
Some might worship an ancient evil god we can’t even perceive.
You can’t succeed by going after them one by one, as it would turn into an endless battle.
Where’s the fundamental solution then?
Urban Legend Miro says, “We need to gain something more at the hotel.”
Why?
“Is there even a devil in paradise?”
“Hmm…”
“Those were the last words from my past self. Right after that, I went back to sleep.”
Buddha aspires to create paradise, thus there can’t be a devil there.
It’s an abstract concept, yet a plausible notion.
At that moment, Ahri muttered in wonder.
“I never thought you of all people would say something like that.”
“Eep! Don’t you dare tease me again—”
“I’m not teasing, I’m just pondering.”
“Pondering?”
“The current you and the Administration Miro… really feel like the same person.”
“…”
Suddenly, I felt it too.
With the difference in living time and experiences, Miro usually feels like a cute little girl, but one of the possibilities for her growth is Urban Legend Miro.
The one who couldn’t bear the sight of chaos being dominant over humanity and jumped into the hotel was Urban Legend Miro, wasn’t it?
At that moment, Songee playfully commented,
“So you’re just going because Han Kain is?”
“What?!”
“Maybe if he said he was staying in reality, you might’ve chosen to stay too?”
As Miro’s face flushed, Ahri took her side.
“If you plan to stay in reality, you should at least study for college.”
“Okay~ I’m not going to college!”
“Not studying or taking tests—Is this today’s high school student? The country’s really doomed.”
“If the country falls apart, it’s not because I’m not studying. It’s because some schmoe’s sitting silently on a weekday!”
“I’ve been half-booted from work lately as well.”
Out of nowhere, this serious topic popped up amidst the nonsense.
“What?”
“Other silent ones are subtly pushing me out.”
“…”
“I’ve recently heard this from the ruler too: ‘Send the unidentified other wisdom to the Third Floor.’”
An unidentified other wisdom…
“It seems the Administration has once again lost information about you.”
“While they lost specific details, they’ve analyzed and warned about a great evil lurking behind the hotel party.”
“The great evil? Is that what Kain is talking about?”
“Ugh! What a joke.”
“That’s not a joke.”
I chuckled lightly at Ahri’s nonsensical remark.
Maybe the Administration sees ‘us’ as a dangerously strong chaotic entity?
Even so, at the right time, I plan to go, and that ruler guy is just…
Before I leave this reality, I want to stir up some noise.
Ha, how about I show them some Aleph-style hot sauce?
I feel like I’ve messed with this world enough; does changing 3,000 to 3,001 really change anything?
“I had a feeling there was something buried here. You should probably come, Ahri.”
“….”
“I must be a burden, right?”
Songee looked puzzled and asked.
“You’ve been a participant for more than just a day or two—why are you so touchy? You’re a participant yourself!”
Ahri pointed outside, indicating something pale.
“Look at that.”
“…”
“The Administration is no fool. They know the moon is practically the supervisor of the Administration, like a god descending into reality.”
“…”
“They consider us akin to Eidia’s companions. If they wanted, they could reach out to the moon right now.”
“That’s true.”
“So they’re cautious.”
“Do they think we’re followers of an alien god?”
“Sort of. But they can’t just off us, so they likely want us to disappear to the Third Floor willingly.”
Miro’s eyes gleamed as she asked Ahri,
“So are you going? Are you going?”
After a brief silence, Ahri replied calmly.
“Miro, I’m not leaving you. You know that?”
“Yay!”
Ahri implied that if Miro wanted to stay, she would stay too; if Miro were to ascend to the Third Floor, she’d go too.
Suddenly, I thought,
That recent answer might have been nothing more than a smokescreen to hide her true reasoning.
It feels like Ahri has her own personal motive for wanting to head to the Third Floor, rather than something so grand as Miro’s cause.
Something she couldn’t reveal to others.
“…”
Is this just a simple hunch? Or is it the power of insight?
I’m finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish between the two.
“What about you, Songee?”
“The Third Floor?”
“Yup.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking. There must have been more parties that gained ascension rights before us?”
“That’s true.”
“Just because they gained the right, doesn’t mean everyone chose to go to the Third Floor. There must’ve been many who wanted to stay and live comfortably in reality.”
“Most likely.”
“It seems that usually only a few end up going to the Third Floor…”
“…”
“Is that even possible for the Third Floor to proceed?”
“Who knows?”
That aspect piqued my curiosity too.
“I think that the Third Floor will be extremely different from the first two.”
“Most likely.”
“Oy! Can’t you come up with something better than just ‘sure, sure’ or ‘probably’? At this point, you should speak like a sage who has transcended all!”
“What?”
Suddenly, a sage who has transcended everything?
While tilting my head, Ahri mimicked my voice.
“Could it be… maybe it could be? The Third Floor… has countless secrets you don’t know about… could you even fathom? Your guess? Could be right, could be wrong….”
“…”
“Did I say you should look at the moon? Yet you can only see the tip of a finger… possessing perfectly fine eyes but blind as a bat. The great principles—”
“Hey, hey! When did I even say all of that?”
“Didn’t it sound like it?”
“Exact match!”
“Just you being Han Kain!”
As Miro and Songee jumped in enthusiastically, I was left feeling awkward.
Looks like the change after gaining insight has been putting a little stress on my companions.
“Sorry, but this time I really have no idea.”
No matter how insightful I am, I can’t figure out what the Third Floor is while sitting at a café.
I doubt the hotel will even permit any insights regarding the Third Floor.
“And Songee, it’s an important question, so be precise. Do you want to head to the Third Floor?”
Songee replied calmly.
“Both the Third Floor and remaining in reality are fine.”
“What do you mean—”
“I want us all to do everything together, whether we stay or ascend. Let’s not split up.”
“…”
Checked everyone’s opinions.
*
— Zzzz! Zzzz!
Late into the night, my phone started ringing loudly.
When I picked up, an unexpected voice came through.
– Are you doing well?
“… I didn’t expect your call. It’s been a while.”
– It has been.
“How are you lately—no, wait, you remember me?”
– Why would I forget?
“I mean, you’re no longer the Ark right?”
In reality, due to the empty wish of turning it into a dream, all beings except my companions can’t remember me.
This effect is incredibly powerful; even the Administration or other participants like Ryan can’t remember anything about me.
– I’m not the Ark, but I’m still a comrade.
“…”
– Wasn’t that your own statement?
Well, true enough.
I called the former wisdom a comrade, and since then the dream seems to have classified the former wisdom as my comrade without wiping my memory.
I stirred this up, and I genuinely believe they’re close comrades, but…
It’s inescapable that an odd tension exists.
“What’s up?”
– It’s exciting news! Additionally, it’s a thank you for you.
“What?”
– A school has appeared!
—
Finally, the break is over!
The long-awaited journey to the Third Floor begins.
Thank you.
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