Chapter: 640 – The Path to Ascension (2)
—
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 358
Current Location: Delight Hotel, Yeongdeungpo, Seoul
Sage’s Advice: 3
—
– Han Kain
The Delight Hotel now feels like a hideout for the hotel party.
Looking at the shiny building in the heart of Seoul, I couldn’t help but smirk a bit.
Since it transformed into the ‘Pioneer Third Floor Connection Passage,’ the Delight Hotel no longer operates as a regular hotel.
The entire building has been designated as a containment zone by the Administration.
It’s obvious, but it’s hard to call a “hotel” that doesn’t accept guests a legitimate hotel.
Eunsol noona was actually pretty hurt by this development.
Didn’t she question how the promise of making it Korea’s top hotel went down the drain?
It’s the same deal with the Pioneer; they don’t cater to regular folks anymore.
But the employees who take pride in calling Pioneer the “best hotel in the universe” probably think there’s no problem with Delight either.
Well, at least we don’t have zero customers.
— Ding!
As I opened the front door, the familiar scene of Delight greeted me.
“Ah, it’s been a while.”
Sang-hyun hyung was in the lobby.
“Why are you here and not inside?”
“They say Elena’s preparations are taking longer than expected. You know how it is…”
“I guess her rehab isn’t finished yet.”
“It’s not something that wraps up overnight.”
Elena lost her physical form after pushing her imagination to its limits on the Moon.
For an ordinary human, that would’ve meant instant death, but Seungyub managed to keep her soul alive in the ‘Soul Vessel.’
It’s already been two weeks since the Administration created another body for her and transferred her soul and consciousness into it.
Now, Elena is in rehabilitation mode.
“Would you like me to contact Agent Elena?”
“… No thanks.”
After the tumultuous events, everyone except me had their identities exposed at the hotel party.
Thanks to that, everyone aside from me gained the status of ‘Agent’, but it doesn’t really mean much.
The Administration hasn’t specifically assigned any missions to us.
Isn’t that what Ahri said? “Please head to the Third Floor!”
The idea of being called ‘Agent Elena’ is nonetheless laughable given the mere existence of employees.
Why are there employees bustling about in a hotel that doesn’t take in common guests?
Because they do accept ‘special guests.’
“Kain.”
“Yes?”
“I was talking to Eunsol a few days back, and she mentioned that Delight has practically turned into a welfare facility managed by the Administration.”
“… That’s true.”
“She seemed quite upset.”
“Well, from another perspective, it’s rather remarkable that once the connection passage construction finished, the ground floor returned to being an ordinary hotel.”
“You’ve got a point. There was a massive concrete block flying around during construction.”
“Hang on.”
I quickly interrupted Sang-hyun and glanced at the nearby staff members.
They looked like clueless hotel receptionists, smiling awkwardly, but they’re all actually Administration personnel.
Then, a voice came from across the lobby.
“Don’t eavesdrop on the conversation. Forget everything you heard.”
Before long, the eyes of the surrounding employees went hazy.
Ah, the familiar blessing of crowd psychology that’s been so long overdue.
Feeling joyful, I turned my gaze to see Grandfather Mooksung.
“Are we done here?”
“Haha! I almost pulled out a grimoire, but it seems we’re okay now.”
“Well, if we’re talking about the ‘Third Floor,’ they probably have a good grasp of it already.”
“Still, it’s best to be cautious.”
“You’re right.”
“I don’t think you could’ve done this before, but now it’s like there’s no such thing as hypnosis.”
“The more I practice, the easier it gets.”
After a light exchange of greetings, we naturally made our way to Elena’s room.
*
“Take it slow! It’s better to move precisely than quickly!”
“Uh-huh!”
“Move one part at a time.”
“That’s hard—oh, a guest has arrived!”
In a room that resembled a giant treadmill, Elena welcomed us as she was undergoing rehab.
The person assisting her rehab was familiar—none other than Sophia.
Having been in the Soul Vessel as a ghost before transferring her consciousness into the body created by the Administration, Sophia was the first person to go through that experience before Elena.
I heard she has recently been working as a researcher for the Administration.
“It’s been a while, everyone.”
Sang-hyun scratched his chin and stepped closer.
“Do you think Elena’s rehab might end soon?”
“It depends on the standards we set. If it’s based on running around in a frenzy—”
As they chatted, I approached Elena and gave her a slight smile.
With a tired expression, Elena smiled back at me, and as our eyes met, I felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere.
“Elena, you’ve shrunk a lot.”
“I’m still growing.”
“Have your blessings returned?”
“Of course.”
“A meteor is supposed to fall tomorrow.”
“… Huh?”
“A bomb is about to blow up at Delight.”
“Are you joking?”
“…”
I wanted to test her lie detection, but then realized she didn’t get it at all, which left me a bit embarrassed.
I skirted the embarrassment with laughter and asked if she had been doing okay during her rehab.
As we chatted, Elena suddenly shifted to a serious topic.
“I realized something during my conversation with Jinchul when he came to visit. He’s very interested in obtaining ‘great power.’”
“That’s true.”
It’s indeed a fact.
Over time, Jinchul has lost most of his interest in worldly wealth or fame and grown increasingly fascinated by supernatural growth.
At times, it felt worrying, like seeing the ‘Aleph’ in him, but I wasn’t overly concerned, especially with his colleagues around him.
“I sometimes think about it at night.”
“What kind of thoughts?”
“The imagination of wings sprouting from my back.”
“….”
“Imagining transforming into a bird and flying through the sky, and my lungs becoming gills to drift through the deep sea.”
“….”
“In the past, I might’ve thought about turning into a monster, but now…”
“Now?”
“It feels like freedom. Is this what they call ‘shedding skin’ or something?”
“I don’t know.”
“There’s a difference, though. Jinchul said he would go to the Third Floor to gain great power.”
So I wasn’t alone in asking others about whether to go to the Third Floor?
It seems Jinchul is also concerned about his companions’ decisions.
Come to think of it, he mentioned before that he was waiting for his companions to make up their minds.
“I’m not sure I’m at Jinchul’s level.”
“I understand.”
While I’ve developed this insatiable desire for growth, it’s not enough reason for me to head to the Third Floor.
It’s a similar yet different attitude from Jinchul.
“Rather…”
As Elena spoke, she glanced over at Sang-hyun and Grandfather Mooksung.
Sang-hyun was still chatting with Sophia, while Grandfather Mooksung was momentarily talking to some Administration personnel outside.
“Should I ask them to step out?”
“Ugh!”
“It’s not like we haven’t known each other for more than a day or two, right?”
Han Kain: Grandfather, Sang-hyun hyung. Could you step out of the room for a bit? Please take Sophia with you.
Grandfather shrugged playfully, while Sang-hyun smiled lightly and took Sophia out of the room.
Soon after, Elena softly muttered.
“… Sometimes, I think about this.”
“What is it?”
“I want to see my real family.”
“…”
“I feel like the family created in dreams isn’t really my family.”
“I understand.”
It’s definitely a topic that would be hard to bring up in front of Grandfather and Sang-hyun.
“If I go to the Third Floor…”
“If?”
“I wonder if I’ll meet the real family that vanished over the flow of time, and whether I could make them happy. What do you think?”
“… I don’t know.”
An endlessly looping world.
Elena’s ‘real family’ lost to the passage of time, buried in the distant past that no longer holds a clear memory.
Reuniting with them and bringing them happiness is…
Is that even possible on the Third Floor?
I can’t say for sure.
But I could at least offer this much:
“If there’s a single place in the world where you could fulfill Elena’s wish…”
“It’s the hotel.”
“It’s the hotel.”
It might be impossible.
But if there’s even the slightest possibility, the hotel would be the place to grant such wishes.
*
— Thud!
Before I could take a few steps after closing the room door, Sang-hyun hyung approached me.
“I’ve been thinking hard about the Third Floor.”
“…”
“Just to clarify, I didn’t eavesdrop on your conversation with Elena. However, I heard you’ve been asking your companions if they’re considering going to the Third Floor—”
It seems he assumed I talked with Elena about that subject, which is indeed true.
“Haha, I never thought you’d be eavesdropping. But I’m curious about what you think.”
“… There hasn’t been a time when I’ve felt this much inner turmoil.”
“Inner turmoil?”
“I…”
“…”
“I have a wife and a son.”
Surabar, Kim Jinsol.
Kim Sang-hyun’s wife and son that he summoned in his dreams.
“Jinsol is just starting to prepare for college entrance exams. For her—”
“She needs a father.”
What would happen if Sang-hyun hyung suddenly darted off to the Third Floor? What would happen to his wife and son left behind in reality?
Sure, if he asked the Administration for help, they wouldn’t have survival issues, but you can’t cover the absence of a father with money alone.
“I’ve had this thought again.”
“This thought?”
“… About that vow I made while coming out of room 203.”
In an instant, a surge of insight flashed as the memories of two people crossed my mind.
It was a conversation between Sang-hyun and Ahri a long time ago.
*
“My family, my people… none of them made it out of room 203. I was the only one who did.”
“If I forget them, then the evidence of their existence will vanish from the world forever. The time we shared love and care for each other, the glorious history of rising from the wasteland to a city… all of that evidence lies solely in my memory.”
“I’m a husband who deceived his wife, a father who deceived his child, a king that deceived his people.”
“I promised them salvation countless times. I told them that there’s a paradise flowing with milk and honey, and if I can’t attain it in life, I promised I would at least retrieve it in death…”
“I knew it was all a lie. Where is paradise in this hotel? Where is salvation? If I can’t even save myself, how can I save my family and people?”
*
“Kain, do you know? There are two ways to please the dead in the hotel. One is revival. Do you know the other?”
“Buddha.”
“Do you know who told you that?”
“My elder brother from when I was an NPC.”
“That’s right. I was the one who used to play the ‘Doctor’ role in the hotel. It seems I was quite knowledgeable about the hotel’s secrets back then.”
“Because you were a hotel employee.”
“There’s salvation in this hotel. Not just vague imagination; it’s something concrete enough for an NPC like me to affirm. There’s something that can save countless suffering souls.”
“That makes sense.”
“Where could that be?”
We uncovered all the secrets of the 1st and 2nd floors.
Yet, we still haven’t discovered a means to save individuals.
“It’s the Third Floor. No doubt about it. If I’m to keep the promise from my past, I have to go to the Third Floor.”
“…”
At this point, I understood the inner turmoil Sang-hyun was experiencing.
The conflict between not being able to leave his beloved wife and son and the vow of salvation he made to his people long ago.
“I’ve had regrets about this. About family—”
“Let’s not go there.”
I shouldn’t say such words at this moment.
“I’m sorry. But, Kain.”
“Yes.”
“… Could you give me some wisdom?”
The sight of Sang-hyun, seeking ‘Sage’s Advice,’ momentarily left me speechless.
I sincerely wanted to offer him a groundbreaking answer, to relieve my comrade’s suffering…
But no answers came to mind.
“… Let’s think about it a bit more.”
*
As I walked down the corridor filled with complicated thoughts, Grandfather Mooksung appeared before me.
“Sang-hyun seems to have a tangled mind.”
“What about you?”
“I’ve got nothing on my mind.”
“Really?”
How can he not have anything on his mind?
Grandfather has not just a son but grandchildren too!
“Kid, that guy’s son is a high school student, right? My son is already over 40!”
“Uh?”
“If you reach that age, it’s normal to think ‘Well, if my old man dies tomorrow, so be it!’”
“Could that even be true? That’s absurd…”
I was slightly taken aback by his extreme statement, but I understood what he meant.
A parent who’s past their prime can be more relaxed about death than a parent with teens, like Sang-hyun hyung.
Or perhaps he’s trying this hard to convince himself of that.
His extreme statements might be a part of the self-convincing effort.
“I’m satisfied with correcting my past mistakes. The kids I raised will live well both with me in their lives or without. I’m not worried about them. Rather…”
“… Rather?”
“What Miro said still lingers in my mind.”
“….”
“The answer to the chaos-filled world will likely be found on the Third Floor. Perhaps it may turn out to be my final task.”
“I understand. So, you believe that…”
“I?”
“You’re a heavenly agent, just like Miro.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Haha! Yeah, maybe it could pass as one! So have you gathered everyone’s opinions?”
“I need to hear Eunsol’s thoughts too.”
“What about your predecessor?”
“I plan to visit them soon.”
“Right, right. Got it.”
*
At this point, I did a little summary of my companions’ opinions.
Those wanting to go to the Third Floor: Me, Cha Jinchul, Miro, Elena, Kim Mooksung.
Those observing their companions’ opinions: Kim Ahri, Yu Songee.
Given the circumstances, it seems like all seven of us are likely to head to the Third Floor.
Those having lingering feelings for reality: Kim Sang-hyun, Park Seungyub.
These two seem to be in a serious dilemma.
“I can ask Eunsol noona now…”
Just as I thought that, Eunsol noona came running from a distance as if she had been waiting.
“Noona! Long time no see –”
The moment I tried to greet her, I realized the expression on her face was incredibly urgent.
“Noona?”
“Kain. Where are the others?”
“They’re nearby.”
“This is important, listen well.”
Important news?
“For the past few days, letters about the Third Floor have been stalking me, and I’ve been thinking all sorts of things.”
“Everyone’s been stuck in that thought lately.”
“And then, I realized at some point. We don’t know enough about the Third Floor.”
“Um….”
“Think about it. What kind of realm is the Third Floor? What’s it for? How does it even work? We don’t know anything!”
“That’s true.”
“Maybe our worry right now is all meaningless.”
“Huh?”
“Sang-hyun’s worries are a prime example; if we realize the reality of the Third Floor and think again, we might discover our worries aren’t even worth having.”
“How—”
“What I mean is, it’s strange that we’re even deciding whether to go without knowing anything about the Third Floor.”
That can’t be argued against.
I’ve tried several times to seek advice, but the Owl has completely dodged any questions about the Third Floor.
“… This morning, I used the Hand of Greed.”
“Huh?”
“The cost was handled by the Administration. They also want us to leave for the Third Floor.”
Hearing her mention “the cost was handled by the Administration” crossed my mind with various thoughts, but I didn’t ask further.
They probably backed someone into a corner or something drastic like that.
Eunsol noona would have spent enough time thinking and coming to a decision.
“So?”
“A moment ago, I got a reply. Soon….”
“Soon?”
“… They said they would send a guide.”
— Boom!
The sound of thunder roared.
It was as if an unseen giant hammer struck Delight!
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.