Chapter 661 – Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘Origin of Species’ (8)
—
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 4
Current Location: Floor 3, Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘Origin of Species’
Sage’s Advice: 3
—
– Han Kain
After our first battle ended, the first thing that came out of my mouth was this:
“We need to leave the sanctuary quickly.”
Some teammates looked flustered, but agents like Mooksung and Sanghyun nodded knowingly.
“The reason is simple. First, the Great Race is likely to send a purging party soon. That means we’ll have to fight again shortly.”
Letting that lower-tier creature escape was a big mistake.
It pushed me out without much resistance, so the purging party from the Great Race is bound to be even stronger.
“Second, fighting here is disadvantageous for us.”
I thought additional explanation would be needed, but as soon as I said this, Ahri kept nodding and explained it herself.
“There are too many people everywhere. Each of them can be used by the Great Race. And, uh, it’s tough to, well, clean up the surroundings.”
Clean up…
“It’s best we get out of here. Let’s leave now.”
After hearing this, Jinchul and Sanghyun offered useful information.
“I overheard while wandering around the sanctuary that there’s a fairly intact truck.”
“After 30 years of civilization collapsing, can the gas even be fine?”
“From what I heard, it seems they requested it from the Great Race.”
“That’s an interesting tale.”
I could see why Sanghyun found it curious.
In a situation where human civilization has collapsed, and the Great Race has slaughtered and devoured humans, there’s no way for humanity to resist.
But what’s the reason for them to create a sanctuary?
To uphold a promise made before the end?
It’s amazing that they keep such a promise in this faithless universe.
“…”
Suddenly, I felt like this realization was pretty crucial.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to think more about it.
“Let’s go.”
—
When we reached the truck, Jinchul naturally tried to sit in the driver’s seat.
“I’ll drive, and the rest can hop in the cargo -”
“Hyung, you can’t drive.”
“Huh?”
“It’ll be hard to resist the Great Race, right?”
What if Jinchul, who was driving the truck, suddenly slammed into a wall or something!
At least I could save people; if the truck broke down, that would be a real headache.
“Y-you’re right. Then, who should drive… Well, isn’t it difficult for Agent Mooksung too?”
“Ahri, can you drive a truck?”
“… I’m not confident with trucks.”
Wait, hasn’t she been an agent for dozens, even hundreds of years? How could she not know how to drive!
Reading my expression of disbelief, Ahri showed a look of incredulity.
“What’s with that expression, Kain? You still don’t have a driver’s license!”
“…”
That sharp counterattack was unexpected, and before I could gather my thoughts, Elena quietly took the driver’s seat.
“Everyone, get in the back.”
“…”
“Did you guys forget? I learned to drive from my dad. Plus, my clarity will allow me to resist the Great Race at least once.”
Everyone except for Elena in the driver’s seat huddled around Miro.
With many teammates lacking mental defense, we could only depend on Miro – or more precisely, on the flute of rest that Miro was able to summon Eunsol.
“But Kain, where are we headed from here?”
I shouted without hesitation.
“Anywhere that looks deserted.”
“Huh?”
“There’s no specific destination; the goal is just to get away from the sanctuary. Soon enough, the Great Race will send in armies.”
“And then?”
“We’ll take one of them down and interrogate it.”
—
As soon as we stepped outside the sanctuary, everyone went quiet.
The sanctuary felt like a rundown city where people lived, but outside had transformed completely into an alien planet.
— Whooooosh!
The area was filled with a relentless sandstorm, and whenever the visibility cleared briefly, landscapes that defied logic revealed themselves.
“What exactly is that?”
Can you imagine buildings trapped in bubbles floating in mid-air?
What about rainbows wriggling like living creatures?
The truck felt like the only piece of reality piercing through this twisted world.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, Elena couldn’t hide her confused expression as it seemed she had no idea where to go.
“Elena.”
“Y-yes! I’m waiting! Where should we go?”
“Just keep going straight.”
“Huh?”
“Something is approaching from over there.”
Behind the hazy vision, shadows flickered.
Soon, my teammates began to glance nervously at the west.
“Miro, if you sense danger, summon Eunsol immediately.”
“Okay!”
“Not unless it’s a real emergency; don’t summon her recklessly.”
“Huh?”
“If Eunsol doesn’t come out in time, we could be in deep trouble.”
“Ugh, okay!”
“If you summon Eunsol too early, it’s just wasting time, so don’t be too hasty. We only have an hour.”
“…”
At this point, Ahri sighed heavily.
“Miro, when Kain ignores what I say, summon her.”
“Okay!”
— Swoosh…!
An ominous aura seemed to spread like dark blue mist.
In an instant, the dark shape approached within a 30-meter radius, and I summoned my grimoire.
The powers of the unhatched were now flooding the area, revealing wondrous sights not normally seen.
Fingers with several pale tentacles reached out from beyond the mist!
It appeared the tentacles themselves were not visible to the teammates.
Would Eunsol have seen something with her singular eye?
The first tentacle advanced toward Elena in the driver’s seat.
— Whack!
It instantly lunged towards Elena’s direction, stealing her power.
“Aah!”
“Stay still!”
As the dark blue power extended from me, clashing with the Great Race’s strength.
At that moment, I felt the intention of the incomprehensible being beyond the mist.
“I’m curious about your identity…”
I had neither the thought nor the luxury to explain.
Just as I fended off the attack directed at Elena, several more gray tentacles shot in from all around!
“Wait! Wasn’t it just one? Miro!”
“Miro, summon her!”
In the end, Eunsol had to appear and use the flute.
With a frantic expression, Ahri asked, “What’s going on? It seems like there’s a fight happening!”
“All the tentacles have been cut!”
“Was that a good defense?”
“… Miro, send Eunsol back immediately.”
After this exchange, I realized something through the battle.
It’s not impossible for me to protect my teammates with the powers of the grimoire, but neither is it easy.
While the performance and proficiency of the legacy aren’t a problem, it’s the fundamental difference in tools.
The grimoire is a sword, while the flute of rest is a shield.
Which is easier to block an arrow with, a sword or a shield?
A person picking up a shield for the first time would block arrows more easily than a master swordsman.
Thus, in order to protect my teammates, I’ll need to repeatedly summon Eunsol using the time borrower.
“… Summon.”
“Summon!”
Eunsol popped out once again.
However, this time, the mental snatch was just getting started.
Sage’s Advice: 3 -> 2
Incoming shots ahead!
“Block it!”
I immediately shouted at Ahri and unleashed the divine solar power in front.
— Kaboom! Boom!
I blocked the first shot, but the impact caused the truck to rock violently.
“Ahhhh!”
Just as Miro’s scream resounded briefly, Jinchul grabbed Miro and steadied himself.
The second shot was blocked by Ahri, much cleaner than when I’d defended due to the irregular polyhedron that separates space!
Still, everyone’s faces turned pale regardless.
“… They don’t only use body theft techniques!”
“As time passes, they’ll bring even more powerful weapons. For now, they likely only grabbed whatever weapons were close by in a rush.”
Only after that second exchange did Agent Mooksung shout in panic.
“What’s happening? I can’t see the enemy!”
“The enemy is avoiding us.”
“What!?”
I relayed the situation to my teammates as calmly as I could.
“There are three enemies. Each is stronger than the last one we fought. They’re all keeping their distance and attacking from afar—”
— Boom!
Kim Mooksung: What?
Han Kain: If they approach, they think they’ll be at risk! Summon!
The continuous explosive sounds made it impossible to hear each other’s words, and inevitably, the dialogue box began to get noisy.
Han Kain: Send her back!
Kim Ahri: They must be stalling for time, right? They’re forcing Eunsol to waste her time!
Kim Mooksung: How can they make such a judgment? They shouldn’t know about the time borrower!
Han Kain: Summon!
I had a hunch about this.
While we don’t know the specifics of every legacy’s ability, it’s not unreasonable for them to have some clue!
Han Kain: Send her back!
“E-Eunsol will be in trouble!”
Kim Ahri: Miro, don’t talk! Use the dialogue box!
Han Kain: It’s not about knowing specifics on the time borrower. They’re just waiting for us to exhaust our defense measures collectively.
Kim Sanghyun: Makes sense. They’ve already crowned the world and must have plenty of supplies, so time is on their side.
In that brief moment, Eunsol was repeatedly appearing and vanishing.
Soon, Miro conveyed the alarming message.
Miro: Eunsol has less than 30 minutes left!
Kim Sanghyun: Just holding back won’t solve anything. You, Kain, with flight and your mental defenses, and Ahri need to chase and take them down.
I felt it too!
Just holding back won’t work; I and Ahri need to go take those bastards down!
But the enemy consisted of three capable of strategic movement.
Moreover, Ahri and I were responsible for the defenses of the truck.
If I pursue one while Ahri takes the other, what will the remaining one do?
If I were them, I would attack the truck.
If both of us leave the defense to go after two, what happens to the rest of the teammates in the truck?
Kim Sanghyun: If we try to protect everyone, we’ll all perish.
“…”
Sage’s Advice: 2 -> 1
‘Is attacking the right judgment?’
“Why are you trying to do everything while calling them your comrades?”
In the past, I would’ve trusted my teammates without hesitation and took off, yet somehow I had become unable to trust even myself!
Suddenly, clarity washed over me like a flood as I slammed into the truck.
Ahri had already soared ahead.
Right, my teammates are heroes who have overcome the hell of the hotel!
It’s time to trust them and leave!
—
Beyond the dust, a hazy shape emerged.
The enemies resembled floating giant jellyfish.
Of course, the essence of the Great Race isn’t tied to flesh.
That jellyfish-like body serves as a type of powerful weapon.
As they approached like lightning, two of them aimed to strike me simultaneously.
At that moment, my mind compressed into a single point, forming an incredibly solid absolute self.
“… Serena, you may be dead, but you still live within me.”
I’m sure Serena thinks the same.
Utilizing the awareness of the deceased is the best I can do, right?
It’s a shame that I can only protect my own self due to the nature of my powers.
— Crackle!
Several tentacles were instantaneously severed, and the Great Race quivered.
“Was that why they said it was like a duke!”
“Yet it’s not a duke. Saying it that way is a misconception of ◨◭▶▩.”
Inside the mental wave, the fragment corresponding to the name felt entirely like an alien language.
It’s as if human language can’t convey their names.
Soon, one entity veered off towards the truck, while the other lunged straight for me.
Just as expected, one aimed to block me while the other sought to attack the teammates in the truck!
I gritted my teeth and didn’t look back.
“… I can’t hold on for much longer.”
Through a couple of power struggles, I realized this fact.
These three entities that have shown up now are significantly stronger than the ones I clashed with in the sanctuary, but they aren’t my match!
The spiraling gray tentacle and the blasts erupting from the ground.
It’s a bizarre skill that combines magical attacks and firearms.
Back when we were on the first floor, I wouldn’t have been able to fend off either of those properly without being utterly crushed!
After absorbing the magical offensive with the power of the absolute self, I dodged the explosive blast from the ground by changing my flight path.
At that moment, the floating Great Race trembled as if it were to reveal its unidentifiable face.
“Ha!”
The brilliant beams of heat continuously stacked upon each other, unleashing tremendous firepower.
It hit that dark blue jellyfish with enough force that it could melt a 10-ton ship, and that enemy turned into a puddle of purple ichor.
Of course, the essence of the opponent isn’t anything like a wriggling jellyfish!
— Swoosh!
With a sound or tingling wave, the Great Race was attempting to escape from its physical form.
Earlier, I had allowed it to escape since it was my first encounter with such a bizarre battle.
The reality was that there were too many potential hosts – survivors of the sanctuary – around for the Great Race to shift into.
Not this time, though!
“Ha!”
In an instant, I summoned dark blue magic extending from my grimoire to brandish the area, searching for a suitable higher organism for the Great Race to escape into.
There were only two candidates.
— Crack!
After the beams speared through a couple of flying birds, which turned into meat chunks, the lost Great Race directed its focus back to the dying jellyfish in front of me.
“What’s your next move?”
At the point of obvious defeat, the Great Race unexpectedly uttered something shocking.
— Crackle!
‘… The events of today are all seeds you have sown.’
“What?”
‘We offered you countless opportunities. It was your choice to discard every negotiation and start a war you couldn’t win.’
“Please speak in a way I can understand—”
‘What difference does killing just me make? Only your unfortunate end awaits you in this meaningless struggle…’
“…”
It felt like some crucial truth was emerging, but I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
Fortunately, I had abilities for these moments.
Sage’s Advice: 1 -> 0
‘What the heck does that mean?’
“The title of this room wasn’t just named for fun. Isn’t it the name of a very famous book?”
Origin of Species.
“….”
First, I should return to my teammates.
They must have made some progress on their end too.
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.