Chapter 738 – Room 302, The Cursed Room – ‘Brave New World’ (12)
—
— Kim Sanghyun
—
In the midst of realizing my first wish, a whirlwind of information was spinning in my head, making it feel like my brain was about to short-circuit.
If only I could find a quiet room to sort out all this information.
Unfortunately, this was not a situation that allowed for such luxury.
“Johnny? What’s happening?”
“… My head suddenly hurts a bit.”
I slurred my words, continuing to think.
One thing was clear.
The journey to awaken the Son of Dawn was surprisingly not something from 11 years ago; it was an event from my ‘previous life’!
The ability to discuss past lives implies that I’m a reincarnator now.
Or… wait, since my memories are a bit fuzzy, does that make me an incomplete reincarnator?
Memories started to flow naturally.
“Don’t you know? Once this journey ends, you’ll be a part of ‘us,’ Johnny.”
“I think Astear is right.”
Throughout the journey, Astear had mentioned that I would eventually become one of the agents.
Touching the pure chaos that meets a great being.
Joining a journey that decides the fate of the world.
These experiences could elevate the soul’s rank tremendously in a short time.
To put it in terms of a game that Seungyub enjoys, it’s like a massive level-up event.
This made it easy to predict that by the end of the journey, I would at least be an incomplete reincarnator.
I understood this much, but…
“…”
So, what’s the deal with the current situation?
What’s most baffling is the photographs that triggered my memories!
Taking photos during the training phase and space travel wouldn’t be odd; it’s no surprise there are several photos taken.
But why do I have these pictures in my hands right now?
How do these photos from the loop world end up with me – ah, I just realized!
There’s no need to ponder.
An organization that can bring items from the previous world to the next? That can only be the Administration Bureau!
In other words, everything I’ve experienced so far.
Finding a note hidden behind a trash bag and discovering the camera and photos following its instructions.
It’s all the Bureau’s design.
Once I realized this, Astear’s demeanor began to shift.
“Ah… Johnny, you’ve recalled another unnecessary memory.”
Unnecessary memory?
It seemed that my current state wasn’t what Astear wanted.
The pale woman’s pitying gaze.
I’d seen that expression countless times in my memories of the past.
It seemed there was some human curiosity about me, yet feelings are just that – feelings.
A veteran agent wouldn’t let personal feelings interfere with public matters!
— KABOOM!
In an instant, the whole room trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
It was clearly the poltergeist activity caused by the observation station, but Astear wouldn’t have predicted that.
As Astear seemed startled enough to take immediate action, the moment of distraction was mine!
— Rattle!
Getting up from the table was a kind of signal.
Blue flames exploded around Astear, both hands igniting.
In an instant, the two hands enveloped me, leaving no room for escape.
But I’m no longer the me from the past.
I must enjoy this moment of life and death!
[The ‘Enjoyer’ is activated.]
The power of blessing awakens, unlocking an unfathomable strength.
The various skills mastered over eons peak at this moment, thanks to the blessing!
In the next moment, I twisted my body lightly and leaped towards the flames.
“Ah!”
My sudden dive into the fire surprised even Astear.
But that was just the beginning.
The blue flames summoned by my opponent swirled to follow my command, creating an opening.
“What the—”
— BAM!
With the sound of astonishment echoing behind me, I kicked the door open and rushed out.
“Grab him!”
“Catch him!”
As soon as I stepped outside, the chaos of shouts came from all directions.
A massive figure with an excitable expression charged at me with a baton.
It seemed like they were a well-trained soldier, but their moves were too big and clumsy.
I was pretty confident in my martial arts even in normal times, but with the ‘Enjoyer’ active, it was on a whole different level.
In this state, as confirmed back in Room 205, I could take on even extreme superhumans.
Let alone that ordinary soldier!
“Gack!”
I deftly struck one of their necks, seizing the gun at their waist.
Just a few steps later, three more soldiers appeared.
Before I could think, my finger moved first.
— Bang! Bang!
An instinctive double-tap.
The two shots penetrated exactly the same spot, and with firepower like this, even with a bulletproof vest, it would still hurt like hell.
And these soldiers weren’t even wearing vests.
Looked like they thought Astear would easily suppress me even if I caused a ruckus.
That was not entirely a wrong assumption.
To them, I was just a regular human until last week.
But unfortunate for them, from this week on, I’m now a veteran hotel participant!
— Bang! Bang!
My aging body that they thought was slow felt lighter than a feather.
The gun felt like a part of my body, and it seemed that the powers of diligence and the ‘Enjoyer’ extended even to shooting!
I mean, if it worked with medicine and martial arts, then it’d be weirder if it didn’t apply to shooting.
— Thump!
Though I thought my weakened body would struggle, it soared, gliding effortlessly over a parked car on the road.
“What, why’s he moving like that?”
As soldiers popped up from all sides, I shot a few of them in the air, but there were too many.
Thanks to that, I had to repeat the process of downing some while grabbing their guns.
…
To maintain the power of the ‘Enjoyer’, I had to genuinely enjoy this life-and-death scenario.
When I first got the ability, I thought it was a tough requirement…
But surprisingly, it was easy.
“Ha!”
With a light roll of my foot, my body began to move as I wished.
I navigated through the terrain like a parkour athlete.
“Is that human?!”
— Bang!
I pulled the trigger, accurately hitting a soldier’s head who was barely visible from afar.
My movements were acrobatic, reminiscent of a circus performer, and my shooting was like something out of an action movie!
Thanks to this, I found myself enjoying it without even trying hard to.
…
My heart says I’m having fun right now, but my frozen mind warns me repeatedly.
This is a serious crisis, and the probability of me not surviving today is high.
Amidst this chaotic escape, Astear is nowhere to be seen.
She’s probably stalling for time with the soldiers to bring in the real deal.
Soon, the agents who have dealt with numerous chaotic entities throughout their long lives will appear.
…
I wouldn’t mind dying like this.
Our role in the first trial was not to resolve the room but to realize the first wish.
I succeeded in that realization.
Having achieved my goal, all that’s left is to trust my comrades.
If there’s still an obligation left for me…
“I believe you’re watching. I will relay what I’ve discovered.”
*
— Kim Ahri
—
A decisive event was unfolding in Room 302.
According to Kain, it seems that the world after the end is about to begin!
Thanks to that, the atmosphere at the observation station was as tense as in the cursed room.
Even the colleagues resting in the bedroom popped out, and those who had been dozing off at the table were splashing cold water on their faces to wake up.
I conveyed Sanghyun’s explanation – or rather, Kain’s explanation after hearing Sanghyun’s words – as quickly as possible.
“You might already know, but let me explain briefly. Room 302 brought in a prisoner known as the Son of Dawn to resolve the moon issue. They say the Son of Dawn ‘fell from the heavens’ but ended up sealed as a rebound during the process.”
The Administration Bureau pulled in a great being to solve the moon issue.
That’s the basic background for Room 302.
“The Bureau attempted to unseal the Son of Dawn in the previous loop. They believed that by doing so, they could solve the moon problem. However, according to Sanghyun’s memories, the ritual got oddly tangled along the way. Sanghyun resisted at the end.”
“Wow, the doctor has always been impressive!”
The Bureau attempted to unseal the Son in the previous loop but failed completely.
It was because Sanghyun, who came to his senses on that alien planet, resisted.
“Now it’s the next loop. The Son of Dawn seems to be half-awakened but not fully restored yet. Although he might have caused the moon issue or made all humanity undergo rage disorders…”
The Son of Dawn appears to be half-liberated.
Yet, he’s still not in complete form, it seems.
“The state of Room 302 is still reminiscent of a world with people living in it.”
Based on the situation in Room 302, although humanity is behaving erratically due to rage disorders, it’s still a world where people can live.
Once the Son of Dawn is fully awakened, might we not see a ‘different world’ beyond comparison to now?
Just then, unexpectedly, Eunsol, who had been frantically checking Kain’s notes, asked a question completely unrelated to my explanation.
“Photos! What’s with the photos? Sanghyun couldn’t understand how he had those photos.”
The discovery Sanghyun made.
The three photos that restored his memories came from the ‘previous loop.’
Of course, Sanghyun wouldn’t have saved them; they must have been placed there by the Bureau for him to find later.
“So, the state of Sanghyun itself has been the Bureau’s intent all along.”
“Huh? Are you saying that the memory loss and regaining it repeatedly is the Bureau’s plan? Why?”
Why is the Bureau managing Sanghyun in such a way?
Sanghyun himself, who is currently in Room 302, couldn’t figure it out.
There was someone who could grasp the situation.
Perhaps they borrowed insight or advice.
“I’ll share Kain’s interpretation.”
“Oh!”
“From the Bureau’s perspective, let’s look at the situation. Sanghyun is an incomplete reincarnator, and he doesn’t clearly remember his past life.”
Before coming to the hotel, Sanghyun likely experienced his past life as a vague dream or delusion.
After realizing Sanghyun’s situation, the Bureau repeatedly made both memory recovery and erasure a custom for over ten years.
“They deliberately placed triggers around Sanghyun for memory recovery. The problem is, what exact memory he recalls when seeing the photos is pretty much a matter of luck.”
What memories Sanghyun recalls upon seeing the photos?
Up to this point, managing those memories was an area of fortune beyond the Bureau’s control.
“When the shadows of the Son of Dawn collided with the agents’ memories, he might remember moments like that. Back then—”
“You erase his memory?”
“Right. And then it begins anew.”
“… Until he can remember only traveling with the agents?”
“Exactly.”
The memories of training with the agents in Texas.
Memories of traveling with the agents aboard the spaceship.
When he recalls those memories, Sanghyun likely had the illusion that the Bureau and the agents were allies.
That was the Bureau’s intent.
“If he recalls just a few memories, he could easily fall into the trap of thinking, ‘Oh, I was close with the agents in the past? I must have been part of the Bureau.’ They played this card strategically.”
In fact, when recalling the first and second pictures, Sanghyun thought he was part of the Bureau.
It even seems he felt a kind of camaraderie towards agents like Astear and others in Room 302.
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better if the third photo didn’t exist? Since it caused Sanghyun to recover memories that the Bureau wouldn’t want.”
“That photo must have been necessary after all.”
“Why?”
“… It’s important to have the memory of encountering the Son of Dawn.”
That’s why the Bureau managed Sanghyun ‘in this way.’
To draw him back to their side.
*
The power of the Enjoyer ability: Explanation from Chapter 375
*
I apologize for the delays in my updates. I thought I could normalize the posting times soon, but now I must admit it is impossible. I will soon post an announcement regarding the updates. Thank you!
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.