Chapter 741 – Room 302, The Cursed Room – ‘Brave New World’ (15)
—
– Lee Eunsol
“How unfortunate.”
A voice that seemed to console me, but I couldn’t help but think, “That’s just obnoxious!”
Hey, are you really gonna poke my belly with your hand while saying that?
“Ugh…”
“It’ll be better soon.”
A waterfall of blood pours forth. My body is growing cold as the pain subsides.
As the other person said, it seems like the pain will fade soon enough. After all, the dead don’t feel pain.
…
It hurts.
It hurts to the bone.
And it’s ridiculous.
So…
I just woke up in bed, and I’m suddenly a teenager again.
When I stepped outside, I found out this is an angel’s city.
Just as I was feeling a sense of wonder, a rather handsome boy with clear features grinned at me and said, “Are you new to your first life? Head to the tree in the center of the village.”
Should I really do as instructed? I wondered. But it felt like they’d forcibly send me if I didn’t comply.
So I arrived at the location.
When I opened the door, there was a beautiful lady whose beauty could dazzle anyone.
She smiled warmly and reached out to pet me.
Then, suddenly, her hand plunged into my belly, starting to pull out my intestines.
…
What the heck is this?
Isn’t there supposed to be some kind of signal before you kill someone?
Seriously? Is it really ending like this? Is this for real?
I mean, I’m technically the daughter of a great being—couldn’t I get a bit more respect?
That was my last memory.
“You have failed!”
*
「User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 40
Current Location: Room 302, The Cursed Room – ‘Brave New World’
Sage’s Advice: 2」
—
– Han Kain
「Comrade Location Info
Lee Eunsol: —」
…
“Ugh!”
Just a few steps in, another one of my comrades bites the dust.
Now, it’s just me, Ahri, Elena, and my brother Jinchul left standing.
At this point, I’m not feeling mad—I’m just chuckling dryly.
I wonder what the dead comrades thought?
Was it a letdown to die so soon after starting?
If one person died for nothing, you could say it was their mistake.
But if multiple people went down without a fight, then the whole situation screams hell.
It’s like some unknown harmony is pruning us like rotten apples.
It seems that heading to the tree in the village center equals death. But is going there the only option?
Still, my keen senses whisper that at least ten angels are watching me in this disturbingly peaceful atmosphere.
If I don’t go in as told, they will probably shove me in there anyway.
Then why not just fight them right here?
…
Let’s think it over logically.
If I had the power to overpower the surrounding angels, why am I needing to face them now?
Waiting a bit longer to draw my weapon should be fine.
Plus, I haven’t received a crisis alert yet.
— Ding!
“I’m going in.”
The wooden house by the central tree.
I knocked lightly and opened the door.
It was some sort of office space, and in the center stood a female angel, flaunting four wings.
Just looking at her, she seemed incredibly glamorous, but she also reminded me of Aurelia from Room 104 in a subtle way.
The female angel smiled gently and beckoned.
“Come here. Have you chosen a name?”
“Not yet.”
“Really? If I were you, how about ‘The Crow of the Prairie’? Seems fitting for you.”
“Um, I’ll think about it a bit more.”
She started with small talk to encourage me not to stress.
… But really? The Crow of the Prairie?
I mean, if you’re gonna throw out random names, at least make them somewhat decent!
“Come here. It’s just a formality, no need to worry. By the way, my name’s Milenia.”
“Yes.”
As I approached, Milenia looked down at me with a mix of softness and hidden sharpness in her gaze.
It felt like a peaceful moment in an angel village… until her cursed voice rang out!
“You are a snake! Thus, you are not worthy of salvation.”
「Sage’s Advice: 2 → 1」
「Take a step back!」
Just as I stepped back, a lightning-fast hand swooped where my neck used to be.
The four-winged angel furrowed her brow and launched a follow-up attack, but she had no chance for a second strike.
Because I had the Holy Grimoire already in my hands.
Feeling an intense sense of threat, Milenia opened her mouth wide as if to call for the other angels.
But her plan would not come to fruition.
— Flap!
The dark blue magic from the grimoire pressed down on the angel’s body.
Soon, the power of the grimoire bound her four wings, silencing her completely.
Naturally, I was ready to possess her next.
I wanted to extract more information.
The tug-of-war didn’t last long.
To my surprise, I realized I could easily subdue a four-winged angel with my strength.
If there were more, it would be a different story, though.
…
The surroundings have settled down.
— Thud!
My body, now looking around sixteen or so, slumped into a chair, and I came back to my senses in Milenia’s body.
Just as I was about to sigh in relief after getting things under control—
— Knock! Knock!
A voice rang in with a knock.
“Milenia, are you alright?”
— Creak!
The knocking seemed more of a formality, as the visitor entered without waiting for my answer.
Clearly feeling something was off, he braced himself for what he might find.
Soon, a tall male angel entered with a piercing gaze.
Having invaded Milenia’s body, I stood before him as he looked in my direction, expecting an answer.
I fished out the right response from Milenia’s memories.
“Lacrimor, you certainly waltzed in here without an invite.”
He gave a sheepish grin as he seemed to relax.
“Haha! I heard some strange noises from inside and worried. By the way, what do you think of this one? Seems like it might be their first life.”
Once I got my mouth going, Milenia’s natural tone just flowed right out.
“There are aspects that could be problematic, but also not.”
“Huh?”
“A pure angel, just playing a bit too much. She was merely being lectured, so don’t mind it.”
Two meanings packed into one statement.
‘I’m no snake, and she just fainted due to excessive playfulness.’
Lacrimor chuckled in response.
“Ha! How could you not forgive her? Hasn’t the Son of Dawn bestowed upon us freedom?”
“Still, we should know our place.”
“That’s fair enough. I’ll head back to my patrol area then.”
— Snap!
After Lacrimor exited, I finally breathed a sigh of relief—wow, angels have some impressive chests!
Did I just survive the first major crisis?
Of course, I can’t stay possessed in Milenia’s body forever. I need a plan moving forward.
…
Having regained a bit of composure, I began combing through Milenia’s memories.
The most pressing question…
When she attacked me, she said, “You are a snake! Thus, you lack the right to be saved.”
Also, the scenario understanding in the status window mentions a phrase like this:
“Scenario: The Snake of Eden.”
What does being a “snake” even mean?
Why do the angels deem us as snakes deserving of death?
Milenia’s memories held the answer.
“… Oh no!”
Before the end, the Son of Dawn was able to spread his power across all humanity in Room 302.
Meaning all angels were once humans before the end.
Thus, every angel’s soul holds the traces left behind by the Son of Dawn.
They refer to this as “the Promise of Salvation” or “qualification for salvation.”
Those without the traces or marks the Son of Dawn left on their souls are called “snakes.”
They must be killed immediately upon birth.
They have no right to resurrection after death.
They lack the right to be saved, let alone the right to exist in paradise.
It’s easy to see why angels like Milenia labeled my dead comrades as “snakes.”
Their souls lacked the trace left by the Son of Dawn when they observed them.
…
Why is it that our souls lacked the traces of the Son of Dawn?
Because it’s only natural we wouldn’t have them.
The Son of Dawn’s mark was stamped onto humanity before the end, and my comrades hadn’t been in Room 302 before then!
Upon realizing this, I felt an indescribable chill run down my spine as I immediately used my final piece of advice.
「Sage’s Advice: 1 → 0」
‘Could it be that they consider us snakes to lure us in a trap?’
「The Son of Dawn is a fallen being from the heavens. Reflect on what this means.」
— Swallow!
I unconsciously gulped.
It seemed like a cold wave filled the entire room.
The Son of Dawn, a being fallen from the heavens.
Heaven refers to that grand realm encompassing the third floor of the hotel; the Son of Dawn must know a lot about it.
When the loop is triggered in the midst of an apocalypse, the hotel will surely collect participants.
Therefore, the “snake” refers to the participants themselves.
…
As the post-apocalyptic world began right after the end, the process that unfolded was as follows:
Step 1: Detect the participant’s behavior that suggests they’re ‘unfamiliar with the world’ and recognize it as their first life.
Step 2: Inspect the soul and find no prior marks from the prisoner.
Step 3: Confirm they are a snake (participant) and execute immediately.
Once I reached this realization, I genuinely pondered.
It’s crazy that the dead comrades are weird.
What’s more extraordinary is that the remaining ones are still alive.
What the heck’s keeping Ahri, Elena, and Jinchul alive in the first place?
I mean, we literally woke up right at the center of a trap!
With mind-blowing acting skills, did they manage to pass the first step successfully?
Maybe they perfectly mimicked the behavior of other angels so well that those angels thought they weren’t in their first life?
Is that even possible?
It’s embarrassing to say, but I failed too.
I didn’t succeed in fooling the angels!
I fell into a trap and got exposed by Milenia!
But sure, I managed to take over her body with the grimoire.
Even though I lost at rock-paper-scissors, I won out because I was simply stronger.
So how did my comrades manage to hold on—
Right at that moment.
— Ding! Ding!
— Gather!
A clamor of loud noises echoed from all around.
Poking my head outside cautiously, I noticed excited angels preparing for battle.
— Gather!
— There’s been a problem in zone 12!
— Zone 17!
— Reports are coming in from zone 43 too!
Commands rang out, revealing that every angel was on high alert.
…
Thanks to that, I began to understand the situation.
I could see the difference between the living and the dead comrades.
I was half right and half wrong in my assumptions.
As expected, no fellow comrades escaped the traps laid down by the mighty being.
Everyone—including myself—has been revealed as participants and marked for execution.
But the reason why some of my comrades are still alive is quite clear.
It’s because they’re incredibly strong.
They’re strong enough to fight off hundreds, if not thousands, of angels trying to kill them!
Anyone who couldn’t do that ended up dead.
— Creak!
“Milenia! I’m thinking of heading to Zone 17! What about you—”
“Lacrimor, there’s an important order.”
“Yes?”
“Die.”
— Swish!
Truly, how could hide-and-seek make any sense when it’s already been revealed?
All that’s left is to engage in a full-blown battle!
*
– Cha Jinchul
Standing with my feet submerged in a lake of blood, I ponder.
“What the heck is going on?”
I don’t understand anything.
Simply put, everyone is trying to kill me.
So, I just preemptively took them all out.
That’s all there is to it.
— Squelch!
“Crap! Is that reinforcements? There are still so many of them!”
Someone help me!
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