### Chapter 167 – Room 201, The Cursed Room – ‘The Cube’ (16)
—
– Kim Ahri
It was a bizarre space. Beyond the TV lay a blindingly bright and gigantic room.
As planned, everyone else started walking with their eyes closed, trusting that the “this place is safe” feeling came from my blood.
I was the only one, protected by Songee’s bracelet, passing through the space wide awake.
Why was I being so stubborn about staying conscious when I figured out a safe way to get through?
Simple. I wanted to see just what that Zero-Dimensional Eye really was.
The Zero-Dimensional Eye, most likely a prisoner of Room 201.
What role does it play in this scenario?
So far, it hadn’t shown much role beyond setting the background for the story.
It wasn’t like the ‘Swallower’ acting as an antagonist, nor was it like the ‘Principal’ giving powers to the enemy, or like the ‘Lord’ being worshipped as a god by the foe.
If I had to say, it felt like a similar presence to the “Nebula Dragon” who had no presence until the final battle.
The role of the Zero-Dimensional Eye was still a mystery.
Maybe it’s something that Kain will have to investigate once he’s unsealed?
From a distance, I spotted about 20 Bureau troops prepared at the headquarters.
According to Eunsol, there were about 30 troops in total, the rest being researchers, which meant they brought the majority.
In this space lies the Zero-Dimensional Eye.
They were waiting for us to approach without daring to make a move.
…
Thanks to the bracelet’s protection, it seemed I avoided drifting off immediately upon entry.
How about checking that now?
As I lifted my head, I slumped back down.
An overwhelming gaze pierced through me viciously!
Even though I wasn’t the holder of the bracelet, I instinctively felt it.
There was no way I could endure for long.
It was a being I shouldn’t have looked upon! My poor judgment for trying to satisfy my wretched curiosity.
Mistake, mistake, mistake, mistake, mistake—RKKJ;L53NCV2DE6Q…
Now this is going to get interesting, so I’ll let it slide.
The gaze that was disassembling me disappeared.
Just before my consciousness could slip away, my mind was freed, leaving me half-crazy.
I don’t know what that existence is.
One thing was clear.
That being holds a level of existence utterly incomparable to that of Beatrix.
How on earth did the chief researcher seal such a being?
What kind of person is he?
“Ahri?”
I was leading my colleagues, who had their eyes closed like a flute-playing girl.
When I suddenly stopped, Songee looked puzzled.
Let’s get moving. Delaying any longer risks breaking the hypnosis on my comrades.
For some reason, the pressure from the Zero-Dimensional Eye had vanished.
The Bureau forces seemed oblivious and waited a good distance away.
This is fine!
Moving before our opponent can anticipate is always the right choice!
Kim Ahri: “Let’s go!”
At that moment, all my comrades opened their eyes.
After being freed from the seal, the ninth member of our party, who had been quietly perched on Songee’s shoulder, soared into the sky.
“Go! Bioluminescent Grenade!”
*
– Lee Eunsol
“Go! Bioluminescent Grenade!”
What the heck is that? Is it a joke from the ‘70s?
Well, Perro is playing a similar role to a living grenade.
In the middle of all this, Perro gave Ahri a quick glare before flying ahead and transforming.
— Kie-Kie!
With eardrum-piercing screams, chaos erupted!
We had prepped our ears and fortifications, but they were another story.
The Bureau troops, caught off guard, began shooting at each other like madmen.
In that moment! Cha Jinchul, summoning stars, swooped in like a cannonball.
With a loud sound, the Bureau soldiers began to fly into the air.
In his high-quality bulletproof suit, Jinchul was like an invincible superhuman throwing soldiers around one by one.
Songee arrived in the chaos, dazzling with her bracelet, causing the soldiers to shoot at each other, while Grandpa and Ahri pulled their triggers in unison.
…
Everyone was doing great.
Elena, Seungyub, and I were just sitting back and watching.
Fifteen minutes passed? The battle was winding down.
Many of the soldiers were dead or had fled, and loud noises echoed from the Bureau side.
Jinchul came rushing over to me.
“Sis, is it almost done?”
“About ten more on the Bureau side, maybe? But it doesn’t seem like a big deal for you. By the way, Jinchul, you look like you came straight out of a superhero comic! Tossing one soldier at a time was just like that green monster!”
“Hahaha! It’s not just my strength; it’s this suit helping out!”
“Bulletproof? It can stop bullets, but it doesn’t absorb the shock completely.”
Jinchul simply grinned. Well, shock is a problem for normal humans like me and Songee.
“Is there any way to get this suit from the hotel? If I could wear this suit in other cursed rooms, I’d be like 1.5 times stronger!”
It wouldn’t be easy to get a special Bureau product like this.
Grandpa opened his mouth with a tense expression.
“Beatrix hasn’t come.”
Peering slightly behind him, he answered, “We’ve gained some distance, but fundamentally, this space seems to be one with the Zero-Dimensional Eye in it. I think it means she doesn’t want to fight here.”
— Click!
Jinchul opened the door leading to the headquarters.
Now, it’s on to the next phase.
*
Honestly, during the previous fight, I was just twiddling my thumbs.
Now my role was important. That’s why I wasn’t wearing the protective suit!
After signaling my teammates, I spread out slightly, preparing to blend into the surroundings.
— Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted from every direction.
— Paaaaaah!
I could feel the wave of stars piercing my skin through the suit.
In the meantime, I focused all my attention on the Zero-Dimensional Eye to locate Patrick.
…
…
Found him.
Eunsol: “I spotted Patrick. Time to make some noise!”
My teammates began to cause as much trouble as possible, following the direction given.
Cha Jinchul jumped at me as if to tell me to shoot.
Perro began to scream continuously.
I held my breath and went transparent to approach Patrick.
He was observing the situation next to a peculiar-looking corridor.
If things go awry, he’d probably use that corridor to escape. That would be tiring for both of us.
As I opened the brooch, a butterfly was about to fly up—
No way.
If you fly at that slow pace, Patrick will be surprised by your flashiness and flee instantly!
This time, I’ll rely solely on my master.
Holding onto the butterfly, I approached Patrick.
I had been holding my breath for far too long, and I was starting to struggle for air.
I could hear voices.
“What the heck is that? We shot him ten times!”
“He doesn’t seem like an ordinary human!”
“I can tell just by looking! Where’s Beatrix? Is our escape route ready?”
“She’ll be here soon! It’s barely been a few minutes since they started running amok. The escape route will be ready in ten minutes.”
“Throw a bomb or something!”
“Patrick, that—”
“What can we do? At this rate, we’re going to—”
“Goodbye~!”
I reached out casually and planted the butterfly into Patrick’s body.
Instantly, my form became visible, and just as the guards tried to grab me, Patrick collapsed with a harsh groan!
The guards, startled, attempted to move Patrick somewhere, but I just held onto him tightly.
Yes, bulletproof suit~! With this on, I’m super strong too!
The guards’ faces flushed as they tried to pull me away, but it was all futile!
Yes, wearing a bulletproof suit feels so heavy~!
I was feeling a bit like a 0.3 Jinchul, enjoying myself as my teammates finally joined the fray after finishing up.
We’re hitting the conclusion. We’ve secured Patrick.
“Eunsol, sis! You did great!”
“Now the real fun begins. Let’s haul this guy to the third floor. Ahri?”
Ahri looked uneasy.
“Ahri?”
“I’m just a bit worried, as we discussed during the planning phase.”
“Worried about the hypnosis possibly not working?”
“Yeah. He’s not an ordinary person.”
In the meantime, Patrick woke up.
“Kkhhhh… Third floor. If it’s the third floor… then that’s where the seal and that person are. I doubt the Bureau goons came to break the seals; are you here to save the Chief?”
“Not entirely clueless, huh?”
“Heh heh… How ridiculous. Are you really here to save him? Do you think the chief researcher who truly saved the world is a hero? Do you even know why I betrayed him? You cogwheels are worthless—”
“Are we just going to listen to this guy ramble on? We’re out of time, so let’s get to it. Ahri.”
Jinchul was right. We didn’t know when Beatrix might crash in.
Ahri sighed and locked eyes with Patrick, just like she had back when with Elizaveta.
About three minutes passed? Saliva began to drip from Patrick’s mouth as he started to move according to Ahri’s directions.
“Everything alright?”
“Probably.”
“That answer sounds shaky.”
“I can’t be sure; he’s not an ordinary person. Don’t let your guard down, everyone, and keep watch.”
The Bureau was mostly dead or had fled, as we moved Patrick towards our intended destination.
There were several doors that outsiders couldn’t pass through, but since we’d secured Patrick, we managed to get through without much trouble.
… As we walked, a question I hadn’t considered popped up.
“Ahri.”
“Yeah?”
“Why did Patrick betray us in the first place?”
“…”
“Thinking about it, he was already in a high position within the Bureau. He was a senior member of the Arizona branch. Would they treat him lightly? They probably gave him considerable wealth and fame. That in itself is a strong deterrent against betrayal.”
“That much is likely. At that level within the Bureau, he’d have amassed wealth enough to feed his grandchildren.”
“But why betray them? As a reward, he chose to live among monsters in the shadows. It’s not like he could just walk out of this suffocating headquarters easily.”
Seungyub chimed in.
“Could it have been a threat from Beatrix?”
“That’s possible, but the tone from the records doesn’t suggest that. Patrick seemed more like a cooperative partner than a mere bonded entity.”
Ahri nodded, agreeing with the sentiment.
“No matter how powerful Beatrix is, she was just a creature playing under the hands of the chief researcher. Even if she escaped by sheer luck, would she have had the capacity to manage such a colossal facility? From the Cube’s management to the facilities for storing monsters below, running such a place isn’t something a demon girl that’s been experimented on all her life could handle—it requires decades of accumulated expertise.”
While making our plans, we kept having this nagging suspicion.
Considering our assumptions and the Owl’s advice, it was certain that the chief researcher had some means to control Beatrix.
But why was he taken down? Just being careless?
He was no fool, and a man who sealed the Zero-Dimensional Eye to save the world could be blindsided by his own experiment?
It was hard to accept.
…
Maybe.
Patrick could have betrayed the chief researcher and inadvertently released Beatrix in the process?
Thinking that way made it understandable how the chief researcher could have fallen.
He may have had control over Beatrix, but it wouldn’t be unexpected for him to be blindsided by an insider’s betrayal.
Why did he betray them?
What could drive him to abandon the wealth and status provided by the Bureau and betray his supervisor who was trying to save the world using the power of an experimental creature?
I recalled Patrick’s words before being hypnotized.
“Do you guys really think he’s a hero who saved the world?”
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