### Chapter 225 – Room 202, Cursed Room – ‘Mermaid Princess’ (3)
—
[User: Han Kain]
Date: Day 100
Current Location: 2nd Floor, Room 202 – Cursed Room ‘Mermaid Princess’
Sage’s Advice: 2
– Han Kain
Honestly, this Sea God Island is beyond ridiculous.
When I first heard it was an island off the coast of Busan, I imagined something roughly the size of Ulleungdo. But the moment we looked at the map, everyone’s jaws dropped—including mine. This island is absurdly larger than Jeju Island!
For the locals, this must be common knowledge, so they probably thought we were making a fuss over nothing. But for us, it was a complete shock. An island bigger than Jeju in the waters off Busan? Naturally, this place is no natural formation. According to the history of this stage, it was created nearly 800 years ago by the god of the sea during the Goryeo era.
At this point, we’ve decided to stop comparing the world here with the history we know. It may be called South Korea, but it’s practically another world altogether.
As evening approached, the merfolk who had guided us returned to inform us that our meeting with the Sea Priestess had been scheduled. We quickly organized our thoughts about what arguments to present before setting off. Just before we left, Songee suddenly blurted out.
“Perro is missing!”
“What do you mean? Isn’t Perro free to come and go as it pleases?”
Perro’s basically a bird. Among us, it’s the most free-spirited creature, flitting around instead of sitting quietly on Songee’s shoulder like it should. We never bothered to stop it, considering it always showed up right when we needed it.
“Usually, he doesn’t stray far. Just enough to get a whiff of fresh air. But about 20 minutes ago, he flew off… really far!”
We all looked around for a moment, but the missing parrot didn’t return. Eventually, we had to trust that it would show up when needed and moved on to meet the Sea Priestess.
—
Arriving at the Sea Priestess’s residence, we were momentarily speechless.
“…”
“…”
“This isn’t at all what I expected.”
“I thought we’d find something all occult and mystical, considering they were talking about priestesses and merfolk.”
To our surprise, the Priestess resided within a modern government office right in the island’s center. Even more shockingly, the sign on her door read:
[Governor of Sea God Special Autonomous Province: Serenade]
“Governor, huh.”
“Looks like a governor to me.”
We entered, following her secretary, and I couldn’t help but take a breath!
She had an enchanting appearance.
Honestly, most of the merfolk we had seen wandering the island appeared quite hideous from a human perspective. So, I figured the Priestess would likely be a walking fish. But, not at all. While the scales on her neck, behind her ears, and wrists confirmed she wasn’t human, Serenade was undeniably stunning.
“Welcome, folks from the Bureau on land.”
“Greetings! It’s an honor to meet the Sea Priestess.”
“Please, just call me Governor. That’s my official title.”
“Sounds good. We’re all busy, so let’s get right to the point, shall we?”
“Sure. Since we’re both aware of the situation, you can begin.”
My sister slowly laid out the materials we had, summarizing the arguments of the Cheongseong Group and the Bureau. The main points pressing responsibility on Serenade were as follows:
First, the autopsy report of the victim, Lee Sooho, confirmed that the cause of death was clearly due to a supernatural curse or magic. Furthermore, he had just finished visiting Sea God Island before he departed.
Second, the Bureau was unable to determine the exact nature of the supernatural force that killed Sooho. Nevertheless, it was definitely powerful and sinister. That ‘powerful’ aspect severely limits the perpetrator’s range. There are fewer than seven entities within South Korea capable of wielding such power, and among those, only one has a motive sufficient to kill Sooho—namely, the Sea Priestess herself.
After listening silently to our story, Serenade took a sip of tea and began her counter-argument.
“It sounds grandiose, but in the end, you’re asserting that Mr. Sooho died due to extremely powerful magic and that I, being capable of such magic, had the motive to kill him. Is that it?”
“Are you saying the premise is flawed?”
“The assertion that fewer than seven entities can wield evil magic is incorrect. Looking at your list, you mentioned figures like the leader of the True Love Church, the seventh reincarnation of Jesus, and the Black Shepherd of Jirisan. All famous names, yet you completely excluded the most notorious and powerful organization.”
“The most notorious and powerful organization?”
“That would be your Bureau. Everyone on that list is potentially wary of your influence. In the Bureau, there are certainly entities that could crush someone like Lee Sooho with a mere finger.”
“Do you really think that’s a valid counter? Why on earth would we, of all departments, want to kill Lee Sooho—”
“Then, do I have any reason to kill Lee Sooho? Do I gain anything from it? His death has only brought you to stir up trouble. Please don’t tell me it was done out of ‘anger’ or something childish like that. I certainly don’t expect you to think of me as such a fool.”
At that moment, Grandpa chuckled softly.
“Are you saying she isn’t the type to recklessly stir up trouble over a mere fit of anger?”
Serenade’s sharp gaze shifted to Grandpa.
“Really? Because it seemed you were preparing traps to kill us beforehand.”
“What on earth are you—”
“Please understand that my words may sound harsh. I’m not one to kindly chat with those who are holding a knife against my throat.”
“What are you talking about? What traps?”
This time, Ari stepped in and recounted the evil spell we had encountered earlier, the one named ‘Ru-da-ba-li.’ Serenade’s expression turned serious.
“Please, wait a moment.”
She summoned her secretary and had all of today’s remaining appointments canceled, sending several staff members out to check the sea road.
Our expressions stiffened in tandem with the situation. Serenade had acted as if she were completely unaware of the threat we faced while casually ordering staff to investigate the sea road.
Just moments ago, Ari hadn’t mentioned that we had been attacked on the ‘sea road.’
– Kim Mooksung: Don’t be fooled. It’s a lie.
– Lee Eunsol: This is a trick.
As doubts about Serenade exploded inside our minds, the secretary returned with a report. After hearing it, Serenade apologized, offering compensation for the attack. Of course, she refused to budge on her stance of being unrelated to the murder case. Thus, our first meeting with the Sea Priestess ended with both sides sticking to their positions stubbornly.
—
To sum it all up.
Ultimately, the crux of our argument is that only a few entities can wield the wicked power that killed Lee Sooho, and among those, Serenade is the only one with a motive. Yet even that argument feels weak based on simple circumstantial evidence. Serenade merely rebuts by questioning if she would have any reason to kill Sooho.
But as we encountered attacks since entering the island, alongside her suspicious behavior, everyone’s mistrust towards Serenade began to ignite further.
What on earth is the Sea Priestess hiding?
As these thoughts lingered, the ‘Scenario Understanding’ updated us with the next scenario.
/Scenario: Cursed Room – ‘Mermaid Princess’
The hotel party completed their meeting with Serenade. Unfortunately, the secrets hidden by the Sea Priestess and the truth surrounding Sooho’s death have retreated into deeper mysteries. To shake the Priestess, more information is needed. Coincidentally, the hotel group will come across unsettling rumors about the Priestess floating around the island…
“What unsettling rumors?”
“Did the scenario just change?”
“It says to seek out rumors about the Priestess? Looks like we’ll need to find those rumors before the next part of the scenario can progress.”
Our next target was determined.
—
– Park Seungyub
I decided to head back to Seoul in hopes of escaping and already purchased a bus ticket. I snagged the earliest ticket, but I still have to wait nearly two hours. It’s a long enough time to feel short, so how should I fill it?
Fortunately, there’s a perfect place to kill time on the third floor of the terminal.
“Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!”
Just two matches! I’ll smash through with a 2-win streak, and surely, that good fortune will come my way! I mean, that has to happen!
…
“Aah! What the heck?!”
Run! I’m losing it! I’m running late! Is this real life? I might just miss my bus because I got lost in the game! I’m seriously fed up! I only planned to win 2 matches and stop, but why are my teammates all a bunch of dummies?!
It’s definitely not my fault. No way! I was only trying to squeeze in two matches, specifically a wicked fun 2-win streak, but my teammates are the real issue!
I kept charging through the matches. I should have been on my Seoul-bound bus, but I was already five minutes overdue!
“Driver, can you wait just five minutes? That’s nothing, right?”
I collapsed into a daze by the window on the second floor. I caught sight of the bus departing from the terminal.
… Am I seriously losing it? Today feels off. No matter how much I enjoy League, is it right to forget my vital role in escaping the cursed room? Shouldn’t I just bite my lip and give up instead?
Frantically drowning in guilt and self-loathing, the moment I felt like my sanity was slipping away, an unexpected event unfolded.
— KRRRRAAAAAAHHHH!
The waves crash. The earth splits, and the rising waves attack the bus that just left! In an instant, a tsunami from the sea began to obliterate the terminal!
“AAAAAAAAGH!”
— CRRRRRUMBLE! BAM! SPLASHHH~!
The torrents pouring from all directions crashed down like the angry gestures of a giant, burying every person and object in mud. The countless screams of citizens vanished amid the thunderous noise of chaos.
I kept running and running, mindlessly racing forward. I jumped to the right just in time to dodge a falling billboard! What should I do when the tsunami comes? First, I need to get higher!
I dashed toward the third and fourth floors of the terminal. Thankfully, someone had opened the door leading to the roof. I bolted onto the rooftop, confused amidst a crowd of panicking people.
Staring blankly around, it dawned on all of us at once.
Busan is hell. The moment of destruction has arrived, and no shred of hope remains in this city.
— Roar!
A massive giant sea worm burst forth from the ground, daring to devour everyone standing on the roof, akin to a scene from a movie. As I stood there, dumbfounded by the spectacular sight, a notification popped up.
[Divine Fortune Activated! The energy of the universe now resides within you.]
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