### Chapter 288 – Room 204, Mission Room – ‘Hotel Cinema’ (11)
—
– Cha Jinchul
—
“The meal is served, General.”
“… Go check it out.”
Before even five minutes had passed since entering the movie, that scene began. The poisoned meal event was as obvious as ever. Do I eat this? Or not?
Honestly, my body—able to withstand even bizarre cosmic phenomena—probably won’t collapse just from eating poison. Maybe I can act like nothing happened and scout out for the snitches later?
“Yeah, eating this just doesn’t sit right.”
Decided to skip it.
The hotel party has enough chances left to take, but this one meal is my first and last. I don’t feel like making a risky bet here. No matter how you look at it, knowing there’s poison and still scoffing it down is just plain stupid. It could be some unbelievably deadly toxin, after all.
“Hey there!”
After that, everything proceeded just like with the doctor. Outside was chaotic, and all I could do was patrol the walls and hold a strategy meeting.
—
— Heeheehee!
“This really sucks—knew this would happen, but here we are.”
Just as the meeting wrapped up, I blinked and suddenly the war began. Knowing how absurd it was didn’t help; I could just imagine how flustered the doctor must have been on his first day.
From here on, I had a plan in mind, so let’s roll with it.
“Hey!”
“General! What are your orders—”
“What’s your rank? I’m above you, right?”
“Y-Yeah, that’s correct—”
“You lead our surrounding troops.”
“Excuse me?”
“Do I need to phrase it differently? From now on, I bestow my command onto you! Fight courageously!”
“Uh, yes?”
I figured he would catch on to the gist pretty quickly. I grabbed a beautifully adorned halberd and dismounted.
Of course, what do I even know about riding a horse? None of the hotel associates know how to ride! When I asked Eunsol if she rode, she shook her head.
More importantly, I’m confident I can move faster than a horse anyway.
— Crash!
With all my might, I kicked the ground and launched myself forward. I felt the refreshing wind brush against my cheek, mixed with the metallic stench of blood in the air.
Like a cannonball, I could see the terrified faces of the enemies as my feet hit the ground. The moment I landed, I spun around and swung the halberd.
I have no idea how to wield a spear like this. What would a modern 21st-century person need that skill for? But as long as it’s a sharp weapon, a strong swing can take someone down, right?
Strength itself is a skill!
— Shwoosh!
Suddenly, resistance in my arm and just like that, I had taken down two soldiers in a single swing. The first guy’s neck got sliced from shoulder to shoulder, and the second ended up split from waist to knee. Body parts scattered everywhere. What’s left isn’t human anymore; it’s just meat.
Strangely, I didn’t feel any guilt or ‘human’ emotions. Is it because this is a battlefield? It’s a place for killing, and these guys probably killed someone too, right?
I don’t know. But…
It feels good. That constricted feeling in my chest just released, leaving me clear-headed.
—
I slashed again.
I split a soldier’s throat, who charged at me with a devilish smile. Instantly, I swung my arm back and slammed the handle into someone’s upper body behind me. No need to look; I knew I pierced someone through the torso.
I quickly got used to wielding the halberd.
Right now, I don’t need complicated spear techniques. No need for delicate maneuvers or intricate footwork to strike at eight directions. I just need to swing with all my might, making each blow efficient.
No one could withstand my strikes.
Just as I was losing count of how many I had taken down, I spotted a general on a brown horse yelling while charging toward me.
“You scoundrel! You will pay for your wicked actions—”
“Not Murthani!”
“General, how could you—”
With a strong leap, I launched myself again, startling my opponent. He failed to brace himself, swept away by the trajectory of my swiftly swung halberd. In one blow, both the general and his horse were split in two.
Oops, that might have been a bit over the top.
My arm felt heavy. It wasn’t just the fatigue; the halberd’s durability seemed to be waning. The general I just cut down looked like his weapon was still in good shape, so I switched to that one. Murthani should be showing up soon…
“Hey! Have you seen Murthani?”
I asked a nearby friendly soldier if he had spotted Murthani.
“Gahhh!”
Instead of an answer, the soldier suddenly collapsed backward, screaming and running away. What an idiot! Can’t even recognize our general?
—
— Heeheehee!
A colossal horse’s roar echoed from afar. Kicking up dirt, a horse of extraordinary size came galloping my way.
“Hahaha! General of the Empire, there’s no need to seek me out in such a rush. I have come to take your head!”
“Great to see you.”
“I spotted you from afar. Your presence is impressive. I had no idea such a warrior existed in the Empire!”
“Seriously, if you saw me from a distance, you should have hurried your ass here earlier, right?”
“Haha! Your speaking style resembles a ruffian more than an esteemed general. I rushed here the moment I laid eyes on you! How could I be quicker?”
His armor was caked with chunks of flesh, and corpses littered around.
If I looked at my own state, I’d probably shudder. But seeing the enemy commander approach nonchalantly only made me tense up.
At the same time, I lifted my spear and made eye contact. Neither of us rushed in headfirst, feeling the weight of our heights. Murthani might have sensed it too, smirking.
“Have you lost your horse mid-battle? An old saying goes that a general without a mount cannot be called a true general.”
“Don’t worry. Your horse will be dead soon enough.”
“Hahaha!”
As soon as Murthani’s horse began to move, I lowered my stance and adjusted my grip on the spear.
The ground trembled ominously beneath me. I thrust the spear forward, signaling, ‘I’m focused on your horse!’
In an instant, Murthani’s spear sliced through the air.
Now!
I took two quick steps to the side and felt a dark whirlpool sweep where I had just stood. I already knew he could throw some sword-like energy; getting hit would be pure idiocy!
I believed it. No matter how monstrous he is, he can’t spam those magical techniques one after another, can he? After one, surely he’ll need a moment to recharge? That’s how balance works!
Murthani’s left hand extended slowly, fist clenched in mid-air. I had to accept that I was wrong to hope for balance in this idiotic hotel.
A crushing pressure descended on me. It felt like being squeezed in a giant juicer, my body wrung out like an orange! That one move had left the doctor in ruins.
“Urrrgh!”
I gritted my teeth. I’m not joking; this is for real. I just shouted while tensing all my muscles, releasing all my strength to the outside. I was just stubbornly enduring it, relying on sheer will!
— Boom!
With a sound like an explosion, the energy crushing me dissipated like ice in sunlight. At the same time, blood sprayed from Murthani’s left hand.
This is a rebound! The supernatural forces from the wielder deal a backlash when the opponent counters or withstands them!
“Is that all you have? Pathetic, really!”
Honestly, it really is pathetic. My body’s still trembling, and I can’t keep up my offensive. So I’m just bragging for now.
“Seriously… are your bones made of steel? How is it possible for a human to—”
“Whoa… Hey, you asshole! Why am I getting lectured by someone like you about being human? From someone using a force grip, no less?”
“Force grip?”
“Don’t mimic me with your pathetic pronunciation!”
Struggling against my trembling body, I moved. Perhaps he was still hesitant due to the remaining backlash, as Murthani didn’t retaliate against my movements.
Power surged from my toes through my waist to my arms. With a full rotation, the force poured into my spear, making it vibrate violently as it sliced the air.
As the spear flew like a bolt, Murthani’s horse failed to comprehend what was happening until its head popped apart. At least it was quick; I’m glad it didn’t suffer. The jerk on top of it, now that’s a different story.
Through all of it, Murthani belatedly sprang into the air, kicking his horse away, narrowly evading my spear’s trajectory.
—
Now, there’s no horse here.
It’s just two martial artists, each wielding a spear, crushing rocks like tofu and bending steel like candy.
In the brief moment we paused to catch our breaths, I glanced around. Soldiers surrounding me and Murthani had ceased fighting, forming a circle and watching us.
They must have figured it out by now.
This battle isn’t determined by the thousands of soldiers fighting; they’re merely side characters, the weak accepting their fate. The outcome hinges on the duel between the two of us standing here. So there’s no need for the rest to waste their strength.
“I just mentioned it earlier, didn’t I?”
“…”
“Didn’t I say your horse would die soon? I’m pretty good at reading the room.”
“The body…”
“What?”
“My body feels a bit lighter now. I see there are generals in the Empire after all. Only one of us will walk away from here…”
“Stop posturing and just hit me.”
“Rraaaah!”
With a rough scream, Murthani thrust his spear directly at me, the black energy swirling around it poised to obliterate everything in its path.
As I took half a step back and swung my spear horizontally, our weapons clashed. The moment they collided, a smile crept onto Murthani’s face. The whirling dark energy effortlessly shattered my spear, turning it to splinters.
Ha! I wasn’t even hoping for this mediocre spear to block his mystery force attack!
What I relied on was the laws of physics. Once our spears collided, no matter how ambiguous that foreign magic was, Murthani’s spear had to veer off the path too.
I dodged the now-spiraling spear and moved in closer, catching Murthani off guard as he swiftly pulled his spear back. His weapon skills are on a whole different level!
Originally, the plan was to immediately dive in and land a punch, but he regenerated his weapon faster than I expected, leaving no openings.
What to do—
…
Suddenly, the characteristics of that unknown dark energy flashed in my mind. When the opponent absorbs and withstands that power, it rebounds onto them. So—
I reached out and grabbed Murthani’s spear shaft. Maybe I’ve truly lost my marbles?
“Ugh!”
This hurts. Nothing compared to that force grip earlier! In that heartbeat, my vision turned red, and several teeth popped out of my mouth—my mouth, ears, nose, chest, arms, and legs.
All my blood vessels ruptured, and I instantly became a blood-soaked ghost.
Yet…
I did not die. My hand did not let go of his spear.
— Wham!
With a snap, Murthani’s spear broke, and the sound of an explosion echoed from his body.
“Hah, huh!”
The battlefield fell silent; soldiers stared blankly, forgetting the fight.
Blood poured from my body. From both me and my opponent.
Pain.
Pain.
Pain.
Every moment felt like bolts of lightning coursed through me, as if I were being scorched alive. I swallowed down the screams clawing to escape. It felt necessary. After all, Murthani didn’t scream either.
I couldn’t scream first, could I? That would mean I lost.
In that moment, I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. No sane person would remain composed in a situation where both of us could drop dead with just a nudge, right? Yet no one was shooting arrows from the sidelines.
Are they trying to say that they won’t intervene until one of us is finished fighting?
Gah! No matter how you slice it, this story is just plain ridiculous! Silly, pathetic, and laughable. This absurd situation often gets referred to as a ‘man’s fantasy.’
—
I’m sorry to my opponent, but considering how we both ended up, it’s clear the battle concluded. Unlike Murthani, who needs immediate treatment to survive, I have ‘regeneration.’
Slowly, my vision returned. The bleeding stopped. The agonizing pain began to ebb. I pushed forward with all my strength toward the enemy.
“Leave a last message if you can.”
You, as a villain, should at least say something before you go.
“O mighty Sky God… I return to my father’s embrace.”
With one swift slice, my hand severed the commander’s neck. The arduous battle had come to a thrilling conclusion.
—
I promise to repay you with sincere dedication.
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