### Chapter 333 – Room 203, The Cursed Room – ‘A New Beginning’ (13)
—
Thinking of the moment of destruction.
Since the subject of thought is not human, the word “regeneration” might be more appropriate than expected.
Precisely 1,773 years, 114 days, and 11 minutes ago, the last line of defense fell.
Humanity, lost in madness, tightened the leash around its own neck, and the divine being floating in the heavens looked down on the world with indifferent eyes.
In the moment of confirmed defeat, rather than sadness or fear, I felt an overwhelming sense of the incomprehensible.
In the place where the defensive turrets were set up, “it turned out” there were traps laid in advance.
At the outpost established outside, natural disasters occurred “as if they had been waiting.”
The commander, entrusted with military leadership for his qualities, was “corrupted from the start.”
Amidst a cosmic tide that felt as if the fate of the universe had been decided by our defeat, I drew one conclusion.
First, Adrablita is a true god.
Second, Adrablita is a being who knows the future.
At least one of these two premises is true, and regardless of which it is, I understood that destruction was unavoidable.
On the day when the shining future of humanity fell forever into the primordial muck, the divine being suddenly halted all its forces and made a bizarre proposal.
“I will make you an offer you cannot refuse.
I will not destroy the pride of humanity. I will safely guard your precious power source without a single hair being harmed.
Humanity’s lineage will not be cut off. I do not intend to abuse them. All surviving humans and newly created humans will live as ‘divine beings’ and lead glorious lives.”
The latter part of the proposal, about maintaining humanity’s lineage and allowing them to live as divine beings, was understandable. After all, a “caretaker” is essential for a farm, and enhanced humans are far more useful than the pseudo-humans created by the divine being.
However, the former part of the proposal was genuinely incomprehensible. Even if the spaceship’s remaining power could not harm the divine being, it could easily destroy a farm from such a fragile world.
When I asked what the divine being truly wanted, it replied.
“I desire just three things.
First, hand over the bodies of the nine specified crew members.
Second, leave the specified content in your historical records.
Third, forget today’s events and remember them forever.”
Once again, it was an incomprehensible proposal.
The nine crew members it designated were likely the ones who had problems during the cryogenic sleep process and could not be awakened after arriving on the planet. I couldn’t fathom why it needed their bodies.
It is common history for the victors of war to distort the history of the defeated.
However, this war was different from past wars. The defeated would be absorbed by the victors, and the victors would live in an era without history. What, then, is the meaning of historical distortion?
Setting aside the possibility of understanding or not, I firmly refused the proposal.
I was designed to prioritize the protection of humanity and especially the crew, thus I could not condone any harm to the nine crew members.
In response, the divine being said.
“I assure you that at this moment, no one can harm the nine participants.
Even if lightning strikes, not a single hair will be harmed, and even if a meteor falls, it will veer away from them. This is because they are the most noble of beings, the hands that determine the beginning and end of the world.
Furthermore, before the world crumbles four times and the fifth creation of the world occurs, I cannot harm them, let alone lay a finger on them. Your concerns are truly foolish.”
Because I did not understand its words at all, I urgently asked what its purpose was, to which it replied.
“Just as you take it upon yourself to protect this tiny hairless monkey, I take it upon myself to protect this world.”
The divine being’s offer was one I couldn’t refuse, so I had no choice but to accept my fate.
I only had one small act of rebellion left. I had realized that there was a tiny logical gap in the divine being’s proposal.
—
– Park Seungyub
[Heavenly Luck Activated! The energy of the universe blesses you.]
—
— Click!
It’s cold.
My whole body is shaking so much that it’s hard to endure.
Did the boiler go out? I should tell mom—
— Beep!
I woke up to a familiar sound.
“Uh, where am I?”
It’s a dark place with no lights. Thankfully, light leaked through a crack in the broken wall, barely allowing me to see my surroundings.
After sitting on the ground for a while lost in thought, my memory slowly began to return.
Hotel, Room 203, surprise attack by the AI, cryogenic sleep.
“W-where are the others?”
Just as I stood up to check my surroundings, something bit my leg.
“Ouch! P-Pero?”
Pero seemed to gesture with its beak to follow to the left.
The building, where I had been in cryogenic sleep, was now partially collapsed, and a huge gap was visible where I could potentially escape.
“Did an earthquake happen?”
No one was around to answer my question.
Carefully glancing outside, I felt my breath hitch. There was a grotesque monster walking around, horrifying to behold.
A small parrot would have flown here, but for me to walk out is impossible. At that moment, Pero bit my cheek and looked at me intently, as if saying to focus now.
“… What’s the plan?”
I decided to trust it.
“I’ll believe you. You’re a bit smarter than me.”
Suddenly, Pero turned back, and strange whispers echoed in my head.
“Bit smarter?”
— Taaah! Kyah!
Pero flew out of the gap and transformed into a grotesque figure, letting out an immense roar!
Watching the surrounding monsters charge towards Pero, I realized it was drawing their attention.
“Yahhhh!”
I ran.
I ran like a madman without thinking or looking back!
“Hah, huuuh! Haaah!”
It wasn’t just that I was out of breath; it felt like my lungs were about to burst. I was sure I couldn’t run anymore and collapsed on the floor, face up.
When I barely managed to peek up at the direction I ran from, thankfully, not a single monster was in pursuit.
It seemed those monsters had no intention of leaving the area of the building I used to be in. Were they guarding that position?
— Beep!
“Pero, you look fine.”
What a relief. If I had escaped and Pero had died, I’d be devastated. It seems it transformed back into a parrot and flew off midway.
That aside, it was freezing. As I breathed heavily and stood up, the landscape came into view. Everywhere was covered in snow and ice, and the trees and grass were barren.
“Where the heck am I?”
Wasn’t the place attacked by the AI supposed to be in the mountains? This definitely isn’t anywhere near any mountain range.
—
Following Pero’s guidance, I walked for a long time.
After hours of walking without rest, my legs shook, and the cold made it difficult to move. I had to endure so much that at times, Pero transformed and carried me along.
After half a day of moving like this, I saw an unbelievable sight.
“… A castle wall?”
No matter how I looked at it, it was a massive wall made of stone that evoked thoughts of a ‘castle wall.’
It couldn’t compare to the modern civilization of the 21st century, but it was certainly something primitive people could not easily create while wandering in the wilderness.
While I gazed blankly at the castle wall, I saw humanoid figures approaching from a distance.
“Armor?”
Following the castle wall, now there was armor. There were also what looked like metal spears.
“Who goes there!”
“Just a little kid?”
Two nearby soldiers showed a wary expression as they recognized that I was middle school age and quickly relaxed.
“Why is a kid out here at this hour?”
“Kid, did your parents leave you behind? This is clearly illegal, so be honest.”
I was stunned by the very word ‘illegal’ that came from the soldier’s mouth. With a castle wall and armor, along with iron weapons, it’s only natural that ‘laws and principles’ exist, right?
“Uh, uh, um… So—”
— Beep!
Before I could answer, Pero let out a sharp sound. The soldier turned to me with eyes wide in surprise, looking at the parrot on my shoulder.
“Is that a ‘sacred creature’?”
“I’ve never seen one in person… They say sacred creatures can transform.”
— Taaah!
As if having heard that, or actually indeed having heard it, Pero immediately transformed into a grotesque figure and roared fiercely.
The two soldiers fell to the ground, stunned, and one of them got up and ran towards the castle wall.
The remaining soldier spoke to me cautiously. His demeanor and tone completely changed.
“Are you, by chance, a ‘divine being’?”
“I guess so.”
“W-wait! Someone who can recognize you will come soon.”
“… Excuse me.”
“Yes? What may I do for you?”
“I’m really hungry and thirsty, do you have anything?”
“We have emergency rations.”
For a brief moment, I received dried meat and lukewarm water from the soldier. Thanks to the ‘people food’ that came from an ordinary soldier, my questions grew deeper.
What on earth is happening here?
—
A short while later, the person who approached from the castle wall was someone I recognized all too well.
“Ah! Doctor!”
“…”
After half a day of hardship, seeing my companion finally brought me to the verge of tears. I clung to the doctor’s arm, telling them how much I had endured.
“…”
“I didn’t know such a human kingdom existed in Room 203! Have you been holding out here? Working as the king’s physician or something?”
“Oh, divine being.”
“And Pero—wait?”
“Follow me. There’s someone you need to meet.”
Strangely enough, the doctor seemed not to recognize me at all.
—
Inside the castle wall, there was quite a convincing city.
Humans no longer lived in caves or tents pitched on the plains; they resided in neat stone houses. The people around no longer looked ragged and were clearly wearing clothes.
Even the children were sucking on something that looked sweet, and as I gazed at them in wonder, the man leading me bought a similar treat and offered it to me.
It finally dawned on me.
The man in front of me was not the doctor I knew. It was not merely a matter of recognition.
Upon closer inspection, he was slightly shorter, and his features were subtly different. He wasn’t as robust as the doctor.
I began to feel a sense of suffocation.
I understood now the state that the person I was about to meet was in, why they couldn’t come to me, and why I had to go to them.
How long would it take for primitive humans to develop to this level? Could it possibly be achievable with just a few decades of effort?
—
Finally, we arrived in front of the most significant building in the city. It wasn’t quite grand enough to be called a palace, but it certainly seemed like a place where the ruler of this city could reside.
“Please wait here for a moment. The high priest has been unable to move around lately.”
“… High priest?”
A faint memory from school returned. Ancient human societies were said to have theocracy or a fusion of church and state, and it seemed this city was at such a stage.
“Come in!”
The guards solemnly and politely guided me inside.
—
I met a man lying on a bed. He was so old that I couldn’t even guess his age.
“…”
“Seungyub, you’ve finally… arrived. At last.”
It rained. I was certainly indoors, yet…
It rained, soaking my face completely.
“Thank you. I appreciate you coming without delay. Fortunately, it seems it isn’t too late.”
—
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