### Chapter 337 – Room 203, The Cursed Room – ‘A New Beginning’ (17)
—
There were two figures crossing a barren field filled with dust.
A grotesque creature the size of a child and a girl with flowing jet-black hair made for quite the odd combo.
As dusk approached, the Grotesque and Ahri came to a halt by the lakeside. It was then that a woman, buried under the creature’s feathers, lifted her head.
“… Ahri.”
“Yes?”
“Have you learned some kind of martial art?”
“…”
The Grotesque’s strength was formidable, but it couldn’t carry the two of them over hundreds of kilometers every day.
In the end, only Eunsol was able to ride, while Ahri started running on her own, and it was at this point that Eunsol thought it would take months to reach their destination.
However, as Ahri began her run, a dust storm kicked up behind them, and Eunsol soon realized that wasn’t the case.
“Even an average human marathoner could manage this speed. Am I a bit faster?”
“Marathoners won’t move at that speed for ten hours a day.”
“Why so pedantic…?”
That was a valid point, so Eunsol nodded. She had known from the moment she entered Hotel High School and experienced the sports event that Ahri’s physical abilities were beyond that of a human.
As Eunsol tried to scoop water from the lake to drink, she suddenly froze. She noticed what looked like a pale earthworm wriggling in the water.
With a sigh, she scooped up the water again and drank it anyway.
“I really want to get out of Room 203 quickly.”
“That’s a wish shared by everyone.”
“Seems especially true for Sanghyun… He’s been through hell for hundreds of years, right?”
“Who knows…?”
With Ahri’s ambiguous answer, Eunsol fell into silence. Their discussions about Kim Sanghyun had filled the past few days of their journey.
Soon, a shabby flute appeared in Eunsol’s hand. Based on its appearance, it looked like a trinket one could easily pick up at a tourist spot.
“Do you think this will come in handy?”
“I’m taking you because I believe it will.”
“Sure…”
Eunsol’s gaze drifted past Ahri to the distant horizon. Intrigued, Ahri asked Eunsol, “Do you see something? If it’s the Aurora, I can see it too. Is that the realm of Adravita?”
“…”
“Eunsol?”
“Adravita is present.”
“…”
“He… might be close. Perhaps he’s watching us right now.”
“Let’s get some sleep. We need to set off early tomorrow.”
—
– Park Seungyub
—
On the third day since the legion halted near the hatchery, the Aurora appeared in the sky.
The seasoned soldiers, who had slain countless monsters while making their way here, began to murmur excitedly, and the teacher gazed silently at the sky.
“Seungyub.”
“Yes?”
“What comes to mind when you see that light?”
“… Do you think the prisoner is up to something?”
“Likely.”
“Honestly, it’s terrifying. I can’t help but wonder what tricks he might still have up his sleeve… It doesn’t even make sense that he’s causing chaos like this since we aren’t even on our fifth cycle.”
“Adravita’s perspective might be different.”
“Different?”
“How do you think we appear in his eyes? We’re probably nothing more than chicks and chickens to him. The idea that a person could compete against a chicken is inherently absurd.”
“… So you’re saying the hotel enforced serious restrictions on the prisoner, allowing the competition to take shape?”
“Correct. Think about it. Has he actively intervened since we awoke?”
As I pondered the teacher’s words, the meaning finally clicked.
Adravita distorted the records of Room 203, guiding us to false conclusions, not to mention that he filled the entire world with monsters and used AI like a mere tool to trap us.
But all these schemes were merely a setup that had been laid out long ago—centuries, perhaps even thousands of years back—only coming to fruition now that we were ready to act.
Reflecting on this brought me to consider what cards Adravita had left to play.
“I think I might be onto something!”
“What do you mean?”
“If Adravita has any remaining cards, then something completely unfamiliar won’t just suddenly appear at this moment.”
“…”
“The tools he can use aren’t new inventions we’ve come up with since awakening—they’re likely something he planted there long ago.”
“…”
“What could it be? Something that’s been here since this room was created?”
“Something is coming.”
“Excuse me?”
“Look over there. Ahri seems to be back.”
A short moment later, Ahri returned, bringing Eunsol with her.
And then…
The sound of a flute filled the air.
—
– Ro-o-o-o!
A clear and beautiful sound resounded. Even the resting soldiers began to gather around Eunsol, likely mistaking it for some kind of religious ceremony.
“Eunsol!”
Ahri gestured for me to come closer.
“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
Looking at my puzzled expression, Ahri nodded.
“I knew it wasn’t you. Thank goodness.”
“Pardon?”
Eunsol extended an arm and gently ruffled my hair, while still holding the flute and playing it.
Soon, the three of them entered a tent inhabited by priests. Perhaps thinking they were in a meeting, the soldiers lowered their heads and quietly dispersed.
“…”
“…”
— Ro-o-o-o!
The eerie flute sound filled the space with its silence.
An indescribable tension permeated the atmosphere as the teacher chuckled softly.
“It seems like they’re up to something, but isn’t this about to wrap up?”
As her flute lowered, Ahri smiled.
“Sanghyun, it’s been a while. I heard you’ve had quite a tough time.”
“It’s nothing. Though I must admit, it has been a long and arduous journey.”
“How was my performance?”
“Well, it did bring back some memories.”
“…”
“How about we speak honestly? You see that Aurora in the sky? I’m sure Adravita is watching us.”
Ahri nodded and stepped forward.
“Fair point. As you know, I have a touch of paranoia, don’t I?”
“Is that so?”
“It’s just occupational hazard! You’d think after working in the Administration Bureau for a bit, everyone walking by becomes a potential evil summoner.”
“Would you like me to give you a check-up later?”
“Once upon a time, I thought, if anyone could resolve this crisis, it would surely be Cha Jinchul.”
“…”
“When Jinchul was wearing the protective suit. While I never got to test the suit’s limits, I’d say it could probably resist the anesthetic gas.”
“…”
“Even if the suit couldn’t protect him, Jinchul’s blessings would have made him extraordinarily resilient. Could a phenomenal body, which could resist the power of the stars, fall so easily to anesthetic gas?”
“That’s quite a bit of speculation. And it seems you’ve forgotten that when we acquired the protective suit, the hotel guaranteed it was invulnerable to blades and fire. Against anesthetic gas developed with future technology, it’s useless. Besides, being strong and resisting anesthetic gas are two different issues.”
“You’re right. That’s why I thought it was ironic that Seungyub showed up instead of Jinchul. The suit might’ve been more flimsy than I thought, and the blessing of courage might easily fall flat against sleeping gas. But Priest, how did you manage to acquire that suit?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I braved the mountains to save Ahri—”
“That doesn’t add up. There are two possibilities. Either Jinchul resisted the gas, or he didn’t. If he resisted, he surely would have made it out, and he would still be alive to help you.”
“…”
“If he didn’t resist, then it means he fell right there; thus, the suit should have still been nearby, next to the cryogenic sleep equipment. Didn’t you say that the robots were too strong to approach near the facility before Seungyub awoke? How then did you find the suit?”
“True. That part was definitely a gap. I am getting old. As you age, your mind dulls.”
The atmosphere inside the tent froze. Meanwhile, I was left utterly confused.
Was the flute’s power stirring up some sort of emotional change?
The teacher began to share hidden stories he had kept to himself.
“As you anticipated, Jinchul escaped the mountains that day. He fought valiantly, and even while wearing the suit, one of his arms got crushed to a pulp, forcing me to amputate it. We were lucky he managed to survive.”
“…”
“Back when Jinchul was still around, I never once imagined that we would raise a civilization alongside tribes and lay out a grand plan over 300 years.”
“You were set on rescuing us instead, right?”
“That would make sense for a normal person. Thankfully, the spaceship was preparing for departure, which left many of the security units disassembled, turning them into spaceship parts.”
“You charged at the mountains together? You in the protective suit? And yet… you failed?”
“Adravita saw that too. At the moment the spaceship disassembled those units to launch, creatures appeared to fill that gap. To what lengths did he foresee?”
“…”
“Jinchul fought bravely until the end. However, it’s hard to stand up to ten opponents with just one arm.”
A thought suddenly struck me.
Even if the teacher wore the protective suit, in terms of combat capabilities, he couldn’t match Jinchul at all. The difference in physical abilities was too great, and if you factored in the stars, they weren’t even in the same league.
How then did the teacher emerge unscathed from such a fierce fight, where even Jinchul had met his end? And why had the teacher hidden the existence of this battle from us in the first place?
The teacher’s expression began to twist gradually. An inexplicable dreadful energy started to fill the air.
— Boom!
A strange noise echoed from outside the tent. The terrified cries of soldiers began to reverberate all around.
Also, a voice of a “young man” rang out.
“Ever since that day, I’ve been hearing voices. They promised me endless glory. To become their apostle, to seize the stars, and in return, they would establish me on solid ground, at a tier above all.”
“…”
“I paid no mind. I turned a blind eye. As long as my comrades survived, I believed there would still be hope.”
“…”
“The first hundred years were a time of will and hope. Awaiting my comrades’ awakening, I prepared for the decisive moment.”
“…”
“The next hundred years were a time of despair and pain. I witnessed the countless deaths of the woman I loved, my children, my grandchildren. I can’t tell you how many times I wished to disintegrate into the years…”
“…”
“The final hundred years were a time of fear and acceptance. I learned how monumental it was to exist without youth. My fingers and toes rot away. My muscles died slowly over 50 years, and not once was I able to lift my head from the cart.”
“…”
“Had I glanced at any history books, I would have known? Seventy years ago, I attempted to act while my body could still move better than it does today. When I led the legion and arrived on this ground….”
“Is what’s happening outside happening for real?”
“It was only then that I realized that everything I had built throughout my life was an illusion…. I sat down in the field, crying out, again and again. And then…. I received an offer I could not refuse.”
—
– Kim Ahri
—
The outside world was in chaos. Frankly, this wasn’t the sort of moment for conversations.
Eunsol and Seungyub had already rushed out, doing their best to manage the situation.
The profane Aurora engulfed the entire sky.
At that moment, the prisoner’s initial ploy began to reveal its true identity.
The air was filled with the cries of soldiers.
Skin was being peeled alive, morphing into grotesque forms that sank their claws into their minds.
Even the bravest of warriors transforms into a child, crying out as they turned into beasts.
Suddenly, I remembered something Elena had said long ago.
She mentioned that one couldn’t turn this many primitives into monsters through mere malevolent imagination. She claimed she had only created the first few.
Perhaps Elena simply triggered the innate curse that had existed since the first primitives were created.
“Why have you only come now? Why did you not arrive until I reached this point!”
Hearing Sanghyun’s despair, I quietly closed my eyes.
The largest reason I doubted him was separate but related to what Seungyub had said.
The doctor had endured 300 years of suffering while waiting for us, right?
That’s impossible. The human heart is terribly fragile.
An unyielding will that never breaks, an unwavering sense of justice.
I’m far too old to fall for phrases like that.
Thus, I did not resent Sanghyun or feel disappointed in him.
A waiting period of 300 years with no hope in sight.
The endless deaths of beloved family and descendants.
The agony of a decaying body.
Enduring such torment is an incredibly challenging feat.
Even if one survived up to this point….
What atrocity could withstand the tragedy of a civilization built over centuries turning into beasts from a single gesture of the Evil God?
When I opened my eyes again, the once-destroyed priest stood before me, reborn, smashing a cart apart.
“Sanghyun! Congratulations on getting your youth back!”
It was time to put an end to the long nightmare of Room 203.
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