### Chapter 354 – Room 205, The Cursed Room – ‘□□□□’ (3)
—
The countless religions of the world busily describe hell in their best efforts.
Man-eating bugs are everywhere, executioners are beating people to death with iron clubs, tongues are being stretched out while boiling oil is poured, and victims are pierced with spears and roasted over flames.
In a way, such cruel imaginings might not be mere creativity but rather ‘experience.’
Before Cha Jinchul walked the battlefield, he witnessed every conceivable act of violence human beings can inflict on one another.
But it was none of my business.
Not my problem, nor my responsibility.
All of this was happening in a realm outside of reality, so there was no need to worry too much.
Cha Jinchul believed it.
Or rather, he tried hard to believe it.
His heart hadn’t enough frozen up to fully accept the symphony of suffering erupting from every corner of the world.
In an instant, Cha Jinchul’s upper body spun around as he swept his spear in a semi-circle.
— Swish!
With a single swing, two lives were claimed. Just another day at the office.
The sight of the general wielding his spear was akin to a farmer scything the crops.
Jinchul sunk into thought.
When he started as the General of the North Star in Room 205, he became aware of the existence of martial prowess and worried quite a bit.
Unlike supernatural abilities or divine powers, ‘martial prowess’ is, literally, study and skill.
This meant an ordinary human could pick it up with just effort.
How could he feel confident in his own prowess when even the mere lackeys of war wielded the strength of tigers or wolves?
…
It was just a bad worry.
Most lackeys barely made it to the level of middle school students in modern terms, simply fading away in desperate struggles, sometimes hundreds a day.
Moreover, not every martial artist was a formidable fighter.
— Thud!
Was it because he was lost in contemplation that his focus slipped?
An incoming dagger slipped neatly into a gap in Jinchul’s armor.
“I-I hit you!”
“…”
“You damned dog of the fallen empire, do you even know what you’re addicted to?”
“Was there poison on that dagger?”
“Ha ha… The essence of the Seven Blood Poison has permeated in, meaning you won’t be able to breathe for more than one breath—”
“I’ve already taken ten breaths.”
“…”
— Crunch!
The thrower of the dagger, who used a black lethal knife, couldn’t understand why the North Star General’s expression never changed even as his head crumbled on impact.
Suddenly, Jinchul felt a sharp sting in his shoulder.
The claim that the dagger was poisoned turned out to be true.
For some time now, his body had been casually shrugging off ordinary poisons as if they were just a minor cold.
At that moment, three dark blobs flew through the air, accompanied by a strange voice that seemed to echo from all directions.
“The North Star General of the Empire has truly become divine!”
Jinchul inspected the heads rolling on the ground.
One was familiar—it was the head of General Jo Jeongmyung, who boldly swore to protect the empire earlier that morning.
With a slight nod, he responded.
“Speak your name.”
“…I am Mergoap, also known as Cheong Ansura.”
“Cheong Ansura? Commander of the 13?”
“Indeed.”
The newly appeared Cheong Ansura Mergoap frowned.
After throwing the general’s head, one would expect him to display anger, yet the general only asked for his name.
This singular action oddly made it feel as if he was losing momentum.
Fortunately, the memories of control amassed over decades guided Cheong Ansura to respond appropriately in this situation.
It was time to attack.
“Ha!”
The sword curved like lightning, drawing a spiral as it flew through the air.
The blade’s trajectory shook strangely, reminiscent of a snake slithering across a desert sandy wave.
At that moment, a flash of light, like lightning, pierced through the snake.
The general’s spear didn’t possess a profound arc, nor a monstrous trajectory.
“Quick and strong!”
Cheong Ansura managed to barely escape, body twirling like a ballerina.
He could have used more elegant language, but he couldn’t find better descriptors.
The general’s spear was indeed fast and strong.
To be honest, he merely thrust it in a straight line with all his might—there was nothing particularly profound behind it.
And that’s what made it so hard to counter.
—
In the next moment, a spear suddenly shot up from Cheong Ansura’s waist.
Caught off guard that his opponent could use another weapon, Jinchul’s eyes widened.
“Another spear after the sword? What the—”
Instead of rushing in with the spear, Cheong Ansura threw it towards the general, while charging forward with the sword exuding a pearlescent aura.
If he couldn’t stop the spear approaching from the front, he would have no future, and spending all his strength to stop the spear meant he wouldn’t be able to take the brunt of the soul-reaping strike that followed.
Thus, Cheong Ansura’s demon spear strike was known as a top-tier technique in the martial world.
— Bang!
The general, like the opponents Cheong Ansura had faced before, deflected the spear with a flick.
‘Now!’
No matter how quick and strong the general was, with only one weapon, he couldn’t prevent both the spear and the sword from being blocked simultaneously.
Therefore, the spear strike had to be countered before it unfurled, as after that, it was an unbeatable situation no matter how one countered.
At least, that was what Cheong Ansura had believed.
If anything, he thought that the general would use one hand to bat away the spear while wielding the other to redirect the sword strike.
“What is this?!”
He couldn’t believe it.
Those ignorant of martial arts would say:
With attacks coming from two directions and having two arms, what’s so marvelous about blocking one with each hand?
That made Cheong Ansura go insane with anger.
The spear he hurled with the might of the Suras, and the sword he extended so energetically; him blocking both with one arm meant the general’s strength with just one limb equaled the force he could exert with his entire body.
Of course, amidst the frantic duel, he had no time to lose himself in thought.
The general’s spear split the air and flew towards him.
Once, twice, three times.
Just three thrusts that simply circled through the air, yet the sheer power contained within that simple offensive was something Cheong Ansura had seldom experienced throughout his entire life of struggle.
The onslaught coming at him from his shoulders deflected his spear aside.
The thrust aimed at his abdomen narrowly missed as he spun to dodge it.
And the third thrust? It pierced through Cheong Ansura’s thigh.
…No.
Just before it penetrated, the spear altered its trajectory, only scraping his skin.
Cheong Ansura couldn’t grasp this situation.
Just a moment ago, he’d misjudged the general’s strength and speed, nearly meeting his end in mere 10 seconds.
Why had the general adjusted the spear?
— Crunch!
Finally, Cheong Ansura spat out a proclamation full of fury.
“Thank you… for your mercy! I shall not disappoint you next!”
Jinchul couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
Of course, he had no thoughts of extending mercy, nor was he planning to mock this man who was one of the 13 commanders of the Baehwa Cult.
What just happened was born from a reason that would have been unfathomable for Cheong Ansura.
For today, it was only his second time wielding a spear.
It was simply that it had slipped through his fingers.
In the next moment, a deadly aura rose from Cheong Ansura’s entire body like a malignant cloud, making Jinchul feel an urgent need to step back.
…
…
…
About three seconds.
In a time when Jinchul could have severed Cheong Ansura’s neck ten times, nothing happened.
Only then did Jinchul realize what was going on.
The opponent mistook his taunting, thinking he was inviting him to “show off your skills!” and took an eternity preparing for his technique.
And since Jinchul belatedly understood this fact, he truly gave Cheong Ansura the time to prepare.
“Shit-”
Weapons sprang up all around.
In a world full of carnage, dozens of unclaimed weapons that had been scattered about rose behind Cheong Ansura, filling the air with deadly clamor.
“Now the wrath of the God of War has filled the world….”
“Hey, you bastard! What’s this martial arts nonsense?”
Could it be that the cult leader’s versatility flowed down to his subordinates as well?
Overwhelmed by magic beyond the possibility of being mere martial arts, dozens of weapons all flew towards the General.
And one head fell.
*
– Cha Jinchul
“Wow! Aaaah! I’m really shocked! Jinchul, what was that earlier?”
“Sister, you’re now at the palace to advise the emperor, huh?”
“With the country on the brink of collapse, how could I stay in the palace? But seriously, what was that?”
“Just a new power I acquired.”
“I thought I was watching a circus or something with all those 50 swords and spears flying around, and your hands were moving at such speed I could barely see them!”
“Did it look that way?”
“It felt like watching someone walking through a storm while dodging raindrops without a drop of water touching them.”
“Hmmm…”
It was difficult to explain.
That moment when I used ‘the Instant’ felt like a scene from a dream, even to me.
A world that felt incredibly slow, with only the changes perceivable to me unfolding in a snail’s pace.
In the last moment, Cheong Ansura didn’t even attempt to dodge my spear.
He instead looked at me with eyes filled with respect and said:
“I honorably announce your death.”
“I’m feeling a bit guilty.”
“About what?”
“He thinks I’m some great master who has attained an extraordinary skill.”
“Isn’t that true?”
“…No. Today is only the second time I’ve wielded a spear. I merely used the supernatural powers bestowed by the hotel.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Huh?”
“The martial arts they use and the blessings you use—it looks to me like both are wonderful powers!”
“The strength isn’t something earned through training.”
“Even if you didn’t luck into ‘the Instant’, you’ve only endured different hardships and made efforts.”
Sister’s words put my mind at ease since they made sense.
I too hadn’t acquired the power of ‘the Instant’ merely through luck.
Of course, I’ve never trained in martial arts, but those guys have never rolled around in the cursed room either, so it’s pretty similar.
“About those 13 commanders, how strong are they?”
“If I fought them again, I could kill them within ten seconds. I just wasted time earlier with my foolishness.”
“I can trust that. It seems the general and your Sacred Blade are way above the 13 commanders.”
“However….”
“However?”
“Having fought the 13 commanders, I can tell what sort of strength they have now.”
“But?”
“Jo Wonhong overpowers all 13 by himself.”
“…”
“Would I be able to win against 13 guys like Cheong Ansura from earlier? It’s impossible for me.”
“Your leader… is truly not a person.”
“Sister, no matter how I think about it, the leader is not someone we can handle alone or in pairs.”
“What if we all gathered?”
“It might be possible, but would the leader go around alone? There are at least 12 guys like Cheong Ansura left, and they probably have hidden powers.”
“…”
“We have to pull in the Cheonui Alliance. No matter how I see it, Ija Seong needs to deal with the leader.”
“Speaking of which, the Sacred Blade has already gone to the Cheonui Alliance.”
“Thank goodness. Ija Seong should have at least pretended to listen to his disciple’s advice, right?”
“Well… it won’t be easy. Besides, I found another way.”
“Really?”
Sister turned around halfway and gazed what seemed to be a distant place.
“General, do you know the nicknames of Ahri and Miro?”
“Pfft! I’m sorry. Just hearing ‘nickname’ made me want to laugh. What is it?”
“Blood Demoness Kim Ahri, Half Spirit Maiden Kim Miro.”
“That’s mighty impressive!”
“And they have an amazing setting.”
“Setting?”
“Blood Demoness and Half Spirit Maiden. They are the heroes of the current martial realm.”
“Wha-what? Heroes of the martial realm?”
“Because they are the followers of the Illusion Demon.”
“….”
“The roles assigned to Ahri and Miro in Room 205 are to release Gaine’s seal.”
Suddenly, a curious possibility bloomed in my mind.
If I could borrow the great miracle of the Half Spirit Maiden, the power of the Time Lender…
“Sister, I just had a thought—”
“I know. I’m planning to do it as soon as I secure Miro.”
*
– Kim Sanghyun
— Swoosh!
An atmosphere filled with murderous intent surrounds me.
“…”
“…”
If I could kill with just a glance, there’d be legendary masters of the heart surrounding me right now.
I would’ve already died a hundred times over.
“Cough. Have you relayed my regards to the high priest?”
“The Sacred Blade has come as the Emperor’s representative. Though I’d show you courtesy, remember one thing.”
“…”
“I have no apprentice named Kim Sanghyun. So refrain from calling me ‘High Priest’ or ‘Master’ again.”
“…I shall comply.”
Who is this Sacred Blade in Room 205?
He is the third disciple of Ija Seong, the leader of the Cheonui Alliance, and a loyal family member who has devoted many years to the royal family.
Thirty years ago, during the time of the Illusion Demon’s reign.
The existence of heroes allowed the Cheonui Alliance and the royal family to unite as one, with the Sacred Blade being a proud warrior of both.
In a world where the Illusion Demon had vanished, the Cheonui Alliance appeared far too dangerous to the Empire.
In the conflict between the two factions, the Sacred Blade would have to choose a single identity.
“…Can you tell me when the master, or should I say the leader of the Cheonui Alliance, will arrive?”
“…”
Suddenly, I began to worry whether I could survive in this place.
—
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