### Chapter 382 – Room 205, The Cursed Room – ‘The Absolute Master’ (31) Fin
—
As my consciousness returned,
another memory of mine resurfaced before me.
I looked up at the sky in shock from the staggering information.
The sky, split apart by my master’s incomprehensible sword strike, was slowly closing.
Asha’s form was only partially visible.
And then there was Lee Jasung, my martial arts master.
His body seemed to be scattering like sand.
With my mouth agape, I ran towards him in a daze.
“Mas—Master! Your body is—”
“… You’re awake.”
“I’m so s-sorry, Master! I—”
“Did you see it?”
“Y-Yes?”
“Don’t tell me, while you always call me your master, you didn’t actually see me split the sky open?”
Flustered, I looked up at him.
His eyes, now distant from staring at Asha, could still not hide the extreme sense of emptiness.
And then—
A smile, reminiscent of a little boy.
A heart yearning to boast to the disciple he took in during his later years.
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Y-Yes! I saw it!”
“Ha, ha! Hahaha! Who am I?”
“The best swordsman under heaven!”
“No, disciple. Why do we even need the word ‘sword’?”
“The greatest master under heaven, Lee Jasung!”
“Ah!”
“… Are you happy?”
“Of course!”
“I thought you’d say all of this is meaningless, as if you’ve shaken off all worldly logic.”
“Seungyub.”
“Yes?”
“That’s that, and this is this.”
In that moment, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Pfft! You really have flexible standards, don’t you?”
“Hey, I’m not a narrow-minded person by nature!”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Not even a guess! By the way, have you mastered the spirit of Aksha?”
“Yes.”
“You need to train every day even after you leave. Don’t forget the teachings I gave you and those from that Phantom guy. Even if his martial arts are weaker than mine, he’s got decent teaching skills.”
As he emphasized that “Phantom guy” was weaker than him, I burst into laughter again.
He had only shown a solemn demeanor until now, but maybe approaching death was changing him?
“…”
Although our conversation wasn’t lengthy, Master’s body remained less than half intact by this point.
It was like watching a snowman melt under the scorching sun, gradually collapsing.
Unconsciously, I pulled out the ‘Soul Vessel’ from my pocket.
Right now, he was still alive—
“Stop it.”
“Master…”
“You want to end it here.”
“…”
“I have… fulfilled my dream.”
“You’ve fulfilled your dream?”
“I wanted to witness the peak of martial arts, even if it was just for a day instead of living a mundane 100 years.”
“…”
“I’ve cut the heavens. I thought I could never reach this realm even after training for 100, no, 1,000 years… but a miracle happened. An understanding I could never reach, something that was vaguer than a mirage… has come to me.”
“…”
“That’s it. I’ve packed everything I have into this fleeting moment, so this moment’s truth is real. Therefore…”
“Master.”
“Please don’t turn me back into a fake.”
It was raining from the sky.
Raindrops swept away the old man’s remnants without leaving a trace, like sand.
Songee, who had silently watched the situation all this time, pulled me into a gentle embrace.
The greatest master, Lee Jasung, had died.
The following morning, the emperor’s order to advance was given, and the remnants of the Baehwa League were quelled.
This was the last memory from Room 205.
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 223
Current Location: Restaurant of Choices
Sage’s Advice: 3]
—
Suddenly, I found my consciousness in a dazzling space.
The lavish chandelier overhead and the neatly set table, accompanied by the mouth-watering aroma of food.
It was a restaurant.
“The Restaurant of Choices? Is it time for a choice?”
I hadn’t expected to awaken in a place like this, not outside the hotel either.
It seemed to serve an explanatory role for the function of the ‘Soul Vessel.’
Looking back, something similar had happened before.
The moment of choice was a subtly different judgment from the cursed room.
As I surveyed my surroundings, I spotted Songee, dressed in a lovely white and pink dress, and Seungyub, who looked sharp in his attire.
And then…
Both of them stared at me, their mouths agape.
“Why are you both like that? Oh, did I die and come out here for the moment of choice?”
“H-Han Kain!”
“Hey, it happened before—there’s no way I’m eligible for an inheritance. I’m probably just here to explain the ‘Soul Vessel.’”
“Big brother Kain appearing here!”
Despite the explanation, both of them continued to look at each other with their mouths hanging open.
“No way, if that’s true, the Phantom really messed up!”
“Phantom?”
At that point, both of them began sharing the story from the latter half of Room 205.
After I died, the Phantom attempted to survive by stealing Lee Jasung’s body and imitating him.
Songee and Seungyub seemed to think he wouldn’t save them.
That’s why Seungyub disguised himself as Lee Jasung to try and trick them, not being able to distinguish between their souls…
“The Phantom should’ve just shut up and come out! Big Brother Kain could’ve waited here and persuaded us by himself!”
I understood the situation, but still—that didn’t make sense.
“No.”
“What do you mean—huh? Brother? What do you mean by that?”
“I had no intention of saving you.”
“…”
“How many people died in the second attempt due to the Phantom’s meddling? Why would I save such an evil guy?”
“Maybe you could control him…”
“Don’t be foolish! The Phantom might have been suppressing his power out of fear of the demonic tome, but he’s too wicked. If you give him a chance, who knows what he’d do? I can’t always guarantee my survival.”
“…”
“There’s no need to contain only NPCs from Room 205 in the ‘Soul Vessel.’ Any NPC from any room can be contained, as long as the room hasn’t dissipated. Rooms 104, 206, and 207 are left.”
“…”
“I’ve got a couple of candidates in mind. One might be feasible—”
“Wow, big brother…”
Seungyub interjected, covering his face with his hands.
“The Phantom believed in you until the very end. It’s as if he thought it wouldn’t matter as long as you were alive….”
“How naive of him—”
Songee couldn’t hold back and snapped at my words.
“It was a lie from the start… He probably intended to contain someone else from the beginning…”
“…”
“The Phantom is fortunate to have died in Room 205. If he had figured it all out and arrived at the moment of choice, he would’ve been crying rivers at what you said.”
“He should be grateful to Master for helping him let go of his regrets. If he came outside instead, he’d probably faint from shock hearing Brother Kain complaining about him.”
Somehow, I felt like I’d become the villain.
What’s so wrong with deceiving a madman who kills people as easily as breathing?
A little later, a paper stating the description of ‘Crimson Flame Wire’ was served alongside the food on the table.
After reading the description, Songee commented casually.
“The Crimson Flame Wire doesn’t seem too bad.”
“I thought it would be a useless inheritance since it only seemed effective at killing in the maze.”
“Turns out we could exclude allies from the judgment of one deemed as ‘enemy.’ We simply didn’t notice it because we were considered enemies by Jo Wonhong from the get-go.”
“I remember. Elena stated the first observations of ‘Crimson Flame Wire.’ When it was used, Jo Wonhong proclaimed, ‘I, Jo Wonhong, will no longer evade.’”
“It essentially means he considered himself included in the judgment.”
“If he hadn’t said that, the user or allies wouldn’t be included.”
“It also appears there’s a fiery power in addition to the judgment feature.”
A function to judge an ‘enemy’ who has committed evil deeds.
Fiery power.
Not bad.
But since there are two options, I should compare them.
“Looks like the Soul Vessel—”
“The Soul Vessel side—”
Songee and I both spoke simultaneously.
Seungyub, who was slicing steak with scissors, nodded his head.
“Hmmm, seems everyone’s opinion is aligned. An ability to take out enemies instantly? Sounds good, but we still can’t choose who we want. The criteria for ‘sin’ is also vague.”
“It’s almost random concerning who ends up being targeted. Besides, there’s no guarantee the enemy is indeed guilty.”
“Not every strike is guaranteed to be a kill. The Phantom resisted with the Soul Vessel, right?”
“Chances of resistance are likely with a formidable enemy.”
“The fiery power sounds a bit… dubious.”
“Yeah, definitely gives off that ambiguous vibe.”
“Didn’t the hotel seem to expect us to choose the Soul Vessel?”
“Really?”
“I’m just saying I was saved.”
At that remark, Songee and Seungyub gasped in astonishment.
“That’s right. It would be natural for Elena to handle the explanation of ‘Crimson Flame Wire,’ yet they just replaced it with this single sheet of paper.”
“That’s correct. I mentioned briefly earlier, but let me explain the function of the Soul Vessel in detail.”
The Soul Vessel can contain one soul at a time, with two methods of use.
First, the user can contain their own soul.
In this case, the user gains immense immortality.
Even if their body is destroyed, they won’t die, and they won’t vanish unless a transcendental power capable of neutralizing the Soul Vessel itself intervenes.
However.
“I think if you lose your body, you’ll lose the ‘qualification of a participant.’”
“Would they be helping us in a ghost-like state? What about inheriting or blessings?”
“We’ll have to try it out to find out.”
Second, one can contain another’s soul.
Which means the NPCs from the cursed room can be contained.
The Phantom wanted to escape the cursed room through this method.
And.
“We could also use it when persuading other NPCs.”
“… I suddenly have someone in mind from Room 104. I wonder if it would work for 206 too?”
“It doesn’t have to be an NPC from the cursed room.”
“A companion’s soul?”
“That’s possible, but…”
I recalled a completely different ‘existence.’
Something that has now become a ghost or something lesser, void of a physical form.
“I guess this part has to be tested once we get outside.”
Songee asked an important question.
“Does the Soul Vessel itself have a function to steal bodies? Like the Phantom.”
“There’s vaguely a possibility.”
“Vaguely?”
“Compared to the demonic tome specialized in body theft, it’s very weak. Like a spirit from a horror movie possessing a person?”
“… How is that even a thing?”
“It might be difficult for an average person, but someone trained could likely overcome it.”
“The Phantom didn’t seem like that little either, did he?”
“That’s because he enhanced himself using a separate force called ‘Illusion Demon Arts.’”
Seungyub, who had been listening attentively, spoke up.
“If what you say is right, the entities contained in the Soul Vessel are likely to help us in a state similar to a bodiless ghost.”
“That’s it.”
“We need to find a being that can still use their powers in that state.”
“Good point. Honestly, that’s why I was against saving Lee Jasung too. That person doesn’t seem like someone who can fight without a body.”
“…”
Seungyub had a slightly bitter expression at my words.
It seemed he took Lee Jasung more seriously than I thought.
Some of my companions often had this over-commitment to ‘things happening inside the room.’
I didn’t think it was a commendable attitude, but maybe I should show some consideration.
Let’s drop the subject about Lee Jasung.
If Seungyub felt this way, then it was fortunate that Lee Jasung chose death in Room 205.
The ‘two candidates’ I had in mind would be more suitable to be contained than the Phantom or Lee Jasung.
Of course, I refrained from saying such things out loud this time.
By the time the conversation was coming to an end, Songee and I shifted our gazes toward Seungyub.
Seungyub, looking a bit apologetic, mumbled.
“Honestly, I didn’t do much in this room…”
Songee and I spoke in unison.
“Me neither.”
“Same here.”
Ultimately, the core matter of Room 205 was how the empire was going to take down the Baehwa League.
The contributions of the allies from the empire who defeated Jo Wonhong in the two rounds must be significant.
Kim Mooksung, Kim Sanghyun, Lee Eunsol, Cha Jinchul.
These four had a major stake in the outcome.
However, none of them survived.
Songee cautiously mumbled.
“I sometimes think…”
“What is it?”
“If our relationship had been just a bit worse, the atmosphere would have been dire every time such events occurred.”
“…”
“It’s a bit like when it comes to royal families.”
“Suddenly talking about a royal family?”
“Don’t they pass down the throne based on the order of birth rather than skill? Otherwise…”
“When the king dies, there’d be a fight every time to prove his strength.”
“It seems like inheriting one item each in an orderly manner has reduced conflicts, or something like that.”
The metaphor felt quite out of the blue, yet somehow it seemed to fit.
“So, does this mean the next in line is Grandfather? Although he’d have to be alive until the end.”
“Thinking about Room 104, it means there are two remaining inheritances. 104 and 206.”
“…”
“One person may end up getting two.”
Thus, Room 205 came to a close.
—
I’ll reward you with sincere serialization.
+
Room 205 has concluded.
I’ve read your comments, and thankfully many of you enjoyed reading it, but there were also quite a few who felt the latter half was a bit rushed, which I, as the writer, find regrettable.
It seems I got a bit hurried in the second half.
I will strive to improve on such aspects to present even more enjoyable stories.
Thank you to all the readers for following along!
+
Some supporters asked why there weren’t any depictions of physiological phenomena or menstrual pads—this caught me a bit off guard.
You can think of it as the characters dealing with those matters by themselves.
Is there really a need to devote space to depict that?
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
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