### Chapter 384 – Party Time, Sanctum of Blessings
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 224
Current Location: Basement Level, ‘Hotel Bar’
Sage’s Advice: 3]
—
– Han Kain
“Hyung, shouldn’t we first determine if it’s even possible?”
“True. It might be impossible.”
After all, we don’t really understand the principles behind the Soul Vessel and the Sacred Sun. So, saying it can fit into the vessel is just my guess.
“And what about Arima?”
“What?”
Is there any reason she can’t be included?
This unexpected twist made everyone look at Seungyub. He immediately stood up and moved toward Jinchul.
“Uh, uh!”
“Jinchul, just hold still for a second.”
“Y-yeah.”
Seungyub summoned a box in midair and hovered around Jinchul.
“Looks impossible.”
“What?”
“While acquiring the Soul Vessel, I felt something unusual… According to my senses, there’s no separate soul of Arima within Jinchul’s body.”
Hearing this made something click in my mind.
Looking back, Arima is somewhat similar to the vessel.
She didn’t escape her main body; she attempted to project her personality onto Jinchul’s brain as if doing a ‘copy-paste.’
In fact, I had annihilated most of that ‘copied’ personality, leaving only faint traces that lacked any homogeneity with the original.
“It seems there’s no witch’s soul residing in my body after all. I’ll need to think more about who to store in the vessel later; it’s not something I can just put in now.”
“That makes sense.”
Thus, my idea fizzled out, and today’s discussion came to an end.
I felt a little disappointed.
[Advice: 3 -> 2]
‘Is there a way to store the witch in the Soul Vessel?’
[Generally impossible.]
?
“Generally?”
“Oppa?”
‘Tell me if there’s a special means to store the witch in the Soul Vessel.’
This time, the advice didn’t respond.
Maybe it can’t give a direct answer?
Or is it the mirror room wish?
That’s out of the question; I don’t have a complete ticket.
“Wait, wait a second. Let me ask again.”
“It seems Kain is using the advice.”
‘Is there a special means to store the witch in the Soul Vessel? Please exclude the mirror room.’
[Advice: 2 -> 1]
[It exists.]
“Ah…”
“What’s wrong?”
I used up two pieces of advice, yet all I got was a tantalizing answer.
There’s a way to store the witch in the Soul Vessel.
Even excluding the mirror room, there’s something.
… I just don’t know what it is.
Hearing my explanation, my companions just tilted their heads in confusion.
I used the remaining advice out of personal curiosity.
—
The next morning, we headed to the Sanctum of Blessings from early on.
「Kim Mooksung and Yu Songee can be enhanced. Would you like to proceed?」
It’s been ages since I heard grandfather’s name.
“Well, that was fast!”
Grandfather grumbled, but his excitement was hard to hide.
—
– Yu Songee
The place where the sponsor stayed was once again reminiscent of an Indian temple.
Animal statues littered the surroundings, with a gigantic elephant at its center.
“Hello!”
The sponsor stared at me, silently asking if I was ready.
“… Of course!”
I had told my companions that I didn’t know what power I’d gain.
That was a lie.
This time, I knew exactly what power it was.
I just couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud.
The embarrassment made my true feelings slip out unexpectedly.
“Seriously, what were you thinking when you made these abilities, sponsor?”
The sponsor replied, “Isn’t this the power you desire?”
“…”
I could not deny it.
To justify, the power I would gain is not just something I’d desire.
I’m sure 99% of humanity would want this power. It’s that kind of ability.
“Just give it to me.”
At that moment, an unexpected reply came back.
“Can you wait a bit? It might be dangerous out there.”
What does that mean?
Did something happen outside?
After a wait long enough for a few cups of coffee, the elephant’s trunk gently tapped my head.
—
[Yu Songee (Affinity) -> You have obtained ‘The Beloved.’]
—
– Kim Mooksung
“It’s been a long time.”
That self-important comment just jumped out of my mouth.
I couldn’t hide my inner discontent.
“…”
The giant merely gazed at me in silence.
He was clad in a white lab coat, typically worn in a laboratory.
“I assume you called me to grant new powers?”
“Your disposition is different than I expected.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you remember what I said when we first met?”
“Something about not hiding, and to be one with everyone because it’s a bad habit from being involved with a secret organization?”
“I thought you’d go berserk if I didn’t advise you.”
Berserk? I momentarily gasped.
Then it hit me; the giant’s demeanor was entirely different from before.
He no longer rambled on or said unnecessary things.
Was the previous version the false one, or is this the real one?
Or is it meaningless to differentiate between the true and the false?
“You’re a member of the Administration Bureau, so you understand what I’m saying.”
“…”
I do. I couldn’t not know.
The dark potential contained within blessings and communication was something I was aware of from the very beginning.
“If you want, you could easily shatter your allies’ views or disturb their senses. You could manipulate messages during the communication process or only involve some in the conversation.”
“…”
“Depending on usage, you can puppet your companions. Indeed, this is a fundamental aspect of human communication.”
Spilling provocative information, twisting a word here and there for public manipulation.
Isn’t that just an everyday occurrence in reality?
The Administration Bureau is the ultimate expert in this field.
“Didn’t I say not to do that?”
“I honestly didn’t think you wouldn’t.”
“…”
“Ha! Why the serious face?”
Suddenly, the giant’s demeanor flipped like a pancake!
“Eh?”
“Hey, young lad! Why the long face over a little joke?”
“W-what young?!”
“You’re much younger than me. Remember what I told you? You can live for another 500 years! Compared to that time, you’re still a baby!”
“Haha, wow… So, what’s the next ability?”
“You’re going to like this one. This time it’s real. And…”
“And?”
“Mooksung, don’t lose your beginner’s mind.”
Again, the atmosphere changed.
From researcher to playful old man, now to a great sage-like vibe.
The constant transformation left me feeling a strange sense of pressure.
“Why did you enter the hotel?”
“…”
“To save the world.”
“That’s correct.”
“You’ve heard from the master of wisdom, right? The answer lies in Room 206.”
That’s something Kain learned in Room 204 at the hotel cinema.
“Can I ask one more thing? That room will have two inheritances, right?”
What should I pick?
“You’ll find out once you go in. Just…”
The giant’s eyes carried a heavy concern.
“It won’t be easy.”
“…”
What won’t be easy?
Is it that we won’t easily overcome Room 206?
Or that obtaining the inheritance won’t be easy?
I sensed it intuitively.
Whatever it was, he’s probably not going to answer if I asked.
…
Even after our conversation ended, the giant didn’t send me back.
As I raised my head in confusion, the giant chuckled softly.
“Just wait a little longer.”
“Huh?”
“You kids….”
“Excuse me?”
“You seem to have oddly good luck at pivotal moments. This is your blessing.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can leave now. Have fun.”
Fun time?
—
[Kim Mooksung (Communication) -> You have obtained ‘Herd Mentality.’]
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 224
Current Location: Basement Level, ‘Hotel Bar’
Sage’s Advice: 3]
—
– Han Kain
After grandfather and Songee fell asleep in the Sanctum of Blessings, the rest of us decided.
Let’s just have fun today!
We’ve literally been dying in the cursed room, so a day of fun is a must.
In that regard, the hotel is indeed an incredible place.
Whenever we decide to have fun, the facilities are endless.
In the morning, we swam in the pool, and in the afternoon, we leisurely strolled up a hill.
In the evening, we gathered at a posh bar and started watching my sister make cocktails.
“Now, let’s have a drink!”
Seungyub pouted.
“Why am I the only one getting cola?”
“You’re a middle schooler; what cocktails can you have? I’ll make you a mocktail later.”
“Hey, Kain is a high schooler too!”
“Honestly, what minor is Kain? We should be counting the time spent in the cursed room.”
That’s true. I might not be a minor like Songee, who’s not here.
“What about Miro?”
Miro confidently chimed in.
“I just lost my memory! I’m totally an adult!”
Ahri looked exhausted.
“Can we just drink up already? Seungyub can drink if he wants!”
In this light-hearted atmosphere, we all casually sipped a few cocktails.
When I felt a bit tipsy, Miro nudged me.
“Kain… use your advice!”
“What? Got something you wanna ask?”
“Ask what we should do for fun.”
I found it funny and turned back to her.
“Don’t you often use advice in weird ways?”
At that moment, I flinched.
“W-who uses it in a weird way—”
“For example! What is Elena doing at night? Is Ahri in the bathtub right now?”
Elena, who was across, jolted, while Ahri watched on amusedly.
“You get three a day on average… So, just counting, you’ve probably asked over 500 questions, right? Way more than that, actually?”
“…”
“Not all of them imply meaningful information. It must have been hard to whip up a list of 1,000 meaningful questions.”
“…”
“So, just ask! What should we do for fun! Or what’s Miro thinking right now?”
On a normal day, I’d likely brush off Miro’s comment as a joke.
It didn’t seem like she was being serious, either.
But today, I felt alarmingly buoyant.
—
It’s only been two and a half cocktails, and I couldn’t quite understand why I felt this way.
So, I asked.
‘Tell me what we should do for fun.’
And just as the thought slipped out of my head, something strange happened.
[Advice: 3 -> 0]
What? Did I just use all three at once? This isn’t some prank, is it?
[Recommend a drinking game. Knock everyone out in this location.]
“What are you talking about? Why did I suddenly use up all three?!”
“What’s wrong?”
The bar was in a chaotic state as everyone rolled around.
Miro, who told me to use the advice, was now tangled up with Elena, playing around.
Only Ahri sensed the oddity and approached me.
“You’re suggesting a drinking game? Saying to knock everyone out from here?”
I was flustered, unable to process it.
“A drinking game? I haven’t even had my entrance ceremony yet! I don’t know how to handle drinking games!”
“I’ll help you.”
“What do you know?”
Ahri’s lips curled up cheekily.
“I’ll give you a tip.”
—
Exactly three hours later, the hotel bar was in utter chaos.
“Cute and charming~ 31!”
“I-I’m really done now—”
“How much longer are you gonna make me dance?!”
“Ugh!”
Sister Eunsol, who was making cocktails, had already barfed twice and rolled on the floor.
Thanks to that, it stopped being a ‘cocktail bar’ a long time ago.
Now it was just beer and vodka.
I could let the beer slide, but vodka?
Why is vodka even here?
Is this Elena’s idea?
Thinking back, Elena said something extravagant when drinks first started flowing.
“In Russia, beer isn’t even considered alcohol.”
“…”
That was already fishy from that moment.
“22, 23!”
Seungyub was having a blast.
“24, 25, 26!”
Ahri called out cheerfully.
“27!”
Jinchul was chuckling, joining in.
Then….
Elena glanced at me with a somewhat apologetic look.
Her expression seemed entirely at odds with her actions.
“28, 29, 30!”
Once again, my glass filled up to the brim, and at this point, I began to feel my consciousness fading.
Only four people were still standing.
Elena, from a country that sees anything less than vodka as non-alcoholic.
Jinchul could drink better than even Elena.
Ahri hardly lost in drinking games.
Seungyub was chugging on drinks, but it was a fizzy soda.
What’s with this?
“This is… Seungyub is too baby-like…”
“Hyung, I drank too much soda, now my stomach hurts.”
“Giiirrrl…”
My consciousness was fading.
Ahri whispered in my ear.
“I’ll definitely knock the rest down.”
…
—
[Today’s Special Event: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Begins!]
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