### Chapter 412 – Glory and Transcendence (1)
—
— Kim Ahri
Suddenly, my consciousness returned as if someone flipped the switch named ‘Kim Ahri’.
As I looked around, familiar faces were scanning the situation, trying to assess what was happening.
The first to speak was Cha Jinchul.
“So… it’s not a solution, right?”
Han Kain nodded against the wall, looking a bit pale.
“Yeah.”
“Aah… that’s a shame. I mean, solving it on the first try was a bit much.”
Elena smiled slightly.
“Mr. Kain, my belief was correct, wasn’t it?”
I wasn’t exactly sure what was right, but it seemed like Elena and Kain were the last two standing till the end.
“… I used the last remaining Descent.”
No one looked surprised.
After all, Room 206 is the hardest curse room, and the most dangerous thing in a curse room is to rush in cluelessly on the first attempt.
So, I reassured him.
“Well done. The important thing is that you made it out alive. Now let’s gather the information we’ve gathered. I’m most curious about what Seungyub was up to.”
I had a general idea of what everyone else was doing, and I knew Miro was sealed, but what the heck was Seungyub doing?
Not long after, Seungyub appeared with a lively expression—
— Bang!
Han Kain once again leaned against the wall with a pale face.
Miro hurried over, surprised.
“Huh? Huh? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“I’m a little tired. I guess it’s because Miro was bothering me.”
“What?”
“Miro transformed into a Demon King and put me and Elena into an alligator’s mouth—”
“Ahhh! You’re lying!”
As absurd as it was teasing Miro while it looked like they might die was a relief.
“What’s the problem?”
And then out popped a bombshell from Han Kain.
“I hear the Lord’s voice.”
“…”
Instantly, the surroundings fell silent.
Soon, Yu Songee wore a shocked expression.
“What, what’s it saying? Is it because you used Descent three times? What in the world is happening?!”
“Is that truly the Lord’s voice? Or is it the voice of ‘Revelation’?”
“Yes?”
“It says to come back to Room 104. Let’s have a final deal. This time, I’ll prepare a scenario that everyone can be satisfied with…”
Everybody began to panic, unsure of what to do next.
And, with a calm expression, Han Kain said,
“I’m going to have a chat.”
I shouted immediately when I heard that.
“Who! Who are you going to talk to?!”
“I don’t know either.”
With those words, he slid down the wall, leaning back.
*
Kain started rambling bizarrely before he fainted.
This was an emergency.
In some sense, this was a much bigger deal than what happened in Room 206.
Sure, Seungyub’s words were shocking, but…
“I—I only discovered it after defeating two bears and three tigers!!”
Bears and tigers? Out of nowhere?
“There was another city outside of Paradise. That city was covered with a dome like Paradise—”
Eunsol shouted urgently.
“Seungyub, let’s write that down on the whiteboard and discuss it later. We need to check Kain’s condition first!”
— Bang!
She lightly tapped the table to grab everyone’s attention.
“Listen up. The situation appears to be within the realms we often anticipated.”
Everyone nodded their heads.
“Kain has mentioned often, hasn’t he? Using the Descent is bound to lead to something. That’s why he’s always wanted to go back to Room 104 and negotiate with the Lord.”
Kain was the one who acquired and used the Descent.
He must have sensed some ominous future that others couldn’t identify.
Just then, Eunsol made a peculiar expression.
“… Do you all remember what I said before?”
“What did you say?”
“The night before entering Room 205, we discussed which room to go into, right? We shared opinions about Rooms 104, 205, and 206?”
At that time, we had received the hotel’s promise to ‘suppress the next room’s prisoner,’ and we were deeply pondering which room we should choose.
Elena sighed at that thought.
“Thinking back, we absolutely had to go into Room 206… If we had sealed the Demon King, Room 206 would have been a piece of cake!”
Eunsol shook her head.
“That decision could only be made if you could see the future. Don’t fret over the past. More importantly, have you all forgotten what I said?”
Slowly, memories began to resurface.
“You mentioned that you had a fascinating story about Room 104. You seemed to have figured out the principle of how the Lord could act freely unlike the other prisoners.”
Eunsol nodded and replied.
“Let’s make one thing clear. No matter how strong a prisoner is, they cannot defy the hotel’s rules. If that were possible, they wouldn’t be imprisoned in the first place.”
Adravita from Room 203 was a good example.
He turned us into cryogenically frozen humans, plotting to prevent participant escapes and ensuring the permanent existence of Room 203.
Such tricks were excessive even for the hotel but couldn’t be considered a breach of rules.
Isn’t the Lord similar in that aspect?
It’s not like they’re breaking the hotel rules, just employing some sort of trickery.
Eunsol spoke again with a thought that had been lingering in her mind.
“Perhaps the Lord’s essence hasn’t intervened since the initial attempt when the Descent was bestowed to Kain?”
Songee inquired incredulously.
“So who was it that took away Kain oppa’s body during the second attempt?”
Up until this point, the conversation flowed just like before.
“And the answer is! The information we have managed to gather about the Lord.”
He is a being who has transcended the notion of ‘identity’ and made his replicas into his legacy.
Additionally, he bestows the power of ‘Descent’ to elevate not just physically but mentally beyond humanity.
*
— Han Kain
…
…
—
— Ding! Ding!
I regained my senses at the familiar sound of a bell.
As I looked around, the scenery was all too familiar, and the people I knew were passing by.
Sinbanpo High School, the school I graduated from.
“In a moment, we will begin the 21st graduation ceremony of Sinbanpo High School. Graduates—”
“What is this again…?”
The first thought that crossed my mind was that I had ended up in the curse room.
Memories from Room 101, which were now fading away, came flooding back.
However, unlike back then, it didn’t feel like my psyche was contaminated.
…
No, that’s not it.
A madman can’t distinguish if they’re mad or not.
Who knows?
Maybe in reality, high school students have to engage in a battle royale with guns during graduation ceremonies.
Even so, is this an over-the-top imagination?
“Kain! Congratulations!”
“Thanks.”
In this peaceful atmosphere, my parents handed me a bouquet.
For this moment, I wished it was the curse room instead.
Had it been, I might have mistakenly thought the people in front of me were my real parents.
My lucid mind whispered to me clearer than ever.
This is a kind of mental landscape, and I’ve entered this peculiar situation as a result of using my third Descent.
While I was lost in various thoughts, time steadily passed.
A representative of the graduates came out, droning on, while those who did well in the entrance exam were already smiling and talking about college.
Of course, the ones preparing for a retake wore unwavering expressions.
These were memories from just months before entering the hotel.
“Kain, I’ve made reservations at the Chinese restaurant at Hamjipak Intersection—”
“Dad, I’ll be right back. I need to grab something from the classroom.”
“Uh? Uh? Kain!”
Talking with the phantasms of my parents was quite tormenting.
The other day, I confidently told Ahri that the hotel promised me a happy ending, so I wouldn’t worry.
…
Of course, how could I not worry?
Half of it was my wishful thinking, and the other half was to reassure Ahri.
Is there another place as bizarre as this hotel?
The ‘normal conclusion’ I envision and the ‘happy ending’ the hotel imagines might be completely different!
As I reached that thought, I suddenly felt melancholic.
“So just stop this already and come out.”
Who is this existence showing me past illusions?
Is it the ‘Revelation’ I spoke to after defeating Apollyon?
“I’m talking to you, you know? I might have a general idea about your identity too.”
…
“You’re a persona created through the Lord’s Descent, aren’t you?”
…
“If I solve Room 104 and obtain the Holy Sun, what does it ultimately become? A legacy. Even if there’s a shard of the Lord’s essence contained within, it’s still a legacy at the end of the day.”
…
“A legacy can never bind a participant. Even just looking at my grimoire proves that. While it has twisted my way of thinking over a long time, that’s the end of it. There’s no way the mental projections of the unborn could burst out of my head.”
…
“In order for the Lord’s plan to complete, a participant who has grasped the Holy Sun must not defy the Lord’s will. Meaning, just legacy alone is insufficient; the participant must also be altered.”
…
“That’s why the Descent was bestowed—hey, you punk! If you’ve heard that much, come out already!”
After talking to myself in the classroom for a while, I felt like a fool.
The Lord’s intentions, the Holy Sun, the purpose of the Descent.
I had already figured this out a long time ago.
Even Eunsol noona seemed to have grasped the overall picture.
So why isn’t this guy coming out?
“Are you planning to trap me in this memory forever? Do you think there’s no way out of this memory?”
With that remark, I summoned my grimoire.
“I can rip this space apart with the power of an avatar whenever I want. I’m being considerate, wanting to hear your thoughts—”
「You are more talkative than I expected.」
“….”
「Have a bit of patience. I wish to show you glory.」
Glory? What on earth does that mean?
“Just say it plainly.”
「Seeing once is worth more than a thousand words.」
“You’re subtly annoying… And do I have any reason to listen to you? I know full well you’re trying to stain my mind—”
「Did I contaminate you? Really? Isn’t the culprit the book in your hand?」
“….”
Moments later, grim visions resembling a dream within a dream flickered through my mind.
I saw myself standing before the Indomitable Reason.
There, I reigned over tentacle monsters, sacrificing thousands of civilians without hesitation.
「Isn’t that quite something?」
“….”
「I witnessed you making decisions in Room 206. Surely, if you are this ruthless, you would be able to withstand the trials of the hotel.」
“….”
「Is this really your essence? Let me ask you again. What tainted you? Me? Or the grimoire?」
I didn’t know how to respond.
*
As I stepped outside the classroom, friends appeared, now a blur in my memory.
Still, as we exchanged a few words, old memories flooded back.
Their faces were indeed nostalgic.
Suddenly, Minseok seized my arm.
“Hey, hey! Come quick!”
“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
The friends around me were already cackling, clearly in the know.
Even my parents looked at me with thrill in their eyes.
“What’s going on? Did you all plan some event?”
“Geez—what’s the need for an event? Your life is the event!”
There was a mix of playful jealousy among friends in that comment, but I was getting more confused.
The one who created this bizarre dream was the ‘Revelation.’
What is it that he wants to show me?
As I was led aimlessly by my friends towards the outer area of the gym, a student from another school approached from a distance.
“Who the heck is suddenly—”
What? No way?!
No no no no no no no!
This can’t be real, can it?
“Hey! No way, this is really the Rev—!”
Before I could look back to escape, the temptation of the devil echoed in my ears.
「Why not take a look at their face?」
“….”
Gasping for air, trembling, I watched as she approached.
She was my age, slightly taller than Songee.
Her flowing chestnut hair cascaded just below her shoulders.
Not as overwhelming a beauty as Ahri, Miro, or Elena, but rather someone who seems realistic.
In the past, she was a legendary A-grade beauty from the province who had charmed dozens of boys at Banpo Middle School with just a gesture!
Ga-young.
“Kain.”
—
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