### Chapter 446 – Room 206, The Room of Curses – ‘The Demon King who Revives after 100 Days’ Re (11)
—
– Lee Eunsol
—
The deeper we walked along the tracks, the more the city transformed into a living nightmare.
Swarming monsters, incessant moans echoing from somewhere, and buildings lit up hinted at a multitude of things.
– Small and weak.
At some point, we naturally recognized the biggest secret of the underground city.
In the depths of Paradise, the flow of time differs from that of the surface.
Thinking this way makes all questions easy to resolve.
Why are there still remnants of flesh on corpses?
Why are the paper route maps still intact?
Why do urban legends from centuries ago suddenly pop up now?
Simply put, time hasn’t passed as long down here.
The issue of ‘date verification’ warned by the Revelation of Secrets was not solely due to the mayor’s return.
– Pitiful and insect-like.
Another question was also simply resolved.
It’s about the fluffy feathered creature, Pero, wriggling on my shoulder.
Does this make me some sort of mom since Songee isn’t here?
If he’s thinking of me like a mom, that’s mildly unsettling.
The reason this cute and clever bird couldn’t explain “its position” was simple.
Nobody knew of the ‘depths of Paradise’ until we reentered Room 206, so Pero simply didn’t know where it was.
– A miserable life.
Let’s skip the trivial details and focus on the important parts.
Firstly, absurdly, the underground city has ‘not’ yet perished, and its downfall is ongoing.
Secondly, my mind is getting crazier by the moment.
—
— Tap-tap!
The annoying sound made by flapping wings.
Monstrous creatures, the ‘Silent Slaughterers,’ flying around me were making that noise while communicating with each other.
According to Ahri’s urgent explanation, they lack vision and use their extremely sensitive hearing to hunt prey.
I wish someone had warned me before that monster tore off my arm.
Of course, since it dove from above like a lightning bolt, it’s not something I can blame Ahri for.
Had it not been for Jinchul, it would have snatched my head instead of just my arm.
Thanks to Yumi’s grateful first aid, the bleeding and pain were gone, but she faded away as a consequence of excessive magic usage.
Also, due to those monsters, I was unable to use my flute to scan the city.
Maybe that’s why?
From earlier, strange text kept appearing in my field of vision.
– An unattainable ideal.
Bubbling.
Ahri formed her lips to ask, “How many are there?”
I really miss my grandpa who collapsed and made the chat tab disappear during these moments.
I raised my index, middle, and ring fingers, and Ahri nodded.
— Tap-tap!
In the meantime, another one showed up, and I had to raise my pinky finger too.
Should I consider this a good thing?
Since they’re blind, there was no need to turn off our headlamps.
Peeking my head through the gaps in the half-collapsed outer wall of the tracks, I took a look outside.
A massive building emanating a hazy light and strange vibrations.
Oddly enough, this ‘light’ was visible only to me.
According to the route map, it’s labeled ‘Research Institute.’
This is our main destination.
Right then!
— Gooooo!
A booming cry thundered through the skies, and I felt an indescribable powerful impulse.
– A failed dream.
Despair, pain, sadness, regret, anxiety, fear, confusion, anger, worry, doubt, dread, disgust, hatred, emptiness, wretchedness, depression.
The collection of all these negative emotions generated by the human brain struck my mind like a bomb.
I want to die.
Fruits of unreturned efforts, a wretched life, weakness—
It’s tough.
I can’t withstand such impulses without the help of my flute.
The one problem is….
The flute makes sound.
So I laughed.
“Hahaha!”
Having made my decision, there’s no need to stay silent any longer.
Seeing Seungyub and Jinchul in near catatonia and Ahri, who alone grasped the situation.
– An unavoidable death.
“I know, I know!”
Gripping my flute tightly once more.
— Raaaaah!
This is as far as I go.
—
– Kim Ahri
—
— Kuurung!
The thundering blast shook the heavens.
Eunsol, captured by the Silent Slaughterer for blowing the flute and producing noise, detonated a grenade in mid-air.
What a scene straight out of some movie.
“Wow! Sis, you’re looking awesome!”
For a moment, I was taken aback by Jinchul’s insane comment, thinking maybe he had truly lost it.
For some time now, Jinchul has shown an odd obsession with ‘combat,’ but no matter how you look at it, this sounded genuinely mad.
Is it perhaps due to the influence of our sponsor who emphasizes fighting spirit?
Or is it his true nature revealed here in the hotel?
Regardless, there’s no need to dwell on it now.
It’s a million times better than trembling in fear behind the monsters.
“Let’s run!”
Of course, we were already running before that was even said.
If Eunsol hadn’t attracted the monsters’ attention and died on cue, it wouldn’t have been easy to run now.
“Hey! Ahri!”
Before I knew it, Jinchul had Seungyub pinned by the waist as he spoke.
“When you mentioned something strange about time in the underground, I thought of this! The underground stuff!”
The underground stuff?
“Speed is key! There’s no time to play tag with monsters like this!”
“I know that.”
“When we come back next time!”
“Let’s talk about that once we get outside.”
Jinchul knew what he was getting at.
If time underground flows differently from the surface, the stuff down here must be wrapped up ‘as quickly as possible.’
Meaning we should ignore fighting monsters one by one and focus on reaching our destination fast.
But what can we do about that now?
It’s not just Eunsol or Seungyub who are lacking in mobility; Jinchul being on foot doesn’t help either, and we can’t simply avoid the monsters blocking our paths.
If we’re going back downstairs next time—
“We need to be able to fly!”
“Yeah, I know?”
Someone who can fly has to join us.
Someone who can avoid complex terrains and most monsters by soaring through the air!
“You can fly, can’t you?”
Kain after charging the Sacred Sun.
Elena, who created flying monsters.
And me, who adeptly handles wing boots.
I can still fly now.
“Can’t you see the monsters in the air?”
“You just blew up a bunch with a grenade, right?”
“There are still plenty left.”
But, I just don’t have confidence in fighting while flying.
In a fleeting moment, Jinchul had a complex expression on his face.
Treading on an uncertain thought.
— Kwang! Urrrung!
“Ahoy! Today’s a festival!”
As if it’s waiting for this, the skeletal captain broke through the outer wall.
In the captain’s hand was a massive scimitar that could slice through concrete like butter.
“Hello there, chick! How’ve you been?”
Again! Again! Again!
With the twisted flow of time making things a rush, monsters were blocking our paths.
How do we handle this situation—
“I can’t just stand around. I’m not sure about it, but let’s just do it.”
Suddenly, Jinchul smiled mischievously and shoved Seungyub towards me.
“What?! What—”
“Seungyub, hold on tight and fly with me.”
“….”
“Can the wing boots output lift two people?”
“Normally it’s a one-person escape device, but since Seungyub and I are light, it might just work.”
“Thank goodness for that. I’ll throw you. Seungyub, hang on to Ahri.”
“Uh? Uh? N-Noona, are you okay—”
“Pero, you just go along with it too.”
— Beeeeep!
After latching Seungyub onto my back while he was in a fluster, I looked to Jinchul.
“Ahoy! Little chicks! Don’t ignore your captain!”
Jinchul lifted us with a pose reminiscent of a shot-putter and—
“Here we go—!”
He soared!
Soaring nearly 20 meters purely from Jinchul’s strength, regardless of the wing boots!
While the shocked skeletal captain reached for his sword, Jinchul dove in.
“Uwaaaah!”
Seungyub’s screams pierced my ears.
“Divine Grace!”
“Uwaaaah!”
Maybe the sudden rush of acceleration was too much; Seungyub looked half-conscious by the end.
Divine Grace automatically activates in moments of need, so that’s probably fine, right?
And so, we flew.
— Keeeeeen!
Ignoring the screeching monsters charging from above was no issue.
With Human-shaped Luck Shield equipped, I should be just fine!
—
— Thud!
The chaotic flight ended in a crash landing.
I realized once again that the wing boots were one-person escape devices.
Even if our weights are light, using it together was an astonishingly risky move.
The proof of that still lingered behind me.
“Ugh!”
— Clank!
Finally catching my breath, I rose to find cold metallic sounds echoing around.
“Who’s there! Identify yourself!”
In an underground where the flow of time differs, destruction is not a thing of the past but an ongoing reality.
Thus, upon arriving at the city’s core, soldiers were still present.
“What about the corpse behind you?!”
“…”
I placed on the ground the body of our comrade who met death after a tough journey.
— Beep!
Even Pero flew in and, sorrowfully, plucked a strand of Seungyub’s hair.
What do I say to get us into the Research Institute now?
“I am Aira Bata.”
Aira Bata was a name once used by a primordial or hero known as Mei in the past.
Her true identity was a member of the Order of Reason that protected the world before the apocalypse.
“I am the successor of Aira Bata.”
“Proof—”
Before the soldier could finish his sentence, a red whirlpool extended from my fingertips, enveloping the surroundings like smoke.
Psychic abilities are sometimes more than enough to serve as identification.
“… Enter.”
—
“Initiating lockdown procedures for sector 23! Initiating!”
“Isolation failure in sector 17!”
“Demon infection confirmed in sector 4!”
Screams echoed from all directions.
Lockdown, isolation failure, infection confirmed.
Just hearing those words sends a shiver down my spine.
This research institute is heading straight for doom.
While hundreds of years passed outside due to the extremely twisted flow of time, such catastrophic events were happening below.
The soldiers guided me to the institute’s central massive chamber.
There, I finally met someone I had wanted to see for a long time.
“… Mom.”
“What?”
She didn’t recognize me.
Could it be because the seal hasn’t been broken, leaving the persona in the script?
“No. Are you the one in charge here?”
‘Miro’ nodded her head.
“Correct. I’m a 9th rank member of the Order, a Maegas (high officer). You can call me ‘Head.’ And you? Did Aira Bata give you everything?”
In our brief exchange, I caught the important phrase, “give everything?”
It sounded as if she thought Aira Bata might be dead by now.
“… The flow of time here and on the surface is different.”
“I know. How much time has passed on the surface? About 150 years, right?”
“How can this happen?”
Miro’s lips turned up in a smirk.
“That’s because of that.”
She pointed in a direction where a shining golden lump glowed brilliantly.
It resembled a ‘coin.’
“… One more chance?”
“One more chance? Is that what it’s called outside? Giving another opportunity… sounds fitting.”
The head officer wore a confident expression.
“What’s outside is merely a poorly copied inferior product of the original. Isn’t there a considerable range limitation?”
The time-frame they can revert is at most a month.
Spatially, it’s limited to inside Paradise.
“This is the real deal. And….”
She spoke with unwavering eyes.
“We can save the world. Definitely.”
“…”
I know that the head officer’s faith will ultimately fail.
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