Chapter: 48
Chapter 48 – Room 104, Cursed Room – ‘Preparatory Selective Hotel High School’ (8) – Kain (Fin)
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 19
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 104 (Cursed Room – Preparatory Selective Hotel High School)
Sages Advice: 3]
“Long ago, the Buddha declared that life is suffering. Although he was but an imperfect human who never achieved salvation, he possessed considerable insight about the world. This world is indeed suffering. Why is evil rampant throughout heaven and earth? Why is life a never-ending series of hardships?”
I really didn’t expect it to be like this.
“It’s because this world has been shaped by the hands of the deceitful. Listen, everyone. The Lord is coming. He is coming to save you all! His Daughter will guide you to Paradise.”
I was anticipating something more occult-like, maybe dripping with madness and human sacrifices.
“Cast aside everything. Lighten your body and mind. Do those about to depart for Paradise need to cling to anything? Money? Possessions? What meaning do they hold? Let’s abandon everything! Your body? That should be the first thing you let go of. In Paradise, immortal bodies await you, so why cling to this life?”
Instead, I was taken aback by how ordinary this cult-like speech was. Why am I even listening to this preacher drone on like a Sunday service for over an hour?
It all began this morning.
*
This morning, after regaining my senses, I shared a rough plan with Ahri and immediately headed to the Old Main Building. I had prepared ten excuses to use if approached by any teachers, but oddly enough, I encountered several people on my way to the Old Main Building, and none of them stopped me.
Now that I think about it, this school was built to subtly guide students and staff into the Old Main Building, so why would they stop a fish that willingly jumps into the net?
The atmosphere of the Old Main Building was nothing like what I had heard through the chat window. There were no strange glows nor mysterious songs. Once inside, a person appeared to guide the believers, and he was just a normal human.
It seemed my hypothesis from yesterday was on point. Yet, one could never guess what would happen in a place like this.
I switched my status window to filter mode and obscured my vision. My eyesight turned slightly blurry, but it was manageable.
To mimic the lingering “brainwashing” of the angel, I followed him politely.
And then we arrived at the basement.
It was vast.
Can one believe that the basement beneath the Old Main Building seemed larger than the Old Main Building itself? It reminded me of those iceberg photos you often see online, where the massive chunk of ice is hidden beneath the surface, hiding a mere tip that is less than 5% of its total mass.
This Old Main Building was exactly that. There was a small village underground, bustling with hundreds of people. As I walked around, I took in the surroundings. Familiar faces emerged here and there, just as Song Yi had reported. Most of the people here seemed to be the “originals” of the school’s students and faculty.
As I scrutinized their expressions, a chill ran down my spine. They appeared warm and friendly, with their lips slightly curled up in a soft smile. At first glance, these expressions could comfort anyone looking at them.
If not for the fact that hundreds of them all wore the same expression.
Feeling uneasy, I lowered my head, all while attempting to imitate that smile.
After walking for about thirty minutes, we reached the chapel, where I began to endure an endless sermon.
*
“Angel.”
The first time I saw her, I was utterly overwhelmed without having any thoughts to spare.
With just a glance, she radiated an otherworldly charisma that compelled worship, even without the status window shielding my vision. Her divine appearance was nearly impossible to define with mere words like beauty; it was divine in every sense. Songs resounded from the heavens; a simple gesture summoned divine waves, and with a prayer, she resurrected countless believers.
How could one possibly refrain from worshipping such an entity?
As time passed, however, my detached, rational mind reawakened. Perhaps it was the influence of the “Blessing of Wisdom” that Ahri had often mentioned.
I recalled two key reasons.
1. The Angel seemed to care about the outside world more than expected. Instead of randomly abducting people, she crafted an elaborate pretense of a preparatory school, calling the police when people died. If she were genuinely an omnipotent being, why would she care about “insignificant humans”?
2. Elena’s Blessing of Justice had worked against the Angel. Going by our assumptions and the Sanctum’s explanations, the blessing would only work on “humans,” yet this was evidently different.
These two points led me to consider a hypothesis.
Could it be that the Angel was just a human who had gained some extraordinary power?
If so, how could she wield such overwhelming power without any constraints?
Even if there were restrictions, the types remained elusive. It could be something like “cooldown” like Seung-yub or “physical strain” like Song Yi. It might even be “very particular conditions” like Elena’s Blessing.
I would find out about those restrictions. And possibly—
*
By the time the sermon ended, and everyone came out, spinning a strange object, the Angel—or as they referred to her, the “Heavenly Daughter”—had yet to make an appearance. In typical religions, it wouldn’t be odd for the leader or high-ranking members to skip out when new followers joined, but this case felt different.
It had been confirmed that the Heavenly Daughter personally welcomed newcomers, using her overwhelming charisma to compel their submission.
So, her absence suggested that the tension from yesterday’s battle was still affecting her.
Then, another peculiarity presented itself.
With a little thought, a few weaknesses became glaringly obvious.
No physical check-ups were conducted for anyone entering from outside, making it incredibly easy to bring in weapons. It seemed like common sense. They typically brought in staff and students, so what weapons could they possibly carry? Furthermore, by leading them in, surely the Heavenly Daughter would execute mental suppression, allowing them to feel more relaxed?
If I managed to secure a “weapon” and infiltrate, this might turn out to be a rather straightforward situation. Hence, I carefully thought about how I might handle my next visit.
*
How long had it been, I wondered?
In the basement of the Old Main Building, tracking time was a challenge. It wasn’t particularly dark; they had light and ventilation in their underground kingdom, but there were no clocks to speak of.
According to our morning plan, it was about time for Ahri to kick off her operations in the evening. Before that, I had to provoke enough chaos so that the Heavenly Daughter or the church’s strike team couldn’t mobilize easily.
For that, I needed to encounter the Heavenly Daughter, but—
I decided to directly ask the preacher holding the title of Bishop.
“Bishop.”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you for today’s teachings. It allowed me to contemplate the Lord’s will. However, as a dimwitted individual, I yearn to gain more wisdom from the Heavenly Daughter, who personally enlightened me yesterday. Might I have the honor of seeing her?”
…
Silence.
…
No response. As my curiosity peaked, I raised my head and
I witnessed the Bishop’s eyes grotesquely bulging and spinning!
Had I not maintained the filter mode on my status window, I could only imagine what might have transpired then.
“Hmmm. It seems you definitely need more education. Understood. Occasionally, the worldly turmoil may cloud the understanding for some. But that’s alright. Big vessels take time to fill. My belief is that those who absorb slowly will grow to be great. Follow me.”
Did that go well? I must have made a mistake. The Bishop recognized that my brainwashing was incomplete! Nevertheless, due to some sort of trick that Ahri had implemented, it didn’t seem like he fully realized the extent of what transpired.
“Those who absorb slowly,” he deduced that I was partially brainwashed but not entirely. Regardless, any circumstance that brought me closer to the Heavenly Daughter was welcome.
*
The location of the Heavenly Daughter wasn’t particularly extravagant or bizarre. It seemed similar to the other underground dwellings of the believers, and I would have struggled to locate it alone without the Bishop’s guidance. I committed the location to memory, hoping it wouldn’t change.
KNOCK, KNOCK.
“Aurelia! Your loyal servant, Park Suhyuk, is here!”
“Didn’t I say I’m resting because I am tired today?”
“My apologies. However, the student whom you personally guided yesterday appears to be struggling a bit… My frail self tried to finish up but found it a challenge.”
“Very well, come in.”
“Easier than I thought?” I had been racking my brain for backup plans B, C, D, E, and F, and yet Plan A worked flawlessly! The most prominent figure in this cult was in a weakened state, and they granted such easy access!
These individuals had absolute faith in their mental suppression abilities, to the point of not even considering the possibility of opposition.
Utilizing their unwavering faith, I would—
No.
“This time.”
Such an opportunity likely wouldn’t come easily again. I might have stumbled upon it by sheer luck.
Regardless, I decided to take the plunge. Ahri should manage to escape without issue, right?
*
“Come in.”
The interior was immaculate. Besides the bare essentials for living, not a single TV was present.
I did my utmost to behave courteously, like a worshipper devoted to a divine being.
Recalling the attitude the Bishop illustrated before the Heavenly Daughter, I bent my body low as I entered.
The Heavenly Daughter—how did she look? Oddly enough, I couldn’t recall her appearance! Even though I had seen her just yesterday, I thought she was otherworldly beautiful, almost an angelic figure at first glance. Yet, as I attempted to form a concrete memory, only vague impressions spun through my mind.
Was that astonishing beauty perhaps the result of some magical influence?
The Heavenly Daughter sat upon a sofa.
“Child. Open thy heart and raise thy head.”
I cautiously lifted my head.
For the first time, I laid eyes upon the authentic Heavenly Daughter, devoid of her aura. She was indeed lovely without the halo.
She seemed to be in her mid-twenties—the dark hair and brown eyes bestowed with a Western charm that drew attention everywhere, yet she certainly didn’t carry the divine air of an angel.
This affirmed my suspicion. This woman was unable to harness angelic powers at this moment.
“There are many walls within thy heart. By not receiving the Lord’s teachings with thy spirit, and clinging to worldly thoughts, thee finds thyself learning slowly. Yet the Bishop speaks truth. A bowl that takes time to fill is, indeed, a large one. Come, sit by me.”
Once more, I sensed her boundless generosity. Despite my transgressions from yesterday, her demeanor remained incomparably benevolent. As I prepared for my impending actions, waves of guilt washed over me.
Seating myself, the Heavenly Daughter leaned closer until our eyes met.
And
I felt no need for patience any longer.
STAB!
“Gah! Hah! What are you doing?!”
“Will killing you resolve the curse of this room?”
“What kind of nonsen— cough!”
“Sorry I’m blocking your mouth. Let’s wrap this up quickly. I never thought I’d be doing something like this in my life.”
She was utterly powerless. Before me stood neither an angel nor the Heavenly Daughter, but a single woman becoming cold, impaled by a blade, depleted of any mystical glow.
It was resolved.
A wave of relief washed over me.
It hadn’t been long since we parted, but I already missed my hotel companions! I waited anxiously for the hotel to inform me that everything was settled.
The window opened. Celestial waves poured in.
*
My spirit drifted through boundless space. I became as innumerable scattered pebbles across the cosmos.
…
Infinite time. Infinite distance. The very concept of measuring time collapsed beyond the horizon.
…
I dashed endlessly through the void.
Earth? Sun? Countless stars passed me by.
…
In this limitless expanse. In this eternal temporal flow.
…
I finally reached calm plains where time was but a pause. And I knew what I must do.
…
I journeyed onward until I could atone for even a fraction of my sins against the Heavenly Daughter. Christ had once wandered the desert for 40 days, enduring hunger while resisting Satan’s temptations.
I was no Christ. A weakling like me couldn’t possibly endure this.
…
Pain. Suffering. Everything trapped in the endless cycle of Sisyphus.
…
I heard a voice. A voice of mercy that called for the salvation of the wretched sinner.
…
Following the voice’s guidance, I ambled onward. Was I running? Flying? No idea. I raced onward, relentless, until I reached the voice.
It was the celestial throne. He was the master of this world; the eternal overseer of humanity.
…
I knelt before him, pledging to serve the true master eternally. Together with Aurelia, I would be the hand, son, and devoted servant of the Lord.
[Activate Filter Mode. Close your eyes and cover your ears.]
A frigid heart awakened.
Confusion. Fear.
Where was I? What was happening to me?!
Most importantly, what was that thing standing before me?
That’s when a force—a blast of brilliance—hit me.
I felt my consciousness fading…
/You have failed to escape!
Rationally, you have taken a step closer to the hidden truths of the secret organization! However, wasn’t it rash to attempt the assassination of the Heavenly Daughter without sufficient preparation? Perhaps—
No, my child. Thou have not failed. Await my call… I have bestowed light upon thee.
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…
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