### Chapter 504 – Room 207, The Gate Room – The Third Trial ‘Miskatonic University’ (6)
—
– Kim Ari
The Third Trial – Miskatonic University
“…”
I woke up feeling the light streaming in through the window.
— Creak!
In a rather shabby room, on a squeaky wooden bed.
Looks like this isn’t exactly a luxurious environment.
I think I woke up in a dinner party wearing a pretty decent dress, but in reality, it’s totally different.
After checking a small booklet on the table next to the bed for some basic information, I stepped outside the building.
*
“So, this is Miskatonic University, huh?”
As I surveyed the dim and eerie campus, trying to get my head around the situation, I sensed someone nearby.
A tall, muscular man.
His hair was a bit prematurely gray, but he looked to be in his late 40s to early 50s.
“Eh? Haha! Congrats!”
“…”
“Congrats on your rejuvenation! You look like you’ve shaved off at least 20 years!”
“…”
“I haven’t seen you looking like this in such a long time! Not even in the cursed room. This might as well be a scene from 20 years ago—”
“Wait, let’s talk.”
“Eh?”
Suddenly, Mooksung dragged me to a quieter spot nearby.
He seemed unusually exhausted and weary, more mentally drained than physically tired.
I soon discovered the cause of his fatigue.
“So, you’ve already used One More Chance once?”
“Yeah.”
“Were you twenty years old in the first attempt?”
“Correct.”
So, did that ‘price of reversal’ the hotel warned about mean about 30 years of aging?
That’s a seriously scary penalty.
Considering human lifespan limits, using it one more time would mean hitting your 80s—which is risky; after the second use, you might die as soon as you use it!
Plus, sure, Mooksung has extraordinary physical abilities typical of a classy agent, but let’s be real—being 80 doesn’t really work for anyone!
It’s not like he’s some legendary martial artist!
What’s that even mean again?
“… What if?”
“Huh?”
“If an immortal or someone who can live a really long time got One More Chance?”
“Well, I guess…?”
Basically, could you use One More Chance endlessly without any risks?
…
But that seems unlikely.
Let’s not forget that ‘inheritance’ is different from the original item in each cursed room.
The original is basically just the motif, while what the hotel provided after a balance patch is the true essence of the inheritance.
If the user were immortal or long-lived, wouldn’t there be a different kind of penalty involved?
In any case, one fact became clear.
“It’s reasonable to think there’s effectively only one chance left.”
“… Yeah, that’s true.”
“Okay, tell me more about the first attempt. I think I’ve forgotten everything.”
Only the original in Room 206 can maintain memories after regressions, and
even though I suspected this, it seems that using One More Chance makes even allies lose their memories.
Not that it matters to the ones with unchangeable traits like Miro or the status window; I have no way of keeping my memories.
“Time’s running out, so I’ll speak quickly—focus!”
…
A little while later, I grasped the general situation.
“Just to check… Ari, do you think the ‘Yaldabaoth’ summoned by the headmaster is the final boss?”
I doubt that.
“Aren’t you afraid to even meet its gaze? That sounds like it’s nearly at prisoner status!”
“Hmm…”
“If it’s prisoner status, they probably didn’t make it to be fought. That’s basically a bad ending when the card gets flipped.”
“I think you’re right. How about Lucas?”
The headmaster seems to be a mortal, so he’d be fightable compared to some unknown alien god.
If he was indestructible, he wouldn’t be running from the Vatican!
But just because you can kill someone doesn’t mean you should go for it.
“It strikes me that a powerful wizard like the headmaster, having battled the Vatican for so long, would’ve considered the day he might die.”
Beings who live for centuries often let their guard down, allowing the world to run smooth and steady.
However, the headmaster, living every single day under the threat of the Vatican, wouldn’t have that luxury.
“Maybe he prepared for what happens after his death.”
“Like a magical dead-man switch?”
“Exactly. So, we should be cautious.”
We discussed two major points concerning our future actions.
“First, we must prevent the bad ending that results from the Vatican’s massacre and the headmaster’s rampage.”
“Agreed.”
“Second, the artifact storage rooms are only accessible by the faculty. That sounds like a very special place. I’m not just saying this because I just got drenched.”
“Right. I feel like we need to check out the artifact storage. It feels….”
“Feels?”
“There could be some ‘shared tools’ there.”
Since Peiro’s already dead and turned into a taxidermy piece, the remaining shared tools include protective suits, wing boots, the dream kingdom, and hourglasses.
Isn’t it likely some of those are in the artifact storage?
“That makes sense. Let’s find a way to get into the storage.”
By the time our conversation came to an end, Mooksung exhaled deeply.
“Phew….”
“What’s up?”
He couldn’t hide his gloom.
“If I had known I’d be aging back so soon, I would have eaten more meat when I was young!”
“Haha! Doesn’t it seem like you’re still younger than your original age? So, hey—”
“Ari, you’ll never understand what it’s like to be human. You were born inescapably with the destiny of immortality.”
“…”
I had no idea how to console him.
No matter what I said, it was bound to be a painful subject for Mooksung now.
Luckily, thanks to the experiences I gained from that ‘eternal life,’ I was able to act appropriately.
Sometimes silence is the best remedy.
*
The first lecture I attended in the Department of Mysticism, “Introduction to Demonology,” was somewhat laughably ridiculous.
While it’s complex, it’s ultimately just the logic that chaotic beings and mystics invented to justify themselves, and I could think of dozens of counterarguments against it.
What was interesting, though, was Mooksung’s attitude.
“I can emotionally relate.”
“…”
“During the last attempt, the Vatican’s soldiers blasted away at least 100 students with automatic weapons. Seeing that, um…”
“Didn’t it seem a bit too much?”
“Nope.”
Is it really right to butcher countless innocents in the name of protecting the world and humanity?
The management bureau practically brainwashes us to “don’t even think about such concerns.”
Let’s think it the other way around.
Don’t steal; that teaching came about precisely because of theft.
Don’t harm people; that lesson emerged because people were harmed.
In that same vein, the notion of “don’t think” exists because the management bureau members also find the sacrifice of innocents painful.
“Ah, I remember the old days.”
“The old days?”
“There was a company named Saetbyeol Pharmaceutical in Busan. At the time, it was a very promising mid-sized company. Like any other pharmaceutical company, they were developing a new drug.”
“…”
“One day, we got a tip-off. Some components of the new drug seemed suspicious. They didn’t seem like normal medicine.”
“…”
“Before it could be rolled out after passing all trials, about one agent and 17 operatives were sent in.”
“Was the agent your senior?”
“Yep. A few months later, it was revealed that some components of the new drug had replicated parts of an alien god’s flesh in a degraded form. Naturally, the CEO and upper management had to be dealt with too.”
“Even the staff?”
“Most of the employees had consumed the new drug, wanting to get closer to the ‘Great One.’”
“Wanting to get close to the Great One… They were already mentally ill.”
“Exactly. So we decided to dispose of the employees without question. The problem lay with their spouses and children.”
“… The spouses and children of the employees?”
Mooksung lowered his head, his expression dark.
At this point, he probably has a good idea of what kind of case I’m talking about.
“The operatives were highly divided in their opinions. The decision ultimately rested on my shoulders as the senior agent. By the way, at that time, I had disguised myself as the child of an operative posing as a staff member.”
“…”
“At the time, I suggested we let the spouses and kids live, then examine them through the management bureau before deciding their fate.”
“…”
“I had gotten quite friendly with a few of the kids, they were all so innocent and kind. Moreover, thanks to my inheritance powers to perform a quick check, I found nothing ominous about them.”
“Were there people who suggested disposing of them?”
“Quite a few. After all, these employees came up with the bright idea of getting closer to the Great One and ingested that flesh—there’s a chance they wouldn’t hesitate to serve it to their families.”
I still remember the operative who desperately tried to convince me, his expression filled with despair.
He wasn’t a villain or a psychopathic monster who took joy in slaughtering innocents.
He was just a more experienced person, even if his rank was lower.
“They can’t be trusted with an old blood test. I know your powers are impressive, Ari agent, but the flesh’s identity is part of the Great One’s body, which bends the very fabric of the cosmos in a single breath. You can’t just uncover that with a casual test.”
“… So what happened?”
“Well, you know the story. The kids I saved transformed into frogs within four days, croaking away, and a frog the size of a building appeared in Busan.”
“…”
“That building-sized frog croaked a few times, and 45,000 people died in Busan.”
“…”
“With that said, I’ve shared enough tales from the past. Let’s get on with it.”
In hindsight.
After slaying the monstrous frog, the management bureau opened disciplinary procedures against me.
At the time, I had no intention of living.
The guilt of over 40,000 lives wasted from a wrong decision engulfed me from head to toe.
Even during that time, the instinct to go back to the hotel and revive “Mom” did not activate.
Now, a blurry figure comes to mind—the first director of the management bureau, who taught me everything.
*
“I take full responsibility. Just kill me.”
“Ari Kim, while you look like a child, your mind is far too large.”
“Huh?”
“You’re but a pawn on a chessboard, a gear in a machine. If a regular worker is a pawn, you’re the knight—just a slightly larger gear. Ever heard gears can’t take responsibility?”
“…”
“If someone is at fault, it lies with the chess player who couldn’t see the weakness in the knight or with the machine operator who was unaware of the gear’s smallness.”
“Director….”
“The failure to recognize your problem is my responsibility; that’s what I reported.”
“…”
“If you learn one lesson from this incident, let it be this.”
“What is it?”
“Agent, remember, compassion is the most costly emotion in the world.”
—
Mooksung and I arrived at the place, where Peiro was stuffed and mounted.
“Ugh… This is real! What on earth happened for it to end up this way?”
“Exactly.”
Even though I came after hearing about Peiro being stuffed, seeing it with my own eyes was a different matter.
Of course, taxidermy happens quite often even now with beloved pets, so everyone has their own opinions.
“Hmmm….”
I reached out slightly, contemplating whether to touch the taxidermied Peiro.
“…”
Seems like there’s no reaction yet. Should I press harder?
— Whoosh!
Suddenly, a hefty hand grabbed my arm.
“You kids these days really have no caution.”
“…”
The headmaster appeared!
It’s a bit funny, but getting caught touching Peiro is probably the easiest way to meet the headmaster.
“Student! You were just about to touch the taxidermy, right? I don’t think this is a time for silence.”
“Sorry! But headmaster, I have something to discuss.”
The old man didn’t seem to react at all to being called ‘headmaster.’
“I’m talking about the upcoming opening party.”
“Such matters are best left to the student council.”
“What good is talking to kids who’re about to die?”
At that moment, a flicker of surprise crossed the headmaster’s face for the first time.
“About to die?”
“Headmaster, would you believe me if I said I could see the future?”
The old man looked at me with an unreadable expression, remaining silent.
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