Chapter 566 – The World I Can’t Remember (5) Fin(?)*
—
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 38
Current Location: Taebaek City, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province
Sage’s Advice: 3
—
– Han Kain
It seems like my past self figured out that “I shouldn’t possess Arthur” through Insight.
What was the reason for that, though?
Now that I’m outside, it’s a thing of the past, but it’s worth considering the possibility of encountering Arthur again.
Advice: 3 -> 2
“Why shouldn’t I possess Arthur’s body?”
“Insight is based on knowledge you’ve acquired. Therefore, the answer ultimately lies within you.”
“….”
Two thoughts crossed my mind.
First, why can’t you just tell me straight up without these mind games?
Second, it feels like they want me to reflect on what has happened until now.
“Why do you ask? You seem deep in thought.”
“… I was thinking about our next schedule.”
“Next schedule? Aren’t we heading to Delight Hotel?”
I feel like I’m starting to understand the strange reality of what the Owl has been trying to say and everything that has transpired so far.
The answer was nearby.
“Right. Let’s set off.”
*
Hotel Delight was exceptionally cozy from the lobby, just as expected from one of Korea’s esteemed hotels.
While Grandpa sat on the sofa, marveling at its softness, I wrapped up a quick call and returned.
“Oooh! Where’s Eunsol?”
“She’ll be down soon. We can wait for her.”
“Really? You should come and sit with me.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of Grandpa relaxing like he owned the place and plopped down nearby.
“By the way, it’s unbelievable when I think back on what happened yesterday and today.”
“Let’s share this with others.”
“That’s true. So, Kain, do you know anyone else’s contact info?”
“Should I give it out?”
As we chitchatted, Grandpa tilted his head curiously.
“By the way, where have all the hotel staff gone?”
“Maybe something happened up there?”
“There’s nobody on the first floor!”
That’s quite a valid point.
If a five-star hotel has no staff present in the lobby, that indicates something urgent has occurred, and they should have ceased operations.
“Haha! Should I play the role of the guide then?”
“Kid, you’re joking too much—”
“Hello, welcome to Delight Hotel. How can I help you today?”
Welcome to Delight! Is there anything I can assist with?
That’s a simple English line.
If you’re a five-star hotel staffer, this should be basic!
Yet, that straightforward phrase left the white-haired old man speechless.
“…”
A split second of silence.
Glimpses crossing each other.
I knew Grandpa’s biggest secret.
He knew I knew his secret.
“Ah!”
“…”
“Well, aren’t you a keen little one?”
Looking back, there were plenty of suspicious circumstances from the start.
First, the original owner of the communication window used it to conceal his name.
One could excuse their name not being known before introducing themselves, but after revealing his name as “Arthur,” why would he still hide it?
Second, Arthur’s mysteriously clumsy demeanor.
Revealing family-related weaknesses openly is child’s play.
He must have realized I had the power to control another body during the loop, yet he put himself at risk knowing full well what could happen!
An ordinary person wouldn’t know, but as a hotel escapee, he seemed overly naive.
Lastly, as I discovered through Insight, possessing Arthur is indeed a trap.
And yet, someone suggested gathering intel by taking over Arthur’s body.
It doesn’t seem to be a one-time suggestion either.
“Kid, when did you figure it out?”
“Not at the age where being called a kid fits me.”
“Haha! Your words are getting shorter!”
The simple answer to all the questions arose.
The real participant, the other owner of the communication, was not Arthur, and Arthur was merely his pawn!
The identity of the memories manipulated from the moment we entered this realm?
A small, simple piece of information.
Yet, it was extremely crucial.
It was none other than my memory of “Grandpa Mooksung’s” appearance!
The real enemy had been by my side since the moment I entered this realm.
“Who are you?”
In that moment, for the first time, the opponent revealed their name in the communication window.
Ryan: Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Ryan Reynolds.
The previous owner of communication, Ryan Reynolds, finally revealed his identity.
— Ziiing!
Three orbs appeared behind Reynolds.
*
Time felt as though it was sliced into ten fragments in a second.
A fight broke out in a realm where ordinary humans could hardly respond to the happenings around them.
The first sensation was confusion.
In an instant, the surroundings twisted, filling my vision with a dizzying, chaotic image, and painful noise tortured my hearing.
What a horrific application of the communication window!
Musing about “Can we conserve the Sacred Sun?” was the farthest thing from my mind now.
— Whoosh!
A scorching heat enveloped the area, and I dodged the azure beams of orbs flying at a speed invisible to my eyes.
“Ho! Certainly not easy—”
Having dodged the initial strike, now it was my turn.
A brilliant light flickered from my fingertips, aiming to hit Reynolds with a destructive heat ray.
Or at least that’s what I planned!
– Ding!
In the blink of an eye, Reynolds moved as if he were a lightning bolt; he clicked something reminiscent of a Zippo lighter, and the old man’s body vanished.
— Ziiing! Ka-boom!
The blind heat ray missed, obliterating a sportily designed exterior of the hotel.
“Ahh!”
“Ugh, ugh!”
People outside hastily realized the absurdity of what was occurring!
I had already sent out secret messages to evacuate the hotel staff, but there was no time to assist anyone outside.
Moreover, if we evacuated everyone, wouldn’t this cunning fellow figure it out ahead of time?
A mocking voice echoed through the chaos.
“Haha, Kain! You should pay attention to your surroundings while attacking—”
Just from the sound alone, I knew he was right about 24 meters to the right, near the revolving door.
— Thwack!
The very moment I pushed off the ground, tiles from the luxurious Delight Hotel shattered beneath me as I raced forward.
“What’s with that speed!”
Stunned, I heard another “click!”
Once again, the old man’s body vanished, now reappearing near the staircase.
His movements were beyond human level, but compared to my use of the Sacred Sun, he was painfully slow.
However, the real hassle was that lighter which allowed him to teleport anywhere he wanted with each “click.”
A flickering lighter, huh?
Not a chance it’s a relic, I’d bet on it.
Rather, it seems like a powerful device akin to protective suits or jet boots.
The inheritance that manifested at the start of the fight were those three orbs!
— Ziiing!
A chilling sensation emanated from behind me.
As I perceived the three azure beams stretching towards me from different angles—
“Yah!”
In a display even I found impressive, my body performed acrobatic maneuvers, avoiding the paths of the beams.
As I landed, the opponent—Reynolds couldn’t contain the jealousy spilling forth.
“You brat! What kind of inheritance do you possess?”
“Jealous much?”
“Ha! A noble guardian is indeed a fine inheritance.”
Noble guardian? So that’s what those orbs are called.
“However, first you shot lasers, then moved at absurd speeds, and now you dodge attacks from behind?”
The Sacred Sun’s abilities were unparalleled compared to other inheritances.
Because of that, it required a complex process like charging.
“There are bound to be limitations with such an inheritance, right?”
Reynolds, with a sly smile, saw right through me.
He must know that as a hotel participant, the Sacred Sun has its limits.
“Time limitations? Decreased lifespan? Or—”
I smiled back as I casually reached out.
“Worry about yourself.”
“What do you mean by that? Your words are getting shorter—”
“How’s that lighter looking? Better use it sparingly, huh?”
The expression on Reynolds’ face stiffened.
That’s the ticket!
With the Sacred Sun requiring a “charge,” there’s no way there wouldn’t be restrictions with his ‘flicker lighter’!
— Thwack!
Once more, I dashed toward him, cracking the ground beneath my feet.
Looking at the old man as his expression turned pale as he pushed the lighter again, I had an inkling.
He already used it twice before, right?
This should be the last or perhaps one time left.
Without that lighter, Reynolds couldn’t withstand my attack!
Just then, I sensed victory in the air.
— Ziiing!
One orb shot toward me.
“Advice: 2 -> 1”
“Dodge immediately!”
I didn’t need you to tell me that, so don’t waste advice on useless tips!
— Boom!
The orb exploded.
— Rumble!
And so, the Delight Hotel met its end.
*
In the middle of a war right in the heart of Seoul, there’s no way things could be quiet outside.
Peering through the half-ruined hotel lobby, I let out a sigh.
Before I knew it, my mouth slipped open, “Sorry, Eunsol.”
As I gathered my thoughts after a light sigh, I sensed movement a mere 30 meters away.
The teleporting via the lighter seems limited to about 20-30 meters at best.
Dodging falling concrete chunks, I spotted a man standing still in an open area.
“Aren’t you running away?”
“There’s no way I could catch your speed, even if I tried.”
“Looks like that lighter’s all out? Only three uses?”
“Unfortunately, that’s the case.”
Reynolds bore a carefree expression, arms wide open.
With the lighter’s fuel running out, he had no choice but to flee.
Which meant a great crisis—
Yet, this old man still maintained his composure.
“Kid, your mental state is quite profound. Your combat skills are impressive too.”
“Not at an age where ‘kid’ fits me. I’m older than I seem.”
“Hey, I’m older than I look too!”
“You look old, though?”
“Even older than you see—ow! You cheeky brat, your wit is quite sharp!”
The old man laughed incredulously, as if delivering an ultimatum.
“Kain, it might be hard to believe now, but I never intended to harm you.”
“…”
“I swear. That Kim Mooksung fellow is still alive, you know? I merely wanted to observe you and your tendencies from beside you.”
Is he threatening me by saying he’d kill me if he didn’t know where Mooksung was?
“…”
With the Sacred Sun fading away, the overwhelming power that felt like it would burst my veins dissipated.
“Oh, since we’ve had a good fight, I’m starting to feel inclined to chat—”
Chat? Negotiate?
From the moment this crafty man tampered with my memories and disguised himself as Grandpa Mooksung, I had no intention of listening to anything.
Sending back the Sun was just a ploy to catch Reynolds off guard.
— Swoosh!
The old man—Ryan Reynolds was split in two.
He didn’t even have time to react until his head was split.
“Ally Location Info (*”
Kim Ahri: Hotel Delight”
*
“Wow~! Ahri, it’s been a while to see you in person.”
“Who are you?”
“…”
“Die, Chinese con artist!”
Guess I still hold a grudge against that voice-phishing incident.
Anyway, it was great to see Ahri again after a long time.
“How’s Grandpa?”
“He’s already been saved.”
The reason I led Reynolds to Hotel Delight, even knowing that he was disguised as Grandpa Mooksung, was precisely this.
To send a secret message to Ahri to rescue the hostage Grandpa, and allow Ahri to join me when the time was right.
Reynolds probably came along without any suspicion at the thought of meeting my “other allies.”
“Checked the records. Ryan Reynolds, former agent and participant. Presumed to have left the Bureau at some unspecified time in the past.”
“… As expected.”
“The security level was really high, making confirmation challenging. But I managed to pull a few strings since I was on the brink of promotion. Regardless, I’ll take this corpse with me—”
— Twitch!
From the horizontally severed corpse, I felt a stirring.
At that moment, Ahri and I locked eyes, sharing a sudden realization.
“This bastard—!”
“Still alive? Is there some form of immortal inheritance?”
Ahri exclaimed in disbelief, immediately reaching for her “camera” at her waist.
“Let’s seal him first and then figure it out!”
“Take the shot!”
But at the very moment she was about to click!
“…”
Aurora? Or perhaps mirage?
A soft light rained down upon us.
— Click!
“…”
— Click!
Quickly pressing the camera shutter a few times, nothing seemed to happen.
A stunned Ahri reached for her irregular polyhedron, but once again… nothing happened.
Should I summon the grimoire?
What about the Sacred Sun?
“…”
Probably useless.
Ahri and I had already experienced a similar phenomenon.
“Indomitable Reason…!”
“The Forge of Souls!”
Different terms that refer to the same legacy.
This light resembled that which suppressed all supernatural abilities in Room 206 far too closely!
“Let’s settle this here.”
An unidentifiable voice.
Not only us, but it was distinctly different from Reynolds’ voice as well.
Indeed.
Just like I have a comrade named “Ahri,” Reynolds has companions too!
“It’d be wise to stop here. Continuing this fight would only lead to defeat for us all.”
Ahri, apparently incredulous, laughed.
“Don’t kid around! You’ve experienced a power similar to this light, and plan to face off against me, Kain? How about we activate the legacies simultaneously?”
Even the suppression from the indomitable reason had its limits.
As Ahri put it, what if we combined the powers of four legacies from both of us?
But the next words made both Ahri and me flinch.
“Please don’t do that. Didn’t I tell you back at the Hotel to remain quiet for at least six months?”
It’s true.
“You’re still okay for now. We can manage things from here, but going forward leads to everyone’s defeat.”
Everyone’s defeat…
As he put it, the hotel had indeed told us to remain at peace for a minimum of six months.
What could be the exact reason behind that?
Various guesses came to mind, but there remains no definitive answer.
It seems like the opponent is aware of that answer.
“To persuade, isn’t it necessary to explain why things would end in defeat? Why this conflict spells doom for all?”
“Because the Ark isn’t completed yet. Young man, besides….”
“Besides?”
“Your inheritance, that fiery orb, no longer has any power left in it. It seems you’ve expended it all?”
“…”
How did he see through the Sacred Sun’s charge levels?
I found myself at a loss for words.
“It looks like you’ll need some time to prepare. Take it easy and see me five months later.”
*
The light vanished.
Reynolds’ shaking heart ceased to beat as well.
What remained was a sense of crisis felt by Ahri and me, due to the power of the “wise one,” along with…
Just a ruined hotel.
“Ah.”
“… Why?”
“The hotel’s completely wrecked.”
“…”
“Sister Eunsol said the Hotel Delight would soon become the best hotel in Korea.”
—
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