Chapter 597 – The Stolen World (12)
—
– User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
– Date: Day 226
– Current Location: Searching…
– Sage’s Advice: 3
—
– Han Kain
— Boom!
The ground shook violently!
This was proof that a battle was still raging in the heart of the ark.
Ari, who had been looking tired, stood up.
“Let’s move. Eunsol is—”
Eunsol noona was still out cold, possibly due to the potent sleep gas. Each time, I was reminded just how different she was physically from regular folks.
“It’d be better to leave her. She’s not in a state to move; it’d be more dangerous to take her with us.”
“… Fine. What are we going to do now?”
Hearing the question “What are we going to do?” made me reflect.
Since coming back to reality, that nagging feeling of frustration had never really left me.
I sensed a creeping malevolence, but moments where I floundered about not knowing what to do played in my mind.
Ari had been locked away, unable to share her thoughts with me.
The former Wisdom’s faction was notorious for keeping their secrets close to the chest.
The Administration Bureau was anything but straightforward—were they heroes or villains?
…
I had to break this suffocating tension!
“Kain?”
“Is there a way to contact the outside from within the ark?”
“There’s a method for the Silent Ones.”
Ari nodded, pulling out a smartphone smeared with a violet substance.
“I took it from Basilio’s body.”
“…”
“Do you want to contact our allies? But this will be unusable soon. The more the ark completes, the—”
“Get in touch with Grandpa and tell him to get ‘ready’ right now.”
As I spoke to Ari, I showed a gesture like flipping a coin. Since the former Wisdom had shown off such elusive powers, it seemed prudent to avoid any mention of “one more chance.”
“… It should be fine for now. The ark isn’t complete yet.”
Ari looked at my hand, nodded, and dialed.
— Ding ding!
“Mooksung!”
“Oh! Ari! Finally escaped—”
“Ping~!”
A sound like a tongue clicking interrupted him.
Was that some secret code made by Grandpa and Ari?
Without hesitation, Grandpa replied.
“Done.”
At that moment, the return time for “one more chance” had been set.
*
When we arrived at the center of the ark, the fighting between the two Silent Ones and our allies had settled into a tense standoff.
Just as we felt the conflict brewing over here, they must have sensed Ari and I were battling Basilio too.
Maybe they were waiting for a victor to emerge.
“Hyung!”
“Kain!”
Cha Jinchul and Park Seungyub beamed at us as soon as they saw us.
The brow of the horror maze’s specter twisted too, hinting at something sinister.
“Seungyub, how’s the awakening?”
“I still have some left.”
“You managed to hold on better than I thought?”
“Well, that maze over there is just too damn strong…”
Where there’s laughter, there are tears—that’s just the way the world spins.
A hooded man fighting alongside our allies stiffened, and the twitching mass of flesh adhered to the wall.
Ari calmly extended her hand, pointing at them.
“That’s Oswald, blessed with dominion. The creature is Osdoork, and it’s not a participant.”
Immediately, the hooded man grimaced.
“Ari!”
“Hey! It’s been a while since our first meeting, right?”
“Wait… how can you—having climbed the ranks of the Silent Ones, you’re a traitor? Aren’t you ashamed?”
“Traitor?”
Ari tilted her head in disbelief, as the ruler’s eyes blazed with rage.
“Daring to—!”
“Wait a moment!”
— Spark!
I stepped forward, gathering everyone’s attention.
“Let’s sort this out.”
“What do you mean?”
“To be precise, we didn’t decide to destroy the ark.”
Based on my speculation, Seungyub and Jinchul didn’t seem to fully grasp what the ark was yet. They must have just been caught up in the fight.
The instigator of the scuffle was the “horror maze,” which probably lunged at Osdoork, who stood at the peak of the Administration Bureau, without a care.
After all, the person who entered the hotel with the mad idea of wiping out the Bureau was personally the maze.
From my words, it seemed like the ruler sensed something and replied with gleaming eyes.
“It seems you have the authority to make decisions here.”
That wasn’t wrong.
“Then your view differs from that silver-haired lady?”
“We’ve been deceived.”
“What?”
“We fell for the cunning whispers of the previous Wisdom. They constantly said the ark was a trap and was corrupting the world.”
“…”
“It was only after meeting Ari that I learned the truth: the ark is the world’s only salvation…”
Of course, Ari never claimed such a thing, yet she played along with my fabrications without flinching.
As if she was truly convincing me that we shouldn’t destroy the ark!
“Oswald. Don’t you think it’s time to apologize for calling me a traitor?”
Cha Jinchul and Park Seungyub’s faces filled with question marks, but they obediently took a step back as if they trusted me.
At this point, the ruler, feeling the atmosphere shift, responded.
“I apologize. I was blind. Osdoork!”
“Gah… I never thought it would end like this!”
The twitching flesh muttered sheepishly as it slowly transformed back into the rotund man.
Only one person remained.
“Maze.”
“…”
Those eerie eyes shimmering like a yokai were fixed on me.
What on earth was that look supposed to mean?
Then Ari stepped forward.
“Mother.”
“… Ari.”
“Trust me.”
“…”
Recalling the horror maze’s demeanor during our memory travels, it became clear that the maze now trusted Ari’s judgment over its own.
Because Ari was an entity it created, resembling it and even surpassing it in progress.
Ari loved the maze, which meant the maze also trusted Ari.
The subtle glances exchanged between the two filled the air with a tense silence, and even the ruler and Osdoork watched the situation, hushed.
“Hah!”
The maze burst into laughter.
“Fine, Ari. Let’s do it your way.”
With those words, the dark bluish mist that clouded the pristine space faded away.
— Clap!
“Brilliant, young Wisdom! A wise choice indeed! To catch on to the previous Wisdom’s scheme? Truly, a name befitting Wisdom!”
“…”
“Let’s overlook the earlier clash. In situations lacking sufficient information, mistakes can occur! You are true heroes, and you shall become the guardians of humanity in the next world—”
“…”
While the ruler was chattering away with joy, the others, including Ari, looked at me as if to ask what our next move was.
I waited. For the voice of the former Wisdom—which wouldn’t be able to accept this situation!
After all, can’t this writer talk to me no matter where I am?
‘Do you truly not understand my words?’
“Oh, so you’re finally interjecting?”
The ruler, realizing the dialogue I had with the former Wisdom, tried to cut in immediately.
“Young man! Do not listen to the devil’s voice—”
“Let’s be quiet. Former Wisdom, do you have something to say?”
‘You said the ark is the source of corruption!’
“How can I trust that statement?”
‘Your companions must have acknowledged this! The ark is indeed the source of corruption!’
This was something Ari acknowledged too. The Bureau recognized problems with the ark as well, but they simply couldn’t find any better solutions.
So I casually replied.
“Oh, I don’t know.”
‘What—’
“If you’re so unhappy, how about you put your money where your mouth is and do something about it?”
‘…’
For a while, while cooperating with the former Wisdom, I had harbored some doubts.
Didn’t these guys think of taking down the ark and face the Bureau separately?
But looking at their faction, aside from some utterly meaningless civilian soldiers, only two real heavyweights—Ryan and Patrick—were stepping up.
How on earth would they tackle the ark with just these two?
There had to be at least three Silent Ones in the ark!
The answer is simple.
The former Wisdom likely had hidden trump cards up their sleeve!
They were just keeping their cards close to their chest, intending to throw us to the wolves.
“Ruler! Did you say your name is Oswald?”
“That’s correct.”
“When will the ark be finished?”
“Not for a while. We’ll need to endure for over four months…”
I spoke for someone who might be watching the situation intently.
“In that remaining time, we will protect it down to the last detail.”
And—
— Drumroll…!
“Whoa!”
“Ugh!”
“What is…!”
Enormous magical energy exploded and swept across the area.
It turns out, the patience of the former Wisdom, who had tried to conserve energy, had reached its breaking point!
The space within the ark began to distort, and visibility started to blur around us.
「I advised you on the right path… how foolish of you!」
“Was this your plan? Engage with reality just once? Or do it another time?”
「You’re using your wits, huh? Well, it won’t change anything.」
A shadow loomed large.
It blurred the line between man and spirit.
The pressure from the being that emerged was unlike any other participants I had faced!
The long-hidden form of the former Wisdom began to flicker to life.
“Is, is that really a human?”
“Ugh! Kain! Uh, you really are a genius!”
Park Seungyub and Cha Jinchul gasped in shock.
The ruler and Osdoork hastily tried to suppress the former Wisdom’s manifestation, but it didn’t seem likely to succeed.
Exactly, here it comes.
So, this was the former Wisdom’s power?
At this level, they probably thought they could takeover the ark!
— Grab!
Ari grabbed me with a worried look.
“Is this enough evidence?”
“Hmm?”
“It wasn’t just to show you the former Wisdom’s hidden card?”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t that pretty strong?”
“Why—”
— Rumble!
Feeling the oppressive presence of the former Wisdom rise, I thought.
It was unbelievably strong.
A force that surpassed the limits of participants and was rivaling the times I had faced during the Divine Descent!
Even if you had spent endless time in reality, how could you come back this strong?
“Even if you’ve gained three or four legacies, that strength is absurd! The limits you can reach through the hotel exceed anything else, which means there’s a special secret behind that strength—”
“Shut up! Get in contact with Mooksung right now—”
“No, contact Hyunseong instead. Quickly!”
Ari wore a confused expression but complied with my request.
In the meantime, I pondered the last thing I wanted to ask.
—
「Sage’s Advice: 3 -> 0」
—
‘Doesn’t what I’m about to do sound a bit crazy?’
「Then go for it.」
“Hah!”
If the sage is telling me to do it, at least it means I won’t bomb out immediately!
“Why, why are you laughing?”
— Ding ding!
“Hyung!”
“Kain?”
“You trust me, right?”
A completely random question.
The answer came back without a hint of doubt.
“Of course.”
Not long ago, the ruler had told Ari underground in Australia.
「This structure was made long ago. It is a product of the Administration Bureau from a time when it was far greater than now. It could never be replicated.」
Recently, when Seungyub had mentioned wanting to launch the final flash in the underground, Ryan and the others reacted violently.
Combining this information leads me to a single conclusion.
The structure in underground Australia must be part of the moon’s seal designed by a far more powerful ancient Administration Bureau.
At the same time, another thought popped into my head.
As confirmed in Room 206, even with the time travel of “one more chance,” lost souls cannot be revived.
According to Ari, the moon devours souls.
It follows that people consumed by the moon cannot be resurrected, even if time is reversed.
Lastly, there’s the implication of the ark’s act of exterminating survivors with the light that heralds the end.
No matter how powerful the moon is, it cannot absorb the souls of the dead.
Which means…
“We need to shoot straight from the corridor we came from, towards the moon. Then immediately take ourselves out.”
“What?!”
“Trust me?”
At my shocking suggestion, my allies looked stunned.
Suddenly, a faint voice echoed from the other end of the phone.
“… I am now death incarnate; the destroyer of worlds.”
The sound of the mobile device threatening to explode rang out.
Soon after, “Hyunseong” changed to —
— Rumble!
Perhaps right now, the flash shot straight through the underground in Australia and reached the moon.
…
A distant presence emanated from the depths of the underground.
A hazy projection of a crimson sphere illuminated the surroundings.
At this point, everyone in the vicinity realized what was unfolding.
The moon is awakening… IMMEDIATELY!
— Gooooo!
The ruler and Osdoork stared with soulless expressions.
“This lunatic…!”
Finally, the former Wisdom that had manifested in the ark echoed the same disbelief.
“You…!”
In a fleeting moment, a storm surged!
Ari stared blankly, murmuring.
“You….”
“Kain, this time let’s go all the way.”
With countless pieces of information flooding my mind, the path to the truth lay ‘after the end.’
That’s why I decided to mess things up a bit.
They say the answers come after it all crashes down—what other options did I have?
— Boom!
“Hahaha! Let’s see it all come to an end together!”
“You damn bastard without parents!”
Who’s cursing so shamelessly right now?
Even though we’re all high and mighty here, can’t we keep our manners in light of the impending apocalypse?
“Let’s be direct! Who here even claims to have parents!”
— Gooooo…!
Finally, the moon is awakening!
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