Chapter: 641 – The Path to Ascension (3)
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User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 358
Current Location: Delight Hotel, Yeongdeungpo, Seoul
Sage’s Advice: 3
—
– Han Kain
— Thunder!
In that moment, the sound of an enormous hammer striking Delight echoed, and an incomprehensible phenomenon unfolded.
“Whoa! The colors around us—”
Red, blue, green, yellow—the vibrant hues all vanished, leaving only shades of black and white.
“… It feels like the whole world turned into a black-and-white movie.”
At the same time, all the Administration personnel filling the hotel froze like statues.
As if to say, “You folks don’t deserve to listen to the conversation that’s about to unfold.”
And then—
— Thud!
With a heavy sound, someone approached.
“…”
Right in front of me, but I couldn’t see their face.
I had no clue how big they were either.
To put it bluntly, it felt like there was a glitch in reality.
“What the—”
“Calm down, noona.”
Just like that time when a prince pulled the same prank on the Moon.
I forgot the memory itself over time, but I found out through the status window record.
“… That entity isn’t right in front of us.”
“What?”
I realized the principle behind that prank while merging with the prince.
If the brain is compared to a computer, it’s feeding incomplete information on purpose.
I had caught the snippet saying ‘something is here,’ but the details like ‘appearance’ and ‘size’ were blank.
The next moment, a notification popped up in front of my eyes.
“Hello! I am the manager of the Third Floor at Hotel Pioneer. I have descended to respond to your information request.”
“Polite tone—”
“This isn’t exactly said by the entity itself.”
Taking a deep breath while remaining calm, my colleagues began to gather, having been spread all over Delight.
With all of us unable to hide our tension, we focused on the ‘Third Floor Manager’ as the next notification blinked.
“According to hotel regulations, information concerning the Third Floor cannot usually be disclosed in the lower floors. This also applies even if one borrows the powers of ‘the Hand of Greed’.”
“What does that mean?”
“However, you are among the heroes who have vanquished despair that has long threatened the lower realm! How could ordinary rules be applied to you? No matter how firm the regulations, there are always exceptions.”
Simply put, it wasn’t supposed to divulge the Third Floor information whether by the Hand of Greed or advice, but since we’d resolved the issues of the Moon and the Ark, it acknowledged our efforts and was willing to show some kindness.
Just as my comrades were beginning to grasp the situation, an odd notification appeared suddenly.
“Isn’t it funny?”
“Huh?”
“The root of the disaster was the inferiority complex of wisdom, like a bug. Throwing it into the hell of endless suffering would be a fitting punishment, yet here’s a reward? Truly, this is a hilarious story.”
“…”
I was bewildered and quietly glanced around.
The others were all focused, enveloped in tension, only staring at the figure of the Third Floor Manager.
It seemed this notification appeared just for me…
Unsure how to respond in my bewilderment, another notification appeared out of nowhere.
“Beings who have yet to achieve liberation continuously build up their sinful deeds. In the endless cycle of rebirth, who could possibly be flawless!”
“…”
“The chains of sorrow that seemed unbreakable have been severed; this is truly the merit of all lives. This too cannot be dismissed.”
One moment it blamed the inferiority of wisdom, and the next, it spoke of the merit for all.
With such a flip-flopped attitude, it hardly seemed like the same entity.
Or maybe it really isn’t the same entity after all.
“Thus, I will permit precisely three questions.”
This notification was visible to everyone.
In that instant, Sang-hyun, unable to hide his trembles, raised his hand.
“I’ll ask the first question!”
While Seungyub and Miro nodded, Ahri squinted, presumably thinking Sang-hyun was acting too hastily.
“I—”
Like a trick, his words stopped.
Surprised, I saw his blinking eyes and stiff lips—it didn’t seem like he halted voluntarily.
“I’ve offered kindness only once. There shall not be a second time, so remember well.”
“Ki-kindness?”
The sound of the bewildered elder’s voice, and Sang-hyun covering his mouth in surprise.
You stop the question and call it kindness?
I immediately understood the situation and gestured to my colleagues.
“Stay calm. It’s not the first time we’ve learned information from patrons or NPCs, right? The limit on question counts implies that there’s also likely a limit on the amount of information that can be disclosed.”
In other words, we need to ask ‘essential questions.’
Ahri nodded eagerly.
“Right. I was surprised when Sang-hyun suddenly spoke up.”
“The question he was going to ask is…”
“To that entity, it may seem like a pointless question. So it was sewn shut so as not to waste the opportunity.”
Ahri slightly raised her eyebrows. Meanwhile, realizing the situation too late, Sang-hyun sheepishly lowered his head.
It seems losing his composure was likely due to the family-related matter.
“The fact that you’re sharp-tongued for a devil is a surprise,” the notification whispered only to me.
Ignoring that, it seemed better not to dwell on it.
Ahri’s eyes lit up as she asked.
“I’ll go for the first question. I want to ask something odd regarding personnel. How often do we discuss, like, how many times have we talked?”
Everyone agreed and Ahri raised her hand.
“First question! Given the nature of the Third Floor, it’s likely that everyone won’t ascend. Can normal progress even happen?”
— Zing!
A sound as if pondering its answer.
Soon, a simple reply returned.
“If the number of individuals is small, they will have advantages of their own; if large, there are advantages to that as well. The suitable number is merely a matter of choice.”
A brief silence followed.
Ahri tilted her head, puzzled, asking her colleagues.
“What does that even mean? Is it about balancing something?”
Jinchul cautiously murmured.
“Maybe if fewer people enter, the room is easier, and if more, it’s harder?”
“That seems strange, doesn’t it? The contents of the room are predetermined from the start.”
“Hmm….”
It’s vague; however, what caught my attention more were the following words.
“A matter of choice.”
“Kain?”
“We can choose the appropriate number.”
Eunsol noona’s eyes widened.
“Wait, so it’s not mandatory for everyone to go in?”
“…”
“Then what about the others? Are they just playing outside?”
Probably not.
Surely, there would be roles for those who don’t enter.
“We can discuss the details later, but for now, let’s prepare the next question.”
“Y-yeah!”
I turned my calm gaze towards Sang-hyun and Seungyub.
Noticing something in the way I was looking at them, Eunsol noona slightly interjected.
“Um, wasn’t Sang-hyun about to ask something regarding family earlier?”
“That’s right.”
The speech-bound Sang-hyun nodded in agreement.
“… That guy stopped me. I think he sees it as insignificant.”
Ahri forcefully chuckled.
“Well, that guy’s a hotel employee! To him, a human family probably feels trivial—”
“No, it’s not that.”
Ahri looked at me with uncertainty.
“In his eyes, Sang-hyun’s worries likely seem insignificant indeed. But it’s not because ‘human family matters are trivial.’”
Spouses and children.
They may seem negligible to the distant hotel staff, but they are not to us.
The hotel surely recognizes this to an extent.
That’s why it allows the power of ‘dream’ to resurrect family and the like.
“So?”
“It’s probably genuinely pointless in the eyes of that entity. It thinks Sang-hyun and Seungyub’s fretting is an exercise in futility.”
“…”
Sang-hyun and Seungyub showed confused expressions.
The two comrades worried about the families they would leave behind when they went to the Third Floor.
I completely understood their feelings.
Didn’t I hear it from Ryan Reynolds’ sidekick before?
Once someone heads to the Third Floor, they supposedly don’t return to reality.
Whether it’s because they can’t come back, or they don’t feel the need to return…
I’m not sure, but ascension might just be an eternal farewell to the ground.
So if I want to take these two to the Third Floor, I need to alleviate their concerns.
Let’s change the question.
Inquiring in a way that resolves their worries while obtaining ‘meaningful information’!
It’s been a long time since I was able to use ‘advice.’
“Advice: 3 -> 0”
“What kind of question do you think would be appropriate?”
“Time the question correctly.”
“… Timing?”
I inquired about how to frame the question, but the answer was to match the timing instead.
To the Owl, what mattered was not the content of the question but the timing of the inquiry.
“What is this? Didn’t I just use advice? My gaze is stuck in mid-air—”
“Wait a moment.”
Calmly gesturing, I waited for my companions.
Hearing the word ‘timing’ reminded me of something.
“A rotten apple, once spoiled, will rot again even if you carve off its bad part. The young wisdom ought to be thrown into the Hell of Flames right this moment!”
An alert calling me a ‘rotten apple’ and suggesting I be dropped into hell.
This one too only I could see.
“Having scrubbed away the character tainted by eons of rebirth, I have gathered enough merit of a lifetime to be qualified to ascend…”
“Scrubbed away? Really? You mangy devil, knowing the wickedness of the holy sun yet still using it!”
Voices condemning me.
Voices praising me.
Voices calling for my descent into hell.
Voices extolling me.
I vaguely felt it.
The being before my eyes is merely a ‘terminal,’ and the indistinguishable entity on the other side isn’t just one!
In that case, the Owl’s advice is truly simple.
I should ask a question when a positive entity is holding the ‘microphone!’
“A mere momentary minor evil. Ultimately, it is a vessel destined to reach the ultimate.”
I instantly raised my hand.
“Second question! I want to know the relationship between the Third Floor and reality.”
— Zing!
I could hear the sounds of gulping all around.
“Good question. What is the relationship between the upper realm and the lower realm? Water flows down from above, not up from below. Thus, since the relationship between the upper and lower realms is as such, you need not worry. Your concerns are truly futile.”
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