Chapter 702 – Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘Origin of Species’ (36)
—
– Lee Eunsol
Finally, we stepped into the internal depths of the underground ruins of Gangwon Province.
Almost as soon as I took a few steps, Ahri appeared.
“Eunsol, pull out the flute now.”
“…”
“You know, the ruins are a dangerous place.”
Somewhere deep inside this underground ruin lies the King of Is.
Considering the information I pieced together from my father’s memories, the king might have been here since the first moment he appeared on Earth.
“I can’t remember, but when Songee and I were here, we heard the voice of a prisoner.”
“Got it.”
I hurried my steps, blowing air into the flute of rest.
Ahri led the way, and it seemed like she had memorized the layout of the ruins while wandering around for hours before I arrived.
Thinking back, it felt strange.
How could Ahri explore the underground ruins without my help?
Surely, the ancient power of blood alone couldn’t handle my mother’s voice, right?
At that moment, Ahri calmly answered a question I hadn’t even asked.
“I checked the ruins earlier with the Duke. So, I was safe without the protection of the flute.”
Rather than feeling relieved that my confusion was cleared up, I felt a strange mixture of awe and disbelief.
What’s up with her? Is she a mind reader or something?
I hadn’t even asked, but she knew exactly what I was wondering!
It was as if she had been prepared with answers for the questions I might have in my mind.
+…+
At that moment, a faint voice echoed.
“Ugh!”
I inadvertently blew stronger into the flute of rest.
Of course, the power of the flute, which repels evil, doesn’t really respond based on how hard I blow.
“What? Did you hear something?”
“Can’t you hear that? There’s a faint noise, isn’t there?”
“Not at all. It seems to be only talking to you.”
Thanks to the flute’s power, I couldn’t quite understand my mother’s voice.
While the King of Is is indeed a magnificent being, the flute of rest is also the creation of a great being.
Even if it’s my mother, it seems she couldn’t penetrate the flute merely with her voice.
At that moment, reality began to twist brutally.
The lights vanished in an instant.
The twisted underground corridors resembled the camouflage of a beast.
Doors turned into the mouths of wild animals, and the ventilation ducts wriggled like living creatures.
Unseen hands, chilling gazes, and pale hearts blanketed the area, and only then did I realize.
The Duke had appeared.
As he materialized, he whispered.
“Princess, it is nice to meet you for the first time.”
I was slightly taken aback.
If my memory served me correctly, this wasn’t the first time; it was actually the second.
“First time, you say?”
Ahri jumped in immediately to explain the situation.
“This Duke is different from the one we met earlier.”
Only then did I understand that the Duke my companions were controlling wasn’t just one entity.
“How many Dukes are there?”
“Three.”
“Isn’t that a bit too many?”
In the meantime, the Duke, taking on a grotesque shape like wriggling entrails, whispered.
“We are almost finished. Please follow me.”
“…”
I walked under the guidance of this shape I never wanted to see again, thinking.
Is it really possible for my companions to manipulate not just one Duke, but multiple entities?
*
Soon, guided by the Duke, we reached a place filled with mysterious dials.
The sheer volume of wires, unidentifiable glass tubes, and an array of gray machines making constant peculiar noises made the atmosphere feel like some dark sorcery ritual instead of a high-tech research lab.
Maybe in elevated domains, the lines between magic and science really blur.
I didn’t have anything specific to act on.
Following the Duke’s instructions, I provided a few drops of blood and a bit of flesh—just a slight sting—and stood in the designated spot, exposing myself to peculiar light.
— Dididik!
Hearing a loud noise, I noticed that even Ahri seemed perplexed by what the Duke was doing.
Increasingly uneasy.
In Room 301, the blessing ceremony is what directly annihilates humanity.
Thus, the only way to prevent the end is to permanently halt the blessing ceremony.
But look at how things are going.
We are leaving the crucial task of stopping the blessing ceremony entirely up to the Dukes, without any involvement from my companions!
Leaving the most important task to those unreliable beings…!
Guys, is this really a normal solution?
How can we trust the Dukes?
They are beings we can’t control!
Overwhelmed by extreme anxiety and considering desperate possibilities—I felt as though the entire world stopped for a moment.
+ Poor child… +
“Ah!”
From the vibrations of the machines, the sweat trickling down my face, and the dust floating in the stillness, a distant apparition appeared.
The moment I laid eyes on the King of Is, I felt the explosion of all the anxiety I had been carrying!
I hurriedly tried to back away, but by then, my body was moving against my will.
+ So you’ve been ignoring my words since earlier, it’s all because of that little flute. +
“Ugh… ugh…”
+ You don’t look too well; are you alright? +
A mocking voice pretending to show concern.
Was it because I had just used the flute of rest?
From behind the king’s apparition, I sensed two hidden forms simultaneously.
The first was the agent who had lost control when the King of Is descended upon Earth long ago.
The second form was like a star, shining brightly in the nebulous expanse.
The King seemed like a living whirlpool, an endlessly surging wave of power.
At that moment, a calm voice emerged from the King’s mouth.
+ You’ve gathered quite some talented children. What a mysterious skill. How did you do it? +
“Hmm…!”
+ Ah, so your goal is indeed to stop the blessing? You gathered high-caliber children for that purpose? +
In just seconds, it felt like he grasped the entire plan we were devising.
+ An intuitive and reasonable approach, but there’s a fatal flaw in it. +
When the term “fatal flaw” slipped out of the King’s mouth, I realized what my mother was about to point out.
+ Did you really think my children would cooperate with you so willingly? +
Ah…! No further explanation was needed.
I felt what the King was saying was true.
Just as the Dukes were becoming more discerning and not blindly following my words, I too had my own thoughts apart from the Buddha’s intentions.
It’s said that where there’s a beginning, there’s an end.
Where there’s a Big Bang, there’s a Big Freeze.
Considering the endless cyclical nature of the universe, their emergence seems inevitable.
Thus, the Buddha indeed goes against the natural order, and heaven might just be the opposite of that.
…
The moment that felt like eternity had come to an end.
Even as I stepped into the divine realm, the beings that prevent salvation did not hinder me.
It did not seem like their time had come yet.
— Kwarung!
*
– Han Kain
…
The blessing ceremony has been completed.
The King of Is would likely arrive at the hotel in a matter of seconds.
Unlike before, the hotel wasn’t displaying the notification of “Failed to Resolve”.
“…”
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