Chapter 76: Room 101, Cursed Room – ‘Common Sense Renovating Media’ (10) FIN
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 24
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 101 (Cursed Room – Common Sense Renovating Media)
Sage’s Advice: 3]
—
Fifth Attempt
—
I stepped into the hospital filled with extreme tension.
Contrary to expectations, the twisted nurses didn’t immediately pounce on us. Instead, they were acting somewhat polite, just like the first time we entered yesterday.
However, maybe because of the fierce demeanor of my brother and grandpa, the twisted nurses also tucked their hands closer to their bodies.
“Both of you, lower your weapons!” I shouted, snapping back to reality. Given the circumstances, it felt like we might actually avoid a fight.
Realizing the situation, my brother and grandpa quickly hid their tonfa and gun behind them.
The tension started to ease.
…
What’s going on? Didn’t we get a warning message when we entered Room 101?
[The enemies are aware of the contestant’s intrusion.]
Wasn’t that why Kim Sangmin was controlling those infected by the curse to attack us?
For some unknown reason, if this hospital is treating us like ‘customers’, then that’s a win for us.
Just to play it safe, I sought ‘advice’.
“How about asking the hospital to treat Elena?”
[They will assist Elena right now.]
… An ambiguous response. “Right now,” huh?
Could it be that things can change over time?
Since I began actively using this ‘advice’, I realized this power isn’t like an all-knowing guidebook feeding me the answers I want. Instead, it feels like a hint that stitches together the information I already have, nudging me just a bit further.
Regardless, we have no other options. I felt this the most being the one carrying Elena.
At this rate, she’s going to die.
“Patient! We have a patient here! She’s bleeding heavily! We need to provide emergency first aid! Right now!”
My sudden dash to hand over Elena seemed to shock my brother and grandpa, who were apparently frozen in confusion.
Three nurses rushed over and took Elena somewhere.
… In that brief moment, even with a filter, the curse lingering around the nurse made my head spin.
Elena should be okay, right? I believed she’d withstand the curse as ‘Justice’ was still active.
My brother voiced his concern.
“I heard that if we come through the entrance, they treat us like guests, but do you really think they’ll go as far as treating her? What if they end up killing Elena?”
“If they planned to kill us, wouldn’t they have attacked us as soon as we walked in? Besides, if they wanted to kill Elena, they could’ve just stuck a knife in her right away instead of needing to move her to a bed.”
“Quit talking and look over there,” Grandpa Mooksung said.
Turning to the side, I spotted a nurse pushing a cart filled with blood packs and bandages toward Elena’s room.
“Seems like they really intend to treat her.”
“Well, you guys figured out that they act like a regular hospital if you enter through the front. If an emergency patient arrives at a regular hospital, they have to treat them. Now, let’s head to Kim Sangmin’s room.”
Just as we were turning to head upstairs,
A sudden wave of pain hit me.
Ugh! UAAAHK!
In an instant, I collapsed to the ground, rolling around.
After half-fainting, I came to my senses, realizing a bloody tooth mixed with a chunk of flesh had shot out of my mouth. That disgusting sight made me want to hurl.
Seeing that I wasn’t in great condition either, the nurses approached us.
… Their presence only seemed like it’d worsen my state.
“Looks like it’s not just Elena needing treatment. The most deeply affected place by the curse was at home, right?”
I’ve got a gun, Songee has her bracelet, and the pig is strong enough to wrap things up quickly, but it seems like you, wearing all those clothes, got hit the hardest by the curse.
“I’m fine.”
“Come on, no one believes that. Isn’t your insides all ruined?”
“…”
My brother continued, “Kain, you need to take a break. Plus, in a way, you’re like our final ace. It’d be better if you waited and only used Descent if we all fail, rather than risking your life now.”
“Can’t you check our survival status with ‘Location Information’? As soon as you wake up, see if we’re still alive, and if we’re dead, use Descent to come up and smash everything to bits,” I suggested.
“… Alright, I’ll do that.”
The nurses were getting closer.
The cause of my ruined body was the curse, and it seemed ridiculous that the nurses, the very ones spreading the curse, were here to treat me.
… My consciousness dimmed.
Whether it was because of the curse or the weakness of my body, I couldn’t discern anymore.
That was my last memory in that room.
—
– Cha Jinchul
A weight settled in my heart. Now just three of us remain.
We were almost there, but honest to god, Songee looked like she was struggling to continue any longer.
One of her arms, that we had all been pretending not to see, now resembled an alien more than an arm.
As we prepared to head up to the next floor, a monster nurse approached, making strange noises. Songee naturally stepped forward and mentioned ‘Kim Sangmin,’ so the nurse backed away.
The old man beside me spoke up.
“This hospital.”
“Yes?”
“It seems Kim Sangmin’s control doesn’t work here. This hospital seems to consider him just another regular patient. So when Songee shot the flesh, the nurses didn’t attack her out of his control; it was because she was causing a commotion at a hospital.”
“If that’s the case, then who’s controlling this hospital?”
“The director. That bastard. Even until the end, it’s all suspicious.”
After about 10 minutes of walking, we arrived near the room where the main instigator of all this was supposed to be.
Hggggh!
I turned in surprise to see one of Songee’s arms choking her own neck!
In shock, I hurriedly pried off those repulsive flesh blobs that no longer even looked like an arm. When I ripped off the big chunk, it instantly split into three, starting to pierce through her body.
Even after we managed to tear everything off her, Songee couldn’t stop the screams of pain.
It was agonizing for me to witness.
The old man approached her, gun in hand.
“Songee, it’s getting tough for you. Do you want me to put you at ease?”
Her other arm weakly reached out and touched me.
In that moment, a white flash enveloped the entire area for an instant! Then, my body began to emanate a gentle glow.
When I looked at Songee in shock, I saw that she had already shut her eyes.
Did she just pour all her remaining power into me? It seems she laid down an extremely powerful mental protection spell.
“I, I think so too.”
“Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and run! While that’s active, you need to take down that stupid lump of flesh! I’ll hold off the nurses here.”
Kwang!
I pushed the door wide open and charged into the ward.
As I entered that bizarre landscape, which looked more like an alien planet, I was greeted by a giant towering over 3 meters tall.
Did I ever hear about such a monster being here? Did he prepare this because he knew we’d show up?
Before I had time to think, the monster swung its massive arm at me.
…
First, I decided to create some distance. Since it had a humanoid shape, I could predict its attack trajectory to some extent.
Three steps back.
The massive arm just barely grazed my face.
I quickly lunged toward the monster but it raised a knee the size of my body to block my advance.
Using that knee as leverage—
Kwang!
I delivered an uppercut with all my strength directly to the monster’s face, and the impact sent its head snapping back.
It had enough power to crush a human head, yet somehow, the giant was still standing, albeit slightly dizzy.
Now, with both arms, it tried to grab me, so I reached out with my own arms to counter.
It was a pure battle of strength.
You might think it’s impossible given our size disparity, but for that brief moment, I felt I could emerge victorious.
This was doable!
“Uuuuraaaaah!”
With a mighty roar, I pushed against its arms. Little by little, I started to overpower the giant.
Its expression contorted, and the moment it lost balance, I swung my right leg and kicked its knee hard.
In the end, it couldn’t endure it and crashed to the ground, rolling helplessly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Kuaaaahk!
Naturally, it would be strange if the hospital didn’t react to this uproar. Deafening roars, screams, and gunshots echoed behind me.
And amidst it all, a soft golden light began to seep into the ward.
Elena! She has awakened!
It seemed she and the old man were caught in an intense fight against the nurses outside.
I needed to finish this quickly.
Without pausing to catch my breath, I dashed toward the giant and unleashed a flurry of punches on its face.
About 10 seconds passed, and the giant’s body went limp.
It was regrettable that my tonfa broke under the pressure even though it was basically its first match. To be honest, it’s unrealistic to expect a sturdy wooden stick to hold up in a monster’s brawl.
Sangmin! You bastard! Now there’s nothing standing between us! Get ready to die!
I spotted it.
There, a chunk of flesh.
The deep thuds reached my ears, and as I moved closer, its whiny voice echoed in my head.
It seemed it led some pity-filled life, lamenting about those who harassed him and how resentful he was.
“Ah! That little brat is whining like crazy. Will you shut up? No matter what happened to you, if you turned the world into this mess, you deserve to be smashed to death!”
… But then, how do I kill it?
I guess just relentlessly beating it up will work.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
With every punch, I thought how I could’ve easily become a champion in the boxing world if I had even a fraction of this strength.
Or maybe not? If I was this strong, the administration would’ve likely dragged me away for ‘special handling’ by now.
My punches could break concrete; flesh shouldn’t stand a chance.
Soon, the mass of flesh was gone, leaving behind only small fragments.
That’s when I stumbled upon a shining stone within the remains.
…
The moment I reached for it, my fingers split and underwent a violent transformation.
Ah, here it is—the source of all of this. The root of all the chaos.
Ignoring the rending of my fingers, I pulled the stone out from among the remnants of flesh.
As soon as the stone was removed, the flesh crumbled away.
Everything—everything started to fall apart.
The room, the hospital, the broadcasting station began to melt away, one by one.
When I turned my head, I saw the old man and Elena standing there, shocked expressions plastered on their faces.
A notification popped up.
/You have succeeded!
The family tainted by madness. The world steeped in insanity! It all started from a small incident of school bullying, one we hear too often. But no matter how harsh the situation, it’s hard to justify a revenge that risks the entire world.
Fellow comrades falling off like leaves; foes hiding away! You have conquered all of those trials and finally reached the ultimate conclusion.
By removing the victim turned perpetrator, you have resolved the root cause of the curse. Congratulations.
.
.
.
.
One of your comrades has successfully resolved the issue! Congratulations! The successful resolution allows everyone to return safely.
You have obtained the inheritance, ‘Star Fragment of Another World.’/
Is this really the end? That was seriously tough. At times, I felt so guilty I couldn’t even hold my head up, so it’s nice to finally close this chapter.
Please, let us have some peace now. No matter how strong I am, this is way too exhausting, right?
…
Why isn’t it ending? What else is there?
/Dear participants! Congratulations once again on resolving Room 101!
Those who have survived up to this point and contributed to the final battle now qualify for an inheritance.
The qualified participants are as follows:
1. Elena Ivanov (Justice)
2. Cha Jinchul (Courage)
3. Kim Mooksung (Communication)
However, only one can acquire the inheritance!
Now, begins the ‘Moment of Choice’!/
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