Chapter: 84
Chapter 84 – Party Time (6) – Timeless Safari, Secrets of Room 103 (1)
– Cha Jinchul
The first time using an Inheritance. Just how powerful could it be?
Of course, while hosting ‘Common Sense Renovating Media,’ I had indirectly experienced the power of the Inheritance, but I had already heard from Songee.
The power of an Inheritance changes before and after its use. Even the bracelet had lost several features that had existed within Room 103.
I assume it’s the same with the Star Fragment of Another World.
It’s hard to believe it could wield the same power as in Room 101, where it could twist the entire world.
In the end, I would have to check it out myself in this ‘training ground’ that the hotel prepared.
After getting mental protection from Songee, I entered the Safari.
The era is being selected.
…
…
…
– 74 million years ago
1. 2. 3. Let’s start!/
?
??
Did I missee that? 74 million years ago?
Before I could figure out what was happening, I landed roughly on the ground.
As I got up, swearing under my breath, my heart started pounding wildly.
Mansion-sized pterosaurs flew through the skies.
Gigantic creatures filled the horizon.
And all around me were bizarre plants I’d never seen before.
Since we arrived at the hotel, I felt like this was the first time I’d been so genuinely moved.
When was it? I recalled watching Jurassic Park in theaters.
A Tyrannosaurus Rex munching in the bathroom with people inside; the scholars arriving at Isla Nublar for the first time and being absolutely gobsmacked by the massive Brachiosaurus.
There was also the moment when the CEO of the park welcomed them cheerfully to Jurassic Park.
Right now, I felt like I’d become one of those scholars.
Seeing all these miracles around me, I couldn’t help but shudder with excitement.
This view! If they were to sell tickets for a Safari packed with extinct dinosaurs…
I could bet that even tickets priced at hundreds of millions would sell out in an instant! Surely, there are plenty of rich people out there willing to shell out tons to see real dinosaurs.
So lost in the moment, I forgot why I came here and started wandering the plains, feeling the essence of ancient Earth with my whole body. I even kicked off my shoes to feel the mysterious texture of the mossy grass beneath my feet.
Dazed, I turned to take in the gigantic creatures filling the skies and ground, while constantly inhaling the ancient air deeply.
I’m sure I’ll never forget this moment.
Even when I eventually leave the hotel, this is one experience I’ll carry with me for life. Oh, how I wish I had a camera!
As soon as I get out, I’ll ask my older sister to buy one via the HP Market.
I must remember to bring a camera tomorrow. With such a loose purchase limit, it’s practically begging to be spent!
Everyone would definitely support buying a camera just to snap pictures of dinosaurs, right?
Thus, I roamed around for about five minutes, feeling like a wandering tourist in the dinosaur era.
And that’s when I heard a dreadful sound.
Grrrrr!
Just then, I lowered my gaze and looked around. Instead of a dinosaur, it was a huge bird?
I mean, they say birds are descendants of dinosaurs, so the distinction may not mean much anyway.
The bird, which had a head larger than my upper body, let out an ominous screech that seemed to threaten me.
What? This oversized bird tried to scare me with nothing but its size? It couldn’t be a demon or some eerie creature scaring my mind, just a big ol’ bird?
Not even considering taking out the Star Fragment of Another World, I rushed up and slapped its beak.
Kiieek! Kiiing!
With a single punch, the massive bird rolled on the ground, letting out a surprisingly cute sound for its looks, before quickly taking off.
But that wasn’t all.
Looking around, I noticed an army of lizards, their hundreds of teeth exposed, gathering unnoticed.
Thump! Thump!
The ground began to vibrate beneath me. Something huge was wandering nearby, shaking the very earth with every step.
Okay, I thought it was time to stop pretending I was a tourist.
Tomorrow, I really need to bring a camera to take loads of pictures. But that aside, I’m not here just to sightsee today.
I came here to test the Inheritance, the Star Fragment of Another World!
Besides, there’s a time limit to the mental protection Songee cast on me with her bracelet, and after being so enchanted by the dinosaurs, I wasted almost five minutes!
Taking a deep breath, I stretched my hand out into the void.
Unlike the bracelet, the Star Fragment of Another World is a tool that destroys everything just by existing.
Maybe it was the hotel’s intention, but unlike the bracelet, the Star Fragment doesn’t just stick to my arm all the time.
Usually, it exists like an abstract concept beyond our world and drops into the realm when the owner wishes.
With my palm reaching into the air — the Star Fragment descended.
*
If I were to express my mental image of the Star Fragment in one word, it would be ‘radiation’.
A tool of destruction that doesn’t discern between friend or foe, releasing chaotic waves that distort and shatter all around!
And voilà — the moment I pulled out the Star, everything nearby began to warp.
Unidentified crystals shot up from the ground like they had a life of their own!
Suddenly, lizards around me started growing claws and eyes from odd spots on their bodies, morphing violently.
Most creatures, instead of attacking me, were frozen in place, overwhelmed by fear and suffering.
I barely had the Star out for five seconds.
Animals within a radius of dozens of meters were rolling about, uttering groans of despair.
Grabbing the Star tightly, I dashed across the plains.
I felt like the harbinger of doom, the horseman of the apocalypse.
With every step I took, strange rocks arose from the ground, and that peculiar scent filled the air. The colors of my surroundings began warping into hues beyond comprehension.
Every creature within several dozen meters — be it dinosaur or not — collapsed from the raw pain, writhing fitfully.
A massive creature resembling an ostrich was suddenly bisected, while a approaching pterosaur suddenly sprouted an unnerving number of claws from its wings, plummeting out of the sky.
After running wildly, I finally caught sight of a huge sauropod, which had been shaking the earth with every footfall.
What a stunningly beautiful creature.
If I thought about it, all those colossal birds and lizards that had threatened me were already dead.
That massive dinosaur simply munched on grass without ever posing a threat to me.
Feeling guilty for even considering hurting such a magnificent beast for testing the Star’s power, I felt disgusted as if I was trampling on the sacred ancient world.
But I quickly decided to push that thought aside. I should hurry; my teammates must be waiting outside.
Holding the Star, I approached the enormous dinosaur while keeping my distance in mind.
When I was around 30 meters away, the dinosaur let out a soft groan.
Was this how far the power of the Star reached? Or was it actually broader, and this dinosaur was just starting to respond?
I rushed closer, and the power of the Star began to distort the creature’s body in full force.
Its body twisted; horns popped out from its spine, and limbs split into smaller, grotesque forms!
Uooooo!
While I may not understand the dinosaur’s language, I wasn’t oblivious enough to miss how that cry was filled with pain and suffering.
The giant creature, towering toward the sky, now lay on the ground, morphing into a grotesque figure as though some malevolent artist had crudely doodled it.
That horrifying sight deeply shook my heart.
By this point, I could barely stand it myself.
I looked at my arm that held the Star.
At this moment, it was no longer an arm. It was more like a lump of flesh embedded with the Star.
The mutation starting from my right arm crawled all the way up to my shoulder. The fact that I hadn’t felt pain through all this was probably thanks to Songee’s protective magic.
It was an extreme transformation, but ironically, it brought a realization.
Even that massive dinosaur, just from the mere approach of the Star, succumbed to drastic changes in under 30 seconds. Meanwhile, I, directly holding it, felt the transformation confined to just around my right shoulder.
As Elder Mooksung said, it seems my body possesses strong resistance to the Star’s power.
If only I could have a fraction of that resistance for my mind…
I wore a watch to track the time of Songee’s blessing, but unlike my body, the watch was now stripped of any resemblance.
I was reaching my limits one way or another.
So, I sent the Star back into the seams of reality.
As I glanced around, I could clearly feel just how devilish the Star’s power was.
Not a single living creature remained intact. Be it animals, plants, or even the earth and air, everything had been twisted long ago.
… To the creatures in this world, perhaps I truly seemed like a devil risen from the depths of hell.
Let’s tone down the empathy for the Safari creatures.
Having such a destructive force in our hands also implies that our chances of survival at the hotel have risen significantly!
Sliiiiiick!
Thud!
I heard strange noises coming from my arm, one that I could no longer feel, and turned to see distorted chunks of flesh falling away. Skin that resembled scales peeled off alongside the eyeballs, tongues, claws, and teeth that had been sprouting.
When all the grotesque flesh fell away, I realized I no longer had a right arm. However, it hardly mattered since it was unusable by then due to the Star’s influence, and oddly, I felt a sense of relief.
This must be the so-called ‘Regeneration’ power. I finally understood what my “sponsor” meant when they said it would be helpful.
Regeneration wasn’t so potent as to regrow completely severed limbs like a lizard. Yet, it had the capacity to shed the parts of my body tainted by the Star and seal the wounds.
It seems Songee’s blessing is about to wear off.
The reason I hadn’t felt much pain despite my gruesome condition had to be the bracelet’s power.
Initially, she said the blessing would last 10 minutes, but it felt like time stretched longer with each passing moment. Maybe Songee’s skills were improving?
I needed to escape before the mental protection faded entirely; I was certain that I’d feel unbearable pain afterward.
How do I get out of this Safari though? I was sure I could leave whenever I wanted!
Was there some kind of command screen?
I just shouted out loud.
“Hey! I want to leave right now! Let me go!”
Turns out that was the right move.
Upon shouting, my body and mind felt themselves lifting and floating.
Thud!
Just as I regained my senses, I found myself outside the Safari, reminiscent of the feeling of escaping a cursed room.
Looking around, I spotted my teammates.
Ah! As soon as I came out, I longed to see those magnificent dinosaur forms again! What a pity!
When would I ever experience that again? We absolutely have to get a camera!
“Whoa~! I never imagined that the hotel would have such an amazing place! Did everyone have fun sightseeing?”
I saw so many dinosaurs! What did the rest of you see?
We should definitely come back to the Safari every day until this party time ends! And we need cameras—like, stat!
“Jinchul, could you be quiet for a second?” Eunsol’s exhausted voice snapped me back to reality.
The shock made me glance around, startled. What’s going on? We just visited an incredible place, yet everyone looks so worn out?
Kain, who seemed to have been staring blankly into space, finally spoke up.
“It looks like you really enjoyed it, hyung. I guess it’s lucky at least one of us had a good time. I died within 5 seconds from a tail swipe, so I couldn’t say much.”
Songee added, “How lucky for you to have died in 5 seconds. I was running from cannibals for hours.”
Wait, what’s with this atmosphere?
“Why did you have to endure so much? If it feels wrong, you could just shout out to leave! They would’ve let you out immediately!”
Everyone turned to look at me.
With a sigh, Elder Mooksung spoke, “So that’s how it works? Just yell out and ask to leave? Haa… I didn’t even think of that, and I ended up running around until I got bitten to death.”
I couldn’t help but feel that I was probably the only one wanting to come back to this Safari every day.
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