Chapter: 98
98 – Room 102, The Curse Room – ‘Mansion of Horror’ Re (11) Fin
*Fourth Attempt
– Son of Heaven
As I paused and floated in the air, a caterpillar crawled up nearby.
“I thought you were busy making a cocoon, yet here you are, gracing me with your presence.”
[What’s your objective? Why are you trying to stop me?]
“Is it really necessary for you to know? Today is supposed to be your funeral, after all. Ah, but since you haven’t even been born yet, I guess calling it a funeral is a bit redundant. How about we call it a stillbirth ceremony? Or maybe an abortion ceremony?”
With just a hint of teasing, my opponent’s anger was palpable.
I felt it once again: the One Who Couldn’t Be Born was distinctly off.
This wasn’t merely about strength. It seemed clueless about the Hotel and had an oddly un-godlike mentality.
A brief thought crossed my mind.
For the first time since my Descent, a real fight was about to begin.
*
Exactly 27.38 seconds passed after the fight began.
A fleeting moment under 30 seconds.
In a realm of blurring speeds that broke the sound barrier, a hand that felt like it could engulf the entire world lunged at me.
With a sword capable of splitting mountains, I chopped down the hand, yet a malice beyond comprehension crashed upon me.
Sorcery? Magic?
What a ludicrous notion.
Even if it hasn’t been born yet, the malice of a being on the verge of divinity is a miracle unto itself. How could such a thing be measured by human knowledge?
Of course, I was just a half-step into the divine realm myself.
My desire to survive became a miracle that shielded me from this hostility.
I summoned a second sun to unleash radiant beams. While I could easily scorch an entire city with that power, the enemy swallowed the sun whole as if it were a hot potato.
Again, I pounced, slashing with a mountain-splitting force.
The strike seemed ready to split the caterpillar, but it passed through as if the caterpillar were liquid.
…
In the span of one minute, I realized something.
I absolutely could not win.
The overwhelming confidence I had felt before entering this space was swiftly fading.
If comparing it to astronomy, it was the difference between the moon and the stars.
No matter how strong I might be as a mortal, I was simply the moon reflecting the power granted by the “Lord.”
And no matter how lacking my opponent was as a god, they were a star shining brightly on their own.
There was one more critical flaw.
All the “fights” I had experienced up to now were merely child’s play compared to this one. I had never faced a fight at this overwhelmingly high level in my life.
I was painfully aware of the lack of proficiency in the power I had gained through my Descent.
I swung my sword twice more, but every action was rendered useless.
What a pitiful gap in my defense was laid bare!
In terms of time, it was like a moment that had been split a thousand times in a single second.
…In such a level of combat, that little time was enough for my head to roll ten times.
In the end, I was unable to properly defend against the mass of tentacles attacking from all directions.
—BANG!
Ah. I was flung back, losing control of my body.
How far am I being thrown?!
My physical form was intact, but that was irrelevant.
The power gifted by this “Descent” was by no means infinite, and it was beginning to show signs of depletion.
…Defeat approached with relentless determination.
What if I failed to resolve this mess, not to mention escape?
I had to at least inflict a crippling blow upon that creature to delay its birth long enough for a getaway.
Finally, I managed to halt my flight by grabbing onto a protrusion from the wall, or rather, the corpse of the Nebula Dragon.
…Then I heard a voice I couldn’t comprehend.
[You’ve gained tremendous power, yet seem clueless on how to wield it.]
“…Who are you?”
[You have acquired the authority to shape reality at will, yet you fight like a monkey?]
“I don’t know who you are, but I would really appreciate some help right about now.”
[There’s something I desire from you, so I’ll lend a hand for a bit.]
My consciousness soared into the boundless sky.
I sensed a truly magnificent will encasing me.
Only at that moment did I grasp what the “voice” meant.
The “Lord” had handed me a gun, yet I was swinging it like a club.
How foolish must I have appeared to the great beings?
*
What are gods?
I came to understand multiple times that the “gods” spoken of in the Hotel, the Administration Bureau, and the Vatican were not the omnipotent beings depicted in Christianity.
They were beings transcending humanity, reminiscent of those found in Hinduism or Greek mythology, but they had their own limits.
So, what abilities did they possess that allowed them to be distinguished from mortals and be referred to as gods?
After taking a step deeper into the divine realm with the help of the “voice,” I gained clarity.
If mortals are the actors on stage, then gods are the set designers who shape that very stage.
From the edge of my vision, the One Who Couldn’t Be Born advanced toward me.
Words slipped from my lips, and I began dictating reality with “Power Words”.
“I declare that you will deny me three times today.”
[Foolish nonsense—what kind of power is this?]
“O child of the Nebula Dragon. You have wielded your servants to slaughter countless innocents, accumulating a mountain of karma to your name. Yet the mercy of the “Lord” is truly grand. Will you repent in my presence?”
[Do you speak of karma while trampling ants? I’ve committed no sin!]
Those unrepentant have no right to enjoy freedom; they shall forever remain in chains.
Scorching chains erupted from the ground, ensnaring the sinner.
“O unrepentant sinner. From this bleak place, you gazed upon the radiant lands, consumed by endless envy toward the living. Yet the mercy of the “Lord” is truly magnificent. Will you confess in my presence?”
Nonsense! I am the firstborn of the Nebula Dragon! I am destined to open a new world. How could I envy mere mortals!?
Those incapable of overcoming their own inferiority possess no right to tread toward the future, and they shall forever be robbed of growth.
Swords materialized from the void, cleaving the body of the defeated.
All the threads forged from mortal souls were severed before they could weave a cocoon.
“O child who cannot grow. The karma you’ve built is now returning to haunt you. The day of judgment draws near. But alas, the mercy of the “Lord” is substantial. Will you recognize your fear and bow before me?”
[I am… the firstborn of the dragon… Though I may perish, I refuse to tremble like a coward.]
The voice of the child trembled intensely, making them unable to look me in the eyes.
One who cannot face their own fears has already lost their judgment; thus, their intellect fades into oblivion.
The trembling child contracted into a sphere, almost as if retreating from the confrontation.
Soon, they began to crawl like an actual caterpillar.
“Ah, what a tragedy this is!
I bestowed upon you three chances, a chance to repent, confess, and acknowledge. Yet you denied me three times! How can you escape the cost of that denial?”
The child, now devoid of intellect, erupted into a wailing scream.
[Ahhhhh!]
“You are a sinner. Yet you are but a child.
Behold! The mercy of the “Lord” is immense. Though you have amassed this great evil, another chance still looms for you. O child, will you lay down your burdens and return to the embrace of your waiting parent?”
At last, the child who had denied me three times finally let go of everything and accepted my words on the fourth attempt.
The One Who Couldn’t Be Born transformed into a pure ray of light, slowly rising toward the heavens.
The “Power Words” concluded, and the force of Descent departed from me.
*
– Han Kain
As the miracle waned, I finally awakened.
What on earth just happened? And what was that finale?
I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. It felt as if I had just emerged from a long dream.
Suspended in mid-air, trembling in confusion, the entire space—the remains of the Nebula Dragon—began to stir.
—Tuung!
In an instant, I was propelled somewhere.
When I regained my senses, I found myself in an endless void, staring at a “dragon” watching me closely. Each of its eyes were larger than lakes, and each scale was greater in size than an island.
Was this what it felt like to be gazed at by the sun?
[Have you finally gained some understanding?]
“What? What are you talking about?”
[The way to utilize power.]
…Only then did I realize that the creature helping me earlier was this very dragon.
At the same time, I learned another crucial fact.
The reason the Convict—or rather the One Who Couldn’t Be Born—couldn’t understand the Hotel!
“Were you the convict of this room? Did the Hotel kill you? Though, you seem a lot more alive than most dead folks…”
[I assure you, I am most definitely dead. Consider this my farewell note. However, time is limited.
You have greatly aided in seeing my goal to fruition. Do you have any questions?]
…Questions.
Too many questions. So many that I struggled to formulate one.
So, I blurted out the first that came to mind.
“What exactly is the Hotel? Why did they lock us away? And what do you mean by achieving your goal? What are the goals of the Convicts?”
[Regrettably, I can only answer the last part. Each Convict has their own distinct purpose. As for mine, it was the salvation of my child.]
“The salvation of your child?”
[You mortals cherish your children dearly; why would it be any different for me?
For eons, I have witnessed my child suffer in this hell, enduring a doomed wish. I have fervently prayed for the child to have ‘another chance.’]
As those words escaped, the dragon’s gaze fixated on the sky.
The pure light of the One Who Couldn’t Be Born was now fluttering through the air like a butterfly, venturing forth beyond the dimensions.
[Ahh… My child. At last, the Buddha shall grant you another chance.]
“What do you mean by this ‘another chance’ you keep mentioning?”
The space began to tremble. The moment of “resolution” was approaching.
[You must face the trials—was it the Hotel? Ascend, and the understanding will come naturally. It is something deeply yearned for by both mortals and immortals alike. This place is the only location in the entire universe where it can be achieved.]
The only place where it can be accomplished across the universe? What on earth does that mean?
[Though this may well be my end, my child has toiled long in this hell and shall surely receive ‘another chance’.]
The dragon closed its eyes, signaling the end of our conversation.
While it shared countless pieces of information, the crucial parts remained frustratingly unclear. The dragon did not seem to hide anything from me; rather, it felt like the Hotel still held some restrictions on what it could disclose.
Just as the space around me began to shake, a book suddenly appeared before me.
Clutching the book, I braced for the moment of resolution.
[Let me reiterate: thank you. And take care. I sense ill intentions behind the one who granted you ‘Descent’…]
What transpired today was beyond human comprehension.
Still, a vague realization flashed through my mind.
“Hell,” “Repentance.”
…The Administration labeled the transcendent beings trapped in the Hotel as “Convicts,” right?
Does that mean this environment is an eternal hell where divine entities pay for their wrongdoings? If so, what lies ahead for the “One who was Born,” who floated away as a butterfly of light?
After enduring an eternity of punishment and finally repenting through the “Lord’s” strength, shall it, too, receive “another chance” somewhere?
I couldn’t say. I didn’t know if I was speculating or merely fantasizing.
I considered reaching out for sage advice but realized it would likely be fruitless.
The owl itself was under Hotel constraints, so how could I ever uncover insights through my questions?
Convicts had their reasons for being here, that much was clear, but why were we drawn into this place?
Slowly, the void began to disintegrate.
All I could see turned to dust, including the form of the Nebula Dragon. Up until its final moment, it watched the child fluttering beyond the dimensions, having received “another chance.”
I couldn’t grasp it all, yet I understood the dragon’s feelings.
In that moment, the Nebula Dragon was neither the architect of another world nor a convict of the Hotel.
It was merely a being who devoted everything to twist the threads of its child’s destiny for the better.
…For the first time in a while, memories of my parents surfaced.
A notification appeared.
/You have succeeded!
The Mansion of Horror. The one scheming the resurrection of the Evil God! The tragedy began with the death of the Nebula Dragon.
As the god fell, the end times approached. The Apostle sought to complete the stillborn baby god discovered within the remains of a deity!
Maybe the Apostle you defeated was an enemy of humanity but could have been a savior of another realm.
What does it really matter? Does a deer really need to concern itself with a lion?
An Apostle draining the life from comrades, and the master of a mansion who concealed lies until the bitter end!
Moreover, amidst the chaotic changes in the scenario, you forgot important clues out of sheer incompetence.
Despite the storyline spiraling into chaos, with a miracle’s strength, you fought and triumphed against the unborn god! How impressive!
Hopefully, however, you won’t be indulging in this ‘self-imposed hard mode’ again next time. Congratulations.
.
.
.
Amongst the comrades, the final resolution occurs! Congratulations! The resolution bearer emerged, allowing all members to return safely.
You have obtained the relic ‘Tome of Incarnation’./
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