[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
Date: Day 24
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 101 (Room of Curses – Media of Distorted Logic)
Sage's Advice: 3

 

Fifth Attempt

Han Kain

As soon as I entered the room, several alerts appeared:

[The adversaries are aware of the participant's intrusion.]
[The power of the curse intensifies.]
[Escape is impossible.]

...

So this is the penalty that begins on the fifth attempt.

It’s absurdly severe.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Come out! Hahaha! Brother? Aren’t you coming out?”

Crash!

...

The moment it started, my entire family went berserk.

I immediately locked the door and barricaded myself inside.

Can I even get out of this?

Thinking about the others, Grandpa Mookseong, who has a gun, can probably just shoot his way through.

Songyi, with her bracelet, or Jinchul, with his raw strength, should manage somehow.

But I’m worried about Elena. She began surrounded by her family, with her sight and hearing cut off. Whether she can endure long enough to activate her blessing is the real question.

...Honestly, though, I shouldn’t be worrying about others. The real problem is me, Seungyeop, and Eunseol.

Eunseol’s situation seems hopeless. Her bodyguards will surely rush at her. It wouldn’t be surprising if she’s already dead.

Seungyeop probably won’t fare much better.

Bang! Crash!

What do I do? They’re about to break down the door.

...

I opened the wardrobe and layered on as many winter clothes as I could. Three pairs of jeans, two sweaters, and two padded jackets. I looked like I was dressed for Antarctica.

This should make it hard for a kitchen knife to get through, right? My parents and sibling aren’t swordmasters.

Bang!

As the door burst open, I immediately stabbed my younger sibling in the neck with a dagger. Their kitchen knife grazed my torso, but as expected, the thick layers of clothing protected me.

While I stabbed repeatedly in a frenzy, I felt movement behind me and dodged just in time to avoid a blow.

When I turned around, I saw my father holding a golf club from the room.

I could endure this.

Unlike me, who was wearing what felt like a suit of armor, my family was in regular clothes. The curse seemed to have reduced their intelligence drastically.

It didn’t take long to knock them all out.

As expected, even after taking down my entire family, the “escape” message didn’t appear.

...My stomach started to hurt.

“The power of the curse has intensified,” it said.

When I stepped outside, the world had turned into hell.

Everyone was attacking everyone else. A complete catastrophe.

If there was any small relief, it was that, unlike my family, who were explicitly targeting me, the other cursed people outside seemed to be indiscriminately fighting each other without specific direction.

In this chaos, transportation systems were obviously useless.

How was I supposed to get to the broadcasting station? Walk through this hell?

I decided to drive a car. Surely, in this madness, no one would arrest me for driving without a license.

I had a rough idea of the route to the station.

Just before leaving, I checked my status screen.

[Companions’ Locations (*)]
Park Seungyeop: Deceased
Lee Eunseol: Deceased

As expected, they hadn’t survived.

If necessary, I’d use Descent. It wouldn’t be a waste if it meant securing the artifact.

...My stomach pain worsened.

Driving for the first time was easier than I thought. My experience with bumper cars gave me the basics.

Everyone was too busy fighting to clog the roads, so there weren’t many cars. The pedestrians?

I ran them over.

There weren’t many vehicles left, so I ignored traffic lights and speed limits. I hit people, crashed into things, and kept going.

Driving’s easy, huh?

…Still, I should probably take proper lessons if I get out of here.

After a treacherous drive, I finally arrived at the broadcasting station. Seeing the faces of my companions after all this was an unexpected comfort.

Songyi, who had walked the ten-minute distance, and Grandpa Mookseong, who had likely driven himself, were already there.

“What about the others?”

“They’re on their way. Check your status screen. If someone dies, it’ll update to say ‘Deceased,’ right? Do you think the rest will make it?”

“I’ve been checking regularly. Elena and Jinchul are still alive. They seem to be making their way here.”

Grandpa Mookseong nodded, then gave me a once-over.

“And what’s with the penguin look? What’s all this clothing?” He chuckled. “Ah, I see! You got creative, huh? Makes sense since you don’t have a gun. That’s my junior for you!”

“...”

“Still, maybe you should take off some layers. You look like you’re overheating.”

I had no intention of becoming his “junior,” but he was right—I was sweating buckets. I took off a few layers.

“What about the broadcasting station staff?”

“They seem to be ‘preparing.’”

“Preparing?”

“They haven’t come down at all. They must’ve noticed we’re coming and are making some sort of arrangements.”

“What kind of arrangements?”

“The thing I’m most worried about is guns. A station like this probably has armed security guards. They’re likely preparing to bring firearms. That’s why Songyi and I have been waiting. Once Jinchul gets here with something to act as a shield, we can move.”

Cough!

...

A scratchy feeling in my throat forced me into a harsh coughing fit.

Blood and what looked like teeth came out.

...

“...”

“You okay?”

I lifted my shirt to check my stomach.

...A new mouth was forming on my abdomen.

“What about you and Songyi? Are you both alright?”

Without a word, Grandpa Mookseong lifted his shirt.

...His torso was writhing with a grotesque mix of eyes and tongues.

“When this started, it said, ‘The power of the curse intensifies.’”

“It seems the curse is now warping our bodies as well. Songyi’s right arm has been affected.”

“Looks like this won’t last long,” Songyi muttered.

“Don’t overthink it. Were you planning on staying here long anyway? Once the others arrive, we’ll head to the hospital,” Grandpa Mookseong replied.

“If it comes to it, I’ll use Descent,” I offered.

“That’s what I’m counting on. To be honest, it’s the only reason I agreed to try Room 101 again.”

“Wait… was that why you voted yesterday?”

“Of course. I still think going to another room was the smarter choice. But with your Descent, we might just pull this off.”

Not long after, the sound of a car engine announced Jinchul’s arrival.

“You’re here! You bastard! Don’t tell me you brought your mother again?” Grandpa Mookseong bellowed.

“Do you think I’d make the same mistake twice?” Jinchul shot back indignantly.

“Did you take the pill?”

“I came without it.”

We waited together for Elena to arrive.

After about 15 minutes...

An angel descended from the sky.

Elena’s golden hair shimmered as if forged from molten gold, cascading in waves.

A radiant golden scale spiraled around her, glowing brightly.

In this form, Elena literally descended from the heavens, ignoring us entirely as she ran directly toward the upper floors of the broadcasting station.

“Huh? Elena? Wait!”

“Damn it! Run! She’s already activated Judgment—she can’t stop now!”

Elena had arrived, already in her Judgment state.

We chased after her, barely keeping up.

Her tattered blouse and dress, while striking in appearance, revealed the harsh reality beneath—

...torn?

Upon closer inspection, her clothes were shredded, and her body was covered in wounds.

The rest of the team finally noticed.

“Elena? Are you hurt?” Songyi asked, concern evident.

Despite her compelled actions, Elena could still speak clearly.

“My sister attacked me as soon as it started. I activated my blessing, but it doesn’t heal wounds already inflicted.”

As we ascended the broadcasting station, resistance began in earnest.

Bang! Bang!

People in police uniforms fired their guns, while the station’s employees hastily constructed barricades from desks and walls.

Pushing through head-on would’ve been a nightmare.

Elena handled it effortlessly.

Invisible forces flung employees aside, rendering them unconscious.

The barricades proved useless—her unseen power swept through with overwhelming force.

Unconscious?

As I observed more closely, none of the employees appeared to be dead.

Had she truly heeded Ari’s words about “subduing” cursed victims?

I began to understand the nature of Elena’s blessing.

Blood trailed endlessly from Elena’s body as she moved forward.

Her blessing deflected bullets, crushed barricades, and subdued everyone in her path, yet her existing wounds continued to bleed unchecked.

The ground behind her was painted red as we climbed.

“Grandpa, what do we do? Can she keep going like this?” Songyi asked in alarm.

“Damn it, I don’t know! If she could just stop, I could at least try to stop the bleeding, but she’s plowing forward without a second thought!”

“Let’s just get to the rooftop as quickly as possible. We’re already on the sixth floor,” I urged.

“I’ll carry her,” Jinchul declared.

“Won’t she attack you if you interfere?”

“I’m not interfering. I’ll just pick her up and run to the next floor. If her blessing is like some kind of AI, it shouldn’t see me as a threat.”

Jinchul rushed forward and scooped Elena into his arms. She didn’t resist.

Could we really make it to the end like this?

When we reached the rooftop, Elena collapsed, her body unable to endure any longer.

The compelling force of Judgment seemed unable to prevent her from losing consciousness due to her injuries.

“The employees below are all neutralized. Let’s leave her here and move on,” Grandpa Mookseong suggested.

“Will she be safe here? The employees aren’t dead; they’re just unconscious. If they wake up, they’ll kill her. We can’t confirm their deaths without risking her attacking us.”

“Are you suggesting we take her to the hospital filled with monsters?”

“Look at this.”

Songyi pointed to the scale orbiting Elena’s unconscious form.

“The blessing hasn’t disappeared.”

“Judgment is still active?”

“Yes. Elena’s body has fainted, but her blessing remains. If she wakes up, she might be able to fight again.”

“She’s bleeding out. What makes you think she’ll wake up?”

“She might not need to. The blessing might still function while she’s unconscious.”

“Let’s take her with us! I’ll carry her—it’s not like she’s heavy,” Jinchul volunteered.

“No, I’ll carry her,” I interjected. “You need to stay mobile for whatever’s ahead.”

Jinchul seemed determined to not leave her behind, so I hefted Elena onto my back instead.

The metallic tang of blood filled my nose. Would this really be okay?

Grandpa Mookseong didn’t argue further.

We stood at the rooftop—our connection to the hospital entrance.

For a moment, everyone paused.

There was no point in delaying any longer. We exchanged determined looks, gathered our resolve, and stepped into the hospital.

The long trial of Room 101 was finally nearing its end.