Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 118
Only Krnovel
Episode 118 – No. 107, Gate Room – ‘Witch’s Forest’ (9)
– Han Ga-in
Colleagues noticed the incident from afar and came running.
“What the hell is going on?”
“What? “What’s happening all of a sudden?”
“Ugh! “What on earth is this corpse?”
I explained slowly in an atmosphere of confusion.
Arima suddenly talked for a while about his childhood, explained magical enlightenment, then suddenly kissed her and committed suicide while saying he wanted to be reborn.
It was difficult for me to understand what was being said.
Other people also reacted with absurdity.
Ari opened his mouth as if he was having fun.
“that’s interesting. “She showed that she liked you, but she suddenly kissed me and committed suicide.”
“Did you show that you like it?”
“Surely you didn’t know?”
“He was acting strange from the beginning, but I thought it was just an act.”
“I guess acting was something I did at first. After that, it was so obvious that it was hard to call it acting unless you were a professional actor.”
Songi also added.
“Sometimes when we talked, I felt like Arima was very hurt. “Arima thought we were a kind of ‘wizard party’ and he seemed very jealous because we all got along so well.”
Eunsol’s sister asked a question.
“I’m confused, but is this the end now that the witch is dead?”
“That can’t be possible. “Arima said before she died that she was ready to be reborn, so the next phase is definitely-”
A loud notification was heard from the sky.
/Participants! Congratulations on passing the second trial, ‘Witch’s Forest’./
In an instant, the surrounding space began to collapse.
I don’t know what it is, but seeing my colleagues rejoice upon hearing that they have passed the second trial… .
I was terrified.
What Arima said to me. Unusual circumstances. And now a reminder.
‘I also want to have a teacher.’
‘The human mind is an illusion. I will give up my meaningless obsession.’
‘Preparations for a new birth have been completed.’
‘I also wanted to live as a woman.’
Arima touched Jincheol’s body at will for several days.
Hotels place importance on the body itself when distinguishing between real and fake.
All the information came together and pointed to one terrible conclusion!
*
Just like when the first trial was over, everyone arrived in a neat hotel room-like space.
The sealing of the legacy has been completed. The power of the grimoire has been restored. I shouted frantically.
“Song! “Check Jincheol with the bracelet!”
Immediately, a white flash bursts from the bracelet and covers Jincheol as if scanning –
Songi’s face turned pure white.
“uh! What! “Aaaah!”
While Eunsol and Elena were confused, Ari shouted with an expression of confusion.
“no way! “That’s definitely not Jincheol.”
At this point, Grandpa Mukseong was also shocked.
“Sivaaaal! Now ‘that’ is about to wake up!”
Jincheol’s body began to wriggle.
I immediately summoned the grimoire.
If I fight the monster that took Jincheol’s body right now, I won’t be able to bear that sacrifice!
I absolutely have to finish it with the grimoire.
The power of the grimoire is revealed, and my mind rises.
When I came to, I found myself in a luxurious mansion.
*
The sound of music mixed with violin and piano tickles my ears.
A mansion where everything shines brightly, including decorations on the walls, candlesticks, and chandeliers.
I walked through the middle of a space where I could feel the extravagant tastes of the owner of the mansion.
First time experience.
I’ve used grimoires many times, but usually I take control of the other person’s body immediately after possessing them, and I’ve never fallen into some kind of mental world like this.
Is it the power of a witch? I couldn’t figure it out.
As I walked, a colorful dining table appeared. Across from there was Arima.
“Is this your prank?”
“Please tell me it’s just an invitation rather than a joke.”
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“It’s no big deal. “I just want to convince you.”
“persuade? Convince the subject who took my colleague’s body?”
Arima smiled slightly.
“After reading the memories of this body, ‘Cha Jin-cheol,’ I was in a state of shock. The entire world I existed in was just a play created by an omnipotent transcendent being… . In the end, if you look at the ‘real Arima’ before moving into this body, it would mean that it was a fake.
If I had been before enlightenment, I don’t know if I would have turned away just from experiencing this. Because I am saying that I am a fake. But, it’s okay now. After all, the mind is an illusion! It’s just an obsession. It’s all thanks to your teachings. thank you.”
Seeing Arima’s calm demeanor, I also calmed down my excitement.
“I’m glad you said that. However, I think you would have guessed it if you read Jincheol’s memories. “I’m not as great a wizard as you thought.”
Arima showed a rather puzzled attitude.
“Why not?”
“… It looks like you haven’t read all the memories yet -”
“Because you don’t understand the power you use? Because you’re actually young? “If you think about it, the people who said they were disciples are just colleagues using the power given to them by the hotel?”
You read it all.
“I don’t fully understand the power I use. Many parts are just written based on experience without knowing the principles. Being young is actually an advantage, and having many colleagues is also an advantage. Did you get the power from a grimoire? Wasn’t the grimoire something you worked hard to obtain? “You are definitely a wizard.”
I don’t know what to say. Let’s just be honest.
“Could you please leave Jincheol’s body?”
Arima let out a small sigh.
“That answer is a little disappointing.”
“Cha Jin-cheol is my precious -”
“I’m not saying that you value Cha Jin-cheol more than me or that I was disappointed for such childish reasons. “I am disappointed because your answer reminds me that you do not ‘really’ understand the truth contained in the Grimoire.”
“…”
“You are the master of the grimoire, so why don’t you understand? The human mind is like a flowing river. Just like a river flows, the mind flows and changes endlessly. What ordinary people think of as an unchanging self is nothing more than a flowing river that has been scooped up by hand at a specific time and place. “Even if you pump water from the same location and time a day later, the river will be completely different.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about -”
“Listen more. The reason you asked me to ‘leave out’ was probably because you thought I wasn’t Cha Jin-cheol right now, right? “Then what am I?”
“Isn’t it Arima?”
Arima chuckled and took a spin.
… ‘Cha Jin-cheol’ appeared before my eyes.
“Are you Cha Jin-cheol now?”
“…”
He turned once again and returned to his form as Arima.
“I cloned my mind and put it into Cha Jin-cheol’s body. The real Arima’s soul and body have already died, and only the cloned spirit has awakened in this body. Can I say I am Arima? “Isn’t it actually Cha Jin-cheol who inherited some of Arima’s memories?”
“You just cloned his mind and put it into Jincheol’s body? Giving up your soul and body? “How is that different from suicide?”
“Why suicide? I am here. The ‘real Arima’ you think committed suicide in front of you, so the continuity with who I am now is broken? “Wasn’t your teaching that such obsession with continuity is meaningless?”
“I was just saying random things. “I don’t know if there was wisdom from the grimoire mixed in, but what kind of crazy enlightenment did you get after hearing that?”
“As expected, it’s not easy to persuade.”
With Arima’s regretful words, the gorgeous mansion collapsed, and even the space collapsed.
The beautiful witch’s body instantly dispersed like bubbles and a huge dark vortex appeared.
A voice echoed in my mind.
‘If you’re going to make this foolish choice, prove it with your strength!’
A strange fight that I had never experienced before began.
A whirlpool of darkness enveloped me and my body was instantly torn into pieces.
But I could still think straight. I naturally knew how to fight.
This fight is a clash of mind and spirit, and the body is just an illusion from the beginning.
Jet-black chains erupted from all directions and penetrated the vortex.
The whirlpool stirred again, and this time Arima appeared again, lightning flashing from all directions and burning the chain.
The chain stretched out again and crushed Arima’s figure, and this time, lightning summoned from behind struck me.
I realized this after going through this dreamy battle dozens of times.
each other’s strengths.
Because Arima merged with Jincheol’s body, he had stronger control over Jincheol’s mental world itself, which was the stage of the fight.
The fact that I was using the power of the grimoire, which was truly an endless treasure trove of mysteries, was an overwhelming strength in itself.
The problem is that this fight can never end in a short period of time.
It was essentially an imaginary fight without substance, so it was difficult to land the final blow on each other.
It is clear that the next ordeal will begin in an hour. This fight must end before then.
More than ever, I feel that my spirit is ‘above’.
In a world of dreams, away from reality, my mind held on to the doorknob of a distant world that I could never normally reach.
I need a greater power to win.
The power to call reality from a dream, the power to bring something out of nothing!
A grimoire appeared before me in the void.
A new chapter that I had never been able to unfold unfolded before me.
The power of incarnation
Eventually, reality appeared in the world of illusion.
A single flash of light came out and instantly pierced the world of nothingness in which Arima was fighting.
Arima began to scatter like ashes.
‘What kind of power is this?’
‘I don’t know either.’
‘Ahaha! You are truly a consistent person. Even though you clearly know and write, you believe that you don’t know. Do you really not know? Or do you believe that you do not know the meaning of enlightenment because you are afraid of it?’
‘…’
‘It is said that enlightenment is money and five points. Even if you have a moment of enlightenment, you need time to embody it. Please keep this in mind. The moment you get the grimoire, you are already enlightened. The memories of people accumulated over the past 20 years are just holding you back from trying to become truly great… .’
With this as his will, Arima disappeared.
No, is it gone? A spirit reaching higher than usual spoke to me.
Unless Cha Jin-cheol is completely dead, Arima is never dead.
Arima’s ego and Arima’s memories disappeared.
However, a trace will remain in some way for the older brother who will be revived outside the gateway room.
My spirit, which had reached a high realm, gradually came down.
It’s not time yet.
In order for the power of Avatar to truly come into my hands, I need to make some fundamental leap.
Simply passing time and increasing your skill in possession is not enough.
More fundamental growth is needed than that.
I think it will take a long time. Maybe you won’t be able to reach it until you leave the hotel.
‘A mindset that goes beyond human limitations!’
… Is this kind of growth really desirable?
My consciousness became blurred in my worries.
*
– Han Ga-in
I woke up with my consciousness returning to reality.
As soon as I came back, I looked at Jincheol.
My brother’s head was neatly split.
“What on earth happened?”
Eunsol’s older sister answered.
“Rather, I want to ask. What on earth have you done? When you heard that you were writing a grimoire, both of you sat down, and after about 10 minutes, Jincheol’s head suddenly split.”
“is that so… .”
I felt empty. He tried so hard throughout the second ordeal to somehow save Jin-cheol, but all these efforts failed.
Everyone was sitting with somewhat dejected expressions.
Ari said as he tapped me.
“Still, you did a good job. Is it the power of the grimoire? I feel like I’m getting stronger. In any case, I’m glad we avoided the ending where we fight with Jincheol. If Jincheol had summoned a star and fought us, we might all have died if he had hesitated. “Are you sure you’re done with the witch?”
“maybe.”
“That’s a somewhat unsettling answer.”
Grandfather Mukseong intervened.
“Anyway, this incident is extremely scary. “You probably already knew, but considering Ari and Song’s opinions, didn’t the witch succeed in escaping the space of her ordeal by borrowing Jincheol’s body?”
“If you ask me, yes. Of course, I don’t know if the entity that escaped can be called the real Arima… .”
“Let’s skip the philosophical issues. The important thing is that this is a kind of ‘escape’. It is no different from escaping from the inside of the gateway room, the space of trials, to the outside. A similar escape would not be possible from the Chamber of Curse, right?”
My head became confused. It is a form of escape where a copy of one’s mind is inserted into the participant’s body and then comes out when the participant escapes… .
At that moment, something I experienced for the first time since entering the hotel occurred.
[Sage Advice: 3 -> 0]
what? I didn’t write any advice, but the crisis has been overcome. Even all 3 disappear at once?
[Keep your current realization in mind. This is a problem you must overcome at the hotel.]
See next episode