Escaping the Mystery Hotel

- Cha Jinchul

- Thud! Thud! Thud!

After hearing Kain’s command, I turned around and took a step, but suddenly, my heart started pounding fiercely.

With the first step, my head began to ache.

With the second step, my legs started shaking.

By the third step, I couldn’t even move.

[Step back!]

It wasn’t just psychological fear.

A strange sound echoed in my head, and an unknown force kept pressuring my mind, forcing me to kneel and apologize.

Fortunately, the pain didn’t last long.

A refreshing sensation, like cool water washing down a clogged throat, cleared away the mysterious pressure that had been tormenting me in an instant.

Songee must have used the bracelet on me!

I rushed toward the motionless Kain, gripping the Star once more.

“Ugh!”

The sensation of my palm tearing apart was followed by the sound of three of my fingers snapping off.

The backlash from using the Star repeatedly in the battle against Aurelia was catching up to me.

But now wasn’t the time to back down.

I switched hands and, just as I had done with Aurelia, swung the Star toward Kain.

- Thunk! Thunk!

It felt like striking concrete!

Kain’s body had become extraordinarily durable due to the power of Descent.

But the Star’s power wasn’t entirely ineffective!

With each strike, the golden light radiating from Kain’s body dimmed little by little.

- Crackle!

The sound of electricity crackling rang out, and the light around Kain’s upper body faded.

At the same time, the Star I was wielding embedded itself into Kain’s body!

“Got it! With this, no matter how much of a monster—“

A wave of light crashed down.

Blinding golden waves filled my vision, and an unknown force grabbed me and hurled me away.

When I hit the ground hard and came to my senses, I saw before me the ‘Living Sun’.

[Foolish one, Cha Jinchul. Did this one not warn thee earlier to step back?]

“What the hell is this—“

[This one showed thou mercy and gave thee the chance to retreat of thine own will. Yet, thou wield thine arrogance and dared to harm the body of this Great One, thus thy sin is great and deep.]

“Let’s get one thing straight. That’s not even your body! It’s Kain’s body!”

[The light of judgment shall fall upon thee…]

Lights descended from the sky.

I couldn’t even think about resisting.

It was like standing idly on the street while watching a nuclear missile fall from the sky—there was nothing I could do.

Just before losing consciousness, one thought lingered in my mind.

This monster didn’t even lift a finger but used some kind of mysterious power to kill me.

How on earth could we possibly defeat such a being?

***

- Kim Ahri

“Two people dead in 30 seconds… Kain, that’s really harsh.”

The battle moved fast.

Way too fast.

Jinchul was the first to rush in, summoning the Star to destroy Descent Kain, who was just standing still, and the rest of us waited since we couldn’t fight near the Star.

Songee helped Jinchul once with the bracelet’s power.

Luckily, Descent Kain didn’t retaliate in any way, just standing there like a punching bag.

During that time, the Star’s immense destructive power, which had even warped the cocoon of the One Who Couldn’t Born, worked on Descent Kain as well.

With a loud noise, Kain’s upper body developed a gaping hole big enough to fit a human head, and his body began twisting grotesquely.

Just as we thought it had worked, some unknown force turned Jinchul into a pool of blood in a single blow, and then Songee was taken down too.

What kind of power is this?

Even now, Descent Kain hasn’t moved a single finger.

I don’t know what kind of power he’s using, but it’s my turn to act.

“…”

To my shock, despite the massive hole in his upper body and his body twisting and deforming, he didn’t die.

Slowly, the twisted flesh fell away, and the massive hole began to close.

Once that regeneration is complete, there will be no turning back.

Ahhhh~! How are we supposed to kill him?

Without mental protection, even getting close to him is impossible.

Even the Star needed a long time to deal a significant blow.

And even when we landed a hit, some unknown force counterattacked and killed us, while Kain’s regeneration restored everything like some kind of lizard.

What’s most astonishing is that, since the start, Descent Kain hasn’t even twitched!

We’re essentially fighting a stationary punching bag and still being annihilated.

I don’t know.

I really have no answer.

At least it was a relief to have sent Mooksung to safety.

Let’s do what we can.

At the very least, I can slow down his recovery.

…Today’s going to be rough.

- Clunk!

I took off the Protective Suit.

“Eunsol!”

“What?”

“You wear this now.”

A cold wind began to form at my fingertips.

- Slice!

***

- Lee Eunsol

“Aaaah! Ahri, what are you doing?!”

I screamed, unable to contain my shock.

No one was there to answer me.

Ahri, who had just called me over to make me put on the Protective Suit, had cut her own throat!

Suicide, out of nowhere?

Could it be that Descent Kain used some unknown power to brainwash her?

No.

Her head rolled on the ground, and an enormous amount of blood sprayed into the air, covering Kain!

It was a bizarre sight as if the blood itself was alive and moved with intent.

The crimson mist drifted toward Kain’s body, sizzling as it was absorbed into him.

Then, a horrible tearing sound echoed as blood spurted from Kain’s body.

Is this Ahri’s finishing move?

I had heard from Seungyub about a similar technique she used back in Room 201…

I shook off the confused thoughts.

I need to do what I can.

I obviously can’t get close to that monster.

But perhaps the butterfly can?

- Click!

The beautiful Nightmare Butterfly fluttered toward Kain’s body and merged into him.

Is it working?

Please, just die! Kain, for your Noona’s sake, please just die for meeeee!

How many people have sacrificed themselves for this?

Jinchul and Songee died just to put a hole in Kain’s body.

Ahri died trying to stop that hole from closing.

And still, this monster hasn’t died!

- Twitch!

For the first time, the monster’s body, which hadn’t moved a finger until now, twitched.

Overwhelmed with fear, I stumbled back, spotting Elena.

“Elena!”

“…Unni.”

“Are you okay? Can you still fight?”

I asked, but I didn’t expect much.

At this point, everyone knew that the being inside Kain’s body was the Lord.

I didn’t know exactly what the Lord was, but he certainly wasn’t human.

“…”

“You can’t use Justice? What about Ominous Imagination? Do you have any energy left?”

“…”

Strangely, Elena didn’t respond.

Is she too exhausted?

Or had she gone mad after being exposed to Descent at close range?

Honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising—I’m on the brink of madness myself!

We need to get out of here.

Jinchul and Songee are already dead, and I don’t know what state Ahri is in, but she’s no longer with us.

We have no more options.

“Elena, let’s run. We need to regroup with Grandpa!”

“…Where is Kain?”

“If you mean the Kain inside Perro, he’s with Sanghyun in the back.”

“I see.”

“We need to move now! Hurry—“

“Shut up, you bitch! Can’t you see I’m concentrating?!”

“W-w-what…”

I was so startled that I couldn’t even speak!

Why is Elena suddenly—?

“Don’t act like you can’t hear it. Do you not hear anything?”

“W-what do you mean…”

“The ground is rumbling, can’t you hear it? If your useless ears can’t pick it up, just cut them off with scissors! Ahahaha! I hear it, I hear it!”

The ground is rumbling?

What is she talking about?

If the ground was rumbling, wouldn’t we feel the vibrations first?

But I didn’t feel anything.

“From the moment I entered this filthy underground, I wondered, how can such a noisy facility be built in a place like this without the ground collapsing? As I suspected, this cursed underground city is about to fall! The ground is rumbling. The ground is rumbling! AHAHAHAHA!”

…This underground city built by the cultists beneath the old school building was very bright, despite being underground.

And now, with Kain’s body emitting such blinding light, it was hard to keep my eyes open.

Elena must have lost her mind.

So, I decided not to interfere.

This was her ability after all.

- Rumble!

I can hear it now!

The sound of the ground rumbling and the earth shaking!

At the same time, Elena started to stumble.

Thanks to the strength granted by the Protective Suit, I was able to pick her up with one hand and keep running.

I ran and ran, and ran again.

Behind me, there was an overwhelming sound, as if the entire world was collapsing, but I didn’t look back.

As I sprinted through the door that led us into this underground city, I even managed to grab the confused parrot from the floor.

Perro—no, Kain is here, but where’s Sanghyun?

I don’t know. There’s no time to think!

I dashed up the stairs and ran toward the exit of the old school.

Even after we returned to the old school, the tremors didn’t stop.

- Rumble!

It’s collapsing.

The entire ground beneath the old school is sinking into the earth!

I could see Hotel High students and staff running in all directions, screaming in panic.

I kept running, and running until I finally reached a safe spot.

That was when a sign came into view.

Preparatory Selective, Hotel High School

“…”

“Sorry, but I’m taking down this sign now.”

Fortunately, there were no faculty members around to protest as I removed the sign.

***

https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken