Chapter 35 - Room 103, Room of Curses - 'Athanasia's Human Ranch' (4)
[User: ㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁ
Date: Day ㅁㅁ
Current Location: Layer 1, Room 103 (Room of Curses – Athanasia's Human Ranch)
Sage's Advice: 3]
How can I escape from this 'ranch'?
The conclusion is simpler than expected. I can never leave this place on my own.
How would a chicken escape a poultry farm by its own power?
If I can't leave on my own, then borrowing the power of someone who can is the answer.
And the Teacher, who can leave, is sealed by Athanasia.
Ultimately, all escape plans converge on one direction.
How can I free the Teacher from Athanasia.
Plan A, using 'Multiple Perspectives' to directly dominate Athanasia and disable the control device, failed.
Then, Plan B. It's time to find a collaborator.
From sky to earth, the entire horizon was filled with unidentifiable 'faces.'
Some faces let out low screams endlessly, but most seemed to have lost even that strength, only exhaling groans.
Thanks to that, the entire vast plain was filled with horrifying groans.
Countless intelligent beings' faces that I couldn't possibly recognize.
If I hadn't endured this ranch for a long time and grown numb to fairly horrific scenes, I might have just screamed the moment I arrived.
With 'faces' covering the entire ground, even walking isn't easy.
Leaving aside the squishy ground, bizarre-looking mouths kept trying to bite my feet, so I had no choice but to hop around like a rabbit.
They said there's a collaborator somewhere in this vast 'farm of suffering.' Where could they be?
While continuing to struggle forward, Athanasia appeared in the distance.
Should I hide? I gave up on that.
There's no terrain to hide in on this vast plain full of faces anyway, and the fact that I discovered Athanasia means...
Athanasia, whose senses are far superior to mine, must have already discovered me and approached me.
A form now more familiar than humans.
A giant humanoid creature that seemed to be at least 6 meters tall, with thick tentacles in place of limbs.
The Athanasia that approached me silently watched me, then walked at less than half the speed it had approached.
It must mean to follow.
Has the Swallower recovered their power
?
What. Did it just 'speak' to me?
I stopped before I even realized it from the shock. I had never communicated with Athanasia even once before!
Do you not understand my intentions?
"No... Can you also use human language? I've never heard you speak before."
Let me note that you are peculiar. I will ask again. What is the state of the Swallower? You should know that without their power, neither of you can leave.
"The Swallower... you mean the Teacher, right? They stopped all the Athanasias in the room where they're confined."
That should be enough to let you out.
For the first time, I conversed with Athanasia. Then, I asked the question that had been on my mind since arriving.
"This place full of faces... The Teacher said this place is like Athanasia's prison."
It is a hell where intelligent beings who opposed Athanasia had only their heads extracted and imprisoned.
"Why... why do you do this? Why are you so cruel to people, no, to all these creatures?"
A foolish question. Have 'humans' ever been merciful to beings lower than themselves?
I was momentarily speechless. But Athanasia continued the conversation.
In truth, such a question was wrong from its very premise. 'Athanasia' didn't create this hell in the first place.
I don't know if the 'real Athanasia' outside operate such hells, but at least the one who created this hell is not Athanasia, but the Tower of Trials itself.
'Tower of Trials.' Is it referring to the Hotel?
"Since we can communicate, let me ask—why are you helping the Teacher, no, the Swallower escape? Aren't you also Athanasia?"
What does the race given to me in this puppet show matter?
Puppet show. The moment I heard that word, I understood.
This being...
Knows that all this situation is happening inside the Hotel.
Just like the 'Teacher.'
Also, hearing your question, I realized. You still don't understand the providence of this place well.
The Swallower's purpose is not escape. They can never leave this place
?
I was surprised again. The Teacher's purpose isn't escape?
"Then what is their purpose? What is your purpose?"
The Swallower's purpose will become known in due time. My purpose is... let's say it is the continuation of my ego itself.
"Continuation of your ego?"
You vaguely know the providence of this place, but not precisely. I have a proposal to make, so I will explain.
The Tower of Trials has existed for a very long time, drawing in countless intelligent beings...
Those who passed the trials completely obtained miracles.
The Tower of Trials is indeed referring to the Hotel.
Most do not pass. The defeated are trapped in the tower forever, becoming actors in the masquerade the tower produces.
Sometimes killing participants, sometimes being killed by participants, becoming part of the tower while forgetting even who they are...
"So you're also..."
A loser.
I don't even remember who I was anymore. Let us return to the first question.
Why do I, as Athanasia, help the Swallower? It's because they are not real.
Beings who don't even know who they are or where this is, trapped in the roles given by the tower, operating the ranch of intelligent beings.
But in reality, they are nothing more than beasts trapped in the ranch created by the tower themselves.
How can such beings be called my kin? Know this. There are only two true beings in this 'room.' One is participants like you, and the other is the 'Swallower.'
"By your own words, you know so much about the tower and have awakened from your 'role,' so aren't you a true being too?"
I merely maintain my ego by parasitizing the 'Swallower'... 'He' periodically breaks my 'role' and restores my ego.
But is this restored ego truly genuine?
Who can say.
Perhaps I am a puppet created by the 'Swallower.' A tool that exists only to wait for a 'participant' like you to reach this place...
So I have a request for you.
"..."
Someday, when you have overcome the tower's trials sufficiently, you will reach either 'Buddha' or the 'Room of Resurrection.'
Then, please pray for the salvation of me, 'Estavio'...
I am Athanasia.
I will be stronger than most beings you will encounter in this tower. I will surely be of great help.
A familiar story. When Gain oppa got hurt at the swimming pool, the 'Doctor' who visited Room 105 made such a proposal.
Hearing those words, we learned that the hotel has a kind of 'loser's revival match.' After the Doctor, now I've heard 'Estavio's' proposal.
Not knowing what to say, I walked without giving any answer.
Estavio also didn't speak anymore after that, and we walked endlessly across the plain full of faces.
Had about two hours passed?
Actually, walking on this face-filled plain was so difficult that I was struggling in less than 30 minutes, and Estavio silently lifted me up.
Carried like that for a while longer, finally some structure appeared.
An indescribable appearance.
The most peculiar part was that no matter how I looked at it, this building seemed like some kind of giant creature.
When Estavio, who had entered the grotesque building, touched some kind of control panel, it started moving downward. This building—was it some kind of elevator?
"Where are we going now?"
Didn't the Swallower tell you?
"They said if I find a collaborator, they would help neutralize the control device."
One of those control devices is in the facility's basement.
"If we dismantle that, will the Swallower be freed?"
You must dismantle all three. I will help with two... but the last one is ultimately your problem.
That is probably the final trial the tower has prepared for you in this place.
Trial.
Why does this hotel keep giving me trials like this? I've never asked for any treasure or anything.
Estavio seemed tired of further conversation and didn't respond to my words after that.
-------Thwack!
The third one.
When we went underground, there were other Athanasias. They didn't suspect Estavio at all and just did their own work,
and Estavio naturally ambushed and eliminated them one by one, as naturally as breathing.
As if—having done this thousands, tens of thousands of times.
It might be that Estavio is simply stronger than a typical Athanasia, but...
Progressing this smoothly couldn't be seen as simply a matter of strength.
Perhaps, this series of procedures—the 'Teacher' sending a 'participant' to Estavio, and Estavio guiding the 'participant' to free the 'Teacher'—has been repeated countless times.
I shook my head and cleared my thoughts. Such thoughts can be discussed with my comrades outside. My smarter older siblings will sort it out well.
For now, let's just think about getting out.
After some time passed, all the Athanasias in the facility except Estavio were dead.
Even the transcendent Athanasias who could shake a person's mind with just a gesture—when their heads were pierced by tentacles by another Athanasia, they just looked like giant starfish.
In the eyes of a dog, even humans look like gods.
So this was the meaning of those words. These beings are neither great transcendents nor gods. They're just beings a little stronger than humans.
Central underground facility
A semi-transparent hologram in the center of that place
Estavio set me down.
From here, you must do it yourself.
"Are you doing something with the bracelet? You'd be better at using this than me..."
'Multiple Perspectives' cannot be used by anyone other than the registered owner.
You can use it because the Swallower took measures that even I cannot understand.
I raise my arm.
Once again, the familiar sensation of my mind floating into emptiness fills my head.
This time's 'target' is that something that looks like a hologram.
And as the bracelet activates—
I realized the absurdity of this facility.