Chapter 5
“And this book contains the knowledge recorded by the fanatics of that time….”
Suppressing his discomfort, he opened the book again.
Its pages were filled with material that would make anyone with ordinary sensibilities retch. But he had no choice. In this situation, remaining where he stood meant falling behind.
“……”
The dry scratch of a pen continued across the notepad. He organized the information piece by piece.
The beginning of learning is imitation.
That did not apply only to Coco. He, too, had to imitate the logic of this world.
No matter how horrific the knowledge, at its foundation lay the purest wisdom. It was always ugly humans who misused knowledge; information itself could not be evil. He needed to find that point.
First, grasp the familiar framework. Fully understanding this text is the first step. Extracting only the knowledge that can be practically applied comes next.
In many situations, ignorance becomes a sin. Without eyes to distinguish right from wrong, a human can clutch a jewel and still throw it into the mud.
The more one knows, the more the world becomes favorable.
More precisely, I can make it favorable to me.
“…I just imagined something quite dreadful. If my mind becomes contaminated before I understand all of this, that will be a troublesome problem in its own way.”
“Yes.”
“I have another question. If such contamination occurs, does this game’s convenient system ‘restore’ it when one dies and returns?”
“No.”
“That is still acceptable. Rather than stagnating and rotting, becoming contaminated and altered may be more productive. Expecting perfection from the beginning would be excessive greed, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“I am not narcissistic enough to believe I am a flawless being. Even if I fail, I need only improve upon it. That is no different from what I have done until now.”
“Yes.”
“At times like this, I feel that you are on my side.”
Lee Yeon-woo rolled his eyes dryly.
“Why is that?”
A long mass of shadow stretched across the desk.
Coco flicked its tail. It stared intently at the grotesque sentences in the open book, as if deciphering them.
“Why are you favorable to me?”
“Favorable to me.”
“You’re doing well. You’re becoming accustomed to using intonation. Very commendable.”
To resolve his questions about Coco, he needed to learn more.
Why had this game become real and appeared in reality in the first place? Why Lee Yeon-woo? Was all of this a natural disaster, or someone’s conspiracy?
And to learn that… it seemed too early.
“……”
He read for a long time.
Then pressed his temple firmly.
“…If I had known, I would have entered medical school….”
For a life sciences graduate, the hurdle was rather high.
“Can I understand this just because I’ve read a few case reports?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think I can. Does the computer work here?”
“Yes.”
“If you could at least give me internet access, it would be quite comforting.”
“No.”
The books largely dealt with human experimentation.
“Since the hotel’s background was a facility for worship and research of an otherworldly force… the main current seems to flow in that direction.”
Are they insane.
“I was once at the forefront of engineering, and now I find myself studying theology. What a bizarre fate. Don’t you think so, Coco?”
“No.”
“Do you lack the capacity for sympathy?”
But he had grown accustomed to such indifference. He continued organizing the documents.
“As you already know, most research centered on the power of the otherworldly entity.”
“Yes.”
“From weaponizing organisms and organicizing weapons to methods of manufacturing artificial humans… from an academic standpoint, it is quite a stimulating curriculum. A rather excellent textbook.”
“No.”
“Correct. Calling these bundles of paper textbooks would be an insult to paper. They resemble the scribblings of madmen more than books.”
Each reading felt like being doused in filth, contaminating the mind.
“They are arrogant monologues with no regard for being understood by others.”
“Yes.”
“As scholars, they lack even the most basic refinement….”
Still, the depth of knowledge possessed by the narrators was worthy of acknowledgment.
He had suffered abnormal status effects more than once while reading, but aside from their humanity being in the negative, the knowledge alone held value.
When he began to grasp the contents to a certain degree, he realized:
“To summarize, it is black magic in a metaphorical sense — more precisely, a manipulation technique based on blood-mediated heredity and ritual processes….”
“Yes.”
“Because it uses blood, blood… ma…”
“Ma?”
“……”
“Blood demon?”
Leaving aside Coco uttering a name suited to an entirely different genre,
“…Am I unable to keep up with modern sensibilities?”
A wave of exhaustion and skepticism washed over him. He had even lined up to buy trendy desserts once.
No, it cannot be modern sensibility.
In truth, this sensibility was far older than Lee Yeon-woo himself — the ancestors’ sense of aesthetics, if one insisted on defining it.
Then perhaps the author suffered from severe adolescence?
That was not it either. Terms like black magic and blood magic were not used by a single writer alone. Yet saying such words aloud felt… difficult.
Material he had not touched even in his hot-blooded teens.
And now I must study it seriously.
Deeply, it was repulsive; shallowly, it was embarrassing. Chaos erupted from all directions. That an engineer well past forty must study such subjects felt like an especially cruel joke.
“……”
He calmed himself.
…My thinking is too rigid. There may be no more rational name for this discipline. In the end, a dramatic image appealing to teenagers was likely layered atop brutally cruel knowledge.
And above all,
If my blood pressure rises and kills me again, I am the only one who loses.
Allowing emotion to cost him his life was a luxury he could not afford.
“…Ha.”
With that thought, he felt considerably lighter. More precisely, he forced himself to feel lighter.
This body could die from pure emotion alone. Troublesome, but it must be handled carefully. He could not endure the humiliation of dying from blood pressure again.
“At least I understand that this is not something mastered overnight.”
“Yes.”
“Regardless of my prejudices, the layers of knowledge are substantial. If used properly, it could prove useful.”
“Yes.”
“……”
He added, just in case:
“…That does not mean I intend to invite human guests for practical exercises. Please do not misunderstand. In any case, it is not a discipline I could apply immediately.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no?”
In any case.
It was not bad.
Morally failing, perhaps — but as a tool, quite excellent.
He still did not know where this knowledge had been used within the hotel. He was not at a stage to learn that yet. But this was the process of exploring new knowledge connected to the hotel.
Solving his own questions always brought exhilaration. If only the content were not like this, he might have rejoiced in a more ordinary way.
“……”
And so, he found himself saying:
“…Magic. I thought it belonged only to fantasy, yet it appears to have substance.”
A force premised on consistent laws and repeatable outcomes.
If so, this magic could also be classified as a technology.
“Yes.”
Coco affirmed.
“It has substance.”
“That is astonishing news, in many ways….”
This was not a domain that could be hastily fabricated as a mere game setting.
Like science or mathematics, it was a highly developed discipline established over long ages.
At this point, he was certain.
“This is not a game becoming reality. Reality has accepted the game’s rules.”
It had surpassed a classic metafictional collision. External reality and in-game settings coexisted without friction.
“……”
“In other words, one may infer that someone designed this vast framework with clear intent.”
Something that undeniably exists in this world had borrowed ancient wisdom and technique to pull a once-fictional game into reality.
“And I was caught in it.”
But why me?
Even if magic exists, there is no guarantee the concept of karmic retribution does not exist as well… but unless I was a traitor in a past life, this situation feels excessively malicious.
He prided himself on living as a diligent, ordinary citizen.
“……”
“Hello….”
“Yes, hello.”
He was not without anger, but he restrained himself for the healthy purpose of blood pressure management. He had no wish to repeat that humiliating sudden death.
“…I understand that I must dig deeper into this field. I do not know what design I have been entangled in, but having been thrown into an unknown world, is it not only fair that I prepare minimal means of self-preservation?”
Of course, reaching the level of fairness would take a long time.
“……”
“Sometimes, refined knowledge is more effective than crude physical force.”
At present, Lee Yeon-woo had no means of cultivating strength, and abundant knowledge was the only key to expanding his options and responses.
“Having confirmed that the magic described here can possess this level of aggression, the possibilities are limitless. Beyond simple defense, one could construct entirely new systems… or reorganize these chaotic formulas into efficient structures.”
He would continue studying. Still, unease lingered.
“So I ask,”
He looked at the black cat.
“Who was it?”
“……”
“You are favorable to me, Coco.”
That much he knew.
“We often disagree because you are far removed from conventional human ethics, yet you fundamentally respect and treat me well. Even so, there are moments when you cannot help me.”
Why?
“Who is restricting us?”
If certain functional limitations were imposed on Coco and its kind within this system, that would imply the existence of an independent, higher rule structure surpassing individual will.
“Are you trapped here too?”
“……”
“…You may not know this, but our adorable teacher has a nasty habit of answering difficult questions with silence. It is petty of me, but sometimes I resent that.”
“……”
“I hope we are on the same side, but…”
He did not know.
“When will I be able to leave?”
There was still no answer.
“……”
No matter how he looked at it, this one showed no intention of accepting human guests.
“……”
It was something already anticipated. He knew it would come to this. This was that kind of human. He could not endure his own incompetence.
“……”
His incompetence included many things.
Failing to protect others. Causing trouble. Lacking diligence. Becoming entangled in circumstances.
Everything beyond his control.
“……”
As expected.
It must be you.
You. It must be you. You are needed. You.
Justification. Justification. Justification. This one must take responsibility here. The suitable one. Must seize. Cannot send away. Confine. The only suitable one. Justification. Necessary. Reason. Disaster. A reason to accept what lies beyond control. A choice at the edge of the cliff. Legitimacy. Control.
The hotel must be maintained. The beginning is important. It must not break. Necessary. It must endure. It must develop and grow. Help is needed. Help. The suitable one. Help. Can do it. Game, game. Like before. It must grow. It will grow. How.
Human guests. You. Human. Protect. Then use.
Use. Utilize.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Found it.
Human guests.