Chapter 99
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Chapter 99 With my resolve hardened, I descended the stairs slowly and deliberately. The staircase wasn't deep. I reached the door after only a few steps. It wasn't the Basement itself, but rather I would need to open the door and enter to actually reach the Basement. Light seeped in from behind me, and thanks to that, I could read the nameplate written on the Basement door. 【Door】 "Door?"
Of course it would say door. Normally, wouldn't it say something like Basement or Storage? Feeling puzzled, I quietly turned the doorknob. Click, click. Though I'd somewhat expected it, the door wouldn't open. Should I ask Jenath about this? He probably wouldn't tell me, but I'd have to try once he returned home. I quietly climbed back up the stairs. After checking my surroundings and glancing out the window in case Jenath returned earlier than expected, I ascended to the Second Floor. The Second Floor reeked terribly, as expected. I pinched my nose and walked down the Second Floor Corridor. At the far end of the Second Floor Corridor lay the staircase leading to the Third Floor. With a tense expression, I walked slowly down the corridor. Even though it was a time when the morning sunlight streamed down fiercely, the Second Floor Corridor remained dim. This was because there were only two windows in the corridor, and they were both extremely small. As I'd observed yesterday, all the room doors were open, and there was nothing particularly unusual. Ascending to the Third Floor this way, I discovered one strange door right beside the staircase the moment I reached the top.
"What is this?"
A strong stench emanated from that location. I hesitated for a moment. Was it right to open this door? Setting aside right and wrong, frankly, I was terrified. 'I absolutely despise horror.' I swallowed dryly and wiped the sweat pooling in my palms onto my clothes. Then, with a thoroughly tense expression, I slowly grasped the doorknob. Click, click. The door was locked firmly. I couldn't understand why that was so reassuring. I exhaled a sigh and stepped back, then noticed a nameplate written on the door. Covered in dust, I roughly wiped it away with my hand. 【Chamber of Repose】 Sealed Those were the characters written on the nameplate.
"Chamber of Repose? Sealed?"
This was highly suspicious.
"Why are there so many suspicious things in this place?"
Feeling inexplicably unsettled, I quickly turned around and surveyed the Third Floor. Fortunately, the Third Floor was far brighter than the Second Floor. The corridor had many large windows, and sunlight streamed in unobstructed. However, the brightness of my surroundings didn't dispel the eerie atmosphere. For some reason, the Third Floor felt colder than the Second Floor. To feel cold in this tropical climate. And in broad daylight, no less. Somehow, my body hair stood on end with a spine-tingling sensation. I calmly surveyed the corridor. Like the Second Floor, the Third Floor was littered with garbage on the floor and extremely filthy.
"Damn it, all the room doors are closed here."
I took a moment to breathe deeply. Opening closed doors required tremendous courage. I had no way of knowing what might be waiting for me inside. There were four room doors in total. The first room was completely empty—no bed, no wardrobe, nothing. While relief washed over me, I also grew concerned that I might not obtain any useful information this way.
"I wish there were at least some information about this place."
I took a deep breath before the second door and grasped the handle. Thud. A sound echoed from inside the room, and I froze. What in the world was that? I quietly released the handle. There was no way I could open this door. I decided to skip the second room entirely. I was in the process of opening the third door and confirming there was nothing of value inside when it happened. Crash!
"Ah, damn it! You scared me half to death!"
The second door burst open violently, and I was so startled that I collapsed onto the floor. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest. I placed a hand over my heart to confirm it was still intact and took a few shaky breaths. The second door stood wide open in my field of vision. My entire body went rigid in an instant, unable to move. Terror overwhelmed my mind, and my body trembled uncontrollably. I finally understood why horror movie protagonists couldn't simply run away when faced with danger. 'Damn it, I'm terrified!' Fortunately, nothing burst out through the open doorway. Only a cold breeze lingered in the corridor, and I slowly got to my feet. A strong wind must have blown the door open. It seemed better for my mental health to believe that explanation. 'But I really should check inside the room.' I gripped the wooden sword firmly in my hand and slowly approached the second door. Then I cautiously peeked my head around the frame to look inside. The room contained a single bed, a single wardrobe, and a desk positioned in front of the window. Because the room had a window, it wasn't dark, but the atmosphere felt strangely desolate. Unlike the other rooms that were cluttered with garbage, this one was remarkably clean. Aside from some dust, it looked as though someone had actually lived here. As I surveyed the room, I noticed something lying on the floor in front of the desk. It looked like a notebook. The sound I'd heard earlier must have been from this falling to the ground. I placed a hand over my heart and slowly entered the room. Despite the sunlight streaming through, the air felt cool and desolate.
"Is this a diary?"
I slowly picked up the notebook and opened it. Covered in dust, I brushed it away roughly with my hand and skimmed through the contents. The notebook was filled with memos written in someone's elegant handwriting. Among the illegible scrawls, one sentence stood out clearly. I should die. A chill ran through me, and I hesitated as I turned the page. Another entry was written below it. Everyone is dead. Should I survive? I don't think I can escape from this Island. Never. This isn't living. Who wrote this? Did Jenath write it? Or was it one of his dead companions he mentioned? I quietly turned the page. I feel like I'm losing myself more and more. That's why I decided to keep a record. Of everything I've experienced so far. The diary I'm reading doesn't seem to be the record book the author is referring to. It seems there's a separate book for the actual records. I quietly turned to the next page. Thanks to Jenath, the poison was completely cured. The reason we were all going mad was because of that red flower—Tentationem, apparently. Thud. I dropped the notebook I was holding onto the floor. I stared blankly at the fallen notebook. I hadn't misread it. It was now certain that the author of this entry wasn't Jenath. And the author had clearly mentioned being addicted to Tentationem. Strangely, I kept thinking of the original novel. The author mentioned "the reason we were all going mad was because of this flower."
My memory was hazy, but I distinctly recalled Yuanna speaking in a similar manner in the original novel. -We were all going mad because of this flower.- I felt like I'd heard dialogue like that before. I'm not sure why it came to mind, but because of it, the sentence written in the notebook gave me an odd sense of déjà vu. I slowly picked up the notebook again. And carefully turned to the next page. She showed me a way to undo everything. And I received a key from her. She said it was a key that could open every door. 'Her? Who is she?' Could the key possibly be the same one that Yuanna possesses? Yuanna kept coming to mind. Strangely so. I hurriedly turned the page. I intend to set out tomorrow to find the place she showed me. I plan to find rest there. I think I'll be able to finish this book I've been writing as a record in that place as well. I turned to the next page again. What matters more than survival is not forgetting that I am myself. I etched deeply into my heart those words she had spoken to me. My legs lost their strength. I ended up sinking to the floor, still clutching the notebook. 'What matters more than survival'. It was the title of someone's practice novel that I had picked up off the street during my time as Jin-ju Lee. Could this really be a coincidence? 'Who is this "she" the author mentioned?' There were circumstances, but there was no definitive clue to confirm that the owner of this notebook was Yuanna. 'Since time is limited anyway, I should take this with me.' I crumpled the notebook into my crossbody bag. And as I turned around, I caught sight of someone's collar brushing past through the open doorway. '...XX.'
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