Ch.203203. Rule Number 10

Like a midsummer night’s dream.

Or like a mirage in the desert.

That’s how fleetingly the corpses vanished.

The necromancer, who had been staring blankly at where the bodies had been with a look of disbelief, tried to raise her head as if coming to her senses.

Crack!

My hand, enhanced with mana, swiftly grabbed her slender neck.

“A spiritmaster without spirits and a necromancer without corpses. What a fitting match.”

“Kh-khhk!”

Though she was being dragged along as if sliding, she still struggled to break free, but it now looked like nothing more than the pathetic tap dance of a wretched woman.

She had already dropped her crystal skull, and though she tried to stab my wrist with her dagger, her strength seemed insufficient as the blade merely glanced off.

From the beginning, as a woman whose body had been stitched and patched together multiple times, her physical strength was too weak to penetrate my enhanced wrist.

“W-where are you going?!”

Han So urgently followed behind me. I answered as I left the dining room and opened the front door on the first floor.

“I have something to check.”

“Keeeurgh! Let me gooooo!”

Creeeeak!

The front door opened, and outside was still buried in pitch-black darkness.

There was no need to mention that something was hiding in that darkness, watching us.

The chilling sensation I’d felt since first entering Mongmajeon—I needed to test it.

-2. Please refrain from going outside at night. If you do go out, you are responsible for the consequences.

“Don’t! Don’t do it!”

I felt like a trainer throwing food into a lion’s den. It was slightly flawed that the food was still alive, but nevertheless, I threw her without any hesitation.

Then, as if they had been waiting, shadow-like monsters flew in from the darkness.

At first, there were screams accompanied by the sound of bones being crushed, but soon only wet, smacking sounds echoed from outside.

‘I see.’

Rule number 2 was the most important factor in determining whether we could leave Mongmajeon right now or not.

I needed to verify what the vague statement “you are responsible for the consequences” meant, and this was the result.

“How dreadful.”

Han So turned his head away, saying he couldn’t bear to watch. But considering that she had killed other guests and desecrated the dead by using their corpses, this method of execution didn’t seem excessive.

Yet my eyes continued to watch the necromancer’s death.

‘As expected.’

She too was a being without a soul.

First, Jortu who died earlier.

Then Mule who committed suicide in front of me.

And finally, the necromancer woman.

Despite their deaths, no souls were visible.

The same was probably true for the other guests.

What this meant was ultimately…

“Aren’t you being too hasty?”

The Dark Spiritmaster, exhausted from the fight with the necromancer, came out of the dining room, trying to compose herself.

“We needed to confirm what rules the necromancer knew.”

“We already know the escape method anyway.”

Rule 30: Only the last person remaining can escape Mongmajeon.

Now that we knew this, nothing else mattered. In truth, most of the rules were merely Learic’s tricks to make Mongmajeon more interesting.

“You knew about rule 30, which is why you killed Jortu without hesitation.”

When I confronted the Dark Spiritmaster with this, she turned her head away, avoiding an answer.

Somehow, I had thought Jortu was killed for an absurdly trivial reason.

“So what now? Should the three of us fight to see who wins?”

“Ahem.”

At the Dark Spiritmaster’s sharp exclamation, Han So also subtly increased the distance between us and raised his Maengcheon Mubong.

No matter how much of a righteous and loyal warrior he was, he wouldn’t want to die meaninglessly in a place like this.

Ignoring the two, I slowly turned my gaze to the clock on the first floor.

A day has passed.

It’s now the second day.

Excluding today, only three days remain.

After five days, everyone here will be forcibly evicted and end up like the necromancer just now.

From the center of the two people watching each other warily, I deliberately disrupted the atmosphere by voicing the fundamental question I had been holding.

“What is the purpose of Mongmajeon’s existence?”

“The purpose of its existence?”

“That’s…”

The two hesitated without giving a proper answer. As if they had never thought about it.

I began to pour out the questions I had been pondering.

“A mansion with guests from different eras.”

Full of countless treasures, where food is created randomly and cleaning is done meticulously, even though no mana can be felt.

Rare items like Lemegeton or Maengcheon Mubong are handed out without any effort, as if they were welcome drinks.

“Could something like this really exist?”

Honestly, I shook my head.

“I think it’s impossible.”

Neither of them could strongly deny this. Because it’s the great demon Learic.

They could only guess that it was possible because he was a monster who had lived for hundreds of years, though they didn’t know how.

“Moreover, the biggest concern about this mansion is the time paradox.”

“Time what?”

“What are you talking about?”

I had naturally used a term from Earth. I cleared my throat and corrected my explanation.

“The Han So in my era was an old man. But if I kill the young Han So here, what happens to the old Han So in my era?”

“Ah, that bothered me too.”

Once I explained the concept, the Dark Spiritmaster immediately understood and agreed. Han So also seemed to grasp it without much difficulty, stroking his chin in contemplation.

The time paradox was a significant issue that couldn’t be taken lightly.

Luaness, who was supposed to invade the Griffin Kingdom as Heralazard, was dead. The future of the kingdom itself should have been completely altered.

The entire history should change. A situation that would shake the very story of the game unfolds.

But looking at it now, I was still standing here.

As Deus Verdi, the spiritmaster.

“Despite the countless possibilities for interfering with the past, this mansion doesn’t restrict it at all.”

The fact that Han So dies at eighty-five. That I am the Dark Spiritmaster’s disciple.

No matter what was said, the mansion showed no reaction. This meant there were no specific rules related to it.

“Indeed.”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

There are too many possibilities. This place could greatly impact the continent’s history.

Since I couldn’t help but question it…

“If there is a reason, I think there might be just one.”

Instead, I put forward a simple hypothesis.

“Deaths that occur here, or information about the future that we learn, have no impact on the outside world.”

Both of them fell silent simultaneously.

The Dark Spiritmaster seemed to have caught on, her eyebrow twitching slightly, but Han So still looked puzzled, tilting his head.

“No matter how much I talk about the future, the past won’t change.”

“I-is it because we lose our memories after five days?”

It could be made to seem that way. Actually, at first, I too thought the Dark Spiritmaster had lost her memories when she left this place.

While that might not be entirely wrong, drawing from the fact that there were no souls, I revealed the cruel truth.

“I suspect that everyone except me, who came from the furthest future, might be fake.”

* * *

Dooooong!

At the long bell sound, I slowly got up from the bed. I had intended to just close my eyes briefly, but unexpectedly spent the night wide awake.

After putting the Lemegeton, which I had placed on the desk, into my chest, I headed outside.

We had agreed to meet the two in the dining room, but Han So was standing in the corridor, waiting for me.

He had leaned his Maengcheon Mubong against the wall, and I felt like I was looking at a sentinel before a final stand.

“Have you sorted out your thoughts?”

“…How could one possibly accept that they are not real but fake?”

Even as he said this, Han So gave a self-deprecating bitter smile.

“I realized that the reason you’ve been particularly respectful to me is because you saw me at eighty-five?”

That wasn’t wrong.

If I had just met Han So normally, I wouldn’t have spoken so formally like this.

“It’s not simply because of your age.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s because I thought you were a person worthy of respect.”

“…”

Han So’s gaze settled calmly. His eyes held a heavy curiosity.

“I wasn’t there at the time, but…”

More precisely, the real Deus was at the banquet hall at that time, but…

“From what I heard, at eighty-five, Master Han So fought against demons to the very end, representing an empire.”

“…I did.”

Han So mulled over my words with a disgruntled expression.

“With an aged body, you stood at the very frontline against demons. You remained a warrior of the Han Empire until the very end.”

“…”

“Such a figure deserves respect, which is why I show deference to you now.”

“But it’s not me.”

Cutting off my words, Han So clenched his fist. From his trembling expression, I could feel how much he was lamenting.

“After hearing your words, I’ve been thinking all day. It’s too difficult to simply accept that I’m not the real Han So.”

“…”

“It’s hard to accept, so in the end, I’m thinking of killing you and escaping.”

Against me, who currently can’t handle any souls, Han So could easily gain the upper hand and secure victory.

Despite Han So’s declaration, I remained silent, looking at him steadily. Sensing something odd, he lowered his gaze and asked.

“You’re not resisting?”

“There’s no point in trying. However…”

I had considered this possibility, but there was one thing I needed to clarify.

“I find it hard to agree that you are different from the eighty-five-year-old Han So I know.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember everything from before coming here?”

“Very clearly.”

He declared firmly, as if desperately denying that he might be fake.

But the more I heard such things, the more I understood why Learic had sent me to Mongmajeon.

“My guess is that perhaps you entered Mongmajeon a very long time ago, exactly at your current age.”

“…”

“You probably used Room 110 then. Whether you succeeded in escaping or failed, I don’t know.”

Since I didn’t know exactly what would happen after five days, I couldn’t be certain now.

“Even if the real Han So has departed, his memories and experiences from that time remain here.”

Otherwise, it would be impossible to create such an elaborate fake.

Not just Han So and the Dark Spiritmaster, but all the others were acting and moving as if they truly existed.

“So Mongmajeon… remembered me and created me?”

Like the already broken Lemegeton.

Like the Maengcheon Mubong, which was known to be lost.

My guess was that Mongmajeon was also creating humans from that era who no longer exist.

“What about the Dark Spiritmaster, who was an intruder?”

“She’s probably the same. She’s likely an intentional device created by Learic to maintain a tense situation.”

Otherwise, there would have been no need to create a separate Rule 27.

Despite the rule appearing as a warning and the term “intruder,” she was ultimately under the rules of Mongmajeon just the same.

“So I am real, but fake?”

Two words that don’t mesh together.

But that’s why it was a being perfectly suited for Mongmajeon.

“I don’t know.”

Han So sighed, bowing his head as if lamenting. But the Maengcheon Mubong he had been holding was now on the floor.

“I won’t define whether I’m real or fake. Talking with you, I wonder if it even matters. I am simply Han So, a warrior of the Han Empire.”

He sets aside complex worries.

Following his own beliefs.

“The most fitting end for a warrior would be to fight against great evil, as you said.”

“…”

“Warrior Han So will stand by your side.”

Han So laughed heartily and tapped my chest with his fist. I slowly bowed my head to him.

For the man in front of me, whether he was fake or real no longer mattered.

He only wished to live as Han So and conclude his life in a manner befitting Han So.

“Thank you.”

Both the eighty-five-year-old Han So and the current Han So.

In the end, both chose to fight against the great demon with unwavering conviction.

What a steadfast man.

“Come to think of it, perhaps I was waiting to be persuaded by you.”

Though he laughed self-deprecatingly, he gently pushed my back.

“Go to the dining room. She’s waiting.”

Since Han So already knew about my master-disciple relationship with the Dark Spiritmaster, he winked and stepped aside.

As I headed to the dining room, I slowly stopped and turned to face Han So.

He tilted his head, wondering if there was a problem.

I spoke once more, showing proper respect.

“I realize I haven’t given you a detailed introduction about myself.”

“Deus Verdi of Norsweden. That’s all I know.”

To Han So, who shrugged his shoulders, I placed my hand on my chest and slowly bowed.

“I am a spiritmaster who comforts dead souls. The name graciously bestowed upon me by the Orpheus King of Griffin is ‘Spiritmaster.'”

“Spiritmaster… Spiritmaster Deus Verdi. Comforting dead souls…”

After repeating the words several times, he soon realized why I had said this and let out a laugh like an exclamation.

“Ha! So you’re a specialist in dealing with ones like me.”

Without saying anything more, I just gave him a faint smile, and he nodded a few times before turning and saying:

“Well, if this life was heading towards departure, I’ll entrust the farewell to you.”

The current Han So may not have a soul.

But I thought what I had been doing until now could help him.

Leaving Han So, who had returned to his room, I headed back to the dining room.

Meanwhile, I noticed a new phrase written on the wall where the 10 rules of Mongmajeon were listed.

-10. Among the guests, only one person is alive.

The tenth rule, which had been torn at the end, had now revealed itself.

“So figuring it out for oneself was the condition for viewing the rule.”

The rules weren’t simply written but were locked like riddles.

Seeing Rule 10, I realized that Rule 30 was also a kind of trap.

“So that’s what Rule 30 meant.”

-30. Only the last person remaining can escape Mongmajeon.

It was the final rule that encouraged a cruel massacre.

But the true meaning of that rule wasn’t to kill everyone but me.

Because I am the only one truly alive.

In the end, it meant that no one but me could escape Mongmajeon.

“How amusing.”

With a sneer, determined not to be swayed by such things anymore, I entered the dining room.

Sitting there, waiting for me, was the 18-year-old Dark Spiritmaster.

“You’re late. We don’t have much time.”

She seemed quite disgruntled, but I smiled reassuringly.

“We have three days left.”

Three days remained until we would be expelled from Mongmajeon.

“It’s too much time for three people to fight to the death, but rather tight to solve the mysteries of this place.”

I slowly sat down beside her.

“But…”

A faint smile formed on my lips, as I looked forward to the time ahead.

“It seems just the right amount of time for us to have a conversation.”