Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 423
Only Krnovel
EP.423 Episode 423 – Party Time (3) – Where is the last NPC?
Episode 423 – Party Time (3) – Where is the last NPC?
[User: Han Ga-in (Jihye)
Date: Day 376
Current Location: Tier 1, Hallway
Wise Man’s Advice: 0]
– Han Ga-in
A notification popped up when Eunsol used the Hand of Greed with a serious expression.
“A special event will occur at the request of a participant.
.
.
.
Today’s special event: Full renovation of the 1st and 2nd floors!
Complete renovation of the 1st and 2nd floors? Suddenly?
Everyone was momentarily taken aback by the sudden notification, but the entire hotel began to vibrate loudly and loud noises could be heard from displays everywhere.
—Whoosh!
“Dear guests, Hotel Pioneer will be undergoing major construction for the next three days. Construction will begin in 10 minutes. Please move to a safe location before the 1st and 2nd floors are closed.”
I heard Jincheol hyung’s panicked voice.
“Sister! So, did you get your wish exactly? Hidden -”
“…”
Instead of answering, Nuna thought for a moment, and Ari quickly ran over to get the protective suit and wing boots.
Other colleagues who saw that also started to pack the items they thought they needed.
I also brought an hourglass.
When everyone gathered in the hallway again, this time no one asked her any questions.
Because everyone understood the situation.
If both the first and second floors are closed, the only safe place is the basement.
*
As soon as we arrived at the basement in a hurry, Ari spoke in a tone of disbelief.
“Eunsol, just in case, you didn’t make a mistake when making a wish, did you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then we have our answer. So you’re saying there’s a hidden NPC underground?”
The situation itself is simple.
As was the case when searching for the Hall of Mirrors in the past, patrons are prohibited from directly revealing information regarding hidden elements.
For example, if you ask Owl about hidden elements by writing advice, he will completely ignore the question.
Instead of directly telling you where the hidden NPCs are, Eunsol Noona’s sponsor seems to have closed off all ‘places without NPCs’.
I understand up to this point, but… .
“I wish it was somewhere on the second floor.”
Everyone sighed at Ari’s words.
The basement of the hotel is a nearly infinite space.
There are facilities ranging from small drinking bars and billiard halls to large mountaineering and ski resorts, and there is no way to know how many there are.
Coworkers who frequently use the underground facility even said that the location of the facility changes every time they go there.
It’s not a big deal if the first and second floors are closed for three days.
Among the underground facilities, there are many places to eat and places to sleep.
I’m already tired just thinking about having to search the basement for three days straight.
— Mate!
Finally, my older sister clapped her hands and said.
“Let’s get started, since there’s no way the NPCs will appear if we just stand still. Everyone, go around the underground facility and search for them.”
Ariga added a word.
“If possible, go to places you don’t usually go. They seem to be hiding in strange places!”
So began the long-awaited exploration.
*
[swimming pool]
[Billiards Hall]
Let’s skip places we’ve been to three or four times.
If it was here, I would have found it already.
[mountain climbing]
Since we already found the souvenir shop here, we’ll pass on this one too.
There probably aren’t two of them hidden in one room.
[Gym]
[bar]
[PC room]
There probably won’t be any since Grandpa and Jincheol often go to the gym and Eunsol often goes to the bar.
PC room? Should I check this out?
— Clang!
As I opened the door, a fairly luxurious PC room appeared.
The signature soft, fluffy chairman’s chair, the luxuriously textured table, and even several expensive-looking computers and game consoles.
Perfect for playing –
“Seungyeop?”
“…”
“Seungyeop.”
“Ah, bro!”
Seungyeop was playing the game with all his concentration, but it didn’t seem like he was exploring anything.
On the monitor, a blond boy wearing a green hat was fighting a monster or running through a meadow.
“Is it fun? You said you can’t play LoL because the internet doesn’t work?”
“Dude, this isn’t LoL. It’s the Legend of Zelda -”
“Oh, is the girl in green Zelda?”
“…”
Seungyeop closed his mouth in embarrassment.
At that moment, someone appeared under the pure white light.
“hi.”
As soon as I heard that voice, I turned off the Nintendo.
“Eww! Go, Gain hyung! Save! Didn’t you save -”
“Hey! Park Seung-yeop! How many times have I told you not to summon Yumi when I’m alone!”
“Ouch! That, that -”
“Isn’t it rude to blatantly ignore someone in front of them?”
“…”
Finally, I turned to Yumi and smiled awkwardly.
Curly black hair, brown eyes, and a face that resembles Aurelia from Room 104, but looks slightly younger.
It felt so real that I thought I had already created a body, but I hadn’t.
“This is the first time since I came out of Room 104. I thought it would be like a ghost, but it’s more like a hologram.”
She had a somewhat discontented expression on her face.
“I heard from Seungyeop. He told me not to build my body for a while?”
“…”
This is the level where we just relayed to Yumi the conversations we had among ourselves.
“We need time to think among ourselves. It’s not like I have to doubt you.”
“… okay.”
At first I was dumbfounded, but soon I started thinking like this.
The perspectives of us, who are coaching from a distance, and Seungyeop, who actually uses the legacy, may be different.
You’re not allowing Yumi to get the body she desperately wants, but you’re hiding the information and not even telling her the proper reason?
The relationship between the two is bound to break down.
Unless you are looking for another NPC, Seungyeop should also be concerned about his relationship with Yumi.
There is no need to mechanically follow Grandpa Arina’s thoughts.
I understood Seungyeop’s thoughts and turned off the Nintendo again.
“Eww! Why again! Again! Bro, why are you doing this!”
“I’ll look for another place, hyung~!”
“Brother Gain!”
*
[Train travel]
There really are all kinds of convenient facilities in the basement.
As I opened the door, I saw the train car moving in real time.
I wondered if this made sense, but if you start getting into those kinds of things, you can’t live in a hotel.
As I was walking, feeling the soft feel of the first-class carpet, I found Elena.
“Oh! Mr. Gain?”
“You’re here. Are you looking for something?”
“Not yet. But if you wait, it might come out.”
“That could be the case.”
As I sat in front of Elena and looked out the window, a pure white landscape came into view.
Vast snowfields, fluttering snow, and conifers sprouting up here and there.
It’s a beautiful, but somewhat boring landscape.
Elena was staring outside with her mouth shut, seemingly recalling an old memory.
“What are you thinking about?”
“…when I was young, I rode the Trans-Siberian Railway.”
“Ah, I’ve heard of that too. It’s really famous, isn’t it?”
“Back then, it was peaceful, with no family members running away…”
“… Oh, really?”
“Being here reminds me of the old days a lot.”
What is this atmosphere?
I was sitting alone on the train, wondering what I was thinking about, and out of nowhere, I was thinking about the peaceful times of my childhood.
“…”
“…”
boring.
Above all, it seemed like if I just sat still, the NPC wouldn’t come out.
“Elena, I just had a great idea.”
“yes?”
“Have you ever broken a window while riding a train?”
“yes?”
Elena responded by asking what on earth she was talking about.
Even after wrapping the top around her hand like a glove and reaching for the hammer next to the window, Elena looked at me with eyes that said, ‘No way.’
I am a man who does not hesitate in these situations.
— Clang!
“Gyaaak! Gah, what the hell are you doing all of a sudden!”
“I am the kind of person who doesn’t worry in situations like this -”
“Think about it! Why did you suddenly break the window? It’s cold!”
Elena seemed a little upset, which was rare.
— Shhhh!
Conversation became difficult due to the blizzard that suddenly poured into the train.
“Listen!”
“I’m listening!”
“If the conditions for the hidden NPC to appear are difficult!”
“So you suddenly broke the window? Are you crazy?”
“Look around carefully! Something might come out -”
“Just get out of here right now!”
Eventually Elena and I opened the door connected to the hotel and went out of the [train ride].
In a moment, we were drenched in snow, and Elena still had a dumbfounded expression on her face.
“What the… What the… Is Ga-in really crazy?”
“Haha! Are you feeling a little better now? It’s a shame we couldn’t find the hidden NPC, but if Elena can smile -”
“Let’s each go find a different place.”
With those words, Elena left me.
“…”
*
[restaurant]
“Wow~! There was a separate restaurant in the basement?”
“…”
“No, there’s a restaurant in room 105, but there’s one here too? What’s different here?”
“…”
Instead of answering, Ari just stared at my face.
“what’s the matter?”
“I heard it from Elena earlier.”
“…”
“They said you were a little out of your mind.”
“Haha! Elena, you too, you were joking around a bit -”
“They suddenly broke the train window and let in a blizzard.”
“…”
“I’m going to eat something, so don’t do anything weird.”
“of course.”
As soon as I sat down in front of Ari, strange things started to happen, as expected from a hotel.
Beings that looked more like mannequins than people walked towards us with heavy steps, acting like restaurant staff.
“Sir, would you like to order?”
Soon a white menu appeared in front of me, but I couldn’t even make out the word ‘Amuse-Bouche’ at the very top.
“…”
Ariga sighed and then ordered this and that.
“Don’t do anything weird.”
“What are you talking about? I just came to eat.”
Soon, a scallop dish the size of a small biscuit was served on a fancy, pure white plate.
It looked like a painting from the start, so I was hesitant to eat it, but when I actually tried it, it was ambiguous.
“It’s a little sour.”
“European cuisine is a bit too sour for Korean tastes.”
“Is this European-style clam dish?”
“It’s Mediterranean style -”
“Have you ever eaten a lot of things like this while working at the management office?”
“It has nothing to do with the management office. I just did a lot of different things because the salary was high.”
That’s an enviable story.
If I go out, will I be able to live like that?
After waiting a bit for the clam dish, a pink sirloin steak was served, which was definitely delicious.
“What is this red sauce?”
“Maybe boil down the red wine and add stock -”
As we talked, I remembered Ari showing off her considerable skills in the hotel kitchen in the past.
Surprisingly, he seems to be interested in cooking.
The topic of conversation naturally turned to agents.
“I’ve always wondered, what kind of people are agents? Not everyone has superpowers like you, right? Even if you look at your grandfather, he was a normal person before he entered the hotel.”
“…”
“Is it still a secret?”
“… Well, I guess it’s okay to tell you now. You know enough to know.”
“okay.”
Ari made a circle with both hands and stuck them together.
8 lying on the side, infinity.
“Only those who can endure this can become agents.”
A being that can endure infinity.
“… Is enduring what I think it means?”
“That’s probably right.”
“What kind of person can endure it?”
“It varies. It could be because the soul level has increased, or it could be because of strange incidents. There are also many cases where the cause is unknown.”
“Umm… How does the management find those people?”
“It’s not that we find it, but they’re the ones who are making it. They think it’s a miracle that they can’t believe, so they’re all -”
“Ah, I found it!”
“what?”
As Ari panicked, I examined the steak as if I was going to look through a microscope, and finally found a slightly burnt part.
— Boom!
Ari made a look of surprise as I slammed my fist on the table without hesitation.
“Hey! You -”
I’m just trying my best to find the NPC.
An NPC that doesn’t come out until the end of the second floor?
The conditions for appearance are obviously not ordinary.
So, you have to do something outrageous and impulsive.
“Hey, sir? What’s the matter? Is there a problem -”
“What the heck is this steak patty! People are supposed to eat this burnt-out food!”
“All, get ready again -”
“You’re being so annoying again, come out, boss!”
Ari covered her face with both hands.