Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 475
Only Krnovel
EP.475 Episode 475 – Time to Choose
Episode 475 – Time to Choose
– Kim Ari
A nightmare that seemed like it would never end.
A spirit that wavered like fog.
The Demon King’s illusion was imprinted on his eyes like a fire seal.
…
A refreshing breeze wraps around me like a soft feather blanket.
When I came to, I was in a comfortable first-class cabin on an airplane.
– The flight to the hotel will be leaving soon.
“… It really shows all sorts of strange things.”
*
All my colleagues except Ga-in were on the plane, so I was a little flustered.
Cain may have fallen because he died, but shouldn’t he have fallen through the maze?
Soon, I saw the ‘flight attendant uniform’ in the labyrinth and understood the situation.
Since I have obtained the memories of the director of the Paradise Deepwater Research Institute, it seems that it serves as an explanation of the legacy.
As a consolation to the hotel, there was a packed lunch in the form of an in-flight meal.
“Isn’t it like you’re telling me to eat first? Let’s eat!”
Everyone started eating when Jincheol smiled brightly and spoke.
“…”
As soon as I opened the lid of my lunchbox, I was shocked at how sparse the contents were.
It’s half rice and half Vienna sausages with ketchup.
“What is this?”
“Ahhh! Kuku! Hotel Sense!”
I felt a little offended when Songi giggled next to me.
I feel like you’re teasing me, but I don’t know what.
“Our Ari likes so many sausages! Enjoy them!”
“…”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
I like it.
Still, it’s a bit weird to only have rice and Vienna sausages.
After emptying the lunch boxes, everyone gathered next to the maze with their heads wrapped.
“Yes, former director. Did the information about the inheritance enter your head? Explain it to me!”
Unlike Eunsol, who had a bright expression, Miro still seemed confused.
“Miro, what’s wrong? Are you confused? It’ll be enough if you explain it to me one by one. First, the Time Master.”
Only then did Miro open his mouth, but his first answer caught us off guard.
“…I am not the master of time.”
“what?”
“It’s not called the ‘Master of Time’, it’s called ‘One More Chance’?”
“…”
An air of slight disappointment swept over the surroundings.
If I remember correctly, One More Chance is a replica of the Time Lord.
After obtaining the Time Master through an irreproducible process, the principle could have been studied and imitated.
Personally, I wasn’t that surprised.
Because in the first place, the original Time Lord seemed like something that could never be given to us.
Not only was it capable of manipulating time in general, including time delay, acceleration, and regression, it did not even require a harsh price like human sacrifice.
I thought it would never come out with this performance, but it seems they replaced it with a One More Chance, which is a completely inferior product.
“Then tell me about One More Chance.”
“huh.”
Everyone listened intently to Miro’s words.
“It’s shaped like a coin, and when used, it can turn back time. Applications such as time delay or acceleration seem impossible.”
“The Time Lord could do that, but is One More Chance only about regression?”
“I guess so.”
He has no time manipulation abilities other than regression.
This is okay.
After all, regression is the strongest ability.
“The point of regression must be specified in advance, and the time range is one month, or 30 days to be exact.”
For example, if you regress on the 31st day, you will return to a designated point in time between the 1st and 30th day.
If more than one month has passed since the designated time, the designation becomes invalid, and if a return time has not been designated, it cannot be returned.
“Uh… there is no spatial scope at all.”
“What’s that story?”
“No. It seems infinite. Isn’t it like the entire star is rotating?”
Considering that the return range of One More Chance was limited to within Paradise, this part became a legacy and was further strengthened.
“And speaking of the price… .”
“The price? Something like a cooldown period? Like you can only revert once a month?”
“…”
At this point, instead of opening his mouth, Miro closed it tightly again.
“…”
“…”
Finally, Mukseong couldn’t stand it anymore and hit Miro.
“No, what’s the price? Do you get a kick every time you use it?”
“… reverse the flow.”
“What? What time is it?”
Miro muttered, unable to hide his confused expression.
“Users must shoulder the ‘price of reversal.’”
“…”
When the surroundings became quiet for a moment, Miro added.
“I only have this sentence in my head. I don’t know the details.”
“…the master of reversing the tide.”
Jincheol, who had been scratching his head, opened his mouth.
“Let’s hear the next one. Uh, Unbreakable Reason? How about that?”
“The indomitable reason is similar to the information we already know. Well, it’s just that the form has become smaller and more portable?”
The original that was in the underground of Paradise was closer to a facility than a tool, and if it was that big, we wouldn’t be able to use it normally.
Wouldn’t the size reduction be a consideration on the hotel’s part?
That was the end of the consideration, and everyone became quiet at Miro’s next words.
“Suppresses supernatural powers within a certain range. The strength of the range depends on how many sacrifices are made.”
This means that the harsh nature of having to offer sacrifices remains the same.
Now that you understand the characteristics of both legacies, it’s time to decide who and what to take care of.
At this point, there was something slightly awkward, so I took a half step back and looked at everyone’s reactions.
“…”
According to the information Ga-in obtained from the Hotel Cinema in Room 204, Room 206’s legacy is said to be a ‘tool to save the world’ along with the hourglass.
This means that the fundamental purpose for which I and Mukseong came to the hotel.
So this legacy was something that the people of the administration had tacitly agreed to obtain.
That’s true, but how much did Mukseong and I play in room 206? It’s ambiguous.
“…”
It’s a bit embarrassing to say that, but Ga-in, who contributed the most, has already been eliminated.
How do you compare with the rest of the people?
“…”
Compared to the others, Songi seems to be way ahead.
Because from the first time onwards, the city has been controlled by suppressing the runaway of the city and the market.
Gain can’t be compared to Songi either, except for the last episode.
As if other people had similar thoughts, their gaze naturally turned to Songi.
And then, a high school girl with slightly sleepy eyes opened her mouth.
“Why? This thing has a specific purpose, right? Shouldn’t you just choose between Grandpa and Ari?”
“Haha, this is subtly embarrassing.”
Songi chuckled as she watched Mukseong scratching his head.
“When did we ever inherit in order of hardship?”
“But, what do I need to pack?”
I got stuck here for a moment.
Although we managed to get a ‘ticket’ by solving issue 206, this is an issue that requires another meeting since Ga-in is also involved.
As always, Eunsol organized the situation in an organized manner.
“It’s something with a clear purpose. ‘To save the world.’ What could be a more appropriate legacy?”
“…”
Which is a more appropriate tool to save the world: one more chance or unyielding reason?
To discuss this, we must first consider what problems the world had in the first place.
“So, Ariya, tell me more about what you said before. It seems like we’re going to run into this problem sooner or later anyway. What exactly is the problem in the world?”
With Eunsol’s question, all my colleagues’ eyes were focused on me –
“… Silently, why are you looking at me?”
“Oh my! Senior, no, Ariya. I’m reminded of the old days.”
This part was to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, so he motioned for Elena to do a lie detection.
“Listen carefully. I have kept a lot of information from you, and I still do. But I have not kept the current crisis from you.”
“What? Wasn’t that vague explanation you were hiding last time?”
It seems that Eunsol thought that I hid information at the time, but that’s not the case with this issue.
“Let me explain again. At a certain point, a strange, incomprehensible light descended from the sky.”
“and?”
“Is this it?”
“…”
“Really. This is the end of the world. I have no idea what light is, what happens after light, or what kind of demon did this.”
“…”
Everyone looked puzzled and thought for a moment.
In the meantime, I felt a subtle sense of emotion because Elena didn’t use her lie detector even though she saw my gestures.
At that time, Cha Jin-cheol made an unusually sharp point.
“How do you know the world is ending?”
Aiko, mistake!
“If the world had ended, wouldn’t you all have died too? Oh, is it some kind of parallel world?”
“…”
Since everyone is keeping their mouths shut and pretending not to know, everyone is just passing it by as if it were that.
At times like these, I’m so grateful that the concept of ‘parallel worlds’ has spread widely in popular culture.
… Is it possible that the management is also involved in this matter?
It’s my job, but sometimes I’m scared.
Thankfully, Elena changed the subject and gave her opinion during the meeting for the first time in a while.
“Hmm, then wouldn’t it be necessary to endure the unidentified light once?”
“I think the tool for that is probably an hourglass.”
When the light that ends everything comes down, use the hourglass and hold on for a moment.
Isn’t this why the hourglass is ‘the first tool to save the world’?
“One more chance?”
“…After experiencing the point in time after the light of destruction descended, you go back to the past and solve the fundamental problem?”
“It’s a bit hotel-like. Find out the cause and start over to solve it.”
“yes.”
“Indomitable reason?”
“… Endure by suppressing the light of destruction?”
“Then doesn’t that overlap with the role of the hourglass? They’re both endurance.”
You gave me two tools that do the same job?
I don’t think so.
There is a separate role, but we don’t know what it is yet because we don’t know anything about the crisis in reality.
— Ouch!
Mukseong clapped his hands lightly.
“I’ve often thought about this topic, and it’s similar to Ari’s thoughts. The hourglass is a tool to endure the light when it comes down, and One More Chance is a tool to find out the cause and go back to the past.”
Everyone nodded, as if this seemed logical.
“There may be some use for the indomitable reason, but at this point, I can’t imagine it at all. To withstand the light of destruction? That seems to be the role of an hourglass.”
I can guess what One More Chance is for, but I don’t know about Unbreakable Reason.
“So let’s choose One More Chance. If there’s something you don’t know and something you vaguely know, you should choose the latter first and think about it.”
Miro muttered with an anxious expression.
“… What about the price of reversal?”
“Ha, it’s a shame! Without this, the world would be over, so what does it matter what the price is?”
When opinions were naturally gathered like this, Sang-Hyeon put the finishing touches.
“I think it would be a good idea for you, Agent, to take advantage of the One More Chance. Your indomitable reason, ahem. Seems useful to someone who isn’t here.”
The only person who is not here is Han Ga-in.
“… Is unyielding reason good for Gain?”
The next point in the story was one that others had not yet remembered.
“Doesn’t indomitable reason require sacrifices for its use?”
“yes.”
“Miss Miro, is your indomitable reason as rechargeable as the divine sun?”
“Huh? I, I don’t have that kind of information… .”
“If it’s not rechargeable, that means I have to offer a sacrifice every time I use it.”
“maybe?”
The indomitable reason within Room 206 was also part of that legacy.
“If we’re going to use this whenever we need it, we’ll need to have a ‘sacrificial candidate’ by our side.”
“ah.”
“oh?”
“this!”
Oh my god, it’s true.
If you want to use a tool that requires an offering every time you use it, you must always carry the offering with you.
But the sacrifice is a person.
“Isn’t this a heritage that is difficult to use properly unless you are a Cain who can ‘charge’ the offering inside the sacred sun?”
“…”
“Of course, from the hotel’s cold perspective, they’d think that brainwashing a few victims and bringing them around would be enough, so what’s the problem? If it were Ms. Songi or Ms. Ari, it wouldn’t be that difficult.”
“Ugh, teacher. I’m a bit…”
“Let’s get the one who can use it efficiently. Of course, whether the ticket will be used for the indomitable reason is something we’ll discuss later.”
After the story ended like this, the surroundings became quiet for a while.
– The plane to the hotel will be landing soon! Those who have been selected, please stand up.
As if he had been waiting, the old man who had served humanity for many years got up at the sound of the cheerful guidance.
“Ha, it’s a little scary when you get it? The price of reversal… . Eight! This is new! Give it to me, one more chance!”
As soon as the golden coin fell into Mukseong’s hand, the space began to shake.
…
Now we’re really getting close to the end of the second floor.
The gateway room, that’s all that’s left.
Of course, I think there will be a few events before that.
Shouldn’t we also go to the ‘Sanctuary of Blessing’?