Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 604
Only Krnovel
EP.604 Episode 604 – The Stolen World (19)
Episode 604 – The Stolen World (19)
“User: Han Ga-in (Jihye)
Date: Day 229
Current location: Jung-dong, Jungang 3-gil, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
Wise Man’s Advice: 3”
– Han Ga-in
— Flutter!
I prayed while unfolding a picture, a kingdom of dreams.
Please make it work!
The Dream Kingdom was left in tatters by the Stone Slab attack, and it was only three days ago.
It was not normal for there to still be black lines drawn here and there on the picture.
However, compared to three days ago, the number of lines seemed to have decreased.
Wouldn’t it be possible to use it even if it’s forced?
There are two main reasons for wanting to use the Dream Kingdom, even by force.
First, I want to avoid Aidia’s eyes and share my thoughts with my colleagues.
Second, I want to check on the situation of my colleagues who remained at the Delight Hotel.
Yesterday, a fierce clash between the Moon Demon, the Ancient Wisdom, and the Marauders took place in the skies of Seoul.
The aftermath of the battle was as catastrophic as if one of the greatest earthquakes in human history had struck the heart of Seoul.
At least several million people would have died instantly that day.
Seoul has been turned into a giant cemetery.
It’s a bizarre story, but the deaths of Seoul citizens are more a comedy than a tragedy.
The souls of the dead will not be eaten by the moon, so the afterlife is a safer place than this world.
Fortunately, all of the colleagues who remained at the Delight Hotel are alive, but it is unknown whether they are okay.
Because there was no way to contact them after the crash.
“…”
“Advice: 3 -> 2”
‘Would this be enough to write the Kingdom of Dreams?’
“It’s okay if it’s just for conference purposes, but anything more than that is not possible. Be careful.”
Are you saying that it is possible to meet and talk in a dream, but moving is impossible?
This is enough.
I closed my eyes and calmed my mind.
*
The first thing I realized was that my colleagues at Delight Hotel were awake.
The dream kingdom requires that both the user and the target be in a dreaming state.
Since Grandpa Mukseong, Elena, and Miro are all awake, there is no way to approach them.
The next place I had no choice but to approach was Ari’s dream.
Ari was floating in a place filled with writhing flesh, encased in a milky foam, seemingly exploring the inside of some animal.
Ari’s blurry eyes cleared up as she approached with difficulty, grabbed the bubble, and shook it roughly.
“ah?”
“Why on earth is the dream state such hell?”
“… My dreams are often like this. But isn’t the kingdom of dreams ruined?”
“It’s still not normal. Let’s move quickly.”
The next place we arrived at was Jincheol’s dream.
My brother was exploring the old hospital with extreme nervousness, hearing the screams of patients in agony –
“No, bro, your dream state is no joke either.”
“I guess you’ve seen a lot of things while working as an agent.”
“If you work at the Bureau, nightmares become your daily routine?”
“Well, let’s call it our own kind of welfare?”
“…”
“I’m kidding.”
It wasn’t funny at all.
Anyway, I hit the back of Jincheol’s head and dragged him out because he kept trying to shoot at us.
“Eww! Huh? Huh! Is this the Kingdom of Dreams?”
“yes.”
Finally, Eunsol was sitting in a neat office, drinking a cup of coffee.
“Okay, everyone, sit down. Let’s talk here.”
It feels like you knew I was coming.
“Did you know I was coming?”
“I thought I would write about the kingdom of dreams at least once, even if it wasn’t today.”
It seems that Eunsol also felt the frustration of not being able to speak freely.
“Would you like a cup of coffee each? It’s not real, it’s just coffee in a dream.”
After a brief moment of catching one’s breath, the secret meeting began.
“Let’s start by talking about what was strange while listening to Aidia’s explanation.”
Unusually, Jincheol opened his mouth right away.
“According to her, the rebel forces permanently killed the royal family of the first ark?”
“Yes, it was.”
“Killing them permanently means destroying their souls so they can’t return, right?”
Everyone nodded, and my brother looked at me as if he didn’t understand.
“Then, how is this guy alive?”
“…”
“He is a traitor who liberated the royal family, so shouldn’t his soul be destroyed?”
Eunsol looked at Ari while scratching her cheek.
“Do you know anything?”
Ari thought for a moment and then opened her mouth.
“Eternal destruction. The worst punishment the Administration can give to a traitor.”
“Soul extinction?”
“First of all, know this. Annihilation is never easy, even for the Administration. It is extremely rare for something to stab you in the eye and instantly destroy your soul.”
“Is there anything like it?”
“The representative example is the Spear of Mortality.”
The Mortal Spear, a legacy owned by the labyrinth of the Deep Sea Hotel, now a ghost story.
A legacy of that magnitude is enough to crush the soul of a regressor with just a single stab.
Sister Eunsol nodded.
“Soul destruction isn’t easy unless you have an extreme legacy that focuses on offensive abilities?”
“It’s difficult, and there are times when the number of times is limited. That’s why sealing is given much more often than annihilation. It’s often used as a means.”
A ‘living camera’ popped out of Ari’s arms.
“A click solves many problems!”
That’s why Ariga had a hard time getting the camera in room 207.
“Or they might confine you to another world from which escape is nearly impossible.”
“Ari, what you’re saying is that you couldn’t use it on Gain because you lacked a weapon for immortality?”
“One possibility. But the probability of this happening is low.”
“ah?”
You say that after talking for a long time, the probability of this actually happening is low?
“No matter how rare a weapon is, it must be used when it is needed. If you don’t use it on a great criminal who will be remembered in human history, then when will you use it?”
“…”
“Even if there was only one means of destruction left, I think I would have used it on Cain.”
“Hmm….”
It’s a subtle feeling.
“Even executed many members of the royal family? There were multiple means of destruction. Then it would be natural for Researcher Gain to have destroyed their souls as well.”
“Then how is Gain okay?”
“Why do you think you’re okay?”
“ah?”
Not only my older sister, but even Jincheol hyung opened his eyes wide.
At that moment, this thought occurred to me.
Before coming to the hotel, I was an ‘imperfect regressor’ like the mother that Sang-Hyeon met in America.
Because of this, my past memories were all jumbled up, and I mistook my many lives for one.
Was it like this originally?
Could an imperfect regressor become one of the top three in the management hierarchy?
Ari opened her mouth with a confident expression.
“I think so. In the past, the researcher who liberated the royal family must have made arrangements to protect himself.”
It is quite predictable that if you liberate the royal family, the administration will punish you.
“I don’t know what the arrangement was, but it worked. Even the Administration couldn’t destroy the researcher’s soul. However, the researcher also took a considerable hit.”
“… The soul’s level has fallen? It has become an imperfect regressor, unable to maintain its ego?”
“That’s it. What do you think? Does it sound plausible?”
It’s a compelling story.
However, since there was no way to verify it, I thought it would be best to end the story here.
“Let’s move on to the next story. In fact, this is the story we gathered everyone together for.”
Everyone’s eyes were focused on me.
“Future plans! As you may recall, the owl gave me some meaningful advice a while ago.”
Ari answered immediately.
“Be glad that your opponent is not one. If there were one, you would never be able to defeat him. Rather, because there are many, there is room for improvement.”
“That’s right. What does this mean? It means to actively utilize the tripartite structure, not the quantum structure.”
Eunsol said with shining eyes.
“A three-way structure… If we go by the orthodox approach, the two relatively weaker ones join forces to stop the strongest opponent?”
Jincheol nodded.
“Should we start with the strong one?”
“Stop using ignorant words.”
“…It means the same thing.”
He opened his mouth again.
“Now, let’s compare the three major powers. First, the Management Bureau. Compared to the other powers, it is the weakest in both strength and strategy.”
One person flinched noticeably.
It may be uncomfortable for Ari to be underestimating the organization she has worked for her entire life, but she must accept the truth in order to move on to the next step.
Sister Eunsol nodded.
“Information is lacking, power is even less…. This is the weakest force.”
“The second is the Marauders. They have more information than the Administration, and if they all come together, they can threaten the moon, so they are also very powerful.”
“Hmm….”
“But I wonder. Do the looters really get along well with each other?”
Ari nodded as if she thought the same thing.
“No way. We just hang out together because we have a common enemy.”
“The plunderers are a force that can easily cause internal strife among themselves.”
In the first place, the looters are not a team and are a group that cannot be a team.
They only temporarily united against a common enemy.
This is the fundamental weakness of the plundering forces.
“The third is the moon. It is the oldest existence, so it has a lot of information and is very powerful. There is no risk of internal conflict.”
That’s why, if we go all the way, the moon has no choice but to win.
Sister Eunsol made an anxious expression.
“The moon has no weaknesses?”
“So there has to be a next story.”
“Next story?”
“The story from now on might be unpleasant for Ari to hear -”
“Just tell me.”
“- This is my honest opinion.”
“Tell me.”
“I think if the Administration wins, at least the status quo can be maintained.”
“yes.”
“Even if the looters win, it’s not such a bad ending.”
“…”
Ari is silent.
On the other hand, Eun-sol and Jin-cheol nodded as if they were secretly agreeing.
“If you look closely, the identity of the looters is a group similar to the Management Bureau from another loop, right?”
“…”
“They win? Whichever raiders arrive first will rebuild civilization in the next world.”
“…”
“It’s not really a great tragedy. It’s just that the Administration this time around did the same thing a long time ago, but someone else is doing it.”
This might be a painful story for Grandpa Arina, who has been working at the current management office.
However, for those who have fallen into a reality where they have no family or anything, it doesn’t make much difference whether the management office wins or the looters win.
There is one guy you absolutely cannot beat.
“The moon can never win.”
Ari, who had been silent, muttered softly.
“A group sitting on a chair, a group trying to steal the chair. And….”
“The guy who broke the chair.”
The person sitting on the chair may continue to sit.
It’s not that big of a problem if someone else takes it away.
But, you must not break the chair.
“… Yeah, I understand what you mean, Gain.”
He continued speaking while looking at other people.
“In a three-way battle, the moon is the weakest and strongest. However, it is also the one that you absolutely cannot win against.”
At this point, my other colleagues must have guessed what I was going to say.
I declared to everyone with a solemn expression.
“From now on, we must gather the strength of all other forces and find a way to bring down the moon.”
The goal has been set.
The only question left is what to do!
*
Towards the end of the meeting, the conversation naturally turned to our colleagues at Delight.
“Elena and Miro, are you okay, Grandpa?”
I said, pointing out that the dreams of three people do not exist.
“According to the status window, all three are alive. Can you see that they are not dreaming?”
“What does that mean?”
“It means all three are awake.”
All three are awake.
It’s a simple yet strange situation.
“At this hour? Are all three of you awake?”
It’s around 3 or 4 in the morning now.
“That’s what’s strange.”
Ariga furrowed her eyebrows slightly.
“I didn’t know that contact with Delight would be cut off like this. I didn’t know that even the phone lines would be blocked…”
Jincheol asked with a puzzled look.
“With Seoul in ruins, isn’t it natural that phone service would be blocked? There’s no way the base stations would be okay.”
It may seem like common sense, but the cell phone Ari has is something that defies common sense.
“This is the cell phone that the boiled potato had.”
“boiled potatoes?”
“Oh, Basilio. When we escaped from the ark, I fell on my head and it got crushed like mashed potatoes.”
“… So you’re saying it’s the silent one’s cell phone?”
“that’s right.”
Ari’s – or Basilio’s, to be precise – cell phone was an incredible thing that allowed him to talk to his grandfather outside even from inside the ark.
At this point, we wouldn’t be able to rely on ordinary base stations, and wouldn’t it be normal to be able to make calls even if Seoul were to disappear?
“It seems like something unusual has happened on Delight’s side….”
“How about giving me some advice?”
“Hmm… If I use two at dawn, I’ll feel anxious about tomorrow. But I’ll still use them.”
“Advice: 2 -> 1”
‘Are your colleagues from Delight okay?’
The answer was truly unexpected.
“Your colleague’s empty wish is being fulfilled.”
“ah?”
I blankly looked at Eunsol.
My older sister also tilted her head.
“Gain? What’s wrong?”