Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 607
Only Krnovel
EP.607 Episode 607 – The Stolen World (22)
Episode 607 – The Stolen World (22)
“User: Han Ga-in (Jihye)
Date: Day 229
You are currently: Searching… .
Wise Man’s Advice: 0”
– Han Ga-in
Delight Hotel is turning into a ‘pioneer’?
Eunsol muttered in embarrassment.
“What does that mean?”
“It seemed like Miro and Mukseong didn’t understand the situation very well. They seemed to be very confused about their surroundings, so they just spoke and hung up.”
“… If it’s the Pioneer Hotel, it’s only natural that every minute and every second would be chaotic.”
After a moment of silence, Jincheol scratched his head and asked me.
“What are you going to do?”
“…”
“I got the mirror, and I subdued the Virgin Mary for a while… and I found something similar to an answer.”
“That’s right.”
“Do you have any plans for the future?”
“…”
When things get big, it seems like things will be resolved quickly.
I thought that if I made contact with the moon that woke up after the destruction, found out its weaknesses and strategies, and turned back time, it would be over.
Conquer the moon with the help of marauders?
You have to hit it well to get 30 points.
The world is one, but the serious problem remains that there are too many arks.
Eunsol also asked cautiously.
“After finding more information, will you go back to your original time?”
“…”
Something made me feel suffocated.
As you progress through the Room of Curses, you experience that feeling almost every time towards the end.
There is a lot of fragmented information, but I can’t find a clue to connect the dots.
“First, let’s go back to Delight.”
*
The way back was no longer interrupted by marauders.
This may be because by the time we subdue the Virgin Mary, it’s confusing who’s on whose side.
The reaction on the other axis was completely different.
“Ugh…! What the heck is this -”
“Stay close to me! I’ll keep playing the flute from now on!”
“Eunsol, come to my side!”
As the sun set and a crimson light rose across the night sky, an unbearable, vicious pressure began to build.
I feel it.
A voice is heard from the distant realm where the throne of the moon is located, at the boundary between reality and unreality!
“betrayer”
“A stupid and foolish person”
“The Fallen Saint”
“Are you possessed by the voice of a traitor?”
I felt a lump of will that was condemning, insulting, and criticizing me.
“Eunsol, come next to me!”
“Yeah, Inma! What are you listening to?”
“are you okay.”
“what!”
It was really good.
This is thanks to ‘Serena’s Enlightenment’, which I wrote for the first time after obtaining it in Room 207.
“I felt it before, but hearing it again makes me feel certain.”
“what?”
“There is not just one voice.”
“What does that mean?”
“…”
The fact that multiple voices are heard.
It seems important, but I’m not sure what it means.
Ari changed the question.
“Will the moon come down to take the mirror away?”
“As Aidia said, if it was that easy to intervene, they wouldn’t have sent us in the first place.”
“That’s true.”
“It will take some time to prepare.”
“They say it will come someday.”
“I have to write the numbers before that.”
If that doesn’t work out, I guess I’ll have to go back in time.
“Hey! Over there, I see the Delight Hotel!”
The moment I raised my gaze, enduring the pressure that felt like a thousand-pound rock was being placed on my head, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Wow…! That’s amazing. Congratulations, sis!”
Seoul, which was reduced to ruins after the war due to the clash between the Transcendents.
In the middle of that hell, there was only one building that was free of trouble.
It’s not a concept like how the building frame survived the destruction.
If you look at it, it was so clean that you would mistake it for a newly built building during the post-war reconstruction process!
“Wow~! At this level, it’s not just the best hotel in Korea, it’s the best hotel in the world. Congratulations, Eunsol.”
My older sister laughed it off awkwardly.
In the evening, we returned to the Delight Hotel.
*
“Current location: Tier 3 connecting passage, under construction….”
The moment I opened the door to Delight, my confused mind immediately calmed down.
Because it wasn’t a situation where I could think or worry about anything!
“Eww! What the heck is this!”
“This is why the kids couldn’t answer the phone -”
“Whoa! Hotel guys! What are you doing to my hotel!”
It was a building that looked perfectly fine on the outside, but as soon as I opened the door and stepped inside, it was a complete mess!
Concrete blocks floating around like living blocks, being rebuilt in real time?
Every room is dismantled and reassembled repeatedly to transform into something completely different?
That’s why the colleagues who remained at Delight didn’t receive any contact or anything!
“Hot, hahaha!”
“It makes me laugh!”
— Kwarur! Boom!
“Whoa!”
“Haha! Jincheol hyung, please take care of your sister!”
I never thought I would have such an absurd experience in my life!
I once saw a famous movie based on dreams, and the scene from that movie is unfolding right before my eyes.
“The current location has changed to ‘Under Construction’ – ugh!”
In an instant, a chunk of concrete larger than my torso flew in!
For a moment I thought he was targeting me and attacking me, but he wasn’t.
They’re just doing some incredibly complicated construction work without caring whether there are people around or not!
At the moment when everyone was confused and shouting, “Uh-uh-uh,” the chat window blinked frantically.
Kim Muk-seong: Towards the elevator! Now!
*
“Current location: Tier 1, Hallway”
— Ding!
“…”
A familiar, all too familiar view of the first floor of the Pioneer Hotel.
“Gain-ah~! Ariyaang~!”
“Stop whining.”
Despite the grumbling, Ari gently hugged Miro.
— Beep!
Even Pero was here.
You must have been at the same company as Ichthus, but did you come here before Seoul was destroyed?
As I was looking at the peaceful scenery on the first floor, I unconsciously lost the strength in my legs and collapsed to the ground.
“Oh my! Mr. Gain!”
It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve heard Elena’s voice.
Soon, Eunsol, Ari, and Jincheol sat down with tired expressions.
The grandfather, who was watching the scene, spoke cautiously.
“Uh… guys. I think it would be better to eat dinner first.”
*
“Two all-beef patties on a sesame seed bun, special sauce lettuce!”
“What song is it~?”
Jincheol answered on his behalf.
“Cheese, pickles, onions, peas!”
“No, you even memorized the chorus?”
“Hey, when I had no money, stocks were Big Macs.”
A scene of two dark-skinned men singing the Big Mac song while eating hotel hamburgers.
Wouldn’t this be more of an absurd sight than a funny one?
Thanks to that, Miro leaned against the wall with an “ugh” expression on his face, and Ari laughed in disbelief.
“Oh, the situation itself is so outrageous.”
“why?”
“The outside reality is a hellish place, with the moon swallowing up all of humanity, and the Ark waiting to take over the world for good….”
“…”
“It’s a completely different world once you enter the hotel. The burgers are crazy delicious.”
“The juices just flow out.”
The grandfather who was listening smiled bitterly.
“Wasn’t the original goal to get out of that hellish hotel and return to reality?”
“…”
“Now that I think about it, it seems like the hotel is better than reality.”
It sounds like a black comedy, but it’s real.
“At least hotels give you five chances.”
“That’s right.”
Eunsol sighed and muttered.
“I never imagined that Delight would turn into Pioneer as a result of my wish.”
“It is truly the world’s number one hotel.”
“Is Delight turning into Pioneer 3rd floor?”
It’s a bizarre story, but by hotel standards it’s entirely possible.
The first floor is in the sky and the second floor is inside a snow globe at home, right?
It’s not a big deal if the third floor is inside another hotel.
Grandfather shook his head.
“Oh, I heard it’s a little different from that.”
“yes?”
“It’s a sort of middle ground, or a passageway? If you look at it broadly, it might be the process of the third floor appearing.”
Delight itself is not the 3rd floor of Pioneer.
Is it being transformed into a middle area or passageway connecting the 3rd and 2nd floors?
“Grandpa, what does that mean?”
“I don’t know either.”
“Who gave you that explanation in the first place?”
Elena answered instead.
“Sister, no one told you, there is a booklet.”
— Bam!
The booklet contained several instructions, including what Grandpa had just said.
“If you enter a construction zone, the hotel is not responsible? When have they ever been responsible?”
“Be careful when you go to the Delight Zone, that’s what it is.”
“What is this? A substitute for rice cakes? What are you talking about? This is a calendar – Huh? Gain! Look at this!”
My eyes lit up as soon as I saw the calendar.
“How long has this been drawn?”
Elena was embarrassed.
“Huh? When I looked yesterday, there wasn’t anything like a calendar….”
Miro asked with a fierce expression.
“What does ‘instead of rice cake’ mean?”
“… Usually, when moving and doing construction, we give out rice cakes to our neighbors.”
“Because it’s noisy?”
“okay.”
The current date has a check mark, and 10 days from now there is a ‘red moon’ drawn.
It was so clear that there was no room for any other interpretation.
“… The moon will come to reality in ten days. Is that what it means?”
“The moon comes to reality? What does that mean?”
Ari slowly explained the current situation while looking at the swaying maze.
Soon, the grandfather, who understood the situation, summarized it.
“Oh! So, after all that messing around, Gain found the answer worth 30 points?”
“yes.”
“You also obtained the mirror of the Ark of the Management Bureau, and sealed away the dangerous person who was watching you, the Virgin Mary or whatever?”
“that’s right.”
“Because of that, you became hostile to the moon, and the moon appeared in reality ten days later to steal your mirror?”
“I think so.”
Once again, the surroundings became quiet.
Ariga said in a muttered voice.
“Ten days is a bit of a free time. Let’s each get some rest and think about how we’re going to spend our days starting tomorrow.”
*
“User: Han Ga-in (Jihye)
Date: 230th day
You are here: You are here: Tier 1, Room 105 – ‘Room of Rest’
Wise Man’s Advice: 3”
Late at night.
As the days passed, the number of advices was updated.
I lay in bed blankly, thinking.
What should I do starting tomorrow morning?
Gathering information again?
I have obtained all the information that can be obtained from common sense.
Wasn’t the result an answer worth 30 points?
The owl said, ‘Make a plan that everyone can benefit from.’
Does this stray from the essence of a fight over a chair?
Forcing multiple people to sit on one chair?
Extend the chair?
“Something feels suffocating.”
Isn’t there something that can clear up the confusion?
No, it feels like I’ve stuffed 200 sweet potatoes into my mouth.
Where did the cola that I used to sweep away in one go?
“Advice: 3 -> 2”
‘What do you think about this situation?’
I asked politely.
Even I thought it was a question that seemed like grasping at straws, so I thought I had to do this to get a perfect answer.
“Do you know why we give you periodic breaks?”
“… I know.”
The reason for creating room 105 in the hotel and giving a break like party time between attempts at the cursed room.
Because you need to rest to make good decisions.
If you run around here and there without thinking, your judgment will also run around here and there.
In that context, perhaps the owl’s advice is to ‘take a break and think’.
*
Early morning.
As soon as I met my colleagues, I relayed the advice I had heard that morning.
Ari tilted her head and asked.
“Do you think the owl told you to rest and think?”
“I think if we go back to reality now, something strange will definitely happen.”
“I guess so.”
“So let’s just stay at a hotel for a few days.”
“… until when?”
“Well, at least I should get out before the moon rises. One day has passed, so there are nine days left.”
Naturally, it was decided to stay at the hotel for a few days.
Around lunchtime, I was sitting at the tea table when I met Eunsol.
“Isn’t it amazing?”
“yes?”
“Why did Delight change to Pioneer at this particular time?”
“Because my sister made a wish -”
“No, no! It’s about timing.”
“timing?”
As someone who uses the hand of greed, it seems that he has realized a difference that others have not.
“The hand of greed is not the kind of power that will grant your wish after a few months.”
“Now that I think about it, that’s true.”
As my older sister said, the hand of greed changes as soon as a wish is made.
Either do it right away, or at least hold an event to get what you want.
“Can I ask you for your advice? It may seem like a meaningless question, but… it might be meaningful.”
Asking questions about blessings from other participants consumes ‘Contribution’.
But, since I’ve already gotten to level 4 of enhancement, what does it matter if I consume contribution points?
“Advice: 2 -> 1”
‘It’s been a few months since contestant Lee Eun-sol used her greedy hand. Why is Delight changing now?’
“The third-floor connecting passage is formed when the conditions are met. The Hand of Greed simply designates the location of the passage.”
“what?”
“The third-floor connecting passage appears when the conditions are met, and the Hand of Greed simply designates its location.”
Ari, who was listening nearby, answered.
“It means that a third-floor connecting passage is being created because the conditions have been met, separate from the Hand of Greed.”
Eunsol asked back.
“Then, my wish is to designate the location of the third-floor connecting passage that will be created someday as Delight?”
“I think so.”
I was curious about something a little different.
“The fact that Delight is changing now means that the conditions were met a while ago, right?”
“I guess so.”
“What are the conditions?”
“…Ask me that too.”
“Hmm, this was actually a two-part question.”
I hoped it was worth it.
“Advice: 1 -> 0”
‘What are the conditions for forming a 3rd floor?’
“When you look worthy of challenging the 3rd floor.”
“…”
It was a meaningful story.
Because it was a sentence that clearly showed the difference between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors.
If the 1st and 2nd floors are places where participants must overcome if they want to live there regardless of their will… .
The third floor is a place where participants who wish to participate must prove their qualifications to take on the challenge.
“What did you say this time?”
“…is formed when it appears qualified.”
“Hey, we’re doing something right now. Is that it?”
“I guess so.”
I thought as I looked at Eunsol, who was smiling as if she was speechless.
It’s a new question, but it’s a really new question… .
Why is there a third floor?
*
“Date: Day 231”
I spent the whole morning lying in the snowfield and admiring the snowy scenery.
Suddenly, I wondered what was happening outside the snow globe.
Around dinner time, I went up to Delight, which was under construction, to check, and saw a strange object.
“piece?”
Jincheol, who had been concentrating all his energy on his surroundings, responded by asking what was going on.
“What are you talking about?”
“Can’t you see that?”
“It’s not just a rock?”
I was about to make a joke about my brother’s failing eyesight when the piece turned back into stone.
“…”
It was only then that I realized that I was still a lump of rock.
An insight that arose unconsciously and I read that a boulder would later turn into a sculpture.
Oddly enough, the shape of the sculpture resembled ‘someone’.
Also, I found out that ‘someone’ has not been decided yet.
“It still depends on how you do it.”
“what?”
“no.”
“Inma, if that’s the case, then don’t say anything.”
*
“Date: Day 232”
Around dinnertime, Eunsol approached me with a slightly anxious expression.
“Gain, have you got any clues? I don’t really know… .”
“Think positively. Even the regressors who have been rotting away for tens of thousands of years haven’t found a solution, so it would be stranger if we found it right away.”
“… Are you writing any advice?”
“Every day.”
“You really don’t know anything?”
“I knew one thing.”
“As expected, Gain! What is it?”
“The true purpose of the old contestant.”
“An old contestant? Oh, the wisdom of the past? His goal is the victory of the plunderers -”
“Even that is a means.”
The true purpose of the wisdom of the ancients was, in some ways, very simple.
“But, is there any point in knowing his true intentions now?”
“We have to make it meaningful.”
*
“Date: Day 233”
While drinking cola at the tea table, Ari’s cheerful voice was heard.
“Ah, I don’t know~!”
“Huh?”
Ari simply answered the flustered Miro as if it was nothing.
“At worst, the world might just end! What’s the big deal?”
“…”
“Yeah~! Even if reality is destroyed, the hotel will be fine!”
“… After we turn back time, should we all go to the hotel together?”
I’m afraid they’ll kick us out of the hotel.
Rather, I told them to take a break and think about it, but everyone seems to be incredibly stressed.
*
“Date: Day 234”
Time flies like the wind and it’s already the evening of the fifth day.
While I was eating Jajangmyeon, the surroundings were so quiet that I raised my head and everyone was dead.
I’ve been thinking and meeting for five days, but it seems like I haven’t found any other way.
There was a depressing story about whether we should at least try to give a 30-point answer.
Ariga lowered her head and asked me.
“… What do you think?”
“hmm?”
“You really have no idea?”
“I came to my own conclusion.”
“conclusion?”
“I told my sister the day before yesterday, but think about it everyone. Even monsters who have gone through dozens or more loops in reality haven’t found the answer.”
“… That’s right.”
“Does it make sense to solve such a difficult problem in one go?”
“…”
“You can’t solve it with a human mind. It’s impossible.”
Grandfather sighed.
“Oh my gosh! You said you were going to rest on the first day, so did you really just relax? Let’s think about it in a comfortable environment -”
“It’s tomorrow.”
“what?”
“I checked the date with Owl. I’ll be going out tomorrow.”
Elena answered, embarrassed.
“Huh? That, the day the moon appears in reality isn’t tomorrow. You said it’s ten days, so there are still five days left -”
“I’m not going to see the moon.”
“yes?”
He answered everyone with a big smile.
“I told you, it seems like a problem that a human mind can’t solve.”
“What is that -”
“We need wisdom beyond human wisdom. Wisdom that can instantly obtain answers that even the smartest person in the world could not obtain in a thousand years of pondering!”
Jincheol muttered with a blank expression.
“Is there such a thing?”
A realm beyond wisdom, bordering on madness!
I once caught the edge of that realm.
Coming back to reality, I just moved away from that realm.
*
“User: Han Ga-in (Jihye)
Date: 235th day
Current location: 1 Uisadang-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
Wise Man’s Advice: 3”
I returned back to reality from the hotel that was like heaven.
As I walked through the acrid smoke of the Capitol building, it became clear that reality was literally destroyed.
If we go back in time, collapsed buildings and such will return to their original state.
However, there is nothing that can be done about the tens of millions of souls that have already been swallowed by the moon.
“…”
I was so overwhelmed with guilt that I couldn’t breathe… .
To be honest, not at all.
It’s not like I killed anyone for fun, it’s just a process to save more people, so what can I do?
It seemed that Yeji’s assessment of me was quite accurate.
Like that, I looked up at the sky and breathed in the murky air for 30 minutes.
— Doo doo doo doo…!
A familiar vibrating sound was heard.
today.
The wisdom of the past will die, and I will regain complete insight.