Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 659
Only Krnovel
EP.659 Episode 659 – Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘The Origin of Species’ (6)
Episode 659 – Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘The Origin of the Species’ (6)
– Kim Ari
A notification window appeared for everyone in the observatory.
“The solution has failed. Therefore, the ‘post-apocalyptic world’ begins!”
I couldn’t believe it, but it turns out that those of us who remained at the observatory had a role to play beyond just watching the situation like ghosts!
“Eww! What, what is this?”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
I listened to the astonished people and focused my mind to sort out the situation.
Let’s start by thinking about the information Songi and Eunsol obtained.
They didn’t last long enough to figure out the overall scenario of Room 301, but the two of them did find out quite a bit.
First, the identity of the talking animal is a human soul trapped in an animal body.
So then, what is the state of a human body without a soul?
According to Songi’s confirmation, an unidentified intelligent entity is occupying the body.
That is, a monster takes a human body, and the human soul that was in the stolen body enters an animal body for an unknown reason.
The series of processes is called ‘transition’.
Second, the administration is untrustworthy.
The person Song-i found said outright that the management bureau would not intervene, and Eun-sol met a bad ending as soon as she reported it to the management bureau.
Third, Eunsol’s father, Chairman Lee Seok-hwan, knows something about the other party.
“…”
Is this all the information you’ve found out?
Meanwhile, I was troubled by another notification window that revealed its presence right before my eyes.
‘Post-apocalyptic world’
I already figured out the keyword itself before I got to the 3rd floor.
I just didn’t know it would turn out this way!
What does this mean?
Eunsol and Songi failed, so Room 301 got a bad ending?
From now on, it looks like we have to go into the world after the bad ending and do something… .
It was such a sudden story that I couldn’t understand anything.
At that very moment, Gain screamed in surprise.
“Everyone close your eyes!”
Did you figure out anything through insight or crisis alert?
The moment I heard Cain’s words, my gaze turned to Miro without me realizing it.
This must be because of an unknown anxiety that Miro, who always acts like a child, might make a mistake again this time.
In my imagination, instead of closing its eyes, the maze would laugh and say, “Gain, why are you like that?” and then vomit blood and faint!
…
Fortunately, Miro did not make a mistake and just kept his eyes closed.
It was my mistake.
That brief moment when I turned my head to check the maze.
I finally realized why Cain had told everyone to close their eyes.
An endlessly empty and pure white space.
A pale line running down the middle.
all.
“… ah.”
I feel the hot liquid flowing down my cheek.
Immediately afterwards, darkness fell.
*
.
..
…
I woke up with a pain that felt like needles were pricking my eyeball.
When I forced my eyes open, the pain got worse, but I could see ahead, albeit vaguely.
At that moment, a soft hand touched my head.
“Ariya! Are you okay?”
“maze?”
“Yeah! Everyone was surprised when Ari got hurt right after we started!”
“…”
“What happened? Gain said Ari got hurt because she saw something she couldn’t handle.”
“… maze.”
“huh?”
“It’s because of you.”
“Huh?”
“If it weren’t for you, nothing would have happened.”
“What, what does that mean?”
“I’m kidding.”
“Hey, come on! Don’t tell weird jokes.”
I drank a glass of water that Miro handed me and got a general idea of ??the situation.
“How long was I unconscious?”
“About 2 hours?”
It’s not that long, thankfully.
“What about other people?”
“We all woke up in the same place. We’re walking around outside right now, assessing the situation.”
“Where is this?”
“Human Sanctuary?”
“… what?”
What protection zone?
I opened my eyes wide wondering what was going on, and Miro whispered while shivering.
“The doctor said it was like a human concentration camp.”
“… human concentration camp.”
A more terrible word popped out.
“It’s a small area with a few apartment complexes and a few parks, but it’s said to be safe to stay in this area.”
I didn’t know much about the maze beyond this.
I think I’ll be able to hear more information if I meet colleagues outside.
“Miro, let’s go out for now. My vision is still blurry, so help me.”
“huh.”
*
As soon as I went outside, Kim Sang-hyun, who was deep in thought, greeted me.
“Are you awake? Are your eyes okay?”
“Doctor! Ari still can’t see very well!”
“Hey! Tell me how many fingers I have.”
“Eight.”
“what -”
“I’m joking. I can see your hand, so explain the situation.”
Sang-Hyeon laughed as if my joke was ridiculous and then began to explain.
“To put it simply, it seems like otherworldly monsters have conquered Earth.”
“It’s been amazing from the start.”
“They are monsters that take away human bodies. And….”
“and?”
“Don’t be alarmed. The conquest of the Earth has already been completed.”
“So this is the ‘post-apocalyptic world’?”
“maybe.”
Now is not the time for otherworldly monsters to invade.
The conquest of Earth has long since ended, and so it is the ‘post-apocalyptic world’!
“Then what is this place? It’s called a human sanctuary?”
“I don’t know if the history of the Republic of Korea that you and I know is the same, but -”
“You can skip the introduction.”
“It’s a place where descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators live.”
I was speechless for a moment.
“what?”
“This is a story that came out while investigating the people of the area. It seems that those who cooperated with the ‘Great Race’ from the beginning and their descendants were granted the right to live in a protected area even after the end.”
“… The world has already been ruined and quite some time has passed?”
“About 30 years. I’m not sure.”
So, to summarize the situation, this is it.
A situation where unidentified monsters swarm in large numbers, take over human bodies, and occupy the Earth.
The surviving humans obey the monsters and call them the ‘Great Race’.
There are also human traitors who collaborated with the enemy during the invasion.
They were given the right to live in a sanctuary without their bodies being taken away after the end.
Humanity outside the protected area would have suffered a miserable fate, having been deprived of its body.
“According to what I saw from the observatory, Eunsol’s father -”
“That’s what Chairman Lee Seok-hwan of Daeyang Group said.”
“That guy knew about transference. He even seemed to have a connection to monsters.”
“He was probably a traitor on the human side.”
“…”
If Eunsol hears this fact after escaping, she might be quite distressed.
“Oh! It’s Cain!”
When Ga-in looked at Miro’s loud gestures, she was slightly embarrassed.
Cain was giving instructions to several people, and they were not just bowing their heads to Cain, they were prostrating themselves to him.
“… What is that? Did you set up a podium while I was passed out?”
Sang-Hyeon answered with a sly smile.
“There was no time for that. It was just a trick.”
“trickery?”
“The people of the reserve fear the Great Race, calling them Barons and Counts, but they cannot tell them apart by their appearance alone.”
That goes without saying.
It’s a monster that steals people’s bodies, so it looks just like a normal human.
“So the power they use itself is their identity card.”
“ah!”
I understand.
The power to take over and control a human body is the identity card of a great race, and although the source of the power is different, Cain also wields similar power.
That is, ordinary humans cannot distinguish Cain from the great race!
“Is Gain acting like he’s part of a great race now?”
“Yes. Oh, now they’re coming our way.”
When I learned this, one question that had been on my mind the whole time at the observatory was answered.
Why didn’t Cheonwoon give Eunsol and Songi a helper named Han Gain?
I guarantee you, if there was just one Ga-in, the process would have been completely different!
This is because Gain is the best among us, not only in terms of fighting power but also in terms of scenario comprehension ability.
Now I know why.
“… It was useful on your side, but it was more useful on this side.”
“What did you say?”
“Ahhh~! It would be nice if there were two or three Gains!”
“Father, don’t be so shameful!”
“Embarrassing words? Miro, don’t imagine anything strange.”
*
Gain looked at me and nodded as if she was glad, then called her colleagues back to the area.
“There is very little additional information to be found.”
“this!”
“her….”
Disappointing reactions.
Gain nodded as if she agreed and continued speaking.
“The general public within the reserve knows little. Most people believe that a great race rules the world and that they live each day by their grace.”
“…there are almost no slaves.”
Gain reacted slightly differently to what I said.
“Slave? If you’re a slave, I’ll probably work you to death, but it’s not like that. Just lock you up in a protected area half the size of Seoul and don’t come out. You have to live here. I’ll give you enough food to keep you from starving. That’s all.”
“What does that mean?”
“It would be closer to a human concentration camp or human zoo than a slavery.”
“…”
Either way, it’s not desirable.
Elena asked cautiously.
“Mr. Gain, how do you understand the scenario?”
“That’s exactly why I came. As I was walking around, the scenario worked for me.”
“What are you saying?”
Soon, Gain looked into the empty space and read the string of characters that only she could see.
“Understand the scenario, the origin of the species. Alas…! The destruction has come. Humanity has been defeated, and the time of glory is over. Humans are no longer the masters of the Earth.”
Surely these aren’t all the horrible things you’ve said?
“But even in the darkness of the apocalypse, there is a spark of hope!”
“As expected! What’s next?”
“There is no next time. This is the end.”
“What is the spark of hope?”
“We don’t know yet. We’ll have to find out.”
“…”
After a brief silence, Cain muttered cautiously.
“In my opinion, the third floor curse room seems to be divided into the ‘solution team’ and the ‘escape team’.”
Solution team and escape team.
“The people who first write their names on the room registration list and enter, in this episode, Eunsol and Songi are the ones who will solve it. If these people solve the problem of room 301, then it will be solved at that point.”
People who write their names on the admission list and enter are the ones who solve the problem.
If you end it here, it will be resolved and you will receive rewards, etc.
“If the solution team fails, the escape team is next. The escape team starts after the apocalypse. So -”
“It seems like a solution is impossible.”
“Yes. It is impossible to solve. The golden timing is over, and the tide is already turned.”
“…”
“If you find a spark of hope, something will happen. Maybe that’s the escape condition for the third floor?”
On the first and second floors, escape meant a temporary delay of the end or getting away from that place?
Escape from the third floor seems to be a somewhat different concept.
In the first place, since we are in a post-apocalyptic timeline, there is no way to delay the end, and since the entire world has been destroyed, there is no point in escaping.
Spark of hope, this is the escape keyword for the 3rd floor!
At this point, everyone who understood this became silent.
Gain suddenly looked at me and asked.
“Ariya.”
“huh?”
“Is there just one additional piece of information I got from the survivors in the sanctuary?”
“ah?”
“But I don’t know what it means. I was wondering if you might know.”
“say it.”
The following words were words I had never heard before.
“… Great race of Yith”
“what?”
“The Great Race of Is. Do you know what this is?”