Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 66
Only Krnovel
Episode 66 – Room 101, Room of the Curse – ‘Strange Family’ Re (4)
*
third attempt
*
As soon as I met the silent elderly man on one side of the first floor of the broadcasting station, I had doubts. How on earth did we get here? How do you do it without filters or bracelets or anything like that?
The elder said, ‘It’s much easier and everyone can follow it.’
…
no way?
“Elder. Could it be that the only way to do this is to use only a part of the family’s body?”
“Uh huh! What kind of cruel thoughts are you thinking? Didn’t I say ‘this is a method that everyone can follow’?
How on earth could Miss Eunsol or Ari get the body parts of a bodyguard or a ‘suspiciously strong mother’? “In the first place, even if you kill someone and remove only body parts, the ‘family judgment’ may still remain.”
“Seeing as you explained it in such detail, it seems you actually thought about that.”
“…”
“So, how did you get here?”
“I came by teleportation.”
…
I was speechless for a moment. What are you talking about? Suddenly teleporting? I don’t know about Ari, but the old man probably doesn’t have any superpowers, right?
“You look like I don’t understand. I’m more surprised that I was the only one who thought of this. Perhaps it’s because I used to work at the Management Bureau and am used to supernatural things like this.”
“Please explain.”
“This is my first time entering room 101. But, didn’t those of you who entered in the past give a rough explanation? For example, you said that you kept moving from home to an arboretum, a restaurant, a resort, etc. while traveling with your family.
How did you move around then? Did you take the train? Did you even ride in a car?”
!
Enlightenment came.
How did I get around in Room 101 on my first attempt?
I did not use any means of transportation such as cars or trains. Just go somewhere with your family! As soon as I did that, the place and time changed!
“In room 101, the common sense of the world has been randomly distorted by something unknown. Also, we already know that the hotel can shake the space and time inside the room like the Creator.
In Room 101, you can change locations by simply teleporting without any means of transportation. Of course, seeing that transportation such as taxis and subways remain on stage, there must be some condition for instantaneous movement.
Perhaps this is only possible if ‘participants’ like us are infected with the curse?
There is no need to think too deeply about the principles. “The important thing is that you can do it, and that you have already done it.”
“… I hadn’t thought of that. Seeing that only the elder and I arrived, it seems like other people couldn’t do it either. Teleportation. I know it’s possible. In fact, I did it too when I first came to Room 101.
Now that I think about it, it would take such an absurd means for Ari to escape as well. Ahri is in a state where she can never escape through physical movement.
But how do you teleport? “I’ve never teleported before in my life, so I don’t know how.”
“I don’t know either.”
“Huh? Didn’t you say you came by teleportation?”
“I just kept my distance from my fake family and declared that I was going to the broadcasting station soon. Then I just walked closer and was swept away by the curse. I stayed so swept away that before I knew it, I was at the broadcasting station.”
“I understand that you applied the fact that teleportation is possible while infected with a curse. Even if you arrived that way, didn’t you come in a state infected with a curse? How did you wake up?”
The old man lightly waved his hand and pointed to the surroundings.
“Do you see anyone else around here?”
“I can see the guards over there. There’s no one near us.”
“I’ve been to ABS many times. People don’t come to this area on the outskirts of the first floor unless there’s a special event. So, before I was infected with the curse, I made a plan in advance, saying, ‘I’m going to go to this place.’
When I did that, I came here and sat here even though I was infected with the curse. Then I woke up on my own.”
…
understood.
How Grandpa Mukseong came to the broadcasting station
1. Make a schedule in advance to go to the broadcasting station while maintaining reason.
2. Intentionally becoming infected with the curse.
3. According to a pre-set schedule, teleport to an unoccupied location at the broadcasting station and arrive there.
4. The curse is lifted and you wake up in an uninhabited place.
It’s a strange and creative way to combine the features of this room.
As he said, wouldn’t it be a method worth thinking about since he is an agent of the Bureau who has dealt with all kinds of supernatural phenomena countless times?
surely… .
In this way, Ari, who cannot physically leave the hotel, and other people who cannot maintain reason while in contact with their families for a long period of time, can also come to the broadcasting station.
“Okay. One last question, we don’t have ‘family’ around us anymore, and the people at the broadcasting station are quite far away, so why isn’t ‘Escape’ showing up?”
“That’s proof we came to the right place.”
!
A corner on the first floor of a broadcasting station where there are no people around enough to avoid the curse infection.
In a place like this, it is normal for the ‘escape’ notification to appear and end.
However, even though it was a place with no people, ‘Escape’ did not appear.
I checked the status window.
[Current location: Tier 1, Room 101 (Curse Room – Strange Family)]
[Curse Room – Mmmm Mmmm]
[Curse Room – Common Sense Change Media]
…
Strange family. No, ‘media that changes common sense’.
We arrived at the right place. The next step has begun.
It is only natural that escape did not occur.
If you look at family members, aren’t they just secondary infected people?
Primary infected person. Now that we’re closer to the ‘source of the curse’, there’s no way we can ‘escape’.
“I think I have a general understanding of the situation now. It would be best to start exploring.
I came earlier and made a plan while waiting to see if one more person would come, so just follow my plan for now. From now on, we are management bureau agents who have come to inspect the broadcasting station. Stand in front of me and stop anyone from coming. And I decided to search every nook and cranny as much as I could. Do you understand everything?”
“understand.”
“Let’s go.”
Naturally, I took the lead.
Unlike me, seniors don’t have any filters. Until now, I was able to hold out because I didn’t leave the corner of the first floor where there was no one nearby. From now on, when you enter the broadcasting station, you have no choice but to constantly encounter ‘people infected with the curse’.
I, who have a filter, need to act as a tank to block them from coming in without permission.
The old man held out something.
“This?”
“It’s an agent’s badge. It’s something the guards who work in places like this would recognize.”
A badge with a strange tree engraved on it. At the bottom, it says Agent in small print.
In my life, I end up pretending to be a management bureau agent. It feels amazing again.
I started searching for broadcasting stations.
*
‘Pretending to be an agent of the Bureau’, which I learned briefly, was very simple.
Step 1: Just stick out the badge and create a mystical look.
“Student! If you are not here with permission-”
—Tuk!
“What is this – no? Are you from the Management Bureau? May I ask about your business?”
“…”
“I’m sorry, but you should at least explain why.”
“…”
“If it’s a secret mission, you can roughly explain it.”
Step 2: Insist that you take responsibility.
“Are you in a position where you can take responsibility?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. We just need at least a reason to-”
“If you keep interrupting me like this, I have no choice but to find out who is responsible later.”
“It’s not a hindrance. When we let someone pass, we have to write something in the written explanation.”
Step 3: Make threats openly
“You’ve already wasted more than a minute of my time. Show me your business card. Let’s see what a great person you are.”
“Huh! What are you talking about all of a sudden? A business card? Why are you suddenly saying that?”
“Oh, there’s a nameplate there? Mr. Cha Seung-mook of the broadcasting station security team? I’ll remember it. When I go back to my headquarters, I’ll make sure to-”
“Just pass by. I think I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”
passed.
…
You can insist like this.
As I was entering the broadcasting station, an elderly man tapped me on the shoulder.
“That was very good. It was the abuse of power from a 10-year veteran agent. Do you have any talent for this? I also learned a lesson. This is the first time I’ve had goosebumps like this when he just recited three names.
Isn’t this a very meaningful atmosphere? What are you going to do if you know the real name of an ordinary person? “It stimulates infinite imagination?”
“…”
“When you leave the hotel, be sure to think about getting a job at the management bureau.”
I promised myself that once I left the hotel, I would never get involved in something strange like this again.
*
While I was walking, for the first time in a long time, a ‘conversation window’ popped up in my head.
Kim Muk-seong: Can you hear me?
Han Ga-in: It’s been a while.
Mukseong Kim: Saving type. Glad you stopped by.
Han Ga-in: Is it because we got closer to each other?
“Let’s just say it in words. The two are attached anyway. We need to save on the type.”
“okay.”
“Actually, I called you guys in the chat window earlier.”
“No chat window appeared at all.”
“I think it might be because the distance from me is too far. In fact, I thought there might be a distance limit. After all, you shouldn’t be too far away.”
Someone is approaching.
I immediately pushed the old man behind me.
“Who are you? Anyone here-”
I immediately slapped the badge and glared harshly at him.
The employee looked at the badge, looked embarrassed, and took a step back.
“Get out of the way.”
“S-sorry. You are from the management bureau. What happened?”
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
“…”
As I opened my eyes even wider, the three or four employees who seemed to be observing us all stepped back with frightened expressions, and the path opened.
Even in this strange world, the management bureau’s badge does not have a modern horse badge.
A brief conversation. Even though it’s a conversation with a filter in place, it still gives me a headache. Is the elderly okay?
While wandering around the first floor for about 10 minutes, a chat window popped up.
Mookseong Kim: Bathroom.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom… . Besides, why a chat window when you can just say it with words?
Although I was puzzled, I headed to the bathroom, and as soon as I got there, I realized why I had used the chat window.
“Wuweeee! Uuuuuuuuuuuuuck!”
As soon as he came in, the old man started pouring vomit into the toilet.
I feel like I’m going to vomit all the food in my stomach. No matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t unusual to see blood mixed in.
“Are you okay?”
“Do you look okay?”
“Is it because of the curse?”
“I’m amazed at how you carry on a conversation like that in front of me. I really envy the effectiveness of that ‘filter’. I try to hold on while I’m behind you, but it feels like my brain is melting and my insides are turning inside out. You’re in such a state. What do you think?”
“I have a bit of a headache.”
“I’m jealous. I’m jealous. It’s a shame why my chat window can’t provide that kind of help….”
I patted the old man on the back for a long time.
This isn’t easy. My head was throbbing earlier too, but the elderly man’s condition is so serious that he doesn’t even have a filter.
Should I proceed further on my own?
Something cold was inserted into my pocket.
“Elderly?”
“You can take this pistol. You’ve learned how to shoot it, right? And from now on, you can go further alone.”
“…”
“I’m sorry. I can’t do it anymore. If we go together and I can’t hold on and end up infected with the curse, then I might try to harm you. I’ll just stay in this bathroom.”
“It won’t be a problem if more people come with us during the next attempt. In fact, I think it will only be possible for the three of us, me, Songi, and Ari.”
“Maybe there is another way. We should go out and talk about it.”
I left the bathroom.
From now on, I have to proceed alone. Where should I go? Should I go upstairs too?
See next episode