Escaping the Mystery Hotel

Party Time, Day 4, Lunch

- Han Kain

When morning came, everyone was relieved to see Seungyub come out.

Although he looked thinner than usual, he seemed to have recovered enough to move around.

Grandpa Mooksung subtly sat beside him and started piling meat onto Seungyub’s plate.

The story Seungyub told while eating was quite interesting.

He said his sponsor appeared in his dream and talked about how to use his Blessing.

Although it was a bit confusing, the message was clear.

Don’t overthink or calculate too much, just do it.

It was a difficult Blessing to understand.

I got a sense of why he said he “chose Seungyub.”

If it really was that kind of Blessing, it wasn’t something a person who overthought could utilize.

Honestly, I couldn’t imagine myself jumping into the ocean, believing a sea turtle would save me.

However, no matter how much the Blessing might be about believing everything will go well, it must have its limits.

The very fact that there was an "active skill" itself implied there were limits, right?

“Seungyub, I got curious while listening, did you test it? The usual limits of Fortu—”

Before I could finish, Ahri immediately covered my mouth.

...Did I say something wrong?

After finishing the meal, while walking near the front desk, Ahri came over to me.

“What was that earlier? You suddenly covered my mouth and surprised me.”

“From now on, never talk about Fortune in front of Seungyub.”

“Huh?”

“No doubt you were trying to analyze the limits and principles. Of course, there might be some principles, and naturally, there are limits. However,  just you analyzing and sharing it with  Seungyub weakens the Blessing itself.”

“...”

“I get it. I’ve had a similar experience. Sometimes, a Blessing gets stronger when the owner is a bit unhinged. It seems like ‘Fortune’ is a Blessing that gets stronger when the mind is pure.”

“...You shouldn’t talk about such things in front of Seungyub either.”

But I understood what she meant. I almost made a mistake.

I conveyed Ahri’s message to the others.

From now on, analyzing “Fortune” in front of Seungyub was forbidden.

Just conveying our understanding might complicate Seungyub’s mind and weaken his luck.

With Seungyub’s Awakening, we all finished our preparations to enter the Gate Room.

***

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 37

Current Location: Floor 1, Hallway

Sage’s Advice: 3

- Han Kain

Gulp.

I swallowed my saliva without realizing it.

As we stood in front of Room 107, the Gate Room, tension filled the air.

Eunsol-noona spoke in a somewhat trembling voice.

“Final equipment check! I have my brooch and badge, Grandpa has his gloves and a gun, Kain has his pen, and everyone has their Inheritance, right? Songee, make sure you have Perro, and everyone’s wearing sturdy clothes, right—”

“Noona, we’ve gone through this several times already. Let’s go in now.”

“Alright. Let’s go in. Waiting out here won’t change anything.”

As Grandpa Mooksung stepped forward to grab the doorknob of Room 107, a notification appeared for everyone.

Warning!

In the Gate Room, you must pass several trials in an order without any rest, and it is immensely difficult.

Minimum Condition: Escape from all the Cursed Rooms. In possession of at least 1 Inheritance.

Recommended Condition: In possession of 2 or more Inheritances.

…

…

…

Participants have met the recommended conditions.

Would you like to proceed?

“Just in case, does this mean there’s no rest at all?”

Ahri answered ambiguously.

“This Gate Room might mean no rest at all, or it might mean there’s no long rest like the few days we get during Party Time.”

-Click!

We entered the Gate Room.

Inside, there was a strangely bright, glowing space.

As we looked around in bewilderment, a notification appeared.

Welcome, participants, to the Gate Room.

You must pass a total of five trials.

The theme of the trials is ‘Restrictions.’

Do you believe Blessings or Inheritance are everything?

Remember, Blessings or Inheritance are ultimately external forces.

Show your true capabilities within these restrictions.

The First Trial will begin in 30 seconds.

“...It seems like they won’t let us use Blessings or Inheritances. Was it like this before?”

“I’ve never heard of this before!”

Ahri replied with a hollow tone, “This is why this damned Hotel is so frustrating! Preparation doesn’t help because it changes every time!”

“Ha ha ha... I never thought I’d hear you curse.”

Amid our laughter, the First Trial began.

***

First Trial

-Clang! Clang!

My consciousness faded and then returned.

I found myself on a train.

As I tried to stand up and look around, I felt an inexplicable discomfort.

Looking around, I saw my companions with puzzled expressions.

There was no one else in the train car except us.

A notice was heard from the ceiling.

You cannot use Blessings on the train. Please take note.

…As expected, the status window did not appear.

Naturally, everyone stood up and started talking.

“How are we supposed to pass this trial?”

“By the looks of it, isn’t it about getting out of the train car?” Eunsol-noona answered.

Upon hearing that, Jinchul-hyung immediately tried to move the train door.

“The door doesn’t budge at all?”

“Then it seems like escaping is the goal. They locked the door because we need to escape, right?”

Everyone else also started touching things here and there.

The strangest place was the passage to the next car.

“There’s nothing there, but we can’t pass through?”

As Eunsol-noona said, the passage seemed visually clear, but we couldn’t pass through it.

It was as if there was an invisible wall.

On the other side of the passage, the next car was faintly visible.

Outside the train windows, a beach could be seen, but the window itself would neither break nor open.

“Hey, Boar, try punching it.”

“I don’t have that kind of strength anymore, Gramps. No matter how many times I hit it, it will not budge.”

The sealing of our Blessings brought many changes to us.

I couldn’t see the status window, Jinchul-hyung’s physical abilities returned to that of a regular athlete, and the chat window disappeared, among other changes.

“Where’s Perro?” Songee exclaimed in surprise.

Indeed, Perro was nowhere to be seen.

What’s going on? It seems like we need to leave this place, but there’s no way to get out.

We searched every corner of the train car but couldn’t find a way out.

As we searched, that inexplicable discomfort grew.

Ahri gave her opinion.

“I don’t think we can break out physically. The passage appears visually clear but is blocked by a transparent barrier. Since an unnatural force is blocking our exit, there must be some condition we need to meet.”

“What could that condition be?”

Everyone fell silent.

Eventually, everyone got tired and started resting in random spots.

I sat absentmindedly, staring out the window.

What the hell is this nonsense?

Shouldn’t there at least be a hint?

It made me realize how much I relied on the status window.

In usual circumstances, I would’ve started asking for “Advice” right away.

-Clang! Clang!

...The train was moving, and time was passing.

It seemed like 30 minutes had passed.

Everyone was trying different things but with little success.

Then, a familiar sound was heard.

-Piyooo!

We heard Perro’s cry from the back!

Everyone stood up and turned their heads.

Perro flew from the back passage!

Is Perro unaffected by the barrier?

Songee was the most enthusiastic to see him.

“Perro!”

Songee opened her arms wide, ready to embrace Perro like a long-lost family member—

Perro flew past.

“...?”

“...??”

“...???”

What’s going on? Where is he going?

“Ouch! What are you doing!”

Perro briefly glanced at us, pecked Seungyub playfully, and flew to the front car.

What is he doing?

Did he just come here to peck Seungyub once and leave?

Eunsol-noona’s bewildered voice came out.

“What’s going on? Songee? Why is Perro doing that?”

“I don’t know... Maybe it’s because ‘Affinity’ is gone.”

Ah! Without Songee’s power to interact with Perro, they can’t communicate.

It’s a bit sad.

Perro used to cling to Songee, rubbing his beak affectionately against her.

Now, without the Blessing, he was indifferent and just flew right past her!

Songee looked visibly deflated.

“Ha! That damn parrot! Expecting anything from a bird brain was a mistake.”

Grandpa Mooksung consoled Songee by cursing Perro.

But why did Perro go to the front car?

Is there bird food there?

Once again, we were left clueless.

-Clang! Clang!

The train continued its endless voyage along its track.

Time flowed like a wave

I leaned against the window, staring outside.

It had been a while since I traveled by train, just sitting blankly like this.

When I was very young, we used to take the train to visit Grandpa in the countryside…

Back then, reforestation projects were in full swing. They were exceeding effective.

Every mountain visible from the window was now covered in trees!

Ah, I just realized those mountains weren’t real, so it was a meaningless thought.

“...?”

What’s this?

Something felt off.

-Aaaah!

-Kyaaaa!

Suddenly, screams echoed from the train.

Everyone jumped up in surprise.

It came from the front car.

From the direction Perro flew, there were loud noises and terrible screams.

They sound… familiar.

I realized the “discomfort” and “unease” I had felt earlier.

I summoned the Grimoire to confirm my suspicion.

It’s starting now.

Someone figured it out thanks to Perro.

I have a guess but I need to confirm it first.

I approached Seungyub and asked.

“Seungyub.”

“Yes? Hyung? What’s with those screams–”

“What’s your rank in LoL? What’s your favorite character?”

“Suddenly? What—”

“Answer me.”

“...Still Platinum. I’ll reach Diamond soon. I used to main Yasuo, but now it’s Yone—”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. But it’s clear now. It’s you.”

“Huh?”

“Go to the back.”

Silently, I gripped the handle of the dagger hidden inside my jacket.

The Hotel truly is a cruel place.

***

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