Escaping the Mystery Hotel

- Han Kain

It feels like I'm going to get a headache.

So many confusing things happened in just one day.

The experiences fighting Arima within Jinchul-hyung's mind, and the Advice given in a completely different way than usual.

As I held my head and lowered it, Ahri tapped my shoulder.

“What are you thinking so much about? The rest time isn't very long you know?"

...Come to think of it, there's no need for me to worry alone.

Isn't this the good thing about having comrades?

I immediately shared my concerns.

Though some, like Songee and Seungyub, looked blankly at the ceiling, Eunsol-noona and Ahri soon started seriously contemplating what I had said.

Ahri answered first.

“To sum up what happened in the mental world, the knowledge contained in the Grimoire has already taken root within you, but it's taking time to digest. However, the deeper you accept the Grimoire’s knowledge, the more you fear that it will make you deviate from humanity. Right?”

“That’s the gist”

“Ultimately, the choice is up to you to make. But there's one thing I want to tell you.”

“What is it?"

“Who is the creator of the Grimoire? The unborn god, right? Think about what kind of being that god is.”

The creator of the Grimoire.

The One Who Couldn’t Be Born.

“To be honest, isn't he just a shut-in pervert?”

The answer was completely unexpected.

“What?”

“Isn't it true? From the moment his consciousness awakened, he couldn't leave his mother's womb. When he barely started communicating with mortals, all he could do was torment them out of jealousy. 'The One Who Couldn’t Be Born!', 'The Firstborn of The Nebula Dragon!' He decorated himself with such grand titles, but in reality, he was just a shut-in who spent his life envying the outside world. He tried to mimic Buddhist concepts in creating the Grimoire, but it's still just a gloomy philosophy. Do you really need to get too deeply into the thoughts of such a being?”

“...But, if I don't accept that understanding—”

“Are you worried that you won't be able to use the Grimoire properly if you don't? It's just a tool. Who's to say you have to accept its internal philosophy to use it? Ultimately, it's your choice, but remember this: you don't have to blindly follow beings just because they're called gods or demons.”

I felt a sense of clarity in my mind.

Is this the perspective that comes from accumulated experience in the “Administration Bureau”?

“Did that help?”

“I think I get it, but I also feel more confused.”

Eunsol-noona, who had been listening, intervened.

“It's a relief Ahri helped with the Grimoire talk. I have nothing to say on that front. But I've realized two peculiarities about the Advice. First, unlike typical Advice, it consumed all three uses at once. Second, it was given 'now' of all times.”

“I have a vague idea about why all three uses were consumed at once. Usually, Advice is divided into automatic crisis alerts when my life is in danger and answers to questions I ask. This advice didn't fit either category. It wasn't a crisis, and I didn't ask a question. It seems like a penalty for a rule violation. It's absurd since I didn't break the rules, though.”

“I think similarly. The Owl must have incurred a penalty by forcing itself to give 'impractical advice’. That makes the second point crucial. Why did it give Advice 'now’, exhausting all use at once? That must be considered in interpreting the advice.”

Listening to Noona’s words sparked a thought.

“The advice's meaning isn't about preparing for a distant future, is it?”

“I don't think so. The Owl isn't stupid enough to give future advice while we're in the middle of the Gate Room. This advice must be closely related to the Gate Room.”

Ahri chimed in.

“It seems wise not to be too hung up on this. While I agree it likely relates to the Gate Room, we can't rule out other interpretations. The Owl tends to make every word have complex interpretations.”

The Advice might be multi-layered in meaning.

I understood that too.

Let's ponder the meaning of the advice.

Remember that realization. It is the problem you must overcome in the Hotel.

“The realization refers to something about the Grimoire, right?”

“Most likely? So ultimately, you have to interpret this advice yourself. We don't know what realization you had about the Grimoire.”

What realization did I gain?

“…”

There are too many to pinpoint.

I vaguely grasped the Power of Incarnation and felt I must change myself to increase my proficiency with the Grimoire.

Of course, I later heard different perspectives from Ahri.

Which of these many realizations is the advice referring to?

And how does that realization apply to the remaining Gate Room trials?

As I was deep in contemplation, Grandpa Mooksung put a hand on my shoulder.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind, but stop worrying for now.”

“Huh?”

Grandpa pointed to the floating notification in the air.

22:33

“We have just over 20 minutes left of rest time. Are you going to start the next trial with your head exploding from overthinking? You need to take a breather too.”

“That’s true...”

“And I think it might not be about the Grimoire at all.”

“What?”

“The conversation right before the Advice wasn't about the Grimoire, was it?”

I recalled the earlier conversation.

What were we talking about just before the Advice appeared?

The witch nearly escaped the trial room by replicating her mind into Jinchul-hyung.

“We were talking about escape. But does that have any relation to the Gate Room? We can't replicate our minds to escape the Gate Room.”

“Well, I was just saying what came to mind.”

Everyone was momentarily puzzled.

Now less than 20 minutes remained. Eventually, everyone stopped pondering and started to rest.

I leaned against the wall to catch some sleep.

...As I rested with my eyes closed, I realized another peculiar aspect of the Advice.

A peculiar aspect that only I, who received the Advice directly, could notice.

It is the problem you must overcome.

Did the Owl usually use such peculiar phrasing when giving Advice?

It typically used plain or semi-formal speech.

Strangely, this manner of speaking felt like someone else.

With that thought, I drifted into a light sleep.

-Thud.

“Wake up.”

“Ah.”

I reluctantly opened my eyes at Ahri’s gesture.

1:21

“One minute left…”

“That’s why I woke you.”

“I can’t believe we’re this exhausted after just two trials…”

“Surprisingly, I think it’s manageable.”

“Manageable?”

“There are five trials, and even if only one person passes, everyone survives! In the First Trial, we all passed, and only one of us was eliminated during the Second Trial. We’ve completed 40%, and only one has been eliminated. It feels like we’ll pass with ease—”

Startled, I covered Ahri’s mouth!

Grandpa Mooksung also slapped his forehead.

“Huh? Why did you suddenly do that?”

“Please, don’t go raising any flags! Haven't you heard that in the ER, you never say, ‘It’s a quiet day’? Saying something like, ‘we’ll pass with ease’ in a place like this Hotel is just asking for trouble!”

“What kind of superstition—”

“Ahri, shut up. This time, I agree with Kain. After hearing your words, I feel like the Hotel is preparing a truly awful trial!”

While Ahri pouted slightly, the rest time ended.

Amid an inexplicable sense of foreboding, the Third Trial began.

***

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 44

Current Location: Floor 1, Room 107 (Gate Room)

Sage's Advice: 0

- Han Kain

When the lights came on, we found ourselves seated around a round table in a tidy office.

A mysterious orb descended from the center.

Greetings!

From now on, you will participate in the Jekyll and Hyde Game.

Please call me the Moderator. From this point onward, your Blessings will be sealed.

With those words, the Status Window disappeared.

Jekyll and Hyde Game?

As I pondered the meaning, a notification appeared in the air.

There are three roles in the Jekyll and Hyde Game: Jekyll, Hyde, and Doctor.

All of you are Jekyll. Jekylls can discuss and execute someone among you who hosts Hyde each round during the day. If Jekylls correctly identifies and executes Hyde, the game is won.

Hyde will possess someone among you at the start of each round. Hyde will attempt to kill one of you each round at night. Hyde can only possess each person once and cannot be found with an Inheritance.

The Doctor can designate someone to protect each round during the day. If Hyde tries to kill the designated person at night, the kill will fail.

If the game is won, one of the deceased participants can be resurrected. If you have questions about the game, please ask.

The game will start in 30 minutes.

This seems familiar.

Songee reacted.

“This looks a lot like Mafia, doesn’t it?”

“Jekyll is like the civilians, and Hyde is like the Mafia? The unique part is that Hyde hosts among us.”

Grandpa Mooksung shouted in surprise.

“Hey, hey! Don’t talk about things only you know. What’s this ‘Mafia’?”

Eunsol-noona was also greatly surprised.

“I know the Mafia game, but isn't it just a political game for fun? How are we supposed to find Hyde? And ‘cannot be found with an Inheritance’? Our Blessings are sealed, and we can't find Hyde with Inheritance. This means we’re supposed to guess blindly?”

Our best guesser, Seungyub, had his luck sealed.

What are we supposed to do?

Everyone was confused.

Let’s stay calm.

“Everyone, calm down. The hotel wouldn’t make us play a meaningless guessing game.”

“What do you mean?”

“There must be some logic to this. The crux of this game is who Hyde will possess, and who Hyde will kill. If we figure out who hosts Hyde, we can find and execute Hyde. If we figure out who they will kill, the Doctor can protect the target. The logic behind choosing hosts and kills must exist. It won’t be random.”

I said this, but I was also confused.

What criteria will Hyde use to choose hosts and targets?

It felt ominous.

I had a gut feeling that we would make significant sacrifices in this game.

***

https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken