Escaping the Mystery Hotel

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 45

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

Sage's Advice: 1 → 0

Immediately stop your companion's disturbance and apologize to those around you.

I used the chat window immediately.

Han Kain: Advice triggered. Come down immediately.

I climbed onto the table and grabbed Grandpa's arm.

He didn't resist and came down, still pretending to be drunk.

We acted as if we were apologetic for Grandpa's drunken behavior.

While supporting Grandpa, I had a sudden realization.

Unlike Advice which provided answers to questions, the “Life Warning” only triggered when my life was in danger.

...A chill ran down my spine.

I cautiously looked around.

The reactions of the people around us weren’t just about watching a pitiful drunkard.

Their murderous intent was so strong, it made my skin tingle.

Some of the staff members of the Esper Ho had even drawn their revolvers.

Considering the Life Warning had triggered, if Grandpa's disturbance had continued, they might have actually shot us.

This reaction was abnormal.

No matter how disruptive someone was at a high-class party, the normal response would be to escort the drunk person out.

Drawing a gun wasn’t normal.

After apologizing and calming the atmosphere, we returned to our room.

***As soon as we arrived, Grandpa spoke up.

"My prediction was correct."

"You mean your prediction that the party is their weak spot? I agree."

Ahri, Songee, and Elena also agreed one after another.

"Grandpa did act crazy. You beat up the staff, threw food at the guests, and made a loud ruckus... Wow, after saying it out loud, you really did go all out. Anyway, no matter what you did, usually, they wouldn't pull out a gun on you!"

"The passengers' reactions were even stranger than the staff's. It's the staff's job to handle disruptive people, so it's understandable they'd be a bit aggressive, but the passengers were glaring at us so fiercely it was terrifying."

"Yes, it's definitely strange. Normally, passengers would just avoid such a scene."

I began to feel anxious.

"The reaction suggests that disrupting the party is some sort of trigger. If we get the chance, we should try disrupting another party. However, our immediate crisis is not the party in a few days but tonight at midnight. There's only about an hour left now."

Grandpa laughed as if he found it amusing.

"I have a plan for that too. It's somewhat connected to today's disturbance."

"A plan?"

"They'll come for us again at midnight, won't they? Without Perro around, they'll definitely try to take one of us. I'll let them take me."

Everyone was momentarily shocked, staring at Grandpa.

Ahri seemed to have guessed his intention.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I pissed them off enough today, so they'll likely take me. I even gave them my personal information while drunk. It was just my age and place of birth, but those seem to be the key points."

Songee shouted in surprise.

"You prepared to be taken?"

"Exactly."

I began to understand Grandpa's plan.

"Are you planning to use the 'Chat Window' when you're taken?"

"Now you get it. Yes. Our biggest problem now is that we have no way to fight back if they come for us. Perro is gone, and Elena can't use her Justice without evidence. I'll share the situation as I'm taken. They'll undoubtedly do something evil. Once we have evidence, Elena can use Justice, and that should just about do it for the Fourth Trial."

"In the Incident of the Common Sense Renovating Media and the Mansion of Fear, we couldn't use the chat window when we were far apart. Could that be a problem here?" Songee asked.

"That was because we were kilometers apart. This ship is big, but not big enough to block the Chat Window."

The plan was clear.

Today's disturbance was part of it.

Provoking the enemy to take Grandpa and then using the Chat Window to gather evidence of their evil deeds.

This would allow Elena to make use of her Justice.

It sounded convincing, but Elena pointed out one concern.

"Will Grandpa be safe?"

"Elena, you'll have to use your Justice to save me."

"Even if I use Justice, I can't teleport. It will take some time to reach you."

"We have no choice. There's no risk-free plan in a place like this. Worst case, if I fall, the rest of you will go to the Fifth Trial. Four of you should be able to make it."

"I'll get Elena to save you as soon as she can use Justice," Ahri replied with a bitter tone.

Grandpa chuckled and handed Ahri the gun.

“…”

Until midnight arrived, we tried to come up with a better plan. Unfortunately, we came up short.

- Elena

-Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

At midnight, the cuckoo clock rang.

Soon, the disguised music box began to chime.

Ahri, who had been fiddling with it for a while, said it no longer had magical power.

Despite my worries, it turned out to be true.

The music box's sound no longer made me sleepy.

We all pretended to be asleep, lying on the floor or against the walls.

“…”

Gasp!

Even though Kain had warned me in advance, I almost screamed.

Seeing faces suddenly protruding from the walls was something I could never get used to.

Ominous voices began to speak.

"Are they all asleep?"

"It seems so. The music box sounded quieter, so I wondered..."

"Only one music box worked? What happened?"

"The others must be broken. We need to inform the captain. Anyway, since at least one was working they all fell asleep. And that monster bird is gone."

"Who should we take?"

"Hah!"

"Ha ha ha! Is there a need to think about it?"

"The answer is obvious. Let's take that old man who dared to crash our feast. It's time to show him what hell is."

With that, four people emerged from the wall's faces.

They were all faces I'd seen at the party.

Three large men and a slender woman appeared.

The men began dragging Grandpa away.

"Why is he so heavy?"

"He's quite built. His arms are huge!"

"Doesn't matter, he'll end up as a meal for Marcas."

“Marcas” was a suspicious term.

...With the sound of footsteps, Grandpa, the staff, and the passengers left the room.

After some time, the chat window activated.

Kim Mooksung: I will send the video soon due to the limited upload capacity.

Kim Mooksung: Follow the hallway to the end. Turn right at the stairs on the second floor.

Kim Mooksung: You'll see a maintenance room. Turn left there-

Grandpa continued to guide us along the path he was being taken.

It was more complex than expected.

15 minutes? 20 minutes?

Finally, Grandpa's audiovisual feed began to stream in the chat window.

It looked like a colosseum.

The center was wide and flat, with massive pillars and tiered seating surrounding it.

Is the entire ship gathered here?

The space was filled with hundreds of people.

Though the limited view didn't show the entire space, the excitement was palpable even through the video.

In the center were massive pillars wrapped in velvet.

A man with a mortarboard appeared on the stage.

"Beloved staff and passengers of the Esper Ho, the time for our much-awaited festival has come again. You all know who this is. This is the wretch who dared to disrupt our feast."

Kim Ahri: Look at that hat. Is he the captain?

Han Kain: Quiet. Focus on the video.

"With the great Marcas watching over the Esper Ho, we are blessed with eternal glory! First Officer!"

With the captain's call, a first officer, dressed in a grand uniform, appeared.

The first officer gave various instructions to the staff, who then securely tied Grandpa to another pillar.

Yu Songee: Something's about to happen! Elena, are you ready?

Not yet.

Justice was starting to activate, but I needed more certainty.

Once Grandpa was tied, the captain began chanting ominously.

"The offering is 68 years old, born in Gangneung, South Korea, occupation—"

The captain recited Grandpa's age, birthplace, and other details while writing and drawing around the pillar.

At that moment, the velvet covering the pillar next to Grandpa was removed.

...I held my breath.

Light poured into the dark room.

The scales of Justice spiraled into view.

***- Han Kain

Damn it!

As the velvet was removed, we all gasped in horror.

The man tied to the pillar, presumed to be the “reserve” taken in our place yesterday, was a sight too gruesome to bear.

His skin was peeled, and his body bore the marks of severe burns.

As the evidence of this heinous act appeared in the video, the Chat Window, which had remained steady despite the ominous atmosphere, also shook violently.

Even Grandpa, who had been sending us visual information, couldn't stay calm in front of that gruesome sight.

Immediately, golden waves spread from Elena like a tide.

-Bang! Boom!

The swirling scales of Justice crushed the entire room.

Elena took off, and the rest of us hurriedly followed.

How did the path to the colosseum go again?

It was pretty complicated.

Right at the second-floor stairs—

- Crash!

Never mind the path.

Elena was just smashing her way straight through.

She was tearing through the ship, breaking through walls and floors, so all we had to do was run.

In fact, the floor was so severely damaged that it was dangerous to walk on.

Yu Songee: Grandpa! Hang on a little longer. Elena is on her way!

“…”

Grandpa didn't respond.

Instead of a reply, a photo was shared in the chat window.

Is that the colosseum ceiling?

A massive clock-like object was hanging there.

The numbers only showed 0, 1, 2, and 3, with a single hand pointing at 0.

What is that clock?

It must have some meaning.

At least there's relief.

If something's coming through the chat window, it means Grandpa is still alive!