WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 124: Room 107, Gate Room - Fourth Trial (15)

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Episode 124: Room 107, Gate Room - ‘The Secret of the Esper’ (15)

- Han Ga-in

A-ri was holding a strangely shaped Music Box.

Was it a style that had been popular before World War II? Apparently, Music Boxes had fashions too.

“How do you know what kind of Music Boxes used to be popular? Have you actually seen one?”

“I once ran into something like an evil spirit that had taken the form of a Music Box while I was working. Pero seems to be up to something, so go check.”

A-ri’s age had once been an easy joke to brush off. Only now had I noticed the strange contradiction.

I quietly checked the Status Window again.

A-ri’s age was still listed as ???.

...

That was enough. Pointless suspicion would only create unnecessary conflict.

Even if I asked A-ri later, now, while we were in the middle of a trial, didn’t seem like the right time.

I went over to Pero. As expected, the parrot was busily pecking at the wall.

Maybe it could break through in its grotesque form, but how could an ordinary parrot possibly pierce a wall with its beak? Naturally, the wall didn’t budge.

There had to be some meaning behind this behavior...

I couldn’t understand it right away, so I searched around too, checking drawers and beneath the bed.

Everyone searched the room for quite a while, but we found no suspicious objects, strange documents, bizarre safes, or secret passages.

In the end, Grandpa Mook-seong called us over.

“Everyone, get dressed again. It’s about time we went to that Dinner Party or whatever.”

With no clear results to show for it, we left the room for the Dinner Party.

The moment we stepped out, a notification appeared.

/From this point until the end of the fourth trial, the participants’ Inheritances will be sealed./

Now it was truly beginning.

* * *

- Elena

A gentleman I’d never seen before approached and offered me a glass.

“Miss Elena, my name is Stevenson.”

Before I could answer, someone else came up from behind me.

“Oh my! The stars of tonight’s party have arrived! Miss Elena, would you join us at our table?”

“Thank you. I’m-”

Before I could finish, another person spoke beside me.

“Looking upon Miss Elena’s noble beauty, something worthy of such grace-”

...

Ah! This is exhausting!

The moment we entered the ballroom, we were all stunned.

The room where we’d first arrived had been enormous and extravagant, but the ship outside it was so lavish that it was hard to believe a ship like this even existed.

The ballroom was the height of that extravagance.

A small orchestra played classical music on one side, while servants walked around offering fine champagne and hors d’oeuvres.

The walls were filled with masterpieces I’d never seen before in my life, along with beautiful decorations.

The chandelier hanging from the ceiling cast flame-like light over the entire ballroom.

The strangest thing was the golden threads shimmering from the ceiling.

Every time the light passed over them, they sparkled in midair like a tiny galaxy spread overhead, and I found myself staring at them for a long time.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

When I turned around, a young man who looked as though he’d stepped out of an old film was watching me.

“The threads sparkling from the ceiling. Aren’t they fascinating? How did they make them?”

“Ah! You mean the spiderwebs.”

“Spiderwebs?”

“They put up spiderwebs and lightly dusted them with gold powder. It’s perfect for creating an atmosphere. Of course, mere spiderwebs could never compare to Miss Elena’s-”

I turned away before he could finish. I was sorry, but I’d heard that sort of thing about three hundred times since the party began, so it didn’t move me anymore.

I looked over at my companions.

Their situation wasn’t much different. At least five people had attached themselves to each of them, introducing themselves and saying they wanted to give gifts.

Something I’d heard earlier came to mind.

‘The stars of tonight’s party.’

It seemed that didn’t apply only to me. It applied to our entire group.

It was fascinating, extravagant, and the food was delicious, but...

No matter how I put it, this place was still the Gate Room. A place of trials.

This wasn’t the time to let ourselves get carried away enjoying a party.

Eventually, Grandpa Mook-seong, who was both the most decisive and the strongest among us, began pushing people aside and gathering us together.

It took nearly thirty minutes after arriving at the party before we could regroup.

* * *

- Han Ga-in

I’d never had an experience this chaotic before.

I wasn’t even a celebrity, yet people of every gender crowded around me.

It didn’t stop there. They kept offering gifts, introducing themselves, and asking where I came from, making such a fuss that I thought my soul would leave my body.

I’d developed enough resolve to fight without hesitation if an enemy came at me with a knife, but dealing with people who swarmed me out of pure goodwill was even harder.

Fortunately, Grandpa Mook-seong came over and forcibly pulled our group free. Once he secured a table, we finally had some peace.

Song-i, who had been absentmindedly sipping water, spoke first.

“This is my first time experiencing something like this. I feel like a famous singer. Elena, have you ever gone through this?”

“Of course not. I’ve never been this popular.”

Grandpa Mook-seong fanned himself with his hand and sighed.

“What a mess. A complete mess. Did anyone figure anything out?”

“I-”

Song-i immediately started to answer.

“Wait.”

I cut her off.

“Let me speak first.”

Han Ga-in: Use the Chat Window for the real conversation.

“The food is incredibly good. Doesn’t each dish seem like something you’d only get at a fine-dining restaurant?”

Han Ga-in: Watch how the people around us react whenever we speak.

“Hey, anyone hearing you would think you’d actually been to fine dining. You look like you went to Kimbap Heaven all the time.”

Kim A-ri: Every time we say something, the people around us go quiet. They’re all listening in on us.

“Wow! A-ri, are you looking down on me? My family’s well-off, okay? I went once when my dad got promoted.”

Han Ga-in: They’re very interested in us. They’re trying to confuse us with gifts, a lavish ballroom, and loud music while eagerly asking for personal information.

“You probably went once in your entire life. Fine, I’ll say you’ve been. The food here really is pretty good, though. The alcohol is even more impressive.”

Kim A-ri: They don’t socialize with one another at all. That means they already know each other well.

“Alcohol... Come to think of it, this Irish whiskey is pretty good. You kids aren’t allowed to drink!”

Kim Mook-seong: Doesn’t there seem to be too few people for a ship this size?

“Huh? There are-”

Song-i spoke aloud, then covered her mouth in surprise.

Yoo Song-i: Sorry. Aren’t there a lot of people?

Kim Mook-seong: Clearly not for the size of the ship. It only looks like a lot because the ship itself is absurdly large.

We hadn’t even explored the entire ship, but Grandpa already seemed to have roughly estimated its size.

Moments like this made me realize that his career in the Management Bureau hadn’t been built for nothing.

“I don’t know much about alcohol. But this champagne is delicious.”

Elena: I looked around on the way here, and I think there are a lot of empty cabins too.

“I don’t really know what champagne tastes like. It just feels like a fizzy drink that makes you dizzy.”

Han Ga-in: Be careful, everyone. Several of the staff have revolvers at their waists. I doubt they’re empty.

Silence settled over the table after that exchange.

Keeping up ordinary conversation while having the real conversation in the Chat Window required far more concentration than I’d expected.

The information we had gathered came down to this.

1. The passengers on the ship already seemed to know one another. They were extremely interested in us.

2. There were few people for a ship of this size. Many cabins were empty as well.

3. Quite a few staff members were armed with handguns.

It was vague. None of it made anything click.

I began to feel a chill down my spine. Once I noticed it, I couldn’t stop feeling it.

Every time we said even something meaningless, the area around us went quiet. If any one of us made even a slightly noticeable movement, everyone’s eyes immediately turned toward us.

What were those people trying to do?

Unable to shake the unease, we returned to our cabins before ten at night.

Not long after we left the ballroom, the orchestra music that had softly echoed throughout the ship stopped.

As if there was no longer any reason to play music once the party’s purpose had disappeared.

* * *

After that, we searched the rooms and walked around the ship, but found nothing of note.

We did confirm a few things.

As Elena had said, many cabins were empty, and the ship was absurdly large.

Were all luxury liners this big?

According to A-ri and Grandpa Mook-seong, passenger ships this large were rare even worldwide.

The Esper’s facilities seemed endless.

There was a swimming pool, of course, but also an impressive botanical garden and even a casino.

We had been assigned two cabins aboard the Esper.

It was probably meant to separate the men and women.

Still, there wasn’t the slightest chance we would split up on this ominous ship.

The cabins were large anyway, so we decided to sleep together in one of the larger rooms.

Then midnight approached.

Without anyone falling asleep, we waited for the next ‘scenario’ to appear in my Status Window.

...

--- Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

Midnight arrived with the sound of a cuckoo clock. Just as I was about to check the scenario, something unusual happened.

[Sage’s Advice: 3 -> 2]

[Immediately put your back against the wall and cover the front with the Filter.]

Before I could even think, I instinctively followed the advice.

I pressed myself against the wall at once and enlarged the Filter in my Status Window to cover the front.

My companions had only just looked at me in confusion when-

--- Ding di ding di ring~! Ding di ding di ring~!

A Music Box melody that seemed to tickle my ears filled the room.

From beneath the bed, behind the pillows, beyond the walls, beside the clock, under the table.

Music Box melodies rang out from every direction.

When I turned toward my companions in alarm, I understood why Sage’s Advice had sent an alert after so long.

In an instant, every one of them had fallen asleep as if they’d fainted.

The fact that only I had endured because I’d covered myself with the Filter meant the Music Box melody held some kind of magical power.

?

Something behind my back twitched. Something soft and squishy-

[Sage’s Advice: 2 -> 1]

[Pretend to be asleep.]

I immediately let all the strength drain from my body and opened my eyes only a sliver.

...

I could hardly breathe. Faces had sprouted from every wall in the room.

Suppressing the urge to vomit, I endured and endured.

Ominous voices began to come from the faces.

“Is anyone awake? I felt movement.”

“How could that be? George, check it.”

“There’s no need. It must be that parrot bastard. It kept driving its beak into the wall all day. I wanted to twist its neck several times.”

“Did the bird sense something?”

“Who knows? It looks like all the humans are asleep.”

Deep male voices rang out.

“Hmm. Has everyone found someone they like? If not-”

A slightly higher-pitched voice spoke.

“I found one.”

“That blonde young lady? I’ve certainly never seen such a beautiful young lady before, but...”

--- Creak.

Something heavy pressed down on the floor.

At the same time, every voice in the room fell silent.

The room, which had not felt cramped even with five people inside, suddenly became cramped.

Claws the size of a child’s fist. A beak so huge that my entire head could fit inside. A monster that vaguely resembled an ostrich, except grotesque tentacles and scales sprouted all over its body.

The Grotesque Parrot appeared.

Footnotes:

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