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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 181: Party Time - Entering the Frozen Hell (8) (Final)

──────

[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 91

Current Location: Level 1, Room 105 - Rest Room

Sage’s Advice: 3]

- Han Ga-in

On the third day of Party Time, we began our final preparations before entering Frozen Hell. Across from me, Eun-sol checked each item in her notebook to make sure we hadn't missed anything.

“Jin-cheol! Did you try putting up the tent?”

“I did. It's even easier to set up than the ones I used in the army, so this should be quick.”

“Song-i! Make sure you attach the arms of that blanket cold-weather outfit properly. I saw them starting to come off again earlier.”

“Okaaay...”

“Elena, why don't you practice your ability a little more? According to Ga-in and A-ri, it's still pretty terrifying right now. Sometimes individual training is the best teamwork.”

“Sh-should I?”

“Grandpa! I think you're only packing really fatty meat.”

“I know better than you do. This is what you need when you're going somewhere cold.”

“Then do whatever you want. And Ga-in!”

Oh, boy. My turn already. I was beside Grandpa, packing food into a backpack.

“I'm working hard on this too-”

“No, don't pack that. Use your Advice now. It'll be evening in a few hours. You've roughly decided what to ask, right?”

At that, A-ri, who'd been doing something like sewing with Song-i, came over.

“It'd be nice if Party Time would let us rest with some peace of mind. So, what are you planning to ask?”

“Since it's a question that costs all three uses, I've been thinking about how to phrase it since yesterday, but it's difficult. I know nothing about Frozen Hell, so I don't know what to ask. At most, I came up with something like, ‘What kind of place is Frozen Hell?’ But a vague question like that-”

“Would be perfect for the Owl to mess with.”

“... Yeah. I'm worried it'll give an answer like, ‘It's very cold,’ and call that helpful. I kept trying to think of a better question, and one came to mind. It doesn't quite feel like this is definitely it, though.”

“Why are there even questions that suddenly cost all three uses in the first place? It makes choosing a question even more exhausting.”

“I actually asked about that yesterday.”

“Oh? What did it say?”

“‘Questions beyond the authority of Wisdom consume all three opportunities.’”

“... It feels like it pretended to answer kindly while telling us nothing. It doesn't say why any particular question is beyond its authority. So far, have Room 104 and Frozen Hell been the only cases that consumed all three opportunities? They're both beyond Wisdom's authority? Why? They're both just facilities inside the Hotel.”

“I don't think there's any point in asking more about that. Maybe it means we're supposed to find out for ourselves. Anyway, this is what I want to ask this time. ‘How should I act in Frozen Hell?’”

“Rather than vaguely asking what kind of place it is, asking how you should act there might give a more specific answer?”

“Right. What do you think?”

“I think it's good. Ask it now. It'll be evening soon.”

[Sage’s Advice: 3 -> 0]

‘How should I act in Frozen Hell?’

[That place is the beginning and end of all things, perhaps a place where a wish may be granted. Work in harmony with those who have experience.]

...

Had it sensed my growing dissatisfaction with its vague answers? Thankfully, the answer was kinder than usual.

“What did it say? What did it say?”

I could feel everyone else listening in too, not just A-ri. I spoke loudly enough for all of them to hear.

“It said Frozen Hell is the beginning and end of all things, perhaps a place where a wish may be granted. It also said to work in harmony with those who have experience.”

The area fell quiet for a moment as everyone interpreted its meaning. I spoke about what first came to mind.

“First, the part about the beginning and end of all things, and a place where wishes may be granted. I think that's an explanation of Frozen Hell itself. It's hard to understand exactly what it means.”

Eun-sol immediately cut in.

“The next part is comparatively clear. Those who have experience... I think I know who it means.”

I understood the latter sentence too. It was surely about dealing with supernatural matters, and among us, there were only certain people who could be called experienced with that kind of thing. Grandpa reacted.

“It practically picked me and A-ri by name, didn't it? Ga-in, the advice you received is quite different from what Elena said she heard from her Sponsor.”

“Elena said she heard something like, ‘This isn't something you need to step forward for.’”

At that, Seung-yeop, who was nearby, quietly joined in.

“I think I heard something similar too.”

“What did you hear?”

Seung-yeop seemed to search through his memories for a while before answering.

“‘Not everyone needs to take part,’ and ‘You don't need to push yourself.’ Was it something like that? I was a little angry at my Sponsor at the time, so I'm not sure.”

He was only telling us this important information now!

For a moment, I was dumbfounded, but since it was Seung-yeop, I just sighed and let it go. Besides, why had he been angry at his Sponsor in the first place? Ah, I felt that five times a day too, so never mind.

“It doesn't seem to be something everyone does together, like a Curse Room, right?”

“Looking at all the scattered information together, that's what it feels like. It isn't something everyone has to do. Only some of us need to. From the Sponsors' perspective, it doesn't seem suited to Elena or Seung-yeop, but it seems appropriate for you, me, and A-ri to step forward...”

“There's probably a reason it chose me, Grandpa, and A-ri instead of the others.”

I didn't know exactly what would happen, but I was beginning to grasp the general nature of what we had to do.

It wasn't team play where everyone participated, like a Curse Room. It wasn't suited to Seung-yeop or Elena, and Han Ga-in, Kim A-ri, and Kim Mook-seong were the right group to handle it. It was something that required experience dealing with supernatural matters.

We discussed a few other points that came to mind with our companions, and the final day of Party Time slipped by like water.

The next day, we set off for Frozen Hell.

* * *

--- Whoooom! Fwoooosh!

No matter how many times I came to the second floor, I could never get used to this wind. Still, we'd made our own preparations now.

At the front, Eun-sol guided us in a Protective Suit. At the back, Jin-cheol kept a careful eye on everyone in case anyone fell. Those in the middle walked while holding onto a white cord made by tearing up and braiding curtains.

Lee Eun-sol: Here! Come this way!

We walked silently, following the signals in the Chat Window. Then, at some point, the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

“Huh? Are we here?”

“That's right.”

“Wow! How is this possible?”

“Eun-sol, you did great!”

“Thanks. Let's all catch our breath, then open this terrifying door.”

Just as we'd heard, the space containing the Door of Frozen Hell was quiet and peaceful. There was no physical wall or door in sight, but it was as though a transparent barrier protected this space alone.

“What happens when we open the door? Will we all get sucked in together, like a Curse Room?”

“I don't know... This doesn't feel like something everyone does together, does it?”

“That isn't just a feeling. Elena and Seung-yeop were directly told not to step forward.”

“That's why I don't think everyone will be pulled inside like a Curse Room.”

“Here, have a drink, everyone. Sadly, there aren't any individual cups.”

A-ri poured hot coffee from a thermos for everyone. After having a cup to settle ourselves, we looked at one another and encouraged each other. Eun-sol looked around at everyone before speaking one last time.

“We all came because we don't know what might happen, and because the Hotel itself has become dangerous, but... the circumstances suggest this isn't something we all need to do, right? So let's see what happens, and if anyone feels this isn't for them, they should step back. We don't know what's coming.”

It was time to go in.

/Would you like to enter Frozen Hell?/

* * *

...

This place was filled with nothing but pain.

--- Sob! Gasp!

My vision was filled with countless frozen statues, too many to number. From every single one came groans of pain enough to fill the entire world and more. Every statue held an intelligent being trapped inside it. Faced with the surreal, horrific sight of Frozen Hell, we were completely stunned.

At that moment, we couldn't even properly feel the bitter cold, more terrible than that of the Hotel's second floor.

Song-i, who had experienced something similar before, was the first to regain her senses.

“This looks similar to something I saw somewhere in the Human Ranch. There are many humans scattered among them, but there are also many things that aren't human.”

A-ri held down her fluttering clothes, looked around, and muttered.

“What is this place, some kind of alien specimen room? There are too many alien creatures that even the Management Bureau can't identify, as well as lots of humans. And it's fucking cold, but at least I can see better than on the second floor. Though these are the kinds of sights it'd be better not to see at all.”

...

For quite a while, no one but those two spoke.

Around then, something began flashing at the edge of my vision.

/Scenario Understanding(!)/

“This has activated for the first time in a while.”

“Hm?”

“Scenario Understanding. It just appeared. I'll press it right away.”

/Scenario: A Sound Heard from Frozen Hell

The Hotel group opened the mysterious door on the second floor and entered Frozen Hell. They were left stunned by the horrific sight of sinners filling the entire hell. As though inviting them to follow, a path appeared.

Please follow the path./

After checking the contents and looking ahead, I could see something resembling a path.

“Over there, that's apparently the path. It's narrow, but it does stretch straight ahead. Let's follow it.”

The dazed companions got to their feet one by one and began following the path.

...

--- Aaaah...!

A voice filled with pain came from right beside me. Unable to bear it, I turned my gaze. A black-haired person was trapped in an ice statue, writhing in pain.

What era were they from? Judging by their clothing, they definitely weren't from the twenty-first century. They had their eyes closed as though sleeping, twitching but unable to control their body properly. Were they having some terrible nightmare?

“Ga-in, don't look at that.”

“Ah.”

“If you look at every single one of these, it'll be hard to keep walking. Don't empathize too much. Just pass by.”

“... Okay.”

Following A-ri's advice, I decided to keep my eyes forward and move on without looking to the side. Had about twenty minutes passed? As we followed the path, the scenario suddenly flashed again.

/Scenario: A Sound Heard from Frozen Hell

While following the path through Frozen Hell, the group discovered an unbelievable statue! Only then did they realize the true nature of this place. Why did the Hotel's second floor freeze? Could the resentment and pain of those who died in the Hotel be the source of the cold?

Please check your Status Window./

At the end of the path we had followed stood a small statue. It was only large enough to hold a teenage girl.

Inside was a girl who looked far too much like A-ri. A-ri collapsed in front of the statue.

As everyone was left speechless, I checked the true nature of this place through my Status Window.

[Current Location: Level 2, Frozen Hell]

[Current Location: Level 2, Frozen Hell - □□□ □]

[Current Location: Level 2, Frozen Hell - Resurrection Room]

In Greek mythology, Orpheus personally went to the underworld to revive his dead wife, Eurydice. To resurrect the dead, one must ultimately go to the place where the dead remain.

At last, we had reached a place where the dead could be resurrected.

Footnotes:

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