Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 26

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 25: Interlude - Who Exactly Are You?

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[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 8

Current Location: Level 1, Corridor

Sage’s Advice: 0]

“Ah, that looks delicious. Hey, young man! Give me one of those big pork knuckles.”

“... I don't think it's pork knuckle. It's probably that Schweinshaxe thing.”

“Fine, give me some of that Schwein-whatever pork knuckle.”

Just as I reached for a large piece of Schweinshaxe to hand over, the meat vanished.

“Oh, this really does look good.”

Jin-cheol hyung snatched it from beside me without hesitation.

There was no reason for Jin-cheol hyung to suddenly pick a fight with me.

It was obvious who he was trying to provoke.

“Ha ha, aren't you needling me a little too much? I thought I explained things well enough...”

“Ha ha, needling you? You're such an impressive agency agent, aren't you? I just felt sorry seeing you eat pig's feet.”

“Hey, you little shit. You look like a wild boar yourself, so why's that mouth of yours so loose?”

“Hah. At your age, the way you talk is really-”

“Please, can we stop while we're eating? Jin-cheol, shut up too. And you too, sir.”

After everything we had gone through, I thought we might all hug and cry together.

The mood at dinner was nothing like I expected.

Two new people had joined us.

The two people everyone had secretly considered enemies in the House of Horror had joined our group, making the situation exhausting.

“A-ri-noona, this is fried eggplant. It's really good. Try some.”

“Oh my, Seung-yeop. Thank you.”

Of course, some people did not care at all about the tension around them.

Sighing inwardly, I checked the Companion Information in my Status Window.

1. Han Ga-in (20) - Wisdom. Freshman at K University

2. Cha Jin-cheol (31) - Courage. Former combat sports athlete

3. Yoo Song-i (17) - Affinity. Raises numerous animals.

4. Elena Ivanov (23) - Justice. Child of a diplomat in exile. Aspiring actress

5. Park Seung-yeop (14) - Luck. Teenage boy in the throes of adolescence

6. Lee Eun-sol (32) - Wealth. Third daughter of the Daeyang Group chairman

7. Kim Mook-seong (68) - Communication. Chaos Disaster Management Agency agent

8. Kim A-ri (16) - Suggestion. Chaos Disaster Management Agency trainee agent

The two new members were, absurdly enough, an agency agent and a trainee.

Of course, the agency was an organization no one really knew much about.

What ordinary people knew was basically this...

Somewhere on Earth, there were things like demons and ghosts that ordinary people would never see in their lives. There was also an organization that dealt with them.

What we had experienced fell into that category of strange events, so perhaps it was only natural for agents to be involved.

Eun-sol finished eating quickly and began sorting out the situation.

“So, from what I heard earlier, the two of you were trying to prevent civilians from disappearing because of the hotel...

Then somehow, you were captured by the hotel. Is that correct?”

“That's right. To be more precise, we entered using our own methods, but the moment we came in, the hotel trapped us as characters in Room 102. We believe it was a form of punishment.”

“The hotel's punishment for illegal intruders?”

“Something like that. A punishment where we were trapped in our roles and unable to do anything, forced to pray that the legitimate participants would make it through. It was quite difficult.”

“Well, let's say that's true. Anyway, old man and-”

“Hey, Cha Jin-cheol!”

“Ahem. Doesn't that mean you, sir, and the trainee lady had a method for entering the hotel? Can't we use it to get out?”

“I'm sorry, but that method is gone.”

“What exactly was that method?”

... The old man's mouth snapped shut.

Was that a sensitive question? Still, if we wanted to escape, we needed to know what we could.

Then A-ri spoke up.

“I think it's better if we tell them, Grandpa. The hotel has been abducting people for a long time, and occasionally, people with luck and ability escape after gaining various powers.

When someone succeeds in escaping, the hotel gives them an Entrance Ticket as it lets them out. In case they need to come back again.”

“Did you use that Entrance Ticket to enter?”

“If we had used it, the hotel wouldn't have considered us illegal intruders. Only the escapee can use the Entrance Ticket.

We... copied it in our own way and came in. That's why the hotel considered it illegal entry.”

Maybe because there were so many people around, A-ri seemed far more polite and well-mannered than I remembered from the mansion.

She also looked two or three years older than she had there.

That more or less cleared up the questions about the two of them.

“Next, let's all go over what happened in the mansion. We'll be doing plenty of dangerous things from now on, so we should address this before moving on.

The person who lasted until the end probably knows the situation best. Ga-in, you sort it out from here.”

Everyone turned to me. Thinking I should organize things calmly, I began writing on a whiteboard someone had found.

1. When Song-i was possessed, and how the murders unfolded.

“Let's organize this in the order things happened. First, when exactly did Song-i become possessed?”

The moment the topic turned to her, Song-i lowered her head.

“I really don't remember anything after touching the fragment...”

“So touching the fragment was the trigger. If we ever go back, we shouldn't lay a finger on those fragments. Okay.”

“Let's also talk about how each of us died, in the order we died. Elena?”

“Song-i came to see me at night because she was scared... We chatted for a while and fell asleep. Then I suddenly woke up in terrible pain, but by then I was already being strangled, so it was over in an instant.”

“I'm sorry...”

“Oh, it wasn't your fault, Song-i.”

“Am I next? There isn't much to it.

I was organizing various documents in the study when I came out, and Song-i was still up late.

Honestly, I felt it then. Deep down... I thought Song-i might have killed Elena.

Once I found the documents, I was prepared to die. Still, she acted so well when we met that I wondered if I was wrong, but the moment I turned around, psshk.”

“I'm really sorry, Eun-sol.”

“Let's stop apologizing. We all know it wasn't really you.”

“I really don't get it. I was just eating with everyone, then suddenly died. What the hell happened?”

“I think I know. I didn't realize it then, but looking back, I checked the food and juice beforehand. I didn't check the beer that Jin-cheol hyung drank by himself, though. She must have done something to it in the meantime.”

“Seriously, is even having a drink dangerous now?”

“Eun-sol called me over to the lake, and we were taking a walk together when she suddenly pushed me...”

As everyone reviewed the varied ways Song-i had killed them, Song-i looked ready to burst into tears at the slightest touch.

2. The meaning of the note.

“This was something I really wanted to ask after getting out. Why did you write it like this? [S, church, maid, Bell] Was there just no time?

I had a really hard time figuring out that it meant I should take A-ri to the church and ring the Bell.”

“Uh... that's what happened?”

“What?”

“I didn't write it with any meaning that specific. If that was what I meant, I would've written it more clearly, like you said. The note was just keywords from the documents I read. I didn't even know the Bell was in the church.

I only wrote down church and Bell because I saw writings that showed the Elder's hostility toward them, and I wrote maid because I saw something saying he had brainwashed the maid. That's all. I wrote it terribly, and you somehow solved it perfectly.”

“What was the ‘S’?”

“I was going to write Song-i, but I wasn't certain, so I stopped. When I wrote that note, the only basis we had for the killer was someone Elena would let into her room at night, sit beside her bed, and fall asleep beside her.

Song-i was the first person I thought of, but Seung-yeop was young too... I didn't want to give you a false impression when I wasn't sure.”

“You left the note because you thought you might die?”

“I was prepared for it, and one of the writings in the study mentioned a Grimoire that could drive ordinary humans mad just by looking at it. I thought it might be somewhere in the study, but I couldn't find it. Was it somewhere else?”

I glanced at A-ri.

A-ri smiled as though nothing had happened.

Maybe not?

3. How did the two agents wake up?

“Now let's solve the most important question. The hotel has manipulated our minds in all kinds of ways, and we have never resisted even once.

But the two of you from the agency clearly came to your senses at some point.”

“First, we are trained to resist that sort of mental manipulation. Second, it was because of my Blessing.”

“Your Blessing? Communication?”

“I'll put it very simply. My Blessing is KakaoTalk.”

For a moment, nobody could speak.

“KakaoTalk? What are you talking about?”

“It was an analogy. Just as the word Communication suggests, it's an ability optimized for communication. It would be easier to show you than explain it. Everyone, come hold my hand once.”

Looking bewildered, we each took Kim Mook-seong's hand.

Mook-seong: Can you hear me?

Eun-sol: ...

Ga-in: ...

Song-i: This! What is this? Things are suddenly popping into my head!

Mook-seong: This is my Blessing. It lets us communicate through thoughts. Normally, it's no better than talking. But we can still communicate even when we can't control our bodies. A-ri and I were able to keep our minds intact by talking like this from time to time.

Ga-in: It's a very... fascinating ability. It also seems incredibly useful.

Seung-yeop: Wow! Can we talk like this all day?

Eun-sol: For example, when it isn't mealtime in Room 105?

Mook-seong: Sorry, but there's a Chat Limit. We've already used about half of it now. This isn't an ability for everyday conversation. It has to roll over to the next day before it recharges.

Ga-in: I understand. Are there any other limitations?

Mook-seong: I haven't found any yet. Oh, and this is possible too. Jin-cheol, say something.

Stupid Wild Boar: Why do you suddenly want me to talk? Wait, what is this?

Mook-seong: The host can set people's chat names.

Eun-sol: ... There is a Chat Limit, so let's stop here.

After that brief, fascinating experience, we returned to speaking aloud.

It was clearly an incredibly useful ability.

Still, the fact that less than a minute of conversation used up most of the day's Chat Limit meant its limitations were no less significant than its usefulness.

“Come to think of it, what Blessing did A-ri receive? Ga-in said it was written as Suggestion.”

“I was trapped in Room 102 the moment I entered, so I don't actually know much about it.”

She didn't know much?

For someone who didn't know much, she had been awfully good at putting me into something like a trance.

It was a somewhat strange answer, but I didn't press her.

“Well, I think we've said everything we need to say. And everyone really did a good job. I'd like to say something moving, but I'm honestly too tired.

You all feel the same, right? Let's get some rest for now. We have to enter another Curse Room again tomorrow. See you in the morning.”

With that, dinner ended, and we were moved to our own spaces.

I could rest comfortably for the time that remained. Tomorrow's problems could wait until tomorrow.

...

A-ri: You can hear me, right?

Ga-in: ...

A-ri: We don't have much of our Chat Limit left.

Ga-in: What are you trying to say? That polite act of yours?

A-ri: Oh my! I have no idea what you mean. What I saw at the end in the mansion.

Ga-in: Why didn't you mention it during dinner?

A-ri: It's better if no one but you knows.

Ga-in: What the hell are you talking about???