WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 266: Room ???, Curse Room - ‘????’ (4)
──────
[Status Window: corrupted]
[Date: Day 119]
[Current Location: corrupted]
[Companion Information: X]
- Han Ga-in
“Ga-in, did I make you uncomfortable...-”
“No, no, it’s fine. Just leave for a bit. I have something to think about.”
“... All right.”
Whew. I barely managed to send her away.
The girl who came to my room late at night during the small party celebrating our defeat of the Gnashing Teeth was, judging by the circumstances, probably the girlfriend the setting had assigned me. Or something similar.
No one in this tribe dared call me by name. They used titles like Divine Human or young master, so the fact that she alone called me by name made it clear she was someone special.
Of course, I’d only met her for the first time today!
Why the hell had the hotel created a girlfriend for me as part of the setting? She might be hiding some unexpected secret, but for now, she was extremely uncomfortable to deal with.
Calm down. Think about an escape plan.
No matter how I thought about it, Paradise beyond the mountain range mentioned in the song was an important element. Wasn’t it necessary to go there?
Still, the many monsters said to lurk in the Crimson Mountain Range were clearly a major threat. The tribespeople had heard those stories from their fathers and grandfathers, so they might not be entirely accurate. Even so, if only half the stories passed down were true, it wasn’t somewhere I could take these primitive people alone.
That meant I had to reunite with the companions scattered somewhere across this vast primitive world...
The broad direction seemed set. Somehow, I had to join up with the others, gather our strength, and break through the mountain range. How could I find them? At times like this, it was frustrating that Companion Information in the Status Window was blocked.
Even if Companion Information worked in this primitive world, though, reuniting wouldn’t be easy. This was a world with no advanced administrative system like a nation, so there were no names for specific regions, nor was there any transportation to reach them.
‘Park Seung-yeop: Near an oak tree, 240 km northwest.’
Even if it gave location information like that, how could I possibly find a companion 240 km away?
I decided to think positively. There were nine of us in the hotel party. Even if one had been Sealed, eight of us were still progressing, so at least eight tribes had to exist somewhere in this vast world. Wouldn’t one of them be nearby?
As I thought it over, a good idea came to me. Based on my situation, my companions were probably also leaders of their respective tribes. If I found another tribe, one of my companions had to be there.
* * *
I sent someone to summon Old Tooth. The old man entered the tent with a red nose, apparently having eaten, drunk, and enjoyed himself.
“Young master, I heard you summoned me.”
“Old Tooth, are there any other tribes nearby?”
The atmosphere in the tent immediately turned tense. Old Tooth’s eyes widened as if he had sobered up in an instant, while the three or four warriors listening to my words stiffened, a sinister air rising from them.
What was this? Why were they suddenly acting like this?
“Young master... You’ve made up your mind. I will only follow you.”
What was he talking about? What had I made up my mind about? The conversation was suddenly heading in a direction I didn’t understand.
“Of course, you are wise, young master, but I heard your memories have been hazy since the recent events, so let me explain. Since all tribes are constantly on the move, it is difficult to find them by pursuing them.”
“Then how do we find them?”
“We must go ahead and lie in wait at a place they cannot avoid if they wish to survive. In this area...”
The old man paused as though recalling the nearby terrain, but I noticed something strange in his words.
Lie in wait? Why were we suddenly ambushing someone?
“If you turn right on the way from the tents toward the pitch-black forest, you will find a small woodland full of trees bearing nutty fruit. Near that forest is a riverbank which appears somewhat rough at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it is full of fruit, fish, and beasts.”
A riverbank full of clean water, fruit, and animals. In this primitive age, it was practically a treasure trove of food. Was he saying we could meet another tribe there?
“Actually... that land was territory our tribe had guarded since my father’s time. Unfortunately, when the Gnashing Teeth weakened our tribe, a group of bandits seized our ancestors’ territory. If the Divine Human displays his might now, we can surely reclaim the land of our ancestors!”
Feeling the rising mood, I finally realized how they had interpreted my words. I only wanted to find my companions, but these people thought I intended to wage war on another tribe.
It was ridiculous, but it wasn’t entirely bad either. At least I wouldn’t have to listen to complaints about why we suddenly needed to go somewhere like that.
“We’ll move to the riverbank tomorrow morning.”
“I will relay the order.”
“Good. Also, tell them not to attack another tribe without permission until I give the order. I intend to speak with their Divine Human first.”
“... Please reconsider that. Unlike you, young master, the Divine Human of the tribe across the river is extremely savage and violent. He is not someone reason can reach. He is no different from a boar in human form-”
“Enough. I’ve already made my decision.”
Listening to that description, I could roughly guess who the Divine Human of the neighboring tribe was.
* * *
The next morning, the elderly, women, children, and other weaker members of the tribe were sent toward a relatively safe cave, while all the able-bodied tribespeople set out for the riverbank.
Quite a few people had been injured in the bloody battle against the Gnashing Teeth only two days earlier. As I watched them with concern, Young Wolf Tooth spoke beside me.
“You needn’t worry. They are all brave people. When the time comes to wield their spears, they will not hesitate!”
The confidence was nice, but I couldn’t really trust it. After all, it was obvious who the “Divine Human no different from a boar in human form” ruling the neighboring tribe was.
These crude wooden spears, not even guns, probably couldn’t threaten that person in the slightest. The tribespeople likely knew that too, but they trusted that I was here.
As we walked toward the riverbank, a question came to mind.
“About the Divine Human of the neighboring tribe, have you heard anything about him suffering some serious injury and being bedridden?”
“I do not know the circumstances of the neighboring tribe...”
That was a mistake. There were no phones or internet in this era, so how could they know what was happening in the next tribe over?
After leaving the forest full of nutty fruit and walking for around twenty minutes, we finally reached the river in question. The moment we arrived, I understood why so many nearby tribes coveted this riverbank.
The river was so wide and deep that the opposite shore was hard to see, and fish larger than humans thrashed within it.
The water itself didn’t look clean at all to someone from the modern age, but by Stone Age standards, it was probably drinkable.
Soon, the warriors started talking about hiding in preparation for battle and sending scouts to locate the enemy tribe, so I told them to stop.
Then, around thirty minutes later, I met people from another tribe for the first time since arriving in this room.
* * *
“You bastards! How dare you plunder our ancestors’ land-”
The moment they spotted three members of another tribe who had come to catch fish, my tribespeople charged at them with spears raised, intending to threaten them.
Before I could even take a step, the other tribespeople were already sprawled on the ground with their faces buried in the dirt. The conflict between the two tribes seemed more severe than I had expected.
“Hey! Hey! Move aside!”
“We’ll skin you alive-”
“Are you not listening to me?”
“S-sorry. It seems this one got excited and made a mistake.”
When I pushed the warriors aside and approached the subdued tribespeople, something strange happened.
They had been cursing and resisting my tribe’s warriors just moments earlier, but the instant they saw me, they prostrated themselves and began speaking with a politeness beyond anything I’d heard before. It seemed that in this primitive age, even a Divine Human from an enemy tribe was revered as a descendant of the gods, unlike ordinary humans.
Thinking about it, even in Earth’s history, people of noble status received respectful treatment even when they were captured by hostile nations. It seemed to be the idea that, even as enemies, those of high standing were different from ordinary people.
“I greet the Divine Human.”
“Divine Human, this lowly Small Rock Hill-”
“You don’t need to introduce yourself.”
“Divine Human... Of course, I cannot easily fathom the will of one so great, but Angry Boar God will not forgive what happened today.”
“Angry Boar God? Is that the title of the Divine Human your tribe serves? Come to think of it, do I have something like that too? What is my title?”
Strangely, not only those prostrating themselves before me, but even the tribespeople who had followed me here tightly shut their mouths. Old Tooth, standing beside me, carefully spoke.
“You need not concern yourself with nicknames given by lesser people.”
“All right. Hey! I’m on my way to meet the Divine Human of your tribe. I have no intention of fighting, so guide me.”
The moment I spoke, the murmuring around us grew louder. The primitive person on the ground widened their eyes, while every member of my tribe behind me looked shocked. Old Tooth immediately grabbed my arm and whispered in my ear.
“Young master! You must think calmly. Angry Boar possesses absurd physical strength, and his temperament is famous for being like blazing fire. If you approach him carelessly, your life will be in danger. Besides, your... ability is useful when you maintain distance, is it not?”
The opposition was so intense that we finally settled on having the captives bring the Divine Human here instead of me going there.
I wondered if they might simply run away, but surprisingly, the tribespeople had no doubts at all. They said no one would ever break a promise made before a Divine Human.
I still couldn’t understand what a Divine Human really was in this world.
Toward evening, I met one of the faces I had missed dearly, despite us not having been apart for very long.
“Hey. It’s good to see you like this, Angry Boar God.”
After hearing me snicker, Jin-cheol, whose left arm was missing below the elbow, replied in disbelief.
“You’re still alive? That’s good. Evil Body Thief.”
* * *
On a barren plain swept by thick clouds of sand, an old man and a broad-shouldered man faced each other near a cave. More than twenty people stood behind the old man, but the man who had come to see him had brought no one.
“I never thought we would meet like this, King of the Undying.”
“... Sir, what kind of nickname is that?”
“I heard that sick people recover whenever they approach you, Sang-hyeon, and the injured rise right back up. That’s why they say your tribe is made up of the undying. For reference, my name is Demon’s Hand.”
“The condition of that Demon’s Hand does not look very good.”
“Ah, I got mauled fighting a monster worm a while ago. It seems I have Regeneration too, so there’s no need to worry... More importantly, Sang-hyeon, why did you leave your tribe behind and come alone? It seems everyone was given a tribe.”
“Sir, there is something I need to tell you about that.”
“Something to say?”
Kim Sang-hyeon looked across the plain with a dark expression.
“Have you heard the story that a Divine Human in the west became corrupt and turned into a demon?”
“...”
“They say a witch summoned a demon unlike any this world has ever seen and massacred countless tribespeople. The survivors fled to where my tribe is located.”
“Could that be...”
“You must prepare yourselves. In this room, we may all end up dying at the hands of a companion.”
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
