WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 287: Room 204, Mission Room - ‘Hotel Cinema’ (10)
──────
- Kim Sang-hyeon
The door to my quarters opened, and a small wooden table was brought in. Looking at the rather well-presented meal on it, I let out a hollow laugh. Too obvious.
Then again, maybe it only seemed obvious because Ms. Song-i had shown us once before. The film had been ruthlessly skipping boring scenes, so why would it suddenly show a meal?
Ms. Song-i sensed something was off the moment a “travel scene” appeared, something she had never appeared in before. I hope everyone who enters after me keeps that in mind. I'd even wager money that the meal in front of me is poisoned.
* * *
“Um... Please don't talk like Sang-hyeon.”
“Putting aside how ridiculous that bastard sounds, his advice is convincing, so remember it. If a scene that never appeared before suddenly shows up, that's a warning sign in itself.”
Song-i answered confidently.
“There are no boring scenes in a movie! Just remember that, everyone.”
* * *
After that deliberate explanation, I called in a servant and had the meal checked again.
Sure enough, less than a minute later, things began to get noisy outside. Once the “poisoning attempt event” had been dealt with, the next sequence was a patrol of the wall and a meeting with the commanders.
“Tomorrow, at the Trilan Plains...”
“Murtanie's forces have crossed the hill...”
“Some have suggested a field battle...”
“You fool! Instead of thinking about defending the wall...”
The commanders were in complete chaos. An old man seated at the head of the table, presumably the commander in chief, looked exhausted.
The situation was simple. The enemy commander Murtanie had used cowardly tactics, or rather, brilliant strategy, to cut off their supply line and block communication with the homeland.
With things this bad, some argued that they should fight a field battle before the situation worsened further and wipe out Murtanie and the nomad army. Of course, many others believed it was more rational to defend the wall and wait for reinforcements from the homeland.
From time to time, the commanders around me turned in my direction as though they wanted my opinion.
Given the circumstances, I could probably take control of the meeting if I spoke now. As the film's protagonist, I had apparently been given the role of a general who had his peers' absolute trust.
But I kept my mouth shut. What could I possibly know about premodern warfare?
If it were modern warfare, I could talk for three days and nights straight. But warfare fought with spears and blades was far too different from modern warfare to lump them together as the same thing. While I remained silent, the meeting settled on fighting Murtanie in a decisive battle before it was too late.
Was this a wise decision? I don't know.
I know nothing about the strategies and tactics of premodern warfare, and I'm sure the others are the same. Still, since I effectively chose a field battle over defending the wall, those who come after me may want to try defending it if this fails.
The moment the old man at the head of the table slammed the table, the space shook and the scene changed.
* * *
When I came to, I was in the middle of the battlefield, riding a massive black horse!
What kind of MOTHER FUCKER development is this? You hotel BUG bastards, is this really right? Before starting a war, if not a warning, at least give me time to mentally prepare...
Calm down. Calm down!
I hurriedly turned the reins toward the hill behind me-
--- Whoosh!
“Guh! YOU BASTARD! You motherless, fatherless bastards, shooting arrows from behind-”
Even with the sturdy armor that came with being a general, the sudden pain nearly brought tears to my eyes. Worse, the massive black horse I was riding was even more worked up and looked ready to charge in.
What a dumb animal. If you want to die on your own, go ahead.
I didn't even know how to ride a horse. What was the point of staying on a horse I couldn't control when it was about to charge into the enemy lines? I got down and started running toward the rear.
I knew it wasn't very general-like, but riding forward on a horse I couldn't control would only get me killed like a dog. It was better to stay alive as long as possible.
“General! Where are you going instead of leading us-”
How should I know?
After running frantically, I climbed something like a hill and caught my breath as I looked over the battlefield. The battle situation, clearly visible among the waving flags, was-
I don't know, you bastards!
I'd never fought in this idiotic old-fashioned kind of war in my life. Did they think I could understand it just by looking around? All I saw was a dust-filled landscape, screams filling the world, the sound of metal clashing from every direction, and the stench of blood. That was all.
* * *
“S-Sang-hyeon?”
Everyone was left speechless by the excited voice and nonstop curses pouring from the huge screen. A-ri was the first to pull herself together.
“Calm down. It may be narration to us, but to the person inside, it's just his thoughts. The situation is chaotic, and since it's a battlefield, he must not be able to control even his thoughts.”
“‘You bastard, mother...’ Ahem. But the part about them being children without parents came through in his voice, didn't it?”
“...”
Mook-seong acted as though it was nothing.
“Well, it's a battlefield. Anyone who doesn't get worked up in a situation like that isn't human.”
* * *
I ran and ran.
A moment ago, I stepped on something soft like jelly under my foot, but I chose not to check. A moment ago, some sticky liquid splashed onto my cheek, but I didn't bother wiping it away.
... I felt like I was losing my mind. What was the point of running away like this?
In the end, I leaned against a nearby tree and turned back again. I understood the battle situation now, though I hadn't earlier. Not just me. There probably wasn't a single low-ranking soldier nearby who didn't understand either. It had reached a point where no one could remain unaware, even if they wanted to.
Incomprehensible shouts rang out from every direction. East, west, north. Everywhere I looked, there were enemies blowing strange horns. Had it been a mistake to come down outside the wall? It was too late to know.
A huge shadow appeared. Like a farmer harvesting grain, he butchered countless soldiers as he approached.
Murtanie, the Durkai's Grand General. More than ten heads dangled from the horse he rode. I recognized some of them. They belonged to the generals who had attended the meeting earlier.
He had come to cut off my head. No matter how much I had run around after getting off my horse, he couldn't have failed to notice that I was someone important. The armor I wore was different from that of ordinary soldiers.
I took a deep breath and reviewed the abilities I had. Medical skills? Useless in this situation. Marksmanship? The abilities of an astronaut? Even more useless.
... A hollow laugh escaped me. I had thought I trained many abilities throughout my life, yet not one of them was useful here.
“Argh!”
Screams rang out. I decided not to run any longer. For my companions' sake, shouldn't I at least focus on watching Murtanie fight before I died?
Murtanie's combat prowess, as I focused on observing him fight, was simply absurd.
Dark blue energy erupted from Murtanie's spiraling, rotating spear. When he thrust it into empty air, that energy pierced through the air and ground soldiers to pieces.
What was he, a Jedi? The Force?
That wasn't all. When his spear struck the ground with a light battle cry, the earth across the area shook at once, causing hundreds of soldiers to lose their balance and stagger.
“Taah!”
A lion's roar that shook heaven and earth burst from Murtanie's mouth. The staggering soldiers began to collapse as blood poured from their ears.
So that's why they lost! That's why! How was the Empire supposed to win when a monster like that was running wild on a premodern battlefield?
“Boring. Is there no one in Jincheon who can withstand Murtanie's spear? With only this much strength, you spoke of an empire and a wall?”
One general fell for that laughable provocation. Still, since they were headed for defeat anyway, it was a point where they had to do something.
The general charged forward with a brave shout, but he didn't even last as long as it took to drink a mouthful of water. In just two thrusts, his entire body was torn to pieces. The drill-like rotating spear blew apart his horse with the first strike, then crushed everything from the general's armor to his torso with the second.
...
I'm sorry. I showed you an ugly sight. Honestly, I didn't expect the movie to go this far.
The second film, Guardian of the Wall, is quite different from Taming the Crown Prince. It's simply strength. Raw strength. Earlier, I said the choice between a field battle and defending the wall might be important.
Thinking about it again, it doesn't matter much. Would hiding behind the wall mean anything against a monster like that? He would break the wall apart with his spear and come in anyway. No matter what choice we make, we'll end up clashing with Murtanie.
Someone who can defeat that bastard needs to enter.
“Pathetic. You call yourself a general? The day the Jincheon Empire falls is not far off. My spear is wasted on the likes of you.”
Murtanie lightly reached into the air and clenched his fist. At the same time, my entire body began to crush inward.
“Ugh, aaaaaagh!”
As my limbs were crushed while I was still alive, I begged and begged.
Ah... Father in heaven. What sin have I committed to suffer such pain? I have lived earnestly all my life and saved many people.
So please save me. Let me escape this hell. If that is impossible, then please, just kill me.
* * *
“...”
“...”
No one could speak in the theater, which was filled with a horrific atmosphere so different from the previous film. Hearing Kim Sang-hyeon's plea after he lost his poker face in the pain of his final moments, his companions felt their hearts sink.
“Sniff!”
When some people finally began to cry, Ga-in felt the need to calm everyone down.
“L-let's calm down. Doctor isn't completely dead. He only said that because the pain was too much. Later... Later, let's have a meal together and comfort him.”
If only the Guide had appeared with that damned ta-da-da-daan sound, this gloomy mood might have lifted. Unfortunately, the minimum condition for success in Hotel Cinema was “survival.”
Even with the same failure, Elena had survived until the end and could receive the judges' evaluation. Sang-hyeon had died, so the judges did not appear at all.
Instead, the screen turned opaque, signaling for the next person to enter. Rather than dwell on the others, A-ri placed a hand on Cha Jin-cheol's shoulder.
“Do you think you can win?”
“... Murtanie?”
“Yeah. This movie is completely different from Part 1. Sang-hyeon understood the situation correctly at the end. This isn't the kind of movie where you make plans and schemes. If we had to classify the genre...”
“It's a martial arts movie, an action movie. There may be situations where we need to use our heads, but at its core, we have to face a powerful enemy and win.”
Ga-in pointed out something important.
“There's an even worse point. Do you know the movie has only been going for thirty minutes?”
“At least two hours remain.”
“Would the final boss appear thirty minutes into an action movie?”
“... A far greater monster must be waiting later.”
Ga-in looked at A-ri and muttered.
“We made a big mistake.”
“Huh?”
“I think Elena should have gone in here. Murtanie's fighting power on the screen was incredible, but not to the point where Elena couldn't suppress him.”
“Let's not dwell on what's already happened. Looking at the situation, sending in just anyone would be a meaningless waste of attempts.”
Ga-in nodded. In a movie like this, sending in Mook-seong or Eun-sol would be meaningless. It wouldn't be surprising if Murtanie, while dozing off, thrust his spear once and skewered them both to death.
Seung-yeop would not be much different. Luck sometimes displayed power strange enough to seem absurd, but it wasn't limitless. If it truly were infinite, Seung-yeop would have already obtained an Inheritance or two.
Among the members who still had opportunities left, only Han Ga-in, Cha Jin-cheol, and Kim A-ri could possibly face something like that. Considering that an even stronger being might be waiting beyond Murtanie, the situation was even more dangerous.
After thinking for a moment, Ga-in cautiously gave his opinion.
“My ability is similar to an instant-kill move. If it works, I win no matter what. If it doesn't, I lose no matter what. So everything depends on whether Possession works or not.”
“Do you think Possession won't work on Murtanie?”
“No. Honestly, I don't. Unless he's a being of a rank comparable to a demigod, he can't resist Possession, and Murtanie didn't seem to be of that rank. What worries me is the being that will appear after him.”
Then Cha Jin-cheol spoke.
“I'll give it a try.”
“...”
“What, we only saw him on video, but isn't he human in the end? Martial arts master or not, if I take my Blessing with me and grit my teeth as I beat him down, I think he'll die.”
“He swung his spear and black whirlwinds started flying everywhere.”
“Then I'll dodge them.”
As everyone's eyes gathered on him, Cha Jin-cheol tried to make light of it.
“What's with all of you? Isn't this movie the best match for my abilities? Horror movies are more of a burden to me, and I hate them. You know some ridiculous monster will show up in a horror movie and throw strange curses around. Rather than meeting something like that and dying without even getting to throw a punch, I want to face Murtanie.”
With that, Jin-cheol looked around at everyone. Some wore apologetic expressions, while others looked worried. It was as though they had no choice but to entrust him with a painful and difficult task.
Amid them all-
Jin-cheol felt memories of madness he had long forgotten begin to boil up inside him. Room 101, his first experience with Common Sense-Altering Media. Memories of struggle filled with flesh, blood, and bone.
Had there not once been a time when his hands snapped an enemy's neck and crushed their limbs? There had been the long-broken wooden Tonfa he used to pierce an enemy's throat.
Strangely, it didn't feel bad. Instead, an excitement he couldn't understand rose within him. He wanted to enter the film immediately. He pictured himself dodging Murtanie's spear and twisting Murtanie's neck.
“I'll enter. Guide! I'll take my Blessing. I can't use Star without a Blessing anyway.”
As he walked toward the screen, strange laughter reached his ears. A throne filled with swords, lava, and skulls. He sensed the phantom of a giant seated atop it. He heard laughter filled with delight at the fighting spirit of the warrior it had chosen.
Footnotes:
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