Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 328

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 327: Re Room 203, Curse Room - ‘A New Beginning’ (7)

──────

- Yoo Song-i

I woke to something firm yet slightly sharp tapping against my cheek, while the nauseating smell of animal hide rushed into my nose.

--- Chirp!

“Good morning!”

As I stroked Pero’s beak that had woken me, the primitive people who heard my voice pushed aside the hide at the cave entrance and came in.

“Oh! You’re awake, Lady Song-i!”

“Yeah.”

Before long, the scene I had already experienced twice was repeated for the third time.

The primitive people cried, deeply moved, at the sight of me awake and well, and bundles of assorted gifts soon began filling the cave. I had to tell them I was still tired and send everyone out to calm things down.

Afterward, I stared blankly at the various ‘gifts’ laid out on the dirt floor of the cave.

“Pero.”

--- Chirp!

“Look at this. Isn’t this caterpillar huge? I’ve never seen one this big before.”

...

“I guess they gave it to me to eat. Maybe they found the biggest caterpillar nearby and brought it as an offering to their precious Divine Human?”

I figured these were gifts meant to show their affection for me. At first, I thought they were making fun of me.

There was no need for me to eat this, though.

Luckily, there was an animal beside me that would probably love caterpillars.

While the parrot happily enjoyed its meal, I began going over my hazy memories.

Maybe because I had woken up aboard the spaceship once in between, I couldn’t remember the details of the meeting very well.

I had no choice but to pace around the tent alone and search through my memories.

I think the basic outline of the plan was what Seung-yeop had come up with.

After finding the object called the Core, which had been revealed as the spaceship’s power source, we were going to carry it to the mountain range, right?

According to the information Adravita gave us, finding the Core was the spaceship AI’s top priority, so it wouldn’t attack if we brought the Core with us.

But why was my role important in this plan? Let’s remember it step by step.

First, we needed to know the Core’s location in order to find it.

The only information we had about the Core’s location was that it was near Mi-ro, and that Adravita was guiding us there.

That meant we had to follow Adravita’s trail or find Mi-ro. How could we find either Adravita or Mi-ro on this vast primitive continent?

Eun-sol could see Adravita by seeing through the sky, while Ga-in could find Mi-ro using Companion Location Information in his Status Window.

It supposedly gave annoying information like 284 kilometers southeast, but even that was worlds apart from having no information at all.

Would knowing the location be enough?

No. According to what Ga-in had found, Mi-ro was a full 284 kilometers away.

We had no easy way to get there. Two hundred eighty-four kilometers might only take three or four hours by car on a well-maintained road, but walking barefoot was another matter.

Considering we’d have to wander around looking for water and food along the way in this primitive era, it wouldn’t be strange if it took a month just to meet Mi-ro.

Only then did I finally realize what my role was.

I needed to find transportation that could carry us to Mi-ro’s location.

“Pero! I remember now. From now on, we’re planning to ride you for 284 kilometers, so make sure you eat lots of caterpillars ahead of time.”

--- Chirp?

“Eat until your stomach bursts. Starting tomorrow, you’ll have to travel 284 kilometers without food or water. You need to train in advance if you don’t want to die from exhaustion.”

Just as Pero’s tiny head filled with question marks, I called out to the primitive people outside the cave.

Obviously, Pero couldn’t carry us hundreds of kilometers. Pero was a tough creature after transforming into a Grotesque, but that was too much even for it.

* * *

“Y-you mean it? You’re saying you’ll pass judgment on The Cutter right now?”

“Yeah.”

“Divine Human! Please calm down. Your body has not yet fully recovered-”

“I’m completely healthy, though?”

When I spread my arms and hopped around as if I were doing calisthenics, the old man in front of me lowered his head, flustered.

“But-”

“I’ve already made my decision, so gather the warriors. I plan to leave within thirty minutes. If nobody comes, I’ll go alone.”

“Please, just one more-”

“Oh, prepare nets. We need to capture it alive.”

“C-capture it alive?”

I had no intention of arguing any longer, and I could hear someone sobbing somewhere, so I went back into the cave. I felt that these tribespeople were reacting differently from the people of the other tribes.

At first glance, it was reasonable for them to fear that their Divine Human might clash with a monster before fully recovering and lose.

A primitive tribe could survive in this harsh world filled with grotesque monsters only because of the power of a Divine Human as tough as, or tougher than, monsters. My death would be no different from theirs.

But...

What was strange was not their judgment, but their attitude. As soon as I woke up, they carried gifts into the cave, and when I said I was going to fight, dozens of grown adults cried like children.

What was this emotional reaction?

It was probably because they felt an excessive sense of closeness toward me under the influence of my blessing.

That only made me more certain. The fact that they responded to Affinity meant they definitely weren’t ordinary humans.

* * *

We left the cave where the tribespeople lived and headed toward a grassland full of lush greenery.

What would most people think after spending time in a damp, dark cave and then arriving in a grassland filled with soft grass and sweet-smelling fruit?

Even someone who had lived in a city their whole life would probably feel a deep peace settle over them and relax in body and mind.

Yet the warriors traveling with me were so frightened that I could feel it, despite their sturdy builds.

“Big Rock Face. Are you that scared?”

“L-Lady Song-i! You must be quiet.”

“Why?”

“Well-”

“Are you stupid? We usually move quietly because we’re afraid The Cutter will hear us, but we’ve come here to catch that monster. We should be making as much noise as possible. It has to know we came for it before it shows itself.”

“... You’re right.”

Well, this man wasn’t normally this foolish. He had a good reputation among the warriors. Fear was simply paralyzing his reason.

“Everyone knows to follow the plan, right? The moment it appears, spread out and throw the nets!”

“Yes!”

--- Screech!

A harsh metallic sound rang through the air, and Pero transformed into a Grotesque.

“Get the nets ready!”

Before long, a bizarre creature that looked like a giant beetle, a mantis, and pincers all mixed together swooped down on us.

* * *

It didn’t take long to bring The Cutter crashing down to the ground.

It was a repeat of the battle we’d already fought once during the first attempt, and more importantly, The Cutter had no resistance at all to my bracelet.

The monster swooping down from the air lost its sight and crashed straight into the ground. Then nets thrown from every direction tangled around its body, and it began screaming and thrashing in agony.

Of course, even The Cutter’s pincers swinging wildly as it thrashed were terrifying weapons to frail humans.

How had we dealt with it before?

Everyone had fled as far away as possible until The Cutter grew tired from flailing around.

Then, once the monster was too exhausted to move properly, Pero approached in its Grotesque form and crushed its head in one strike with its beak.

This time, we had to capture it alive, so the operation was a little different.

“Pull!”

“Ghk! Everyone, put your backs into it!”

“I-it cut the net!”

Those nets, supposedly made by mixing tree roots and bark, were surprisingly tough and sturdy despite their unimpressive appearance. They couldn’t be easily cut even with a knife.

But perhaps determined to live up to its name, The Cutter tore through the nets as it blindly flailed its pincers without even being able to see them properly.

Fortunately, the net binding its torso didn’t break easily, so it couldn’t charge in and cut everyone to pieces.

“Do something! The bracelet has a time limit too!”

I immediately smacked the back of Pero’s head, and it turned to look at me as though I were ridiculous.

“Hurry! What if it breaks through the net?”

--- Gooooo!

The Cutter’s enormous roar shook the grassland.

Its force was so overwhelming that the warriors pulling the nets looked filled with dread and despair. At that moment, the Grotesque charged at The Cutter with a dignified roar-

It didn’t. Instead, it went over to the warrior holding the net around The Cutter’s torso, shoved him aside, and pulled the net in his place.

The strength of ten men surged through the net, and the monster’s body toppled backward. The long tug-of-war finally came to an end.

* * *

Riding on Pero’s back, I slowly approached The Cutter as it struggled.

Even though I had explained it beforehand, the people around me began groaning as though they couldn’t bear this situation. Everyone stared at me with fear in their eyes.

... Honestly, I’m scared too. Is this really going to work?

Then I vaguely remembered a conversation I’d had with Ga-in.

‘You said The Cutter Song-i encountered can fly, right? Why don’t you try taming it until I come find you?’

‘... Tame it? I don’t think you’ve seen what it looks like, but it’s a monster that looks like it belongs in a horror movie.’

‘That is exactly why your ability should work on it.’

‘No-’

‘Hey, if you aren’t going to use your blessing at a time like this, when are you ever going to use it? Just try it. If it fails, it’s the Sponsor’s responsibility.’

Honestly, he had a point. If I didn’t use my blessing at a time like this, when would I?

The problem was what would happen if I failed. I didn’t know whose responsibility it was if I couldn’t tame that monster with Affinity, but I was the one who would die.

“Please... Please be nice.”

--- Grrrrr!

“Look at me! Isn’t there something pretty about me? What do you think of Yoo Song-i, the prettiest girl in the world, no, the prettiest girl among monsters? Aren’t I incredibly beautiful and noble?”

Strangely enough, Pero suddenly turned its head toward me as though it couldn’t bear to listen.

“Watch where you’re going!”

I was right in front of it now. No matter how tired The Cutter was, ripping a single high school girl to death wouldn’t be difficult.

Now that I’d come this far, there were only two options. Success or death.

The bracelet’s power wore off, and the monster began to see again. My image appeared in its compound eyes.

As I calmly met the monster’s gaze, I thought:

If this fails, I’ll go out there and bury Ga-in in snow!

* * *

- Yoo Song-i

I came to my senses in the cold air. I’d heard about it beforehand, but the unbearable stench stabbed at my nose.

“... This place is seriously awful.”

“Shh!”

A heavy, firm hand grabbed me and pulled me closer. We put the Protective Suit on Mi-ro, who had started in the most dangerous place.

--- Buzz!

The ground was covered in writhing flesh, and the place was filled with giant cocoons like something I’d only seen in movies. This was Mi-ro’s starting point.

“Why did only you have to start in a place like this, Mi-ro?”

“S-Song-i! I told you to be quiet!”

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Do you really think the hornets don’t know you’re here with me?”

“B-but still!”

“What do you mean, but still? No matter how thoughtless the Hotel is, it wouldn’t throw us somewhere we’d die the moment we started- Actually, never mind. I take that back. The Hotel would absolutely do that.”

As I looked around and took in the atmosphere, I started laughing without realizing it.

“Pfft!”

“W-what is it?”

“It’s funny.”

“How can you laugh in a place like this?”

“No... You wouldn’t understand, Mi-ro.”

“Huh?”

“It may sound strange, but my blessing was pretty useless to begin with. Honestly, had I ever used it properly since leaving Room 103?”

“Really?”

“But now, one Yoo Song-i isn’t enough. We need two of us!”

“...”

“Ha! I can’t help it. I’ll try taming a hornet.”