WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 346: Party Time - Revealing Heaven's Secrets (5)
──────
- Lee Eun-sol
When I told them I planned to use Greedy Hand to obtain useful information rather than an item, Grandfather and Sang-hyeon both seemed fine with it.
“Eun-sol, that's not a bad idea. It'd be better to gain valuable information than pile up vague, miscellaneous items.”
“The idea is good, but let's discuss what information we should ask for.”
If we used Greedy Hand to obtain information, what should we obtain?
“There are a few conditions to consider. We should get information we can't obtain through Ga-in's advice. Greedy Hand can be used far less often than Sage’s Advice.”
A-ri, who had been listening, spoke up.
“I think we need to ask for information with definite answers. Watching Ga-in use Sage’s Advice taught me that when the answer itself is vague, it often gives some cryptic riddle.”
Elena offered her opinion as well.
“It might be difficult to ask which room we should go to next. Curse Rooms don't have a set order for entry, do they? I feel like we'd get an answer saying we can go anywhere. Would it tell us a recommended order?”
Sang-hyeon nodded.
“Then should we ask about the contents of the next room?”
Feeling somewhat uneasy, I cut in.
“The contents of the next room? Would that be allowed?”
The room fell silent for a moment. No one knew how much information we could obtain.
After a while, A-ri picked up a pen and began scribbling on the whiteboard.
“Let's come up with different questions. We'll ask the important ones first, and if that doesn't work, we'll request different information.”
1. Hints, threats, and keywords for the remaining rooms.
2. Are there other ways for everyone to escape?
3. How can we find hidden NPCs?
“This is the list I came up with. Tell me if you have any other ideas.”
Grandfather replied.
“Isn't number two a little vague? We already heard about how everyone can escape at the souvenir shop, and had it confirmed afterward. Didn't it say everyone could leave once we cleared Level 2?”
“There could be another way.”
“What if there isn't? It'll just say there isn't and end there.”
“That's why I put it second.”
“If that's the case...”
Soon, everyone began throwing out ideas.
Sang-hyeon wanted to know how to meet Buddha.
Jin-cheol wanted to ask if there was a way to gain “a very great power.”
For some reason, Mi-ro asked whether it was possible to ask a “secret question.”
Song-i seriously suggested asking whether there was a path to immortality.
Many other opinions came up, and while listening, I realized something.
Quite a few of us now wanted to gain something more from the hotel rather than leave immediately.
For example, if Song-i had to choose between a door that would take her straight back to reality and an elixir of immortality, wouldn't she choose immortality?
It was obvious, but we had changed greatly from the people we had been when we first entered the hotel.
That aside, the discussion was becoming a mess. I needed to get everyone organized.
--- Clap!
“Alright! I know everyone has different desires, but let's get the information we urgently need first instead of chasing vague wishes.”
In the end, we agreed to begin with questions about the remaining rooms.
It meant everyone could at least agree on number one from A-ri's original list.
Around then, Grandfather brought Han Ga-in over.
After Ga-in received a rough explanation of the situation from his companions, he said his thoughts were similar and didn't add any questions to the list.
“I'll use it now!”
Silence and tension spread through the room.
There was one trait of Greedy Hand that everyone knew, even if no one had mentioned it.
On the day the ability was used, every companion except its user would be placed in danger.
What price would Greedy Hand demand this time?
I cleared my mind.
Everyone had agreed. It was now simply something my companions had to bear themselves.
[Greedy Hand: 1 -> 0]
--- Rumble!
With a thunderous roar like lightning striking, every light in the hotel went out.
Our vision was swallowed by darkness in an instant, and everyone fell into pitch-black gloom.
Then... a notification appeared.
「A surprise event occurs at a participant's request. ...
.
.
.
Surprise Event: Revelation of Heavenly Secrets」
My consciousness grew hazy.
* * *
[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 150
Current Location: Level 1, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: X]
- Han Ga-in
As darkness swallowed the surroundings in an instant, groans rose from all around.
While A-ri and Grandfather tried to calm everyone down, a notification appeared saying that an event called Revelation of Heavenly Secrets had begun.
“Revelation of Heavenly Secrets?”
“That title sounds pretty grand...”
At that moment, a light shone only where Eun-sol had been standing.
A table and a crystal ball that hadn't existed moments ago appeared before us. Eun-sol stood with her head bowed, holding the crystal ball in both hands.
A rough, deep voice completely unlike hers rang out.
“Do you seek secret knowledge that cannot be easily obtained?”
Everyone watched Eun-sol tensely. From the circumstances, it seemed something unknown had possessed her body.
“Very well. This too is your choice.... I shall permit three questions. But remember this. Those who covet heaven's secrets must pay a fitting price. May the questioner be struck by Heavenly Punishment.”
In the silence, everyone began thinking hard.
The structure was easy enough to understand.
We had to ask the unknown being possessing Eun-sol for the information we wanted. There were three questions in total, and Heavenly Punishment would fall upon whoever asked one.
Since the user of Greedy Hand did not face any risk, Eun-sol seemed to be unable to ask a question at all.
No one dared speak immediately. The words “Heavenly Punishment” were far too chilling.
A-ri cautiously raised her hand.
“May I ask, separately from the three questions we've been granted, what exactly Heavenly Punishment is?”
“Not permitted!”
Questions about Revelation of Heavenly Secrets itself also counted toward the limit. That made even opening our mouths feel burdensome.
Then Jin-cheol got to his feet.
“I will ask the first question.”
“Ask.”
“I want to know about the remaining room, Room 205. Can you tell us the overall scenario?”
--- Rumble!
The entire hotel shook with the sound of lightning striking somewhere. It felt like a threat.
“You were the first to rise courageously when all others feared Heavenly Punishment and could not stand. I shall grant you mercy. The Heavenly Punishment for that question is beyond what you can bear. Lower the scope of your question.”
At that moment, I understood one trait of Revelation of Heavenly Secrets.
The degree of Heavenly Punishment was not fixed. If we demanded excessive information, we would receive punishment beyond what we could endure.
The Chat Window immediately flashed.
Cha Jin-cheol: Can't we ask about a room's contents?
Kim Sang-hyeon: That's not it. It said to lower it a little. It means we shouldn't ask for the overall scenario.
Kim A-ri: Shorten the answer. Say a few words will be enough.
Han Ga-in: Keywords, keywords!
Elena: What are the dangers? What hints will there be?
Jin-cheol carefully spoke again.
“Thank you for your mercy. I will ask the first question again.”
“Remember that there will be no second mercy.”
“Please tell us what dangers exist in Room 205, along with simple hints or keywords for resolving it. Just a few words will do.”
The next moment, the crystal ball on the table began vibrating strangely.
Unfamiliar images or drawings flashed by, and an unpleasant screech like metal scraping across a blackboard filled the air.
“An Absolute Master. An unavoidable death. No lucky breaks will work. Outstanding martial prowess required.”
No lucky breaks? Outstanding martial prowess?
Was it a room that demanded raw physical force rather than mystical power?
I heard A-ri quickly writing down the answer.
The next moment, Cha Jin-cheol suddenly vanished!
“Gah! Jin-cheol!”
“J-Jin-cheol!”
As Seung-yeop and Song-i screamed, I hurriedly checked the Status Window.
Surely that question hadn't been too much as well, causing Heavenly Punishment beyond what he could bear?
[Companion Location Information (*)
Cha Jin-cheol: Hungry Ghost Hell]
“He's alive!”
“Ga-in?”
“Jin-cheol's still alive, so calm down!”
Grandfather's voice came from the darkness.
“Ga-in, did you check with Location Information? Where did he go?”
“It says Hungry Ghost Hell.”
“After Frozen Hell, now Hungry Ghost Hell. The more we dig into this hotel, the more horrific things we hear....”
A-ri's sharp voice cut him off.
“Quiet!”
I thought about it.
Hungry Ghost Hell. I had no idea what kind of place it was, but it sounded like hell just from the name.
The price of Heavenly Punishment was being thrown into an extremely dangerous place!
And since we apparently couldn't choose the location, we would have to escape alone.
A-ri seemed to reach the same conclusion.
“Looks like not just anyone should ask questions. It needs to be someone who can escape alone from a dangerous place. And let's standardize the questions.”
Who was supposed to ask? And why did we need to standardize them?
“I'll ask the second question. Ga-in, check my location afterward.”
“A-A-ri!”
Ignoring Mi-ro's startled cry, A-ri spoke.
“I will ask the second question.”
“Ask.”
“Please tell us what dangers exist in Room 206, along with simple hints or keywords for resolving it. Just a few words will do.”
I wondered what she meant by standardizing the questions, but she meant it literally.
Other than changing Room 205 to Room 206, her question was exactly the same as Jin-cheol's.
Then, considering the trait of Revelation of Heavenly Secrets I had just realized, I understood A-ri's intention.
The degree of Heavenly Punishment was not fixed, and it was decided by how much information the question demanded.
In other words, wouldn't questions of exactly the same scope bring the same Heavenly Punishment?
Even if we were thrown into a dangerous place, being sent there with a companion was obviously better than being sent alone.
“A three-way confrontation, a common trope in fiction, check the date regularly.”
A three-way confrontation? One side was obviously us, so were the other two the Adversary and the Prisoner?
A common trope in fiction? What did that mean?
Did the instruction to check the date regularly mean there was time travel at certain points?
Countless thoughts flashed through my mind.
A-ri vanished again. At that moment, I checked her location.
[Companion Location Information (*)
Kim A-ri: Hungry Ghost Hell]
“A-ri's there too! Hungry Ghost Hell!”
Who should ask this time?
Other than Cha Jin-cheol and Kim A-ri, who could escape from an unknown place called Hungry Ghost Hell?
“Third question, mmph!”
“Letmeaskthethirdquestion!”
The moment I began speaking, the Doctor beside me covered my mouth with a hand and spoke himself.
“D-Doctor!”
“Ga-in, you are already cursed, aren't you? It would be foolish to fall into hell while cursed.”
“No...”
“I'll return soon, so there's no need to worry.”
“How can you say that?”
The rough voice spoke.
“The questioner has already been decided. Ask.”
“The final room would be best. Room 207...”
--- Crash!
Before I could react, a chair suddenly rolled over from nearby and knocked the Doctor down!
I had a bad feeling and turned toward where Seung-yeop had been.
“Seung-yeop! What did you do?”
“J-just now, Heavenly Fortune...”
“Enough. Keep quiet.”
“Ga-in, this is...”
“Room 207 is different from the other Curse Rooms. It's the Gate Room, isn't it? Since it is the highest-ranking room, it seems that asking about it itself brings Heavenly Punishment beyond what we can endure.”
“...”
“Let's ask about Room 104. We have to standardize the question, and Room 104 is the only remaining Curse Room.”
“Let's do that. I will ask the third question! Please tell us what dangers exist in Room 104, along with simple hints or keywords for resolving it. Just a few words will do.”
Even as I listened to the Doctor's question, I felt uneasy.
Room 104 was different from the other Curse Rooms in many ways.
Strictly speaking, Room 104 was not a difficult room to resolve.
Wasn't it a strange room where, even if we did nothing, the Prisoner would run around trying to resolve it alone?
The real problem with Room 104 was the reward for resolving it, the Inheritance itself, Sacred Sun.
The Inheritance itself was a lesser version of the Lord, so there was no telling what would happen when we obtained it.
Would we receive a meaningful answer?
The rough voice began to speak.
Footnotes:
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