WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 373: Room 205, Curse Room - ‘Absolute Master’ (22)
──────
- Yoo Song-i
It didn't take long for A-ri to speak again.
“I searched everywhere, but there's nothing.”
“What?”
“Ga-in's location. There's no passage that would let us get there easily. I even went through every corner of the brain, but the conclusion was the same.”
“That’s a shame. Though I figured that would be the case.”
It was disappointing, but not surprising.
The martial artists who had sealed the Phantom Demon had intended to imprison him forever. They wouldn't have planned to release him someday.
There was no reason for them to leave a convenient passage.
“Still, there was one interesting piece of information.”
“Hm?”
“Four years ago, the Empire was hit by severe rainfall, causing floods all over the place.”
“Ah!”
“What?”
“Elena told me about that. It's what Yi Ja-seong mentioned! He said that more than three thousand people died in Guangdong Province alone during the great flood four years ago.”
A-ri let out a deep sigh at my words.
“So that was the Hotel's version of a ‘hint.’”
“... I wish it had been easier to understand.”
“Anyway, the heavy rain and flooding caused the ground to sink, triggering scattered natural disasters everywhere. Mount Cheonjang was no exception, and there was a massive landslide there.”
“What does that mean?”
“A tiny crevice formed in a dangerous location. It's too small to call a cave, and apparently an adult man would have trouble getting inside...”
A-ri and Mi-ro.
The two of them had started with the setting of being ‘followers of the Phantom Demon.’
Because of that, Yi Ja-seong would go berserk the moment they joined the capital. Even if they hid their identities and joined the fight against the Fire Cult, they were Judgment Targets for the Crimson Flame Iron Fan and couldn't play their part.
In other words, the Hotel had assigned A-ri and Mi-ro the role of focusing entirely on lifting Ga-in's Sealing.
Now, a tiny crevice that might lead to the Sealed Area had appeared, and ‘coincidentally,’ adult men had trouble entering it.
“That isn't a coincidence.”
“It isn't.”
There was no way something this suspiciously convenient could be a coincidence in the Hotel.
We had to enter through that crevice.
* * *
- Lee Eun-sol
As expected, the battle with the Fire Cult on the plains ended in an overwhelming victory for the Empire. The outcome had been decided from the start.
We were repeating a battle we had already won once.
We knew where the Fire Cult would deploy its troops, what tactics they would use, and where their main masters would be stationed.
If you entered an exam after seeing the answer sheet and still failed, you were an idiot.
Naturally, the Fire Cult, who knew none of this, was deeply shocked. The Imperial side was no less shocked.
The people of the capital were moved by the unexpected victory and enthusiastically sang songs praising His Majesty the Emperor's grace.
Though His Majesty himself was busy spending every night in tears these days.
“The Fire Cult will build the Heavenly Tower soon, right?”
Mr. Sang-hyeon, who had been leaning against the city wall, answered.
“It should be soon.”
“And Final Flash?”
“It's fine.”
“Then we should be able to keep going without much danger until we destroy the Heavenly Tower. Wow! This is...”
Doesn't that mean it'll be resolved soon?
I almost said it, but stopped myself.
You couldn't say things like that carelessly in the Hotel.
“Where is Yi Ja-seong?”
“He returned to the imperial palace the moment the battle ended.”
“To the Emperor?”
“Yes.”
“Ho...”
Mr. Sang-hyeon looked intrigued.
“Yi Ja-seong is taking Seung-yeop far more seriously than I imagined.”
“I know. I thought he'd give up after a few days.”
A moment later, Mr. Sang-hyeon asked Grandfather beside him.
“Agent, do you have any advice on using a supernatural ability for the first time when you've never used it before and don't know how?”
A supernatural ability he had never used before, so he didn't know how to use it?
“Sir, I don't understand what you mean. If you've never used it, you usually don't even know you have that kind of power.”
“Huh!”
Now that I thought about it, that was true.
“W-Well, I'm certain that I have the ability.”
“... Are you talking about One Who Enjoys, which you obtained recently?”
“That’s right.”
I finally understood what Mr. Sang-hyeon meant.
His Sponsor had granted him a power called One Who Enjoys, so he knew he possessed it. The problem was that he had no idea how to use it.
“This is difficult... You've already fought several times in Room 205.”
“That's why I'm confused. This is already my third attempt. I've sparred, and I've fought for my life at least twice.”
“But you still don't know One Who Enjoys's activation condition?”
“I have no idea.”
After some thought, Grandfather answered.
“If you really can't figure it out, we'll have to go outside and ask Ga-in to use Sage’s Advice.”
“Wouldn't that be a question about someone else's blessing for Ga-in?”
“So?”
“I heard questions like that reduce his own Contribution...”
“That may be true, but it's better than letting the power you just gained go to waste until we leave the Hotel.”
“Phew...”
Mr. Sang-hyeon let out a light sigh, and I quietly joined the conversation.
“Mr. Sang-hyeon, maybe the condition is simpler than you think?”
“Pardon?”
“The title is One Who Enjoys. Maybe it means exactly that, enjoying the situation?”
“There are plenty of times when I'm happy.”
“I mean not normally. When you're in a situation where you could use that ability, you have to enjoy it.”
Mr. Sang-hyeon immediately frowned.
“Wouldn't such a situation usually be one where I'm fighting for my life?”
“Right.”
“How am I supposed to enjoy that?”
“...”
“Should I drink a bottle of liquor before I fight?”
Grandfather let out a hollow laugh.
“If that really is the condition, it would be incredibly difficult to use in a sense!”
Mr. Sang-hyeon left with a bitter smile.
A few days later, the Heavenly Tower began to rise on the plains once again.
* * *
- Park Seung-yeop
“Aaaaargh!”
“...”
“Aaa...”
“Your Majesty, you're not a child. Please keep it down.”
“H-How can I? I'm screaming because it hurts!”
“Focus. Hold your posture. If you move, I'll have no choice but to extend the time...”
“...”
This was fucking hard! This was too much!
I knew martial arts training would be hard, but wasn't this excessive?
If this guy Yi Ja-seong had lived in the twenty-first century, he would've been arrested for child abuse long ago!
“This crazy old man...”
“Your Majesty, even when things are difficult, it's not a good habit to say your thoughts aloud.”
“...”
My legs suddenly gave out, and my whole body started to col...
Just as I was about to collapse, Yi Ja-seong stretched out his hand and held my posture in place with an invisible force.
“Three more minutes here.”
“Seriously!”
“Your mouth seems fine, so let's make it five.”
Five minutes later, I was sprawled across the training ground, unable to move even a finger.
“...”
“Your Majesty, are you tired?”
“... Obviously.”
“Did you not expect it to be difficult?”
Of course I had.
This wasn't magic training. It was martial arts training. Anyone who didn't expect intense physical pain would be an idiot.
“I knew that. I did, but...”
“Now that you've actually gone through it, it's harder to endure than you imagined?”
“... I'm sorry for speaking rudely earlier.”
The old man, Yi Ja-seong, let out a hearty laugh.
“Teenagers naturally lack patience. I've heard all sorts of strange things while teaching disciples, so it's nothing unusual.”
“Th-That Mangho Iron Sword, Cha Gun-ak? Was he like me too?”
“That brat Gun-ak ran away at dawn at least three times, and I caught him every time.”
“...”
He acted so tough with that gruff voice, but he ran away three times?
No, at that point, wasn't there something wrong with Yi Ja-seong's training method?
“I think you just decided there was something wrong with my training method.”
“A-Achoo!”
I looked up in shock, and the old man was smiling.
... He was joking.
It was my first time seeing Yi Ja-seong smile like this. At that moment, he looked almost like an ordinary grandfather.
Maybe that was why I ended up complaining a little.
“I knew martial arts training would be hard, but I didn't know it would keep going like this.”
“Like this?”
“Like eating a hundred-year-old mountain ginseng and awakening my internal energy all at once!”
“...”
“Or reading a secret manual and gaining enlightenment!”
“...”
“Shouldn't I start sparring or something similar soon?”
“Your Majesty, it seems you acquired some absurd knowledge from a strange novel.”
The source of my knowledge was Grandpa Mook-seong.
“First, the idea that eating ginseng gives you internal energy is useless superstition. If anyone could become a master by eating a few plant roots, would there be any grass left in the mountains?”
So there were no spiritual medicines in Room 205...
“Second, secret manuals are for those without proper teachers who have to teach themselves. All that knowledge is in my head, so why would Your Majesty need a secret manual?”
That made sense too, leaving me speechless.
There was no reason to seek a manual when Yi Ja-seong, the Sword of All Under Heaven, stood right in front of me.
The knowledge in Yi Ja-seong's head was far more valuable than any secret manual.
“Lastly, sparring.”
By then, I could guess what answer was coming.
What sparring could a beginner possibly do? I had to build a solid foundation before I could properly learn martial arts, right?
“Let's try it.”
“Pardon?”
Without another word, Yi Ja-seong stood and walked out of the training ground.
I stared at the training ground door with my mouth half open.
Try what? Sparring?
With whom?
Don't tell me, Yi Ja-seong?
* * *
Thirty minutes later, Yi Ja-seong appeared holding a simple wooden stick.
“Try to dodge.”
“M-Me?”
Instead of explaining anything, he gently moved the wooden stick and lightly struck my body...
--- Smack!
“Aaaaargh!”
“What a powerful voice. If you showed even half as much ability in governing, I wouldn't have to worry about the Empire's future.”
“It fucking hurts! I mean, it hurts, sir!”
“It is the way of the world that getting hit hurts.”
“No, it looked like you were moving slowly...”
--- Smack!
“Aaaah!”
“Are you planning to stand there and keep getting hit? Is this endurance training, not sparring? It's foolish to keep taking hits like this.”
As Yi Ja-seong raised the stick again, I opened my eyes wide and watched it.
My senses gathered to a single point, sharp as a needle, taking in Yi Ja-seong's movements...
I couldn't read them.
--- Smack!
“Seriously!”
“Just curse. It's human nature to curse when you keep getting hit.”
Now that I thought about it, this wasn't the right approach!
I didn't have mysterious eyes like Eun-sol. It would've been even stranger if I could read Yi Ja-seong's movements just by opening my eyes wider.
The opposite was the answer. I was the Luckiest Man Alive.
I scattered the senses I had gathered and let go of my tension.
With my mind as relaxed as possible, I accepted what was natural.
Naturally, I would dodge.
I couldn't dodge by watching Yi Ja-seong's stick, but the stick wouldn't be where I moved in the first place.
As if he had vaguely sensed my change, Yi Ja-seong, who had been waiting, spoke.
“Are you ready?”
“... Yes.”
Come on, Yi Ja-seong. Show your sword to me, the Emperor of All Under Heaven!
...
...
...
Five minutes later, I sat on the training ground and started crying.
* * *
By the time I had barely calmed down and wiped away my tears, Yi Ja-seong offered me cool water.
“Have you calmed down now?”
“... Yes.”
“Hmm...”
“Is something wrong?”
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
“I will speak honestly about the judgment I've formed while teaching you.”
The judgment he'd formed while teaching me?
“It concerns Your Majesty's aptitude.”
... He was going to talk about my aptitude. My breath caught in my throat.
“Your build is ordinary. You are somewhat undersized, but you are still growing, so there is room for improvement.”
He started by calling me undersized.
“Your senses, such as sight and hearing, are below average. Your eyesight is particularly poor. It seems you have read many books since childhood.”
Not books. I spent a lot of time on the computer.
“Your intellectual ability is far above average for children your age.”
The first good thing he'd said? But my intellectual ability was outstanding?
This was the first time in my life I'd received such a serious evaluation!
“Still...”
“I-Is this the bad part?”
“It's not that your mind is exceptional. You were born into a good family and learned to read from an early age. In truth, most children your age are illiterate.”
“...”
A master said to be close to the greatest under heaven had just told me this.
My muscles and bones were ordinary. My senses, such as sight and hearing, were below average.
My intellect was good, but not because I had been born especially intelligent. It was because I came from twenty-first-century South Korea and had received an elementary education.
I seriously wanted to die.
“You are disappointed.”
“...”
“I thought you needed a harsh truth rather than empty lies.”
“Yes...”
“That way, Your Majesty will listen seriously to what comes next.”
What came next?
“Pardon?”
At that moment...
Yi Ja-seong's face suddenly came close to mine.
The old man abruptly reached out and carefully examined my face and body.
“Huh? Huh?”
“Today.”
“Yes? Yes?”
“For the first time, I discovered Your Majesty's extraordinary aspect. It is a special quality that can only be called unparalleled throughout all of history.”
Footnotes:
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