WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 421: Party Time (1) - Sacred Sun
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[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 374
Current Location: Level 1, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: 3]
- Han Ga-in
I woke up in the corridor.
And then...
“Urgh!”
I dropped to my knees, gripped by a violent headache as though someone were driving nails into my skull.
At times like this, I was grateful that the Hotel's luxurious interiors meant even the corridors had soft carpeting.
“Are you okay?”
My flustered companions came toward me, but they looked blurry.
Even then, someone was cramming countless strings of information into my head.
After I obtained the new Inheritance, Sacred Sun, the Hotel had stuffed its instruction manual into my mind.
It took about thirty minutes before my head finally cleared.
* * *
We sat in a circle around the refreshment table.
Everyone looked at me curiously.
Sacred Sun was the final reward that had appeared when the long, drawn-out ordeal of Room 104 was finally resolved.
Of course everyone was curious about it.
Eun-sol started us off casually.
“There wasn't a Time of Choice at all this time. Isn't that strange?”
When several people contributed to resolving a room and there were multiple survivors, the Inheritance was distributed through a Time of Choice.
It should have appeared this time too, but it had been skipped.
A-ri gave a small yawn.
“The Hotel probably thought it was a meaningless process since Ga-in was going to get it anyway. Especially since he negotiated directly with a Prisoner this time.”
When I silently reached toward the table, everyone fell quiet.
“...”
Sacred Sun was finally in my hand.
The Hotel had taught me the basics of how to use it, but I was still a little nervous as I tried to summon it.
--- Whoosh!
A mysteriously burning red fireball and a golden handle.
The first words that came to mind were a flaming chalice.
When I had first encountered it in the Cult's underground area, only the fireball at the top had appeared. Its appearance had changed somewhat after becoming an Inheritance.
Sacred Sun soon radiated an overwhelming presence, as though it could force everyone to their knees.
Under that indescribable, tangible yet intangible pressure, no one dared to speak.
Mi-ro broke the heavy silence.
“It's incredibly mysterious and pretty. My watch just looks like an old pocket watch. Are you okay?”
“...”
“Didn't you say this was like a little god? I heard it was an Inheritance with a consciousness...”
“It used to be.”
That was why I had feared obtaining this Inheritance.
I thought the transcendent mind contained within the sun would swallow us whole.
I reached toward the burning flames.
At that moment, I felt like Icarus, trusting wings of wax as he approached the sun and fell to his death.
My companions watched me with tense expressions.
“...”
I heard no mysterious voice.
I sensed nothing remotely like a sentient being.
Mi-ro couldn't hold back any longer and asked again.
Perhaps Immutability kept her from feeling the pressure as strongly as everyone else.
“Isn't someone chattering away? Like, ‘You tiny, stupid Ga-in, kneel and pray at once or-’”
“There's nothing like that. The Lord promised me. The transcendent mind within Sacred Sun won't awaken.”
That was the contract I had made with the Lord in Room 104.
Then A-ri, who had remained quiet until then, asked, “So what can this Inheritance do?”
“It's complicated.”
“Huh? Wasn't it just like a mini Descent?”
“Mini Descent? That isn't entirely wrong, but then what do you think Descent even is?”
“Uh...”
A-ri opened and closed her mouth like a fish.
It had been hard to define exactly what Descent was in the first place, and Sacred Sun was the same.
The power of Dominion, a charisma that suppressed ordinary people.
The power of Command, which punished those who broke their promises.
The power of fire, wielding flames as befitted something called a sun.
The power of transcendence, strengthening the body in various ways.
Even counting only the major abilities, one Inheritance contained four powers, and that wasn't all.
Naturally, I couldn't explain such complicated functions in just a sentence or two.
If I had to put it into one sentence, though, it would be this.
“A power that turns a human into something like a god?”
A-ri frowned slightly.
“A god? That isn't a very nice word.”
“Then let's say it's an item for becoming a cult leader.”
“That's even more horrifying.”
Of course, this incredible Inheritance had a fatal weakness.
“It also has a pretty serious weakness.”
“What?”
“It has to be charged. It's completely empty right now, and the charging method is extremely troublesome.”
“How do you charge it? By dragging a sacrifice over and offering them to those flames?”
“Cough!”
Several people coughed in alarm. A-ri's words were brutal, but charging Sacred Sun wasn't that simple.
“Not like that. It can be charged with Faith on a small scale, or with the lives and souls of believers on a larger scale.”
“...”
Therefore, if I wanted to use Sacred Sun properly, I would have to establish a religious organization and become its leader.
Grandfather spoke, unable to hide his disbelief.
“Why is this Inheritance so complicated... No, won't it be an even bigger problem if you take that thing outside?”
--- Tap!
“Mook-seong, let's think about what happens after we leave when the time comes. So how are we supposed to use it in the Hotel? Do we have to pray to ‘Lord Han Ga-in’ every morning starting tomorrow?”
“... Don't say something so horrifying. I'll handle it myself in Room 206.”
Eun-sol, who had listened quietly until then, spoke up.
“Ga-in, you said something in the room, didn't you? That you negotiated with the Lord and suppressed Sacred Sun's ego erosion.”
“Yes.”
“So that's why Sacred Sun is quiet right now?”
“I suppose so.”
She only wore a complicated expression and didn't ask any more questions.
I didn't feel any need to add anything either.
If the Lord gave me something, I too had to give something back.
That was how a transaction worked.
At that point, I had gained another objective for when we entered Room 206 again, separate from resolving the room.
I had to offer 144,000 souls to Sacred Sun.
* * *
Once we had sorted out that much about Sacred Sun, the topic naturally changed.
For the first time in a while, Grandfather, rather than Eun-sol, led the meeting.
“Once we head to Room 105, it'll say Party Time starts tomorrow and all that, right?”
Everyone nodded.
“Let's briefly think about what we'll do during this Party Time. Ga-in, you can study that damned vicious fireball of yours.”
“I'll do that.”
“Seung-yeop, is she safely contained in the Soul Box?”
“Yes. It feels sort of full. Should I call her out?”
“No. From now on, let's hold meetings among ourselves.”
“...”
Only a few hours ago, hadn't everyone kindly told Aurelia, no, Yumi, that she would be a companion once she got out?
Yet the first thing Grandfather said after we came out was this.
‘Let's hold meetings among ourselves.’
It was funny, but it was a wise decision.
I could say this because Yumi wasn't here, but the being inside the Soul Box could change, couldn't it?
Besides, whether Yumi's identity was Aurelia or Arima, she was very different from an ordinary person.
She felt less like a full companion and more like half of one.
Looking around, A-ri and Song-i nodded as though it were obvious.
Of course, some people, like Seung-yeop and Eun-sol, smiled awkwardly.
“Also, Yumi will probably want to make herself a body as soon as she comes out. Don't allow it right away.”
“...”
“Seung-yeop, listen carefully to what Grandfather says.”
“Y-yes!”
“I'm telling you not to take her lightly just because she's contained in your Inheritance. Don't grant every request she makes.”
“Yes...”
“Her soul is held hostage by the Inheritance, so she probably won't run wild. Still, be careful. Treat her as though she were a Chaos Entity contracted to you as an agent, not a person.”
Seung-yeop was flustered at those words.
“G-Grandfather! I'm not an agent, and I've never contracted with a Chaos Entity!”
“...”
A-ri snickered.
“Mook-seong, do you think he's one of your junior agents or something?”
“...”
“Seung-yeop, don't stay alone with Yumi until you get used to her.”
“Yes.”
Even I thought that was the best solution.
“Let's leave the Soul Box discussion there for now. We can think about the rest later. Next is, um, the Sanctuary of Blessings?”
“I think we can go tomorrow morning.”
When the Sanctuary of Blessings came up, Jin-cheol, who had only been sipping his drink, jumped in.
“Whose turn is it this time? Ah! Going to the Sanctuary of Blessings is what I look forward to most!”
Elena thought for a moment before answering.
“Judging by the Contribution from Room 104, wouldn't it be Ga-in, who obtained the Inheritance, and Mi-ro, who took on the role of Saintess? A-ri and I played our parts too, of course.”
Then A-ri yawned and muttered, “Honestly, I'm not expecting much this time. Aren't you all the same?”
“...”
Unlike Jin-cheol, who looked flustered, quite a few people nodded.
I also didn't think many people would receive enhancements at the Sanctuary of Blessings this time.
There were two main reasons.
First, we had resolved Room 104 after progressing through the latter half of Level 2.
In game terms, it was like clearing a low-level dungeon while decked out in high-level dungeon equipment.
Would it give much experience?
Second, the more blessing enhancements one received, the more Contribution the next one required.
If a powerful enhancement counted as two, many of my companions had already received two or three enhancements.
What about me?
After resolving Room 203, Owl had told me I would need to resolve “at least two rooms” to receive my fourth enhancement.
Since then, we had resolved Rooms 205 and 104, so it might be enough numerically. Or it might not.
In cases like this, there was no way to know until we went.
A-ri spoke again.
“I think it'll be hard for anyone except Eun-sol, Sang-hyeon, and Mi-ro to get enhanced from now on.”
Eun-sol reacted to that.
“Ah... I understand Sang-hyeon and Mi-ro, since they joined late, but why am I included in that lineup?”
“...”
A-ri shut her mouth with an expression that said she had made a mistake, and Eun-sol gave a faint laugh.
“It's fine. I have this now too. I should practice with it. It's harder than I thought.”
After obtaining her new tool, Butterfly Dream, Eun-sol had become noticeably more confident.
As the topic shifted to her, Grandfather naturally asked, “Is Greedy Hand charged again?”
“Of course.”
“You'll use it again this time, right? What are you thinking of using it for? A tool?”
Eun-sol shook her head.
“I've got enough tools for a while. More importantly, A-ri.”
“Yeah?”
“You said there's still one hidden NPC left, right?”
“Yeah.”
We had resolved all of Level 1 and were already in the latter half of Level 2, yet there was still a hidden NPC remaining.
The teacher, who had been drinking coffee, looked incredulous.
“Well, that's something. How is there still an NPC hiding? A-ri, can't you find hidden elements using the power of Secret?”
“I can sense them if they're nearby. But I've never sensed one.”
That meant A-ri had never even come close to the final hidden NPC during all this time.
Then Eun-sol lightly clapped her hands.
“How many times have we searched the Hotel? So many! We turned over every single decoration hanging on the walls, didn't we? Yet A-ri has never even been near it? What do you think that means?”
A-ri answered.
“I don't think it normally manifests physically in the Hotel at all.”
“There must be some kind of appearance condition. And that condition must be ridiculously difficult!”
Naturally, I thought of the event we had experienced not long ago, A Midsummer Night's Dream.
What had been the condition for that event?
Gathering in the bar, playing drinking games, and then all collapsing?
Could the hidden NPC's appearance condition be something that absurd?
We might not find it until we cleared Level 3, let alone Level 2.
“This time, let's use both Greedy Hand and Seung-yeop's ability to find that bastard!”
Everyone already looked excited.
Footnotes:
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