Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 454

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 453: Rest Day - Meeting, Re-entry into Room 206 (3)

──────

[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 480

Current Location: Level 1, Room 105 - Rest Room

Sage’s Advice: 3]

- Han Ga-in

Kim Mook-seong: Wake up.

...

Kim Mook-seong: You brat! The sun is already high in the sky!

...

Kim Mook-seong: I didn't want to resort to this, but I have no choice.

“Argh! Wh-What is that?”

I woke up to the blaring sound of a trumpet!

Even now, the deafening noise was piercing my ears!

Han Ga-in: Grandpa, what kind of prank is this?

Kim Mook-seong: You brat! It's almost lunchtime!

Ah...

I'd stayed up until dawn using the Kingdom of Dreams, so I must've overslept.

* * *

When I headed over to the tea table, everyone was already gathered there. Eun-sol waved at me.

“You're here. You must've been really tired today.”

“Sorry.”

“It's fine. Everyone has days like that.”

As soon as I arrived, I glanced at Elena and Song-i.

Elena smiled as if asking what was wrong. It seemed she'd forgotten everything that had happened last night.

She hadn't woken up until the very end, after all.

Song-i, on the other hand...

“Oppa, was your dream trip fun?”

“... Good morning.”

“It isn't morning.”

“...”

Since she was openly talking about entering dreams, A-ri must've already explained how the painting worked.

Of course, I would've told her myself if A-ri hadn't, so it wasn't a problem-

“Wow! That must've been so fun! Whose dreams did you enter? I know you went into A-ri's and mine!”

Why was I the only one getting scolded?

Song-i was the only one who remembered, so I decided to bluff.

“You were the last one. Don't you remember? You made a tidal wave of cola and threw me into a wall. So-”

--- Clack!

Elena set down her coffee cup and cut me off.

“That's a lie.”

Wait, she'd been using Lie Detection?

“Wow! You're even lying openly! Oppa, where did the trust between us go? What kind of strange things did you do that-”

Th-This was a crisis!

How could I avoid Elena's Lie Detection?

“A-A-ri!”

“A-ri?”

“A-ri took the Kingdom of Dreams. S-So I couldn't use it anymore!”

I passed the ball to A-ri.

It was true that A-ri had taken the painting, so it wasn't a lie.

Then the atmosphere turned a little strange.

“...”

Just a moment ago, Song-i and I had been teasing each other, with Elena joining in. I thought we'd keep it going with A-ri included.

Instead, everyone merely exchanged wary glances.

Only then did I notice that Mi-ro, who normally would've jumped in by now, hadn't said a word.

A-ri was leaning back in her chair across from Mi-ro, her expression blank.

Kim Mook-seong: (Private Message) A-ri and Mi-ro had a huge fight at dawn.

“...”

What was going on?

A-ri had borrowed the Kingdom of Dreams, saying she was going into Mi-ro's dream, and then they'd suddenly fought?

Eun-sol cleared her throat to lighten the mood.

“Ahem! Ahem! It's good that we figured out how to use the painting. Sh-Should we start the meeting?”

* * *

The first topic of the meeting was evaluating our escape method from the second run.

“Let's make this clear. On the second run, A-ri and Ga-in put the Demon King back to sleep through the final measure prepared by the Order of Reason. So why was that an escape instead of a solution?”

On our second attempt at Room 206, A-ri and I used the City Control System prepared by the Order of Reason in Deep Paradise to offer all humanity, save an extremely small number, to Indomitable Reason.

It was an enormous sacrifice, but there was no denying that the suppressive force created by that massive human sacrifice put the Demon King back to sleep.

So why wasn't it a solution?

“Because we killed too many people... That can't be it, right?”

Song-i muttered, then trailed off as if she knew that couldn't be the answer.

A-ri answered calmly.

“I don't think so. There were massive casualties in Rooms 201 and 203 too.”

Apparently not wanting to drag it out, A-ri gave us the answer right away.

“Sealing the Demon King with Indomitable Reason requires a constant supply of sacrifices. That's the problem. We stopped the current crisis through an immense sacrifice, but there are no more humans left to offer.”

We managed to use the “punch” made from 2.34 billion humans to knock the Demon King, who was about to awaken, back down.

Then what?

There were too few survivors left to offer anyone else!

“There are no more materials to operate Indomitable Reason. The Demon King will probably rise again in a few months or years, and then it'll all be over.”

Song-i looked despondent.

“No... Then why did the Order of Reason prepare such a meaningless method?”

“Why is it meaningless?”

“We offered up 2.3 billion people just to delay the end by a few years-”

“Is a treatment that lets a patient who would die today live another three years meaningless?”

“... I-Is that how it is?”

At that moment, the Doctor lightly clapped his hands.

“Either way, the important thing is that we've finally found a reproducible way to escape.”

A reproducible escape method.

“As you know, we can no longer use the method from the first run.”

On the first run, I used Descent to hold back the Demon King while we used Indomitable Reason and One More Chance at the same time.

Without Descent, we couldn't use that method again.

The second run's escape method, on the other hand, could be repeated.

We just had to go to Deep Paradise, seize the Research Lab, and use the City Control Device.

“When the third run begins, some of us should head straight for Deep Paradise. We'll take over the Research Lab, and this time we'll need to wake Mi-ro too. Mi-ro?”

“...”

“Mi-ro?”

“Ah, ah. Um, okay.”

When the Doctor naturally handed the conversation over to Mi-ro, she looked slightly flustered after being lost in thought.

“You said you could resist the underground time control with Immutability, correct?”

“Ah, probably?”

“Then we'll be able to count on Mi-ro's efforts during the third run.”

“I-I'll do my best.”

As everyone discussed how to proceed with the next run, I sank into thought too.

In broad strokes, it seemed like we'd proceed similarly to the previous run.

The difference was that we now had time to consider a solution.

How were we supposed to solve this bizarre room, Room 206?

“...”

I thought finding a way to escape would give me some idea of how to solve it, but it hadn't.

‘The Demon King Who Revives After 100 Days.’

The Demon King was desperate to devour humanity, and securing an escape by delaying the end, even briefly, required an enormous human sacrifice.

After making that sacrifice, there would be no humans left to offer, making a solution impossible.

“What is this...?”

Just as my head began to ache, Seung-yeop, who was normally quiet, suddenly raised his hand.

“W-Wow! I just thought of an amazing idea!”

“You did?”

“... A-ri, what's with that tone?”

“No, go ahead.”

“Ahem! When the mayor used that Wong More? coin! You said all the dead people came back to life, right?”

Song-i nodded.

“They did. Since time was turned back, the dead came back to life.”

“Th-Then! What if we offer up two billion people or whatever to seal the Demon King, then turn back time and bring them back?”

“...”

The room went quiet for a moment before A-ri sighed.

“Seung-yeop. People sacrificed to Indomitable Reason can't be revived even if we turn back time. It's probably because their souls were burned away.”

“... Is that so?”

“Just eat some cookies.”

“...”

The meeting didn't end until evening.

When everyone stood up from their seats, the Doctor dropped a bombshell.

“D-Doctor?”

“... It's dangerous, so I'll attempt it alone. This time, proceed with the escape, governing the city, and running the Cult without me.”

* * *

[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 480

Current Location: Level 1, Corridor

Sage’s Advice: 0]

After waiting in front of Room 105 until late at night, I finally met A-ri.

“What are you doing there?”

“I was waiting for you.”

“Why?”

“The Kingdom of Dreams.”

“Ah, okay. I'll give it back.”

As A-ri handed me the tightly rolled Kingdom of Dreams, I discreetly studied her expression.

“What happened with Mi-ro?”

“... We made up.”

“That's good.”

I'd already seen that they had reconciled.

What I wanted to know was why they had fought in the first place.

“...”

As if she'd guessed my question, A-ri brushed it aside.

“It's personal.”

That made it hard to ask anything more. Just as I nodded and started to head inside...

--- Grab!

A-ri caught my arm.

“Hm? What's wrong?”

“If you're keeping the painting, you'll use it sometimes.”

“Huh! I-I think you've misunderstood. Yesterday, I was only practicing how to use the painting-”

“I'm not trying to scold you for your dirty little desires.”

“Whoa! That's a dangerous thing to say! Dirty little desires? It was only-”

“Be quiet and listen. Don't enter Mi-ro's dream.”

“... What?”

“It's dangerous. Mi-ro's dream is extremely dangerous.”

“What does that-”

--- Click!

Instead of explaining further, A-ri went into her room.

“...”

Come on...!

How could she say something like that without explaining, then go to sleep?

Now I desperately wanted to know what would happen if I entered Mi-ro's dream!

...

The next morning, we began our third attempt at Room 206.

* * *

- Yoo Song-i

“Ah.”

I woke up in the Floating Mansion's garden for the third time.

“...”

--- Click. Click.

As I walked through the garden, recalling the meeting that had continued all day yesterday, I heard someone approaching.

I knew who it was without turning around.

“Dad, you're here?”

“Yes. Were you taking a walk?”

“Yes.”

It was an ordinary conversation between father and daughter.

I hadn't used Beloved One yet, but that didn't mean the mayor openly treated me coldly.

“...”

I turned and looked at Leon Kadyrov.

The mayor, who had been lost in thought, soon tilted his head at me.

“What's wrong? Is there something on my face?”

“...”

In the past, I would've used Beloved One around this point.

I thought things would be easier if the ruler of the city cherished me.

“... Dad.”

This was something we'd discussed in yesterday's meeting.

Maybe this had been the wrong way to proceed from the beginning.

As a result of using Beloved One on the mayor, this man and I had met tragic ends every time.

He always found some way to escape that false love.

One More Chance, the Progenitor's help.

There might be some other method of protecting his mind as well.

“What's wrong?”

So...

“Dad. I have something to tell you.”

This time, let's try the straightforward approach without supernatural abilities.

* * *

- Kim Sang-hyeon

“Everyone! Today's sermon concerns ‘equality.’ All are glorious descendants, and beneath the Great Gaze, each person's class is no more than an outward appearance-”

That damn cult sermon!

How could it be exactly the same every time without changing a single word?

I'd reached the point where I could recite it with my eyes closed. The believers who were moved by the same sermon every time were an impressive bunch themselves.

“No. I need to fix this rebellious attitude...”

I was a second-class Secret Agent infiltrating the Demon King Cult.

I was the one who had to attempt something extremely dangerous this run.

“Whew...”

I steadied myself.

My aversion to supernatural beings and my anger toward demons who called themselves gods.

I thoroughly suppressed those negative emotions and tried to become an obedient person.

... Would it matter?

The being I was about to encounter would surely be able to read the shallow thoughts of a human with ease.

I didn't know.

There was more I didn't know about this than I did.

“Shall we speak of the Progenitor for the first time in a while?”