Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 470

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 469: Room 206, Curse Room - The Demon King Who Revives After 100 Days Re (28)

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[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 564

Current Location: Room 206, Curse Room - ‘The Demon King Who Revives After 100 Days’

Sage’s Advice: 3]

- Han Ga-in

Flying through the air of the dark underground city racing toward destruction, I observed a bizarre thing.

Writhe.

A white shape squirming incessantly enough to make me sick.

Apparently, it had been created as a recreation of Kunekune, a Japanese urban legend. To me, it looked like a giant larva draped in a sheet of pure white cloth.

Then A-ri, who was flying nearby, spoke.

“Aren't you staring at it a little too openly? Are you okay?”

“I think I'm fine.”

“That's strange. Eun-sol lost her mind the moment she saw it with the naked eye.”

“Haha! Rather than Miss Eun-sol being weak, isn't it that Mr. Ga-in is exceptional? Those born with special destinies are naturally granted many blessings.”

“...”

The moment Ipsissimus, who had no ability to fly and was clinging to my back, joined in, A-ri and I fell silent.

It wasn't exactly a new realization, but having a disgusting bastard like this hanging off my back was truly unpleasant.

If A-ri, who was flying beside me, had been hugging me from behind instead, it would've been much-

No, no, that's not what I meant!

Enough with the strange thoughts.

Either way, A-ri and I repeatedly kept our distance from Ipsissimus, who continued acting as though we were companions.

How had things ended up like this?

Ipsissimus had wanted to meet me from the moment they first encountered Sang-hyeon.

Of course, that didn't mean we had to do what Ipsissimus wanted.

Still, after going to the Sacred Domain as Ipsissimus wished and overcoming its trial, I spoke with them.

Why?

Was it a reward for someone who had found the insane path of Demon King worship that could nevertheless preserve humanity?

Or sympathy for a pitiful NPC?

Of course not.

Just as Ipsissimus wanted something from us, we wanted something from Ipsissimus.

That was why A-ri and I brought Ipsissimus down to Deep Paradise.

“How much time has passed? Of course, it feels like only a little over an hour has passed for us, but I mean by the standards of the outside world.”

It was probably best to answer a question like this.

“We entered Room 206 on Day 553 and entered Deep Paradise at dawn on Day 556. It's now Day 564-”

[Date: Day 564 -> Day 565]

“-No, it just changed to Day 565.”

Every time I looked at the Status Window, the date leaped forward so quickly it was frightening.

What would happen if we got lost and wandered around in a place like this?

“I can see the Research Lab. Haah... It's a familiar place, and one I miss.”

“...”

Sometimes, I wondered.

What was this thing's role in the scenario?

An Adversary?

That didn't seem right. Ipsissimus had never really tried to kill us.

Did Room 206 even have anything that could be called an Adversary?

“...”

The market and the Progenitor in Paradise.

The Director in Deep Paradise.

Ipsissimus in the Sacred Domain.

Those were the major NPCs, but it was hard to call any of them enemies.

They had opposed us depending on the circumstances, but in the bigger picture, they were closer to allies dealing with the disaster that was the Demon King.

The same was true of Ipsissimus.

“...”

I feel like I once heard this from someone I can't remember.

Words like Adversary and Prisoner were concepts we had made up for convenience while clearing the Hotel.

Looking back, the Hotel barely used such words.

Most of the time, it didn't mention things like Adversaries at all. Even Prisoners were simply called “a slight danger,” “an untidy former guest,” “a troublesome customer,” or “a guest.”

The Hotel used similar expressions for us too.

What secret was hidden behind that?

* * *

After arriving at the Research Lab, there hadn't been a single physical clash before we met the Director.

That was because Ipsissimus put the soldiers rushing at us with guns to sleep with a single gesture.

“It's nothing. Compared to your power, isn't it a laughable little trick?”

“...”

“You there, Miss A-ri. Please wake your companion. It is difficult to directly control the City Control Device as I am now.”

A-ri gave Ipsissimus an uneasy look.

“Is it because you've gone beyond humanity? Is that why you can't directly control the device?”

“Who knows?”

“...”

Soon, A-ri woke Mi-ro, who had been asleep in the unconscious Director's body.

Then.

--- Whooosh!

A violent wind like a typhoon erupted. A-ri was slammed into the wall, while Mi-ro began vibrating so fast her form blurred.

“Ugh!”

She exhaled once as she woke, and a gale burst forth.

She was only standing still, waiting for me to possess her, yet her entire body was vibrating at incredible speed from the slightest movements, including her heartbeat.

She was no different from Superman, who supposedly worried that one cough might bring down a building.

I already knew it, but seeing it firsthand was still absurd.

For an instant, a childish thought crossed my mind.

If I fought the current “super-accelerated Mi-ro,” who would win?

Forget the useless thought.

--- Crackle!

Soon, Mi-ro's body came under my control.

“Oh? What an interesting power.”

“...”

“What was that crackling sound and flash of light just now? Is it a phenomenon created by your mysterious book?”

“...”

After understanding The Second Sentence, the Power of the Avatar had grown stronger than before, resulting in this phenomenon. Even I didn't know why.

“We're busy. Let's begin. It's already Day 568.”

“Very well.”

Three more days had passed in that brief time.

* * *

Following Ipsissimus's instructions, I operated the City Control Device.

For a long time, I entered complicated commands I couldn't understand. If I had to compare it to something, it felt like messing with Developer Mode on a phone.

When something like a loading process began, Ipsissimus spoke as if they had been waiting for it.

“You truly are remarkable. We never even thought of doing it this way!”

“Even if you had thought of it, it wouldn't have helped.”

“That's true. We lacked the ability to attempt it back then. To be honest, I think the same would be true even now.”

“...”

Even to the head of an organization that had supported civilization from behind the scenes of human history for ages, it was a bizarre solution.

The original idea had begun with something Seung-yeop muttered without realizing it.

“What if we kill all the NPCs, then turn back time and bring them back?”

“I truly never considered it. Kill all 2.34 billion people? Even if you have a means to turn back time, don't you think that's far too demonic?”

“...”

“Unless you think of humans as game characters, it isn't an idea that comes easily to mind.”

A-ri answered, sounding displeased.

“So? You don't like that we see you as game characters? You think we're demonic?”

“Haha! Of course not. Come now, let's not be so prickly with fellow professionals.”

“... Fellow professionals?”

“Aren't we? I heard you're from the Management Bureau. The same organization must have gone through several cycles, changing its name each time-”

“Ah! Someone's listening!”

I burst out laughing at how it felt like I had been awkwardly drawn into a conversation between people in the same line of work.

“Just talk normally. I've guessed as much anyway.”

“...”

Once I gave them the opening, both of them went quiet.

So I asked a question.

“It's the first time we're trying this, so I'm curious. If we kill all the survivors by a means other than Indomitable Reason, how will the Demon King react?”

If the Demon King was a beast-like existence, a cosmic predator that inhaled human souls...

How would it react when it realized its prey had vanished from Earth?

“Maybe it'll leave Earth because there's nothing to eat?”

That was the core of the plan we had made.

Eun-sol had given it the darkly comic name Scorched-Earth Strategy.

Then a noise broke the silence.

--- Beep!

Once the loading finished, I got busy again.

As I controlled Mi-ro's body according to Ipsissimus's complicated instructions, I thought about Scorched-Earth Strategy.

Eliminate all prey.

The Demon King leaves once its food is gone.

After it leaves, turn back time and revive everyone.

This simple, clear plan had far too many holes beyond its inhuman view of NPCs as nothing but tools.

The first problem was obvious.

It wasn't like killing fifteen or so people. How were we supposed to kill 2.34 billion survivors?

We couldn't offer them to Indomitable Reason.

If their souls were burned like firewood, they couldn't be revived.

We had to kill most of Room 206's survivors by a method unrelated to Indomitable Reason.

Was there even a way to do that?

When our discussion had stalled there and I used Sage’s Advice, the Owl gave me a shocking answer.

[It is possible. Seek the answer from the one who designed the board.]

The one who had created Room 206's structure, the first Demon King worshiper, Ipsissimus.

Ipsissimus had a method to wipe out humanity without involving Indomitable Reason.

When we learned that, everyone was shocked.

Offering all the survivors as sacrifices or brainwashing all humanity into becoming Demon King worshipers was insane, but they were still paths the organization had created for humanity in its own way.

But why would it create a method that simply wiped out humanity, without even doing that?

“No, that isn't it. Press the second panel from the top right, then-”

“I pressed the right one.”

“You need to press it once more.”

The truth was always simple.

Our first guess had been right.

The organization had never created some meaningless device for wiping out humanity.

This control device simply allowed precise control over the elaborate system known as the city, which the organization had built.

Among those precise controls was one for “temporarily cutting off the water supply.”

Originally, it was probably a temporary measure in case the water became contaminated.

What if we also made it impossible to ever leave the city?

Humans could survive without water for three days at most.

--- Hummmm!

Amid vibrations that shook the entire underground, Ipsissimus smiled brightly.

“It's finished!”

“...”

“Normally, the pipes could be shut off immediately, but the surface and Deep Paradise experience time differently. On the surface, the water supply will probably gradually stop over several days or weeks. Of course, the back route leading outside, which the Demon King Cult used, will be sealed as well.”

“...”

“Congratulations on your great undertaking. So...”

Ipsissimus, the strangest being in Room 206, turned gleaming eyes toward me.

“Shall we finish the conversation we had in the Sacred Domain?”

Ipsissimus had granted our request.

Now it was time for us to answer Ipsissimus's request.

“Mr. Ga-in. You understand this better than anyone, but in truth, this kind of little game has no meaning.”

“...”

“I mean that whether you resolve Room 206 or not, it has no meaning to us.”

“...”

“I desire true salvation. Please, become our salvation.”

The bizarre being, which had long since lost its human form, knelt as though worshiping a king.