WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 477: Party Time - Fourth Enhancement (2)

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[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 931

Current Location: Level 1, Corridor

Sage’s Advice: 3]

- Han Ga-in

I was caught off guard by the way everyone’s eyes naturally turned to me.

A-ri included, but the others did not usually seem to place this much importance on my answer.

Eun-sol was not so much in favor of the Irregular Polyhedron as she was against getting Indomitable Reason.

I could guess the thoughts she did not say aloud.

Indomitable Reason required human sacrifice.

In that respect, it was similar to the Sacred Sun, yet different. The Sacred Sun could use its power without necessarily killing anyone, as long as it gathered Faith.

Indomitable Reason, on the other hand, did not require the sacrifice to volunteer. It would work even if you kidnapped someone off the street and offered them up.

A-ri wanted Indomitable Reason, emphasizing the opinion I had given in the past.

Probably because A-ri was a Management Bureau agent, far more sensitive to a crisis threatening the world...

Still, that did not seem to be all.

It felt like A-ri was subtly testing me. Was I imagining it?

It was as if A-ri was trying to learn something about me apart from the Inheritance selection.

“...”

“What do you think?”

I made my decision.

“It’s an important matter, so let’s decide after we visit the Sanctuary of Blessings.”

“The Sanctuary of Blessings? Are you thinking of asking your Sponsor?”

“Yeah. I plan to use Sage’s Advice too.”

“You’re already at the third enhancement, so... Hmm. You might be able to do it. That’s not a bad idea. What does everyone else think?”

Since this was important, the others nodded at the suggestion that I seek my Sponsor’s advice.

We had gathered the Tickets with great difficulty, and once a decision was made, we could not take it back. We needed to choose carefully.

Considering what I had heard before, I thought I might be able to meet my Sponsor.

Of course, I might not be able to, so it would be best to use Sage’s Advice.

[Advice: 3 -> 2]

‘Which Inheritance should we choose?’

[The issue is not what you choose, but who uses it.]

Since we were not in a Curse Room and there was no urgency, should I ask more?

[Advice: 2 -> 1]

‘Then I’d like an answer that includes who should use it.’

[There is something you are overlooking.]

I was overlooking something?

I racked my brain and even used the next piece of advice, but I could not understand what it meant.

* * *

The next morning, the moment I confirmed the notification that Party Time had begun, I headed straight for the Sanctuary of Blessings.

This place had become as familiar as home.

When I checked who could enhance their blessing, two names appeared.

「Elena and Han Ga-in can receive an enhancement. Would you like to proceed? (Y/N)」

When we resolved Room 203, the Owl had told me that I could receive my fourth enhancement after resolving at least two more rooms.

Since then, we had resolved Rooms 104, 205, and 206. I had thought the time had come, and as expected, it had.

The cold memory of flying through distant space suddenly came back to me, and my heart swelled.

Even my companions, who told me I had worked hard, probably did not truly understand just how much I had suffered. It felt like the only being that had witnessed it was acknowledging me.

“Huh? My name’s there? I never expected this at all!”

“Congratulations!”

I had expected someone among the companions at the first or second enhancement to receive one, but I had not expected it to be Elena.

It was not necessarily because Elena had distinguished herself in Room 206. Perhaps the time had simply come because she had received Clear Mirror, Still Water as soon as we finished the first room on Level 2, and so much time had passed since then.

Soon, my vision clouded over, and my consciousness was pulled to a distant place.

* * *

- Elena

It’s my turn?

I really had not expected this.

I’m happy, but it feels strange. It’s funny to say, but I feel a little sorry too.

“Sorry? What makes you feel sorry?”

The Sponsor I had not seen in a long time appeared at the edge of my vision, within a mansion with a somewhat dark and murky atmosphere.

Just like before, the figure looked like a beautiful woman wearing a hood.

Of course, as was usually the case with beings like this, gender probably had no meaning at all.

“Not necessarily. I think of myself as a woman.”

“...”

I had not said a single word out loud until now.

This kind of ‘conversation’ still felt awkward.

“Ah, it seems I was a little rude? Here, thoughts and words are not very different.”

“Not at all.”

“Right, let’s return to what you said earlier. Why do you feel sorry?”

“... I haven’t used my blessing much lately. Ah, I do use Clear Mirror, Still Water diligently.”

That was true.

Honestly, lately I had only been using Ominous Imagination. I could not remember using Justice in any meaningful way.

I only used Clear Mirror, Still Water often, to deal with Ominous Imagination.

“I see. May I hear why?”

“... The conditions for Justice are too demanding.”

They really were too demanding.

I had not realized using it against evil people would be such a difficult condition.

There were too many monsters in the Hotel that were not human, and even the villains were often the so-called conviction-driven kind rather than simply evil people, so it was hard to call them evil.

Ominous Imagination, meanwhile, had seemed far too dangerous when I first received it. Yet thanks to obtaining Clear Mirror, Still Water at the right time, I had been able to use it without much difficulty.

“You use Ominous Imagination as your main weapon, supported by Clear Mirror, Still Water. Is that the formula for victory you’ve found?”

“A formula for victory? I suppose it is.”

That seemed right.

“You know now that Justice’s conditions ultimately depend on your state of mind, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

A-ri and the others had hidden that fact from me before.

That was an old story now.

The problem was that even after realizing it, not much had changed.

“Values don’t change like tools, just because I decide they should.”

If I could regard my opponent as evil whenever necessary, Justice would become a very convenient power.

But if I could change my standards whenever necessary, how could that be called conviction?

“Yes, yes. You’re right. If you can change the standard of the scales however you please, they are not scales. They are nothing but violence.”

“Exactly.”

In that sense, my Sponsor and I had strangely similar thoughts.

Maybe that was why I received Justice.

“What do you think of using Justice by ‘using’ your companions?”

“...”

Using Justice through my companions.

If I put my companions in danger, then watched one of them die in front of me, I could use Justice far more easily.

Paradoxically, that was proof that Justice’s activation depended on my mindset.

It was the method Teacher had demonstrated through self-sacrifice, probably in Room 104.

“You don’t actively use that strategy. Though there are times when your companions create that situation themselves.”

“...”

I had nothing to say.

Putting my companions in danger, then getting angry after watching one die and striking back with Justice?

It felt strange even to think about.

“Yes, it is strange. I wasn’t telling you to ruthlessly sacrifice your companions from tomorrow onward. I only gave that example because the power you’ll receive this time can create a similar situation.”

“A similar situation? What kind of power is it-”

“Before that.”

The robed woman spun lightly in place.

“What do you think?”

“You’re very beautiful!”

“... Thank you. I wasn’t asking about me. I meant, what do you think of the scenery around you?”

“Um...”

It had been so long since I had come here that I had not noticed at first, but the atmosphere was different from last time.

Back then, it had felt like a neat garden...

“It’s a little dreary and dark.”

“Poor and gloomy. It feels like rats might come out from above, and the walls could crumble at any moment.”

“I-It’s not that bad.”

I tried to comfort her, then realized at once that it was pointless.

She was not some friend who had grown up poor. She was a being comparable to a god.

This dark, gloomy atmosphere was not a trace of poverty!

My Sponsor was trying to tell me something.

As though my realization was correct, the faceless beauty smiled.

How did I know she was smiling-

That was not the point!

“What is it? Um, should I examine this mansion? The dark, murky, gloomy atmosphere...”

“That will do. I hope we can meet again.”

“Pardon?”

“Remember this scenery. And from now on, act more actively. It is a power for that purpose.”

“Pardon? Pardon?”

My consciousness grew hazy.

* * *

[Elena (Justice) -> Obtained ‘Justified Self-Defense’.]

* * *

- Han Ga-in

As always, the Owl put on a weighty air above the clouds.

Wow, anyone watching would think he was the one true god of birds-

“Your state of mind grows more arrogant by the day.”

“... It’s because you keep reading my mind.”

“I do not read it. I see it.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“The difference in rank reveals itself in small distinctions.”

“...”

“Putting that aside, they’re doing something amusing over there.”

“Pardon?”

“Should I try it too?”

“Pardon?”

What was that supposed to mean? Over there? Elena’s side?

Flap!

The mansion-sized Owl flapped his wings, and the scenery around us shook wildly-

“...”

“...”

That was all it did.

Nothing actually changed.

For some reason, I could read the Owl’s mood now.

He seemed a little awkward and slightly embarrassed.

“... The great bird god was about to perform a miracle, but the wicked Hotel’s trickery-”

“Be quiet.”

“What was that?”

I asked out of courtesy, but I could roughly guess.

It seemed Elena’s Sponsor had crossed the line slightly and told Elena something using the surrounding scenery as a hint.

The Owl knew that and had tried to do the same, but the Hotel had not allowed it.

Why? Because my Sponsor had already pulled several ‘tricks.’

“I appreciate the thought.”

“When I first took you in, you were like a sparrow fallen into the mud.”

“When did you take me in? This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“A foolish sparrow that thought itself clever, yet could do nothing alone and only floundered.”

“What were you trying to do by shaking the scenery just now? Wow, I thought you were a great being, but you can’t even control your own house-”

“If I hadn’t told you everything one by one, you could not even crawl along the ground, much less fly through the sky. How pitiful you were.”

“At the beginning, I really thought I had no blessing. There was no one to tell me how to use the Status Window or Sage’s Advice.”

“That sparrow has grown so much. This must be Wisdom’s protection.”

“...”

I took it as a light joke, but the Owl’s attitude was very different from usual.

Unlike before, when he only said what was necessary and sent me away, he seemed a little sentimental.

How did he feel right now?

Like he had bought a low-priced stock with little potential, only for it to soar and reach its peak-

“Cease such vulgar thoughts.”

“... Yes.”

“Keep two things in mind. First, your question about the Inheritance.”

Which Inheritance should we choose?

“You said the issue isn’t what we choose, but who uses it.”

“The furnace and the polyhedron. Who do you think should use them?”

“I need to discuss it with my companions-”

“Your companions have already decided.”

My companions had apparently already decided who should receive the Inheritance.

Why had I not known?

There was no reason to hide it from me.

“...”

They must have discussed it among themselves during the Time of Choice.

It was a simple mistake that often happened when several people talked.

They had discussed something among themselves, then assumed everyone knew because the conversation had already concluded for them.

I had not been there.

“Who should-”

“Can’t you guess?”

Me.

I had played a major role in Room 206, but died at the end and failed to receive an Inheritance.

Beyond that, quite a few of my companions trusted me the most.

Teacher, Mi-ro, or Elena must have said it should go to me.

“Just as you did not know the conversations exchanged among them, they do not know the decision you made.”

The decision I had made while emptying myself after seeing the end of the Sacred Sun.

“... Too much is as bad as too little.”

The resolve not to be swayed by Inheritances any longer.

An Inheritance’s purpose must not become my purpose. An Inheritance should support my purpose.

I had to let go of my obsession with power.

“This is enough. The rest is for you to figure out. Let us move to the next matter.”

“The next matter, you mean the fourth enhancement?”

I vaguely remembered something the Owl had said before.

What had it been?

“One who reaches the end of Wisdom will gain Insight into all things... Isn’t that right?”

The power to gain Insight into all things!

It sounded incredibly powerful just hearing about it.

When I looked at the Owl with a face full of anticipation-

Contrary to my expectations, I sensed a somewhat concerned look in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Flap!

Instead of answering, he flew into the sky and drove a sentence into my mind.

「Steel your heart. Distinguish between what must be given up and what cannot be given up.」

What was that supposed to mean?

* * *

[Han Ga-in (Wisdom) -> Obtained ‘Insight’.]

* * *

[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 933

Current Location: Level 1, Room 105 - ‘Rest Room’

Sage’s Advice: 3]

...

I woke in a soft bed.

“What was that?”

My Sponsor had always liked saying incomprehensible things, and this time was no different.

What he had said earlier about choosing an Inheritance had been quite specific, so I understood it easily...

Distinguish between what must be given up and what cannot be given up?

“...”

I had clearly obtained a power called Insight, but there was no particular change in my Status Window.

For now, I should head outside.

Clack!

The moment I threw open the door, I ran into Grandpa, who had been jogging in the corridor since morning.

“Oh! You’re awake? Are you okay? Your ability-”

“Ah.”

I saw.

I was seeing.

I would see.

Incomprehensible information poured in from an incomprehensible realm where the past, present, and future were mixed together at random!

A decaying city covered in neon signs, and a Spire rising as if it would pierce the sky.

An old man nailed to the top of that Spire.

An unknowable figure smiling beneath him.

There was no longer any life in Kim Mook-seong.

“Ghk!”

“What is it? What’s wrong with you all of a sudden? Why again-”

As I felt a violent headache and turned around-

“Ga-in? I heard a strange noise all of a sudden-”

This time, I saw a girl gripping a black spear.

An ambition that had never been achievable from the start.

A plan that had failed horribly.

Doom waiting for Mi-ro within a clock that waited for its time.

A pitiful girl devoured by someone greater than herself.

Through the headache that felt as if my brain were melting, I realized just how absurd the power called Insight was!

Footnotes:

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