WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 52: A Day at the Campsite, Meeting a Strange Merchant (2)
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[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 20
Current Location: Basement Level, Campsite
Sage’s Advice: 3]
A trade for a weapon in exchange for two limbs. Was she really planning to make such a crazy deal?
I spoke up at once.
“You. I don't know what you're thinking, but don't forget we still have over ten hours before we can leave. If you tear off an arm and a leg and stay here that long, you'll die before you can even get to Room 105 and call a doctor.”
“...”
“A-ri. I've never stopped you from doing what you wanted since we came here, but even I'm worried this time. Do you really need to suffer that much just to get a weapon?”
It was strange. Elder Mook-seong's tone differed from mine. It sounded as though he thought it would end with suffering rather than death.
“We've never had a proper weapon since we got here. Song-i did obtain a powerful Inheritance, but it's not suited for straightforward brute-force fighting. It's about time we got a weapon.”
No one could speak. Everyone simply stared at A-ri with wide eyes.
“I'm a little scared of the pain, though. Song-i, you'll help me, right?”
“Y-Yeah. But sensory blocking on someone else's body isn't perfect. It'll hurt again in about ten minutes.”
It had been a while since I'd heard Song-i's hesitant, introverted way of speaking. After we came out of the ranch, she had changed so much that she seemed like a different person, becoming cynical and sharp. Now, she was once again like the timid high school girl from our first day.
“That'll be enough.”
Without hesitation, A-ri “tore off” her left arm and left leg with some unknown power. Not a single drop of blood fell. It was like removing the limbs from a doll.
As everyone fell silent at the chilling sight, cheerful laughter rang out.
“Ha ha ha ha! My luck isn't entirely bad today, is it? I'm delighted to have found a customer. In that case, here is your ‘Standard Weapon Box.’ Even I don't know what's inside the box! By the way, I recommend opening it after you get to Room 105. Sometimes there are ‘violent weapons’ inside.”
Song-i immediately ran over and used the power of her bracelet. With Elder Mook-seong supporting her, A-ri picked up the box and sat back down. Before long, she was drenched in sweat and passed out.
Time passed as everyone stood around at a loss. Even then, the mad Merchant's sales pitch did not stop.
“Next item! Since everyone is only looking for ‘cheap goods,’ this will be the final item. What a shame! The second product is ‘Hotel Secrets.’ What secrets could they be? Even I don't know. Still, I guarantee these secrets will greatly aid your survival and escape! The price is incredibly cheap. Five fingers will be enough!”
Five fingers was cheap.
I was speechless, but compared to the price of the expensive goods, which was a life or two limbs, five fingers really were cheap.
Jin-cheol's trembling voice could be heard.
“N-No. Forget it. Just go away. Get lost!”
“Hmmm... Does everyone else feel the same way?”
“Do all five fingers have to be cut off from one person?”
“Eun-sol! What's gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“Be quiet for a second. Do all five fingers have to come from one person?”
“Ha ha! Unfortunately, yes. Of course, from the customers' perspective, having five people cut off one finger each would reduce the risk. But look at it from another perspective. Wouldn't that mean I'd have to tell all five of you the secret? Secrets lose value when they're shared.”
“Is there even a point? We'd all share information about the hotel anyway.”
“You may decide that after hearing it, Customer. Unfortunately, my offer is firm. One person must cut off all five fingers.”
...
“I'll do it.”
“Eun-sol!”
“Miss, please sit down. An ugly task like this should be left to an old man.”
“Why are you doing this too, Elder?”
“Just hear me out. Cutting off fingers. Pain is the only issue. Once we get to Room 105, they'll reattach fingers easily enough. Hotel Secrets. Don't you think we know too little about the hotel? If we're afraid of sacrifice, we can't gain anything. A life is a price we cannot pay, but fingers... They'll be put back on anyway, so what's the problem?”
“Exactly! Even if I take the customer's fingers, aren't fingers just lumps of flesh that get reattached after one night's sleep? This is why I don't even make a profit after the cost of doing business.”
“Please shut up.”
“I agree with Eun-sol. The secret would be worth enduring the pain for. Still, does she really need to cut them off herself? Like I said, an ugly task like this should be left to me.”
“You don't need to act out of a pointless sense of Justice. Cutting off my fingers isn't some great sacrifice. Think rationally. Can you guarantee there won't be danger before today ends after we make this trade? Who knows what kind of monster might appear? A-ri was the only one who could survive after cutting off an arm and a leg, so no one else could do that in her place. But anyone can cut off fingers. The person with the least value should do it. Jin-cheol and Elder are our best fighters. Song-i has her bracelet, A-ri is already lying down, Elena can fight with the blessing of Justice, and Ga-in is our trump card. My fingers have the least value.”
“Th-Then, Eun-sol. I can't really do anything either, so I'll...”
“Sorry, but children should be quiet. Seung-yeop, sit over there.”
Silence filled the campsite.
I felt it again. Eun-sol really was no ordinary person. It wasn't about being born into a chaebol family or anything like that. Even if she had been born into an ordinary family, she would never have lived an ordinary life.
“You can at least handle the bleeding properly, right?”
“...I've been through countless battlefields in my life...”
“Hey! So how are you going to give her this secret? Are you going to whisper it in her ear or something?”
“Ha ha ha! There may be people here with exceptional hearing. Could a secret be kept that way?”
“I don't plan to hide it in the first place.”
“Like I said, whether you share it is something you'll decide after hearing the secret. Don't worry about security. I'll deliver it properly, so only you can know it.”
“Ga-in. You always have the Dagger with you, right? Bring it.”
What was I supposed to do? Should I really hand over the Dagger?
Before I could decide what to do, Eun-sol strode over and took it herself.
“I'm not confident about cutting them off myself. Elder?”
“...”
“And Song-i, please help me too. Even ten minutes without pain should help.”
......
I didn't want to remember what happened afterward. It would be better for everyone if we forgot it.
* * *
After the trade, the unpleasant Merchant babbled about hoping for another good trade next time. When Jin-cheol flung the Merchant away, the Merchant vanished on the spot.
By the fire remained one girl missing an arm and a leg, and one young woman missing her fingers.
It was the kind of grim atmosphere that would be difficult to find even in the middle of a battlefield. No one even thought about touching the meat. We hovered around the two groaning women, changing wet towels as best we could, waiting and waiting.
Please, let the hotel's “major repairs” end so we can return to Room 105.
Thankfully, no further danger appeared before the terrible day ended and the door returned.
* * *
[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 21
Current Location: Level 1, Room 105 (Rest Room)
Sage’s Advice: 3]
As soon as breakfast time came, I hurried to the dining room. Did everyone have the same thought? In less than ten seconds, everyone had gathered there.
The moment we arrived, we looked each other over. What about Eun-sol? A-ri?
To my surprise, both of them were there!
“Eun-sol! Are you okay?”
“Ha ha. You were all so worried, weren't you? Look.”
Eun-sol held out both hands as though nothing had happened. All ten fingers were perfectly fine.
Naturally, everyone's gaze turned to A-ri. Her four limbs were attached, just as naturally.
“I don't need to wave mine around too, do I?”
The tension finally left us. My own fingers, arms, and legs hadn't even fallen off, yet I hadn't slept a wink last night. It seemed everyone else felt the same.
Elena grabbed Eun-sol's hands, her eyes turning red. Song-i silently ran her fingers over A-ri's arm, then suddenly hugged her.
“Ah! Song-i, my arm might hurt if you do this.”
“Don't joke around!”
The men weren't any different. We were only watching because hugging each other would feel awkward. Even I felt a knot inside me loosen, followed by a rush of joy I could hardly explain. Looking at everyone's expressions, they felt the same.
One small question remained.
How could someone tear off their limbs without spilling a single drop of blood?
Still, no one brought it up. No one was going to demand, “Do you still have abilities you're hiding?” from someone who had cut off her limbs to obtain a weapon for the party.
After everyone shook off the physical and mental exhaustion caused by yesterday's pain, we enjoyed a pleasant meal and began discussing the “products.”
* * *
“By the way, both of you came out after only one day? I remembered losing an entire day before, so I thought I wouldn't see you at all today. Especially A-ri.”
“For me, it was only fingers. If they're practically a god of medicine who can fix completely crushed internal organs in a day, wouldn't they be able to reattach fingers in ten minutes? Actually, I don't know. Unlike you, I didn't have any conversation with the doctor.”
“My limbs are different from those of ordinary people. They were probably easier to reattach. Of course, like Ga-in, I don't remember having any conversation with the doctor either, so I don't really know.”
The atmosphere had changed a little in just one day. A-ri casually said that her body was different from an ordinary person's, and we didn't question it any further. Even Song-i, who had been the sharpest about it, was the same.
This was enough.
We couldn't learn everything in this hotel anyway. We only needed to learn as much as we had to. The same went for our companions.
“So, what was the secret? Of course, if you don't want to reveal it...”
“Oh, please! Are you imitating that Merchant? I brought the letter exactly as it was because I was worried you people might get strange ideas.”
“A letter?”
“Ridiculously, when I woke up, a letter dropped down from above and woke me. The secret was written on it. Just read it.”
Eun-sol casually tossed over the letter. It was closer to a small note than a letter, and it had only two sentences written on it.
1. Escape Route 2 is to wear Wing Boots and jump down from the main gate.
2. Wing Boots can be obtained by completing the request of a Mysterious Craftsman hidden somewhere on Level 2.
“Escape Route. So the main gate we saw before really was an Escape Route.”
“Honestly, the first sentence is meaningless. Someone had already written that beside the door. The second sentence has some value, though. It means that if the ‘Mysterious Craftsman’ somewhere on Level 2 makes shoes called ‘Wing Boots,’ we can wear them and get out.”
“Wing Boots. I can get the idea just from the name. They must be shoes that let you fly?”
“Probably.”
“Hmm. Eun-sol, it's useful information, but it doesn't seem useful right now.”
“That's true. It doesn't mean much to us while we're struggling on Level 1. Still, let's remember it. We'll go to Level 2 someday. We'll look for the ‘Mysterious Craftsman’ then. All right! That's the end of my product introduction!”
Eun-sol slapped the table and put away the letter. This time, A-ri brought over the box.
Footnotes:
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