Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 586

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 585: Eve of the Storm - Rapture (4) Fin

──────

- Park Seung-yeop

--- Click! Click-click!

“Seriously! I told you not to get caught!”

“...”

--- Click-click!

“Wow! You suck that badly and you're still talking trash? You're dead today!”

EE You idiot mid laner!

Q If you had any brains -

W Don't leave the side of the tower

R -

- Grab!

Eun-sol, who'd been drinking coffee nearby, came over and suddenly grabbed my hand.

“Huh? Eun-sol?”

“... Stop it.”

“What?”

“Be considerate of Sophia. She comes to the Hotel sometimes.”

“Huh?”

What did me playing League have to do with being considerate of Sophia?

“Can't you turn it off?”

“I-I'm in a game right now -”

“Hasn't a surrender vote already been called? If Seung-yeop votes yes, that makes four.”

“W-We can still win! Why would we surrender?”

“In my opinion, that team already has too much infighting to win.”

“No -”

“They can't win because of Seung-yeop's chat messages.”

“...”

The Doctor had been quietly picking up more gaming knowledge lately because of Jinsol. It was annoying.

Soon, Eun-sol silently moved the mouse and clicked the surrender button.

Agh! This was so frustrating!

Today, too, I'd taken one more step away from my dream of reaching Master.

Song-i, who'd been watching with a grin, spoke up.

“Seung-yeop, aren't you an idiot?”

“What?”

“You learned martial arts, so how are you still bad at games?”

“Wow! I'm not bad! My rank puts me in the top 1.3 percent -”

“You learned martial arts, and being in the top 1 percent among ordinary people makes you good?”

I had nothing to say.

Then the annoying Doctor beside me chimed in.

“I've said it several times, but Seung-yeop's physical abilities aren't the problem anymore. His reflexes are beyond human.”

“Then what's the problem?”

“His terrible judgment, born of bizarre stubbornness and a lack of theory, and the way he fights people through a keyboard -”

Wow! What was wrong with that guy?

Should I show him the righteous fist of the Greatest Martial Artist Under Heaven?

“Seung-yeop, you used a Dream anyway, didn't you?”

“I did.”

“You should've wished for it. Something like, ‘Please make me the best gamer in the world!’”

Ha!

Now it was time for my counterattack.

“Like you becoming Empire High's idol, Song-i?”

“... Y-Yeah!”

“What's the point of that?”

“What?”

“It only means something if I work hard and rise through my own skill. Using a Dream to get there is cheating.”

“Uh -”

“It just turns a Chinese cheat into a Hotel-made cheat.”

“...”

“Actually, I want to ask you. Whether it's dancing or singing, shouldn't there at least be some foundation? Using a Dream and suddenly becoming Empire High's idol?”

“Urgh!”

“Wow, even elementary school kids would throw up at a childish story like that -”

“Phew...”

Eun-sol let out a heavy sigh and covered my mouth.

“I think both of you should stop hurting each other. Mr. Sang-hyeon, please don't encourage them either.”

“I wasn't encouraging them. I simply learned recently that Seung-yeop actively lured Jinsol into gaming addiction.”

“...”

That was true.

Playing games with Jinsol was pretty fun.

Lately, we'd been resting like this.

I remembered getting annoyed when the internet cut out while playing League at the PC café in the basement of Hotel Delight.

I remembered talking to Jinsol in Texas about the FPS games that were popular these days and getting glared at by the Doctor.

I even remembered filling the underground pool with warm water and swimming in the middle of winter.

Everyone followed just one rule.

Whenever possible, travel in groups and prepare for any unexpected threat!

“I think Ga-in will wake up soon!”

Elena had joined us two days later than the others, but thankfully, nothing had happened in the meantime.

“Hmm... I feel bad saying this about Ga-in, but that isn't entirely good news.”

Everyone privately agreed with the Doctor.

Before falling into a coma, Ga-in had said that his Punishment would likely end when something terrible happened.

* * *

Around evening, I warmed up at the outdoor exercise area with Jin-cheol and Grandpa Mook-seong.

“Wow, Eun-sol's hotel is amazing. It even has an exercise field!”

Jin-cheol looked at me as if asking what I was talking about.

“An exercise field?”

“Isn't this an exercise field?”

“It's a parking lot, not an exercise field. Even a five-star hotel can't build an outdoor field in the middle of Seoul. The paint is covered in snow, so you got confused.”

“A parking lot?”

I didn't know much about parking lots, but there wasn't a single car around. Then I realized why.

We were the only guests in this hotel these days, so of course there wouldn't be any cars.

“Ah! I got confused because I couldn't see the paint!”

“Right.”

“...”

The moment I saw a hazy figure approaching the parking lot, my mind went blank for a second.

Dark brown hair swaying below the shoulders, a slender yet full figure -

Grandpa tilted his head when he saw my reaction.

“What? What's wrong with you? That's Song-i.”

“Ah.”

Damn it! It really was Song-i!

The moment I realized it, disappointment snapped me back to my senses.

Looking again, her hair was closer to black than dark brown, and her figure was different too.

The person I wanted to see, I had to admit, wasn't that full-figured.

“Hmm, did you mistake her for Yumi?”

“...”

“Oh! From far away, their hair is a similar length, so I can see why you'd get confused!”

“... No.”

“What do you mean, no!”

More than the fact that he'd seen through me, Grandpa's eyes, delighted at finding something to tease me about, bothered me.

When I saw Jin-cheol looking quietly moved for some reason, I wanted to crawl into a hole.

“They want everyone to come inside! Why aren't you answering your phones?”

“Hey! Since you came this far, use the Chat Window instead of shouting yourself hoarse!”

“Oh my! I hardly use it, so I forgot! Grandpa's ability has so little presence!”

“Wow... Song-i! I’ll teach you a lesson!”

The moment Grandpa widened his eyes in disbelief.

“Eek!”

“How's that!”

“Eek! Eek! G-Grandpa! What the hell is this?”

Did he send some weird video in a private message?

I'd seen guys like that online all the time, and now Grandpa was doing something similar.

“You brat! Does my ability still seem like it has no presence?”

“Take this!”

This time, the bracelet flashed, and Grandpa started breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Behold! This is the power of Diverse Perspectives!”

“... P-Please take it back.”

“Grandpa, erase this too!”

A blessing from a great Sponsor and an alien Magical Artifact from a civilization at the level of science fiction were being used in a fight at the level of elementary school students...

“Ha... These people are seriously so childish.”

Jin-cheol pressed his lips together.

“I feel like I'm going to lose my mind if I stay with them. You think so too, right?”

Jin-cheol looked steadily at me without a word.

“... Let's go back to the hotel. I think they're telling us to eat.”

* * *

While enjoying the buffet at Hotel Delight, Eun-sol, Grandpa, and Elena sat down in front of me with their plates.

Eun-sol's first words were these.

“I heard from Grandpa.”

The moment I heard that, I glared at him.

It was obvious what he'd told them!

“Do you want to see Yumi?”

“Grandpa...”

“Oh dear, why are your eyes so sharp? Is this the legendary exalted realm where intent itself kills?”

Elena even looked slightly touched as she spoke.

“I heard you two became a proper couple in Room 207! You don't need to be embarrassed.”

That only made me more embarrassed.

“You have a Ticket, too.”

The Ticket was the reward we'd received alongside escape and a Dream as Room 207's final reward.

Eun-sol pointed out the problem.

“The issue is that we'd have to return to the Hotel to use the Ticket.”

To obtain a revival or an additional Inheritance through the Ticket, we had to return to Hotel Pioneer.

“Eun-sol, we'd at least need to know where the Hotel is first, right?”

“That's true.”

“They said the first floor is somewhere in the sky above Korea, and the second floor is inside the Snow Globe, right?”

“Who had the Snow Globe again? Min-seung? I heard it was at that kid's house.”

“Wasn't it Min-young, not Min-seung?”

Grandpa cut in.

“I heard this before A-ri went missing. A-ri ordered the Management Bureau to find the Hotel's first floor. It would be easier if we knew the location in advance.”

“Oh?”

“They failed.”

“What?”

“Think about it. If ordinary people could find it, wouldn't planes flying over Korea every day have already discovered the Hotel?”

“Ah... Ordinary people can't find it? So we can't do it by having ordinary people search?”

“It might be different if we look for it ourselves.”

I cautiously gave my opinion too.

“Isn't it certain that there's a way back? Since there's a third floor.”

“That's right. But let me ask you one thing. Are you thinking of returning to the Hotel?”

“...”

The area fell quiet in an instant.

There were only four of us at the table, but even if all ten had been there, the reaction would probably have been similar.

From the moment we became Regressors, it was almost as if we'd gained immortal lives and all the wealth and glory we could want.

To throw all that away and challenge that bone-chilling Hotel again, we needed a compelling reason to climb to the third floor.

How many among us had such a reason?

A vague thought came to me.

If we overcame the crisis in reality and eventually challenged the third floor...

Maybe we wouldn't all be able to climb together as we had before.

Still, I hoped we could all stay together forever.

* * *

As each day passed, everyone spoke less and began preparing themselves.

We didn't know the exact day or time the Hotel had foretold, but we had a rough idea.

Yesterday marked six months, and Ga-in was almost awake. It was really close now.

“The Stolen World...”

That was the name of the scenario Ga-in had told everyone about!

We still didn't know the details.

“It sounds creepy just from the words.”

“I'm curious about the title's meaning. Miss Eun-sol, theft means someone who isn't the owner takes the owner's property.”

“That's right.”

“Who owns the world, and who is taking it away?”

Wasn't that the heart of the scenario?

At that moment.

--- Laaaaa!

A beautiful song, the kind that could only be heard in heaven, rang out!

--- Bang!

The gathered companions immediately stood and looked around.

“Outside! It's coming from outside!”

“Let's go out -”

“Stop! Stop!”

Eun-sol hurriedly stopped several of the more hasty companions and summoned the Flute of Rest.

That was right!

Who knew what was outside? Why would we rush out without thinking?

“Stay close to me!”

Listening to the gentle sound of the flute, everyone moved outside together.

“...”

A heavenly song that continued without pause.

It was truly...

So very beautiful.

Elena muttered.

“I've never heard a song this beautiful before.”

“... Eun-sol is playing the flute, so it shouldn't be supernatural.”

“It just sounds purely beautiful.”

“The seventh floor! You can see outside from the restaurant there!”

When we reached the seventh floor and looked down over Yeouido, everyone was speechless.

“What... is this?”

People who'd heard the heavenly song were all coming out into the streets with tears streaming down their faces.

Earnest prayers.

Voices gathered as one.

Cries toward the sky.

They looked exactly like gentle sheep welcoming their savior!

Then Jin-cheol approached the window.

Could he hear the people below from here? We were on the seventh floor.

Soon, Jin-cheol wore an inscrutable expression.

“The time has come. Salvation has arrived.”

Was that a voice coming from outside?

“If two are lying in one bed, one will be taken and the other left behind.”

What was that -

“Jin-cheol, isn't that from the Bible?”

“Hear the heavenly cry. Hear the voice of an angel and the trumpet of God. The time of revelation has come. You shall be lifted into the clouds and meet the Lord in the air.”

At that moment, the Doctor shouted like a madman.

“There! The person next to the palm tree!”

They're rising.

An unspecified number of people are slowly floating into the sky!

Lee Eun-sol: Rapture, it's Rapture! It's one of Protestant Christianity's apocalyptic beliefs -

Eun-sol's message stopped.

At the same time, the sound of her flute, which had been playing without pause, stopped as well.

“Uh!”

“Eun-sol!”

Eun-sol's body was floating into the sky!

“What the-!”

The moment Jin-cheol moved toward her, he began floating as well!