WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 597: The Stolen World (12)
──────
「User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 226
Current Location: Searching....
Sage’s Advice: 3」
- Han Ga-in
--- Rumble!
A tremor shook the floor!
Proof that the battle at the heart of the Ark was still ongoing.
A-ri, who had looked exhausted, rose to her feet as well.
“Let's go. Eun-sol is-”
The sleeping gas must have been potent, because Eun-sol still hadn't regained consciousness.
Moments like this reminded me that, physically, she wasn't much different from an ordinary person.
“We should leave her behind. She still isn't awake, so taking her with us would be more dangerous.”
“... All right. What are you going to do now?”
What am I going to do now?
That question brought back the stifling feeling that had lingered in the back of my mind ever since returning to reality.
I could sense unknown malice drawing closer, yet I had no idea what to do about it. Those helpless moments of flailing flashed through my mind.
A-ri had been confined when she tried to tell us something.
Elder Wisdom's faction made a habit of playing games with information only they knew.
I couldn't even tell whether the Management Bureau was good or evil.
...
I had to break this suffocating cycle!
“Ga-in?”
“Is there a way to contact the outside from inside the Ark?”
“The Silent can.”
A-ri tilted her head and showed me a smartphone smeared with purple flesh.
“I took it from Basilio's body.”
“...”
“You want to contact your companions outside? This won't work for much longer either. As the Ark becomes more complete-”
“Tell Grandpa to get ‘ready’ now.”
As I spoke to A-ri, I made a gesture like flicking a coin.
Elder Wisdom had shown an uncanny ability to appear anywhere, so it seemed best to avoid saying One More Chance outright.
“... It should still be fine. The Ark isn't complete yet.”
A-ri nodded at my hand and made the call.
--- Ring!
“Mook-seong.”
“Uh! A-ri! You finally escaped-”
“Ting!”
A click of the tongue.
Was that some sort of password A-ri and Grandpa had arranged?
Grandpa answered without another word.
“Done.”
At that moment, One More Chance's return point was set.
* * *
By the time we reached the heart of the Ark, the battle between two members of The Silent and my companions had already died down.
Just as we had sensed the fight here, they must have sensed that A-ri and I were fighting Basilio.
Perhaps both sides had been waiting for a victor to emerge.
“Hyung!”
“Ga-in!”
Jin-cheol and Seung-yeop broke into bright smiles the moment they saw us.
Even Ghost Story Mi-ro, who had been radiating a chilling aura, let her brows curve slightly.
“Seung-yeop, is your Awakening still active?”
“It's still active.”
“You had more room to spare than I thought?”
“Well, that Mi-ro over there is incredibly strong...”
Where there were people smiling, there were people crying. Such was the way of the world.
The hooded man's expression hardened, while the writhing lump of flesh pressed itself against the wall.
A-ri calmly pointed at the two of them.
“That person is Oswald. His blessing is Dominion. That monster is Osdork. He's not a Participant.”
The hooded man's face twisted at once.
“A-ri!”
“Hi! This is the first time we've met since the first meeting, right?”
“How could you...! You rose to the ranks of The Silent, yet committed treason. Aren't you ashamed?”
“Treason?”
A-ri tilted her head as if she found the accusation absurd. At the sight, Dominion's eyes blazed.
“You shameless-!”
“Wait!”
--- Clap!
I stepped into the center and drew everyone's attention.
“Let's sort out the situation first.”
“What?”
“Strictly speaking, we haven't decided to destroy the Ark.”
As I suspected, Jin-cheol and Seung-yeop probably didn't even know what the Ark was yet.
They had only been swept up because a fight broke out.
Ghost Story Mi-ro had started the battle. The instant she saw Osdork, a Chaos Entity at the pinnacle of the Management Bureau, she must have charged in without question.
After all, Mi-ro had entered the Hotel with the insane intention of killing the entire monster-infested leadership of the Management Bureau.
Perhaps sensing something in my words, Dominion's eyes gleamed.
“It seems you possess the authority to make decisions?”
That wasn't wrong.
“Then your thoughts differ from those of that silver-haired young lady?”
“We have been deceived.”
“What did you say?”
“We fell for Elder Wisdom's sly, treacherous whispers. They kept telling us the Ark was a trap and that it had plunged the world into Corruption.”
“...”
“Only after meeting A-ri did I learn the truth. The Ark is the world's one and only salvation...”
Naturally, A-ri had never said anything like that, but she accepted my lie without hesitation.
As if she had truly tried to persuade me not to destroy the Ark!
“Oswald. Don't you think you should apologize for calling us traitors now?”
Jin-cheol and Seung-yeop both wore expressions full of question marks, but since I was the one speaking, they quietly stepped back as though they would go along with it.
Having noticed the shift in the atmosphere, Dominion replied.
“I apologize. I was foolish. Osdork!”
“Ugh... I didn't think the fight would end like this.”
The writhing lump of flesh muttered in a hissing voice as he slowly returned to the form of a potbellied man.
Only one person remained.
“Mi-ro.”
“...”
Chilling eyes gleaming like a Yokai's turned toward me.
They clearly asked what kind of bullshit I thought I was pulling.
Then A-ri took a step forward.
“Mother.”
“... A-ri.”
“Trust me.”
“...”
I thought back to Ghost Story Mi-ro's behavior during the trip through memories.
Mi-ro now trusted A-ri's judgment more than her own.
A-ri was the being Mi-ro had created, one who resembled her and had gone farther than she ever had.
Just as A-ri loved Mi-ro, Mi-ro trusted A-ri.
Their subtle gazes met.
My companions, Dominion, and even Osdork fell silent as they watched.
“Ha!”
Mi-ro let out a hearty laugh.
“All right, A-ri. We'll do it your way.”
With those words, the blackish-blue mist that had clouded the pure white space faded away.
--- Clap!
As if he had been waiting, Dominion clapped his hands.
“Young Wisdom! A wise decision! To see through Elder Wisdom's scheme? As expected, you do not disgrace the name Wisdom!”
“...”
“I shall overlook the conflict from earlier. When information is lacking, one can make the wrong judgment! You are true heroes, so in the next world, you shall become humanity's guardians and-”
“...”
Unlike Dominion, who was celebrating by himself, my companions, including A-ri, looked at me as if asking what I intended to do now.
I waited.
For Elder Wisdom's voice, which would never accept this situation!
That bastard could talk to me no matter where I was, after all.
‘You... Have you truly failed to understand what I said?’
“Ah, you're finally chiming in?”
Dominion, who had noticed my conversation with Elder Wisdom, tried to interrupt immediately.
“Young man! Do not listen to the devil's voice-”
“Quiet. Elder, do you have something to say?”
‘The Ark itself is the cause of Corruption. I told you that!’
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
‘Even your companion admitted it! That the Ark is the source of Corruption!’
A-ri had acknowledged that part as well.
The Management Bureau also knew something was wrong with the Ark. They just hadn't found a better answer.
So I answered casually.
“Ah, whatever.”
‘What-’
“If you have a problem with it, use your power properly for once.”
‘...’
There was something I had wondered while working with Elder Wisdom's faction.
Hadn't these bastards planned to attack the Ark and fight the Management Bureau without us?
Yet look at their forces.
Setting aside their insignificant private soldiers, Ryan and Patrick were the only truly powerful people taking the front line.
How were they supposed to attack the Ark with just those two?
There were at least three members of The Silent inside the Ark.
The answer was simple.
Elder Wisdom had another hidden trump card!
They had only been conserving their own strength and trying to use us in their place.
“Dominion! Your name was Oswald, right?”
“That’s right.”
“When will the Ark be completed?”
“It will take quite some time. We must hold out for over four months...”
I spoke as if for someone who was watching even now to hear.
“For the remaining time, we will guard it thoroughly.”
And then-
--- Rumble...!
“Argh!”
“Ghk!”
“This is...!”
An unfathomable magical power swept through the area with explosive force.
At last, Elder Wisdom's patience had reached its limit. They had wanted to conserve their power if possible!
The space inside the Ark warped, and our vision in every direction began to blur.
「I urged you toward the righteous path... How can you be so foolish?」
“Is this your trump card? You can raise hell in reality once? Or can you do it a few more times?”
「You are playing clever little games. Even so, nothing will change.」
A vague shadow.
Something on the boundary between a person and a spirit.
An overwhelming presence incomparable to any mere participant I had encountered!
The form of Elder Wisdom, who had crouched in hiding for ages, began to emerge.
“Is that... really a person?”
“Ugh! G-Ga-in! Y-You have a plan, right?!”
Seung-yeop stared in shock, while Jin-cheol stood there with his mouth hanging open.
Dominion and Osdork hurriedly tried to stop Elder Wisdom's manifestation, but it didn't seem like they could.
Right. This was it.
So Elder Wisdom had power like this?
This was enough to explain why they talked about taking control of the Ark!
--- Grab!
A-ri grabbed me with an urgent expression.
“Seeing that was enough, wasn't it?”
“Huh?”
“Wasn't your goal to see Elder Wisdom's hidden card?”
A-ri knew One More Chance's return point had been set a moment ago.
She had guessed that I was acting recklessly because I planned to turn back time.
She was telling me that we should turn back time now that we had seen enough.
“It's dangerous! Isn't that monster halfway to being a Prisoner?”
“It's strange.”
“What?”
“How are they that strong?”
“What are you-”
--- Rumble!
Feeling Elder Wisdom's pressure rise in real time, I thought.
They really were strong.
They had far surpassed the limits of a participant. I could only have contended with them back when I still had Descent!
Could someone really become this powerful just by spending eons in reality?
“Even if they had obtained three or four Inheritances, that strength makes no sense. They’ve gone beyond what can be gained at the Hotel. There must be some special secret behind that power-”
“Shut up! Contact Mook-seong right now and-”
“Call Sang-hyeon instead of Grandpa. Quickly!”
A-ri looked confused, but she did as I asked.
While she did, I asked one last question.
「Advice: 3 -> 0」
‘Doesn't what I'm about to do sound completely insane?’
「Then you should do it.」
“Pfft!”
If it was telling me to do it, that at least meant things wouldn't go wrong the instant I tried!
“W-Why are you laughing?!”
--- Ring!
“Hyung!”
“Ga-in?”
“You trust me, right?”
A question without context.
An answer came back without the slightest doubt.
“Of course I do.”
What Dominion had told A-ri underground in Australia in the past.
「This structure was built a very long time ago. It was made when the Management Bureau was far greater than it is now. It can never be recreated.」
Not long ago, when Sang-hyeon said he wanted to fire Final Flash underground, Ryan and the others had reacted fiercely.
Putting that information together led to one conclusion.
The structure beneath Australia was likely part of the Moon's seal, designed by the ancient Management Bureau when it had been far more powerful than it was today.
Another thought came to mind at the same time.
As I had confirmed in Room 206, even One More Chance's spacetime regression couldn't revive someone who had lost their soul.
According to A-ri, the Moon devoured souls.
Therefore, those consumed by the Moon would not be revived even if time were turned back.
Finally, the meaning of the Ark slaughtering the survivors with the Light That Calls the End.
Even the Moon couldn't absorb the souls of those already dead.
So...
“Fire toward the Moon from the corridor we were in. Then kill yourself immediately.”
“...”
“You trust me, right?”
The shocking words even startled my companions nearby.
A brief reply came through the phone.
“... Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”
A thunderous blast, as if the phone were about to explode.
Soon, Sang-hyeon's location changed to ---.
--- Rumble!
By now, the flash must have pierced through the underground of Australia and reached the Moon.
...
A distant presence surged up from deep underground.
The illusion of a gloomy sphere glowing crimson.
At that moment, everyone present realized what was happening.
The Moon was awakening immediately!
--- Whoooom!
Dominion and Osdork muttered with hollow expressions.
“You madman...!”
Even Elder Wisdom, who had finally appeared in the Ark, spoke as if they couldn't believe it.
“You...!”
The situation had unfolded like a storm in an instant!
A-ri also muttered as if stunned.
“You...”
“A-ri, let's see this through to the end this time.”
Several clues had repeatedly conveyed the same fact.
The road to the answer was hidden beyond the End Times.
So I decided to wreck the world once.
If the answer only appeared after everything was ruined, what other choice did I have?
--- Rumble!
“Hahaha! Let's all see the end together!”
“You motherless, fatherless bastard!”
Who was acting so uncouth?
All these important people were gathered here. Even if the End Times were approaching, they should have some manners!
“Let’s get this straight! Who here even has parents?!”
--- Whoooom...!
At last, the Moon awakened!
Footnotes:
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