WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 661: Room 301, Curse Room - ‘The Origin of Species’ (8)
──────
「User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 4
Current Location: Level 3, Room 301, Curse Room - ‘On the Origin of Species’
Sage’s Advice: 3」
- Han Ga-in
The first thing I said after the first battle was this.
“We need to leave the Protected Zone quickly.”
A few companions looked confused, but others, like Agent Mook-seong and Sang-hyeon, nodded as if they understood.
“The reason is simple. First, the Great Race will send an extermination force soon. That means we'll have to fight again before long.”
Letting that lower-ranking individual escape was a major factor.
It had been driven back without putting up much resistance against me, so the Great Race's extermination force would consist of even stronger individuals.
“Second, fighting here puts us at a disadvantage.”
I thought I would need to explain further, but the moment I said that, A-ri nodded repeatedly and explained for me.
“There are too many people everywhere. The Great Race can use any one of them. But we can't exactly, um, clean up the area.”
Clean up...
“We should get out of here. Let's leave right away.”
After hearing that, Jin-cheol and Sang-hyeon brought up something useful.
“I heard while walking around the Protected Zone earlier that there's a truck in relatively good condition.”
“Thirty years have passed since civilization collapsed. Could the fuel still be usable?”
“From what I heard, they requested it from the Great Race and received it.”
“That's an interesting story.”
I understood what Sang-hyeon found so strange.
Human civilization had already collapsed.
Even if the Great Race of Yith slaughtered and ate every human, humanity had no ability to resist.
Then why had they gone out of their way to create a Protected Zone?
To keep a promise from before the End Times?
It was strange that they would keep that promise in this faithless universe.
“...”
For a moment, I felt that what I had just realized was important.
Unfortunately, there was no time to think about it further.
“Let's go.”
* * *
When we reached the truck, Jin-cheol naturally tried to sit in the driver's seat.
“I'll drive, so everyone else can ride in the back...”
“You can't drive.”
“Huh?”
“It would be hard for you to resist the Great Race, wouldn't it?”
What if Jin-cheol suddenly turned around and rammed the truck into a wall?
At least I could save people. If the truck broke down, that would be a real headache.
“R-right. Then who should drive... Ah, Agent Mook-seong probably can't either?”
“A-ri, you can drive a truck, right?”
“... I'm not confident about trucks.”
Hadn't she been an agent for decades, maybe even centuries?
There were still vehicles she couldn't drive?
Maybe she read the disbelief on my face, because A-ri looked dumbfounded.
“Ga-in, you still don't even have a driver's license. What's with that expression?”
“...”
I was about to be flustered by that sharp retort when Elena silently sat in the driver's seat.
“Everyone, get in the back.”
“...”
“Have you all forgotten? My father taught me how to drive. Also, with Clear Mirror, Still Water, I can resist the Great Race at least once.”
Everyone except Elena gathered in a circle around Mi-ro.
With so many companions lacking mental defenses, we had no choice but to rely on Mi-ro, or more precisely, Eun-sol’s Flute, since Mi-ro could summon her.
“Ga-in, where are we going now?”
I answered without hesitation.
“Anywhere that looks empty.”
“What?”
“We don't have a specific destination. The goal is to get away from the Protected Zone. The Great Race will send troops or something soon anyway.”
“Th-then what?”
“We'll take them down and capture one for interrogation.”
* * *
The moment we left the Protected Zone, everyone fell silent.
The Protected Zone had been shabby, but it still felt like a city where people lived. Outside, it had become a completely alien planet.
--- Whoooosh!
Sandstorms raged endlessly around us. Whenever the view cleared for a moment, landscapes beyond all common sense appeared.
“What the hell is that?”
Could you imagine buildings trapped inside water droplets, floating through the air?
Or rainbows writhing like living creatures?
The truck felt like the only reality cutting through this twisted world.
Elena, sitting in the driver's seat, could no longer hide her confusion, as if she had no idea where to go.
“Elena.”
“Y-yes! I've been waiting. Where should I go?”
“Just keep going straight.”
“What?”
“They're coming from that direction anyway.”
A dark shape flickered beyond the hazy view.
Soon, my companions began staring west with tense expressions.
“Mi-ro, summon Eun-sol right away if it looks dangerous.”
“Okay!”
“Don't summon her carelessly unless it's truly dangerous.”
“Huh?”
“If Eun-sol doesn't come out in time, we'll be in danger instantly. So don't be late.”
“O-okay!”
“But don't summon her too early either. That wastes too much time. She only has one hour.”
“...”
A-ri, who had been listening, sighed.
“Mi-ro, ignore Ga-in and summon her when I tell you to.”
“Okay!”
--- Swoooosh...
An ominous atmosphere spread, like inky blue mist rolling in.
The moment the dark shape came within a thirty-meter radius, I summoned the Grimoire.
The Unborn One's magic filled the area, revealing a mystical sight I normally couldn't see.
Five or six grayish-white tentacles stretched out from beyond the mist!
It seemed my companions couldn't see the tentacles themselves.
Would Eun-sol have been able to see something with the Eye of the Monocular Giant Bird?
As expected, the tentacles first headed for Elena in the driver's seat.
--- Tap!
I immediately moved to Elena's side and borrowed the Book's magic.
“Ah!”
“Stay still.”
Inky blue magic spreading from me collided with the Great Race's power.
Then I felt the will of the incomprehensible being beyond the mist.
‘I wonder what you are...’
I had neither the intention nor the leisure to tell it.
The moment I blocked the attack aimed at Elena, more than ten grayish-white tentacles flew at us from every direction!
“Damn! There was more than one? Mi-ro!”
“Mi-ro, summon her!”
In the end, Eun-sol had to appear and play the Flute.
A-ri asked anxiously.
“How is it? It looks like something's fighting right now!”
“All the tentacles were cut off.”
“Did we block them?”
“... Mi-ro, send Eun-sol back immediately.”
One thing became clear after that exchange.
It wasn't impossible for me to protect my companions with the Grimoire's power, but it wasn't easy either.
There was no issue with the Inheritance's performance or my proficiency. The problem was the fundamental difference between the tools.
The Grimoire was a sword, while the Flute of Rest was a shield.
Which was easier to use against arrows, a sword or a shield?
Even someone who picked up a shield for the first time today could block arrows more easily than a swordmaster with preternatural skill.
In other words, to protect my companions, we had to repeatedly summon Eun-sol with the Time Lender.
“... Summon.”
“Summon!”
Eun-sol appeared again.
This time, though, the attempt to seize our minds wasn't the end of it.
「Advice: 3 -> 2」
「Artillery shell incoming from ahead!」
“Block it!”
I shouted at A-ri and immediately unleashed the Sacred Sun's power ahead of us.
--- Boom! Rumble!
I blocked the first shell, but the shockwave was strong enough to shake the ground, and the truck jolted up and down.
“Aah!”
Mi-ro screamed, but Jin-cheol grabbed her and steadied himself.
A-ri blocked the second shell.
As expected of the Irregular Polyhedron, which divided space itself, her defense was far cleaner than mine.
Even so, everyone’s face went pale.
“... So they don't just seize bodies!”
“As time passes, they'll bring more powerful weapons. For now, they probably just grabbed whatever weapons were nearby in their hurry.”
Only after the second exchange did Agent Mook-seong shout in confusion.
“What is going on? I can't see the enemy!”
“They're avoiding getting close.”
“What?”
I relayed the situation to my companions as calmly as I could.
“There are three enemies. Each one is stronger than the one from earlier. None of them are approaching, and they're only attacking from a distance... Damn!”
--- Rumble!
Kim Mook-seong: What?
Han Ga-in: They judge that getting close would put them in danger too! Summon her!
The repeated explosions drowned out our voices, so the Chat Window quickly grew hectic.
Han Ga-in: Send her back!
Kim A-ri: They're stalling, right? They're wasting Eun-sol's time!
Kim Mook-seong: How can you make that judgment? They can't know about the Time Lender.
Han Ga-in: Summon her!
This much, I could infer.
They might not know the specific functions of each Inheritance we possessed, but the enemy had to have some idea.
Han Ga-in: Send her back!
“E-Eun-sol must be having a hard time too!”
Kim A-ri: Mi-ro, don't talk, use the Chat Window!
Han Ga-in: They don't know about the specific Inheritance called the Time Lender. They're waiting for all our defensive measures to be depleted.
Kim Sang-hyeon: Reasonable. They've already conquered the world and have abundant supplies, so time is on their side.
In that short time, Eun-sol entered and left several times.
Then Mi-ro, now terrified, sent a message.
Mi-ro: Eun-sol has less than 30 minutes left!
Kim Sang-hyeon: Enduring is not the answer. Ga-in and A-ri can fly and resist mental attacks on their own. They must pursue and eliminate them.
I knew that too!
Enduring wasn't the answer. A-ri and I had to go kill them!
But there were three enemies, and they were skilled at tactical movement.
On top of that, A-ri and I were also defending the truck.
If A-ri and I each pursued one enemy, what would the remaining one of the three do?
If I were them, I would attack the truck.
If the two responsible for defense both left, what would happen to the companions in the truck?
Kim Sang-hyeon: If you try to protect everyone, everyone dies.
“...”
「Advice: 2 -> 1」
‘Is attacking really the right choice?’
「You call them companions, so why are you trying to do everything yourself?」
In the past, I would have trusted my companions and left without hesitation.
Somehow, I had become the one who couldn't trust them.
My head cleared in an instant, and I kicked off from the truck.
A-ri was already flying ahead.
Right. My companions were battle-hardened veterans who had overcome the Hotel's hell.
It was time to trust them again and leave.
* * *
Vague forms emerged through the sand and dust.
The enemy resembled enormous floating jellyfish.
Of course, the Great Race's true nature was a mental entity unbound by physical bodies.
Those jellyfish-like bodies had to be some kind of powerful weapon.
When I closed in like lightning, two individuals attacked me at once.
At that moment, my mind contracted to a single point, forming an absolutely solid Absolute Self.
“... Serena, though you're dead, you're still alive inside me.”
Serena probably felt the same way.
Wasn't making use of the Enlightenment left by the dead the best I could do?
The only pity was that, by its nature, it could protect only my own mind.
--- Crackle!
Several tentacles snapped apart at once, and I felt the Great Race recoil.
‘Is this why they said you were like the Duke!’
‘But it is not the Duke. Saying it was like the Duke was ◨◭▶▩'s mistake.’
Within the mental waves, only the part corresponding to a name felt completely alien.
As though their names could not be expressed in human language.
Soon, one individual veered toward the truck while another rushed at me.
Just as expected, one was trying to stop me while the other moved to attack my companions in the truck!
I clenched my teeth and did not look back.
“... They won't hold out for long.”
I had realized something through a couple of exchanges of power.
These three individuals were clearly stronger than the one we had encountered in the Protected Zone, but they still weren't my match!
Grayish-white tentacles spiraled toward me as explosions erupted from the ground at the same time.
They had a bizarre ability to use magical attacks and firearms together.
If this had been back on the first floor, wouldn't I have failed to properly block either one and died helplessly?
I fended off the magical barrage with the Absolute Self's power, then changed my flight path to avoid the explosions from the ground.
At that moment, the floating Great Race trembled all over despite having no facial features, revealing its sense of danger.
“Ha!”
Blue heat rays stretched out and layered over one another, unleashing immense firepower.
The force, enough to melt even a ten-ton ship in an instant, struck the inky blue jellyfish. The enemy immediately turned into purple blood.
Of course, the enemy's true nature was not some writhing jellyfish!
--- Whiiish!
With a sound, or perhaps a numbing wave, the Great Race tried to escape its body.
Earlier, since it was my first experience with such a strange battle, I had allowed it to escape.
Realistically, there had also been too many bodies nearby for the Great Race to transfer into, namely the survivors in the Protected Zone.
That wasn't the case now!
“Hyah!”
In an instant, inky blue magic from the Grimoire searched the area and found the higher lifeforms the Great Race could use to escape.
There were only two candidates.
--- Crunch!
Heat rays pierced the two birds flying through the sky and reduced them to lumps of meat. With nowhere left to go, the Great Race returned to the dying jellyfish before me.
“What are you going to do now?”
The words the Great Race spoke when defeat was certain were truly unexpected.
--- Crackle!
‘... Everything happening now is a seed you yourselves have sown.’
“What?”
‘We gave you countless opportunities. It was your choice to reject every negotiation and begin a war you could not win.’
“Say something I can understand...”
‘What will change even if you kill me? After this meaningless struggle, only misery awaits...’
“...”
It felt like something important had been said, but I couldn't understand it.
Fortunately, I had an ability for moments like this.
「Advice: 1 -> 0」
‘What exactly does that mean?’
「The Room's title was not chosen without reason. Isn't it the title of a very famous book?」
On the Origin of Species.
“...”
First, I needed to return to my companions.
They must have made progress on their end as well.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
