WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈
Episode 74: Room 101, Curse Room - ‘Common Sense-Altering Media’ (8)
──────
[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 23
Current Location: Level 1, Room 105 (Rest Room)
Sage’s Advice: 2]
Would we continue challenging Room 101?
Everyone fell silent.
Honestly, it was hard to know what to say. This often happened when we held discussions in the hotel. We needed at least some information to discuss anything, but we did not even know how things would change, so it was difficult to offer an opinion.
“Looks like everyone has a lot to think about. I understand. There’s no point dragging this out over a topic like this. Let’s vote.”
Eun-sol tore a notebook page into several small slips of paper and handed them out.
I held mine and thought.
I was afraid of entering Room 101 again after it had already changed into something strange. That was true.
But would going to another room while we were still underpowered make things any easier? We might only keep escaping that room too, turning it into a fifth attempt.
It could even be a self-defeating move. We might clumsily attempt rooms we could have cleared easily after gaining another Inheritance, only to turn every one of them into fifth attempts because we were not strong enough.
Logic aside, we had gone through so much together and learned so much. I did not want to run away to another room now.
Let’s see this through.
I did not know what would change, but we had already learned almost everything related to resolving this room!
/Room 101/
* * *
The vote ended quickly. Six to two. Six people chose Room 101.
The decision was made.
“Then that settles it. Let’s organize the information we found about Room 101 one last time, then make a plan for the final attempt. Ga-in?”
“I’ll summarize what we learned during the fourth attempt. Opening the rooftop door at the broadcasting station leads to the hospital entrance. Based on what we saw inside, the spaces that appear when we break the ‘precautions’ found at the broadcasting station seem to be part of the hospital.
“In other words, the broadcasting station is connected to the hospital.
“When we enter the hospital through the broadcasting station rooftop, the nurses do not act hostile and treat us like ‘guests.’
“Why do they react differently when we enter from other places? From the hospital’s perspective, perhaps anyone who appears somewhere other than the main entrance is treated as a ‘wandering patient.’
“At the end of the fourth-floor hallway is a patient room where a mass of flesh appears, likely what was once Kim Sang-min. I believe destroying it will resolve the room.
“For reference, the fourth-floor patient room unleashes an incredibly powerful mental attack. Even I can’t withstand it with my Filter. With the means we have found so far, I think only with the bracelet and the Red Pill could we withstand it.”
Grandfather Mook-seong, who had listened quietly, spoke next.
“The problem is that no one can approach it on the fourth floor without the bracelet or the Red Pill.”
A-ri replied.
“No, there’s one more person who can approach it.”
... Who?
“Elena. Did you forget what happened at Hotel High?
“Once Justice was activated, you weren’t affected by the angel’s brainwashing at all. ‘The execution must not stop.’ I think that mechanism functions as a kind of immunity to mental attacks.
“Elena, what do you think?”
“Ah! You’re right. That did seem to be the case at Hotel High. But can I activate Justice? Most of the people in Room 101 are simply victims of the curse.
“And the thing on the fourth floor of the hospital has become a mass of flesh, not a person.”
“Elena, can you put it that simply?
“Listen carefully. In criminal law, someone controlled against their will and used as a tool to commit a crime is called a person exploited by an indirect perpetrator. Of course, such people wouldn’t face legal punishment.
“But when the police suppress a crime, they still have to subdue those people, even if they have to beat them to do it. Otherwise, they can’t stop the crime. Punishment in court is a separate matter.
“Do you understand? Even someone like a victim of the curse can be subdued, regardless of whether they can be punished.”
... A law lecture out of nowhere. What was this all of a sudden? Everyone was flustered by A-ri’s sudden speech.
But A-ri kept her eyes fixed on Elena, and Elena nodded awkwardly.
“Listen a little more. You said Kim Sang-min became a mass of flesh, so it’s hard to see him as a person, right? Isn’t that too one-dimensional?
“What about the angel at Hotel High? It had wings, flew around, and used all sorts of supernatural powers. Didn’t you still think of it as a person?
“What’s the difference between an angel and a mass of flesh? Is the former a person just because it looks more ‘human’?
“They were both originally people. After experiencing supernatural events, one became an angel while the other became a mass of flesh. Isn’t it discrimination to treat only one of them as a person?”
What on earth was she talking about? Why was discrimination coming up here? I did not understand the purpose of this long conversation.
A-ri was still staring intently at Elena.
In the end, Elena nodded under A-ri’s inexplicable pressure.
“Yes. Yes. I think A-ri is right.”
“Then remember this. Even if they’re victims of the curse, they can be subdued. Even if it looks like a mass of flesh, it was originally a person. Agreed?”
“I don’t know why you’re suddenly saying this, but... I agree.”
A-ri and Elena’s philosophical(?) discussion, whose purpose I couldn’t understand, came to an end.
... It seemed A-ri was trying to instill some kind of ‘concept’ in Elena.
Vaguely, I felt like I almost understood.
Perhaps A-ri wanted to tell Elena this?
‘Can’t you subdue the broadcasting station employees and nurses too? Kim Sang-min, who became a mass of flesh, was originally human, so isn’t he someone who can be punished?’
I understood the meaning, but would it matter just because Elena was persuaded by words like that?
Unless Elena’s blessing changed according to her thoughts...
Bang!
Eun-sol slapped the table, drawing everyone’s attention.
“All right! We got sidetracked. Let’s get back to the original plan.
“Let’s say we can reach the rooftop. We still have to destroy the mass of flesh there, right? The biggest problem is the mental attack that even Ga-in can’t withstand with his Filter.
“I think the situation has become simple.
“Jin-cheol should take the Red Pill as soon as we enter and come to the broadcasting station.”
“I’m saying this in case you make another mistake, you boar. You know what it means to gain immunity to mental contamination by taking the Red Pill, right?
“You won’t be cursed, so Teleportation will be impossible. In short, you’ll have to bring your family here yourself, like Ga-in and Song-i.”
For almost the first time, Jin-cheol raised his head.
“I’ll take the pill and bring my mother.”
“Right. You can just drag your family here by force.”
Just as we were about to settle on that, A-ri spoke up.
“Wait! Jin-cheol, are you planning to take the pill as soon as we start?”
“Do you have another idea?”
“Yes. I think we should save the Red Pill if possible and try to handle things with Song-i’s bracelet. What if Song-i gives you mental protection, and you take the Red Pill only if that isn’t enough?”
A-ri looked at Song-i as she mentioned the bracelet.
“Having seen the mass of flesh myself, I’m certain that with the bracelet’s power, it won’t be difficult to withstand it.”
“Consumables are meant to be used when needed. Do we need to force ourselves to save it? Besides, this is the fifth attempt. It’s too dangerous to hold back. What if we save it and try to come by Teleportation, then Jin-cheol ends up bringing his mother here again?”
“Jin-cheol won’t make the same mistake again. And Elena is here too, isn’t she? It’s a precious consumable that can only be used once. Do we really need to take it as soon as we start?”
Elena herself looked uncertain, but A-ri naturally included her among the combatants.
Song-i agreed as well.
“I’ll try to get there as quickly as possible this time. I still can’t be as fast as ‘Teleportation,’ so how about Jin-cheol leaves around ten minutes later? Then, even if something happens, I can deal with it using the bracelet.”
If Song-i arrived before Jin-cheol, we could manage somehow even if he made a mistake. It would only be a matter of separating the mother and son with an illusion.
Listening to them, I realized that Song-i, like A-ri, thought it would be best to save the Red Pill if possible.
I could understand both sides.
There was reason in taking it immediately because things were dangerous now. There was also reason in saving a precious consumable that could only be used once until it was truly needed.
“Since that boar is the one taking it, let him decide.”
“I’ll save it for now and leave a little later, as Song-i suggested.”
“That should cover everything. Does anyone have anything else to say?”
We were tired, and the plan was clear. Without saying much, everyone finished eating and rested.
Tomorrow, we would gain our second Inheritance.
* * *
[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 24
Current Location: Level 1, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: 3]
We looked at one another and reviewed the plan one last time.
1. Gather at the broadcasting station.
2. Eliminate the employees and head to the rooftop, then enter the hospital.
3. Pretend to be guests and reach Kim Sang-min’s room.
4. Use the Red Pill or the bracelet’s power to eliminate the mass of flesh.
The most important role ultimately belonged to Jin-cheol.
We had confirmed that once we began attacking the mass of flesh, the ‘nurses’ approached. Considering that we would have to fight the nurses too, one gun would be far from enough.
Everyone looked at Jin-cheol, and he nodded.
He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
“Ha... Now that it’s time to go in, I’m shaking. How do you think it’ll change? Ga-in, is there anything that comes to mind?”
“I thought of several scenarios, but the more I think about them, the less I want to go in.”
We entered.
* * *
Fifth Attempt
* * *
- ???
It hurt. It hurt. Since when had it been like this? Everything hurt.
Were my arms hurting? My legs?
...
Why didn’t I have arms or legs?
I didn’t know. My entire body had become nothing more than a mass that felt pain.
I felt resentment.
Toward whom?
...
I didn’t know. There had been people I hated so much before...
Now, I couldn’t remember any of their faces.
I hated the world. I hated the world that left me alone in pain.
Twist! Twist!
I spewed my scream across the entire world. Until the whole world twisted and twisted like me!
...
No matter how much the world twisted, my pain didn’t end.
Ah.
Teacher. Director. Where are you?
The moment I was consumed by the greatest despair.
The moment everyone drove me into a corner and I lost all hope.
Back then, Teacher came to find me and gave me a ‘star.’
Please come back.
Please don’t abandon me.
.
.
.
.
.
.
[The participant's fifth attempt begins!]
Words I couldn’t understand.
My ‘eyes’ had disappeared long ago, so how was I even seeing words like this?
...
In my mind, though I no longer knew where my mind was, incomprehensible information poured in.
...
Ah! I understood.
Those bastards had entered to hurt me again.
Not one of them would survive.
Kill them all. Until the entire star was filled with corpses!
Footnotes:
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