WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 35 - Liminal Grand Hotel (1)

The moment Seol Suyeon regained consciousness, she felt something unfamiliar, yet soft. A mattress as plush as clouds and smooth sheets brushing against her fingertips.

'...?'

Then her memories suddenly came crashing back like a tidal wave. Firing her gun like a madwoman in her rage, and the pain, like her eyes were being stabbed with needles.

"......!"

Seol Suyeon’s eyes snapped open in shock. But what she saw wasn’t the horrific scene from her memories.

Instead, she found herself in an elegant, old-fashioned hospital room. Vintage wallpaper, mahogany furniture, and velvet curtains draped around the space.

'Why am I in a place like this?”

As she struggled to make sense of her situation, someone spoke to her.

"You’re awake, I see."

The voice was gentle and refined. But the moment Seol Suyeon saw who it belonged to, she recoiled in shock.

“A-an entity…!”

And no wonder. It was a crow wearing a doctor’s coat. More precisely, a humanoid crow.

The doctor chuckled at Seol Suyeon frantically looking around for her gun.

"Haha! I understand your surprise, but it’s rather disheartening to be mistaken for such a crude creature.”

"Y-You’re not…?”

At her fearful question, the crow doctor gave a graceful bow.

“I am a member of a race known as the Spirit Rodbearers. We are a people who traverse worlds in pursuit of knowledge. At present, I serve as a physician here at the Liminal Grand Hotel, Madam.”

“Ah…were you the one who treated me? Then, why can I see?”

At that, the crow doctor let out a low chuckle.

"Well now, why can you see? Hehehe."

He brought over a mirror and held it up to her face.

"Take a look.”

"Huh...?"

The eyes staring back at her were nothing like the ones she’d had all her life. Her ordinary dark-brown irises were gone.

In their palace were dazzling, jewel-like violet eyes. They shimmered with an almost supernatural beauty, as if countless stars were embedded within them. She couldn’t help but stare.

The crow doctor quickly pulled the mirror away.

“You shouldn’t gaze too long just yet. Those are the eyes of Princess Cavaletto. Stare too deeply, and you may lose yourself.”

"What...?"

“Allow me to explain. As a result of your valiant struggle, you lost both of your eyes. So, we replaced them with something quite rare.”

"Replaced them?”

"Yes, those eyes once belonged to Princess Cavaletto, who was said to have observed the boundaries between worlds in ages past.”

They were undeniably beautiful. Mesmerizing to a dangerous degree even. But knowing they belonged to someone else made her uneasy.

"Couldn’t you have just regenerated my original eyes?”

"I’m afraid that was impossible. Severe cognitive damage had already occurred.”

"Cognitive damage?”

"Yes. The result of encountering something beyond human comprehension. If we had restored your original eyes, they would have ruptured again. What you needed was a body refined enough to withstand such phenomena.”

"That’s……”

"Please, do not be afraid. The eyes of Princess Cavaletto are priceless treasures, unmatched across the ages. You will now be able to see what others cannot. It is a power many would desire.”

According to the crow doctor’s explanation, Seol Suyeon was still too weak to draw out their full potential. However, as she grew stronger, those eyes would gradually awaken more abilities.

At that, Seol Suyeon realized something.

"Wait. I can see a red aura behind you, Doctor…?”

"Good. That means they're functioning properly. It’s one of the eyes’ effects. When you encounter beings with high anomalous properties, you’ll perceive them as a red aura. Moderate anomalies appear green, while those with little to no anomaly levels show up as blue.”

Being able to distinguish Anomaly Levels was incredibly useful. And on top of that, the abilities would continue to grow stronger over time.

"There’s no way something like this was done for free…what about the cost?”

"Do not concern yourself. The Hotel’s proprietor has already covered it.”

"What?"

"They said it was a reward for saving your companion.”

"Ah! Then Minho-oppa…!”

"He is currently undergoing regeneration. Would you like to see him?”

"Yes! Yes, please!”

The crow doctor led Seol Suyeon to another room. And there was Park Minho.

Inside a glass tank filled with blue cultivation fluid, his body was suspended, connected to countless tubes as he was being treated.

The sight of his pale face, reminiscent of a corpse’s, made her breath catch.

"Is he going to be okay…?”

“Yes. He had one foot in the grave, but we grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back.”

"When will he wake up?”

"That will take some time. His injuries were far more severe than yours.”

“Please…Take good care of him.”

"Rest assured. Since the young lady has taken an interest in him, we will do everything we can.”

* * *

Afterward, Seol Suyeon underwent several examinations. With no abnormalities found, she was discharged and guided to one of the hotel’s rooms.

"I will escort you to your accommodations.”

The place she was brought to was a suite.

"Please, make yourself comfortable.”

With a polite bow, the staff member closed the thick oak door behind them.

Seol Suyeon stood there, staring blankly at her surroundings.

‘Is this really still in the Backrooms…?'

Before her stretched a level of luxury that left her speechless. It felt as if a Victorian palace had been lifted and placed here in its entirety. 

A deep crimson Persian-style carpet covered the floor. Marble fireplaces adorned with golden reliefs. A dazzling crystal chandelier hung from above…

However, Seol Suyeon’s gaze soon shifted elsewhere. To something placed off to the side.

'Our stuff…!'

There it was. A massive pile of gold coins, their weapons, and most importantly, the administrative temporary quarantine stick.

[Connect the stick to the laptop. The sooner, the better –Admin.]

Seol Suyeon understood immediately, since she was able to read the gallery just like Park Minho could.

Admin, or rather, the gallery’s assistant administrator, was, in truth, most likely the owner of this hotel. Although she denied it, considering everything she had done, it was almost certain.

Seol Suyeon looked at the laptop nearby and hesitated. If she connected the stick, something would definitely happen.

'Still, she said it’s better to hurry…’

In the end, she inserted the stick into the laptop’s side port. Immediately, new text appeared on the screen.

[Starting upload of Ghost_Record_01.]

* * *

5 days later, Park Minho woke up. Thanks to the medical treatment bordering on miraculous, his regeneration had been completed.

"Uuugh…”

"Are you conscious?”

Like Seol Suyeon, he met the crow doctor and was then guided to the suite.

The moment he stepped inside, Seol Suyeon’s eyes widened. She had been anxiously waiting for him to wake up, barely eating the whole time.

"Oppa―!"

She ran to him barefoot and threw herself into his arms. Then she burst into tears.

“You're really okay, right? Sob….!”

The last time she saw him, he had been in such a horrific state that it was hard to believe he was standing here, perfectly fine.

"Sniff…! Oh, wait, are you really okay? Is it alright for me to cling like this…?”

"You’re asking that now? I’m fine.”

“Thank goodness… Then I’m staying like this a bit longer.”

She held onto him for quite a while before finally pulling back. Only then did she seem to regain her senses, looking a little embarrassed at how she had been clinging to him. Then she suddenly clapped her hands as if she just remembered something.

“Oh! There’s something I need to show you!”

She opened the laptop in front of him and pointed at the screen.

"Look at this."

[White Puppy]

There was a username on the gallery he had never seen before.

"WhitePuppy? Who’s that?”

"It’s Yumi. Yumi.”

"What…? Seriously?”

"Yeah. She got uploaded into the gallery through the stick.”

“What the hell happened?”

Park Minho immediately sent a DM.

▶Cheezza: Hey, what’s with WhitePuppy?

▶Admin: You done regenerating? What do you mean? It’s Lee Yumi.

▶Cheezza: No, cut the crap. What exactly happened?

▶Admin: Honestly, leaving her asleep inside that temporary quarantine stick isn’t a good long-term solution.

▶Cheezza: Srsly??

▶Admin: It’s fine for a while, but eventually her existence fades and she gets deleted. That’s why I told you not to waste your visit ticket if you didn’t want a half-baked ending.

Admin had promised follow-up support in exchange for the ticket.

But Park Minho hadn’t expected this kind of solution.

▶Admin: So I gave her a White Room and registered her as a user.

▶Cheezza: That’s possible?

▶Admin: Not exactly easy, but a deal’s a deal. Anyway, she can safely stay here now.

▶Cheezza: Then I can save her? Like the others in the White Room?

▶Admin: Yep. Of course, you’ll need to find a new body to house her data, but if you succeed, she can even return to the real world with you.

At that, Park Minho felt his chest tighten and, at the same time, fill with joy.

▶Cheezza: Guess all that hell I went through paid off…… But what about Yumi? How’s she handling suddenly living in the gallery?

▶Admin: She was pretty confused at first. But when she heard that you risked your life to save her, she accepted it. Instead of asking me, just talk to her yourself.

<Admin has invited WhitePuppy to the chat.>

▶WhitePuppy: Mister! Are you okay?

▶Cheezza: Yumi? Is that really you?

▶White Puppy: Yep loool

"Ah......."

Park Minho unconsciously covered his face with both hands. The emotion welling up inside him was overwhelming, so he couldn’t tell whether to laugh or cry.

▶Cheezza: How is it over there? Is it bearable?

▶WhitePuppy: It’s nice! Way bigger and cleaner than I thought. I don’t have to run from entities anymore… If I get bored, I can even hang out with Admin-unni.

▶Cheezza: That's good. Seriously good.

▶WhitePuppy: Oh, and I even got a mod badge.

▶Cheezza: Wait, what????

▶WhitePuppy: I’m a mod now~

▶Cheezza:?????

▶Admin: She’d be bored with nothing to do anyway, so I figured I’d have her help manage the gallery.

Along with that, Admin sent a link. When Park Minho opened it, a post Yumi had written a few days ago appeared.

[Title] Hello there, Oppas and Unnis!

Author: <WhitePuppy>

[Content] Hi! I’m the new mod! I’m a high school girl lol! Mister Cheezza saved me, so I’ll be living here from now on! I still don’t know much, but please take care of me!

Naturally, the gallery’s reaction to this post was explosive.

ㄴA new mod????

ㄴAnd she’s a high school girl??

ㄴThis crazy bastard Cheezza LOL he actually pulled it off?

ㄴ(Pitbull) Wait, but I never imagined she’d end up in the gallery. What the hell happened?

The users only knew part of the story. They knew Park Minho had gone on a rampage, declaring he’d save a ghost record even if it meant fighting the Manager.

But now Park Minho was nowhere to be seen, and that same ghost record had appeared as a newly appointed mod. No wonder everyone was losing their minds.

ㄴWhere the hell did Cheezza go without explaining anything????

ㄴGet back here and explain, explain, explain.

ㄴ(Chiavelli) So does that mean he actually beat both the Manager and the Cleaning Supervisor?

ㄴNah, no way…right?

ㄴ(WhitePuppy) Ask him when he comes back.

ㄴ(NCEInstaReject) Damn… I gotta admit, this guy’s srsly insane.

It was hard to believe, but seeing the ghost record now inside the gallery meant things had turned out exactly as Park Minho intended.

ㄴDid he awaken or smth?

ㄴProbably. How else does a normal guy with a few anomalous traits beat those two things?

ㄴ(DaeguBadass) Even organizations struggle with those monsters…

ㄴ(KimChilsung) What the hell happened?! I’m so anxious I can’t even drink my soda!

ㄴIf he really took down both, that’s historic. Has anyone ever done that before?

ㄴ(Pitbull) Nope.

But then concern started creeping in. Because of Floor 4.

ㄴWait, did Cheezza end up in the underground parking lot?

ㄴ(LostHassan) Probably, right? Level 4 is the parking lot.

ㄴThat’s insanely bad, right? Even if he won, he’s gotta be a wreck rn...

ㄴFr;; that place is infamous for its entity density.

Park Minho read through the comments, then closed the window.

▶Cheezza: Looks like the gallery’s pretty loud rn.

▶Admin: They’re all waiting for you to come back. So? How does it feel, this ending you fought so hard for?

Park Minho hesitated for a moment, then started typing.

▶Cheezza: Means we can go eat tteokbokki together someday, right? That’s hella awesome, right?

Lee Yumi hadn’t disappeared. Someday, she might even leave the White Room and return to the real world. For Park Minho that was enough.

'This time, I didn’t leave any regrets behind.'

After finishing his DM with Admin, he immediately made a post.

[Title] It’s me, you bastards. I just wrecked the Manager and the Cleaning Supervisor.

Author: Cheezza.

[Content] Figured you wouldn’t believe me, so here’s proof.

Attached was a verification photo with Park Minho standing in a luxurious suite, holding up the severed arm of the Manager.

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