WETRIED TRANSLATIONS
The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth
[Translator – Aren]
Chapter 38 - Liminal Grand Hotel (4)
Everyone watched this mountain of gold pouring down like a waterfall with their breath held.
"........"
Park Minho let out a hollow laugh. All the wealth he had accumulated through streaks of luck suddenly felt insignificant.
This was how a true heavyweight moved.
As the hall fell into chaos, the auctioneer barely managed to steady himself and spoke.
"Your Majesty, the Hanged King! The auction house has rules! And those rules cannot be broken by anyone!”
Park Minho’s mind flashed back to the back page of the catalog where the hotel’s rules had been inscribed in blood-red letters.
No acts of violence or cognitive interference.
No bidding on items not listed for auction.
Failure to complete payment after winning a bid will result in automatic forfeiture of collateral.
Ownership of the winning bidder is guaranteed.
Violators may themselves be listed as auction items.
No matter how powerful the Hanged King was, he couldn’t step outside those rules here.
The King exploded in fury.
[……So you do not understand that those eyes were meant to be auctioned…!]
In truth, for weeks there had been rumors that the eyes of Princess Cavaletto would appear in this auction.
The Hanged King, who rarely left his own domain and was even known to be in conflict with the Liminal Grand Hotel, had come here personally for that reason.
[……Do you dare mock me by spreading false rumors…?]
Faced with the murderous pressure in his voice, the auctioneer’s knees trembled as he replied.
"It’s true such rumors existed, but the item was never officially confirmed! It wasn’t listed in the catalog, was it?!”
In reality, it had been planned for auction. Even the staff believed so and had let the rumors spread.
However, the mysterious ‘Lady in the Blue Dress’ who ruled the hotel had suddenly changed her mind, and instead, a human girl had appeared with the Princess’ eyes already transplanted.
It was only natural that the King would rage.
However, as the auctioneer said, if it wasn’t in the catalog, there was no formal way to object.
[……Deceiving me is an unforgivable sin……]
"Please! Please, we beg you to calm your anger!”
The auctioneer slammed his head against the floor in desperation. At last, the suffocating killing intent that had filled the hall began to dissipate.
[……Continue……]
For now, he backed down, but his hollow gaze remained fixed on Seol Suyeon. This was merely the calm before the storm.
"Thank you…Thank you for your mercy.”
The auctioneer wiped away the sweat pouring down like rain with his sleeve.
“We will now resume the auction. The next item is……”
The situation settled, but Seol Suyeon’s heart was still pounding wildly. For a moment, she had truly thought something terrible would happen. And she realized that these eyes of hers weren’t just a blessing.
"Oppa..."
With trembling hands, Seol Suyeon clung to Park Minho’s arm.
"Are you okay? Do you want to go back to the room first?”
"No. If I’m alone, it’ll be even scarier.”
Meanwhile, in the general seating area thick with tension, TBU’s youngest member, Heo Areum, returned after reporting to headquarters.
"Team Leader."
"What did they say?"
"They don’t know their identities either. But, unless they’re anomalous entities disguised as humans, we’ve been ordered to establish friendly relations no matter what.”
“Ugh..."
Team Leader Kim Sungjin couldn’t help but groan. But orders from headquarters were absolute. He had to find some way to fix this.
"Alright. Let’s approach them after the auction ends."
As anxiety dried out his throat, the auction surged toward its climax.
“Our next item is The Eighth Day! Add an eighth day to your week! Secure more time and freedom than anyone else!”
The most anticipated item of the night had appeared.
The eyes of anomalous entities who had lived for thousands of years gleamed with greed. For them, even a single extra day per week meant an enormous gain.
"Yes! We have 100 coins! 150 coins! Ah, straight to 200 coins!”
The auctioneer shouted, veins bulging, as he swung the gavel.
"We’ll raise bids in increments of 100 coins! 300 coins! 400! 500!”
The price skyrocketed like mad. It quickly surpassed 1000 coins, then broke past 2000. Park Minho was stunned.
'Damn…… These big shots from outside the Backrooms really have insane amounts of coins.”
The problem was, this blazing bidding war showed no signs of stopping. The atmosphere in the hall was reaching a fever pitch.
Then a voice like ice water crashing down cut through everything.
[......1 million coins…]
That grating, metallic voice belonged to none other than the Hanged King.
"......!"
The auctioneer froze, mouth hanging open.
Shock rippled through the entire hall.
"......."
1 million coins. An astronomical sum. No one here could possibly pay that. Not even the Hanged King himself, who had placed the bid. Even selling his entire kingdom from another dimension might not be enough to cover it.
And more importantly, he didn't even need the Eighth Day. He was immortal. A being who already possessed eternity.
"Your Majesty…?”
Even the experienced auctioneer didn’t know how to respond. He carefully spoke up.
"......No matter how esteemed you are, the rules of this auction house are absolute within this space. If payment for the final bid fails, your collateral will be automatically confiscated.”
[I am aware…]
The tension in the hall tightened like a drawn bowstring.
"Then why…? I beg your pardon for asking, but do you intend to withdraw your statement?”
But the Hanged King remained firm.
[……1 million coins……]
The auctioneer, unable to even wipe the sweat pouring down his face, asked,
"Are you able to pay that amount?”
[Would it not be proper to declare the winning bid first……?]
Once declared, a winning bid could not be undone. The auctioneer didn’t want to bring down the gavel, but he had no choice.
The procedure was valid. If the auction house refused to accept the bid, they would be the ones forced to bear a penalty equivalent to 1 million coins.
The auctioneer squeezed his eyes shut.
-Bang! Bang!
Slamming the gavel down, he shouted,
"Sold!”
At that moment, the Hanged King, wearing a grotesque smile, extended both hands forward and flipped them over.
-Claaaaatter!
A cascade of gold coins poured from his palms. But it wasn’t even close to 1 million.
Then, the Hanged King declared,
[……How unfortunate… Since I have failed to pay the bid… I shall hand over my collateral to the auction house…]
The hall erupted into chaos.
[What is happening right now?]
[I don’t know…! I don’t understand this at all.]
[Has the king lost his mind?]
Because the collateral he spoke of was the noose tightening around his rotting neck.
It was the cursed rope that had once executed him. Yet paradoxically, it was also the very source of the power that made him such a terrifying being.
And now, he was offering it up. The object that was equivalent to his heart, his core, and his very existence. He used it as mere collateral. Despite the fact that with a bid of 1 million coins, there was no chance of ever reclaiming it.
No one could understand his decision. The anomalous entities began whispering among themselves.
[Why? Did he wish to be freed from his curse?]
[He has abandoned his power and authority. Can he still be called a king?]
[A weak being, finally bowing to his own curse.]
The noose inflicted unimaginable agony upon its wearer, yet granted overwhelming power. Many anomalous entities coveted it.
Some even craved power so much they would willingly endure such suffering.
Soon, someone shouted.
[I will buy it…!]
Chaos followed immediately.
[Put the noose up for auction…]
[The unworthy has relinquished it! Hurry!]
[Grant us power…!]
The auction hall devolved into a boisterous marketplace.
Then a flash of light burst from the king’s neck, and the noose, the symbol of his curse and power, vanished. According to the rules, it had been confiscated and transferred to the auction house vault.
"...I don’t get it.”
Seol Suyeon whispered, hiding her pale face behind her fan. Park Minho nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, what does the king even want…?”
The situation was utterly bizarre. Even his subordinates abandoned him after he lost his power.
The king stood alone.
And then, the deep groove carved into his neck twisted grotesquely, and a chilling laugh echoed through the hall.
[......Kuhu............KakahahAHAHAH......!]
Anyone would think he had gone completely insane.
But the king was satisfied.
Because everything was unfolding exactly as he had planned.
* * *
The Hanged King’s noose granted immense power, but it carried one clear, absolute curse.
Namely, ‘It hangs its owner.’
However, very few truly understood the nature of that curse.
Most believed that as long as they endured the suffocating pain, they could wield unimaginable power.
To be fair, that wasn’t entirely wrong.
But the ‘target’ to be hanged didn’t necessarily have to be a single living being.
At this moment, the ownership of the confiscated noose belonged to the auction house.
Which meant the next target the cursed noose had to hang was obvious.
The auction house itself.
-Screeeeeeeech!
From deep within the auction house, inside the heavily secured vault, a grotesque tearing noise erupted. It wasn’t the sound of machinery breaking.
It was as if tens of thousands of gears were forcibly spinning in reverse, screaming, as though the very laws of space were being crushed and rewritten.
At the same time, the noose inside the vault began to writhe.
-Ruuuuumble!
-Boooooom!
The entire auction hall shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck it.
The first thing to change was the light.
The countless crystal chandeliers adorning the ceiling flickered in unison, then began to explode one by one. In the darkness, shards rained down like a storm.
-Kliiiiirr!
Park Minho threw himself over Seol Suyeon, shielding her with his body.
"Suyeon!”
"Kyaaaah!”
But this was just the beginning.
The grand arched ceiling of the auction hall began to tear apart.
-Craack! Booom!
Through the splitting ceiling, something came into view. Black ropes stained with blood.
Like the tentacles of a kraken tightening around its prey, hundreds of them tore through the structure, ripping into the hall.
-Ruuuumble! Crunch!
It wasn’t just the ceiling. Pillars cracked, walls split open, and everywhere, filthy ropes coiled and spread.
The anomalous entities quickly realized what was happening.
[The space itself is being torn apart…!]
[The rules of the auction house are being rewritten……!]
For the first time, true, primal fear appeared on their arrogant faces. Some of the quicker ones immediately made a run for the exits.
But the ropes did not allow it. As if waiting for this moment, hundreds of nooses dropped from the ceiling.
-Shaaaaaa!
Like a swarm of venomous snakes lunging at their prey, the ropes shot straight for their necks.
[Kweeeegh…! Kgh!]
A massive werewolf, sprinting toward the exit, had its neck caught in a noose.
It clawed desperately at the rope with its razor-sharp claws, but with a sickening crack of its neck, it was yanked into the air. It dangled there, like a prisoner being executed.
And that was only the beginning.
It didn’t matter how noble they were or how powerful. The laws of this space now dictated that all of them would be hanged.
[Kieeeeeg! How dare you…!]
[How are we supposed to withstand this calamity…!]
[Mercy…! Have mercy……]
In an instant, the auction hall turned into a massive slaughterhouse and gallows.
Countless anomalous entities were dragged into the air, their necks, tails, or wings caught in the nooses.
-Crack! Snap!
-Thud!
The ropes tightened with an irresistible force. Blood and filth poured down from the suspended entities, raining through the air.
Screams filled the space like the very depths of hell.
[Kyeeeeaaaargh!]
[Kwaaaaaargh! Kgh!]
[Shaaaa! Shaaagh!]
The collective agony in those screams was enough to drive anyone mad.
[Ghk……]
[Kiih......]
But gradually, the sounds began to fade. One by one, voices cut off. Limbs went limp. Spines snapped. Tongues lolled out. From blocked throats came the wet, bubbling sound of suffocation.
And before long, the only sound left in the auction hall was the creaking of ropes scraping against the ceiling.
-Creak, creak.
They swayed like pendulums, rocking countless corpses. Some entities had tried to flee outside, but even they ended up hanged in the corridors.
And yet, even in this absolute massacre, there were exceptions.
Park Minho and Seol Suyeon as well as the three members of TBU.
Because whether awakened or not, they were nothing more than insignificant specks, not even worth hanging.
Soel Suyeon did possess the Princess’ eyes, but she could barely use their power, so she escaped notice by sheer luck.
The new rule governing this space was clear.
<Entities possessing anomalous weight above a certain threshold will be hanged.>
Park Minho, Seol Suyeon, and the TBU group didn’t even qualify as targets. And so they miraculously survived.
But there was one more exception. One that defied everyone’s expectations.
The ‘Hanged King.’
By offering his noose as collateral, he had lost his overwhelming anomalous power and paradoxically removed himself from the ropes’ target.
But even stripped of that power, he was still a monsterous entity.
[……Kukuhuhu…Kukukuhu……]
The king gazed up at the countless corpses hanging from the ceiling and for the first time in a long while laughed. His face twisted grotesquely with delight.
-Shing!
He drew a massive sword, rusted and sticky with dried blood, as large as his own body. It was a weapon of slaughter, one that had executed tens of thousands back when he was alive.
With hollow, eyeless sockets, he turned his gaze toward the opposite Royal Box. There, the Princess’ violet eyes shimmered with fear.
-Scrrrrrrrrrape.
Dragging his greatsword across the marble floor, the king began to walk forward.
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