Escaping the Mystery Hotel

Chapter 169: Room 201, The Cursed Room - The Cube (18)

- Shatter!

The seal has been lifted!

The loud sound jolted me awake.

Now, it’s time for the main character to take the stage!

…What’s this feeling?

Before I could even grasp the situation, a piercing headache struck me, and I hastily brought up the Status Window.

What on earth is going on?

I couldn’t see anyone else, only Songee was standing in front of me.

“Songee? What the hell is this—”

With those words, a blinding flash, brighter than ever before, burst forth from Songee’s bracelet.

A powerful protection, exhausting all of Songee’s remaining vitality, enveloped me.

I already knew about Songee’s “death buff”.

Some of the restrictions imposed on Songee’s Inheritance, “Diverse Perspectives”, were tied to the Inheritance itself, but a far greater number stemmed from the strain it placed on Songee’s own body.

In other words, if Songee gave up on living any longer, she could wield power far beyond her usual limitations.

An overwhelming flood of information poured into me.

The vast knowledge of the world’s hidden truths the Chief Researcher had amassed!

I endured the splitting headache and thought, Why was I the one sealed in this room?

Where is Beatrix’s main body?

What means did the Chief Researcher use to control Beatrix?

All these questions led to one conclusion.

Beatrix’s main body was located at the site where the Eye of Zero Dimension was sealed.

And, I was the only one who could approach that place.

Even Beatrix herself would go mad if she tried to transfer her consciousness to her main body, making it impossible for her to ever get close.

Only I, under the mental protection of Songee’s bracelet and bolstered by the Status Window, could withstand the pressure of the Eye of Zero Dimension and enter the sealed area.

Ahri might be able to do something similar with Songee’s help, but unlike the Status Window, Ahri’s power consumes her blood, thus being limited by her body.

More and more memories flooded in.

Just as I started to feel dizzy, I finally realized the “true solution” to this room.

“What the hell! Is this Chief Researcher even human?”

[Unfortunately, I am indeed Homo Sapien.]

“…I never imagined something like this was possible. Has your personality reassembled itself?”

[Just one of my many talents. Be cautious in other rooms as well.]

“…”

In just a short conversation, I realized that he knew that this place was the Hotel.

Is this a unique trait of the Chief Researcher?

Or does this apply to all characters awakened during the unsealing process?

I don’t know for now.

[Have you grasped the situation now? Are you confident in your ability to handle it?]

My head started to ache.

I… honestly don’t have the confidence to handle this like the Chief Researcher.

[You don’t need to worry. You know the drill, don’t you? The control is entirely in your hands. Just do what you can, and if you reach a point where you can’t manage, you can leave it to me.]

…Regardless, I have to solve this room and get out.

Let’s just proceed.

Even if the Status Window could last forever, Songee’s mental protection had a time limit.

In the center of the half-destroyed apparatus, which Jinchul-hyung had smashed, a white vortex began to form.

Although the device was mostly ruined, I tinkered with the remaining scraps, expanding the “pathway” slightly—just as Beatrix appeared.

With a smirk, I glanced up at the sky.

A vast eye, large enough to cover the horizon, gazed down at the world like a sun.

“Why don’t you come closer?”

[You!]

“You’re holding up quite well. You’re still able to converse despite the pressure. But you can’t get closer through this vortex, can you?”

‘Would you allow me to take over for a moment?’

Go ahead.

I need time to expand the pathway anyway.

A moment later, my mouth began to move on its own.

“Beatrix. My poor daughter. Didn’t I tell you to only take on what you could handle?”

[Father! If it weren’t for you… If weren’t for you, I could have escaped to the outside world long ago!]

“All this trouble just to breathe some outside air?”

[…]

“No, no. In truth, Patrick simply let you out. Patrick, that boy had his resolve. You should be grateful to me, you know? Without me, you would have spent endless nights terrified of the monsters you create.”

[I still appreciate that. But Father, now that you’ve taught me enough, isn’t it time for you to graciously die and pass on your Inheritance? If you had just given me the Irregular Polyhedron, I would have torn you to pieces long ago!]

“Ohoo! You’re still harping on about that polyhedron as if it’s something that can just be given away. And who raised you to be such a foul-mouthed brat?”

[Sorry. I killed my mother with my own hands when I was little.]

“No wonder you grew up so wild. It’s my fault for not being a better father.”

Listening to the banter of this disturbingly amicable father-daughter pair, I realized the pathway had expanded enough for me to pass through.

“Sadly, your father has to leave now. Take care.”

Beatrix, who had been so confident just moments ago, now trembled uncontrollably.

“Father… Please, just this once—”

The vortex swallowed me whole.

***- Han Kain

The inside of the vortex was truly a bizarre place.

Countless books opened and closed as they floated about, while endless screens appeared and disappeared.

[Do you understand what the Eye of Zero Dimension is?]

“Not really.”

[It’s a higher-dimensional being who descended from above. It views everything as mere creations and desires nothing more than to inscribe endless, cruel records. But, it’s nothing short of a false creator, you could say.]

“It feels like the blind men and the elephant. Do you really think you can understand such a grand entity?”

[Trust me. This information comes from a reliable source.]

“A reliable source?”

[When he interacts with mortals, he implants fragments of chaotic knowledge in them. This causes mortals to believe they’re insignificant and leads them to collapse in despair.]

“…”

[But that’s not all. It’s common for a mortal’s mind to drift like a flotsam when encountering a great being. This is what I call vibration.]

“Vibration?”

[A human merely walks, but the vibrations from each step turn the world of tiny creatures upside down, crushing countless bugs with each step.]

“Listening to your memories and words, one thought keeps coming to mind.”

[Tell me.]

“Your words sound like the blind men who touched an elephant and thought they understood the whole thing. How could you possibly comprehend such an incomprehensible entity? What did you call it again, a false creator?”

[Allow me to share one belief and one piece of evidence.]

“One belief and one piece of evidence?”

[If there were a true creator in this universe, they wouldn’t wish for a world filled only with suffering. That’s why I believe that such a cruel being can’t be the true creator.]

“After learning of how you supposedly saved the world outside the Hotel, it seems more like the creator is indeed a deranged entity.”

[That’s merely a product of my limitations… Can you think of a better way than what I did?]

“…”

[Patrick betrayed me for the same reason. Yet, he ultimately gave up and entrusted everything back to me when you all invaded. He didn’t agree with my methods, but he couldn’t find a better one. In fact, while I was gone, Patrick used the same methods to maintain the seal.]

“Alright, let’s accept your belief for now. What’s your evidence?”

[The evidence is simple and clear. We’re all trapped in this Hotel, aren’t we?]

“…???”

[If it truly was an omnipotent creator from a higher dimension, why would they be trapped in the Hotel room? The fact that they’re trapped proves they’re not such a being.]

I had to admit, that argument was convincing.

“…”

This is dangerous.

Beyond the premise of Room 201, I was starting to understand the system of “seals”.

When a seal was lifted, the main character of the scenario also got liberated within me.

This is fine—beneficial even since I gain a powerful advisor when the seal is lifted.

The control always remains with the hotel participants.

The problem arises when I become persuaded by the character’s way of thinking and start to assimilate with them!

Just now, I was convinced by the logic of the Chief Researcher.

And at that moment, I realized that I had partially merged with him.

The second floor is truly different from the first.

Something… about the purpose of these rooms feels different.

***[It’s been a while! Haven’t you been stuck in that tube for too long? It’s been fun without you, though!]

As I waded through the endless books and displays, a voice that pierced my skull echoed in my mind.

There’s not much time left. While the Status Window may not have a time limit, Songee’s protection will soon expire.

“It’s fine. We’re almost at the place where Beatrix’s main body is located. It’s time for her to fulfill the purpose she was born for.”

[…]

“By the way… Since you seem to understand the situation to some extent, doesn’t the term ‘seal’ seem a bit ridiculous? How can a mere human seal a being like that? It’d be easier to put the sun in your home refrigerator!”

[…]

“All I did was provide the being with the cruel ‘theater’ it desired. There were some sacrifices, but humanity gained peace. Without me, the Eye of Zero Dimension would have made the entire planet into its theater.”

[So, throwing humans into the jaws of a demon is what you call a theater?]

“It was a rather strenuous task. For many years, we had to manually bring people into the Irregular Polyhedron and kill them. That alone was difficult enough, but there was a more pressing matter.”

[…]

“All stimuli eventually grow tiresome. Even the cruel god began to show signs of boredom. We needed something… another ‘actor’ to guarantee endless amusement.”

[Was that Beatrix?]

“Yes, yes. We’re almost there. Isn’t that child a true gift to humanity?”

Who am I?

At some point, I lost my sense of self. I can no longer distinguish whether it is me or him who is speaking.

The more convinced I was by the words, the more the distinction between us became meaningless…

Finally, Beatrix’s main body emerged.

“…”

What appeared before me was an opaque tube…

And floating inside it was a human brain.

“Don’t think of it as cruel. It has no sensory organs, and its consciousness is elsewhere, which is why it can survive in this place. Though it may have some resilience, it’s nothing compared to ours.”

A menacingly glowing polyhedron appeared in the Chief Researcher’s hand.

“Do you think smashing this floating brain will solve everything? It might. But remember, the hotel has always wanted us to solve the ‘root cause of the curse’. Whether it’s killing the Adversary or dealing with the Convicts, those are all just assumptions you made.”

[What are you talking about?]

“I’m saying destroying Beatrix’s brain won’t change anything. The Eye of Zero Dimension will consume the world in real-time then. In the end, you have to make a decision. But as I’ve said before, I have no intention of forcing you. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. The control has always been with you.”

The Chief Researcher asked me if I had a better way to save the world.

I couldn’t come up with an answer.

“You’re quite troubled. What’s causing you so much confusion? When you think about it, Room 201 is just a fake world created by the Hotel. Does it really matter if NPCs are fed to demons? Isn’t it similar to what you’ve been doing all along, killing the people inside the room when necessary?”

Why then?

As the Chief Researcher said, we’ve already killed countless people in the rooms to progress when needed.

So why is my mind in such turmoil?

“…”

I knew the answer.

Only after awakening the Chief Researcher’s memories within me did I realize…

For the first time today, I truly felt that what happened in Room 201 also happened in reality.

I’ve come to understand that humanity as a whole, and more importantly, I, survived because of such sacrifices…

I don’t know.

I really don’t know what the best way is.

Who am I outside?

Just a student studying for exams.

Now, the problem presented in Room 201 feels like an exam where the passing score is 30 out of 100.

Passing isn’t hard.

Scoring 30 points would let me leave the room with the Inheritance.

But…

The “examiner” seems to want a much higher-level answer.

An answer that even the examiner might not know.

In the end, when I gave up on finding a better answer, I could no longer move my body.

An ominous glow began to emanate from the polyhedron in my hand.

A sinister chant flowed from my lips, “I offer this! I offer this! Oh Great Eye, I offer you a theater to sing of agony through the eons. Here, an immortal goat awaits you, your eternally regenerating Sæhrímnir!”

I felt the immense gaze fixate on me once again.

In some distant place, in a dimension unreachable by mere steps, the “Cube” reappeared.

Beatrix’s brain was transported to the center of the Cube.

The regeneration of the monsters inside the Cube was accompanied by Beatrix’s scream of terror and agony.

Now, this theater will never close.

Beatrix, like the endlessly regenerating boar of Norse mythology, will create monsters forever, and the Administration will ceaselessly sacrifice humans.

To ensure the cruel god never turns its gaze back to Earth.

I hear the sound of wailing.

The screams of those being offered as living sacrifices pierced my ears like an awl.

The laughter of the cruel god echoed throughout the world.

And then, the “finger” descended.

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