Escaping the Mystery Hotel

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 94

Current Location: Frozen Hell – Room of Resurrection

Sage’s Advice: 3

- Han Kain

When I came to my senses, I found myself standing in the frigid, snow-covered landscape once again.

Despite having experienced this many times before, I still couldn’t get used to it.

While Miro’s Hell wasn’t exactly a Cursed Room, the way the space collapsed and ejected us was no different.

The first thing we saw after coming out was Jinchul-hyung kneeling in the snow.

I’d never seen Jinchul-hung look so gaunt since entering the hotel!

It was as if he had lost more than 10kg, an exaggeration maybe, but it made me wonder what exactly he had gone through.

“Finally! You made it out! Any longer, and I might have collapsed myself.”

“What exactly happened here? And where is everyone else?”

“They’re all in Room 105, resting.”

“Room 105? But wasn’t the first floor in bad shape when we left for the Frozen Hell?”

Jinchul-hyung gave a weary smile as Grandpa stepped in to answer.

“You used the Room 106 reward, the Rest Ticket.”

“We had no choice. Everyone’s condition was so poor, and the brutal cold was taking its toll. I was afraid we’d all freeze to death.”

“You did well. It’s a consumable item, meant to be used in moments of crisis like this.”

As Jinchul-hyung explained the situation, we all began to understand the severity of the situation.

“I had no idea the Incense of Salvation would be such a dangerous thing.”

“This damn Hotel… How can incense be so lethal?”

“Did you carry everyone to Room 105 yourself, hyung?”

Jinchul-hyung laughed lightly.

“I carried Seungyub, Songee, and Elena. Noona likely walked herself. But now… I’m barely holding on.”

Grandpa interjected, “I’ve been wondering what’s going on with your body. You should head to Room 105 yourself. We’re pretty much done here anyway. Guide! Is there anything else we need to do?”

The floating guide immediately responded, “No, only the closing instructions remain.”

“Then go rest. We’ll handle the briefing and fill you in later.”

Jinchul-hyung nodded and began to leave, but before he did, he called out to me, “By the way, Kain?”

“Yes?”

“What’s that on your waist? I don’t remember seeing it when you went in. Just thought I’d mention it.”

With that cryptic remark, Jinchul-hyung left, leaving me confused.

“What on my waist? Huh, what is this?”

Ahri snickered.

“Merry Christmas~! It looks like that serial killer Santa really took a liking to you. Even in his last moments, he left you a present!”

Grandpa sighed deeply.

“Just throw it away. That cursed creature…”

What hung from my waist was a stuffed doll that looked eerily like me.

The sight of it gave me a chill, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of the doll itself or the entity that had given it to me.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

After Jinchul-hyung disappeared, those of us who had dealt with Miro’s Hell were the only ones left in the bitter cold and cutting wind of the Frozen Hell.

“When we first came here, the scenario said something like ‘the grudge of the tormented souls fuels the cold in this place.’”

“Yeah, I remember that.”

“So why is it still this cold? Shouldn’t the chill have subsided?”

“Good question,” the guide answered.

“Allow me to explain. You have succeeded in ending the suffering of one of the damned souls in this hell.”

With that confirmation, we all turned our gaze toward Miro’s frozen statue.

She was still encased in ice but no longer groaned in agony like the other souls.

Instead, her expression was serene, as if she were having a peaceful dream.

Ahri’s face didn’t reveal much, but her relief was palpable.

Seeing our success put me in a surprisingly good mood.

“The damned, thanks to your good deeds, have found hope that they might find peace, and the icy cold no longer threatens the Hotel. The first floor is already free from the harsh cold, and the second floor will be restored tomorrow.”

Grandpa frowned slightly.

“So only the first and second floors, huh? This Frozen Hell—or Room of Resurrection or whatever—will stay cold, right?”

“The freezing conditions on the first and second floors were caused by the hell’s cold spreading into the hotel, but the Frozen Hell itself is naturally cold. Its temperature is not related to the Hotel’s repairs.”

While it meant the Room of Resurrection would remain cold, it wasn’t much of a problem since it wasn’t a place we’d visit regularly.

Finally, the long, agonizing Ice Age of the Hotel was over. We felt proud of what we had accomplished, exchanging smiles.

“As for prayer and resurrection, as I explained a few days ago, they are separate matters. Prayer is merely the process of ending the torment of the souls and restoring warmth to the hotel. Resurrection, however, requires a ticket. Would you like to use one?”

A brief silence followed.

As Grandpa and I exchanged awkward glances with Ahri, she chuckled.

“What are you looking at me for? We agreed resurrection through a ticket should be something we all decide together, right?”

“We also said we’d discuss it after finding the Room of Resurrection, though I didn’t expect to find it so soon.”

“Either way, we’re not planning on using it right now. We haven’t found a way to restore Miro’s mind, have we? Though I have a hunch where we might find it soon.”

Thank goodness.

Using a ticket without consulting the others would have been rash, especially given how valuable it is.

Deciding on a new companion is a big event we need to discuss with everyone resting in Room 105.

As for restoring Miro’s mind… based on the strange conversation earlier, the solution likely lies in the Mirror Room. But we’ll only know for sure when we get there.

The guide continued, “Additionally, the Room of Resurrection is one of the hotel’s ‘secret rooms’, meaning it is not accessible at all times. You’ll need to wait for Party Time to return.”

Ahri shrugged. “Well, we’ve already used the 3-Day Rest Ticket, so with today included, we’ve got two days of Party Time.”

“If we plan to use the ticket, we should discuss it with the others and come back tomorrow or the day after.”

It seems the 3-Day Rest Ticket was a good move. It gave us time to rest and hold meetings to decide who to revive.

And with that, our business in the Frozen Hell was over.

***With the weight of our mission lifted, we started to relax, eager to enjoy some well-deserved rest.

But just as we were preparing to leave the Frozen Hell, something unexpected happened.

Sage’s Advice: 3 → 0

Why are the repair times for the first and second floors different?

…!?

“Wait! E-everyone, stop!”

“What is it? Did something happen?”

“A-Advice just triggered.”

“What did you ask?”

“I didn’t ask anything! It just triggered on its own, as it did back in the Gate Room when all the remaining uses disappeared and only the answer came!”

Grandpa let out a deep sigh.

“Looks like there’s more trouble ahead. What was the answer?”

“It said, ‘Why are the repair times for the first and second floors different?’”

“What does that—”

- Vrrrr!

At the same moment, I explained the advice to my companions, a strange noise came from the drone watching us. The drone’s propellers vibrated, and its body shook as a voice, different from what we’d heard before, echoed out.

[Haha! ‘Wisdom’. That’s a bit much, isn’t it? The participants hadn’t noticed anything, but you gave them a direct hint. Isn’t that crossing the line?]

To not notice something in this situation would mean our time in the Hotel had been in vain.

It’s about time we learned to catch on.

The drone just revealed that there had been a “hint” in the announcement, and we hadn’t noticed it.

The Owl had stepped in to push the Advice through!

Realizing this, the three of us paused to think about the drone’s message and the odd difference in repair times for the first and second floors.

Ahri murmured, “Now that I think about it, why would the repair times need to be different?”

Grandpa answered, “I didn’t think it was strange. The source of the cold is in the Frozen Hell, and that’s on the second floor. It makes sense for the area closest to the source to take longer to recover, right?”

But that explanation felt off to me.

“This isn’t a normal building, is it? It’s not like there are workers here fixing things with hammers and nails. In a place like this, repairs could happen instantly, just like magic.”

“So, there’s no reason for the repair times to be different?”

“Exactly. We’ve damaged the hotel multiple times, but never has there been a case where one area was fixed while another remained broken.”

In this strange Hotel, whenever a special event ended, everything was always restored at once.

So why was there a delay between the first and second floors now?

As we stood there trying to piece it together—

The drone intervened.

[It seems it will take you some time to figure this out on your own.]

“…You sound different from before.”

Whereas before the drone seemed like a simple AI, now it was clearly transmitting someone else’s voice.

[Let’s just say I’m the administrator of this place. I was considering erasing your memory of the Owl’s advice just moments ago.]

“…”

[But… well. The fact that the Owl stepped in to give you a direct hint suggests it sees potential in you and that it’s worth investing in you. Gaining the favor of your Patron by proving your worth is also part of your skill, is it not?]

The Owl favors me?

That’s hard to believe!

…Suddenly, I felt guilty about all the times I cursed the Owl.

Should I apologize when we meet again?

[Instead of standing around, go to the second floor. Look around and see what the difference in repair times means.]

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