Chapter: 61
Chapter 61 – Strategy Meeting – Reviewing the Rewards. Where should we go?
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 21
Current Location: Floor 1, Corridor
Sages Advice: 0]
First Reward.
Clue for solving the Cursed Rooms.
“This reward! Personally, I have high expectations for this. Isn’t it more immediately useful than that mysterious golden egg we know nothing about?”
“To us who are about to re-enter the Cursed Rooms, this is pure gold!”
“Noona, let’s just open the letter and check it out.”
Riiiip
A small piece of paper fell out. There’s hardly enough space for detailed explanations. Everyone huddled around the table to scrutinize the contents of the paper.
Room 101: The ______ is not the origin of the curse.
Room 102: Get rid of the bias that you must go towards the _________.
Room 103: What you see is not all there is to it; it is not an ______ _____ .
Room 104: It is natural for the ______ to ______ the father.
It felt like solving a riddle.
Since it’s a “hint,” I didn’t expect a detailed strategy or anything, but did they really have to add these blanks?
“Well, I understand Room 103. The phrase, [What you see is not all there is to it], means everything you perceive is an illusion. And [It is not an ______ _____] probably means it’s not an [Animal Farm].”
“Let’s try to decipher the other sentences too.”
“It feels like a quiz, but honestly, I know the answers to two of them. What do you all think?”
“I’m getting a vibe too. It seems it’s often the case that statements made at hotels can be understood through ‘reverse interpretation.’”
“Right, right. It seems you and Kain have figured something out, so just spill it out, please.”
“Okay, I’ll start. Room 101 hint. [The ______ is not the origin of the curse]. This means we had some preconceived notions about the origin of the curse in Room 101, and it’s telling us those notions are wrong. So, what did everyone think was the origin of Room 101’s curse?”
“Isn’t it obviously the family? After all, our problems began with those twisted family interactions.”
“I also thought it was the family. This hint suggests that our assumption was a misunderstanding. So, I believe the hint is [The family is not the origin of the curse].”
“Then what on Earth is it?”
“That’s what we need to find out.”
“I interpreted Room 102’s hint similarly,” I chimed in. “[Get rid of the bias that you must go towards the _________.] This implies we had a preconception that we must go somewhere. Everyone recall where we all thought we should go?”
Songee’s eyes widened as she reacted first.
“The mansion!”
“That’s right! So the hint for Room 102 is [Get rid of the bias that you must go towards the mansion].”
“Ah, now that you mention it, I remember! On the first day in the SUV, Kain, didn’t you say, ‘We woke up before arriving at the mansion, so why not skip the mansion altogether?’”
“Yeah, I remember that.”
“And then Jinchul said we had to go there anyway, and that’s why we all ended up going.”
Clears throat.
“Let’s forget the old stories for now. Next time we go, let’s avoid the mansion altogether.”
“OK. It seems we have clarity on Room 101 and Room 102, but I’m stuck on Room 104. I have no idea what this means,” Eunsol-noona rasped in agreement.
“I don’t know it either.”
“There’s a lot to figure out, so let’s focus on what we understand for now. How about leaving the ones we don’t know for later?” Mooksung suggested.
“Let’s do that. We’ll note down what we know.”
With that, Eunsol-noona casually took out a notebook and pen.
“Did that come from the hotel?” I asked, surprised.
“I got it in a bundle at the Market. I thought it would be handy to have something to organize our plans; everyone’s phones have been out of commission for ages, right? We need to go old school!”
She proceeded to write down our interpretations of the hints on the notebook.
*
Room 101: The ______ is not the origin of the curse.
-> The family is not the origin of the curse.
Room 102: Get rid of the bias that you must go towards the _________.
-> Get rid of the bias that you must go towards the mansion.
Room 103: What you see is not all there is to it; it is not an ______ _____ .
-> What you see is not all there is to it; it is not an Animal Farm.
Room 104: It is natural for the ______ to ______ the father.
-> ?
“We need to look for new inheritances soon. When we plan, let’s keep these in mind. For now, let’s check out the next reward.”
*
Second Reward.
3-Day Rest Ticket.
“That’s the most straightforward reward, isn’t it? They even wrote an explanation on the back of the paper. The Rest Ticket is just like Party Time! For three days, no negative events will occur, and we can access places normally off-limits.”
“Places normally off-limits? You mean that ‘Sanctum of Blessings’ from before, right?”
“Speaking of which, remember that after Party Time, we all tried to turn the lights off to revisit the sanctum?”
“But the lights just went out normally, and we got hit by light from outside.”
“I bet there are more places accessible only during Party Time. We’ve been hearing all sorts of strange stories about ‘the Room of Resurrection,’ ‘the Buddha,’ and who knows what else?”
“Is there anywhere the Administration knows about?”
“Absolutely none.”
Was Ahri being truthful? I thought about it, but there was no way for me to find out if she wanted to keep it hidden.
“When should we use this Rest Ticket? We could use it starting tomorrow but also wait for another opportunity.”
“Shouldn’t we just use it now?” I suggested. “We’re all pretty exhausted. I still can’t wrap my head around the System Window saying ‘Day 21’. We had a tough time in the Mission Room, and it hasn’t even been a day yet. Let’s take a break.”
“First, I understand your feelings, Kain,” Eunsol-noona said. “Everyone’s had it rough, but at the end of the day, it’s the ones who made it to the end who have it the hardest. Of course, Jinchul too, going through to the sixth mission really took a toll.”
“Now is this my time to bow down and apologize for being crushed by a truck right from the start?”
“Definitely not,” she shot back. “I’m not looking to blame anyone; I’m just saying we should take a well-deserved break after such a struggle.”
“What does everyone else think?”
“It looks like Eunsol-unni has a different perspective. Just say what you think; it seems like Kain and unni decide, and we follow along,” Ahri stated.
… Was that how it felt to Ahri? I thought Eunsol-noona was making the decisions, but looking back, I often went off during these discussions.
“I can see the viewpoint of resting starting tomorrow. But, I think this ‘Rest Ticket’ should be used strategically rather than simply because we’re tired.
For instance, let’s imagine if some bizarre event turned the hotel into a hellscape. What if we used this Rest Ticket then?
I’m betting it would end that bizarre event. I want to save it for that situation.”
A heavy silence fell.
Our thoughts were clear-cut.
Topic: Let’s use the Rest Ticket now vs. Let’s save it.
Kain: We’re too tired from the Mission Room. We need to rest now.
Eunsol: The Rest Ticket should be used strategically. Not just for recovery, but in situations where we might die without using it, like if the Hotel enters a dangerous special event.
Her perspective seemed more compelling.
In the first place, I was just suggesting we rest because I was dead tired, while her thoughts were much more ‘strategic.’
Ultimately, we concluded we should save the Rest Ticket for future crises.
*
Third Reward.
An exceptionally delicious sandwich.
As the note detailing the sandwich was read, everyone went silent.
“Is there even anything to analyze here? Is it a sandwich with a secret? Did you check the packaging, unni?” Songee chimed in.
“I thought like Songee and checked thoroughly, but nothing. No explanation at all.”
“Maybe it’s just a dud. It came out of a bronze balloon. You know how it is, you can get junk items in gacha games too.”
“So this is what I hit the jackpot with? Great, looks like I have a lot of apologizing to do today.”
“Don’t sweat it, old man. If anyone else had shot, we probably wouldn’t have hit the grand prize either.”
In the end, we shared one sandwich among the eight of us.
Between two slices of sesame-seed bread, there were three perfectly fried slices of bacon, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions.
The taste of the sandwich was phenomenal.
*
Fourth Reward.
Red Capsule.
We opened the instruction sheet under the capsule and read it together. The explanation was straightforward and clear.
“Single-use only. Provides immunity against all types of mental attacks in the current room. Also heals any mental damage already taken.”
“So basically, it’s a consumable to breezily stroll through a room filled with mental attacks, right?”
“Did they give this to us for Room 101?”
“I’m not sure, but it sounds immensely helpful. If we can gain immunity against mental contamination from the ‘Strange Family’, it should make things much easier.”
“The use is clear, but let’s think about when to apply it later.”
“Where to use it is crucial, but more importantly, who should use it? Shouldn’t it be Jinchul-oppa?” Ahri remarked, giving Jinchul-hyung a nudge, who then nodded in agreement.
“Definitely, I’d pop off if I used it. Just for one time though.”
Physically, he was the strongest among us, yet he had the weakness of being susceptible to mental attacks.
Indeed, it seems this item is meant for Jincheul-hyung. It’s a shame it’s just a single-use item, yet gaining an inheritance from it could definitely be worthwhile.
*
Fifth Reward.
Golden Egg.
The most valuable, yet the least understandable treasure was next.
“Anyone have any guesses as to what this is?”
“Without any instructions, I genuinely have no clue.”
“Songee, have you ever seen an egg like this?”
“I can’t identify it just from the egg. Besides, I doubt a normal creature could emerge from an egg deemed the ultimate treasure in this bizarre hotel.”
“Let’s just keep it in a warm spot for now. I’m sure it’ll hatch in time.”
We carefully placed the golden egg atop a cushion near a heater in Room 105, and that’s where we left it.
*
“Unni, does that wrap things up for today? Because I’m really feeling drained.”
“We’re done with the rewards. I’ll post a summary here for reference.”
*
1. Clues for the Cursed Rooms
-> Room 101: Find a cause other than the family. Room 102: Try not going to the mansion.
2. 3-Day Rest Ticket
-> Use later when absolutely necessary.
3. An exceptionally delicious sandwich
-> Thank you for the food.
4. Red Capsule
-> For defense against mental attacks. Use when necessary.
5. Golden Egg
-> Placed next to the heater. It will hatch one day.
*
“Now, let’s decide on the really important matter. Where do we want to go tomorrow? The Strange Family? The Mansion of Fear? Or the Hotel High School?” Eunsol-noona asked.
“Let’s eliminate one option first. We couldn’t decipher the clue for Hotel High School at all, and it seems to be the hardest one,” I said.
“The Lord is somewhat unnerving as well. Alright, let’s cut out Room 104. Now we need to choose between the Strange Family and the Mansion of Fear.”
“Let me outline the pros and cons of both first. We’ll decide by majority vote in the end.”
“The upside of the Strange Family is it’s quite easy to escape.”
“We just need to distance ourselves from the family, right? We struggled at first because we had no means of countering the mental contamination, but we’re different now.”
“Now, I can either use filter mode or Songee can use her bracelet, enabling a surefire escape. Seungyub can stay cooped up in his room and jump out the window like last time.”
“The downside is there’s just so much we don’t understand. The curse’s origin is not the family? So what is it? We have no clue what’s dangerous.”
Taking a breath, I continued with my second option.
“On the other hand, the good thing about the Mansion of Fear is we know more about it.”
“Who’s our enemy?”
“At the core, it’s probably the devil lurking beneath the ground, but I doubt we’ll need to confront that devil. The devil resides in the mansion, but the hint is warning us not to go there.”
“Hence, it must be the mansion’s owner, the ‘Old Man’.”
“The downside is escaping from it can be complex. The confirmed escape condition is to thwart the ‘6 human sacrifices’ needed for the Old Man’s victory. I think several of us might need to commit suicide right off the bat.”
“Let’s summarize,” Eunsol-noona proposed. “In short, the Strange Family is easy to escape but lacks information, whereas the Mansion of Fear has plenty of information but is trickier to escape from.”
“What do you all think is better?”
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