Chapter: 79
Chapter 79 – What Ahri Went Through (3), Party Time (1)
Heaven above heaven, a world outside the world.
A pillar extending from beyond all creation gently pressed down on the Hotel.
Only at that moment did I realize.
The “pillar” was indeed a “finger.”
The Head Director of the Hospital mentioned that the Hotel within a Hotel was akin to a black hole in the universe giving birth to another universe inside it.
How could I have missed that? If a universe can be born within a universe, then surely, there can be boundless universes beyond our own!
A single “finger” gently pressed down on all the evil gods.
As if someone was simply squashing a fly.
In that surreal spectacle, I was dumbfounded, and even the Head Director seemed spellbound.
“Khahaha! Is it you? Have you locked us up? Who are you, are you the father of all creation or something? What the hell do you want—”
– Crack!
Just a single “press.”
It was enough to crush that wicked existence, who had forged a fraction of their power into shards and handed it over to mortals, bringing the world to ruin, with just a flick of a finger.
…
My instincts whispered to me. That being, yes, that very entity. The answers to all my countless questions and my deepest desires lay with it.
I rushed forward in a daze. As the ground crumbled beneath me, I grasped at the collapsing walls with both hands. When the wall fell, I bit down on a fabric to cling on. When the fabric tore away, I strived to hold on in the void using my blood.
I moved chaotically and knelt in mid-air towards the “finger.”
… So many questions flooded into my mind simultaneously that I couldn’t tell what to ask first.
Please, please! Answer me.
Any answer will do! You may be a stranger to me, but if you can oversee the world with a mere finger, you must know “anything,” right?
In the frozen time and space of everything coming to a halt—
I heard a “voice.”
“I will meet your beginning on the second floor. When that time comes, you must choose for yourself.”
My beginning. Could it be…
“The Room of!”
But what am I supposed to do there?
—Beeeeeep!
A strange alarm rang out. My mind began to clear. It felt as if a massive eraser was rubbing away the sentences inside my head.
… I have seen too much. I’ve crossed the line that was permitted for participants. I suppose I won’t remember what transpired during the Fifth Attempt after venturing outside.
My consciousness began to fade. Just before losing it entirely, I thought to myself, If you’re going to erase my memory anyway, at least give me a proper explanation!
*
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 24
Current Location: Floor 1, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: 2]
– Han Kain
I regained consciousness. Awakened, it appeared my teammates had somehow resolved the situation. Thank goodness.
… And it’s obvious I didn’t gain any inheritance. I didn’t receive any notifications.
Turning around, I spotted the people I had missed dearly during our brief separation. They were chatting and laughing, and I was quickly informed about who had received the inheritance.
“The Star Fragment from Another World.”
After learning about the inheritance, I was rather relieved it wasn’t mine. It might sound like sour grapes, but really, it was an inheritance I wouldn’t have been able to use anyway. Unlike the bracelet, it was a notably more penalizing inheritance.
It also felt good to see Jinchul-hyung finally return to his confident self, a welcome sight after witnessing him shrink during his questionable deaths.
Well, isn’t it about time for me to get one too?
*
When everyone returned to Room 105, we were met with a grand display of fireworks and applause, filling the room just like before.
—Boom! —Boom! Clap clap clap! Clap clap clap! Clap clap clap!
“Hey hey hey! It’s so noisy! Quiet down!”
Jinchul-hyung shouted in embarrassment as a notification appeared.
“/Dear esteemed guests! Congratulations!
The staff of the Hotel sincerely congratulates you on discovering your second treasure.
An unknown source of curses! Comrades falling one by one! The unbearable pain of body and mind!
You have undoubtedly proven yourselves to be the heroes we have been waiting for.
This treasure is particularly difficult to use. No matter how strong your body may be, it’s equally challenging.
Using it even briefly weakens mind and body, making practice difficult even with ample time.
That’s why our Hotel has prepared a special place for you!
How about visiting the basement, the ‘Timeless Safari’?
It’s the perfect setting to get accustomed to using your treasure. Starting tomorrow, enjoy 5 days of rest! It would be wise to become familiar with the treasure during this time.
Today’s surprise event: Party Time! Begins now.
# Party Time will last for 5 days, during which no dangerous incidents will occur. Rumor has it there’s a secret that only reveals itself during Party Time! /”
We all gathered in front of the display to carefully read the contents. The message slightly differed from the time Songee received her bracelet.
First off, the Party Time has been extended from 3 days to 5 days. Did they give us more time because this inheritance is trickier to master?
It seemed like the penalties concerning the Star Fragment were significantly more complicated than the bracelet, which only offered a slight headache. Would it take a considerable amount of time for Jinchul-hyung to get used to it?
Also, the mysterious location, the ‘Timeless Safari,’ was mentioned. It appeared to be an appropriate venue to learn how to use the inheritance.
I wasn’t too sure about it. Instead of pondering alone, I looked over at Ahri, who has been here before.
?
Ahri seemed strange. She wasn’t looking at the notification screen; instead, she sat with her hands clutching her head.
“Ahri? What are you doing?”
“…”
“Do you know what this ‘Timeless Safari’ is?”
“…”
By then, the others started flocking towards her.
“Ahri-noona? Are you okay?”
It was only then that Ahri stood up to respond.
“I can’t remember.”
“What can’t you remember?”
“The Fifth Attempt. I have absolutely no recollection of what happened after the door to Room 101 opened. It just feels like I walked out the moment the door opened.”
Eunsol-noona showed interest.
“That’s intriguing! Have you had anything similar happen before?”
“This is my first time in the Hotel. There was a time I died right after entering a room, but never before have I had no memories at all.”
“Did you maybe get killed by your mom the instant you entered or something?”
“… My relationship with her isn’t that terrible.”
It felt like we wouldn’t decipher anything more from this conversation. Seemingly thinking the same, Eunsol-noona cut us off.
“Let’s talk more when you remember, for now, let’s grab a bite!”
*
The food at the Hotel was as delicious as ever, but after having achieved significant results, it tasted even better. As we were finishing the meal, Eunsol-noona spoke up.
“Let’s agree to take the day off. However, let’s list out what we still need to do during our time. The first thing that comes to mind is the ‘Safari’ the Hotel recommended we visit. Also, we should come up with a plan for the last day, right? We must decide between Room 102, the Mansion of Fear, Room 104, Hotel High School, or Room 107, the Gate Room.”
I chimed in with an essential schedule.
“Since it’s Party Time, let’s not forget to visit the Sanctum of Blessings. Many of us should be able to enhance our blessings this time.”
Grandpa Mooksung followed up.
“Well, since we have some rare free time, how about we take the opportunity to train, at the very least for the guys?”
“Training?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean literally! That pig can handle himself; he’ll manage fine. This time, he’ll be busy learning to master his inheritance. But Kain, Seungyub, don’t you think you should work on building your stamina to get through this treacherous Hotel?”
A chilling feeling settled in my gut.
“Uh… Thanks for the offer. But it’s just 5 days, not like 50, so what kind of elaborate training could we—”
“Just 5 days? ONLY 5 days?? Do you think this Hotel will generously give you another chance for 5 free days anytime soon? You all seriously need to toughen up!”
… Clearly, there was no room for negotiation. Grandpa seemed intent on making my life miserable during this “Party Time.”
Let’s think positively. Perhaps he’ll teach us some secret tricks from the management office! I recalled the time when Grandpa soared through the mountains like some martial arts master back at the Mansion of Fear and soothed myself with optimism.
That was when Elena suddenly piped up.
“Grandpa, can I join in too?”
Grandpa Mooksung replied with an enthusiastic expression.
“Eh? Of course! Songee, you’re welcome to join too.”
Songee, who had been trying to avoid looking our way, responded with a downcast expression.
“Okay…”
As Grandpa’s gaze shifted towards Eunsol-noona, she quickly pivoted to a different topic.
“Great! I’ll write down the names of those who want to work on their physical training. Plus, since it’s Party Time, we should also explore. There might be some fascinating things beyond just the Sanctum of Blessings, right? So far, our checklist looks like this:
1. Visit the Timeless Safari.
2. Enhance blessings at the Sanctum of Blessings.
3. Physical training.
4. Hotel exploration.
5. Decide which room to enter.
That sums it up for now! If you think of anything more, let’s talk about it tomorrow! Now, let’s take a break.”
She hastily wrapped up the conversation and stood up. There was an unexpected urgency in her manner, unlike her usual demeanor.
… I could sense that she was rushing to avoid the chance of Grandpa recruiting her into the training squad.
*
— Kim Ahri
After the meal, everyone parted ways to their individual spaces, while I found myself lingering at the front desk, deep in thought.
Why did all my memories from the Fifth Attempt vanish?
I truly have no clue.
Even if I was contaminated by the curse right from the beginning, my memories should have remained; at least a bizarre fragment or two should have stuck around. And it’s not like my mom even has the power to erase memories!
Did I brainwash myself? But, even that wouldn’t be capable of wiping my memories so thoroughly. Lost in these convoluted musings, Mooksung approached from a distance.
“What on earth are you thinking about all by yourself?”
“I’ve been trying to figure out why I lost my memory.”
“Hm. That does sound curious. You didn’t erase your own memories, did you?”
I considered that, but it definitely felt different from when I delete my own memories.
“Hmm… I’m drawing a blank here.”
“Yeah, I was about to give up as well. By the way, what’s with the sudden talk about physical training?”
“What do you mean? Didn’t you bring that up a few days ago?”
“Me? Training?”
“What on earth are you rambling about? When did I ever talk about training for stamina?”
“You were worried that Kain was growing too accustomed to this Hotel’s bizarre atmosphere. I distinctly remember you saying to guide him back to a more human path.”
“And what does that have to do with training?”
“You really don’t seem to grasp people well. Were you perhaps born superhuman?”
“Nope. No matter how I think about it, the odd one here is you, Mooksung, not me.”
“A healthy mind dwells within a healthy body. The trials of this Hotel are harsh, and because your body is weak, you keep concocting underhanded schemes to tackle your dilemmas. Repeating that only poisons your mind over time.”
“Oh! I see! So, if we train the body diligently, then in turn, he’ll smash through all the trials using his fists, and that’s how a healthy mind resides within him? Is that right?”
“Exactly that.”
“… I don’t get it. You just do you.”
Mooksung left with an immensely proud expression on his face. Whether or not that had any relevance to me, I just hoped he wouldn’t pull a stunt like “Ahri told me to do this” while mercilessly pushing anyone beyond their limits.
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