Chapter: 125
### 125 – Room 107, The Gate Room – ‘The Secret of the Esper Ship’ (16)
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
Date: Day 45
Current Location: Level 1, Room 107 (The Gate Room)
Wise Advice: 1
—
– Han Kain
While I pretended to be fast asleep, straining to eavesdrop on the strange conversation, Pero materialized between us, transformed into a grotesque creature.
Moments of silence were broken as the ominous chatter resumed.
“What the heck is that? Is such a creature real?”
“In a world with demons, a monster bird shouldn’t be surprising.”
“Easy for you to say. Have you forgotten that someone must be sacrificed tonight?”
“… Why isn’t that bird falling asleep? Does the music box not work on animals?”
“That’s impossible. It’s always worked on dogs and cats.”
“Maybe it’s not an ordinary animal. Can’t we just kill it?”
“Lady Amiang, if we start fighting, these people might wake up. Plus, judging by the way they handle such creatures, they don’t seem like your run-of-the-mill folks. Let’s avoid a ruckus. We should subdue that monster quietly. Conveniently, isn’t there a proper ‘cage’ we can use?”
“So tonight…”
“Let’s use the ‘backup’ option. After all, it’s awkward to sacrifice someone right now, isn’t it?”
“That’s true. Everyone’s been talking without saying much. We only managed to learn names at best. We definitely need to figure out more.”
With my eyes half-open, it was hard to distinguish the speakers.
I guessed from their voices: two older men, a high-pitched woman called “Amiang,” and a younger man proposing using the “backup.”
With that last remark, the ominous air that filled the room seemed to dissipate.
But, just in case, I stayed motionless until morning.
I analyzed the conversation I overheard just before I almost dozed off.
—
When I finally came to, my teammates were already awake and enjoying a simple breakfast.
Grandpa waved at me as I blinked awake.
“Hey! You finally woke up? Come and grab some bread!”
“Did Kain Oppa just wake up? You seemed really tired yesterday. I tried shaking you awake, but you wouldn’t budge.”
… What’s up with this cheerful atmosphere?
After fainting while waiting for the scenario to unfold, shouldn’t I have felt a hint of dread upon waking up?
Instead, everyone was seated there comfortably, without a hint of suspicion.
I stepped closer and began to point out the previous night’s events. As I spoke, everyone’s eyes widened, and they stopped eating to listen closely.
After I relayed the conversation about those ‘faces,’ Grandpa chimed in.
“I didn’t notice any of that until you pointed it out. Waiting for your scenario to pop up at midnight and then suddenly passing out as a whole? We should definitely be suspicious upon awakening.”
Ahri seemed to sense the cause of it all.
“You mentioned that we all fell asleep due to the music box, right? That means the music box might have a kind of hypnotic effect. We were fine last night. You all should relax. It’s probably some faint sort of hypnosis.”
“Kain Oppa. Did you check the scenario?”
“I couldn’t open my eyes all night acting like I was sleeping, so I couldn’t. Let’s check now.”
—
/Scenario: The Gate Room – ‘The Secret of the Esper Ship’
As the clock struck midnight, the hotel party, unaware of their impending danger, fell asleep under the power of the music box.
Luckily, thanks to the grotesque parrot, they were able to survive the first night of the contract.
However, the beast hunting the group is drawing nearer with each passing moment.
Will they be able to survive tonight’s peril?
Please check back at midnight for further details./
—
The first two lines recount events that had already transpired, but it was the mention of ‘the first night of the contract’ that caught my attention.
What could the ‘contract’ refer to? There’s also a warning about ‘tonight’s peril,’ implying that the same danger we faced last night is looming.
It’s quite astonishing, really, how easy it has been to navigate past the cursed rooms without understanding the scenarios.
We kicked off a meeting with the group, focusing on analyzing the strange conversation I overheard last night and what we just gleaned from the scenario.
Ahri spoke up first.
“In the conversation I eavesdropped on, I noticed two main points. First, they mentioned, ‘We have to sacrifice someone.’ It sounds like they have a wicked ritual planned for one of us. Second, they said to use ‘backup.’ It seems they were thwarted in their wicked ritual by Pero, so if they’re suggesting ‘backup,’ it may mean there’s another sacrifice trapped somewhere on the ship.”
Grandpa Mooksung chimed in as well.
“The second point is intriguing. ‘It’s vague who to sacrifice, and we only found out names,’ suggests they might need a fair bit of our personal information for their ritual. Thinking back, during that dinner party, they seemed desperate to pry into our lives.”
I added my two cents.
“Let’s combine what we just learned with the scenario. It appears our adversaries are concocting a wicked ritual that may involve sacrificing us. They’re likely after our personal information for this ‘contract’ we heard about in the scenario. It’s probable they’ll strike again tonight.”
Elena raised a question.
“I’m curious about something. Why are they waiting until tonight? Plenty of crew members are armed, so why not just intimidate us with force? Of course, if they tried that, I’d be forced to unleash justice upon them, but they shouldn’t have that info, right?”
“Perhaps they have certain restrictions? Like needing our personal data for the ritual?”
Grandpa Mooksung nodded in agreement.
“That holds merit. If they had the ability to act during the day, they would have already played the music box again to drag us all in. They can’t do such things during the day, so they leave us be? Also, the scenario emphasizes the hour of midnight repeatedly.”
After a moment of listening, Songee spoke up.
“I keep thinking about the last part of their conversation. They suggested subduing us when Pero disrupted them, mentioning that there was a ‘proper cage’ available, right?”
“Since Pero transformed into a grotesque form, saying that with confidence was odd. That cage shouldn’t be ordinary—it must be the type that monsters can’t escape from.”
A brief silence fell over the table.
Ahri spoke again.
“Good theory, but let’s first deal with the urgent matter.”
“The urgent matter?”
“The music box. If it starts functioning again, besides you using the filter, everyone will fall asleep, right? It rang from all over the room yesterday. I found one, but it seems there are a lot more. We should locate and destroy them all.”
Nods of agreement passed around as we stood up. Plans are plans, but right now, the most pressing threat was the music box; we should locate and dismantle all of them.
—
We spent the morning rummaging through the entire room.
From underneath the bed, under the chairs, behind the table, and even inside clocks, the music boxes kept popping up.
By the time we gathered them on the table, there was hardly enough space left. Seeing so many raised alarms in my mind.
“Are we sure we got them all? I feel like there’s still one hidden somewhere.”
Grandpa Mooksung seemed to be pondering something and gazed over at Ahri.
Ahri nodded.
“I have a way to find out.”
“What’s that?”
“Um… actually, I have a power called ‘compass.’”
???
What’s that supposed to mean?
While Songee, Elena, and I were left gaping, Ahri continued.
“It’s a power I got when I enhanced my blessing. It helps locate desired objects. But there are some restrictions. Sometimes it gets blocked by powerful supernatural forces, and I need to be aware of what I’m searching for in terms of shape and characteristics. I can’t use it on people, but I can find music boxes like this one.”
As I listened in a daze, Songee finally spoke.
“Why are you just telling us about such a useful ability now?!”
I awkwardly chuckled and pulled Songee along.
“If you got it when you enhanced, it probably just happened not long ago. Things have been quite complicated all this time. Let’s just be glad you shared it now.”
After that, Ahri made a slightly apologetic gesture before waving her hand in the air.
Moments later, we found three more music boxes.
“Is this it?”
“Probably.”
“Well, that’s a relief. Otherwise, we might have fallen asleep again tonight.”
“Exactly… so Songee, please take him away.”
“Seems Pero likes you. What can I do?”
—
As we watched Pero attempting to nibble on Ahri’s ear for the tenth time, the morning drew to a close.
—
When we finally flung the collected music boxes out of the window into the sea, a knock resounded at the door.
— Ding!
Tension filled the air. After exchanging glances, Grandpa Mooksung opened the door.
“Who’s there?”
Two apparent crew members stood outside the door.
“Good day! Hope you had a pleasant time last night?”
“The sleeping arrangements were a bit uneasy. Do you have something to say?”
“We received complaints from guests in a nearby room.”
“Complaints?”
“They claimed you are keeping a bird in here? They said the bird was making too much noise.”
—
A chill ran down my spine. Memories of the conversation I overheard last night when they spoke of subduing the bird flashed through my mind.
“Our bird doesn’t make any noise. You must be mistaken.”
“No, it’s definitely this room.”
“Unpleasant noises… do you have any proof? Without evidence, I won’t listen any further.”
— Thud!
Ignoring the crew member’s words, Grandpa Mooksung attempted to close the door, but the crew member wedged his knee in to stop him.
The crew member casually lifted a hand to his waist, revealing a glinting revolver strapped there.
“What is that? Are you trying to threaten us?”
“Hahaha! Sir, threaten? No, we have a duty to maintain order onboard. We kindly ask for your cooperation.”
Though we weren’t unarmed, our numbers were a different story.
Ultimately, Grandpa Mooksung had no choice but to back down.
Another crew member was holding a rusty birdcage.
At first glance, it appeared ordinary, but I recognized right away.
That cage was undoubtedly the ‘proper cage’ mentioned in last night’s conversation.
Tension thickened in the room.
The revolver-wielding crew member suddenly burst into laughter.
“There’s no need for such anxiety! We will take good care of the parrot. We’ll provide high-quality nuts daily; there’s no need for concern at all.”
As the crew member with the cage approached with a nonchalant demeanor, the decision was clear.
Everyone’s eyes shifted towards Pero.
Songee casually petted Pero while subtly signaling him to do something.
— Flap!
Suddenly, Pero took flight!
Before any of us or the crew members could react, Pero soared straight toward the open window.
At the moment, the crew member pulled out his firearm, but Grandpa Mooksung deftly redirected the gun’s barrel.
— Bang!
“What’s going on?”
“I was going to say that! You idiot! Planning to shoot a bird flying away?”
Grandpa, caught in the moment, hammered the crew member.
In that situation, it merely looked like a bird had whimsically taken flight, yet the crew member had drawn his gun for no reason.
With clear justification on our side, the guy bled from his nose after taking a few hits and started to back off.
Once regaining his composure, the crew member bowed his head.
“Pardon me. I was taken aback when the bird jumped up. This is entirely my fault.”
The other crew member continuously apologized, and both quickly exited the room.
We shifted our gazes to Songee, stunned.
—
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