### Chapter 177 – Party Time – Contemplating Room 104, Exploration of the Second Floor (4)
—
– Han Kain
I was taken aback by the somewhat cryptic advice that had been given. Everyone around me began questioning its content.
“What was the answer?”
“….”
“Is it another owl-style riddle?”
“‘The wisest one arranges a game where everyone can benefit.’”
The table went quiet for a moment. My sister was the first to break the silence.
“That sounds vaguely familiar. Let me explain in simple terms. Normally, when a businessman sets up a scheme, doing it just for himself is a rookie mistake. If it’s all about his own gain, the other side will obviously rebel intensely and the scheme will collapse.”
“So it means that a stable setup requires everyone to benefit, right?”
“Exactly. That way, everyone’s happy, and the setup doesn’t break, leading to everyone becoming rich together. It’s kind of like game theory. You’ve heard of Nash Equilibrium, right?”
Nash Equilibrium refers to a state in game theory where players have chosen the best strategy for themselves and no one has anything to gain by changing their strategy. Roughly speaking, it’s similar to the meaning of “if everyone benefits, no one wants to break the situation.”
“I understand the meaning, but there are too many confusing parts. First of all, who is this ‘wisest one’? It sounds like it might be encouraging me to be wise and set up the game, based on the word ‘wisdom.’”
“I thought of the owl. It’s the patron of wisdom, right?”
Ahri immediately shook her head.
“I don’t think the owl is the subject. You have to consider the following phrase. Is the ‘one who arranges the game’ the subject of the sentence? In the hotel, a patron can’t be the one to set up the game. I’d say it’s more like referring to the ‘Lord’—a being that transcends mortals and thus, has every right to the title of the wisest.”
Ahri’s point was reasonable. In this place, the patrons are beings that are kept at arm’s length and can’t truly be the ones arranging anything.
But if we see the subject as the ‘Lord’, then why the usage of the word ‘wisdom’? In the hotel, ‘wisdom’ is synonymous with the name of my blessing. The owl doesn’t throw words around without significance.
Thinking back to what the Head had said in Room 201, I realized that the owl didn’t enjoy answering in riddles to mock or persecute me. Instead, it used ambiguous expressions to pack as much meaning into a succinct sentence.
The riddle that had plagued us throughout Room 201, “Catching a finger while gazing at the moon.” What was the finger, and what was the essence?
At first, I thought maybe the cube was the finger, and the base was the essence. Then I pondered if it was about sending a clone while the actual brain—Beatrice—was somewhere else. Ultimately, it seems like Beatrice herself was the finger, meaning the essence was probably to focus on the ‘prisoner.’
Could it be that all these interpretations were conveyed in just four characters?
From that perspective, I shouldn’t try to find a singular right interpretation of the owl’s words. The goal is to convey multiple interpretations simultaneously.
“It seems both could be correct. The subject could be Han Kain or the ‘Lord.’ Perhaps the owl’s advice meant something like this?”
I jotted down my interpretations on the whiteboard.
1. “The ‘Lord’ has already set up a game where everyone benefits.”
2. “To break that game, you need to create another one where everyone benefits.”
Ahri tilted her head slightly and murmured.
“I don’t think we can conclude anything just with this….”
True. Though it transformed into two clear sentences as opposed to the initial advice, it remained equally abstract. I couldn’t understand it easily. I’d need to write additional advice before reaching any conclusions. The problem was the chill in the hotel. Starting tomorrow, I couldn’t write advice aimed at solving my curiosity about Room 104.
Suddenly, Ahri made a slightly fatigued expression.
“Didn’t we talk about Room 104 before?”
“We did.”
“Could it be that you’re too obsessed with needing to break Room 104? I don’t see why you think you must go there. The hotel doesn’t require resolving all the rooms anyway.”
“…”
“Are you regretting missing the inheritance in Room 104? But you’ve already received rewards separate from the inheritance in Room 104.”
That was right. I had already gained a powerful reward called ‘Descent’ from Room 104. Sister Eunsol slightly supported my side.
“I can understand Kain’s thinking. It’s likely that the first floor is easier than the second. It’s normal to feel uneasy progressing to a more difficult layer while leaving an easier one unresolved.”
“There’s some logic in that, but Room 104 feels off. It’s as if there’s something ‘rotten’ about that room.”
“That’s… definitely true. It’s rather strange. There’s a chilling aspect to it.”
I think I understood what that meant. It was something I often thought about.
Every room on the first floor, even the most challenging obstacle rooms have been cleared, yet that one place remains shrouded in mystery—Room 104.
Strangely, a reward called ‘Descent’ was given without even resolving Room 104.
Oddly, the prisoner connected to Room 104 twisted the hotel’s notifications, declaring that “You have not failed.”
Inexplicably, to pose questions related to Room 104, I had to write three pieces of advice.
In this hotel, oddities translate into foreboding and fear. All these strange changes were making my companions apprehensive about Room 104.
… A peculiar feeling washed over me.
It was as if a sly spider was looking down on us from an exceedingly high point. Those caught in the sticky webs yearn to escape but find it difficult to do so.
What schemes could the ‘Lord’ be concocting?
—
Just as the surrounding quieted down, someone approached from a distance.
“I’m back!”
“Hm? Seungyub?”
It had barely been 30 minutes since we left the Sanctuary of Blessings!
The reason became clear quickly. He opted to conserve contribution points like I once did and then snag a powerful enhancement all at once.
“Oh, and the patron mentioned something about the cold.”
Grandpa, who had been wrestling with the green tea ice block, widened his eyes and exclaimed.
“What? Did that rascal give a decent hint?”
“… Prepare well for the cold?”
Is that what he gave as advice? Is he the owl? For a moment, everyone felt flabbergasted. As Seungyub returned, the conversation naturally shifted from Room 104 to the preparations for the cold. Sister was the first to speak up.
“Let’s start with the obvious. We need to prepare for the extreme cold. I’ve already ordered everything from the market. Just in case, I ordered a tent too.”
Grandpa immediately responded.
“From today onward, start gathering hotel supplies. Can we take any items from the underground facilities? There were high-performance cold weather supplies in the ‘Hiking Room.’”
“That would be difficult. If those items leave the room, they just disappear.”
“Then transform that parrot and pluck some feathers.”
— Peeeeeek!
“Peeek is nonsense! Just gathering enough feathers from my hair would make a hat!”
Wait, did you really pluck that much hair from Grandpa?
“Alright, everyone! Let’s keep it down. Now we all know what to do, right? We need to roam around the hotel and collect stuff to prepare for the cold.”
What’s worth gathering, though?
It’s unfortunate that we can’t take items out from the underground facilities, so we have to search the first floor. My eyes landed on the curtains and tablecloths around, which I had used to make makeshift winter clothing earlier.
Ahri raised a question.
“Since we’re talking about gathering items, can we use the ‘Hand of Greed’? Can’t we get some suitable items for cold preparation?”
“I thought about that too, but since last time I got the eyeball, I can’t use it yet. It must have an incredibly long cooldown time.”
“That makes sense. The skill gives supernatural equipment every time it’s used, so it’s understandable it would take time to regenerate. It’s a bummer, though.”
As everyone discussed how to survive the increasingly cold hotel, one problem nagged at me.
Simply enduring the cold isn’t the end of it. Ultimately, we must end the premature ice age in the hotel, and the solution to this dilemma must lie in the second floor.
I needed to go up and see what’s happening there.
“Before the cold gets more severe, shouldn’t we check the second floor?”
Everyone seemed to be thinking along the same lines and nodded. Jinchul showed a strong response.
“Great idea. That’s what I was thinking too. Let’s go to the second floor. Who should I take with me?”
Though it appeared he was extending the proposal to everyone, his gaze was aimed at one person. Even I could see that the number of staff suitable for exploration was limited.
Excluding Jinchul, who can withstand the cold with the power of ‘Courage’, only the protective suit equips anyone else for enduring the harshness and undertaking exploration. Thus, beyond him, there’s really only room for one more.
There’s only one person among us who can navigate the surroundings through the blizzard.
Sister let out a deep sigh.
“Ugh~ This is why I didn’t mention going to the second floor. Well, we have to do what we must. Let’s have Jinchul and me go.”
“Sure! I’ll break the ice and create a path, while you scope things out with your vision. We’ll figure something out.”
The two seemed to overlook one crucial fact.
“Sorry, but one more person needs to go.”
“What? I think you forgot there’s only one protective suit—”
“And the other person doesn’t have to engage in exploration; they just need to wrap themselves in a blanket in a corner and endure. Whichever way you put it, we need someone else going. Grandpa?”
Normal communication isn’t possible on the second floor due to the blizzard. Support from the conversation tab is essential.
Grandpa massaged the back of his neck.
“Yikes! Here I thought I was old enough to skip strenuous tasks, and then this young whippersnapper springs me into action!”
“…”
“Off we go now! You need to strike while the iron is hot, right? Let’s move!”
“Wait? Are you saying the chef should too?”
“…”
“….”
“Seungyub, you should rest a bit more; you must be tired.”
Ahri’s caring words brightened Seungyub’s expression instantly.
“Let’s take Pero too! I saw him going back and forth between Room 201, and he seems well-suited to endure the cold.”
— Peep! Peep!
“Ahh! Don’t bite!~ It hurts~!”
A moment of joy passed as the extremely annoyed parrot nibbled on Songi’s hair.
—
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.