### Chapter 187 – Prayer for the Maze (6)
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 93
Current Location: Ice Hell – Room of Resurrection
Sage’s Advice: 3]
—
When I came to in a dizzying state, we found ourselves outside the door. Checking the status window, I realized that the date had passed in the meantime.
“Ugh~ I never thought Santa would be the culprit. Are you okay?”
The old man, clutching his head, answered.
“That Santa guy is really something. Singing while casting all kinds of spells—how am I supposed to deal with that? Ahri, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. But… I should have sensed something was off when I heard those Christmas carols!”
Just then, Eunsol approached from across.
“Sounds like it didn’t go well?”
“It looks like the first attempt failed. I think we have to go in again. Let me catch my breath first—”
“I’m sorry, but we need to head back in right now.”
“Uh, what?”
“I’m sorry. But our side isn’t doing as well as we thought. We need to save as much time as possible.”
???
What does that even mean? “Our side holding out”? Wasn’t the prayer team just supposed to sit tight? While I was panicking, trying to ask something, Ahri took swift action.
“Looks like they have their own struggles. Let’s head in right away and we can hold a meeting. We have plenty of time before Santa goes on a rampage.”
“… Everyone, be careful. We’ll resolve this as quickly as possible.”
We immediately returned to the maze’s hell.
—
As the “Hell Team” followed Eunsol’s orders and entered the maze’s hell, Jinchul came running over after checking the situation on the first floor.
“Big sis! What happened?”
“The first attempt seems to have failed. We’re going to have to try again.”
“Got it.”
“What about Seungyub and Songee?”
“They’re barely staying alive, gasping for breath. I’ve wrapped them up in sleeping bags and blankets.”
“The weather is too harsh. Who would’ve thought that the ‘Resting Scent Candle’ would burn off human energy as fuel? What’s the status on the first floor?”
“It’s a mess. It’s turned into a hellhole, just as bad as the second floor. Room 105’s door is completely locked. What about Elena?”
“It’s been about three hours since she went in. She’s probably starting to suffer. I’ll go in next.”
“…”
“Take this.”
“What’s this…?”
“It might be something that can save us.”
In Jinchul’s hand was a single white piece of paper.
‘3-Day Rest Ticket.’
—
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy New Year!
Hearing the carol ringing out in English made me realize all over again.
This place is an American school, so clearly everyone—students and teachers alike—would be speaking English in actual history. Thankfully, the hotel has translated all of those conversations into Korean for us.
The words that weren’t translated are the ones packed with supernatural power, similar to the maze’s ‘powerful words’. Why is it that carols are the only thing playing in English? It was like a premonition warning that the carols themselves are something supernatural!
As soon as I woke up from the maze’s hell, I dashed to the teacher’s office where Ahri and the old man should be.
“Have you thought it over?”
“Regarding how to deal with Santa? He seems to be quite a challenge, doesn’t he?”
“Historically, the Administration Bureau would have handled this, right? The maze probably got lucky.”
“That would make sense. The Bureau would have had their ways to take him out, be it with helicopters or missiles. But we need to find another method. We can’t contact the Bureau at all.”
Ahri nodded in agreement.
“It seems the hotel didn’t implement any way to connect with the Bureau inside ‘Maze Hell,’ so it looks like we have to handle this ourselves.”
“Let’s each voice our thoughts on his weaknesses. From what I gathered, he stays calm before Christmas. You all know Santa is already around way before Christmas, right? Perhaps he’s already here!”
During the first attempt, I encountered Santa while having a snowball fight with the maze.
“That’s definitely an important point. Maybe killing him before Christmas is the answer.”
Ahri added her thoughts.
“I sensed that he has to sing the carol before he can use his powers. It’s like every technique requires a sort of ‘preparation time’.”
“It seems every time he used a technique like summoning blizzard reindeer or blowing heads up, he had to sing the corresponding carol first, right?”
After pondering for a moment, the old man chimed in.
“He didn’t seem incredibly powerful physically. You might not recall, but I landed a hit on him with a punch I received from that merchant, and he just flew off rather easily.”
“Yet he managed to get right back up, didn’t he? Even after taking a bullet, he seemed fine.”
The old man paused, as if deep in thought, then replied.
“I believe my judgment from a closer perspective is accurate. Both my punch and the bullet weren’t totally powerless. They just seemed insufficient. What if we set his whole body on fire?”
After some back-and-forth, Ahri swiftly combined our ideas.
“His main body isn’t all that strong, and he uses ‘carols’ as spells to activate his magic, right? While Mooksung holds him down, why don’t we restrict his mouth and set him ablaze?”
It was a good idea that came out rather quickly. With the body’s physical prowess being weaker than expected, and given he’s a monster that murmurs spells to use magic, it was like a sort of mage, maybe? We could block his mouth before chanting and burn him. It was a fitting strategy considering Santa’s powers.
After fine-tuning the detailed plan for about 30 minutes, we began waiting for Santa to appear.
—
During the first attempt, Santa showed up around 6 or 7 o’clock on the playground, accompanied by reindeer. We still didn’t know the exact conditions for his appearance, so we decided to create an environment as similar as possible to then.
Simply put, I was currently having a snowball fight with the kids.
— Whack!
“Spinning Tornado Shot!”
“…”
“Yahhhh!”
Since meeting Ahri, I realized she doesn’t seem to have any flaws. She excels in studies and possesses physical capabilities far beyond regular folks. Even though the ‘ancient blood’ aspect has faded, her inherent talent remains undiminished.
“How does every throw end up hitting right on target?”
“Just aim for the head and throw.”
“…That’s actually a good tactic.”
— Whack!
In that moment, a snowball came flying from my side and slapped me right across the cheek. Seeing that, Ahri chuckled, and in the distance, the maze and other kids were also giggling.
Since I was the only one hit with snow while everyone else was happily laughing, is this the definition of a happy ending?
—
As I stood there blankly, listening to the carols, I gradually acknowledged that it was getting to be that time.
Han Kain: It’s about that time.
Kim Ahri: Should we let the kids in?
Since we weren’t sure of the precise conditions for Santa’s appearance, it was crucial to maintain a situation similar to the first attempt.
Han Kain: Excluding the maze.
Soon, Ahri and the old man, who had been observing nearby, sent the children in. Was there a way to keep just the maze behind? Fortunately, this dilemma resolved itself easily.
Once the grandfather began sending in the kids, the maze pulled on Ahri’s arm and hid behind a car, while the old man pretended not to notice and moved to prepare for handling Santa.
Han Kain: Stay with the maze.
Now it was time to wait.
—
— Whoosh!
A chilling breath tickled my ears! I turned my head toward the sound, eyes wide open, and realized I was the only one who had heard it.
Ahri and the old man weren’t reacting at all until my tense expression prompted them to belatedly turn their heads toward the noise.
Soon, a reindeer emerged from the woods.
— Whoosh. Whoosh. Thud.
The same reindeer that had been munching on human heads just a few hours ago now trotted gracefully through the snow like the sweetest animal.
“…You’re quite elegant now.”
“Ho ho~! Kid, you’ve got a discerning eye. That little one is delicate and graceful beyond appearances.”
Santa has appeared!
Once again, his entrance was just like before. While everyone’s attention was on the reindeer, he suddenly appeared behind us, as if he had teleported.
“Ah? Is that you, Santa Claus?”
“Of course! What’s your name, little one?”
“I’m Han Kain. By the way, the kids over there are Maze and Ahri.”
…Something seems off. I realized something I hadn’t felt when we first met.
“Yeah, yeah. What a lovely time. But Kain?”
“Yes?”
“Are you a good kid?”
Suddenly, that line came through in English. What could it mean? Was that line imbued with magical power?
As I pondered, the conversation tab became noisy.
Kim Mooksung: I’ll silence that guy’s mouth—
Han Kain: Stop.
Kim Ahri: ?
Kim Mooksung: ?
Han Kain: It’s useless. This is not the time.
Because I hadn’t answered Santa’s question while concentrating on the conversation tab, the old man began showing signs of irritation.
“Kid, you’re supposed to answer if an adult asks you. I’m starting to doubt whether you’re a good kid.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to not answer; I was just thinking about whether I was a good kid.”
“…That’s a decent answer. You look like you’ve been questioning whether you’re a good kid. Just wondering is enough to show that you are indeed a good kid.”
“Thanks.”
“Who can say there’s a completely good person in this world? Everyone makes mistakes while living, and it’s natural to get a bit dirty along the way. So keep questioning and thinking hard. If you dwell on what you might have done wrong and regret it, you could eventually be as clean as this beautiful white snow.”
I had to fight back a chuckle. Just listening to him, it was like having a child education expert right there. Who was that entity that had just massacred all those kids earlier?
“I’ll keep pondering every day.”
“Good! Now, Kain, what kind of present do you want? You and Ahri are the only ones who haven’t written down a present request, and it’s leaving me quite puzzled.”
“Uh…”
“This Santa really has taken a liking to you, Kain. So feel free to ask for something reasonable. Rewards are due for good kids, after all.”
A gift from Santa. A reasonable gift. As he shot that sudden question my way, I was momentarily stumped. I finally managed to conjure a word from the depths of my mind.
“Could I get a doll? I want to make more friends!”
Well, this seems like the kind of gift one would ask for at this age, right? Santa smiled at my request and then ‘vanished’.
—
A moment later, Maze, Ahri, and the old man appeared from the other side.
“What an unusual conversation. Seems he’s really hung up on the phrase ‘good kid’, doesn’t he?”
“Well… I’m more curious about him asking for ‘gifts.’ Does he really give something?”
“Why did you even tell me to stay out of it? Just shut that guy’s mouth!”
“Teacher, you’ll scare the maze.”
Kim Mooksung: We agreed to shut that guy up and burn him!
“What are you all talking about? Is it an interesting story?”
“Yeah, Maze! Let’s go get some food.”
I silently stared at the space where Santa had disappeared. Santa, who appeared suddenly alongside the reindeer, had engaged in conversation for quite some time. Naturally, he hadn’t just stood like a statue during the whole exchange. Santa had been casually walking across the snowy field during our conversation.
Now that Santa was gone, there were no footprints left in the snow anywhere.
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