### Chapter 231 – Room 202, Cursed Room – ‘Mermaid Princess’ (9)
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
Date: Day 101
Current Location: 2nd Floor, Room 202 – Cursed Room ‘Mermaid Princess’
Sage’s Advice: 3
– Han Kain
— Creak!
In the deep night where stars glittered, the date had changed, and our number of advice points reset. Finally, we arrived at the hospital.
This place was stuck in a corner of the island with no sign of any business. How on earth were they operational? As soon as we arrived, the updated scenario gave a simple answer to my question.
This hospital was actually a facility for taking care of the daughters of the sea god.
The daughters of the sea god are those among the merfolk who hold the closest connection to the ‘memories of their ancestors.’ As a result, they acquired various supernatural powers, but the price was dire: every night, they were engulfed in an endless nightmare filled with unbearable suffering.
Nobody welcomed the fact that the island’s leader was a lunatic, so the daughters of the sea god needed to be treated ‘in secret’—hence the creation of this hospital.
Should I call this fortunate?
The hospital’s facilities were immaculate. The vintage paintings hanging on the walls, the plush carpet on the floor, and the walls that gleamed with cleanliness proved that substantial money had been invested here. After all, it was a facility built for the absolute power holders of the island.
Given that it was a hospital specifically for serving the daughters of the sea god, the few staff and doctors treated Rilinganor almost like royalty. They didn’t even bother to stop us, thinking we were part of her entourage.
Before long, we arrived at the hospital room where Elena was located.
“Why hasn’t Elena woken up?”
“Miss, it’s because Elena’s madness has worsened day by day, and the saint has prescribed special treatment.”
“Special treatment? What does that even mean?”
“… Did you have permission from the saint?”
The doctor seemed to be hiding the truth, but that was a pointless move, given the exceptional divinity on our side.
“What exactly are you administering? Morphine? Is this fentanyl? You’ve knocked her out with endless drugs and sleeping pills so she can’t wake up at all! The cause might be nightmares, so you’ve drugged her into a sleep without dreams? At this rate, just let her rest in peace.”
“H-Hey! Who gave you permission to meddle—”
As Kim Sanghyun calmly pushed past the equipment to uncover the true nature of Elena’s ‘treatment,’ the doctor looked increasingly flustered.
“I did!”
“Miss…!”
“Just wake my sister up.”
“Miss, this is by the saint’s orders—”
“I know about Elena! Just three months ago, she was completely fine. She awakened as a daughter of the sea god almost ten years ago.”
“…”
“You’re talking nonsense. Are you saying a person who endured nightmares for over ten years could suddenly go mad in just a few weeks and needs to be constantly drugged into an oblivion?”
“That’s…”
“It’s not Elena who’s gone mad, it’s Serenade. There’s no doubt about it. So wake her up!”
Instead of answering, the doctor blinked nervously at the people around him, proving that, even as daughters of the sea god, the power of an aged Rilinganor and a sleeping Elena was vastly inferior to Serenade’s authority.
Eunsol was already donning her ‘Chef’s Hat.’
“This is it, time for a show!”
She quietly covered her ears.
“Hey! You worthless idiot, what kind of devilry are you pulling? Want me to turn you into soup with your own spine?”
“W-What are you suddenly—”
“Before I rip that tongue out and fry it, you’ll listen to me. Wake Elena in three seconds. 3, 2—”
“W-Wait! I can’t wake her in three seconds!”
“Look at this lunatic? How come you’re spouting nonsense now? You—”
“E-Eunsol unnie, the machinery is already in motion.”
“… Really?”
The cursing session was short-lived. I already knew, but it was still surprising. The ‘Supreme Chef’s Charisma’ that my sister named the hat had a simple function.
When you start spouting creative curses, it generates a temporary supernatural aura that makes ordinary folks follow your lead.
Although it probably wouldn’t work on strong-minded individuals like Administration Bureau agents, this power to issue temporary commands against everyday people was still pretty useful.
— BEEP!
Moments later, peculiar machine sounds filled the hospital room, and the hoses connected to Elena fell off. Finally, Elena’s seal was lifted.
“Sister! Do you recognize me—”
[Advice: 3 -> 2]
[Kneel immediately!]
— CRACK!
The ‘shark’ from the wall painting sprang out and brushed past me, crushing the dazed doctor’s head in one single bite.
*
I can’t breathe. The moment I inhaled a gulp of air, unbearable, intense pain slammed against my respiratory system. Every human in that room collapsed with a single breath.
What the heck just happened? The hoses fell. Elena woke up. And then…
The world became the ocean.
Does this even make sense? Without any warning, the air turned thick as if it were water, suffocating my lungs while a dreadful salty taste and the smell of the sea filled the air.
The ocean is the space that contains the most life on this planet. Naturally, I was surrounded by an uncountable number of fish, whose origins I couldn’t even fathom.
And then the ‘shark’ appeared. It burst through the painting on the hospital wall, smashed the doctor with a single bite, and turned to look at us. The color drained from my partner’s faces as they struggled to breathe. Do I need to possess them?
Before I could react, Yu Songee, who had been trembling, slowly swam up to pat the shark’s head. The confused creature turned in circles, seemingly trying to act cute in its own way.
…
The shark then set down the doctor’s head it had bitten into Yu Songee’s hands. Was this some sort of ‘tasty gift’? Thank goodness we were on good terms. Yu Songee even accepted the human head with gratitude!
Just as I managed to look over to Elena, still struggling to breathe, I realized something crucial.
Elena was still not awake!
Even though all the hoses were off, Elena continued to only let out strange moans, wriggling on the bed. I then understood that the bizarre phenomenon happening around us was due to her nightmares.
It would have been better if her consciousness had been powerfully numbed by the drugs and sleep aids, putting her into a sleep devoid of dreams. But now, as the hoses fell away, her consciousness was half-awake, triggering this devastating scenario.
In an instant, numerous thoughts buzzed in my head. Should I possess Elena to fix this situation?
No way. That’s too risky. Right now, Elena is in a deranged state due to the memories of the merfolk! If I possess her body, I might end up losing my own mind. You’re not protected by the status window when possessing someone else’s body.
[Advice: 2 -> 1]
‘What should I do!’
[Calmly wait. It will soon come to an end.]
Just wait?
*
— Elena
[The seal has been lifted!]
A void filled with nothingness. As my consciousness swam through this emptiness, I felt myself slowly descending. As awareness gradually returned, I saw myself under the sea.
Ah…
Long ago, the first life was conceived in the ocean. Therefore, we are all children of the sea. I felt the immense current endlessly swirling in a world teeming with life.
Ecosystems are fundamentally about cycles. Some eat; others are eaten. Sharks consume octopuses, and octopuses feast on crabs. Yet this too is merely a matter of sequence. One day, even the shark’s body will decay, descending into the profound depths of the sea, becoming the sustenance for crabs.
Accept the cycle.
Accept the cycle.
Accept the cycle.
This is the one law that the children of the sea must uphold.
My children, know that you are also part of the grand cycle. Thus—
[Clarity comes into play!]
It felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice-cold water on me as I was napping on the couch. My hazy senses cleared in an instant as I listened to a strange voice.
Where am I? Who am I?
…
I am Elena Ivanova, a participant of Hotel Pioneer. The master of justice and ominous visions.
I barely managed to open my eyes and look around. The blinding bright lights and the luxurious, comfortable bed. Complex machines scattered around me, along with hoses detached from my arms.
What on earth is this?
The companions who should be helping me were flailing their arms about in the room as if they were dancing, and strangely enough, Yu Songee was holding a drawing in one hand and—
“Ah! Songee, what’s that on your right arm!”
“…”
“Hey, Songee?”
“Eleanor unnie, you’re awake! Don’t mind this.”
“A-are you holding a human head?”
“It’s nothing. Just a little accident.”
“E-Eleanor? Are you all already familiar with me?”
“Ah! My bad.”
“Huh?”
The cute girl tilted her head, seeming puzzled by the others recognizing me. Who is that child?
The other companions approached me as if they were recovering from their daze.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m—”
But without any signs, information blasted into my mind like a bombshell. As my body trembled from the overwhelming influx of knowledge, my friends held onto me in shock, unable to even reply.
It poured in—information cascaded down like a downpour, piercing my brain.
I understood what the ‘daughter of the sea god, Elena’ had been through. I learned why Serenade imprisoned me in this place. I grasped the despair that was looming over the island.
“We have to leave! Now! It’s already too late!”
“E-Elena? What are you suddenly saying? We should go meet sister Serenade!”
Grandpa swiftly shoved the whiny girl aside with one hand.
“Where do we need to go?”
“To the harbor!”
My legs wobbled. I could feel the effects of the prolonged drug and sleep medication completely obliterating my body. Grandpa lifted me effortlessly and started running.
…
I’m not feeling too well. In that moment, my consciousness began to fade again. Voices. Voices. Voices. I heard a strange voice whispering in my ear.
“Accept the cycle. Know that death lies at the end of life. Understand that the end of death signifies the start of new life.”
My head throbbed. With an anxious expression, Kain gripped my hand tightly.
“Elena! You’re not okay, right? But you have to tell us one thing! What’s happening at the harbor?”
“… Lee Sooho.”
“Y-you mean the chairman’s son who’s dead?”
“He’s still alive.”
“What?”
Just as there’s death at the end of life, there’s new life at the end of death. Therefore, his death was not the end.
— SSSSHHHHH!
It started to rain from the sky. Very salty, smelly rain poured down. In my hazy consciousness, I thought one last time.
It’s too late. For the first time since its birth, the ‘daughter of the sea god’ has already accomplished all of their goals. Now, the fates of all will be turned upside down. A world where the eaters are eaten, and the eaten become the eaters is about to unfold.
I’ll repay you with sincere updates.
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