### Chapter 313 – The Perfect Child (1)
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[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 135
Current Location: Level 1, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: 0]
—
– Han Kain
Before diving into the serious topic of Miro’s resurrection and the Mirror Room, I tapped the table to grab everyone’s attention.
“Could everyone please hear me out for a second? I have some strange information that seemed like part of the rewards from the Cinema once that horror movie wrapped up.”
As the horror film came to a close, I figured the second and third stories I heard from Doh In-ho and the other storytellers should definitely be shared with my companions.
Starting with the second story, I relayed what I’d learned about the tool that the Administration Bureau hoped could save our reality. Both Grandpa and Ahri reacted with a sense of urgency.
“One of them is an hourglass, right? What’s that about?”
“Apparently so. Any guesses? Honestly, I’m clueless about what that ‘problem of reality’ even refers to.”
Ahri frowned but decided to answer everyone.
“I was planning to drop hints eventually, but since we’re here, I’ll give you a bit of info. These folks won’t have a normal life even if they get out of here anyway.”
No one dared to argue that point when she decisively stated that the chance for normality was already out the window.
“On December 31 of a certain year, strange lights suddenly appear from the sky.”
“Strange lights?”
“And the world falls into crisis.”
“… Why?”
“Not a clue. Figuring that part out is also part of the mission.”
Everyone was momentarily dumbfounded, staring at Ahri.
So you’re telling me that lights come down from the sky, and the world goes into crisis? That’s like a loopier plot twist than the Curse Room!
My sister, flustered, stammered out a point.
“Oh, but the world isn’t over yet, right? I mean, that’s why you all ended up in this hotel, correct?”
“Well… yeah.”
“Then that means you somehow survived, and if you survived, you should be able to find out something, right?”
After thinking for a moment, Ahri cautiously responded.
“While holding on, everyone loses their memories. That’s about all I can say for now. But really, we know nothing more than that. How could the hourglass help with this problem?”
Grandpa chimed in.
“And according to what you said, isn’t there supposed to be another tool besides the hourglass? The legacy from Room 206? That might actually be more important.”
Sensing we weren’t getting anywhere with this discussion, I transitioned to the next story.
When I talked about the third story related to the third floor, my companions expressed even more confusion. Jinchul muttered, bewildered.
“That Gumiho didn’t pull a prank on you, did it?”
“Not that, I think?”
“Ugh! What an absurd thing to say.”
Compared to the second story, which had clearer details, the third felt vague. Naturally, my companions weren’t sure what to make of it.
Our doctor cautiously ventured.
“Your stories are interesting, Kain, but they relate to the outside world and the third floor. We’re stuck struggling on the second floor, aren’t we? So maybe it’s not such an urgent discussion.”
Understanding his point, I realized he was right. Anyone among us could die on the second floor at any moment. Discussing matters of the outside world and the third floor felt a bit premature.
Not long after, the hotel decided to lift the mood with an announcement about a two-day party time starting tomorrow. The worried expressions of my companions suddenly brightened.
“They’re giving us party time even in the Mission Room? The duration is a bit short, though…”
“My bro, just having that is enough,” Jinchul replied gratefully. “I thought they only gave rewards when we solved the Curse Room, but I guess they have some discretion here.”
On the other hand, the doctor seemed uneasy about the short two-day timeline.
“Two days? For the Mirror Room, we definitely need Seungyub’s primal human; how can we possibly use it again in just two days?”
With that, Ahri shot Seungyub a questioning look.
“Seungyub, when can we use the primal human again?”
Seungyub suddenly became very focused, staring into the empty space as if he was seeing something only he could.
“Tomorrow evening? Maybe the morning after? It’s ambiguous. It’s not like you can use it a set number of hours after; it works as soon as the gauge is full.”
I was a bit shocked and asked again for clarity.
“You mean we can use it again tomorrow? That seems incredibly powerful!”
Jinchul nodded in agreement.
“Isn’t good fortune usually stuck for at least a week after a use? I thought the primal human would be similar.”
Seungyub chuckled slightly and clarified.
“Turns out I learned that how much you use it decides the cooldown afterward.”
“How much did you use it?”
“Uh… how much good luck did I use? I’m not sure of the exact criteria. It just seems that the more you use it, the longer it takes to use again.”
Listening in, Eunsol piped up with her thoughts.
“Is it somewhat like a pay-later system? You only used it for about 20 minutes this time, so would the cooldown be something like a day and a half?”
“It’s not directly proportional to how long you used it….”
Now I finally started getting the gist of it.
“It likely depends on how outrageous the events were. In other words, how much ‘abnormal luck’ you utilized.”
“That’s how it feels.”
At that moment, the doctor looked serious and interjected.
“Seungyub, the next time you use the primal human, be sure to define the ‘termination condition’ clearly.”
“What?”
“The idea of pay-later means, conversely, there’s no time limit on usage as long as you’re using it, right?”
“Yes.”
“So if you were to use it without a defined termination condition in a lengthy room like Room 203, what could happen?”
“… I could be in primal human form for a month?”
“And if that were to happen, how long do you think it would be until you could use it again?”
“I might not be able to use it again until we escape the hotel.”
Clearly, that aspect was hazardous. Because of the nature of the ability, stopping it voluntarily after activating it poses its own issues.
As Seungyub pondered the implications of primal human alone, the conversation naturally shifted toward the newly obtained ticket and the resurrection of Miro. My sister had a curious question.
“I understand the Mirror Room is the place to restore Miro’s spirit, but what’s the order? If we resurrect first, it feels risky to then recover the spirit.”
“True. If we resurrect him but fail to restore his mind….”
In that case, we’d have to face the trials in the hotel with a mental patient who’s gone berserk. Unthinkable.
“But… fixing his mind before resurrection feels a bit backward, doesn’t it? Healing the ailment of a dead person?”
It was Songee who answered my sister’s question.
“Not really an issue, I think? Once resurrected, the body is already in the Ice Hell, technically speaking, and the Mirror Room can grant wishes to the extent of splitting a person in two, after all.”
“Is that right?”
“Sis, more than this issue, what’s crucial is how do we properly make the wish. Remember, the Mirror Room is notoriously tricky.”
The Mirror Room grants people’s fervent wishes hidden deep within. This seemingly simple condition is actually quite treacherous.
If we went in unprepared, the diverse and contradictory impulses within humans would manifest chaotically, leading to a major disaster. It’s our theory that Miro’s loss of reason is one aspect of such an incident.
Preparing for this is itself exceedingly complicated.
According to Songee’s hypothesis, since the room reads one’s inner desires, the technique of touching surface psychology, like Ahri’s suggestion, likely won’t suffice.
Furthermore, desires are intrinsic human characteristics, not some sort of mental illness, meaning my sister’s flute tricks, Elena’s clear mind skills, or even my status window could very well be ineffective.
With that knowledge weighing on them, my companions wore weary expressions as they all turned to Seungyub.
“It seems we’ll need to use Seungyub’s powers, after all.”
“Is that so? Makes sense?”
In the midst of this, Seungyub seemed quite pleased. Perhaps the very fact that everyone needs him fills him with joy. However, the sole Mirror Room veteran displayed a strangely ambiguous demeanor.
“Hmm…”
Ahri, looking concerned, questioned Songee.
“What do you think?”
After pondering for a moment, Songee replied.
“I’m not sure. Just because we escaped the Mirror Room once doesn’t mean I’ve learned everything about it, and I definitely lack information about the primal human. Kain, brother?”
“Hmm?”
“Since we’ve got two days off, why not ask tomorrow? After all, the primal human can’t be used again until tomorrow night anyway.”
Will the sage’s advice shed light on the Mirror Room’s inquiries?
From past memories, I recalled that when I asked about the location of the Mirror Room before we found it, the advice was utterly non-responsive. It seemed like such questions were out of the question.
But now that we’ve located the Mirror Room, wouldn’t inquiries regarding it be unlocked as well? I should find out tomorrow.
“I’ll try asking tomorrow. I suspect that will consume all three of my inquiry slots as expected… but it needs to be done. I presume we’ll end up using the Mirror Room multiple times.”
Thus concluded today’s meeting.
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 136
Current Location: Level 1, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: 3]
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– Han Kain
The next day, as soon as I woke up and stepped out of Room 105, I promptly used my advice token. Predictably, my query about the Mirror Room exhausted all of my slots.
[Advice: 3 -> 0]
“Should Seungyub enter the Mirror Room and use the primal human to wish for Miro’s mental recovery?”
[If it fails, be sure to include the command to break the mirror immediately.]
…
A somewhat incomprehensible piece of advice popped up. Just as I was wrapping my head around it, Ahri approached, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
“Did you write the advice? You promised you’d do it right after waking up.”
When I conveyed the answer I received, Ahri tilted her head.
“This response sounds strange. Breaking the mirror, that’s right, isn’t that the escape route Songee discovered for the Mirror Room?”
“Exactly.”
“So it’s neither sending him nor not sending him? Just include a command in case it fails? So should we send him or not?”
“If they were against sending him, I don’t think they would’ve said something about preparing for a failure.”
“Preparing for failure suggests there’s a chance of failure, right? So we shouldn’t send him!”
At that point, my sister quietly interjected, having emerged from her room to overhear our discussion.
“Isn’t it possible there’s a chance of success as well as failure? Since there’s a chance of success, sending Seungyub into the mirror room would be fine, but since there’s also a potential for failure, we should prepare for that, too.”
“Good point.”
“But ultimately, that’s just my two cents. Let’s ask Songee and Seungyub for their thoughts. Those who’ve been in the room and used the powers would know better.”
After a moment, as Seungyub stepped out of his room looking tousled, Ahri hurried over and fired a question at him. Seungyub, clearly lost in thought, looked uncertain.
“So you’re saying that even if I use the primal human in the Mirror Room to wish, there’s a possibility of failing? I really don’t get the reason behind that!”
A little while later, Songee was asked the same question and gave a near-identical response.
“Are you saying that even if Seungyub uses the primal human in the Mirror Room to wish, there’s a chance of failing? I really don’t understand why!”
Ahri slapped her forehead in frustration.
In such a situation, I absolutely detest standing around and simply pondering, so I grabbed Seungyub.
“How about you just try going in? When do you think you’ll have enough power?”
“Uh… tonight maybe?”
“Sounds good. Let’s work out a plan with my bro for commands.”
That evening, amidst the encouragement of everyone, Seungyub entered the room with an excited expression on his face.
—
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