### Chapter 481 – Party Time – Dinner Party (6)
—
– Kim Sanghyun
“Hiyaah! Yah! Come out!”
“… Seungyub, it’s hot, so let’s stay calm.”
I calmed the excited boy and continued walking along the river.
What is this journey we’re on?
It’s a hint from the hotel regarding Room 207.
“Room 207 isn’t about all ten of us sticking together; it looks like we’ll have to split up.”
The ever-communicative Songi replied promptly.
“Right. I wonder if the headcount will match ours now?”
I couldn’t help but notice the boy having a staring contest with the parrot, while another girl carelessly touched the plants by the riverbank.
Looking at my two younger companions, I felt oddly reassured.
“If that’s the case, Sensei, I’m counting on you.”
I could tell she was having similar thoughts by how she spoke.
“Let’s keep heading down the river.”
We trudged through the hot and humid environment for almost an hour.
If someone was low on stamina, they’d be panting and groaning by now, but thankfully, my younger companions were silent.
The journey we went through in the hotel seemed to be paying off.
Soon, I discovered something intriguing.
“I might know which river this is.”
“Eh! Huh?!”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes! Which river is it?”
“… I’ll tell you once I’m sure.”
I was familiar with the geography and even the species forming here.
That meant this isn’t some extraterrestrial realm; it’s Earth.
I’ve actually seen this river before.
“Could it be the Amazon? It definitely feels jungle-like!”
“…”
She must have thought of the Amazon River since it’s a jungle, but if my judgment is correct, then nope.
This place is—
“Yikes! An anaconda just showed up again!”
“Seungyub, step back!”
I quickly ran and waved a stick at the threat. Fortunately, this one was smaller, and seeing our numbers, it just flicked its tongue and slithered away.
“Are you okay?”
“Gasp! Yes, yes! What’s with this monster of a snake—”
“This snake isn’t an anaconda.”
“Huh?”
This boy isn’t some reptile expert; there’s no way he could distinguish between snake types.
He probably only knows about anacondas since they’re the biggest ones.
“Let’s go a little further. I’ll let you know once I’m certain.”
After what felt like fifteen minutes walking along the river, everything became clear.
I no longer needed to explain where we were or what river this was.
The world’s most famous structure, the pyramid, stood majestically before us.
“Yikes! I saw that in a movie!”
“I did too! Me too! Did you see it, Songi?”
“Why is this here? Sensei, wasn’t this supposed to be a jungle?”
“…”
Just moments ago, we were in a marsh reminiscent of a jungle, and that hints at a significant fact.
Modern people think of Egypt as a desert landscape filled with sand and gravel, but that’s because the Sahara Desert has expanded over thousands of years.
Ancient Egypt was one of the greatest civilizations built by our distant ancestors.
The ancient era, when the history of Egypt began, was vastly different from today’s climate.
It boasted rich vegetation, with hippos, crocodiles, lions, and even elephants.
In other words, this is ancient Egypt before the Sahara Desert expanded.
Is this a hint from the hotel?
The first background is ancient Egypt?
— Boom!
… And then, I lost consciousness.
—
– Lee Eunsol
“Kill the heretic!”
The chilling voice echoed, causing Jinchul to react quickly.
“Sis, behind me!”
He didn’t even suggest to run away.
We were on horseback, and how could we, having lost our blessings and legacies, shake them off?
Soon, rattling sounds reminiscent of a movie filled the air as “knights” surrounded us.
A man leading the knight group approached, his eyes glinting with menace.
“〿〿〿 〿〿, we received a tip that you’re hiding a witch! Do you have anything to say?”
“…”
Just like before, I couldn’t make out a few of the initial words.
From the context, it sounded like they addressed my name or title…
Why has the hotel been censoring this information since earlier?
Honestly, even if they called, “Princess Turtle King, Baron Charizard,” it still meant nothing.
“…”
What a foolish thought.
Of course, there’s a reason for the censorship.
I just can’t grasp it at this point.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Really don’t know, huh?”
“Ha, your shameless excuses won’t last long! Soon, 〿〿〿〿〿 〿〿 will arrive!”
“Who’s coming?”
“Do you think you’ll be forgiven just because you pretend to be deaf?”
I’m sorry, but I really can’t hear.
I need to glean more information from this conversation.
“Is it because of the witch? Is it due to my and Jinchul’s skin color? If so, there’s a big misunderstanding—”
The man before me widened his eyes, almost as if he was playing dumb.
“Skin color? Haha! 〿〿〿 〿〿, do you think we’re just a bunch of dull farmerfolk?”
“…”
“〿〿〿’s clan was called upon by the 〿〿〿〿〿 duke 170 years ago—”
As he spoke, more than half of his lengthy monologue was filled with static noises.
Keeping calm, I thought about it.
The early medieval period in Europe is often remembered as the Dark Ages.
It was considered a time of barbarism and ignorance because Rome’s civilization fell and no substitute emerged.
However, modern historians have shown that this is merely a misconception created by Enlightenment thinkers during the Renaissance—
Let’s skip the gibberish.
Someone of a seemingly grand title before me must know that there are races with different skin colors out there.
“So, what’s with the witch?”
I was about to ask for clarity when—
— AAAHHHH!
A bellow that sounded like boiling from the depths of hell echoed!
“Well…”
I grasped the situation while the knights drew their swords in extreme tension.
We’re in Europe, several hundred years ago at the very least.
Moreover, this is a world where demons and witches exist!
— Boom!
—
– Kim Mooksung
“Hey, move aside.”
— Whump!
“Ugh! What the heck is this!”
“Get lost, I said.”
Just now, a rotund old man was leering at Ahri with a greasy gaze.
I wanted to stab him with the cane he was holding, but I stopped short at merely tapping his leg.
“Don’t draw attention and be quiet.”
“Got it.”
Ironically, Ahri leaned against the wall without causing any fuss, yet she was looking quite beautiful.
This is why those boars can’t act their age and behave like pigs.
“Ah, Ahri. Standing like that reminds me of the old days—”
“Stop bringing up the past. You sound old.”
“…”
“The atmosphere feels odd. This isn’t the typical party vibe. More like a secret gathering.”
She whispers just loud enough for me to catch it.
Indeed, her behavior is way too familiar to the agents.
I could’ve just used the conversation tab in such scenarios lately.
But I could do it too.
“The invitation itself was strange. There was no explanation for what kind of party it was….”
“Is it modern? Pre-World War I? Post-war?”
“I can’t say for sure—”
“Look at that old man with a monocle! That hat was only trendy before World War I. The real problem is whether he’s stuck to that outdated style.”
“…”
How would I know what hat styles were in vogue before World War I?
“Thinking back, the invitation we received—”
As Ari was about to prattle on,
A dignified looking middle-aged man, presumably the party host, approached.
He carried an unidentified object draped in luxurious fabric.
“Ladies and gentlemen! I sincerely welcome you, gathered here for the purity of humanity.”
Purity of humanity? Is that the party’s purpose?
“Before that, I must relay some unpleasant news. Rumors say that the wretched 〿〿〿 〿〿 has infiltrated.”
Huh? I just heard an unintelligible word.
Confused, I averted my gaze, only to see a girl turn her head toward me about the same time, indicating Ari had also had a similar experience.
“What the—”
Just as the crowd murmured, asking the host what he meant—
— Whoosh!
Before they could react, the middle-aged man lifted the fabric.
“Grrrah!”
A strange glow rushed through the party, and at that moment, all the ‘people’ screamed and fell to the ground.
— Zziiiip!
As something tore, ‘those who surely weren’t people’ stood up.
W-What’s happening all of a sudden!
— Boom!
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 933
Current Location: Floor 2, Central Hall
Sage’s Advice: 3]
—
– Han Kain
When I came to my senses, I awoke on the lavishly decorated second floor of the hotel, surrounded by others.
Soon, my companions began to chatter about the bizarre experiences they had encountered.
“…”
They seemed frantic, talking non-stop for over 30 minutes, scribbling on the whiteboard as if they were afraid to forget anything.
Finally, when things quieted down, Eunsol moved to the front of the whiteboard.
“Everyone, please pay attention for a moment! Let’s organize what we remember. First, the party compositions!”
Party 1: Kim Sanghyun, Yu Songi, Park Seungyub, Miro
Party 2: Lee Eunsol, Elena, Cha Jinchul
Party 3: Kim Mooksung, Kim Ahri
Party 4: Han Kain
“Does that sound right?”
From what I gather, it seems correct.
“Is the party structure the same in the actual Gate Room?”
“…”
“…”
No one could answer that question.
It’s up to the hotel’s whims; who knows?
“Let’s summarize the backgrounds as well. Sanghyun’s party was set in Egypt?”
“Things differed a lot, but there were the Nile River and pyramids, so it’s definite.”
“What era are we looking at?”
“… Probably ancient times.”
“Ancient? Sanghyun, as you know, ‘ancient’ Egypt covers a vast range.”
“That’s true. Pharaohs appeared around 5000 BC.”
Huh? Pharaohs in 5000 BC?
I feel like everyone else was busy fighting mammoths.
“Estimating the exact timeline’s difficult.”
“Then let’s settle on just ‘ancient.’ How about us? We’re… hmm, medieval Europe vibes?”
Jinchul nodded and described the knights’ ironclad armor.
“But are there really witches and demons? The horrifying sound we heard at the end… I’ve developed instincts after enduring the hotel so long; that was no ordinary beast’s howl.”
“Believe me, it’s 100% likely. Definitely some demon or creature of that sort.”
After enduring so much in the hotel, we’ve essentially become monster experts.
“Grandfather’s faction is in Europe, right?”
“Honestly, I guessed it was Western, but according to Ari—”
“It’s in America. Pre-World War I, set in the late 1890s or early 1900s.”
“…”
They even pinpointed the era specifically.
“You went to a secret meeting?”
“Probably.”
“Something strange heaved light?”
“Yep.”
“So monsters popped out here and there?”
“Exactly.”
“Hmm…”
At this point, I sorted through the stories I’d heard.
Party 1 ended up in ancient Egypt and discovered the pyramids.
Party 2 encountered a knight order involved in witch hunts in medieval Europe, leading to a chilling demon howl.
Party 3 found themselves in modern-day America, invited to a bizarre secret organization meeting, encountering magical artifacts and monsters.
And then there’s me, the solo party.
“I just went outside and walked around until some weird light descended from the sky.”
“Did you find out anything more?”
“Nope.”
Just then, Ari, who’d been listening intently, murmured.
“It’s all Earth.”
“…”
“Egypt, Europe, America, Seoul. Somewhere on Earth in different time periods.”
Elena cautiously spoke up.
“But doesn’t it feel different from Earth as we know it? I don’t know about ancient Egypt, but demons in medieval Europe or magical artifacts in modern America? It’s all strange…”
At her words, everyone fell silent.
After all, the ‘Earth we know’ is different everywhere, and common sense about society cannot be trusted.
Without a doubt, certain organizations associated with us have manipulated this.
“…”
I wonder what the ‘common historical knowledge’ I knew is versus the ‘twisted history’ we’ll witness in Room 207.
Neither seems closer to truth than the other.
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