### Chapter 145 – Rest and Reinforcement (1)
—
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 74
Current Location: Basement, Ski Resort
Sage’s Advice: 3
—
Han Kain
As I glided down the ski slope at high speed, snowflakes swirled around me.
Focusing all my senses on what lay ahead, I noticed people watching me with anxious expressions as the scenery changed rapidly around me.
Now’s my chance!
The feather tattoo on my shoulder felt a warm glow, and it felt like an invisible hand was grabbing the back of my collar and yanking me off the ground.
…
When I finally regained my composure, I found myself floating in mid-air.
“Waaaaah!”
— Boom!
From afar, I heard a loud crash as the snow-covered ground exploded, and a giant, nearly two meters tall, swooped in and caught me.
— Thud! Plop!
Thanks to my sturdy hyung absorbing most of the landing impact, I managed to land without getting hurt.
“Ugh, why is this so hard? Thanks, Jincheol hyung! Without you, I’d have never been able to practice like this—”
I started speaking but turned to look at my brother only to see him lost in thought.
“Hyung?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Speaking of which, teleportation seems pretty tricky for you, huh? I think I’ve seen you fumble about seven or eight times since two days ago, and you keep landing in strange places with about a 50% success rate.”
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s all good since we agreed on this practice, but do you really have to do it while skiing?”
“After a few tries, standing still is relatively easy, but using it while moving is tough, and trying to do it fast makes it even harder.”
“Is that so? Well, I guess practicing should be challenging to a degree.”
Swoosh!
With a sliding sound, Ahri gracefully arrived at the slope, soon followed by Songee and Elena.
Ahri immediately pointed out with interest, “It looks like you’ve gotten consistently better at this teleportation thing, but you keep moving upwards every time? Why is that?”
“Good point.”
“My guess is that you’re subconsciously afraid of going underground when you focus on teleporting, causing you to instinctively direct the focus upwards instead.”
“Hmm…”
“Essentially, when you set a direction to teleport from the starting point, you might instinctively angle a bit higher to avoid going underground. Even if it’s just a minor adjustment you don’t notice, if you move ten meters in that off direction, it ends up being a huge misplacement.”
“That’s a compelling analysis.”
Honestly, I was astonished by how Ahri’s experiences with “psychic abilities” allowed her to present such plausible theories.
As I pondered, a gentle hand brushed the snow from my hair and clothes.
Feeling a soft touch, I turned my head back to see Elena naturally shaking the snow off my hair.
…
The moment our eyes met, we both stepped back in surprise. It didn’t seem like Elena had planned to act that way.
“Ah, I didn’t realize how much snow was stuck on you…”
“T-Thanks.”
“…”
“…”
An awkward tension settled in. Fortunately, Ahri broke the silence.
“Every time you practice teleporting with your body, it looks pretty dangerous. Jincheol can’t always be there to catch you. How about borrowing Pero’s body for some sky-high practice? You can just flap down when you teleport, right?”
At that, Songee’s mouth dropped open, and she whispered something to Pero.
— Squeak!
“Ahhhh! Aaaah! Songee~! Take him away!”
In no time, a very angry parrot began pulling at Ahri’s hair, leaving the rest of us laughing uncontrollably as we hightailed it out of the ski resort.
Funny as it was, it was ultimately a pointless suggestion.
The source of my teleportation ability lies in the tattoo on my body.
I can’t use it while possessed. I’d already confirmed this before Ahri made her suggestion yesterday.
—
After passing through the Gate Room and starting our week of rest, there was simply no more area left to explore on the first floor. With Ahri’s favor confirming this, we relaxed without any urgency.
Initially, I couldn’t understand why the second floor wasn’t opened immediately instead of after a week, but as time passed, it naturally made sense.
If the second floor had opened up early, we would certainly have spent our time exploring it instead of resting. So, it seemed the hotel deliberately kept the second floor closed to ensure we had this downtime.
Everyone moved to enjoy the facilities they desired.
Having uncovered the darkness hidden within Elena’s heart during the ‘Perfect Life’ trial, Songee enthusiastically led us to the ski resort, and we spent our first day there.
Of course, not everyone enjoyed skiing. Around half of us went off to other facilities starting the next day.
Thus, everyone took their much-needed rest while preparing for the second floor.
However, this place is still a hotel. Countless trials await us here.
There was no way we could relax completely.
During this period, there were a few crucial tasks that had to be resolved.
*
“Ach!”
“Jincheol oppa? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine; I just rolled around in the snow to save some guy. Coughing is just part of the deal.”
I winced internally.
“… Sorry about that.”
“Ah, it’s nothing! Let’s eat. By the way, this ski resort is unique; I’ve never been anywhere where it feels like the clouds are engulfing the entire mountain.”
Songee, with an intrigued expression, looked around curiously.
“What’s outside the clouds?”
“Surprisingly, probably nothing at all. It could be like the ‘Hiking Room.’ When you stray too far from the mountain, you end up back at the starting point.”
After that small chat, we began eating the simple snacks offered at the ski resort: sausages, hot bars, and fish cakes.
As time passed naturally, conversation sparked.
One topic frequently came up since our rest began: ‘the seal.’
—
Jincheol hyung spoke first.
“Still, I can’t help but worry. Without Kain around, progress will be immensely difficult.”
Ahri also replied with a concerned expression. “True. It’s a shame to lose any other abilities, but the biggest issue is grasping the scenario. Can we progress without that ability…?”
Seeing everyone worried about “my absence” brightened my mood somehow. Yet I, too, couldn’t hide my concerns. If they fail while I’m away, wouldn’t that mean I’d just die without doing anything?
“Everyone, stay strong! After all, we broke all the cursed rooms without understanding the scenarios, right?”
To that, Jincheol hyung sighed even harder.
“We just stumbled through and survived. Guess I’ll have to do that again.”
The conversation among my teammates was premised on one fact.
It was almost certain that I would be the one sealed in the first room of the second floor.
As the owner of the inheritance, I possessed various abilities—including descent, a pen, and teleportation—augmented by the blessing I accumulated further into understanding the scenario.
Comparing myself to those who obtained two or three inheritances like Ahri in her first run at the hotel wouldn’t do; I was deeply overgrown by this point.
Ahri opened her mouth again.
“We can’t just worry endlessly about this issue. The others need to work on growing, too, excluding Kain.”
Songee responded anxiously, “That’s a good point, but is there even a way? The second floor opens in just five days.”
“There’s still a cursed room left on the first floor.”
—
The last cursed room remaining on the first floor.
Room 104: ‘Preparatory Selective Hotel High School.’
When that room was mentioned, everyone fell silent.
Why are we so hesitant about entering Hotel High School?
While we had avoided it due to its numerous curses being particularly difficult, the actual difficulty of that room was no longer a concern.
We had already broken through the higher-level Gate Room, gaining countless rewards in the process.
Any threat from Hotel High School would be easily handled.
The heretics from Old Main Building? Jincheol hyung could wipe them all out by himself with his magic.
If I utilized my grimoire possession well, I could take down most of them, even if it would take a while.
The true issue was ‘the Lord.’ Specifically, that ‘Lord’ had left me the ‘Descent’ itself.
Deciding to candidly express the part everyone was silently worrying about, I said:
“I suppose everyone is worried that because of the ‘Descent,’ something might go wrong with me, right?”
Ahri immediately confirmed it.
“Exactly. We really don’t know what might happen. In the worst-case scenario, you could lose control to ‘the Son of Heaven’ and turn against us entirely.”
“…”
“If the red pill still existed, I would’ve suggested you take it and reenter Hotel High School…. But considering Pero has taken it, it’s pointless now.”
Songee quietly retorted, “Pero performed extremely well in the Gate Room after taking that.”
Since that was true, nobody opposed it.
Elena responded with a worried look. “Can we really assume that will definitely happen?”
“I’m just discussing the worst possibilities. The problem is that in this hotel, the most awful and ominous possibilities often become reality. By any chance, can I ask for some advice?”
“I asked that yesterday. It yielded a useless answer. Just think seriously before deciding.”
“Your patron owl seems to be even less helpful than Pero at times.”
Ahri presented her assumptions as if they were vague intuitions.
…
However, I understood that Ahri wasn’t just speaking on a whim.
She was simply avoiding a detailed explanation because she didn’t want to immerse herself in uncertainty.
I had reached a similar conclusion through deductions.
The identity of the Descent. I had already experienced the inhuman personality held by the Son of Heaven.
And during the progression in the Gate Room, the owl had shared its advice desperately, even at a risk.
—
Entering Hotel High School, I had a high probability of transforming into ‘something else.’
How could I do something ‘strange’ that even other prisoners couldn’t do?
There was some kind of secret to that.
I shook my head lightly, pushing my unresolved worries aside.
Similarly, Jincheol hyung, thinking this discussion was fruitlessly spiraling, diverted the topic.
“Haven’t we already debated this topic many times? And we’ve given up every time. If the concern is that ‘the Lord’ might betray us because of you, then when Kain is at his strongest, he can’t enter the place. Let’s find another way.”
—
Ultimately, we were back at square one.
The chances were overwhelmingly high that I would be sealed in the first room on the second floor.
During our rest period, would there be any means for the others to grow without me?
The first means—entering Hotel High School—was ruled out.
This is because it was predicted that I would betray them in that room, where I had grown the strongest among our group.
Whether this assumption holds true would be uncertain until we attempt to enter; however, if it does, that’s far worse than the seal in the second floor.
So, what’s the second option?
I recalled the idea from yesterday evening offered by Grandpa Mooksung.
Just then, Elena chimed in.
“I think we should utilize Eunsol’s Monkey’s Hand once again. It shouldn’t be too difficult, something akin to the Nightmare Butterfly event from earlier.”
Ahri pointed out, “Elena, it’s not a monkey’s hand; it’s ‘the Hand of Greed.’”
“Oh dear!”
The Hand of Greed, which grants rewards to the wielder without any penalty.
Ironically, Eunsol was hesitant to use it due to the selfish characteristics of the Hand, yet everyone agreed that the Hand of Greed was extremely useful despite its appearance.
Fortunately, the growth mediums inside the hotel were quite limited.
We couldn’t endlessly grow by hunting mindlessly like in grind-heavy games.
The only places to farm were essentially the cursed rooms, and those rooms would disintegrate upon completion.
Thus, in a space where the means of growth are limited, the Hand of Greed essentially acts like a periodic “mini-hunting ground.”
With that, our brief meeting at the ski resort concluded.
*
As I exited the ski resort and returned to the hotel’s first floor, it was nearly dinner time, and those resting in other areas began trickling into Room 105.
As I lightly greeted everyone, the moment we entered Room 105, we were all momentarily speechless.
Near the entrance stood a gigantic protective suit.
What on earth are we supposed to do with that?
It had already been three days since we received the protective suit.
For three days, the suit turned us into blind dummies.
This excessively oversized armor seemed to shout, “Someone deal with me!” yet we all ignored it as if we were blind. If anyone inadvertently touched it, we all jerked in shock.
The problem with the protective suit was one we had to address.
Indestructible to blades, impervious to water and fire!
This outfit wasn’t just an escape tool; it was an immensely useful piece of armor.
We couldn’t keep avoiding it like this. Hence, we had placed the item right at the doorway to never forget its presence.
“Wait a moment! Attention!”
It was now the third day since we received the protective suit.
Finally, Ahri took the lead and spoke up.
—
I promise to continue with diligence.
The short break is over!
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