### Chapter 182 – Prayer for the Maze (1)
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[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
Date: Day 92
Current Location: Layer 2, Ice Hell – The Room of Resurrection
Sage’s Advice: 3]
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Suddenly, the maze trapped in ice appeared before us. Ahri sat down with a blank expression, and the others stood still, unsure of what to do, mouths agape.
In that moment, a voice rang out from above.
“Welcome, participants, to Ice Hell!”
What kind of welcome is that in this atmosphere? I looked up, bemused, and there it was—the mysterious drone I had seen in the Gate Room.
“What are you?”
“I am known as the Guide, assigned to escort you through Ice Hell.”
Only then did my comrades snap back to reality and begin gathering around. Ahri was helped over by Songi.
“What… what exactly do we need to do here? Why did we get dragged to such a dreadful place—”
Before Jinchul could finish, the robotic voice interrupted.
“Participants, please show me your tickets.”
My sister pulled out her ticket, still looking dazed.
“You can use this ticket to resurrect one person who has fallen into hell. Will you do so?”
Everyone was speechless. We all vaguely knew about Ahri’s mother and the situation with the maze. Wasn’t this a wildly powerful being we were considering resurrecting, even if we weren’t in our right minds?
We weren’t sure if we could control the maze if we brought her back. Even princess Ahri admitted it was better not to resurrect her mother until they found a way to restore her mind.
But could Ahri give the same answer in front of her mother, who was endlessly suffering in the ice? Could we persuade her to let another person live instead?
Despite having eight mouths, nobody had anything to say, and an icy silence fell over the room.
—
The silence was first broken by my sister.
“Can I ask a question about resurrection? It’s something I’ve always wondered about.”
“Please, ask your question.”
“I’ve heard that the maze possessed numerous legacies during her lifetime.”
“The participant Maze held three legacies just before her death.”
“Really? If she’s resurrected, does she come back with all three legacies?”
“If the participant is resurrected, she can choose one of her legacies to recover. However, the same legacy cannot be held by two participants. Therefore, if the participant Maze is resurrected, she can recover one of the two legacies other than the ‘Ancient Blood.’”
If a participant with multiple legacies is resurrected, they can only recover one. And since the same legacy cannot be given to two people, the maze cannot recover the ‘Ancient Blood.’
The next question came right after.
“What about blessings? I’m not sure, but isn’t Maze’s blessing…?”
My sister stuttered, glancing at Elena.
“Since participant Elena Ivanova has already received the Blessing of Justice, participant Maze cannot recover that blessing. However, since it is hotel policy that all participants must receive a blessing, a new one will be assigned.”
To summarize, if the maze is resurrected, she would have one legacy and a new blessing assigned. The new blessing is presumably undeveloped, right? With that thought, one idea popped into my mind.
If the maze had that kind of power, would it be manageable for our party? Jinchul seemed to have the same thought and spoke up.
“Ahem. The situation feels suddenly urgent, but it seems a bit different from when we discussed this before. We postponed the resurrection of Maze due to her overwhelming strength, didn’t we? The core of that strength lies in her ‘multiple legacies.’”
Songi, who was helping Ahri, chimed in cheerfully.
“That’s right! But according to the Guide, she can only have one legacy now, right? And the blessing is reset. That means she wouldn’t be able to overwhelm us alone—”
My sister’s sharp voice cut through the room.
“Wait. Wait. This isn’t something we should decide on a whim. The maze’s overall power isn’t solely reliant on her legacies. Don’t forget she was already an extraordinary being before coming to the hotel, Grandpa?”
At my sister’s probing question, Grandpa hung his head and replied.
“… Right. The maze was already an extraordinary being before she entered the hotel. She had numerous incomprehensible abilities.”
“See? Even if the number of legacies has decreased, we can’t underestimate the danger. And the real issue isn’t simply the strength of her abilities. Guide!”
“Participant Lee Eunsol, please ask your question.”
“I heard that Maze was not in her right mind during her lifetime. Will her mind be restored after resurrection?”
“The participant’s mind remains intact from the moment before her death.”
“So there’s no restoration of her mind?”
“Correct.”
When my sister turned away, everyone fell silent again.
Her argument’s effectiveness lay in the fact that the maze’s danger remains extreme. Rather than having a somewhat toxic personality while possessing intellect, could we feasibly cooperate with someone whose mind is already deranged?
What if she started attacking allies childishly, like halfway through the Curse Room? Who would manage that? Ahri? What if she were to die during the Curse Room? There’d be no solution. The more I thought about it, the more impossible it became. No wonder even her daughter Ahri said she wouldn’t think about resurrecting Maze until they found a way to restore her mind.
—
As my mind raced in circles, the volume of voices around me began to rise. Some folks pointed out that my sister was being overly harsh, while she countered that they were making foolish and spontaneous remarks. This all escalated until Grandpa intervened and everyone turned away.
It was all chaos. And it was painful.
If the being eternally suffering, trapped in that ice, were my parents, what would I do? Would I rush back and knock everyone down to free my mother from pain? That thought made me realize how strong Ahri must be to just stand there in a daze.
… In that case, it struck me—I do possess a talent for finding help in complicated situations!
—
[Advice: 3 → 2]
‘Is there a wise way to resolve this situation?’
—
[Drink a cup of coffee to relax. The answer lies within your mind.]
—
“Ugh, what kind of answer is that? Seriously, are you joking me?”
“Did you use your advice?”
For the first time, Ahri, who hadn’t said anything up to now, asked me.
“… Yeah. It said to drink a cup of coffee and relax, claiming the answer is in my mind.”
“Really?”
Without a word, Ahri took coffee from her backpack and handed it to me.
“…”
“Drink up.”
“Thanks.”
In this hellish, icy abyss reminiscent of the polar regions, where the cries of agony echoed throughout the world, my comrades began bickering about the most unresolvable topic since entering the hotel, while I took a moment to sip my coffee and calm my mind.
What the hell is going on?
—
“… The answer is in my mind.”
—
I reflect on past memories. What did the doctor, Kim Sanghyun, who first informed us about the “Room of Resurrection,” say?
“Someday… if you get a chance in the Room of Resurrection, or if you meet the Buddha…”
The doctor mentioned the “Buddha” alongside the Room of Resurrection as a means of self-redemption.
“My sponsors told me not to get involved with issues concerning the cold.”
“They said, ‘You don’t need to push yourself.’”
Elena and Seungyub had received advice from their sponsors saying that the cold issue wasn’t their concern. The scattered pieces of information in my mind began to coalesce. What does all this mean?
There’s more than one way to save failed NPCs in the hotel besides resurrection!
Moreover, there is something we must do in this space. Something fit for those experienced individuals to synchronize with. They wouldn’t tell us “It’s not your job” just for having a ticket and choosing to resurrect someone.
“Wait! Everyone, calm down and be quiet! Guide!”
My voice rang out loudly, stopping the bickering among my comrades. The floating drone turned its attention toward me.
“Participant Han Kain, please ask your question.”
“What else can we do here besides resurrect someone with the ticket?”
The Guide didn’t respond at all.
“Why aren’t you answering? What can we do? Is there no other way to stop those people’s suffering?”
The first to react to my words was Grandpa.
“Now that you mention it, this feels odd, doesn’t it? Before we came, it felt like we’d be set to do something monumental. Someone said not to participate, while another suggested cooperating with experienced individuals. So why are we just thrown into a ticket conversation now?”
My sister stepped forward.
“Why are you keeping quiet? Hey! Guide? Are you hiding something?”
Finally, Ahri addressed everyone.
“It seems like it has a concept of not lying.”
“What kind of concept?”
“It seems they don’t tell lies, but they won’t tell the truth either. Are they trying to make us find some ‘keywords’ ourselves to talk about…?”
When it came to ‘keywords,’ one word instantly popped into my mind.
“Keyword, in that case, would definitely be ‘Buddha’? Guide, do we need to make a wish to the Buddha or something?”
“Maybe? Guide, do we break the ice?”
“Stop trying to solve everything by breaking stuff! Guide, is it possible to buy Maze back?”
“… Eunsol, what you just suggested is worse than breaking ice… What are you even talking about?”
“Can’t we just stick someone else in hell in her place? Maybe a merchant?”
“Why do you dislike merchants so much, Grandpa?”
As chaotic as it was, at that moment, Seungyub chimed in.
“Guide, should we all pray together now?”
— Whrrr!
“Participants, would you like to offer a ‘Prayer of Rest’ for participant Maze to the Buddha?”
—
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