### Chapter 183 – Prayer for the Maze (2)
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[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 92
Current Location: Layer 2, Ice Hell – The Room of Resurrection
Sage’s Advice: 2]
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‘Prayer of Rest’.
Finally, the essence of the other possibility we could explore, besides using the ticket for resurrection, began to emerge.
“Guide, can you explain what this ‘Prayer of Rest’ involves?”
“The Prayer of Rest is a series of processes in which you pray to the Buddha for all former participants to receive peaceful rest. However, remember that worldly matters aren’t resolved through prayer alone. Ultimately, it’s up to you to rescue the former participants from Hell.”
“Rescue from Hell? Aren’t we already in Hell?”
“Try it out yourself.”
It felt like the Guide wasn’t going to provide any further information on this. After observing the ice entrapping the maze for a while, Ahri spoke up.
“It feels like our bodies are here, but our minds are somewhere else. It’s as if we should rescue their minds…”
Hearing that, I began to understand what she meant. The bodies trapped in the ice were certainly in front of us, but they seemed to be moaning as if they were having some horrific nightmares, eyes closed in despair.
Do we need to go to where their minds are imprisoned?
“It really looks like they’re suffering terrible nightmares… What do you all think?”
“It looks like that to me, too.”
In response to my question, my sister asked the Guide.
“So this isn’t a group effort? Please, give us some details! Our sponsors have whispered bits and pieces about this!”
“Hell is a place where the living cannot enter. However, the Buddha’s compassion is boundless, so a special scented candle for salvation has been prepared. While the flame of the scented candle burns, the living can enter Hell, but the flame will only continue as long as the remaining participants are praying.”
In simple terms, this meant splitting into two parties: some would keep praying to maintain the candle’s flame, while others would venture into Hell to help the maze.
Ahri, usually quiet, spoke up again.
“What happens if the Prayer of Rest is successful? Will former participants be freed from the hotel? Can they still be resurrected after the ritual?”
“Rest and escape are separate matters. Former participants will escape the cycle of suffering, but they won’t escape the hotel. Similarly, rest and resurrection are also separate. You can resurrect someone regardless of the prayer’s outcome.”
The straightforward conclusion that resurrection via ticket remains possible regardless of the prayer’s result was easy to grasp. However, the implication that they would escape suffering but remain trapped in the hotel was much harder to comprehend.
Nonetheless, the clarity that ‘suffering’ would end brought a spark of hope to Ahri’s expression. Turning slightly toward us, she murmured in a softer voice than usual.
“We all agreed before that resurrection would be impossible until we found a way to restore the maze’s mind. I still agree with that. Being in the presence of someone who isn’t in their right mind in such a harsh place is something we can’t endure. However…”
The Prayer of Rest was a perfect option for Ahri since it didn’t involve using a consumable ticket, and it eliminated the risk of the mentally unstable maze joining the party.
Before she could finish her thought, my sister cut in.
“Let’s do the Prayer of Rest.”
“…”
“We’ll have to wait and decide on resurrection after we figure out how to restore her mind, but we can’t let her suffer any longer. We came to normalize this layer, didn’t we? Whether through resurrection or prayer, we have to do something to stabilize it.”
I quickly joined in since I agreed.
“I think so too. According to the scenario, the reason why the hotel is trapped in ice is due to the ‘grief and pain of those who died in the hotel’, right? Whether it’s a prayer or resurrection, we need to alleviate that grief and pain for the hotel to return to normal, right?”
“Exactly. And…”
“And?”
Instead of answering, my sister stared intently at the ice statue of the maze, filled with despair, before looking back at Ahri. I understood the implication of that action. Could Ahri truly keep her wits about her and proceed with the hotel, knowing the maze was in such pain?
What if she suddenly stole a ticket and sneaked into Ice Hell to resurrect the maze? How would Grandpa react to that? Would we be able to ignore the suffering of a comrade we’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with for so long?
Though the Prayer of Rest was a ritual for Ahri to end her mother’s suffering, for the rest of us, it was essentially a ritual to prevent the ‘separation of Ahri and Mooksung’.
After a short while, the preparations for the ritual began.
—
“Han Kain!”
“Yes, Sister?”
“Let’s split the party. It seems like what the sponsors said and what your advice hinted at relates to party classifications.”
“Right. Some of us will need to go to Hell, while some will stay behind to pray.”
“Seems like the ones going to Hell will….”
Her voice trailed off slightly. Guess the Hell-bound team is the more challenging one. Summarizing the information so far, it likely meant that Ahri, Grandpa, and I would be the ones going.
“I think I should go. Elena and Seungyub got the advice that it’s not their place to go, but I was told I should go. Following the sponsors’ guidance seems wise when information is sparse.”
“Great! Good thinking! And I have something I need to tell you.”
My sister glanced over at Ahri. She and Grandpa were inspecting the candle from a fair distance, questioning various aspects.
“Do you have something to say?”
“It’s about the maze. I don’t know what you’ll be doing, but you’ll probably head to where the maze is, right?”
“Probably.”
“If possible, figure out what kind of person the maze is. From what I can see, the maze’s problem isn’t going to end with today’s prayer. The prayer will only relieve the pain, right? It won’t mean she’s free from the hotel or resurrected. Ahri will undoubtedly want to fully free the maze in the end.”
“… I’ll do my best.”
“More than just trying—You need to make a clear judgment. I can’t trust anyone but you. Can you really assess who your mother is objectively, or who she was as a teammate?”
“…”
“See her with your own eyes. Understand what kind of person the maze is and whether or not she’s worthy of resurrection. Focus on her mental state if possible.”
“Understood.”
Soon a strange candle appeared in the midst of Ice Hell, with a makeshift shelter forming around it.
“Do we go in there to pray?”
The Guide confirmed this in response to my brother’s question. My sister muttered with concern.
“Do we have to start praying right away?”
“Hey, Sis! Let’s eat first! We need to fill our stomachs before doing any dangerous work.”
“The food must have gotten cold. Still, let’s eat. We need to have something in our stomachs.”
Choking down some chewy food, only Ahri, Grandpa, and I gathered together to start a separate discussion.
“Ahri, I don’t know what ‘rescuing the maze from Hell’ entails, but it probably means meeting your mom, right?”
“Probably. We’d be heading to where her mind is trapped.”
“Tell me everything you know about the maze. What kind of abilities does she have?”
“Hmm… that’s hard to explain.”
“Hard to explain?”
After pondering for a moment, Ahri finally replied.
“Just don’t rely too much on my explanation. I’ve never met a fully intact maze. Her basic power is physical ability, I suppose. She definitely was stronger than the average person. Roughly that much?”
With those words, Ahri reached out and grabbed my arm tightly.
… She grabbed it tightly. I couldn’t budge an inch. I had suspected it before, but Ahri’s strength definitely surpassed mine despite her build.
“How does that compare to your full power?”
“Since it’s the same bloodline, the power level is similar. However, she’s much weaker than Jinchul and even less strong than Mooksung’s arm. Well, physical strength isn’t the most important thing. The key abilities are more crucial. Her powers aren’t something as straightforward as telekinesis or your teleportation. If I had to classify it, it’s a superb form of charisma? ”
“Charisma?”
This time, it was Grandpa who responded.
“She had the kind of charisma that could easily persuade people, someone who could sweep everyone along as the main character.”
“Is that really an ability? There are many politicians and celebrities with that kind of charisma, right? Or is she controlling people’s minds?”
“Controlling minds? It’s somewhat related, but not entirely. It’s simply that her charisma and leadership qualities were amplified to a supernatural level. It’s not easy to say exactly. Put roughly, she was the type who could easily become the leader of a group of strangers. That’s why she was sent into the hotel, after all.”
For someone who can seamlessly become a leader among unfamiliar faces, it’s not too far off to call her uniquely suited for the hotel position. Though it seems she royally messed that up.
After remaining silent for a moment, Ahri piped up.
“I only learned that my mom had that kind of ability after escaping the hotel. I knew about her legacies and blessings but…”
“If her abilities are leadership or charisma types, then she probably couldn’t utilize them properly after the regression into a child. Those abilities seem to require a certain level of intelligence.”
“Oh! That reminds me, there’s a kind of nickname that resembles her description.”
“A nickname?”
“‘Fairy Tale Princess’.”
“That sounds kind of cute…”
Grandpa smirked slightly.
“It’s half because of her beauty, and the other half comes from her being obstinate and capricious like a monarch from the old dynasty.”
“That makes me even more uneasy. Didn’t you say she had other abilities?”
“Something about those powers being unknown. The issue is that even if they seem different, depending on the perspective, they might all derive from the same core power—there were suggestions that they could all be manifestations from the same source.”
“You were part of the administration, and yet there seems to be so little detailed information about her abilities?”
“Clarifying those abilities would require experimentation, but due to her nature, there were many ‘followers’ within the administration. That made it difficult to conduct thorough research on the maze. It’s not like the administration wanted to treat her harshly, given she remained loyal.”
As soon as that word “loyal” came out, Ahri reacted.
“You made it sound all negative, but at least no one doubted the maze’s loyalty to the administration. Most of the negative tales are about her personality, and in terms of action, she spent her life saving countless people from evil beings.”
This part makes me feel a little bit better. That implies she was able to adapt to her organizational life during her sound mind years and still retained basic morality.
Despite listening to all that information about the maze for a while, all I gleaned was that she had poor personality traits and vague abilities.
With a thud, as the candle and shelter appeared, another door popped up. I could intuit its meaning without asking. With shared glances, Ahri, Grandpa, and I moved toward the door.
Now it’s time to enter the maze’s hell.
—
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy New Year!
—
Suddenly, a delightful carol jolted me awake. The surrounding scenery felt rather familiar. A neat bed, several books on the shelves, and an elegant wooden desk. A small yet sufficiently spacious area, perhaps about 15 pyeong.
As the carol played, I sensed the world outside was flurrying with snow. Unlike the blizzard-like conditions of the hotel’s second floor, quite a few kids were frolicking outside joyously, not even befitting the term ‘Hell’.
After taking in the surroundings, I turned my attention to myself.
…
In the mirror, I looked like I had aged down by at least two or three years. Barely past the age of 15, my youthful face reflected back at me. The clothes I wore were evidently a school uniform. Looking around and observing myself, it felt as if I had turned into a student in some dormitory like during my hotel high school days…
Slowly, questions started swirling in my mind.
Why is this place called ‘Hell’? Where could Ahri and Grandpa be? And what about the maze?
Just as those questions grew, a conversation tab appeared.
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