### Chapter 194 – Party Time – The Secret of the Second Floor (3)
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 94
Current Location: Ice Hell – Room of Revival
Sage’s Advice: 0]
—
As I brought up the location’s identity—the story of the snow globe—both Grandpa and Jinchul-hyung looked around in surprise.
“It’s true! Hearing you say it, I understand. This shape! We entered the inside without realizing it; it’s the snow globe itself!”
“Ugh… now that you mention it, the opaque walls do seem curved. It’s so big that I didn’t notice, but it seems like a dome covers this entire space!”
While the two of them looked around in confusion, Ahri asked, “Hey, does your status window show our location?”
“Yep,” I replied.
“What does it say?”
“It says: Ice Hell – Room of Revival.”
“Huh? What are you talking about? It’s been ages since we left that room! Oh, wait! Could this place also—”
“Hold on! Don’t misunderstand. I’ve been using the status window long enough to grasp its principles. If you thought this place was an extension of Ice Hell, it’s a misconception.”
“I was just thinking that… So what does that mean?”
“It’s a matter of name renewal.”
“Name renewal?”
“The location info shown on the status window gets updated when you enter an area with a name designated by the hotel. What I mean is, if I moved from location A to location B, but there’s no designated name for B by the hotel, then the status window will still indicate A. For instance, the ‘Corridor’ on the first floor is such a case.”
“Corridor?”
“When we think of a corridor, we imagine the long space in front of the cursed room on the first floor. But according to the status window, whether we leave there to go to the terrace or near the main entrance, it’s all just ‘corridor.’ There are no separate names for the terrace or near the main entrance because they lack specific designations.”
“Aha! I get it. The reason our location changed to here when we passed by the Room of Revival to warm up is that it hasn’t updated since then!”
“Exactly. And this has one crucial implication.”
After glancing over the vast snowy expanse around us, I added, “This place doesn’t have a name designated by the hotel. That’s why, even after such a long walk, the location info hasn’t updated.”
Ahri and I fell silent, while the others, who had been chatting nearby, also grew quiet.
Right. This fact that we’re inside a snow globe is rather surprising, and it’s intriguing that we’ve entered a place that the hotel hasn’t even named.
But then, what are we supposed to do? It’s not like we can simply wander around for curiosity’s sake!
At this point, having discovered such a mystical place, shouldn’t someone pop out and say, “Dear esteemed guests, congratulations! Here’s your reward!”?
Thinking along those lines, my teammates began to speak again.
“What should we do now? Just be like, ‘Wow, this is amazing!’ and head back to the hotel?”
Absolutely not.
“Think back to when my advice was given. The Owl emphasized not to miss this moment, using up all its advice stack to give hints, and then mentioned that we’ve crossed a line. There’s definitely something meaningful about this place.”
“I feel the same. Finding a hidden location should logically come with a hidden reward…”
— Thunk!
Grandpa hit the wall again.
“Let’s try breaking this.”
“…”
“What other methods do we have? And look at my punch—making a ‘thunk’ sound like that. This definitely feels like an indestructible barrier. We can break it down.”
“It feels a bit unnerving… What could possibly be out there beyond the snow globe?”
“No idea what’s out there, but judging by the circumstances, why did your Owl send us out? Isn’t it telling us to go out?”
Jinchul-hyung nodded in agreement.
“Kain, you might not have played many games, but in games, boxes are meant to be opened, and walls are meant to be broken. Seungyub often said this hotel gives off a subtly game-like vibe. This wall is most likely meant to be broken.”
With no other tasks coming to mind, we decided to go ahead and break the wall to see what lay outside the snow globe. Immediately, curiosity began to bubble within me.
What in the world is out there beyond the snow globe?
After everyone stepped back, Jinchul-hyung summoned a few star shards. Even in his protective suit, he casually brushed off the incoming wave that made my skin tingle for a minute.
— Boom!
A section of the barrier collapsed, revealing the unknown world outside. And an alert appeared before us all.
/Warning! If you go outside, the blessings of your sponsor will no longer protect you. Are you sure you want to proceed?/
“This means…”
“It’s a story that’s somewhat predictable. I vaguely remember seeing this notification when I was escaping using a tool through the depths.”
Among us, the only one with escape experience reacted with a casual demeanor, saying he’d seen that alert before.
“Did you lose your blessings when you escaped? What about your inheritance?”
“I kept my inheritance.”
“So after escaping, only your inheritance remains? It seems the inheritance is our own acquired belongings, while blessings are external forces granted by the sponsor to assist participants in navigating the hotel, right?”
“I’ve heard it’s not that straightforward.”
“What do you mean?”
At this point, Grandpa chimed in.
“Actually, some people maintained their blessings but didn’t have any inheritance. They might be someone who simply didn’t earn any inheritance…”
“Are you saying it’s case by case?”
“Yeah. You’ll understand what I’m saying now. Considering the escapees the Administration Bureau secured, they’re few in number, and even when they escape, it’s often not with a deep understanding of the hotel. Many escape relying on luck, grasping only a fraction of the hotel’s secrets. That’s why the information they provided to the Administration Bureau is often a disorganized mess full of contradictions.”
It seems what kind of powers one retains when stepping outside the hotel depends on how they escape.
One certainty is that leaving the snow globe would mean losing the ‘blessings.’ But the flip side of that interpretation suggests that powers like my teleportation, Grandpa’s gloves, and other individual abilities remain intact.
There’s no turning back now. With determination on our faces, we stepped out of the snow globe without hesitation.
…
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 94
Current Location: Ice Hell – Room of Revival
Sage’s Advice: 0]
The status window began to blur gradually.
[Ending…]
With a notification that seemed to signal the shutting down of a program, nearly all the powers I had known since entering the hotel faded away.
Beside me, Jinchul-hyung murmured.
“I feel… weak. It’s such a strange sensation. Until now, just putting some strength in my legs felt like I could fly.”
Ahri replied lightly, “You’re not weak; you’ve just become ordinary. You’re still stronger than a regular person. Luckily, the protective suit Kain wore is still intact. But hey, look at that! I had my suspicions, but it’s really a snow globe. It’s beautiful.”
After carefully pulling back a bit and surveying the area we’d emerged into, I realized once again that it was truly a snow globe. It felt like a small world compared to our size. Being the only object emitting light in the darkness, a faint shape came into view.
Jinchul-hyung looked around and asked, “Where exactly is this place? It’s so dark around here. What do you guys see?”
“The only luminous object around is this snow globe. There’s no light source visible, even when I look around. Is there no sun or moon?”
Grandpa muttered with a tense expression, “If this place is, say, extraterrestrial, it wouldn’t be strange for there to be no sun!”
“Kain, take a look at the ground. What does the material seem like?”
Crouching down for a moment to touch the ground, I tore off a small piece, thinking, “No way…”
“It feels like wood. Is there some oil on it? It’s shining.”
“Gah!”
Startled by a groan from the other side, I turned my head to see Grandpa pointing somewhere, unable to utter a word.
“What’s going on? What’s over there—ugh!”
As I turned again, I was met with the unexpected sight of a gigantic eye watching us from the darkness, a gaze so intense it made my heart nearly stop. This enormous eye hadn’t blinked even once.
In this extreme tension, everyone stood frozen like statues. I mustered all my courage and stepped forward. Whatever happens, it should happen to me first. With the blessing lost, I’m the strongest physically among us.
Slowly, the eye began to approach us. Should we back away? What kind of creature is this, really?
…
As it drew closer, I found myself smiling in disbelief.
It’s big. So big, it made me want to laugh more than be afraid. An elephant? Its hair alone would surely dwarf one. A dinosaur? Its claw would perhaps be tiny compared to this beast.
Seriously, even the vague shape emerging from the shadows was nearly larger than a mountain. If we all hopped onto that eye and danced, would there be still space left?
“Kain, is your grimoire intact?”
“I’ve already summoned it.”
“Do you think you could seize that monster’s body?”
That question took my breath away. Could this really work? Ever since acquiring the grimoire, I’ve never failed to possess a being unless it resembled a god.
From afar, Grandpa’s voice cut through, tinged with irritation.
“Do you really think it’s possible? If you could seize that monster’s body, you could certainly steal a prisoner’s body too. It seems far-fetched; hurry back this way! Stick to the snow globe!”
“Kain, Ahri! Both of you come back towards the snow globe!”
Following his words and turning back, I pondered.
What we thought was a world of extreme cold was merely inside a snow globe. If that’s true, then what could this creature be?
A demon from the darkness? A monster heralding the world’s end? A beast that has slaughtered millions of humans?
… But that doesn’t seem to fit. For some reason, I was starting to piece together the identity of that being. If my theory was correct, seizing this creature’s mind would be exceptionally easy.
Ignoring the urgent calls of my companions, I moved toward the eye in the darkness. The eye showed no reaction to my actions. If my guess on the creature’s nature was right, it wouldn’t be strange. It probably didn’t have high intelligence. We must seem like insignificant little bugs to it.
My mind began to feel light. As if a balloon were lifting it high, a strange noise emanated from the beast, matching the moment I sensed this unusual change.
— Miaow!!! Miaow!!!
When I regained my senses, I found myself transformed into a house cat.
“Coco~! What’s that sound? Did Dad touch that snow globe he received as a gift again?”
… As I heard a voice that seemed to belong to a teen, an indescribable wicked thought began to stir deep within me.
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