### Chapter 218 – Room 104, Cursed Room – ‘Prestigious Hotel High School’ Re (12) Fin(?)
—
– Elena
The sky was clear and blue. But the ground was cluttered with broken machines, leaving hardly any place to step.
I smashed and smashed—it’s impossible to estimate just how many machines I obliterated. Thankfully, most of the forces sent to kill me by the Administration Bureau were unmanned weapons. There were hardly even ten people among all those machines.
I can guess the reason. After the underground city collapsed, the Administration Bureau must have gathered some information about this ‘Hotel High School,’ realizing it was a rather suspicious school. They might have thought that I possessed some magical power that could charm people’s minds while rampaging in the hotel.
But I didn’t care! For someone who smashed everything in sight, I felt light as a feather knowing I hadn’t killed any humans!
My blessings had all been used up, and my ominous imagination hadn’t recovered yet. So, I had no strength left in my body. However, my heart felt at ease because I had seen Mr. Kain fly outside this room earlier.
So now, what should I do…?
I considered picking up a gun that had fallen on the floor and ending it all right there, but something held me back, and I moved towards the underground city instead. It didn’t take long to find a little girl.
“Waaah! Hoo-oo! Waaaah!”
“Hey, why are you crying like that?”
The girl stared blankly at me, her eyes filled with fear. Does she know me? Considering how loud the battle got here, it would be odd if she didn’t recognize me.
“You! You did something to Father!”
“Father? Something happened to the lord, did it?”
I could piece it together. The plan to take over Mr. Kain’s body must have cost him a significant amount of power. Now that the plan had failed, I guessed that at least in this ‘second attempt,’ he wouldn’t have any more power left for the girl. To her, that might feel like the god’s destruction.
But the lord hadn’t perished. As long as Room 104 exists, there’s still an opportunity for him.
“I am the daughter of the lord! As long as I’m here, the church—”
I ignored the girl’s whiny speech and started contemplating practical matters. Was there any reason for me to stay in this room any longer?
Kain had escaped, and aside from Seungyub, who was caught by the police, all my comrades were dead. However, it seemed that the enemy had little power left as well. Maybe if I just kill this girl in front of me, it would solve everything?
…
One concern did linger in my mind. The inheritance, the ‘Holy Sun,’ was another self created by the lord. He had hoped that Mr. Kain would obtain that inheritance and exit.
So, what would happen if someone other than Mr. Kain got that inheritance?
It’s certain that it wouldn’t be the outcome the lord wished for. But a conclusion that the lord doesn’t want doesn’t guarantee it would be a good outcome for us either. Perhaps someone other than Mr. Kain wouldn’t be able to handle that inheritance and would spontaneously combust. It would be the worst outcome for the lord, but for us, it would be equally disastrous.
I felt that such extreme assumptions were ridiculous.
The ‘inheritance’ is a reward given to us by the hotel, regardless of this or that. Would the hotel really allow a participant to ignite upon receiving a reward immediately? That can’t be right.
I have no idea what would happen if someone other than Mr. Kain obtained the ‘Holy Sun.’ I wish I could get some ‘advice’ in times like this.
After pondering for a moment, I made a decision.
The second attempt—it was fraught with trials, but we had ultimately uncovered all of the lord’s plans and tricks. If we ever return, we’ll be able to proceed through the room in a far more advantageous situation. Besides, when another person acquires the Holy Sun, I could ask Mr. Kain’s ‘advice’ and maybe get some answers?
In this situation, there was no need for me to risk uncertainty and danger. If I felt bad about the Holy Sun, we could just come back to Room 104 later. Of course, the escape button is now gone, so I’d have to get stronger than I am now!
— Bang!
With the sound of a gunshot, I lost consciousness.
*
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 98
Current Location: Floor 1, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: 3]
– Han Kain
The moment I regained consciousness outside the room, my eyes immediately went to the status window.
‘Sage’s Advice: 3’
Finally, the penalty that had been placed on the status window was gone!
The process was tough, but Ari’s plan to funnel the penalty into Room 104 had somewhat succeeded. I pondered what I should ask. A few questions immediately came to mind, but I would need to discuss them with my comrades.
As I stood up and looked around, familiar faces were all smiling brightly. Moving towards the snack table, we all shared heroic tales. Naturally, the main topic was about Room 104.
“In the end, Room 104 ended with an escape. No one really solved it, right? Elena ended it by committing suicide? Seungyub?”
“I escaped too, but I got out much faster than Sister Ari!”
“Much faster?”
“They caught me and after about a week, I got the escape notice!”
“Oh! I understand that. We crashed into the Old Main Building that same day, and Elena brought it down; then the next day, she fought fiercely against the Administration Bureau’s unmanned weapons. It was probably around that time that the hotel high school was closed, right?”
Let’s wrap up Room 104 with an escape, then. Honestly, I didn’t feel like going back in. Most importantly, without the escape button, we couldn’t use the same strategy. When I relayed what I had said to the lord at the end, my comrades were all laughing uncontrollably.
“You were thinking of that amidst all that? That was kind of a wise solution! But it’s a bit of a shame the escape button’s gone. Of course, it was going to be a useless item anyway when the time came.”
Ari seemed amused yet disappointed about the escape button. I understood her feelings well.
“Oh boy! You’re quite something. You think to joke around with ‘Did you go senile, where’s the next move between us?’ right in front of that guy?”
“Bro, honestly, I was pretty pissed off! That crazy guy was trying to do all kinds of tricks just to steal my body, even with eight others around. It sent shivers down my spine! It felt like having a stalker following me around.”
“A stalker, huh? He truly is a crazy stalker. By the way, I’m curious, do you still have the descent left?”
The moment those words hit my ears, a corner of the status window caught my attention.
[Descent: 1]
“… I still have one chance left.”
Ari brushed it off casually. “You already used it once, but nothing happened, right? I think the descent itself won’t have any significant issues. The problem likely arises when you go back into Room 104.”
If I consider everything we’ve experienced and the remarks made by the lord, it’s clear that the reason the lord descended upon me was to strengthen me as a being known as Han Kain.
Just like you can’t fit a lake into a sauce dish, the basin must also be large enough to accommodate it. When I first clashed with the lord holding control over my body, he told me this.
“Don’t mistake the wicked realizations you’ve obtained as entirely your talent!”
Ari’s words about my swift growth concerning the magic book’s proficiency, coupled with the strange super-sensitivity I’d sometimes felt, and finally the lord’s remarks all come together—the descent has enhanced everything that constitutes me, Han Kain.
So, under the premise that I won’t return to Room 104, would the descent not be a problem?
Just as my thoughts began to spiral, Grandpa provided a clear logic that sorted out the situation.
“What are you worrying about again? It’s the same as before. Just don’t use it normally, and when facing total annihilation, use it just once. If you die without using it, you’ll suffer endlessly in this hotel, so even if something happens later, you’ll use it then.”
“Right.”
I decided to stop contemplating. Just as he said, if I’m ever faced with a catastrophic situation, regardless of what side effects await in using the third descent, I’d unquestionably do it. After a brief discussion about the descent, my sister then brought up the lord.
“Seriously, that guy is too much! It’s like he’s trying to strategize against us as if he read a guidebook! I really hope to never see him again.”
Jinchul then raised another question. “Are there any other prisoners like that guy?”
“I suppose prisoners would naturally dream of escaping? I understood the purpose in that. The fact that he planned to create another self using inheritance and then escape after resolving the room was impressive.”
Another being dreaming of escaping like the lord. Suddenly, Ari clutched her head.
“Ari? What’s wrong?”
“No… I feel like I’ve met a similar being once before. Maybe it’s just my imagination?”
A similar being? Is Ari recalling some forgotten memory?
Regardless, everyone agreed on the hypothesis that there are likely more prisoners dreaming of escape, even if they aren’t the lord. People tend to struggle to escape when trapped in prison, especially prisoners of a hotel that’s practically a god.
As our enjoyable conversation flowed, it eventually turned to Dr. Sanghyun.
“Seunghyun! I was really surprised earlier. I honestly thought you were enchanted by the lord! What do you think, Elena?”
With that teasing tone from my sister, Elena’s face turned red as she apologetically faced the doctor.
“I’m sorry… I was a bit flustered back then.”
“No need to worry. It’s actually impressive that those who noticed so quickly. Furthermore, considering my actions were being read by the lord, forcing me to fight against the Administration Bureau’s machines, I should be the one apologizing.”
“No, it’s okay. Even if we noticed the army of the Administration Bureau, we still had to move forward.”
In the warm atmosphere, my sister suddenly threw a sharp question.
“Seunghyun, when you heard the lord’s offer, weren’t you honestly tempted?”
Everyone flinched for a moment, but the doctor seemed to calmly answer without much care.
“Didn’t I mention this before?”
“What do you mean?”
“Leadership is necessary in a hotel. However, I hope that leadership stems from personal abilities such as knowledge and character rather than supernatural powers.”
“Oh, I remember now.”
“Thus, the lord is disqualified from the beginning. It’s a matter I didn’t need to contemplate.”
For a moment, tension hung in the air, then in a split second, it dissipated. We spent the remainder of the evening meal time joyfully chatting and laughing at the snack table.
Peering at a legend from the past? Just like always!
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