Chapter: 25
Chapter 25 – Intermission – Who on Earth are You?
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
[Date: Day 8]
[Current Location: Floor 1, Corridor]
[Sage’s Advice: 0]
“Aha, that looks really delicious! Hey, young fella! Could you pass me that big jokbal over there?”
“… I think that’s actually not jokbal but rather that schweinsaxe or something like that.”
“Right, right! Just hand me some of that schweins what’s-it-called jokbal!”
As I reached for the large schweinsaxe to pass it over, the hefty chunk of meat vanished into thin air.
“Aigu, this really looks amazing!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Jinchul-hyung snatched the entire thing from my side.
There was no reason for Jinchul-hyung to suddenly pick a fight with me… it was clear who he was throwing shade at.
“Hoho, you’ve been scratching a bit too much since earlier, don’t you think? I thought I had already explained things…”
“Haha, scratching, you say? Aren’t you a big-time agent of the Bureau? I just felt bad about you having to eat a pig’s foot!”
“Ah, this brat! With a face like a wild boar, why is your mouth so light?!”
“Hah, isn’t that quite a refined way of speaking for someone your age?”
“Please, let’s keep the bickering for later. Jinchul, can you shut up? And you too, sir.” Eunsol-noona chimed in.
Wouldn’t we all hug and cry after enduring so many hardships together? But the atmosphere at the meal was far from what I’d imagined.
Two new faces had joined us.
The addition of two people whom everyone secretly considered enemies in the Mansion of Fear made the situation quite exhausting.
“Ahri-noona, this is deep-fried eggplant, and it’s incredibly delicious. You should try some.”
“Oh my, Seungyub. Thank you!”
Of course, there were some who couldn’t care less about the tense exchanges happening across the table.
With a quiet sigh, I checked the teammate information on my status screen.
1. Han Kain (20) – Wisdom. Freshman at K University
2. Cha Jinchul (31) – Courage. Former professional boxer
3. Yu Songee (17) – Affinity. Raises numerous animals
4. Elena Ivanova (23) – Justice. Daughter of a diplomat seeking asylum. Aspiring actress
5. Park Seungyub (14) – Fortune. A tempestuous young lad
6. Lee Eunsol (32) – Wealth. 3rd daughter of the Daeyang Group chairman
7. Kim Mooksung (68) – Communication. Agent of the Calamity Administration Bureau
8. Kim Ahri (16) – Allusion. Probationary agent of the Calamity Administration Bureau
Absurdly enough, the two newcomers were agents of the Bureau.
The Administration Bureau was the most secretive organization in the world—what they did wasn’t known to many, and from the perspective of an ordinary citizen…
It was known that somewhere on Earth, there are devils and ghosts that common folks would never encounter in their lives. We could say there’s an organization that deals with those.
What we were experiencing was just that kind of bizarre event, so it made sense for those agents to be here.
Quickly finishing her meal, Eunsol-noona began summarizing the situation.
“So, if I heard correctly, you two were trying to stop the missing persons incident caused by the hotel, and somehow you ended up captured, right?”
“Exactly. To be precise, we entered using our means, but the moment we stepped inside, the hotel captured us as characters of Room 102. We think of it as some sort of ‘punishment.’”
“A punishment from the hotel for illegal trespassers?”
“Pretty much. It’s like being trapped in our roles, unable to do anything, and just hoping for the lawful participants to pass through. It’s been quite tough.”
“Well, moving on, old man…”
“Hey, Cha Jinchul!”
“Ahem, what I meant was, is there a way you and the probationary lady used to get into the hotel? Is there any way to leave using that?”
“Sorry, but that method has disappeared.”
“What was that method, anyway?”
For a second, the old man fell silent. A sensitive question, perhaps? But we need to know what we can about escaping.
That was when Ahri spoke up.
“I think it’s best to just say it, grandpa. The hotel has been abducting people for a long time, and sometimes those with luck and skill manage to escape, keeping their abilities. If you succeed, the hotel gives you an ‘entrance ticket’ to come back if you wish.”
“Did you use that ticket to come in?”
“If we did, we wouldn’t have been considered trespassers. That ticket can only be used by the escapee themselves. We… replicated it in our own way. Which is why the hotel labeled us as trespassers.”
Was it perhaps because there were so many people around?
Ahri appeared far more polite and respectful compared to my memories of her in the mansion. She seemed a couple of years older than her appearance in the mansion too.
It felt like we were wrapping up the identity check for those two.
“Next, let’s talk about how events unfolded in the mansion. We should all give some feedback. Since we’ll likely face even more dangerous situations in the future, we need to clarify this first, right? The last one standing usually knows the most, so Kain, why don’t you start?”
The speaking right had shifted towards me. I figured I should calmly synthesize the events, so I began writing on a white plate we had managed to procure.
1. Songee’s possession and the murder events.
“Now, let’s sort this out in the order it occurred. First off, when exactly were you possessed, Songee?”
As soon as the topic shifted to her, Songee lowered her head deeply.
“Honestly, I have no memory after I touched the statue…”
“So touching the statue was the trigger. If we go there again, we should avoid touching it. Got it.”
“Let’s discuss how we all died too. Sonzee, can you start us off?”
“Well, Songee came to me at night saying she was scared, and we talked softly until I fell asleep. Suddenly, I felt much pain and woke up being strangled.”
“I’m so sorry…”
“Oh, it’s not your fault, Songee.”
“Is it my turn now? It’s not much,” Eunsol-noona said. “I came out after tidying some documents and saw Songee waiting outside even though it was late. To tell the truth, I had a bad feeling. I suspected that Songee was the one who killed Elena. When I prepared myself for dying in the study, she acted so well that I hesitated, but the instant I turned around, swish.”
“I’m really sorry, unni.”
“Let’s stop apologizing. We all know that wasn’t your intention.”
“I seriously don’t understand how I died. It was just out of the blue while we were eating, right? What was that?”
“I think I know. Back then, I wasn’t sure, but looking back, I checked the food and juice beforehand. However, we didn’t check the beer you drank; something must have been done to it.”
“Oh come on… can’t I even enjoy a beer anymore?”
“I was called by noona to walk around the lake, and she suddenly pushed me.”
As we discussed how each of us was killed by Songee, she looked like she was about to burst into tears any moment.
2. Meaning of the memo.
“One thing I really wanted to ask after leaving that place: why did you write [c, cathedral, maid, bell]? Did you not have time? I really struggled to decipher that you wanted me to take Ahri to the cathedral and ring the bell.”
“Uh… is that what happened?”
“Yes?”
“I wasn’t trying to imply anything specific at all. If I had meant that, I would have written it more clearly like you suggested. The memo was just me jotting down keywords from documents I saw. I wasn’t even aware there was a bell in the cathedral! However, I noticed some writings indicating that the elder had a grudge against the cathedral and bells, so I jotted those down, along with the part about brainwashing the maid. It looks like you pieced it together perfectly from my messy notes.”
“So, what was that ‘c’?”
“That was me trying to write a capital ‘S’ for Songee, but I second-guessed myself. When I wrote the memo, all I had about the suspect was that it had to be someone Elena would invite to her room and sleep next to, right? Songee popped into my mind first, but Seungyub is still quite young and I didn’t want to mislead you into wrong assumptions.”
“Judging by the memo you left, did you think you might die?”
“I was prepared for that possibility too, but mainly it was because there was a mention in the study about a grimoire that could drive a normal person insane just by looking at it. I assumed it might be in there somewhere. But I failed to find it. Maybe it’s somewhere else?”
At that, I discreetly glanced at Ahri, who smiled widely as if to say, “Why are you looking at me?” Maybe my hypothesis was wrong.
3. How the two agents woke up.
“Let’s tackle our biggest lingering question now. The hotel has manipulated our minds several times, and yet we never managed to resist any of it. So how did you two from the Bureau regain your senses?”
“First of all, we’ve undergone training to resist mental control, and secondly, it’s thanks to my blessing.”
“Your blessing? Communication?”
“I’ll make it simple. My blessing is Discord.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
“What do you mean, all of a sudden ‘Discord’? What on earth are you talking about?”
“It’s just a metaphor. Quite literally speaking, it’s a power optimized for communication. A picture is worth a thousand words. Come, hold my hand.”
With puzzled looks, we all took a turn holding his hand.
Mooksung: Can you hear me?
Eunsol: …
Kain: …
Songee: Wait! What is this? Words are popping into my head!
Mooksung: That’s my blessing. We can communicate through thought. Generally speaking, it’s no better than just talking, but we can still chat even when our bodies are restricted. By using this, Ahri and I managed to maintain our sanity.
Kain: Wow, that’s really something! Seems super useful.
Seungyub: Woah! Can we keep chatting like this all day?
Eunsol: For example, when it’s not mealtime at Room 105?
Mooksung: Sorry, there’s a limit to conversation. You see, we’ve already used up about half of it. It’s not an ability suited for day-to-day chatting. It needs a day to recharge.
Kain: Understood. Any other limitations?
Mooksung: Haven’t found any yet. Oh, and I can do this. Jinchul? Say something.
Stupid Pig: What are you talking about? What the heck is this?
Mooksung: The host can assign nicknames.
Eunsol: Since there’s a limit, let’s cut it here.
After a brief yet fascinating experience, we reverted to our regular conversation.
It’s undeniably a very useful ability. However, the downsides include that conversing for less than a minute can use up a considerable amount of our daily quota. The limitations are as impactful as its usefulness.
“By the way, what blessing do you have, Ahri? Kain mentioned it’s called Allusion, right?”
“I was locked up in Room 102 right away, so, to be honest, I’m not really sure.”
“Not sure?”
For that to be the case, she appeared quite skilled in casting hypnosis-like tricks on me, though?
It was a somewhat suspicious reply, but I didn’t pry further.
“Well, that wraps it up. I think we’ve said all we needed to. And honestly, great job everyone! I’d love to say something heartfelt, but I’m just too worn out, and I imagine you’re all feeling the same. Let’s just take a break; we need to enter that cursed room again tomorrow. See you all in the morning.”
With that, dinner ended, and we were dispersed to our respective quarters.
The remaining time? I could afford to relax a bit. Tomorrow was a new day, and I’d handle that then.
…
Ahri: Can you hear me?
Kain: …
Ahri: We can’t talk for long.
Kain: What are you trying to say? Playing nice, huh?
Ahri: Oh my! I’m not sure what you mean. It’s about what I saw last at the mansion.
Kain: Why didn’t you bring that up during dinner?
Ahri: Because it’s better that no one else knows except you.
Kain: What do you mean???
Ahri: Looks like you’re not well-informed about your own blessing. Wisdom allows you to accept knowledge that humans cannot comprehend. I’ll show you now. We can also do this by combining my blessing with grandpa’s.
From some distant place, I gazed upon something.
An image that felt like it would melt my brain.
An endless abyss,
A pit unending and extending like entrails,
With a horrible form crawling toward me.
A headache so intense it was almost unbearable.
Looks like I’ll be having a nightmare tonight. Why did she have to show me this right before bed…?
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.