### Chapter 254 – Time to Choose (2) Fin
—
– Lee Eunsol
After thinking about Sanghyun’s suggestion regarding the “dark uses of the heritage,” everyone started sharing their thoughts. The first to voice an opinion was Grandpa.
“It seems like the flute is the better choice. Its near-perfect mental recovery capabilities are invaluable. And just imagine if we took it outside; it would be a treasure with immeasurable value.”
The Bureau, having long battled the demons and monsters hiding beneath the world’s surface, knows all too well how many victims succumbed to madness because of the demons’ craziness. The flute could offer salvation to these victims.
On the other hand, the Ruda, which could transform people into puppets, seems to hold the potential for various negative impacts on reality.
Songee still seemed torn over the Ruda.
“I don’t think the potential for abuse with the Ruda is that serious. Kain Oppa or Elena Unni can probably prevent any control thanks to their abilities, right? Like I said before, we can also choose not to undergo the grafting.”
“Songee, trusting each other and grafting without misusing it is one thing, but avoiding the grafting altogether out of fear of misuse? That’s like saying you’re too scared of worms to make pickles. Honestly, the Queen Ruda offers two main benefits: boosting our physical abilities and controlling NPCs. If you’re willing to give up on the first gain, it seems better to just forgo the heritage and choose the flute instead.”
As discussions continued, I realized something important.
“In a hotel that inherently carries risks, those risks need to be shared among everyone. Strange accidents can happen unexpectedly, right? It’s a place overflowing with mystery deaths. Someone might suddenly die or even get possessed by a demon without warning.”
Elena chimed in, agreeing. “Sealing is a prime example. I almost harmed you all the first time the seals were released.”
“In that sense, the Ruda is quite dangerous. It’s not just that the possessor of the Queen Ruda might have ill intentions; they might also be manipulated by external forces and try to harm us. In that case, we could all suffer significant damages.”
Elena continued, “However, if we avoid the Ruda due to fears of those side effects, it undermines the potential of the heritage altogether. I think I’d still prefer the flute.”
Eventually, as everyone leaned toward selecting the flute, Songee conceded her point. That’s when Sanghyun offered an unexpected opinion.
“I’m also voting for the flute. And I’d like to add one more reason.”
Because of the earlier discussion, everyone turned to him with rapt attention as he spoke.
“I have a feeling that you all will end up trying to resurrect Miro someday. Maybe after obtaining the next ticket, right?”
“…”
The room fell silent for a moment. Honestly, I was thinking the same thing.
Whether Miro was absolutely necessary or not felt secondary. If we weren’t facing an impending ticket situation, it would be one thing, but now that we would eventually get one, and a way to resolve Miro’s issues was viable, how could we not attempt to resurrect him?
That would essentially mean contending with Ahri for the resurrection. Not just Ahri, but the chance that Grandpa might turn against us seemed equally large.
Also, ever since praying in Ice Hell, Kain had been subtly showing support for Miro’s resurrection as well. He often mentioned that there weren’t many issues with young Miro’s character and that he was exceptionally intelligent even from a young age.
“I don’t intend to stop anyone. If this is what everyone wants, I’ll gladly comply. However… I can’t deny that he has a ‘slight’ unsettling aspect. Doesn’t this flute seem capable of countering his abilities?”
The more I listened, the more it felt like this flute wasn’t just a tool for overcoming the Curse Room, but one that might lead to internal strife among us.
However, as Sanghyun had said, if the flute’s power could neutralize the ‘voiced strength’ Miro possessed, it might be a viable option. Seungyub then raised another thought in a different direction.
“The biggest issue with Miro is his mental instability, right? Can’t the flute restore that?”
I didn’t think it would work.
“We won’t know until we try, but I oppose the idea of resurrecting Miro simply based on faith in the flute. After all, Miro’s insanity seems linked to that bizarre place called the ‘Mirror Room.’ Surely, the solution lies there as well.”
The question of which heritage to choose had been decided. Even Songee, who was the only one actively favoring the Ruda, had shifted her stance.
Now the only matter left was who would obtain it.
Maybe it was because Sanghyun had stepped back; the other two quickly followed suit.
“I think I should focus on practicing with the bracelet.”
I felt an implicit agreement that whoever hadn’t acquired a heritage should receive the next one. The ‘sealing’ system provided a solid excuse for this, after all.
Isn’t this a bit of a communist mindset? It’s amusing hearing such thoughts from the daughter of a conglomerate.
Still, it meant there was a chance for me to get it, so I decided to keep quiet.
“It doesn’t quite match my blessing.”
Seungyub’s comment was anticipated.
Due to the nature of ‘Fortune,’ he tends to act a bit independently, often finding himself as the escape artist. The flute, however, is strictly for teamwork, so it doesn’t really suit solo endeavors.
Moreover, the biggest weakness of ‘Fortune’ is that, since the user is a young boy, he has weaknesses in several aspects, and the flute won’t solve that problem. It’s not a tool to make individuals stronger.
…
Grandpa and I exchanged subtle glances, and soon everyone else took a step back too. It seemed no one wanted to jump into this topic.
“Ahem. Perhaps my blessing is communication? It fits well with the idea of supporting from behind, making it quite compatible with the flute.”
“‘Wealth’ is similar. I tend to gather items needed by the group or use various tools. Plus, I might play the role of the supplier among us. I also don’t really step forward into danger, so it’s aligned with supportive heritage.”
“… You know, you can enhance communication, right? You could post ‘images or sounds’ in the chat tabs through that. Doesn’t that sound like it aligns well with the flute? For example, just getting the sound of the flute into the chat to remotely restore everyone’s mental state!”
“Oh come on! Isn’t that a stretch? Can the flute’s supernatural healing ability really be mimicked just by sounds? If so, the Bureau wouldn’t have needed to create a ‘living flute’ to replicate it. We could just record the flute’s sound and play it back.”
“You won’t know unless you try!”
“Some things are plain obvious. The flute doesn’t really match my ‘transparent badge’! Just imagine the sight of me hiding, taking care of everyone’s mental health with the flute!”
“Am I not a Bureau agent? Do you have any idea how many victims of craziness are there? Imagine how much help it would offer.”
“Hey! That money belongs to your family, not to you!”
“Hah! Once we get out of this place, those small issues will—”
“Why not both of you calm down over a cup of coffee…?”
Elena had returned with two cups of coffee and handed them out.
…
Yikes! This atmosphere feels a bit dangerous, doesn’t it?
Are Grandpa and I throwing too much fire at each other? Plus, way too many unnecessary topics came up! How did discussions about the Daeyang Group even come into play?
Before long, I noticed the surrounding companions watching us with anxious eyes. It seemed they felt it was a topic too tense to interject. Not a good vibe at all. Sensing this, Grandpa and I paused our confrontation and took some moments with our coffees to cool things down.
“Ahem. I think I might have said something odd a moment ago. At my age, the presence of items before me impacts my judgment.”
“No, no.”
After the atmosphere settled a bit, Grandpa suddenly changed the subject.
“Honestly, I have little desire for any other items in this hotel. My goal is simply straightforward.”
Grandpa’s goal… I understood he hadn’t entered the hotel for selfish reasons.
“A means to stabilize reality. Remember?”
“Yeah, I think I heard that before. The reason you, Ari, and even the Bureau plant agents here, right?”
“If I can get that, nothing else matters. I’d been sure of that, but I must’ve acted ugly moments ago.”
“…”
“Considering there’s a thing called the ‘purchase required next,’ it would be more fitting to step back in a situation fighting over ownership of something other than that. So I’ll step back. Just promise me one thing.”
“Are you asking me to help you get something you want later?”
“Quick on the uptake, aren’t you?”
“Based on the flow of things, that seems obvious. Besides, if you think this item is something the Bureau desires, it’s bound to be of benefit to the whole world. We’ll all naturally cooperate without needing to make such promises.”
As our discussion with Grandpa began to settle, Elena slipped her voice into the conversation.
“So, Eunsol Unni gets the flute, right?”
The surrounding space fell silent. No one offered dissenting opinions. Wordlessly, I approached the floating flute.
As I drew closer to the object before me, my heart began to race. Why am I feeling so anxious? Thinking about it, this isn’t my first time! Several comrades have gone through this process before!
Once I grab this, it’ll finally be mine—
—Thud!
“Ahh! S-Sanghyun?”
“My apologies. I momentarily recalled something I had forgotten.”
“Forgotten?”
“Thinking it over, if Eunsol grabs that flute, the possession of heritage would be set, causing this space to collapse.”
“Y-Yeah, you might be right?”
“But didn’t we forget one thing?”
“Forget?”
“Didn’t you see the message when the room ceases to exist, Eunsol? It seems your proposed solution aligned well with the hotel’s thoughts.”
“Yeah, I suspected it would cater to the hotel’s preferences.”
“Thanks to that, it seems there’s an ‘additional reward’ as indicated in the message.”
Realization dawned on me about why Sanghyun had placed a hand on my shoulder.
As a price for the happy ending forged in Room 202, the hotel promised an ‘additional reward.’ Sanghyun was hinting that perhaps this reward was hidden somewhere in this space.
—Beep!
/You can check the additional reward once the time to choose has ended./
“… No way.”
“Actually, no. Given how the hotel often hides things, I was just thinking maybe.”
Taking another step forward, I immediately snagged the flute. This time, no one dared to interfere.
I felt an overwhelming rush of countless strings—‘the method of using the flute’ flooded my mind. Along with that, I felt something unfamiliar grasped firmly in my right hand.
*
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 108
Current Location: Floor 2, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: 3]
– Han Kain
“Ugh!”
I barely steadied my trembling legs and tried to regain my composure. Did I solve something? Please tell me it’s not something I’ll have to do again!
No!
When I turned to look at my companions, I immediately realized what had transpired. I’ve been through rooms cursed like this before, so just by glancing at their expressions, I could tell something big had changed. Seeing Eunsol Unni wielding the old and elongated stick confirmed who gained the heritage.
“Unni! Congratulations!”
As everyone beamed at her and approached, she stared at her hand in shock.
“Unni?”
“… This…”
“Yeah?”
“This was the additional reward.”
Seemingly flustered, she accidentally dropped something fluttering from her hand. Reflexively extending my arm, I caught the paper just in time to find it was a ‘split ticket.’
“… A split ticket? Maybe combining two would make a complete ticket?”
Of course, the internal story of Room 202 wrapped up in Chapter 252, but it feels like only when the compensation settles completely can it be deemed truly finished. Every time I complete such significant chapters, my heart swells with pride.
Unfortunately, the escape from the horror hotel will take a break tomorrow (November 23rd, Wednesday). I’ll take a day off to recharge and gather more engaging stories to return with. Thank you to irish for your support!
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