### Chapter 344 – Party Time – Unknown Conversations and Punishments (3)
—
– Han Kain
Looking up at the owl soaring into the sky, I was momentarily flustered, unsure of what to do, when a single sentence entered my mind.
“Reflect on yourself.”
The moment I heard the owl’s message, I realized that my body had changed from a human form into something else entirely.
Where my arms should have been, wings glistening with a dark bluish hue had sprouted.
A rush of confusing thoughts flooded my mind.
Was I always like this? If so, why am I only noticing it now? Did the owl change me? What am I even supposed to look like in this place? Is the Sanctum of Blessings reality, or just a dream?
“Put aside unnecessary thoughts and follow me.”
“… Understood.”
As I spread my wings, an inexplicable and strange realization washed over me.
Had I discovered something new that I had never known before?
No, that wasn’t right.
It was more like something I had already known resurfaced in my mind.
I realized that I could fly.
— Flap!
I wildly flapped my wings and sliced through the air.
For a human who would never need to flap their wings, flying was incredibly tough.
“Why am I doing this?!”
Even as I asked, I didn’t really expect an answer. It was more of an expression of my frustration at being transformed into a massive crow for no apparent reason.
“Training for flight.”
“Flight training?”
“Since you’ll be borrowing the poor parrot’s body often, it would be useful to learn how to fly. Even if you forget other memories, this is one you’ll need to remember.”
His words stunned me for a moment.
Not only borrowing Pero’s body, but actually getting to fly or morphing into a grotesque form? If I could do that, the range of tactics I could employ in the Curse Room would be significantly broadened.
According to the doctor, I had lived in Pero’s body for hundreds of years, learning both flight and transformation.
As I left the room, for some unknown reason, I lost that memory and the ability as well, but it seemed like the owl was trying to help me regain at least the ability to fly.
Recognizing this, I began to move more proactively.
For instance, I tried to swiftly turn by bending the tail feathers at my rear end – where did these even come from? – to change directions.
I also attempted a nosedive, minimizing air resistance as much as possible.
While unexpectedly training for flight, curiosity welled up in me.
Is it really okay to do this in the Sanctum of Blessings?
Typically, it was a place for enhancing blessings and occasionally conversing with patrons.
But if one could use this virtual environment created by the patron for training—
“Of course not.”
“Huh?”
“Using a place not meant for training as a training ground is grounds for punishment.”
“What??”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already been punished for it.”
“A, no! Don’t tell me you’re going to get caged again—”
“This time, it’ll be you who gets punished.”
“What do you mean?”
“Focus. You’re already punished, so you must learn how to fly. Where else will you practice it?”
This sudden punishment without any warning! What could the hotel possibly do to me?
A wave of disbelief, annoyance, and a slight fear surged through me.
Why am I even being punished for breaking the hotel’s rules without realizing it?
But then again, patrons never consult us before causing trouble.
“That aside…”
“What do you mean ‘that aside’?”
“Concentrate on the angle of your right wing.”
“Ugh, seriously!”
…
Hours seemed to pass.
It felt like several hours had gone by, but since the Sanctum of Blessings blurred the line between dreams and reality, I couldn’t be sure.
The owl suddenly perched on a gigantic cloud.
After a brief hesitation, I also landed on the cloud and folded my wings.
“Wah!”
“You still haven’t learned how to land. Truly a foolish young bird.”
Embarrassed, I struggled to get back up as the owl’s voice echoed.
“Consider the human mind as a vessel filled with water. Currently, there’s a large amount of murky black paint mixed in.”
“Are you talking about me? Is that murky black water referring to the Grimoire?”
“Not necessarily a bad thing. The black paint contains boundless and immense wisdom. However, excess is not better than deficiency. You must control your speed.”
“…”
“What should be done?”
“I will listen.”
“The first method is to freeze the water.”
“Freeze the water?”
The owl fell silent for a moment, as if pondering how best to phrase this analogy.
In this metaphor, water represents the human mind, or humanity itself. Freezing it?
Did that mean solidifying it so that the paint couldn’t seep in? A heart that remains unchanged forever?
Or perhaps—
“The girl from the Administration Bureau. She was born carrying an everlasting love that will never melt.”
“…”
“Feelings that do not fade even in eternity. An unchanging heart. If you could hold such things, then no devil’s power could twist your mind.”
“Is that a possible method for me?”
“It’s difficult. That’s why there’s a second method.”
“I’ll listen.”
“Just pour more paint in.”
“Huh?”
“The problem right now is that the black paint is endlessly seeping in, so find white paint and pour it in too. That is also one way.”
In that moment, I was speechless.
Considering the flow of the conversation, the black paint referred to my Grimoire.
But what about white paint that could be compared to the Grimoire?
“Are you telling me to obtain another inheritance? How could that—”
“Do you truly believe it’s impossible? Do you think that if the opportunity arises, you must concede it to your colleagues?”
“…”
The owl repeated something he had said long ago.
“Remember, I hope you gain glory at the end of the hotel. Not for all of you.”
“…”
“…”
“Did you summon me to discuss flight training and this conversation?”
“There’s more. Don’t you keep the hourglass?”
“Yes. I’ve put it in the drawer of my desk in Room 105.”
“Why didn’t you take it to the Curse Room?”
“I didn’t know how to use it and thought it was too dangerous. I once accidentally flipped it over and nearly got us all killed.”
“Thinking it too dangerous to touch means you will never learn how to use it in the future.”
“…”
“It’s a tool meant for use. Are you planning to keep it unused forever?”
I understood what he was trying to say.
I often felt the same when I looked at the hourglass hidden in my drawer.
If I keep hiding it, I’ll never learn how to use it.
But…
But you want me to take something I don’t know how to use into a room full of monsters eager to kill us and use it?
“Could you give me a hint?”
The owl turned his gaze to the sky.
It seemed that detailing the usage of the hourglass was also against the rules.
According to what I heard earlier, considering that I had already broken the rules by training in the Sanctum, it was clear my punishment was confirmed.
I was honestly frightened about adding another punishment to this one.
When I was about to give up on hearing a response, surprisingly, it came.
“Your possession of that item was not mere coincidence, but fate.”
“… Thank you.”
What does that mean? I don’t know yet, but it surely must have significance.
“Lastly.”
“Is there more?”
“Actually, this conversation is more in line with the purpose of the Sanctum.”
As for the Sanctum’s purpose, was it about strengthening blessings?
“Strengthening blessings enhances the powers but also significantly increases the contribution requirements. Many participants, in fact, have never been able to enhance even once, and only a few can manage three times if they’re lucky or skilled.”
“Am I considered to have enhanced three times? The understanding of the scenario is equivalent to two contributions?”
“You are… one of the rare participants who may obtain a fourth enhancement.”
“…”
“Even so, don’t get your hopes up. You’ll need to resolve at least two rooms before you can potentially earn it.”
“What kind of power is that?”
“Those who reach the pinnacle of wisdom will gain the ability to perceive all things…”
With that, the owl soared into the sky, and the surrounding space began to tremble.
The timing for acquiring the fourth enhancement seemed far too late.
Rather than strength to ascend the hotel, it felt more like a final reward for the hard work put in so far.
It didn’t seem like a power that would provide meaningful help on the second floor.
*
[Rule Violation! The Sanctum of Blessings is not a place for idle chatter and training.]
[Han Kain (Wisdom) can no longer use advice during this party time.]
[Han Kain (Wisdom) has been cursed with Tantalus’s Curse during this party time.]
… Tantalus’s Curse?
*
– Lee Eunsol
On a peaceful afternoon, after resolving the Curse Room, we were enjoying some leisure time in the hotel during party time.
The men vanished, claiming they would exercise, play games, or drink.
The women gathered together and went to the swimming pool.
— Splash!
“I won!”
“Help! Save me!”
Everyone looked to be having a blast.
At least Arin, who was pushing Miro into the water, looked happy, although I wasn’t sure if Miro was enjoying it.
“Eunsol unni!”
Songee, in her swimsuit, twirled in front of me, looking like she wanted to show off, so I lightly clapped my hands in acknowledgment.
“Come join us in the water!”
“I’d rather not.”
“Huh? You don’t like swimming?”
“I used to like it, but since coming to the hotel, I’ve developed a dislike for it. You all are amazing, casually jumping into a pool where a mouth the size of a human body was lurking around, simply flapping its tongue.”
“That, that was quite a long time ago.”
“Go fetch Miro from there! If this goes on, she’s going to cry. Ugh, Arin, you’ve worked so hard to save Miro, why keep tormenting her like this?”
“Isn’t it just how you treat your sister?”
Your sister, huh?
“What? I thought you were the mom.”
“Does it even matter?”
“Well, that’s a point.”
Yeah. Honestly, what does it matter?
Even a Supreme Court judge would be confused by how to legally define the relationship between these two.
“By the way, unni, Arin told me to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“When are you going to use the Hand of Greed?”
“Hmm… maybe after those pulled into the Sanctum return?”
“I’ll pass that along.”
The Hand of Greed. Hearing that reminded me of the complaints Grandpa had made earlier in the Sanctum.
“How on earth is a blessing like communication supposed to be useful?!”
Honestly, I couldn’t agree more with that sentiment.
Grandpa’s blessing, “Communication,” is somewhat useful for us as companions but is utterly useless for him.
Since the blessings aren’t much help, he struggles in the Curse Room.
If it’s hard to be useful, it’s hard to gain an inheritance.
If it’s hard to gain an inheritance, then that means personal growth is stagnant while the party’s strength progresses, making the Curse Room gradually more challenging.
Ultimately, it leads to a state where once you lag behind in growth, it becomes hard to catch up.
Could it be that this situation only happened to Grandfather? It must have happened countless times in the past.
Once you start lagging in growth, you can’t escape the hotel’s nature.
So what should I do?
The hotel has left some room for a “one-shot reversal” possibility for participants who face such situations.
Inheritances are not mechanically given to the one who contributed most to solving the Curse Room.
The condition that takes precedence over contributions is ‘survival’ in the final round, and once contributions pass a certain level, everyone will be gathered and given an opportunity during the ‘Time of Choice.’
Focusing on the keyword ‘survival’ leads to a wicked idea.
What if the moment the Curse Room is about to be resolved, someone betrays their allies and survives alone?
No matter how powerful the ability, one cannot withstand sudden bullets flying at them.
Even if Kain, who wields the Grimoire, is mighty, getting shot in the back of the head unexpectedly would kill him on the spot.
The same goes for Jinchul, who is physically the strongest.
The more I analyze the hotel’s rules, the more I feel.
Who on earth created this ‘betrayal-promoting’ system, and what exactly do they expect us to do in such a place?
Once again, my train of thought circled back to the Hand of Greed.
The patron said that this ability is incredibly powerful.
Yet there have been many moments of disappointment when actually using it.
The butterfly brooch, the eye of the single-eyed hawk, and the chef’s hat I obtained through the Hand of Greed were pretty impressive, but they also have significant weaknesses in this trial-laden hotel.
For instance, the butterfly brooch wouldn’t work on a conscious opponent—anyone could avoid it.
It can put the target into a slumber, but that’s only if the medium is a genuine butterfly.
The chef’s hat wouldn’t hold ground against even trained humans, let alone the monstrous entities in the hotel.
…
When did I realize this? Suddenly, it dawned on me.
The issue doesn’t lie with the Hand of Greed, but with me, Lee Eunsol.
This power is a force meant to be used ‘greedily.’
Upon realizing this—
I let go of all grand expectations I had for the Hand of Greed.
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