Chapter 42: Room 104, Cursed Room – ‘Preparatory Selective, Hotel High School’ (2)
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 16
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 104 (Cursed Room – Preparatory Selective, Hotel High School)
Sage’s Advice: 3]
Have I ever studied this hard in my life? I don’t think I even put this much effort into preparing for the college entrance exam.
Of course! It’s not like I’d get killed for a low score on that, right?
*
Lee Eunsol (Teacher): Language – 43211 53422 15323 12432
Kim Mooksung (Teacher): Korean History – 52452 12431 11123 14123
*
The answers for Language and Korean History are in. Now it’s finally my turn to go all out and punch these questions to the moon!
I unfurled the test paper.
Question 1: The number of distinct real roots for the equations P(x) = 0 and Q(x) = 0 are 7 and 9 respectively. The set A = {(x,y) | P(x)Q(y) = 0 and Q(x)P(y) = 0, where x and y are real numbers} is an infinite set.——
Ah. Starting with this junk is already the worst.
Is there seriously no other way to tackle this? No matter how I think about it, this feels so off-course…
I have no idea. Since I can’t think of anything else, I guess I have no choice but to solve the problems in front of me to survive.
…
50 minutes passed. I barely managed to submit answers with less than 10 minutes to spare.
Han Kain (Student): Mathematics – 21223 53121 45121 33315
Kim Ahri (Student): For Question 13, the answer is not 1, it’s 3.
Han Kain (Student): For Question 16, is the answer 3?
Kim Ahri (Student): Seems like it’s 3.
Well, looks like I’m not the only one struggling here. That’s a bit reassuring.
While I was cracking my head over the test, a little chaos erupted during the English exam.
Han Kain (Student): English – 23111 45231 13522 3 – BEChapter: *
“All communication has been exhausted!”
At least I managed to share up to Question 16. As for the last four questions… well, I just hope they all manage somehow.
*
“Wow… You really did great, Hyung!”
“Thanks, Oppa.”
“If it weren’t for you, Kain-ssi, I think we would’ve all been stuck at the Old Main Building.”
“Good job! But I think the answer for Question 11 in English might be wrong…”
While everyone was thanking me, Ahri’s last comment left me feeling a bit peeved. But hey, whatever! As long as I can survive in this weird hotel, that’s all that matters.
I wanted to hold a strategy meeting after this, but there was no time for that. The bell rang, signaling us to head back to our dorms, barely giving us a chance to exchange a few more words.
This exhausting boarding school, Preparatory Selective Hotel High School, had such strict control that once exams finished, we were only allowed to go back to our rooms and hit the books, no questions asked.
*
It’s quiet.
How long has it been since I’ve been this alone?
Thinking back, before Grandpa Mooksung and Ahri joined our troop, after dinner, we would lock ourselves in Room 105 like this. I remember we left every hour just to meet up.
But ever since Grandpa Mooksung got his ‘communication window’ open, even after dinner, we managed to chat a bit here and there, making that feeling of isolation fade.
Sitting alone, I reflected.
Is there really no other way?
Is surviving day by day while studying endlessly for the college entrance exam the best we can do? In the end, that’s just a temporary measure.
The only risky thing we’ve identified so far is the ‘Old Main Building.’
Is it meaningful just to keep avoiding going there?
I recalled the conversation I had with Eunsol-noona at the ‘Mansion of Fear.’
If everyone just tries to survive, we’ll all die together without knowing a thing.
Someone has to go to the dangerous place to gather information, even if it means sacrificing themselves.
The hotel demands sacrifices.
But… who should be sacrificed?
The night deepened. I tossed and turned in agony, haunted by worries.
*
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 17
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 104 (Cursed Room – Preparatory Selective, Hotel High School)
Sage’s Advice: 3]
As morning broke, the messenger was in complete chaos.
Lee Eunsol (Teacher): You absolute morons!!!!
Han Kain (Student): What’s going on? Did we mess up a ton?
Kim Mooksung (Teacher): If only it were that simple.
Lee Eunsol (Teacher): You all did well! Did Kain or Ahri solve most of it?
Han Kain (Student): Both of us did!
Lee Eunsol (Teacher): But you fools, when you copy answers, you need to change at least one or two!
Kim Mooksung (Teacher): How is it that Ahri is the only one slightly different and the other four got all the wrong ones synced up exactly?
Great, we’re doomed. I can’t believe they didn’t even make an effort to mix it up, I thought that was a given!
Park Seungyub (Student): Uh-oh!
Lee Eunsol (Teacher): It’s not ‘uh-oh,’ it’s GAME OVER.
Han Kain (Student): So what happened?
Kim Mooksung (Teacher): There’s a panic because some students are cheating. Eunsol and I tried to claim there’s no evidence, and we kinda covered it, but today’s exam is all short answers.
Oh no. Short answers.
This is seriously a disaster. The situation shifted like a targeted strike against our messenger ability.
The messenger doesn’t last beyond three minutes in long conversations.
Naturally, we wouldn’t even manage to write proper answers for one or two questions.
Yu Songee (Student): On the contrary, this works out. We can’t keep going like this; someone has to check out the Old Main Building.
Lee Eunsol (Teacher): It’s true someone has to go, but it needs to be one person at a time. Right now, El/Park/Yu face a simultaneous risk. That’s too much sacrifice.
Kim Ahri (Student): I have an idea! Cheating is impossible with the messenger, but doable with ‘Diverse Perspectives.’ Teachers, prepare the cheat sheets. Slide them to Songee during the exam, and she’ll relay them to us using ‘Diverse Perspectives.’
Kim Mooksung (Teacher): What a time we live in. These youngsters are masters of cheating.
Lee Eunsol (Teacher): Boomer, stop wasting time. I’ll prepare the cheat sheets. Songee, can you handle that?
Yu Songee (Student): It’s tough to target someone when there’s a crowd around.
Han Kain (Student): Everybody, adjust your seats so Songee can target easier. We’ll practice to ensure nothing blocks between you and Songee during the exam.
Elena (Student): Pretending to drop something to get close to Songee could work too.
Kim Mooksung (Teacher): What kind of school days were you all having? How could you be so—
Lee Eunsol (Teacher): SHUT YOUR MOUTH.
Cha Jinchul (Teacher): I’ll be supervising the exam too.
Thus, we planned out the Super Cheating Project with the help of the teachers.
But trouble brewed right from the first class.
*
“Park Seungyub! Can’t focus again today? Where in the world is your attention going? Are you even listening? Come up here and solve this!”
Math class.
In the end, Seungyub couldn’t hide his dazed expression and was completely unblessed. Naturally, he didn’t even touch the math problem.
“Oh no, this isn’t working! Go out and get yourself punished!”
As the math teacher uttered the word ‘punishment,’ a giant figure barged into the classroom as if waiting for the cue and dragged Seungyub outside.
Curiously, I wonder what kind of school exists in this world?
Just as everyone was lost in worry, Seungyub uploaded a message.
Park Seungyub (Student): I figured this would happen. It’s probably better me going alone. I’ll go check it out.
Kim Mooksung (Teacher): Good mindset. Don’t fret. Even if things turn sour, you’ll be able to rest outside with everyone again.
Han Kain (Student): Catch you later!
Elena (Student): See you soon!
Everyone forced a smile, reassuringly stating we’d see each other again outside.
If I think about it coldly, Seungyub was right.
Instead of facing an issue all together in a group at the Old Main Building, it’s better to investigate one by one and slowly unveil the mystery.
*
While everyone pretended to focus on the lesson, we were all tuned in to Seungyub’s ‘report’ flowing through our minds.
Park Seungyub (Student): Nothing notable yet. On my way to the Old Main Building.
…
Park Seungyub (Student): The building looks quite worn down. There’s a strange light coming from the window.
…
Park Seungyub (Student): I’m inside now. It’s silent. The guy who brought me here vanished.
…
Park Seungyub (Student): There’s a weird sound. A song? I’ll check it out.
…
Park Seungyub (Student): It’s so mysterious and beautiful—
…
His reports suddenly stopped.
What the heck is going on?
An old building, strange light, a singing sound, mystery and beauty. That doesn’t clarify anything!
Looks like I’m not the only one feeling perplexed.
Lee Eunsol (Teacher): I’m completely lost.
Kim Ahri (Student): Feels like he was knocked out immediately upon entering. We need someone stronger to go in.
That’s true.
If the next person gets knocked out like Seungyub did right after entering, we won’t gather any useful information.
Someone with more combat ability needs to infiltrate.
As everyone sat starting to ponder…
Seungyub returned.
*
“What the heck happened? You didn’t report back, so naturally, we thought something had happened to you!”
“Ah, Hyung. If I had anything to report, I would’ve. What happened was, I just stepped inside, saw a teacher, got scolded a bit, and was told to study for my future and other nagging stuff.”
“Didn’t you mention hearing a song?”
“Oh, it was just the teacher humming.”
“Seungyub, so are you all right?”
“Yep. I might’ve worried Elena-noona and the others.”
“Thank goodness you returned safe!”
“Very lucky. By the way, does this mean we’re back at square one?”
Something felt off.
It was just a brief chat, yet everything felt weird. Strange light, a singing sound, mystery, and beauty. Were those elements really just trivial?
Songee, who had been quiet since Seungyub returned, stood up.
“Seungyub. Come here for a second.”
“Uh, sure?”
Tap.
“From now on, everyone pretend you can’t hear what I’m saying. ‘This’ thing stopped me from being heard.”
Tension rippled through the air.
“This isn’t Seungyub. It’s hard to explain, but the Perspective is entirely different. Its senses are not like those of humans.”
A chilling foreboding crept over me. Immediately, I opened my status window.
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 17
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 104 (Cursed Room – Preparatory Selective, Hotel High School)
Sage’s Advice: 3
Teammate Location Information (*)
Park Seungyub: Basement of Old Main Building]
If the status window is accurate, then Seungyub is currently in the basement of the Old Main Building.
Then what on earth is this ‘thing’ in front of us…?
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