### Chapter 424 – Party Time (4) – Suspiciously Easy Event
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 376
Current Location: Basement, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: 0]
—
— Han Kain
—
Unfortunately, the hidden NPC didn’t show up by the time the mannequin for the manager role appeared.
Instead, the staff grabbed my shoulders and dragged me out of the restaurant.
—
Ari was kicked out too.
—
“You got me kicked out too because of you!”
“Well, it happens.”
—
“Are you going to say something weird again?”
“Could be.”
—
I shrugged it off and started pondering which room to enter next.
Unlike Elena, Ari began following me closely, and the reason was crystal clear.
—
“I’d feel wronged if only I was the one left out.”
“…”
“Let’s go. This time, you’re with me.”
—
What’s up with her? Does she think I’m planning a prank or something?
—
“Do you think I’m fooling around like Seungyub? I’m seriously looking for the NPC.”
“I’m super serious too.”
—
Ari’s tone felt a bit labyrinthine.
—
[Zoo]
—
“How about this place, Kain? Songie went in earlier.”
“If Songie went in, then we don’t need to.”
“… But you still went into the restaurant when I was there.”
—
Hearing Ari’s complaints inspired a brilliant idea.
“Not at all! We definitely need to check out the zoo. I’ll grab my protective suit for a sec.”
“I’ll go grab my wing boots~.”
—
*
A long time ago, Songie mentioned something about the zoo.
She said that instead of the usual animals we know, there were bizarre creatures we’d never seen in our lives.
As soon as we stepped into the zoo, I realized what she meant.
—
“What even is this? Ari, do you know?”
“Some kind of spider, maybe?”
“Is there even a spider like this? Have you seen this at the Management Bureau?”
“Not a chance.”
—
Ari touched the glass containing a bizarre creature with her mouth half-open.
“This feels less like a zoo and more like… a ‘Monster Exhibit’. This is a bit unsettling.”
“Kain, let’s ditch the plan. It honestly feels risky to pull any stunts here.”
“That uneasy feeling might just be the hotel’s trap. The more uneasy it feels, the more we need to smash something, you know?”
“…”
—
Just then, Songie appeared, who was exploring the zoo.
“You guys came to the zoo? What’s up?”
“…”
“Oppa? Why are you wearing a protective suit? Those are wing boots, right Ari?”
“W-We’re just here to check out the zoo too.”
—
At that, Songie excitedly started explaining about the nearby animals.
“This is a Lethogia that lived on Planet Retros a whopping 130 million years ago—”
“…”
“This one lived on Earth 210 million years ago. Isn’t it remarkable how it had sensory organs both front and back? Could it see the whole world at once?”
“…”
“Look at this, oppa! This was supposedly a relative of humanity from 2.3 million years ago—”
“…”
—
I always knew Songie liked animals, but this bizarre cryptozoology fascination was new!
As I listened in a daze, Ari suddenly spoke up.
“It seems like the animals are fond of you even though they’re in glass walls.”
“Yeah? Hehe, that’s just the power of my blessing.”
“Great. If push comes to shove, you can control them.”
“Uh…?”
“Kain, let’s get going.”
—
Once Ari made her decision, I also got into a stance while wearing the protective suit.
“It could get dangerous, so Songie, you should stay outside.”
“O-Oppa! What’s with that stance? Are you suddenly going to throw some punch?”
“…”
—
I took a deep breath and gathered my strength.
I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity resting on my fingertips.
—
Han Kain special – Instant Transmission Nuclear Punch!
—
“Yaaaah!”
“Ahhh! What on earth are you doing?!”
— Boom!
—
With a thunderous sound, the entire glass wall shook.
Songie was so startled that she almost collapsed onto the floor, and Ari was already floating, sporting her wing boots.
—
“Even with the power of the protective suit, I still lack strength. This time, I’ll use my whole body -”
—
The next moment, a blinding flash and diverse perspectives momentarily plunged my vision into darkness.
—
…
—
“I’m losing it! What the hell just happened?! Are you out of your mind?!”
“Kain! No, listen—”
“I knew it! You’re losing your mind!”
“No! Just hear me out—”
“W-What? How did you know I have a heart-shaped mark on my shoulder?”
“What does that have anything to do with this?!”
“Spill it!”
—
Just as I was about to be taken aback by Songie’s utterly random comment, Ari, who had been observing from above, descended with a curious expression.
—
“What’s with the mark now?”
“I-I don’t even know! Why’s this happening?”
“Don’t brush it off! Do you know how shocked I was in Room 206?”
“Uh, it’s just something that popped in my head—”
“Something just comes to mind, huh? What about the mark on Ari’s waist—”
—
Ari’s waist?
What new twist is this?!
—
At that moment, Ari dashed over and covered Songie’s mouth, pulling her away.
“Shh! We’re leaving. Kain can smash whatever in the zoo or not. He’s in a protective suit, so he’ll be fine.”
“Shh! What about the mark on Ari’s waist?”
“…”
—
The two of them left.
—
…
—
“This won’t do.”
—
Even after being alone, I attempted to break the zoo’s glass wall several times but failed.
Whether I punched it or threw my body against it, I could barely shake it, and it showed no signs of cracking.
—
“Should I tell Jinchul hyung and see if he can summon a star…?”
“Haha, let’s avoid that for now.”
—
Just then, I heard a familiar voice from beside me.
—
…
—
A monster resembling a human with gauze covering its body approached—it was one of the hotel NPCs, the Merchant.
—
“Long time no see, Kain.”
“… Right.”
“Haha! You seem lively today. Breaking train windows, wrecking restaurants, and now the zoo?”
“…”
—
Jinchul hyung always showed strong disgust when dealing with the Merchant, and I shared similar sentiments.
Could it be because I could tell the figure beneath the gauze was not human?
—
Every move of theirs felt off-putting and disgusting.
Of course, the Merchant was probably indifferent to that fact.
—
“Come on. You’re not a terrorist or anything, why are you smashing the hotel?”
“I can fix it all in the blink of an eye, can’t I?”
“Haha… It’s not as easy as you think, Kain. It all requires a certain amount of resources.”
“Still, a job’s a job.”
—
Suddenly, the Merchant stepped closer to me.
—
“Eek! Back off!”
“Why are you acting like a scared girl?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Just back off!”
“I care for you, Kain.”
—
— Whack!
—
“…”
—
I couldn’t hold back and swung a fist.
Even with the protective suit on, it felt so gross that I might have literally vomited if I were bare-skinned.
That’s because something underneath the gauze kept wriggling incessantly.
—
“Haha! Kain, you’re quite shy.”
“Seriously, what’s with you?”
—
“Decent hobbies.”
“What?”
“PC room, billiards room, swimming pool. Those aren’t too bad, but isn’t this a luxury hotel? How about picking up a more refined hobby?”
“… Tell me more.”
“Haha! Are you asking me to spoon-feed you? You should’ve figured it out by now.”
—
With that keyword ‘refined hobby’ in mind, the Merchant vanished like a mist.
—
Stepping outside, Ari and Songie seemed to have calmed down.
As I relayed the hint from the Merchant, they both tilted their heads, deep in thought.
—
“A refined hobby.”
“Classical music? Musical theater?”
“Golf?”
“Using your body as a hobby seems a bit mismatched for ‘refined.’”
“Really?”
“Pottery?”
“Kain, have you ever seen a room like that?”
“No.”
—
While the three of us rambled about potential hobbies, a sign suddenly appeared before us.
—
[Hotel Art Gallery]
—
“This, this is it!”
—
*
As I walked through the tranquil space filled with silence, thoughts swirled in my mind.
If this place is the answer, then the reason we hadn’t found the hidden NPC before Floor 2 ended is simple.
None of my companions had a hobby of appreciating sculptures or paintings here.
—
Staring intently at the bizarre painting on the wall, Ari approached me.
—
“It’s a painting capturing the beauty of outer space.”
“Outer space?”
“This black background represents space. The twinkling points in the middle are likely stars from a pale world. Is that bright white light a nebula? In any case—”
—
She pointed to the description beneath the painting without a word.
—
“‘Charred Pork Cutlet’
Klef aidoleon’s work.
The black background is the frying pan, while the white center is undercooked batter.”
—
“… What’s the point of hanging such a foolish picture?”
“Since we’ve reeled in Kim Ahri, it served its purpose.”
—
As we exchanged dumbfounding dialogue, Songie approached.
—
“Oppa, are you planning to set something on fire or tear a painting here too?”
Not that it was needed.
—
“Oh my! You’re all such scary people.”
—
The NPC suddenly appeared amongst the artworks.
A white-haired girl wearing a beret made her entrance, wearing a somewhat bored expression.
—
“What’s with the sudden drop-in after an eternity? You’re talking about burning a painting?”
“…”
—
As the three of us fell into silence, she introduced herself.
—
“I’ll reintroduce myself. Hello, I’m the ‘Painter.’”
—
Following the doctor, merchant, and mysterious craftsman, the fourth hidden NPC was the ‘Painter.’
With a sudden hand gesture, she pointed directly at me.
—
“You, stay still.”
—
Before I could even respond, the Painter quickly pulled out a sheet of paper and started moving the pen at an incredible speed.
—
“What’s with this sudden—”
“Just stay still! Do I look like I’m going to harm you?”
—
It made sense when I thought about it.
Hidden NPCs are part of the hotel’s hidden elements and a kind of reward; they aren’t vicious beings.
Neither the Merchant, Doctor, nor Mysterious Craftsman have ever attempted to harm us.
—
“…”
—
About five minutes passed, and the Painter finally showed me a simple black-and-white sketch.
“How’s this?”
—
“Th-thank you.”
—
Ari and Songie stepped closer to take a look.
“Wow~ Well done! You look strikingly similar to Oppa.”
“Come on. Is this a bit of an embellishment?”
“Isn’t it pretty similar?”
“Not so much the face, but the proportions are quite off, no?”
—
While those two exchanged opinions right in front of me, the Painter swiftly turned to Ari and started moving her pen again.
—
Moments later, another drawing was completed.
—
“…”
—
Unlike my sketch, this one looked like a scene from a horror movie.
Ari glared at the Painter as if to ask if she was messing with her, and the Painter gave a sheepish grin.
“You must be Ari. This won’t do.”
“Why is my drawing such a mess?”
“Too many awful memories reside in your mind.”
—
The horrifying memories revealed themselves.
Could it be that the Painter’s illustrations contain our experiences?
—
Now that I learned this, a question surfaced in my mind.
“If it’s about horrible memories, I have quite a few too.”
“Ah, don’t worry; I don’t reflect any memories from after entering the hotel.”
—
That revelation made me understand.
I was just an ordinary freshman before entering the hotel, so I wouldn’t recall any horrific scenes like Ari would.
—
The Painter resumed speaking.
—
“Alrighty then! Anyway, congratulations on finding me. It would’ve been better if you arrived a bit sooner, but well, your hobbies seem rather lowbrow.”
“Lowbrow all of a sudden.”
“What do you think about portrait painting?”
“…”
“Here’s my take: Portraits must encapsulate the very essence of human life.”
“Human life?”
“Also, a person’s true nature emerges from extreme situations.”
—
Extreme situations?
—
“You must be curious about the rewards for finding the hidden NPC. It’s simple: now you’ll show me your most terrifying memory.”
—
Human life, extreme situations, horrifying memories.
The Painter used these ominous keywords to explain what was to come, and oddly enough, it felt familiar.
—
“Isn’t it akin to the Prayer of Rest we did in Ice Hell?”
“Exactly. The difference is, it won’t be someone else’s nightmare; it’ll be yours. Also, no memories from after entering the hotel.”
—
Thus, it dawned on me why the Painter had said “You won’t do” to Ari.
Ari had dealt with all sorts of horrific experiences since before entering the hotel, being a Management Bureau agent.
—
Songie then asked.
—
“What will we gain from this event?”
“Isn’t it boring to reveal it ahead of time?”
“…”
“It won’t take long either. Remember, the Dragon of Greed wrecked the hotel upper floors for three days? Three days should be more than enough.”
—
“Is that so?”
“One among you must do it. Choose wisely. You can even bring your outside colleagues.”
—
At this point, I neatly summarized the situation.
The hidden NPC was the Painter.
What we must do is to free ourselves from our terrifying memories, much like the Prayer of Rest.
Only one person needs to do it, and it can be anyone.
We have a three-day time frame.
—
Songie cautiously suggested.
“Doesn’t it mean just me or Oppa can do this?”
“…”
—
Management Bureau members should be excluded without a doubt.
Elena, who has to avoid Russian agents, Jinchul hyung, who’s mentally tormented over unfulfilled dreams, and Eunsol noona, who fought suspicious battles with her siblings, should definitely be out of the running.
As for the doctor… well, life hardships tend to be complicated.
—
Me, Park Seungyub, Yu Songee.
Among these three, this is practically a cakewalk of an event, isn’t it?
What troubles could an ordinary Korean middle school kid like me have faced in life?
—
It sounds like an easy event.
So I felt uneasy.
In the hotel, nothing comes easy.
—
“… I’ll do it.”
“Oppa?”
—
It wasn’t a particularly heroic decision.
As Elena said in Room 206, I only trust myself.
—
“Alright!”
— Clap!
—
The moment the Painter smiled and clapped, my consciousness began to blur.
—
「Nightmare: Han Kain – ‘Clan with Structure’ begins!」
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