Chapter: 59
59 – Room 106, Mission Room – ‘Hope’s Hotel Land’ (6)
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 21
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 106 (Mission Room – Hope’s Hotel Land)
Sage’s Advice: 0]
6. Real Action! Haunted House
From the name itself, it’s a Haunted House, and I must say, it’s got that classic eerie vibe of an old mansion.
After letting out a sigh, I took a quick glance at both my and Jinchul-hyung’s legs.
Ahri’s blood, which was supposedly the ‘upgraded version of the stamina replenisher,’ had indeed worked wonders. It might not be on the level of some over-the-top elixir, but the bruises and throbbing pain had lessened enough that we were back to a tolerable state, able to move around at least.
There really was no going back now. We had to complete the remaining missions and see this through to the end.
Just before we entered, Jinchul-hyung spoke up.
“Kain.”
“Yes?”
“There’s something you must remember. It’s okay for me to die for you, but you should never consider sacrificing yourself for me. You must push on to the end, even if that means stepping over my dead body.”
“…”
“You have ‘Descent’ to use at the very end if needed. With that power, we can overcome any challenge. As long as you make it to the very end, we can navigate through three crises somehow.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Also, let’s just psych ourselves up a bit before heading in. It’s been ages since I last visited an amusement park. What kind of monsters might pop up in a Haunted House?”
“Same here,” I replied. “I can only imagine ghosts, zombies, werewolves, vampires? Those kinds of things?”
“I think I can probably deal with most of them with my fists, but the ghost is the biggest challenge. Anyway, let’s step in.”
Creek
As soon as we opened the creaky door of the old mansion, a putrid stench assaulted our noses. It was like a chaotic blend of rotten meat, waste, and mold.
I clutched my dagger tight, but I had no idea what I could do with it. What could I possibly do against a monster from this hotel?
Just before entering, I switched my status window to filter mode, blocking out my vision. It seemed like a solid strategy against ghostly entities.
Thud Thud
The footsteps of the two men echoed ominously through the mansion.
I began to question whether turning on the filter mode had been a mistake. Even though I had been finding it quite useful since discovering it, it had a critical flaw.
The translucent window obscured my entire field of vision, making the world look blurry—like someone who had never taken off their glasses finally going without. I had to strain to make out any figure in front of me.
We wandered through the corridor for quite some time.
I passed by indistinct paintings, a huge full-length mirror, a wall-mounted candelabra, and peculiar taxidermied creatures. Yet, nothing was apparent.
Suddenly, I felt something gripping my clothes from behind.
“Hyung?”
“Just keep moving.”
“Pardon?”
“You have that filter mode activated, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll tell you when we’re outside, just keep going. I think this will be a piece of cake.”
What on earth did he mean by that?
Why was Jinchul-hyung gripping my shirt with such intensity? I was utterly clueless, but did he sense something I didn’t?
We walked and walked for nearly 30 minutes. The mansion was dark, illuminated only by the sporadic glow of the candles. With the filter mode on, I was as good as blind, stumbling through the shadows.
Because of that, I almost walked right into a wall.
After around 30 or 40 minutes, we finally emerged from the mansion.
??? What just happened?
“What’s the deal? We walked straight here and ended up outside? It’s like we didn’t encounter anything!”
Kukukuk Ahh! I was trying hard not to laugh towards the end!
“Huh?”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s not that nothing happened. There was plenty happening inside! The portraits on the walls were glaring at us the entire time, and the mirror reflections of us looked all twisted, threatening us with knives like some distorted funhouse! There was even a taxidermied head on the wall that kept blinking at us! I was holding back a scream for a full minute! You didn’t react at all, so they even sent a gargoyle to block our path. What on earth did you think that was?”
“…I thought I just crashed into a wall since I couldn’t see anything.”
“It’s a Haunted House, so I think if the participants don’t react to the monsters, they let it slide. If we scream, well, that’s a whole different story. If I had screamed, they’d have rushed at us! The moment I felt something off, I just closed my eyes and held onto your clothes.”
“But seriously, we passed through all that? It should be a freebie for a blind person, right?”
“A blind person would probably lose their way. Squinting a little might give some advantage though. It’s utterly absurd, but you’re spot on.”
“Is it done now? Should there be an announcement soon?”
“It looks like this is the back of the mansion,” Jinchul-hyung said. “There’s a door over there. We should be able to wrap this up if we cross that.”
It was both ridiculous and a relief. I had found myself relying on the filter mode numerous times, but this was the first instance where it acted as a lifesaver.
Just then, a decent-sized, handsome Siberian Husky approached us, wagging its tail from a distance.
Jinchul-hyung reached out towards the dog’s head with a cheerful demeanor—
Wait. What was he doing? Was he seriously relaxed in this creepy place? There’s no way a normal dog would show up here!
When the dog got closer and opened its mouth, a human skull tumbled out.
“WHAT THE FK! WHAT IS THIS?!”
Damn it! We were so close to finishing, but he had just messed it up.
In an instant, the dog inflated like it was ready to explode, transforming into a huge, werewolf-like creature. There was no way to avoid a fight now! I dismissed the pointless filter mode and charged at the monster.
That was when Jinchul-hyung’s voice boomed through the air.
“GO! KAIN! YOU MORON! Don’t you see the exit? Just run for the door!”
“…”
He was right. We had been caught off guard by the werewolf.
Even if Jinchul-hyung was strong, blood gushed from his body after taking the first hit from the creature. At this rate, even if he won, I could see he wouldn’t be able to keep going.
I had to make it through alone.
With my eyes shut, I sprinted frantically towards the exit.
The moment I passed through the door, an alert appeared.
“/Mission 6: Real Action! Haunted House successful! Would you like to proceed to the final mission?/”
For the first time since coming to this hotel, I felt a flicker of annoyance at Jinchul-hyung.
It wasn’t as if we were pushed back by an unbeatable monster; we had already identified the risks and were nearly done. He’d let his guard down and gotten us into this situation!
“…”
Hold on. This wasn’t the time to blame anyone. Mistakes are just part of being human.
He had managed to face those monsters without filter mode right from the start, displaying an impressive mental will.
The true issue lay in this insane place, which snuffed out lives over a momentary lapse of concentration.
All I needed was to make it through the final challenge. I steeled myself and got ready.
“…”
Now, it was just me left.
30 seconds later
I racked my brain and dissected the instructions, trying to predict how the hotel would twist them.
You cannot sleep: We’ll make you drowsy, and you’ll die if you sleep.
Focus on the scenery outside: You’ll die if you look inside.
Going outside is dangerous: We’ll try to push you outside.
I engraved those instructions into my mind.
Soon, the world around me trembled, and I found myself sitting in the Ferris Wheel.
“Jisoo told me about the newest trend—”
“The weather is getting chillier! Kain, make sure you dress warmly—”
“Are you sulking? Why are you staring out the window the whole time? We’re having a family discussion—”
Chattering voices pricked my ears from the side. Judging by their tones, they were mimicking my family.
I pretended not to hear them and pressed my face against the window. I had a feeling that I’d encounter more of these distracting monsters, so I should suggest to Eunsol-noona that we bring earplugs along.
Then I felt something tugging at my clothes again. It was an obvious ploy to coax me into looking inside.
I swatted the hand away. The tough, scaly texture I felt was anything but my sister’s, reinforcing my resolve to keep my head turned.
Hissss
Had they lit the place on fire? Suddenly, the Ferris Wheel grew warm, and the previously stiff seats became delightfully soft.
Ah, so this was their attempt to make me fall asleep?
I bit my tongue right away. Making the seats warm was merely a feeble attempt; they were likely planning to employ more supernatural means to incapacitate me.
I needed to hold on. All I had to do was endure. This didn’t seem like a mission that required physical strength anyway.
“Kain? What’s up with your tongue? Are you s—”
They began tugging at me, swaying me back and forth.
“No looking at them!” I grunted, pushing them away with all my might.
I just had to ignore them, right?
Should I close my eyes? No, sleeping was also a risk; keeping my eyes shut wasn’t safe either.
…
A wave of sleepiness washed over me like a flood. I wasn’t even tired, but the abnormal urge to sleep was clouding my mind.
I sank my fangs into my tongue to stay alert, causing it to bleed freely. The sharp pain and metallic taste of blood brought clarity back to my mind.
But that clarity didn’t last long. As if under anesthesia, the pain subsided, and I felt something dragging me down into the deep sea of sleep.
What else could I do? Pain alone wasn’t enough.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my dagger. Should I harm myself? No, there had to be a better option.
Without hesitation, I kept my body oriented toward the window as I swung the dagger wildly behind me.
“AHHH! OPPPPAA! WHAT ARE YOU—”
“AAACK! KAIN! WHAT ARE—”
The horrendous laughter rang in my ears. I could tell they were monsters just by their touch, yet they still used my family members’ voices against me.
As expected, they couldn’t physically harm me while I avoided looking at them. If they could, they would’ve forcibly turned my head to face them.
All they could do was hold my clothes and yank them about.
Screams filled the Ferris Wheel. I could feel the dagger piercing through something as it was shoved away. I repeated that gruesome process, stabbing again and again.
While enduring that torturous experience, my anxiety sharpened my senses and rattled my mind awake.
…
It was suddenly quiet.
Outside, the scene transformed into a warm spring day.
The Ferris Wheel rolled slowly, pulling me back into youthful memories.
Everyone has a first love.
When was mine? I think it must have been in middle school.
It likely started at the English study center. Initially, I whiningly protested against attending.
But on the first day, I met a girl with long, brown hair flowing around her waist, and suddenly, I didn’t resent class anymore.
What happened afterward? There’s no need to drag out a boring story.
We met frequently, and I thought we had grown closer.
I even began arriving at the study center half an hour early to grab a seat.
I reminisced about sitting in a “miraculous” spot where Kayoung might land near me, pretending it was coincidence.
And when she chose to sit far away with her close female friends, I’d spend hours wondering if I had upset her in some way.
Of course, my English never improved. But beyond that, my ability to read the room surely tripled, so it wasn’t such a bad investment for my parents, right?
I recall chatting with friends about how to confess perfectly.
Initially, they roared with laughter, playfully slapping me around, before turning serious in debating the best confession methods.
Certainly, though, the options for middle school kids were limited.
In the end, I delivered a confession that might rank in the top three worst, involving a text message combined with an April Fools’ joke as a means of escape—perfectly fitting the “Number 1 Worst Confession.jpg.”
And the outcome was…
…
What was the result…
…
Oh for the love of—ARE YOU SERIOUSLY MESSING WITH MY FIRST LOVE MEMORIES???
When I came to my senses, I was almost ready to jump out the window upon catching a glimpse of Kayoung’s face in the clouds outside!
This was so unfair! Just send me a monster instead!
How that thought slipped my mind was a mystery.
In that brief moment of furious agitation, I managed to maintain my consciousness for quite a while.
After what felt like an eternity, just as my anger was about to settle…
I finally reached the long-awaited end of that arduous journey.
Final Mission: Success! Congratulations on clearing the Mission Room!
Tonight at 8 PM, I shall upload again.
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.