Chapter: 86
Episode 86 – Party Time (8) – Honest Talk, How to Use the Pen, Strategy Meeting (1)
Afternoon of Day 3 of Party Time
– Elena
My head was spinning after listening to Songee’s “lecture” about Room 103 the whole lunch hour.
Maybe because of that, everyone seemed to vanish the moment the lecture ended.
Now is the perfect time to have a heartfelt conversation with Ahri.
As I made my way to the front, I found Ahri lingering around the snack table.
“Ahri!”
“E-E-Elena unni?”
I approached her, wondering where to start. Should I just blurt out, “Are you hiding something from me?”
Lost in thought, Ahri cut in first.
“Is there something you want to talk about?”
Deciding to be straightforward, I replied, “On the first day, when I was empowering the blessings at the sanctuary, I met that mysterious ‘sponsor’ that Kain mentioned.”
“What kind of person were they?”
“A formless presence. They were sitting in a garden-like space. It seemed they knew about you.”
Intrigued, Ahri turned fully toward me.
“What did they say about me?”
“….”
“Was it something bad?”
“They said something bizarre. A rather odd statement.”
“….”
“They mentioned that Ahri, you were leading me down the wrong path.”
“So you came to confirm that?”
“Yep!”
After pondering for a moment, Ahri replied, “Was that all they said?”
“Besides that, it felt like they disliked you. Let me try to remember: ‘Like a blind man touching an elephant, this girl believes she has profound understanding of the hotel, yet only knows a tiny part of it and got lucky to escape.’ They also said that the way I’m using my blessing is correct.”
Ahri took a long time to think it over. She seemed to need some time to gather her thoughts, so I sat at the next table, sipping my coffee while waiting.
It wasn’t until nearly twenty minutes later that Ahri finally spoke again.
“You mentioned that after empowering your blessing, you could detect lies, right?”
“This isn’t an accusation against you.”
“No need to leave misunderstandings hanging. Use that ability now. I’ll speak honestly.”
Naturally, I was a bit suspicious of Ahri.
The new “lie detection” ability I obtained was incredibly useful in this hotel full of deceit, but it had one flaw.
The moment I used it, my eyes turned golden, making it obvious that I was using some kind of power.
So hearing Ahri ask me to openly use my lie detection ability made me feel at ease.
My eyes began to glow, and Ahri started to explain.
“To summarize what the sponsor said, they believe I misunderstood the blessing and tried to sway your thoughts about it. Let me break that down.
In my first go, I encountered a different ‘Justice’ user who wasn’t Elena. Unlike you, she wielded her powers with total freedom, bearing no constraints.
There wasn’t a requirement for the target to be evil or for evil actions to be recognized.
This was all possible because of her immature way of thinking. In short, her mentality was ‘I am Justice.’ Anyone who upset her was evil.
I then saw you, Elena, using the same blessing but trapped in limitations like human laws.
That’s why right before the fifth attempt in Room 101, I attempted several ‘persuasions’ on you. You probably remember what they were. Have any of my words been lies thus far?”
“I haven’t felt anything. Thanks for being honest.”
Even though there were no lies, I couldn’t help but notice how freely Ahri tossed between calling me ‘unni’ and ‘Elena.’ Others had mentioned it too, but Ahri’s usage was strangely erratic.
It was as if there was some confusion about her age.
“What are you thinking after hearing all that?”
“Honestly, I’m quite surprised. Even if I understood that, I think it would be challenging for me to emulate what that person did. Arbitrarily judging what’s right and wrong and punishing accordingly—I detest that mindset the most. Also…”
“Why did you hide this from me?”
“…Why didn’t you tell me the truth about my blessing earlier?”
“I was worried you might end up like that person. I was concerned that you might convince yourself by saying you were Justice.”
“But now you’ve stopped hiding it from me.”
“Now that I realized my understanding of the blessing wasn’t correct, and you are aware, I felt there’s no need to keep it concealed anymore. I’m sure you wouldn’t waver knowing the evil potential of your blessing.”
“Next, let me share my thoughts on the ‘right potential’ the sponsor mentioned.”
“The right potential of the blessing.”
“It didn’t strike me before, but after hearing the sponsor’s words, I reflected on it. It’s definitely true that your conviction about Justice hasn’t just created restrictions; it has also birthed powerful advantages.”
“Powerful advantages?”
“For example, you gain immunity to mental attacks while executing your duties. The previous Justice lacked such power. My illusions were easily effective on her, but you, unni, become nearly invulnerable during execution.”
“Why is that?”
The answer lies within your conviction: ‘Justice must not be swayed by any individual’s intention.’
Therefore, while you cannot control the activation of your blessing at will, neither can others!
Moreover, you can strike invisible enemies—something the past Justice couldn’t do.
Why? Because ‘the law must pursue and execute even hidden offenders.’ Maybe it’s the logic of it all, right?
I’m sure there are even more advantages than that.”
Hearing Ahri’s words made me ponder deeply.
Indeed, it was true; when I used Justice, I became immune to curses, brainwashing, and hypnosis, and I could carry out justice even from within a parked car against unseen foes.
According to Ahri, such capabilities were absent in the previous Justice user. Could these benefits be what the sponsor referred to as the “right potential”?
The sponsor was harshly critical, but it seemed Ahri definitely had a greater understanding of the blessing than I did.
“What additional advantages do you think exist?”
“Consider the commonality between the two benefits I mentioned. They all derive from one core belief you hold.”
“One core belief?”
“Eleanor, it seems like you don’t consider yourself the primary executor of Justice. Rather, you believe in a metaphysical being—a representation of absolute Justice and an ideal law.”
“If your blessing becomes significantly stronger, might you not be able to manifest that metaphysical being?”
Maybe an invincible summoner? How could one ever defeat a conceptual being?”
“Of course, all of this is merely my speculation.”
An invincible being? Suddenly, it felt like we had shifted genres entirely. Even if my blessing strengthens, it didn’t seem likely it would manifest in such a way. However, I began to understand what Ahri was implying.
While I was lost in thought, Ahri continued.
“Up until now, I’ve accepted the sponsor’s argument, but can I present an alternate viewpoint?”
Was she attempting to counter the sponsor’s claims?
“Go ahead.”
“My comprehension of the blessing and the hotel. Your sponsor might be right in some aspects since, like they said, I managed to escape the hotel’s clutches after experiencing only a tiny piece of it.
But, Elena, remember this: there’s an old saying in the Bureau of Administration—humans are the only allies of humans.”
“Do you think the sponsor truly wants your escape?”
She shut her mouth after that, and it was about that moment my lie detection period came to a close.
On the way back to my room, I contemplated her last words.
Did the sponsor genuinely wish for my escape? If not, then what exactly did they want from us?
*
Afternoon of Day 4 of Party Time
– Han Kain
Finally, it’s almost over!
“What’s almost over?” You ask? This exhausting Party Time!
As soon as Party Time began, that senile old man hounded me, ranting about physical training and dragging me off for a hike on the very first day. I didn’t really mind; a day of hiking wasn’t too bad, and I even managed to get some unexpected results.
However, because I accidentally netted an unexpected ‘souvenir’ on the first day, that old man’s spirits soared!
All day on the second day, I was suffering muscle aches, and in the afternoon, getting smashed by a dinosaur was just heartbreaking.
By the time the third day rolled around, the old man made me run around the park all morning and then dragged me to the gym in the afternoon.
As if that wasn’t enough, today, on the fourth day, he just wouldn’t let up!
For reasons I couldn’t figure out, Seungyub and Songee slipped away, leaving that senile grandpa chasing only me. The others, probably fearing they might get dragged into his shenanigans, bolted at even the slightest glance from him.
Honestly, the only person who could stall the old man, Jinchul-hyung, seemed to have flipped his lid after his safari trip.
He asked noona for a high-performance camera and became obsessed with taking countless pictures of dinosaurs and odd prehistoric beasts, refusing to leave the safari!
Finally, after all the griping—around lunchtime on the fourth day of the Party Time—I made a decisive call.
“Hey! Hey! Han Kain, you crazy brat!”
Blah blah blah, I can’t hear a thing!
“Hey! You! Are you gonna wipe this off or what?”
“What’s going on?”
“…Oppa?”
Songee, who had been strolling down the corridor, glanced at me.
“Yes. Songee. How are you doing?”
“Did you do something to Grandpa’s eyes? He’s been rubbing them since earlier!”
“Let me tell you, the pen I picked up at the souvenir shop is fantastic! I just painted his eyes!”
“….”
“Don’t worry, I’ll wipe it off before we go into the Cursed Room.”
Songee seemed at a loss for words and just walked past me.
Oh boy! This souvenir shop pen is amazing!
At first, I had no idea what I could do with it, but it turned out to be incredibly handy!
Thud!
Suddenly, a hand flew from somewhere and grabbed onto my hair!
“Eek! Ah! Grandpa! Can you not let go?”
“You better wipe away what you did to my eyes first!”
What has this old man been eating to gain this level of strength? Even with both hands, I struggled to peel off his ‘floating hand’—the grip was just too strong!
Here I was, rolling around with Grandpa locked onto my eyes, while he was bumping off walls.
As Eunsol-noona passed by, caught sight of our spectacle, she suddenly turned invisible and poofed away.
*
– Han Kain
Evening of Day 4 of Party Time
The designated meeting time arrived, and we gathered together at the dining table in Room 105.
Jinchul-hyung, who’d been hiding in the safari all this time, finally returned and stared straight at my head.
“Kain?”
“….”
“Isn’t it too early for you to have a bald crown?”
“….”
“Did you pull out your hair?”
“Why? Where has Grandpa gone?”
“Grandpa has been blind all afternoon and has kept bumping into walls, so he’s now lying down complaining of pain.”
“What in the world happened while I was stuck in the safari?”
Eunsol-noona sighed heavily before starting the meeting.
“Alright! Enough of this chit-chat; let’s start our meeting. I’ve already mentioned this to most of you, but tomorrow we have agreed to allow everyone to ‘absolutely’ refrain from touching another and take a break. Therefore, today we need to decide on which room to head to next.”
Everyone, including Grandpa and myself, reached a collective agreement to rest on the last day.
It was because of this that we had to kickstart today’s planning. Eunsol-noona stepped forth.
“We have three places left to visit: Room 102, the Mansion of Fear; Room 104, Hotel High School; and Room 107, the Gate Room. I guess we all have a hunch about where we want to go next. Among those, Room 102 seems the best option.”
“It would be wise not to set foot into Hotel High until Kain’s strange phenomenon is explained; the Gate Room looks like it will be the most difficult. So, Room 102 seems like the way to go. Any other suggestions?”
None were forthcoming. I imagined that if it came down to just Rooms 104 and 107, we’d be discussing for ages, but there was simply no need at this point because Room 102 clearly appeared to be easier.
Then, just as Grandpa returned to the dining room from the bedroom.
Everyone was left speechless. Not only were his eyes marked, but his entire face was also covered in lines.
“Hey! Han Kain, you little brat! Are you gonna wipe this off or not?”
Not a chance!
My own hair still remained intact! It had been pulled so much that I might as well have bled from my scalp! There was no way I was going to erase that until we stepped into the Cursed Room.
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