Escaping the Mystery Hotel

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 90

Current Location: Floor 1, Room 105 – Room of Rest

Sage’s Advice: 1

- Han Kain

Elena hadn’t returned despite the second day of Party Time nearing its end.

Initially, everyone thought she would come back by lunchtime, but when lunchtime came that thought turned into dinnertime, but now, worry was starting to spread among the group.

“Songee, did you check the basement?”

“Yes, I went down a few times. She came out to take short breaks but didn’t join us for meals. She kept saying stuff like ‘it’s almost done’, but she hasn’t come back yet.”

“This is tricky. We can’t just drag her back if she says she’s almost done.”

If this was a crucial moment for Elena’s ability development, it seemed best not to interfere.

“Let’s wait a little longer. I believe she’ll come back with good news.”

“Hopefully, things turn out the way you’re thinking, Kain. By the way, have you used up all the Advice yet?”

The second Advice I asked was, “Tell us what else we should prepare.”

The answer was grim: “Food.”

This revealed the unfortunate truth that we probably wouldn’t be receiving proper meals once Party Time ended.

Because of that, tonight’s dinner was less about eating and more about packing food.

I noticed Jinchul-hyung filling containers with grilled pork belly.

“I’m still thinking about what to ask for the third Advice. I’ll use it once I’m sure.”

“Let us know once you ask.”

Songee approached me and Noona.

“Um… I went to check on Elena earlier, and she was going in and out of the Safari a lot.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… Every time she came out, she looked utterly exhausted and unsteady. She kept telling me not to come any closer.”

While Noona and I didn’t react too strongly, Jinchul-hyung’s expression significantly darkened.

“That’s not a good sign.”

“What do you mean?”

“Noona, if she wanted to practice her ability, she could’ve just stayed inside the Safari. Why go in and out like that?”

“Uh… Maybe she’s tired?”

As expected from our group’s most experienced Safari user, Jinchul figured out the answer immediately.

“She keeps dying. In the Safari, you reappear outside if you die. She’s staggering because she’s experiencing the stress of repeatedly dying every time she comes out.”

At his words, the entire group’s mood darkened.

No matter how desensitized we became to death through our experiences in the Cursed Rooms, no one could ever fully get used to the pain.

Ahri immediately pushed me.

“This won’t do. Go bring her back.”

“Me? Would she even come if I went? You or Noona should—”

“Just go get her.”

***In the end, I was forced by Ahri to head down and retrieve Elena.

I was prepared to wait until she came out, but fortunately, she was already outside when I arrived.

“Elena!”

“…”

No response.

Her expression looked strange.

As I approached, she suddenly waved me off.

What does that mean?

Ignoring it, I stepped closer, and that was when her face contorted with frustration, and she yelled, “Don’t come any closer! There’s nothing you can do to help! If only you hadn’t suggested I get this ability—oh no! I’m so sorry! Agh! Oh no! I’m so sorry, it’s just that you came before ‘Calmness and Tranquility’ activated! I don’t know what to do…”

She’d lashed out at me so suddenly, but before I could react, she immediately started apologizing and looked like she was on the verge of tears.

I couldn’t make sense of what was happening, but I knew I had to do something.

…But what exactly should I do in this situation?

Though it seemed childish, I took her hand and held it firmly.

Slowly, the sound of her sniffles subsided, and the storm of emotions raging within her seemed to calm.

“Are you alright? You haven’t eaten all day, and everyone’s worried since you’ve been in and out of the Safari. And judging by your reaction, it doesn’t seem like you’re doing too well mentally either.”

“I’m okay now. And… what was that just now? Do I look like a grade-schooler to you?”

“…”

- Thump.

It seemed she was feeling better.

Elena chuckled, brushing off my hand.

“After practicing with it, I realized how ‘Ominous Imagination’ messes with your head. It’s a power that constantly stirs up trauma. To activate it, you first have to focus on ominous thoughts, and then the ability itself clouds your mind.”

“…It’s even more dangerous than I thought. From what you said earlier, it sounds like I—”

“No, please don’t worry about that! I wasn’t in my right mind when I said those things! I just blurted out nonsense right before ‘Calmness and Tranquility’ kicked in!”

She gripped my hand tightly again, looking straight into my eyes. I found myself nodding along.

It seemed that her earlier outburst wasn’t truly what she felt.

Speaking of “Calmness and Tranquility”**, isn’t that the skill she recently acquired?

Sensing my curiosity, Elena decided to explain, likely to change the topic, “Calmness and Tranquility clear my mind whenever it becomes overly clouded. It’s like suddenly being doused in ice water, snapping me back to my senses in seconds. It saved me from spiraling into paranoia.”

“That’s an incredible skill. But can’t you activate Calmness and Tranquility before using Ominous Imagination to protect your mind?”

She gave me a bittersweet smile.

“That’s what I thought too, but it doesn’t work like that. I can’t trigger Calmness and Tranquility consciously. It only activates after I’ve already lost control and brings me back to normal.”

“Ah, so it’s more of a recovery ability than a preventative one. How about using Songee’s bracelet to help?”

Elena laughed at the suggestion.

“I already talked to Songee earlier, and she suggested the same thing. But no, that won’t work either. Ominous Imagination is a power where you have to let your mind slip into madness to use it. If you block the madness, you can’t use the power.”

I understood.

To use the ability, falling into madness was a requirement.

Blocking the madness with other means would render the power unusable.

This was why the Patron’s enhancement wasn’t a shield against madness but rather a tool to restore sanity afterward.

It was a cumbersome ability.

With such a severe penalty, the power it offers better be worth it.

Elena had gone all day without eating, so I led her to the first-floor tea table.

Ahri, who seemed to have been waiting for us, immediately asked, “Elena! You must be exhausted. Did you create something amazing?”

As expected, she was direct!

I’d been hesitant to ask, worried that Elena might not have achieved anything despite all her effort, but Ahri went straight for it.

“I managed to make something, kind of…”

“Oh! Already? In just one day? Are you a genius or something?”

“…Don’t joke around.”

“What kind of monster did you make?”

“It’s hard to explain. It came out… strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know how to describe it exactly. It’s like I understand it, but at the same time I don’t?”

“That makes me even more curious. Can you show it to us now?”

Though hesitant, Elena eventually nodded.

It seemed like she was a bit proud of what she’d accomplished and wanted to show it off.

“I used most of my power in the Safari, but I can show you a small version. It’ll still give you an idea.”

With that, Elena looked around.

“Looking for something?”

“Yes, I need a mirror or a window… something reflective to bring it into focus.”

A mirror or window?

Fortunately, there was something similar nearby.

“There’s no mirror or window, but we do have the ‘front door’. It’s a glass door, so it’s transparent.”

She nodded and approached the glass door.

Moments later, the Hotel fell into complete silence.

The chatter from Seungyub, who had been talking somewhere nearby, ceased.

The fizzing of the soda I had been drinking on the table stopped.

Even the creaking noise from Ahri’s chair vanished.

In this inexplicable world where all sound had frozen, Elena, the one who brought the monster into existence, spoke with joy.

“Oh my, it’s smaller than expected, but it came out! Isn’t it kind of cute?”

“…”

I couldn’t breathe.

Next to Elena, sitting on the chair beside her, was a grotesque creature with a human head on a caterpillar’s body, making strange noises. Its head spun 360 degrees, and its eyes popped in and out as it rotated.

Holy… holy… holy…!

I was on the verge of losing my mind, but I barely managed to activate the filter of my Status Window, covering myself with it just in time.

As my vision blurred and my thoughts became hazy, the Status Window cleared my mind just enough.

“Ah… ah…”

A weak groan escaped from beside me.

I turned to see Ahri, collapsed on the floor, muttering incoherently.

An unexpected disaster struck!

Elena had said she could control it and that she hadn’t used much of her power, hadn’t she?

Neither Ahri nor I had anticipated that something so terrifying would emerge.

Elena herself seemed just as shocked.

“Huh? What… What’s wrong? Why—”

“Elena. Can you get rid of it?”

“It’ll disappear on its own in about 20 minutes since I didn’t use much power.”

“Then take it with you for now. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I… I don’t know what’s going on. I’ll talk to you later.”

Elena, with the creature crawling behind her, disappeared.

- Clack!

The moment she was gone, I grabbed a cup of water and splashed it over Ahri.

“Ah.”

“You alright now?”

“…Thanks. I needed that.”

“What the hell was that? Does she really think that thing is cute? Is Elena still not in her right mind? She said Calmness and Tranquility had activated, didn’t she?”

Ahri, still dazed, muttered, “I think I understand.”

“You think you understand?”

“It’s natural selection.”

Out of nowhere, she brought up a concept from evolution.

I stared at her, waiting for an explanation, but Ahri just sat there, lost in thought.

“Explain it to me.”

“…Elena was in the Safari all day. How many monsters do you think she made?”

“Dozens, at least.”

“Dozens, maybe more. She probably kept rejecting every failed creation, making new ones over and over. In a way, natural selection occurred. The only difference is that Elena, not nature, was the one making the selections.”

“So, after all those attempts, the creature that emerged is something that seems ‘cute’ and obedient only to her?”

“Probably. Elena isn’t crazy. To her, that monster really does appear cute. Judging by her behavior, it probably even looks like a small child to her. But to us, it’s different. All three of us saw something completely different in that creature.”

I had mixed feelings.

Despite the shock of seeing the Grotesque and the disturbing energy that overwhelmed me, there was also a sense of relief.

Elena did seem to be able to control it, and more importantly, it appeared to be quite powerful.

The time for fear and uncertainty of a power that created monsters had long passed.

After all, the power I gained allowed me to possess the bodies of others—something that would be considered dark magic rather than heroic if it were in a game.

The more I thought about it, the more at ease I became.

This was our weapon.

The fact that it was terrifying and grotesque was, in fact, an advantage.

If Elena could control something that powerful, it would surely help us overcome the Hotel’s trials.

As I finished my drink and pushed aside the unsettling memory, I stood up to head back to Room 105.

Before I left, one last thought crossed my mind.

A moment ago, I saw the ghost of “The One Who Couldn’t be Born” that I had fought fiercely in Room 102, within that monster.

It was probably because that creature had left the strongest impression on me.

…I wonder what Ahri, with her decades of experience in the Administration, had seen?