Escaping the Mystery Hotel

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Day: 95

Current Location: 2nd Floor, Snow Globe Tundra

Sage’s Advice: X

- Han Kain

While reflecting on my experiences in Miro’s Hell, I checked my status window and noticed that my location was listed as “Snow Globe Tundra.”

This snowy area didn’t have a proper name yesterday, but now it does?

What could this mean?

I pushed those thoughts aside and returned to contemplating Miro.

“Yes. Have you finished organizing your thoughts?”

“Well, the person we know as ‘Miro’ falls into 3 types. I think we can break it down like this: 1) Regressed child-like Miro, 2) Teenage Miro, and 3) Adult Miro.”

“That’s a strange way of putting it, but when you think about it, it fits. 1) Miro lost her mind after giving birth to Ahri. 2) The young Miro from Miro’s Hell. 3) The Miro who entered the Hotel after spending years with the Administration. Is that about right?”

“Everyone opposes reviving the first Miro, so we don’t even need to consider that. Even Ahri said she doesn’t want to bring her back until we figure out how to restore her mind. Someone with the intelligence of a child is more dangerous than an actual villain in some ways because they’re entirely unpredictable.”

“Exactly. Even a calculating villain could cooperate with us to escape the Hotel, but a child? That’s not going to work.”

“As for type 2, I doubt we’ll ever encounter her again. So, we need to make a decision with type 3 in mind, but none of us have actually met her.”

“True.”

“As for the one I met, honestly, I didn’t feel like she was an evil person at all.”

“You’re not just saying that because she’s pretty, are you?”

I flinched momentarily.

It would be a lie to say someone’s appearance didn’t influence my judgment at all.

“Definitely… probably not.”

“Can ‘definitely’ and ‘probably’ be used at the same time?”

“I’m serious. I didn’t sense any malice or extreme selfishness from her. It might sound odd, but if you ignore her strange abilities, she seemed like a typical mischievous girl for her age.”

“Then, maybe she wasn’t a villain even as an adult?”

“That’s hard to say. But…”

“But?”

“Let’s think about the circumstances. When Miro briefly regained her senses, she told me to think about why she received the Blessing of ‘Justice’.”

“Blessings are usually related to one’s personality, right?”

“A psychopath wouldn’t receive the Blessing of Justice. And from what I’ve gathered, Miro held a pretty high position in the Administration.”

“It would be tough for someone who’s completely mad or wicked to rise to a high rank in an organization dedicated to saving humanity. Got it, I understand your perspective. But with this information, I don’t think we need to change our original plan.”

“The first resurrection goes to the doctor?”

“Yes. There are still questions about Dr. Kim Sanghyun, like whether he’s a good or cooperative person. In some ways, we know even less about him than Miro.”

“But unlike Miro, he has a clear advantage.”

“He doesn’t seem like someone who would be difficult to control. Since he’s not an Administration member, he won’t risk splitting our party. Ahri and Grandpa might be lenient with Miro, but not with the doctor. If things go south, we could just kill him and consider the ticket wasted. However, what will we do if he turns out to be surprisingly strong?”

It was strange how casually we discussed killing someone.

I realized just how far we’ve strayed from being normal people.

“Now that you mention it…”

“What?”

“We don’t actually know much about the doctor’s abilities, do we? We assume he can heal, but we don’t know how or whether he has an Inheritance.”

“True.”

“Why don’t we just ask the guide?”

“…”

“I just realized something. The information we know about adult Miro—like having three Inheritances and being the previous owner of Justice—was all provided by the guide, right?”

“I did ask before. I had forgotten. This Hotel keeps so many secrets that we’ve developed a bad habit of trying to solve things ourselves instead of just asking. You and Jinchul go ask.”

***Fortunately, Party Time wasn’t over yet, so we could still access the door to the Frozen Hell.

Jinchul-hyung, Ahri, who naturally tagged along, and I headed back through the poorly concealed door in the Christmas Hall and re-entered the Frozen Hell.

“Did you and Noona decide who to revive during your talk in the tundra?”

“We’ll make a final decision in the meeting.”

“I doubt anyone will oppose whatever you and Noona decide. It’s between the doctor and Miro, and I haven’t met either of them. You’re the only one who’s met them both.”

“I haven’t really met the doctor. I only heard his voice.”

As we talked, a thought crossed my mind.

“By the way, Ahri, didn’t you receive treatment from the doctor once?”

“Yeah, back when I traded my limbs to the merchant for guns.”

“Did he leave any kind of message for you?”

“No.”

“Hmm… I suspected maybe you two knew each other.”

“Why would you use the word ‘suspected’? And I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen him.”

“If the doctor recognized you, wouldn’t he have said something? Wait, did you have a doctor in your first party?”

Ahri thought for a moment before responding, “I vaguely remember hearing about someone unusual. I didn’t ask more.”

“Someone unusual?”

“They said he was from a special forces unit and also graduated from medical school.”

“That’s impressive.”

“And he was also a candidate for space missions.”

“Is he even a person? Are you sure he isn’t some comic book character?”

“Amazingly, he was human. But I never met him.”

Ahri’s words reminded me of something she had said before. In her first party, two people died before they even reached the second floor.

Since Ahri was born on the second floor, she wouldn’t have met those who died before getting there.

“I heard your first party was full of impressive people, but this is something else.”

“I doubt the doctor we’re talking about is the same person. The one I heard about was named Jonny or something. He wasn’t Asian, and he definitely wasn’t Kim Sanghyun.”

“They’re probably different people. If someone had special forces experience and was also a space candidate, they’d probably mention that when asking to be revived.”

Ahri tilted her head, confused.

Jinchul-hyung cleared his throat, refocusing the conversation.

“Remember what I said during that meeting?”

“You suggested saving the ticket for ourselves.”

“What do you think now? I still think we should save it for our own use.”

“I’ve considered that possibility. But considering the nature of the Hotel, in a Cursed Room, it’s all or nothing—either everyone survives, or everyone dies. It’s unlikely that only one of us will die and need resurrection.”

“Remember, not all dangers come from the Cursed Rooms.”

“But the Cursed Rooms account for 90% of the danger.”

“…”

“Also, there’s an opportunity cost. Saving the ticket isn’t without risk. You’d be giving up the potential increase in our fighting power from a new companion. A weaker team means a higher chance of total failure in a Cursed Room, which is an even greater risk.”

Jinchul-hyung nodded, dropping the subject.

We were now somewhat used to the Frozen Hell.

As we waited, with the distant screams of agony in the air seeming like a welcome greeting, a drone descended from the sky.

“Participants! Have you decided how to use your ticket?”

“We have some questions first.”

“Please ask away.”

“Can you tell us about Kim Sanghyun? I mean the ‘doctor’ who appears when someone gets hurt in the Hotel.”

“What would you like to know about former participant Kim Sanghyun?”

“First question. Kim Sanghyun was a participant but also became a hidden NPC, right? If we revive him, what happens to his NPC role? We might still need medical support even if he joins us. Plus, he could get hurt himself.”

“No need to worry about that. If Kim Sanghyun is resurrected, another individual will be assigned to the role of Hotel doctor.”

“Can you tell us more about his healing abilities?”

“Are you asking about his Blessing?”

“Is healing tied to his Blessing? What about his Inheritance?”

“He did not acquire an Inheritance during his participation.”

Jinchul-hyung muttered with slight disappointment, “No Inheritance? That’s a bit of a letdown.”

“Let’s hear more. We weren’t expecting him to be a strong fighter in the first place.”

Ahri chuckled.

“Miro’s too strong, so isn’t it a good thing that he’s not overpowered? Sometimes being too strong is a problem.”

“What about his Blessing?”

“Former participant Kim Sanghyun’s Blessing is ‘Diligence’. Since no one currently holds Diligence, he will regain it upon resurrection.”

“Diligence? What kind of Blessing is that?”

[Ever-improving, day by day! It is humanity’s duty to hone themselves into beings of ever-increasing value. However, lofty achievements cannot be reached through effort alone, for that is reality.]

““…???””

Both Jinchul-hyung and I were taken aback.

Where did this speech come from?

This isn’t the guide speaking!

[No matter how diligent one may be, without talent, great success is difficult to achieve. But the Blessing of ‘Diligence’ overcomes that limitation! Those who devote themselves to relentless training will gain talents that match their efforts.]

I quickly replied, still confused, “So, it’s a Blessing that turns someone into a genius?”

[Child, you only understand half of my Blessing’s power. It does not simply transform the holder into a genius. When one trains tirelessly with the mindset of breaking their bones and grinding them to dust, they are guaranteed to achieve greatness. My Blessing rewards effort. Do you understand now?]

To my surprise, the entity speaking through the guide’s speakers was none other than the Patron of “Diligence!”

“Oh! You’re the Patron. Understood. May I ask one more question?”

[You may.]

“What kind of person was Kim Sanghyun?”

There was a brief pause before the guide responded.

[…I expected you to ask about the Blessing, but now you’re asking about the participant? How cunning. You remind me of that owl.]

“I apologize if I offended you.”

[Never mind that. He was one of the most diligent mortals I’ve ever known. And, at the very least, he wasn’t an evil person.]

With that, the Patron stopped using the guide’s speakers.