Episode 23 - Room 102, Room of the Curse - 'Mansion of Terror' (9)
Episode 23 - Room 102, Room of the Curse - 'Mansion of Terror'(9)
[User: Han Gain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 8
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 102 (Room of the Curse – Mansion of Terror)
Sage's Advice: 0]
I made a mistake. The same mistake as before.
If I brought a dagger, the opponent could bring a blade too.
If I had a hidden move, the opponent had one left as well.
I had mistaken them for being unarmed because they lost their skewer while writhing in agony from the spray.
I was too tired. Extreme tension, climbing in the rain, a bloody battle.
So while I slowly approached with my exhausted stamina, the Bride managed to suppress the agony.
The moment I neared her, a kitchen knife sprang from the Bride's waist and stabbed my thigh.
At least, I was wearing a thick raincoat and the Bride had no strength, so the knife rolled across the floor before it could penetrate properly.
"Huff... ugh... Did the Bride really roll around a battlefield for ten years or something..."
Perhaps too exhausted to even answer, the Bride approached without a word.
Ah... my body won't move. I have to move somehow, dodge or something...
I truly feel that every ounce of strength from the top of my head to the tips of my toes has withered away.
The Bride's hand gripped my neck. As if my life were flashing before my eyes, I heard the sound of a bell from afar...
A bell?
The Bride's gaze turned toward the empty air.
Somewhere – her vacant gaze wandered, unable to find focus.
'Someone else' had appeared.
It's the same. Exactly like with Ari. Back then it was the 'bell' too, so this time as well?
The flesh is the same, but clearly different.
The old man before me is no longer the dignified butler, nor the bride brimming with suppressed rage...
He was 'someone I've never seen before.'
An expression I've never witnessed even once.
As if teasing me, as if mocking me.
I see a playful expression that neither the butler nor the bride would ever make.
"You, made a mistake. Isn't that so?
No strength left to answer? Tsk, these youngsters these days lack stamina.
In the Hotel, you mustn't let your guard down. A moment's carelessness is soon death, no?
Well, I suppose when you have trustworthy comrades, you could close your eyes with some relief...
But aren't you effectively alone now?
Still, well... it wasn't bad, considering.
Your stamina may be frail, but your head turns quite well."
'Hotel.'
Just now, the word 'Hotel' came from the old man's mouth instead of 'mansion.'
This old man...
Knows that all the circumstances we find ourselves in amount to nothing more than the inside of Room 102 of the Hotel.
When I stared at the old man with shocked eyes, he smirked and tapped my head.
Something about it... a gesture that felt familiar. Does he not intend to kill me?
"You intended to kill three or more sacrifices with your own hands before the 'Elder' ran rampant, didn't you?
Not bad. You have decisiveness, too. But your skill is lacking. You need to grow more.
I'm a little worried, but at this level, well, I suppose you'll escape.
Truth is, I don't have any sharp moves either.
We started as 'characters of the mansion' from the very beginning, so we can't escape by our own power.
I'll trust in you and go. 'See you outside.'"
The 'someone' who was neither butler nor bride spoke thus and distanced himself from me before me...
He went toward the cliff and jumped off without hesitation.
[User: Han Gain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 8
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 102 (Room of the Curse – Mansion of Terror)
Sage's Advice: 0]
My vision is hazy.
Slowly, pouring out every last ounce of my strength, I descended the mountain.
Climbing in the wind and rain, the fierce battle afterward, and even a clumsy stab... truly, I don't feel even a handful of strength left in my body.
Whether I was descending or sliding down by gravity, I couldn't tell; while tumbling down in such a manner, I saw someone in the distance.
A small stature. Long black hair reaching down to her waist.
Only when I saw Ari approaching could I barely spit out a sentence.
"The bell, you rang it? Thanks."
"Somehow, I didn't think you could do it alone."
"That bell. What exactly is it? At first, I thought it was a kind of tool given by the Hotel to suppress the demon's power... but the more I see it, the more it seems like something beyond that?"
"The bell itself is as you think, but just know that my grandfather and I have a separate move to awaken."
"Awakening from the role the Hotel imposed... is that something you can just do?"
"You just focus on what you're doing now. You know what you have to do, right?"
"Leaving aside what I have to do, I can't do anything. I really can't so much as move a finger."
Before my words even finished, Ari held out a small bottle.
"Drink. Even your impoverished stamina should recover enough to stand up, at least."
A strange taste.
Dark red, with a subtle fishy smell. Could this be?
Only nauseating thoughts came to mind, so I stopped thinking about it.
A strange sensation.
I felt heat rising inside my body. Slowly, the liquid that passed down my esophagus spread throughout my entire body.
Bit by bit, the heat starting from my neck filled my body.
It wasn't to the extent of waking up from a deep sleep, but just as Ari said, I had gained enough strength 'to stand up.'
While I stood and lightly stretched, Ari approached.
"Ahh~ even this damned mansion, now I can see the end."
"What about you... the person playing the 'Bride' role with you, who is it?"
"You'll find out when we get out anyway. And don't you have some idea already? Don't waste time, do what you have to do."
Looking at the fairy-like girl, I felt frustrated.
Is this really the best choice?
The butler or the bride, Ari, and probably myself. Is the best path really for these three to die before being devoured by the demon?
The moment I hesitated briefly, Ari approached and met my eyes.
"You came all this way and can't make the decision. I'll help you."
Crimson eyes rushed in until they were close enough to brush my nose, and in great fluster—tchpk jdg su
Spinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandroundspinningroundandroundroundandround
AahmyhandrisesonitsownIseeitwrappingaroundthechild'snecklikeawarmscarfcoveringthenecklet'sbreakitlet'scrushitenditaninstantandleavepeacefully
Beeeeeeeeeeeep————————————————
[User: Han Gain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 8
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 102 (Room of the Curse – Mansion of Terror)
Sage's Advice: 0]
Relying on my clumsily recovered stamina, I forced my way down and headed toward the mansion.
Now, the real end of this damned mansion is approaching.
The rain had almost stopped. Walking slowly, I saw the main gate and the grotesque statue I saw on the first day.
Before the statue, I saw a familiar face.
"Oppa! Are you okay?"
"So-so. Still not dead, so I guess I'm fine."
Silence enveloped the surroundings.
A situation where we both know all there is to know. Now, even this puppet show is nearly laughable.
Songi reached out and caressed the heart of the statue.
"Seeing this, what do you think, oppa?"
"The owner's taste is truly shitty. Worse than the dinosaur I made with clay in elementary school."
"Ah, hahaha. I'm a bit sorry about that. I thought it had a certain primitive charm."
"Let's stop this. Where is Seungyeop?"
"Where are Ari and the butler?"
"Somewhere on the mountain."
"Kuk, ah this is really funny. Right? Everyone who was supposed to die is dead, and only the murderers remain.
I never expected the moment I've longed for over the years to proceed like this.
Who would have thought a crazy sacrifice would be mixed in, killing other sacrifices with its own hands?"
"Murderers? To be precise, you're the murderer, and I'm the victim.
Elder, I don't know what trick you used to get into Songi's body, but shut your trap and come at me."
"The little whelp has a foul mouth. You entertained me quite a bit, so I'll let it slide."
"Cut the crap. I'm truly sick of this now."
"Yes, yes. We have to see this through to the end anyway. But... let me ask just one thing. Why didn't you kill yourself?"
"What would you do knowing, you idiot!"
The next moment, we each moved toward our respective goals.
Running toward the church, I think.
The church's bell.
I saw the word 'bell' in the note from my sister, and when I first asked the butler about it, he had said:
That the bell was simply left abandoned in the bell tower. There was no one to ring it, and ownership belonged to the church, so they left it alone.
That's a ridiculous story. The 'Elder' doesn't hate the bell simply because of a preference for the sound.
Hadn't I clearly confirmed that some supernatural power of the bell could shatter the Elder's strength?
Would someone trying to summon a demon really leave an object capable of striking their weakness alone over something like a 'legal issue?'
That can't be.
Perhaps, from the very beginning, the Elder and his minions imbued with his power cannot approach near the bell?
When I turned my head, I saw the mansion's statues all rising one by one wherever Songi touched them.
Aha, so those are the guys that served as 'defense cards' in the card game I played with Ari.
For the first time, I was grateful for the storm and wind that had raged for days.
I hadn't predicted this far when making the plan, but the ground, soaked by rain, was softened.
The statues' feet sank deep with every step, so they couldn't chase me as easily as I feared.
I ran and ran and arrived at the church in a daze.
I can't relax yet.
Even the butler, who was the Elder's minion, could enter the church. What matters isn't the church itself but the 'bell.'
Only after climbing the ladder and taking hold of the bell did I let out a sigh of relief.
At this point, I've finished my role in the plan.
From over there, the Elder arrived leading the statues.
"Do you intend to stage a standoff holding that?"
"If a standoff looks annoying, why don't you come closer?"
"How insolent. I'll admit it. It's still difficult for me to touch that holy relic... but what meaning does it have?
If need be, I need only follow you around so you cannot eat or sleep until the end."
"I'm sorry."
The Elder looked at me with puzzled eyes.
"Come to think of it, though you did all sorts of wicked things without dying either,
there's clearly an age gap, and in a country that reveres its elders, it would be right to answer a question, no?"
"Question?"
"You asked earlier. Why I didn't commit suicide. It wasn't particularly that I wanted to live, nor that I was desperate to defeat you.
Simply... I was waiting for the appropriate time to die."
"The time to die? Are we doing Zen koans now? At this point—"
Groooooooo——————————
I hear a sound that shakes heaven and earth.
From the deepest hole of the mansion, I hear the wail of the unborn...
Only now do I know the time has come.
Dagger.
This isn't easy. No matter how many times I steeled my heart to kill myself when the time came... truly, it isn't easy.
I closed my eyes and thought. I am not dying. I'm merely falling into a brief, deep sleep to wake from the nightmare and meet my comrades.
The dagger lodged in my neck. In an instant... I feel unbearable agony rushing in. I prayed only for the moment the pain would end.
It was my second death since coming to the Hotel.