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Chapter 33

Ghost Hotel Escape - Chapter 32 (33/1231)

7 min read1,710 words

Chapter 32 - Room 103, Room of Curses - 'MMMMMM MMMM' (1)

Chapter 32 - Room 103, Room of Curses - 'Animal Farm' (6)

[User: Han Ga-in (Ji-hye)

Day: 13th

Current Location: Layer 1, Room 103 (Room of Curses - Animal Farm)

Sage's Advice: 3]

The snake (Lee Eun-sol) curled up as much as possible.

Although roles were distributed to everyone in the strategy, her role was the most important among them.

Actually, pondering where I should wait and choose my position was harder than I thought.

Destroying the farm at random isn't a particularly difficult task if intelligent animals put their minds to it and gather their strength.

However, predicting the actions of the farm family amidst such chaos is a much trickier task than expected!

But... to lay an ambush, there's no need to predict all of the opponent's actions.

It's enough to just hide in a position they are bound to go to.

Creak...

The carriage door opened.

"Peter! May! Support your father. Peter! Can you drive the carriage?"

"Y-yeah, I'll try. Dad taught me from time to time."

"Alright! Quickly... We need to go to the doctor's place across the river."

Everyone frantically wrapped bandages around the bloodied farmer and boarded the carriage. Peter took the driver's seat, while Brian, Amy, and May took the back seat.

Just as expected.

In the midst of great chaos, it's hard even for me to predict what will happen.

However, one thing is certain: for whatever reason, these people have no choice but to leave the farm in the carriage.

Whether to go to the doctor, seek outside help, or simply escape the farm.

Regardless of their destination, their route inevitably leads to the carriage!

Now is my time.

I think the likelihood of me surviving after this is low... but it doesn't matter.

With this many survivors, it's fine.

The remaining people will live on well and save me too.

And the head of the snake, coiled in the gap between the carriage seats, shot out.

Before the farm family could react—the fangs instantly bit Brian and Amy!

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I look down at the farm from atop the hill.

The farm that had inflicted diverse suffering upon us over the past four days had now become a crucible of chaos.

Livestock running amok in all directions, the family leaving the farm amidst groans of pain and despair, and even a pack of wolves waiting for an opportunity.

In a way, I feel like we've returned suffering ten times greater than what we received.

However... it's not over yet.

Having started a war, shouldn't we see it to the end?

It's not over until the enemy falls.

The family members who burst out from the farm supported the farm owner and got into the carriage.

Even that was just as Eun-sol unni predicted.

I feel it anew, but she really reads people's actions well.

I waited.

"Kyaaaaah! Mom! Daaaaad~!!!!!"

"Uwaaaah! That fucking snake bitch!!! Please die! I said please die!!"

Screams are heard from the carriage.

Not long after, the snake's corpse, its head severed from its body, was flung out.

Ah... Eun-sol unni died at this point.

It's unfortunate, but it's okay.

There isn't much time left until we meet again anyway.

We can just laugh it off later over dinner.

Now, with my final charge of fury, this dreadful farm will end too!

I started charging towards the carriage from the hill.

My hind legs began to ache intensely anew. But, it's fine. I just have to endure for a single moment now. It's not like me to lack that much patience.

Naturally, with them already having injured members and the parents getting bitten by the snake, no one was in a situation to drive the carriage, and it didn't budge.

Belatedly, the horses noticed my charge and shrieked, warning their masters of the danger, but...

Too late, you dumb fucks.

The black cow's headbutt struck the side of the carriage!

In a single blow, the carriage tipped over onto its side.

Like a major traffic accident—no, come to think of it, it is a traffic accident—the family members groaned, scattered about.

Just yesterday when I was angry, I wanted to trample these sprawled-out people...

But seeing the children clinging to their parents and crying, my heart softened.

Anyway, both the farm couple seemed to have been bitten by the snake, as their bodies were stained blue up to their shoulders.

They won't last long.

The children... the wolves will probably take care of them even if I don't step in. The gun is broken, the carriage is destroyed, and their parents are dead. Even if I leave them alone, they have no way to survive.

Come to think of it, the wolves wouldn't just attack the kids.

From now on, we also need to figure out how to survive the wolves.

But when exactly does this count as an escape? Do we only escape when even the kids are all dead?

Then wouldn't it be faster for me to just trample them? Wouldn't it be less painful for the kids, too?

No matter that I've become an animal, trampling young kids is a bit much, isn't it?

Since when did I start thinking of committing such cruel acts against people?

Amidst these various agonizing thoughts, 'KakaoTalk' went crazy.

Goose (Yoo Song-i): Listen to me! This plan is weird

Giant Rat (Kim Muk-seong): What's weird about it?

Goose (Yoo Song-i): I just met a Dokkaebi too! There's absolutely no consideration for the Dokkaebi!

No consideration for the Dokkaebi.

It's not a wrong statement, but I'm not really sure.

Even so far, haven't we not always escaped only after uncovering all the secrets within the guest rooms?

For instance, in Room 101's Bizarre Family, Seung-yeop escaped without practically figuring out anything.

What the Bizarre Family was? Why they were consumed by such madness? We didn't know at all, but survival alone was acknowledged as an escape.

Room 102's House of Horrors was the same.

Compared to the Bizarre Family, we did figure out the risk factors like the Subterranean Devil or the Elder, but that was it.

As for how to resolve it, there were only plenty of scenarios and nothing more.

In other words, the conclusion we'd reached so far was that we didn't necessarily need to know all the secrets of the Room of Curses to escape.

The Dokkaebi, of course, we'd have to uncover eventually... but did we really need to know right now?

Thinking through it step by step, comparing it to the other rooms in the past—

A shocking realization dawned on me. This is really weird. I think we're completely screwed.

There is another problem from a different perspective than the one Song-i found.

Where did the 'strange phenomenon' occur in the Bizarre Family? With the twisted family members.

Where did the 'strange phenomenon' occur in the House of Horrors? With the mansion and its members. Song-i was merely possessed by a member of the mansion.

In other words, in the previous two rooms, the strange phenomenon always occurred to the opposition, and we either survived it or escaped by stopping its progression.

Where did the 'strange phenomenon' occur in 'Animal Farm'?

With us. The farm family, whom we were convinced were the enemies, were not 'strange' at all.

They merely acted as ordinary farm managers!

The strange beings were not the farm family, but us ourselves, who suddenly started thinking like humans!

My head fills with confusion.

If the strange beings are us ourselves.

Then didn't we approach this wrong from the very beginning?

Why we suddenly turned into animals. We should have questioned that from the start...

That was the strangest phenomenon of all, yet we held no doubts.

Feeling an indescribable despair wash over me, I look at the screaming children.

The parents eventually died, and the children cried endlessly, not knowing what to do.

And—

The crying stopped.

Like a lie, the expressions of the children, who had been rolling in despair just moments ago, turned peaceful.

The noise of the entire farm ceased.

The noise of the livestock, the screams of the children, the howling of the wolves waiting for an opportunity.

An overwhelming something appeared, suppressing the noise of all insignificant beings.

The world is dyed white.

All 'stages' are overturned.

The carriage disappeared. The horses disappeared. The wolves disappeared. The farm disappeared. The farm couple, and the wailing children, all disappeared.

And in the white hell where everything had vanished...

I was there.

Like a bug rolling about like an ant before the gaze of distant beings.

Ah... I ended up understanding.

The true nature of this hell.

The moment I realized it, I desperately wished for death.

Just for this moment, neither escape nor clearing it came to mind.

Because it was too terrifying, too painful—I simply wished to fall back asleep in oblivion...

[User: Han Ga-in (Ji-hye)

Day: 13th

Current Location: Layer 1, Room 103 (Room of Curses - Animal Farm)

Sage's Advice: 3]

Current Location: Layer 1, Room 103 (Room of Curses - Animal Farm)

Room of Curses - Animal Farm

Room of Curses - Animal Far

Room of Curses - Animal

Room of Curses - Anim

Room of Curses - An

Room of Curses - A

...

Room of Curses - MMMMMM MMMM

Current Location: Layer 1, Room 103 (Room of Curses - Athanasia's Human Ranch)

/You have failed! Biased perspective! Black-and-white logic! Why am I naturally right, and the opponent naturally wrong?

Doesn't such a biased way of thinking stem from the arrogant self-assurance that I could never be wrong?

To overcome the trials of the hotel, you must be a wise skeptic, capable of doubting everything. Of course, it goes without saying that you yourself are included among the subjects of that doubt.

The biased are not qualified to gain 'Diverse Perspectives'.

You neither escaped the curse nor resolved the root of the curse. It is regrettable.

However, there is still a chance! Wait for your comrades.

...

...

...

...

A final resolution has occurred among your comrades! Congratulations! With the emergence of a final resolver, all members return safely.

...

You have acquired the legacy 'Diverse Perspectives'./

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