Escaping the Mystery Hotel

- Han Kain

Someone tapped my shoulder.

When I turned my head, I saw Jinchul-hyung.

“Hyung?”

“It's nothing. By the way, is your Grimoire intact?”

Why is he asking about the Grimoire all of a sudden?

Since there was no reason to hide it, I summoned it.

Hyung suddenly reached out and tried to flip the cover of the Grimoire.

“Hyung! This is extremely dangerous for anyone other than me.”

In an instant, sparks flew, and he rubbed his eyes.

“It’s true. I had a hunch when Perro only touched you and left, but you’re the real one.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Nothing much. Just looking at the scenery outside brought back some memories.”

Hyung plopped down next to me and started talking about various things.

Losing his parents in high school.

Starting a business with a bit of money he saved during college that achieved some success.

Was it about 10 minutes?

There were mixed points of heartache and humor.

“…”

Something feels off.

The past he’s talking about is different from what I know about Jinchul-hyung.

...The comment about Perro earlier, “You’re the real one.”

I had a suspicion and asked.

“Didn’t you say your mother was alive before? And this is the first time I’ve heard about your startup story.”

“It makes sense. I just found out about this past myself.”

I glared at “him”, and he stared back at me.

The next moment, the thick hands of the fake Jinchul grabbed my neck!

“Grrrkk!”

I immediately used the power of the Grimoire to seize control of his body.

As I stood up in a daze, I saw six people looking at me with meaningful expressions.

The battle began.

-Bang!

Before I could do anything, Mooksung’s gun fired, blowing off the head of the Jinchul I had possessed.

My consciousness instantly returned to my original body.

Mooksung! I need to possess his body!

I gritted my teeth and stood up, using Jinchul’s corpse as a shield.

I heard Mooksung’s furious shout.

“You coward!”

“To hell with cowardice! It’s seven against one!”

As I charged, aiming to possess Mooksung’s body–

-Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Mooksung suddenly emptied his gun into the ground and threw it somewhere.

What the hell is he doing?

...I suddenly understood.

The most threatening weapon in this train car battle was the gun!

The problem was if I possessed the person holding the gun, the balance of power would shift in my favor, no matter the amount of fakes.

Since I was using Jinchul’s corpse as a human shield, it was difficult for them to shoot me, so he threw away the gun and turned it into a numbers game.

In an instant, the fakes swarmed me.

“You bastard—”

“Die! Die, you bastard! Why do you get to escape this hell!?”

“Is it my fault you’re stuck here!?”

The fakes were attacking me from all directions!

Mooksung punched me repeatedly.

Eunsol tore at my hair.

And Songee held me down.

“Aargh!”

In the midst of the intense pain, I had no choice but to summon the Grimoire again.

As soon as it was summoned, hesitation engulfed the fakes, causing them to retreat.

I possessed Mooksung’s body, the biggest threat.

As soon as I possessed him, I reached for Ahri’s neck to twist it—

Songee tried to gouge out the eyes of “my body” with her fingers!

This is why I didn’t want to use the Grimoire!

When my consciousness takes over another body, who will protect my original body in this train car when I have no allies?

If I had a gun, I could have killed them all instantly, but Mooksung had thrown the gun away to prevent this very situation!

I had no choice but to return to my original body and immediately push away Songee’s arm.

-Thud!

The moment Mooksung was freed from my possession, he punched me.

Ahri, who had retrieved a sharp object from somewhere, stabbed my shoulder.

...I thought I had gotten accustomed to physical pain after rolling around in this harsh Hotel, but I was wrong.

Is this how it ends?

-Bang!

Ahri’s head exploded.

-Bang!

A hole appeared in Mooksung’s chest.

Just as Songee turned around—

-Bang!

A hole was drilled into her forehead.

In the blink of an eye, the fakes died one after another.

“…”

Maybe they didn’t expect an attack from behind, but beyond that, the shooting accuracy was chilling.

When I came to my senses, the area was filled with corpses.

I looked at Elena in a daze.

“Why... did you help me?”

“On the contrary, do I have a reason to hurt you?”

“...”

“Just as Mr. Kain said, it’s not like you threw us into this hell...”

Elena tossed me the gun.

“If I come to my senses more, I might go crazy with jealousy. Kill me before that happens.”

I picked up the gun.

My body felt like it was falling apart after being beaten up by Mooksung and having my eyes gouged by Songee.

As I slowly approached Elena with the gun, she grabbed my hand and aimed it at her head.

...I blankly stared at her.

Elena gave a faint smile and murmured.

“In a place full of fakes, it’s a relief you’re real.”

“What’s your real name—”

“Just shoot. I want to end this thinking I’m Elena.”

-Bang!

“…”

Now, I was the only living person left in this car.

Just before dragging my staggering body to the next car, a good plan came to mind.

***

- Elena

What kind of place is this, anyway?

I absentmindedly stared out the window, reminiscing about the past.

During the days I wandered from country to country, I harbored a precious dream.

The glamorous world of TV!

Would I be able to stand on stage again outside someday?

While pondering, I heard the murmuring of people around me and then strange voices.

Ahri.

“Who’s the participant?”

Songee.

“The parrot stared at Elena for a long time before flying away. It must be her.”

Mooksung.

“Damn it! Why is that bitch the only one who gets to leave here?”

Huh?

What’s going on?

People are approaching me.

Think, think, think with all your might!

What’s going on?

When Songee approached me amidst the confusion, I had the best reflexes of my life.

When in doubt, start with a slap.

It’s a drama cliché for a reason.

“Elena! What are you—”

-Slap!

The sound of my slap echoed through the train car.

The approaching people stopped in their tracks, bewildered.

“How dare you act so arrogantly! Lower your eyes before me!”

Eunsol, who had been looking at me with a puzzled expression, spoke.

“Hmm? Are you a fake too? But—”

“Fake? How dare you utter such nonsense in front of me! Where’s this ‘fake’? I am—”

Who should I say I am?

Just throw something out there!

“—The eldest daughter of the 16th Earl of Huntingdon!”

Earl of Huntingdon?

What kind of family is that?

I don’t know!

It just came to mind.

“…”

Silence filled the surroundings.

Did I go too far?

Mooksung sighed.

“It seems you were captured quite a while ago. When were you captured?”

Does this lie work?

“In 1874, on the day the Queen wore the crown of the Indian Empire. The glory of the Empire will fill Europe. You! Who are you?”

I diverted the questioning.

After being slapped, the fake Songee hesitantly answered.

“I-I’m still a bit fuzzy, but maybe in 1980 or 1982—”

“Silence. How dare a mere monkey act so presumptuous! Your owner should thoroughly educate you more!”

I don’t know! Just go hard!

Life is about momentum.

When I kicked Songee and glared around with wide eyes, everyone backed off, stammering.

“Who are you?”

This time, Seungyub, who was targeted, hesitated and answered.

“Huh? I-I am—”

“Waitttt!”

The fake Eunsol interrupted.

“I was taken aback by the sudden commotion you caused, but shouldn’t you explain yourself first? The parrot clearly looked at you and flew away. Are you not the participant?”

“Indeed, the intelligence level of the descendants of the monkeys from the colonies is rather pitiful. Birds naturally like shiny things. Although this body isn’t nearly as brilliant as my real one, it’s shiny enough to catch the bird’s attention. Do you have anything more to say?”

“Well, even if we accept that explanation, your attitude is just...”

The fake Kain stepped in.

“Hey! Let’s stop this. Seriously, this damn Hotel needs to moderate its summoning. Why bring a super old fossil from 200 years ago?”

“What? You damn monkey—”

“Enough! Who’s the participant?”

“Isn’t there someone who’s been unusually silent this whole time? Is it you?”

“The hell? I’ve been here since 197—”

Just like that, the fakes started arguing about who the participant was.

Meanwhile, I kept chipping in with additional comments, trying to sound like the most arrogant, racist, British imperialist possible.

“Ha! My majesty! Save me from these filthy Eastern monkeys.”

“Hey! Someone shut that annoying racist old bitch’s mouth!”

“Just answer my question. Why are you confused about your own name?”

As I kept observing, I noticed these “fakes” were in a state of significant confusion with jumbled memories.

Some could recall their original memories relatively clearly, while others were in a state of identity crisis.

They began to suspect one another for not being able to recall their past clearly.

Ironically, since I had made up the role of the eldest daughter of the Earl of Huntingdon, which didn’t exist, I wasn’t experiencing any confusion, and my confident attitude kept me from being suspected.

But will dragging out time like this help me?

***

- Han Kain

“...”

“...”

What is going on?

The ability to possess others has one major weakness.

While possessing someone else, my original body was defenseless.

Because of this, I left my original body in the passageway between train cars and transferred only my consciousness.

The barrier blocked the passageway between train cars!

I, who eliminated all the fakes in my car, could cross the barrier, but the fakes couldn’t.

Therefore, I left my real body behind the barrier, waiting to possess someone as soon as they approached.

That part of the plan went well...

Now… Who was the real one in this car?

The atmosphere inside the train car was utter chaos.

The fakes were interrogating each other, trying to identify the participant in a frenzy of confusion!

In the midst of this, the person causing the most trouble was the crazy racist old British woman standing by the window.

Every time one of the “Yellow Monkeys” looked at her, she got so angry that approaching her was basically impossible.

She kept stirring up confusion in the train car, making comments like, “That guy is suspicious,” and “He’s definitely the participant.”

It was clear this crazy woman must have caused internal strife and had been eliminated during her lifetime.

Who on earth is the “real” one in this car?

I was utterly confused.

***

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