Escaping the Mystery Hotel

- Han Kain

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 38

Current Location: Floor 1, Room 107 (Gate Room)

Sage’s Advice: 3

Arima’s “treatment” began.

“Arghhh!”

“Let go. Hold him down!”

“…”

We were speechless at the horrific “treatment.”

Arima ordered her guards to hold the slaves down, then skinned them alive and attached their skin to Jinchul-hyung’s body.

At first, Songee was so shocked she immediately commanded Luca—yes, in that short time, she named the two-headed wolf Luca—to attack the witch.

Had I not intervened immediately, a fight would have broken out.

Arima seemed to enjoy our alarmed reactions.

Songee couldn’t contain her anger.

“What is this? How can this be considered treatment? We need to—”

Kim Mooksung: Yu Songee! Use the chat!

Since Grandpa’s “Communication” was enhanced, the character limit in the chat has significantly increased.

In situations like this, where reckless dialogue might make us seem weak, it was very useful.

Yu Songee: Shouldn’t we stop this right now?

Kim Ahri: Calm down. Considering the witch’s abilities, this kind of treatment was expected.

Kim Mooksung: It’s gruesome, but saving Jinchul is more important.

Yu Songee: But doing it this way?

...It had been a while since I felt the gap between the Administration team and the rest of us.

The Administration team, used to brutal and grotesque scenes, judged strictly based on practicality, while the rest of us honestly found it unbearable.

When Arima began skinning the slaves, I had to avert my eyes.

Calm down.

Think with a heart as cold as ice.

The Administration team’s judgment is correct. What’s the point in dwelling on cruelty now?

We’ve already killed countless NPCs inside the Cursed Room to survive.

Saving Jinchul-hyung is far more important.

The treatment lasted about 30 minutes.

As the screams of the skinned slaves subsided, Jinchul-hyung’s skin started looking more human.

There’s no need to match blood types or immunosuppressants—just slap any ol’ slave’s skin on and it’ll be a-OK.

Any doctor would be flabbergasted.

Of course, in a world where magic existed, doctors would be unnecessary.

I approached Arima.

“His skin looks much better. When will he wake up?”

“That’s not up to me.”

“...”

“I don’t know what made his body so twisted, but even his internal organs are in disarray. It’s a miracle he’s still alive. But, of course, treatment is possible...”

She trailed off, giving me a knowing smile.

She didn’t say it outright, but I understood.

If I wanted more intensive treatment, I’d have to teach her magic.

Now the real game begins.

I gestured for Ahri to come over.

Arima asked curiously.

“Who is this? Quite a beautiful lady.”

“She’s my most gifted disciple. She’ll be giving you a lecture in the Arcane, so you should at least greet her.”

Arima’s expression immediately hardened.

“I thought I’d be learning directly from you, Mage Han?”

Sorry, but I have no knowledge to share.

I smirked dismissively.

“...What’s the meaning of this?”

“Words carry power! Do you believe yourself to be an equal to me because I speak so nicely? You can’t even handle a single letter I write.”

“What are you—”

Without hesitation, I summoned the Grimoire and opened it slightly.

As expected of a witch, despite deliberately opening it slowly, she averted her gaze in an instant, sensing the impending danger.

The nearby slave, however, who was halfway skinned and groaning, couldn’t react in time.

The slave’s eyes melted, and they let out a final scream before dying.

…Better off this way. Living longer in that state would only prolong their suffering.

Arima watched in shock.

“Do you still want to learn directly? It seems you have plenty of spare eyeballs.”

“...I’ll learn from your disciple first then.”

Not bad.

The psychological advantage we lost due to the gruesome scene shifted back to me.

Naturally, Ahri approached Arima and began speaking.

“Listen to the theory first. The core of the Arcane is impermanence! All things constantly change; matter and spirit are like waves in the ocean. What is whole becomes broken, and what is broken becomes whole again. Just as the full moon wanes, nothing is eternal. The spirit is never one with the body; it spreads like waves in the sea—”

What is she talking about?

I couldn’t help but use the chat.

Han Kain: What the heck is she saying?

Kim Ahri: Woof Woof!

It was ridiculous, but I forced a smile and added occasional comments.

“Hmm. Ahri, explain that part more specifically. The subtlety of impermanence stems from the principle of non-self. How can there be an ‘I’ in this universe? All things in the cosmos form and change due to connections, like a shadow moving...”

Kim Mooksung: What nonsense are you spouting?

Han Kain: Meow?

Kim Mooksung: This is madness! Absolute madness!

Lee Eunsol: Did you go to a temple as a child?

After an hour of Ahri spouting nonsense and my cat-like responses, Arima began asking questions as if she had reached some profound revelation.

“Listening to you teacher, I feel as if a shadow that had filled my mind for years is lifting. Are you saying not to see the human spirit as confined to the brain, but as a fluid wave?”

...What is she talking about now?

Han Kain: What is she saying now?

Kim Ahri: I think she’s had a revelation from listening to nonsense.

Han Kain: Can you get a revelation from that?

Kim Ahri: Venerable Wonhyo achieved enlightenment by drinking from a skull filled with water.

We took a break and sat down.

Is the nonsense lecture really that impressive?

Arima returned to Jinchul-hyung’s side and began treating him.

After about 30 minutes, she stood up and spoke to me.

“I’d like to learn more from you, Teacher. Unfortunately, my time as a human is limited. I shall return at midnight.”

She truly seemed “polite” now, addressing me as “Teacher” with great respect.

She really treated me as if I were a great master of magic.

…We were all taken aback, looking at each other in disbelief.

“Did you actually teach her something from the Grimoire?” Eunsol-noona asked.

“I told you, the Grimoire is like quantum physics written in Arabic to me. I just spouted whatever came to mind.”

“Then why is she reacting like that?”

“Beats me.”

Grandpa casually offered his opinion.

“Haven’t you heard multi-level marketing pitches? They all sound plausible. If you’re not a real expert, you can’t tell the difference between sophisticated nonsense and real expertise. The witch is no different. She’s just making sense of it in her own way. Don’t worry about it. Focus on checking Jinchul.”

We gathered around to check on Jinchul-hyung.

The second treatment seemed to have affected his internal organs.

He seemed to be breathing more evenly now.

It was hard to describe, but he looked like someone sleeping peacefully.

Elena expressed amazement.

“It really seems like the treatment is working. He might wake up soon.”

As Jinchul-hyung showed clear signs of recovery, the party’s mood lightened.

And with the witch gone, everyone felt more at ease.

I finally got some time to rest.

***

- Han Kain

During the day, we prepared our next plans, monitored Jinchul-hyung’s condition, and checked the updated Scenario Comprehension.

At midnight, the witch arrived again.

The same events repeated.

The witch started her gruesome “treatment” near Jinchul-hyung.

This time, three slaves died in silence, and Jinchul-hyung’s internal organs began to stabilize.

At this rate, he might wake up soon.

Then, the lecture began.

I changed the lecture topic slightly.

“What do you think of ‘Fortune’, Lady Arima?”

“What? How does that relate to the Arcane?”

“It is very related. Common people think of fortune or luck as something mandated by the heavens. They see it as a fate beyond themselves, and something they must willingly accept. But are we common people? Do you intend to live in such a manner, Lady Arima?”

“No! I walked this path to transcend a mundane fate. I know what people call us—devils, witches. Hunters and priests regularly come to kill me. But I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to live a mundane life. I want to be like a star in the sky. If I can grasp even a part of the world’s hidden secrets—”

Her reaction was intense.

Did my previous nonsense lecture really give her some enlightenment?

I simply asked if she wanted to live an ordinary life, but she had a huge emotional response and passionately shared her dreams.

I continued the conversation, a bit flustered.

“Listening to Lady Arima’s story, I remember when I first started exploring the Arcane 80 years ago. Every mage’s beginning is humble.”

Kim Mooksung: Oh great, you’re pretending to be a hundred-year-old mage now?

“Back to the topic of luck. Luck is about belief! Living without doubt, having faith in life, and having self-confidence. I act, so the world follows. Let go of the notion that luck leads an individual for it is an individual that leads luck.”

Seungyub!

As planned,

Seungyub approached. He casually tossed a die.

Naturally, it showed a 6.

Gaining confidence, Seungyub started a more entertaining show.

He pulled out a deck of cards, shuffled them, and flicked a card at Arima’s chest.

Surprised, Arima pulled it out and found a Queen.

Seungyub nonchalantly drew another card and handed it to me.

I flipped it to reveal a King.

Even knowing about his Blessing, this was impressive.

We could dominate a gambling den at this rate.

Arima’s eyes widened as she alternated between looking at Seungyub and me.

“Is this something that can be learned too?”

Time to pull back a bit.

“This is difficult. It’s heavily influenced by innate talent. I just wanted to show you some of the possibilities of magic.”

You can’t do this without a Blessing.

“I’ve never met anyone like you, Teacher. Not even the Chief Mage of the Empire or the Magician King of the Eastern Forest could possess such diverse powers.”

Does this world have an empire or a kingdom?

Are those areas fully implemented?

With this level of conversation, the day’s lecture ended.

Arima left the cabin before dawn.

After Arima left, I recalled the updated scenario content from earlier.

Most of it was trivial, just detailing our plans and that Arima would come to the cabin.

However, one sentence caused significant concern.

The witch, who is now one step closer to wicked wisdom, arrives at the cabin with great dreams.

The latter part just stated she arrived at the cabin, but the first part was worrisome.

The witch who is now one step closer to wicked wisdom.

Did she really gain some insight from our nonsense?

I stepped outside for a walk, pondering.

Seriously, what if she’s really gaining something?

I recalled Ahri’s words.

Venerable Wonhyo ¹ achieved enlightenment by drinking from a skull filled with water.

Isaac Newton had the inspiration for the law of gravity by watching an apple fall.

Enlightenment didn’t always come from complex lectures from experts.

A complete beginner wouldn’t gain anything from a falling apple or a skull of stale water.

But if said someone has spent their life seeking wicked wisdom…?

A witch knocking on the door of evil truth might only need a small shift in perspective to make a leap forward.

A foreboding feeling grew.

A growing villain*?*

An enemy growing stronger, while we hesitate due to treating an ally.

Is this the core of this trial?

We must end this tomorrow.

It’s clear that dealing with the witch is more important than Jinchul-hyung’s treatment now.

One question remained.

If the witch has truly gained some “enlightenment,” what exactly was she realizing?

It must be a revelation so malevolent, it’s beyond a normal person’s imagination.

***

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