Escaping the Mystery Hotel

Chapter 144: A Ticket, an Outfit, and a Chance

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 72

Current Location: Floor 1, Corridor

Sage’s Advice: 3

- Han Kain

I woke up in the Hotel corridor along with everyone else.

Before the joy of reunion could fully sink in, I felt an overwhelming sensation as I looked around the Hotel.

How long has it been?

We barely survived one trial only to face another, and even after overcoming that, there was yet another trial.

Before my body could tire, my mind felt like it had completely melted away.

As I glanced at my comrades, who looked just as dazed as me, a smile naturally crept onto my face.

Seeing me, my comrades’ lips also started to curve into smiles, and soon, the entire corridor erupted into a cacophony of victorious laughter!

The long-missed Eunsol-noona was the first to speak up, "Let's grab a meal first! It seems like the rewards will be given after we eat."

In the midst of the cheerful atmosphere, Jinchul-hyung began acting somewhat strange.

He started staring intently at the air, turning his head sharply back and forth.

Grandpa Mooksung pointed it out, "Boar, what's up with you? You keep staring into the air like you've seen a ghost."

Surprisingly, Jinchul-hyung responded seriously, "Something has been flickering in the air. It looks like a person appears and then disappears... Did something happen while I was unconscious?"

...The room fell silent. Too much had happened to him. Everyone hesitated to explain.

As we headed back to Room 105, the same alert we had seen after clearing Perfect Life appeared for everyone else.

Although the intent of each trial was intriguing, it was ultimately already completed.

It didn’t really matter.

What captured everyone’s interest was the content of the rewards.

A ticket, an outfit, and a chance.

And a special reward for the person who made the greatest contribution.

Discussions about the identity of these items soon erupted.

***-Click

After returning from the restroom, I looked at the lively table.

I sat down and watched as Seungyub stacked food like a tower.

On top of a plain donut, he stacked three slices of pork belly, a sirloin steak, slathered it with a mix of tonkatsu sauce and roasted tomatoes, and then finished it off with another douse of tonkatsu.

“...”

Unable to watch any longer, Ahri spoke up, “Seungyub, isn’t that artery-bomb burger too big to swallow in one bite?”

“It’s fine.”

After letting out a slight chuckle, I looked around.

The individuals who survived further were enthusiastically sharing their experiences in the Gate Room with those who had been eliminated earlier.

Even Elena, who normally wouldn’t engage in such behavior, was proudly explaining to Jinchul-hyung and Eunsol-noona how she had outwitted the staff of the Esper Ho.

Of course, she didn’t mention how she almost got sacrificed or how she nearly caused a huge disaster in Perfect Life.

Jinchul-hyung, clearly regretful about being eliminated early, listened intently to our stories.

He looked visibly shocked when hearing about how a witch had possessed his body before being “exorcized”.

The peaceful atmosphere seemed like the perfect moment to drop a bombshell.

- Thump!

"Everyone~ may I have your attention?"

All eyes turned to me.

"Sorry to interrupt your meal, but it seems one of the rewards has already been given."

Everyone’s eyes widened at my sudden statement.

The first person to grasp the situation was Grandpa Mooksung.

"Did you receive the reward for the person who made the greatest contribution? I had a hunch."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

It seemed many had suspected that I would be the one to receive the special reward.

Honestly, who else could it be?

I played a major role in the Second Trial, The Witch’s Forest, by manipulating Arima.

In the Third Trial, Jekyll and Hyde, my deductions were pivotal from start to finish.

While I didn’t single-handedly dominate the other trials, my contributions were by no means small.

"Yes. I confirmed what the reward was just a moment ago."

Everyone looked puzzled at the idea of me checking the reward alone.

"You checked it while you were in the restroom?"

I smiled confidently and stood up.

Ha!

I was filled with an overwhelming sense of joy as if I had truly become a superhuman.

I couldn’t contain my excitement.

Proudly, I raised both arms and focused my mind.

I had confirmed the “Feather Tattoo” in the restroom.

As soon as I became aware of the tattoo, I instinctively knew how to use it.

- Swish!

With a swish, I appeared on the opposite side of the table!

Everyone’s eyes widened—

- Thud! Thud!

“...”

I fell from midair onto the floor.

“...”

“...”

After a moment of silence, Ahri asked, “Was that... teleportation? Did you intend to fall from the air?”

“...”

“It seems like controlling the destination is a bit difficult. I guess you’ll need to practice that ability.”

“I can’t use it again immediately. It takes a few hours to recharge.”

“Still, it’s an amazing ability. But if you don’t want to fall to your death after teleporting, you’d better practice hard.”

It was slightly embarrassing, but I stood up and raised my hands again!

“Did you see that? I have teleportation now!”

Seungyub shouted in amazement, “Hyung, that looked exactly like the summoner spells, Flash from LoL.”

Ahri, of course, had to rain on my parade.

“Now that I’ve seen that ability, I’m convinced. You’ll definitely be the first person to be sealed on the second floor.”

“...”

After the others finally congratulated me, the meal ended.

***After the meal, the Hotel displayed an alert as if it had been waiting for us.

Did you enjoy your meal?

Once again, we congratulate you on overcoming such arduous trials.

Starting a week from today, the second floor will officially open. On the second floor, you will face trials that are even more challenging than those you have encountered this far.

Of course, with the skills you’ve demonstrated and the treasures you’ve accumulated, you should be more than capable of overcoming them. Please take a week of rest to fully recover your body and mind.

P.S.: Please proceed to the front desk to see the very thing you’ve been eagerly anticipating!

“We get a whole week off this time? That’s quite a long break! Since there’s no need for exploration, let’s really relax this time,” Songee shouted joyfully.

She grabbed Elena’s arm and added a few more words, “Let’s go swimming and skiing!”

Elena blushed, unable to hide her embarrassment.

Eunsol-noona, barely containing her excitement, urged everyone.

“Let’s hurry to the front desk!”

At the front desk, there was a large treasure chest-like object.

Jinchul-hyung approached it with a curious look.

“Let’s just open it.”

He casually pressed a button to open the chest, revealing the three rewards the Hotel had mentioned.

A ticket, an outfit, and a chance.

Jinchul-hyung picked up the small box containing the red button, looking perplexed.

It was simply a box with a button protruding out of it.

A chance

On the side of the box, there was a brief explanation along with its name.

Escape Button

Standing beside him, I picked up the ticket.

The back of the ticket had a brief description.

Ticket of Hope! It can be used for various uses. Wouldn’t it be fun to discover its uses?

What kind of nonsense is this? Just write the uses clearly!

I was about to express my frustration when I noticed Ahri’s expression change.

A storm of emotions appeared on her face—a mix of intense desire, desperate longing, and uncontrollable greed.

Almost instinctively, Ahri reached out for the ticket I was holding, and I reflexively pushed her hand away.

“...”

“...Sorry, I was a bit overwhelmed.”

“I understand one of the ticket’s uses now. Try to stay calm. We all understand how you feel.”

“...”

A heavy silence permeated the room.

I realized that among the “various uses” of this ticket, one was undoubtedly clear.

This ticket can revive someone who has died in the Hotel.

The tension surrounding the rewards wasn’t limited to just the ticket.

When Grandpa Mooksung struggled to lift the “Outfit”, everyone fell silent.

The item was too grand to be called a mere “Outfit”.

It looked more like a “space suit” than anything, and it had the durability one would expect from such a suit.

A nameplate was attached to the suit.

Protective Suit: Invulnerable to Blades, Impervious to Fire and Water

On the 72nd day since arriving at the Hotel, we obtained our first escape tool.

***Three minutes away from the front desk was the snack table, which was usually stocked with our favorite drinks and snacks.

But today, the table was empty because we had cleared it to make room for the large items.

I had expected the atmosphere to be celebratory after receiving the rewards, but...

We just silently stared at the items on the table.

In the awkward silence, Eunsol-noona picked up the least contentious reward, the Escape Button.

“Everyone read the description, right? It’s simple. One-time use! Press the button, and you’ll escape from the Cursed Room instantly. The count will be recorded.”

Since no one else responded, I spoke up, “It’s literally a tool that forces an ‘escape’. It seems to be a one-time use, and it counts toward the tally. This might be useful if we end up overwhelmed by the brutal difficulty of a fifth attempt. Also since it’s an escape, it should naturally revive anyone who died at that time, right? It’s a tool that gives you ‘one more chance’.”

“It’s like an extra life, which is great.”

“But it makes me a bit uneasy.”

“What’s wrong?”

“The fact that they gave us something like this makes me wonder how difficult the second floor will be.”

“Oh~ let’s not start thinking about that already.”

After putting down the Escape Button, we fell into silence once more.

This time, I picked up the ticket again.

“They said it has various uses, and one of them seems to be ‘revival’. Is that right?” I asked while looking at Ahri.

She nodded quietly.

“Of course, it doesn’t seem like you can just use it to revive someone directly. Maybe we need to find a place like the ‘Room of Resurrection’ you mentioned before? Maybe we need to use the ticket in that location?”

Ahri spoke up, “I don’t know exactly where or how to use it. I just recognized it because it looks identical to a ticket I heard about before.”

“Okay. I suppose we need to have a discussion about ‘who’ to revive eventually.”

Ahri remained silent.

In the uncomfortable atmosphere, Eunsol-noona chimed in, “They said we have a week to rest, right? Let’s have a serious conversation about it then. But we don’t need to decide anything immediately. We haven’t even found the ‘Room of Resurrection’ yet. It’s probably on the second floor. Also, since the ticket has ‘various uses’, the other uses might be incredibly valuable as well.”

“That’s true. We should discuss it eventually, but there’s no need to decide right now.”

“...”

Silence fell once again.

Eventually, everyone’s gaze turned to the reward that made us the most uneasy: the “Outfit”.

Jinchul-hyung, unable to bear the tense atmosphere, reached for the suit.

“Ah! This is frustrating. What’s the big deal? Do you really think someone would sneak off in the middle of the night wearing this?”

The other seven people, who had all been thinking the exact same thing, flinched.

Upon noticing how everyone reacted, Jinchul-hyung closed his mouth and put the suit back down.

I wish I hadn’t brought up the elevator passcode in the first place.

...Let’s just drop it. It’s all in the past.

Besides, we promised not to keep secrets from each other anymore.

This is just another trial we need to overcome.

Sighing, I stared at the “Protective Suit” that had become a hot potato.

Before we head to the second floor in a week, we need to reinforce our bonds so that neither the suit nor the ticket can cause any rifts among us.