Escaping the Mystery Hotel-Chapter 265: Room ???, Cursed Room - ???? (3)

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- Han Kain

There was once a time when boundless glory accompanied the descendants of the sky.

A cruel fate drove us into the harsh wilderness!

However, what matters most is an unyielding heart.

One day, we shall return to paradise! We shall return to the land where milk and honey flow!

My ears rang as the voices of the tribe filled the air.

Just as Old Wolf Claw had promised, the tribe held a feast after we took down the Writhing Fangs.

Of course, calling it a “feast” was a bit of a stretch—there was neither extravagant food nor lavish decorations.

The best they had were several bonfires, along with people dancing and singing.

Still, even with just dance and song, the atmosphere felt lively.

“Boundless glory to the descendants of the sky—“

“Is this the only song you guys know?”

“Haha… That’s not the case, but it is a song beloved by many.”

The lyrics, which I had hoped would hold some hidden secret, turned out to be disappointingly plain.

Glorious ancestors, descendants of the sky, a paradise that would one day arrive—it was the kind of thing found in any mythology.

The only part that seemed worth considering seriously was the mention of Paradise’s location.

“So, nobody knows where this paradise is?”

“That’s right. I’m not sure what inspiration this song gave you, Divine One, but… it’s just a song. Even when I was a child, the elderly at the time didn’t truly believe paradise was a real place.”

Old Claw seemed to think that the idea of “paradise” was nothing more than a fantasy conjured up by the weary minds of his people.

“Forget reliable information—just tell me anything you know, even if it sounds like nonsense. And I told you to stop calling me ‘Divine One’. It sounds weird.”

“M-my apologies, Young Master. The word is simply ingrained in my speech. But truly, I don’t understand why you are so interested in such pointless tales. It’s a waste of your precious time.”

“I had a dream.”

“…A dream?”

“While I was unconscious for the past few days, I had a long dream. I felt our ancestors guiding me to a distant place. A crimson comet tore through the sky, devouring the darkness….”

I made up something that sounded mystical.

If a regular university student said this, people would think they were high, but if a so-called divine one spoke of a prophetic dream, it might actually be believable.

“Such…! Forgive me! I fear my meager knowledge is unworthy of assisting you, Young Master—“

“Never mind it. Just bring someone who might know more.”

At last, Old Claw left, saying he would fetch the oldest woman in the tribe.

A short while later, a wrinkled old woman appeared, looking to be at least seventy.

Though, given the harsh conditions, she might actually be younger than that—people here likely aged far faster than modern humans.

“Divine One, I, the humble Azure—“

“That’s enough. You heard the situation, right? You seem to know a bit more about this so-called paradise. Even if it’s nonsense or just an old legend, I’ll listen.”

I let out a dry chuckle.

Old Wolf Claw and this elder woman were both at least twice, maybe even three times my age, yet I was already talking to them so informally.

If I wasn’t planning to stay the chief of this tribe forever, I really shouldn’t get used to speaking so rudely.

“Hmm… It may be useless information, but hearing that song outside reminded me of something.”

“The song?”

“When I was younger, the lyrics were longer. It used to say, ‘Beyond the Crimson Mountain Range, we shall return to paradise.’”

The Crimson Mountain Range, huh?

“What exactly is that? Is it nearby?”

The old woman’s eyes widened in shock, as if I had asked the most ridiculous question. Before she could respond, Old Wolf Claw quickly stepped in.

“Young Master, you have quite the sense of humor. Azure Eyes, you may leave now!”

“Ah, I understand. It is an honor—“

- Thud!

As soon as the old woman left, I turned to Old Wolf Claw.

“I must’ve made some sort of mistake just now, right?”

“No, Young Master. Your memory is foggy, so forgetting things is natural. However, I did not think it wise for such talk to spread recklessly.”

“Thanks. So, where is the Crimson Mountain Range?”

“It would be easier to show you.”

Stepping outside, I saw the tribe’s people still dancing and singing.

When they noticed me, they bowed their heads and clapped.

Feeling somewhat obligated, I waved back.

“This way.”

It was then that I realized why the old woman had been so shocked.

If I had simply turned my head while standing outside, I would have seen the mountain range. It was right there*.*

“…It’s not crimson, though? It just looks blue.”

“When the weather gets colder, the entire range turns red.”

“How big is it?”

“I do not know. Our tribe has wandered the plains for generations—even before my grandfather’s grandfather was a child. No matter how far we walked, that mountain range was always in sight.”

If a primitive tribe had been traveling for over a hundred years and still always saw the range, it had to be enormous—likely spanning an entire continent.

“And beyond that mountain range lies paradise?”

“Young Master…”

“What?”

“The Crimson Mountain Range is not a place one can cross.”

“Is it too steep and rugged?”

“It is indeed tall and treacherous, but the greater problem is the monsters. The Writhing Fangs would seem like nothing more than ferocious rabbits in comparison to the horrors that dwell there.”

“…I see.”

If the song’s lyrics were true, then just like how humanity was cast out of Eden in biblical stories, the humans in this setting were driven from paradise beyond the mountains and forced to survive in this harsh wilderness.

Shouldn’t the goal be to return to paradise?

But if the monsters beyond the range were so fearsome that even the Writhing Fangs seemed like rabbits in comparison…

Even if our entire party gathered, it wouldn’t be an easy place to venture into.

There was no way I could take these tribes people there alone. In fact, if the danger was that extreme, no matter how much they revered me as the Divine One, they’d never agree to go.

My headache worsened.

I couldn’t tell if it was from the lingering effects of using my Grimoire with a weakened Status Window or from the sheer frustration of not knowing what to do.

***

As I sat on the relatively soft bedding inside my tent, my thoughts naturally drifted to my comrades.

Were they all doing well? In an environment like this, simply being well was a luxury.

Were they even alive?

With my malfunctioning Status Window, I had no way of knowing whether my comrades had survived or perished.

Given the current situation, where only our Inheritance and tools were functioning properly while our Blessings were broken, I tried to assess their conditions.

Ahri and Songee were probably fine.

Ahri, for one, was the type who relied solely on her Inheritance when fighting inside the Cursed Rooms. freēnovelkiss.com

She’d probably handled creatures like the Writhing Fangs one way or another—after all, she had far more experience dealing with monsters than I did.

Songee was likely with Perro.

While her affinity with Pero was weakened, making communication difficult, she still had her bracelet and Perro’s power.

With those, she should be capable of handling most monsters.

Grandpa Mooksung and the doctor were in a tougher spot since they didn’t have Inheritances, but they did have extraordinary physical abilities and experience.

This stage was set in prehistoric times, and judging by the quality of food I was given as a supposed Divine One, the food shortage was dire.

That meant even the best warriors in this tribe barely stood at 170 cm and had relatively frail physiques.

By comparison, Grandpa Mooksung, with his Arm of the Abras Warrior, could likely take down five or six of these so-called best warriors with one arm alone.

The same went for the doctor, who was a former special forces soldier.

If they could use their judgment and combat experience well, they’d probably manage against the monsters.

But after that, things got trickier. Jinchul-hyung and Eunsol-noona seemed like they could hold their own, but there were still risks.

If Jinchul-hyung had a functioning Blessing and his body was in good condition, he would be the safest among us.

He could easily lead a tribe of primitive people, and creatures like the Writhing Fangs—the ones I struggled to fight—were monsters he could probably beat to death with his bare fists.

But I wasn’t sure about his condition.

Before entering this room, his Blessing had malfunctioned while he was using his Inheritance.

What if his body had already given out?

What if he was dead?

Eunsol-noona worried me as well. She had an Inheritance and several tools at her disposal, and her Special Chef Charisma would make it easy for her to control the tribe, but the real issue was the monsters.

Could she fight against creatures like the Writhing Fangs?

As for Seungyub… I could only hope he was still alive.

Of all of us, I doubted the primitive people would trust and follow him.

Then there was Elena.

I was worried about her but for different reasons.

She had pushed Ominous Imagination to its limit, and without Calmness and Tranquility to restore her sanity, was she even herself anymore?

What if she had turned into something like a demon king?

What if she had killed all the tribes-people with her own hands?

There was no way primitive humans like these could possibly stop Elena if she started unleashing her powers. If she summoned another moth entity, it wouldn’t matter if there were 100,000 primitive people—they’d all be annihilated.

“…Maybe I should just escape. I can try solving things later. More importantly, I don’t even know who got sealed at this stage. It’s definitely not me… Honestly, if one of us were to be sealed, I’d prefer it to be Elena.”

- *Thud!*

“Who’s there? Old Wolf Claw?”

“Um… May I come in?”

It was a lively, bright voice—completely different from Old Claw’s deep tone.

And then, the most shocking thing since entering this stage happened.

A half-naked girl smiled brightly as she walked into my tent.

***

- Lee Eunsol

“Burn everything. If anyone tries to take the meat for themselves, make it clear that it’s an instant death sentence.”

“Understood!”

What a grueling time this has been.

I woke up in the middle of the Stone Age, surrounded by a bunch of primitive men looking down on me like I was some weak woman they couldn’t rely on.

The ridiculous pissing contest I had with that brute—whether he was a bear or just some oversized mutt—still pissed me off.

What?

He wanted me to marry him and bear the heir to the Divine One?

Yeah, right. If he thought he could dominate me just because he was built like a bear, then he’s dead wrong.

“What’s the status on Rampaging Bear?”

“Ugh… He… uh… after his stomach was pierced through at the end… he… he didn’t make it through the night.”

“Oh, no! What a tragedy! Rampaging Bear’s unfortunate demise—“

“…What?”

Shit!

Watch your mouth, Eunsol!

Remember, that guy was some kind of hero to this tribe.

“Rampaging Bear scoured the plains and found the Five-Legged Bull. That alone was a great achievement. His bravery will serve as an inspiration to us all!”

Yup~!

Good riddance!

I was worried he’d somehow cling to life.

If he had, I would’ve had to use my badge to sneak in and finish him off at night.

But this worked out way better.

Dying to the monstrous bull that terrorized the tribe?

That was probably the best death he could ask for.

Alright, time to calm down.

Rampaging Bear was already dead—impaled by a bull bigger than a truck. And the rest of the tribe?

They had already bowed before me after watching me take down the Five-Legged Bull with my badge and brooch. The worst was over.

Now, the real question…

Where do we go from here?

According to tribal legend, there was a sacred land beyond the Sunset Mountain Range.

Should I lead them there?

But the moment I even mentioned crossing the Sunset Mountains, the entire tribe froze in terror.

They called it a hell where only the damned go after death.

There was no way a mountain range was actually the afterlife, but…

Now that I thought about it, this was an entirely different world.

What if it really was some kind of afterlife?

Regardless, whether it was a land of the dead or not, one thing was clear—it was crawling with horrifying beings.

As I wandered across the plains, I lifted my gaze to the azure morning sky.

That was when I saw something strange.

“…What the hell is that? Hey! Black Hand!”

“Yes?”

“Look at that. What is that?”

Black Hand followed my gaze, looking just as confused as I was.

“…What do you mean? Are you referring to the clouds?”

So he can’t see it.

I slowly adjusted my focus, scanning the distant horizon.

At first, it was nothing but a faint blue-black blur—something no human should have been able to perceive.

But the more I focused, the more its form became clear.

Not enough.

I need just a bit more.

…A sudden burning sensation surged through my eyes.

A piercing pain tore through my skull, as if someone was stabbing needles into my brain and twisting them violently.

At the limit of my vision—

I saw it.

A god soaring through the skies.

***

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