Escaping the Mystery Hotel

Chapter 177: Party Time – Concerns About Room 104, Exploring the Second Floor (4)

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 89

Current Location: Floor 1, Corridor

Sage’s Advice: 0

- Han Kain

I was taken aback by the enigmatic advice I received.

Those around me started asking questions.

“What kind of response did you receive?”

“…”

“The advice was, ‘The wisest one sets the board so that everyone benefits.’”

A brief silence followed before Noona ultimately broke it, “It feels oddly familiar. Let me explain what I know. In business, they say that if you create a strategy where only you benefit, it’s considered a bad strategy. If you set things up so that you’re the only one gaining profits, the other party will naturally resist, and the whole setup will collapse.”

“So, the idea is to create a situation where everyone benefits, making it stable?”

“Exactly. That way, everyone is satisfied, and the arrangement stays intact, leading to mutual prosperity. It’s a bit like game theory. Have you heard of Nash equilibrium?”

In game theory, Nash equilibrium refers to a state where all players have made their most optimal move, leading to a situation where no singular player could improve their position by changing their strategy.

In simpler terms, it was similar to the idea that no one would disrupt a situation where everyone was benefiting.

“I understand the concept, but there are too many confusing aspects. First of all, who is ‘the wisest one’? Logically, it seems like it’s telling me to wise up and set a beneficial situation for everyone since I’m the holder of Wisdom.”

“I immediately thought of the Owl. Isn’t he the Patron of Wisdom?”

Ahri immediately shook her head.

“I don’t think the Owl is the subject here. You have to consider the rest of the phrase. ‘The one who sets the board’ is the subject of the sentence, right? Patrons aren’t the ones setting the board. I think it’s more likely referring to the Lord. As a being close to a god, it makes sense to call him the wisest.”

Ahri’s point was valid. In this Hotel, Patrons are more like distant figures, so they couldn’t be the ones setting the board.

However, if the subject is the Lord, why specifically use the word “wise”?

In the Hotel, “wise”  is synonymous with my Blessing, “Wisdom”. Knowing the Owl, it wouldn’t use this term lightly.

I recalled what the Chief Researcher said in Room 201.

The Owl’s cryptic answers weren’t meant to tease or frustrate me. They were designed to convey as much meaning as possible in a short phrase, often with multiple layers of interpretation.

The riddle that haunted us in Room 201, Seeing the finger, but not the moon.

What was the finger, and what was the moon?

Initially, I thought the Cube was the finger and the headquarters was the moon. Then, I considered it might be about Beatrix, who sent a clone while her real brain was elsewhere.

After everything, it seemed that Beatrix herself was the finger, and the moon was about focusing on the Convict.

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Perhaps all these interpretations were encapsulated in those short Advices.

Considering this, I shouldn’t try to find a single correct interpretation of the Owl’s words.

Its goal was to convey multiple meanings at once.

“Maybe both are correct. The subject could be either me or the Lord. Perhaps the Owl’s Advice means something like this?”

I wrote my interpretation on the whiteboard.

1. The Lord has already set a board where everyone benefits.

2. To break that board, you need to set another one where everyone benefits.

Ahri tilted her head slightly and murmured, “I still don’t think we can draw any clear conclusions from this…”

Indeed, despite my interpretations being clearer than the cryptic advice, it’s still abstract.

I can’t decipher it easily. I might need more Advice before I can reach any concrete conclusions.

But now, I can’t use any more Advice to satisfy my curiosity about Room 104 while the pressing issue of the cold Hotel persists.

Ahri suddenly looked a bit weary.

“We’ve talked about Room 104 before, haven’t we?”

“Yeah.”

“Aren’t you too fixated on the idea of clearing Room 104? I don’t understand why you think we have to do it. The Hotel isn’t structured in a way that requires us to clear every room.”

“…”

“Is it because you regret missing out on the Inheritance there? But you’ve already received a reward from Room 104, separate from the Inheritance.”

She’s right. I already gained the powerful reward of Descent from Room 104.

Noona, however, subtly took my side, “I can see where Kain’s coming from. The first floor should generally be easier than the second, right? If you leave rewards on the easier floor and proceed to the more difficult one, it’s natural to feel uneasy.”

“That’s a reasonable point, but Room 104 is just too strange. There’s something off about it, like it’s a ‘rotten room’ or something.”

“Well… Yeah. It’s definitely a weird room. It has a creepy vibe.”

I know what she means. I think about it often.

We’ve cleared all the rooms on the first floor, even the toughest Gate Room, but Room 104 remains an enigma.

Strangely, I was given the reward of “Descent” even though we didn’t clear Room 104.

Strangely, the Convict in Room 104 distorted even the Hotel’s notifications to say, “Thou have not failed.”

Strangely, asking questions about Room 104 costs three pieces of advice.

In this Hotel, strangeness means danger and fear.

All these oddities were making my comrades fearful of Room 104.

…A strange feeling washed over me.

It was as if a cunning spider was watching us from a great height, its web ensnaring us so that we couldn’t easily escape.

What exactly is the Lord scheming?

There was a brief silence before someone approached from afar.

“I’m back!”

“Huh? Seungyub?”

It had only been about 30 minutes since he left the Sanctum of Blessings.

The reason soon became clear. Like I did before, he chose to save his contribution for a very powerful empowerment later.

“Oh, and my Patron mentioned something about the cold.”

Grandpa, who had been battling with his iced green tea, widened his eyes and shouted, “What? Did that boy give you a decent hint?”

“…He said to prepare well for the cold?”

Is that supposed to be advice?

Does he think he’s the Owl or something?

Everyone was momentarily dumbfounded.

As Seungyub returned, the conversation naturally shifted from Room 104 to preparing for the cold.

Noona started the discussion, “Let’s start with the basics. We need to prepare as if we’re facing a severe cold wave. I’ve already ordered everything we’ll need from the HP market. I even ordered a tent, just in case.”

Grandpa responded immediately, “Start gathering Hotel supplies today. Is there anything we can take from the basement facilities? The Hiking Room had some high-performance cold-weather gear.”

“That’ll be difficult. Those items disappear once they leave the room.”

“Then transform that parrot and pluck his feathers.”

- Piyooo!

“Piyooo, my foot! If I collect as many feathers as you’ve plucked from my head, I could make at least one hat!”

Perro, have you plucked that much hair from Grandpa?

“Alright, everyone, settle down. You know the drill by now, right? Go around the Hotel and gather anything useful for the cold.”

What could I possibly find?

Unfortunately, we couldn’t bring out anything from the basement facilities, so we’ll have to look around the first floor.

The curtains and tablecloths we used to make improvised cold-weather gear caught my eye.

Ahri asked a question, “Speaking of gathering supplies, can you use the ‘Hand of Greed’? Maybe it could get us something useful for the cold?”

“I thought of that too, but after getting the eyeball last time, I can’t use it yet. It seems like it has a really long cooldown.”

“That makes sense. The skill grants supernatural gear each time, so a long cooldown is justified. It’s a shame we can’t use it now.”

As everyone discussed how to endure the cold Hotel, I was lost in thought.

Simply enduring the cold wasn’t enough.

We needed to put an end to this sudden ice age in the Hotel, and the solution must be on the second floor.

We had to go to the second floor and find out what was happening.

“Shouldn’t we check out the second floor before the cold gets worse?”

Everyone nodded as if they had been thinking the same thing. Jinchul-hyung eagerly responded, “That’s a good idea. I was going to suggest the same. Let’s go to the second floor. Who should come with me?”

Though he seemed to be proposing it to everyone, his gaze was fixed on one person.

The number and suitability of people for the exploration were clear.

Aside from Jinchul-hyung, who could resist the cold with the power of Courage, the only equipment capable of withstanding the extreme cold on the second floor was the Protective Suit.

Therefore, only one other person could participate in the exploration.

There was also only one person among us who could navigate through the blizzard to scout the area.

Noona let out a deep sigh.

“Ugh~ I didn’t want to bring up the second floor because I knew this would happen. Well, we have to do what we have to do. Jinchul and I will go.”

“Great. I’ll break the ice and clear a path, and Noona will scout with her vision. We’re bound to find something.”

The two seemed to overlook one crucial fact.

“Sorry, but one more person has to go.”

“What? Did you forget we only have one Protective Suit—”

“That person won’t actively participate in the exploration. They can just tough it out by huddling under a blanket in a corner. But we definitely need this person. Grandpa?”

The blizzard on the second floor made normal communication impossible.

We needed the Chat Window’s support.

Grandpa grabbed the back of his neck.

“Ah, I thought I could finally retire from these tough tasks in my old age, but this young man insists on sending me into the thick of it.”

“…”

“Fine, fine! Strike while the iron is hot, as they say. Let’s go right now.”

“What? Are you a blacksmith too?”

“…”

“…”

“Seungyub, you must be tired. Get some rest.”

Seungyub’s expression brightened at Ahri’s caring words.

“Take Perro with you! I noticed during our trips to Room 201 that Perro seems to handle the cold well.”

- Piyoo! Piyoooo!

“Ah! Don’t peck me!~ It hurts~!”

We spent a few moments in a warm exchange, watching the furious parrot pull at Songee’s hair.