CHAPTER 309: ROOM 204, MISSION ROOM - 'HOTEL CINEMA' (31)

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User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 135

Current Location: Floor 2, Room 204 - Mission Room, ‘Hotel Cinema’

Sage’s Advice: 3

– Han Kain

As the movie ended, the light from the screen disappeared. After a moment, light appeared on the screen again, signaling that the next person should enter. Now I was the last person with a chance left.

Even at this moment, many of my companions didn’t properly understand what had happened on the screen.

“W-what? Why did it end? Didn’t Seungyub escape?”

In response to Jinchul-hyung’s confused words, the doctor also showed a reaction of difficulty understanding, “The movie ended instead of the coffee shop scene appearing. Does it mean he was taken out in an instant? Then, who harmed Seungyub? Surely not Dollyphant?”

“Sanghyun-hyung, that elephant was quite far from Seungyub. Moreover, given its personality, doesn’t it seem like it would have lifted Seungyub with its trunk and ranted before killing him, rather than ambushing and killing him?”

Elena and Songee also couldn’t understand why the movie ended as soon as Seungyub escaped the mansion.

And I...

I saw the being that harmed Seungyub.

I finally realized its identity!

“Everyone, please listen to me.”

After hearing my explanation, my companions’ mouths fell open. The doctor asked curiously, “How did you notice? If it was Eunsol instead of Kain, I would have thought she noticed with her eye’s performance, but it’s surprising that Kain noticed.”

“As you said, it’s not because my eyes are particularly good. It’s just because I’ve had a similar experience once.”

Similar experience. When that story came out, everyone nodded.

Afterwards, I talked about the questions I had while watching Seungyub’s progression and the better progression I had thought of. We refined the plan more thoroughly for a long time.

Songee asked what I was planning to take, “Kain-oppa, are you thinking of taking the Grimoire or your Blessing? It’s gotta be the Grimoire, right?”

Wisdom by itself provides 3 uses of Advice and mental protection through the Status Window. It wasn’t bad, but it lacked an active ability, so the Grimoire was usually better. Although there were restrictions on using the Grimoire without the mental protection of the Status Window, even the Grimoire with those restrictions was more useful than Wisdom.

But...

“My Blessing. I think I shouldn’t use the Grimoire in the movie I’m about to enter.”

Songee, who had been pondering what I meant for a moment, soon nodded, “Ah, that’s right. When the story started, Cha Eunpyo said his story wasn’t that great, right?”

“We can make up words like I was lucky, or a brilliant idea came to mind for Life Warning or Advice, but Possession is too much. The development of Cha Eunpyo suddenly possessing one of his toys is strange in it itself, and it’s even stranger to talk about such an experience as if it’s no big deal.”

The doctor pointed out another problem, “Kain has become very strong both mentally and physically for various reasons.”

“That’s right. Recently, I feel like I’ve developed a kind of super-sense.”

“Thanks to that, Kain can use the Grimoire for a short time even without the Status Window, but... Wasn’t the Grimoire originally said to kill ordinary humans the moment they open it?”

That was right. I had also used this point to use the Grimoire as a mental attack weapon.

“I think it’s very dangerous to use the Grimoire with a child’s body like Kevin’s.”

After talking about that, as I started moving towards the screen, my heart beat roughly even before entering.

‘m the last person. There’s no one left behind me to save me.

My surrounding companions seemed to feel this too, as they started showing anxious attitudes while trembling. Seeing Elena, who had started praying silently without realizing it, and the doctor, who joined her with clasped hands beside her, Songee biting her nails, and Hyung unable to raise his head, I felt stifled too.

“...”

In the midst of that, seeing the parrot pecking at Songee’s head demanding sunflower seeds right away, I couldn’t help but laugh and felt my tension ease. This state was just about right.

I recalled the progression of “The First Human”, who had been more straightforward than the original Seungyub. Sometimes, an attitude that seemed crazy to the point of recklessness was needed in a place like the Hotel.

“I’m going in. I’ll choose my Blessing.”

The initial progression was the same as what Ahri and Seungyub had shown. After arriving at the coffee shop and apologizing for being late, soon, Cha Eunpyo began telling his story.

“This is a story from when I was young...”

***– Home Alone

“Kevin!”

After listening to Kevin’s mom’s nagging for a while, I raised my hand.

“Mom, I have something to ask.”

“Yes?”

“Are there any snacks in the house?”

“Of course! Hmm... But you shouldn’t eat too many snacks.”

“Honey, Kevin will be alone at home this time, so let’s give him some snacks, at least.”

“Alright. Kevin, I’ll tell you where the cookie box is! You know not to eat too many, right? Make sure to brush your teeth after eating?”

“Yes.”

After the parents left, I organized my thoughts for a moment.

There was a part I couldn’t understand at all while watching Seungyub’s progression. The countermeasures for the mansion’s toys that Seungyub confirmed were as follows:

Avoid Happy Happy’s attacks by moving with your back against the wall.

Move furniture to places good for jumping in advance, then avoid Thomas’ attacks by running on top of furniture.

Control Dollyphant by modifying the contents of the booklet with tea time etiquette written in it.

“...”

How can a 12-year-old do this?

Those were countermeasures thought up by people who observed the monsters’ behavior patterns from outside the movie, putting their heads together.

A 12-year-old kid came up with all of that in real-time? Is he Einstein or something?

Let’s say young Cha Eunpyo—no, Kevin was such a genius that he miraculously thought of everything. Isn’t it an insane quickness of wit even when he thinks about it after growing up?

To say it jokingly, it felt like a “Video that could be played at a funeral,” but Cha Eunpyo said, “My story isn’t that great.”

This meant the real Kevin survived in a much easier and simpler way. The real answer was hidden in actions and thought processes that a child would actually do.

“Meow!”

While moving to Kevin’s room living room where the toys were, the cat lying on the floor made a sound while yawning lazily. It seemed it would fall asleep soon.

“...Come to think of it, your very existence was a hint too.”

After the parents disappeared, besides Kevin, there was a dog named Suzy and a cat named Cathy in the mansion.

Among these, Suzy showed touching loyalty by briefly blocking Happy Happy and dying in place of her owner twice—Ahri and Seungyub, respectively.

Where on earth was this cat, Cathy, during that time that it didn’t even make a single meow? That itself was another hint.

I went in front of the toy boxes and read the descriptions attached to the boxes.

“Make cookies with Dollyphant, lay rails for Thomas and friends, play hide-and-seek happily with Happy Happy.”

Ahri, who went in first, discovered the first two sentences right away. She just didn’t place much meaning on these sentences. It was difficult to think there was a great meaning in such sentences commonly written on toys in the first place.

I thought of actions a 12-year-old boy would likely do as much as possible.

***“Kevin! I’ll start the New Year’s party for you!”

This was already the third time. Along with the sound announcing the start of the party, the mansion started shaking. Around when the mansion’s vibration stopped, the three toys began their actions.

“Happy Happy! Kevin, it’s hide-and-seek from now on!”

“Thomas is departing! Please make way as we need to lay the rails!”

“Dolly dolly! It’s tea time! Good children come to the second floor.”

– Thud!

With a loud noise, the first toy, Happy Happy, appeared.

What would a 12-year-old boy, Kevin, have done when he opened the gift box excitedly and such a hideous clown doll came out? Wouldn’t he have broken it out of anger?

“Frooom noooow ooon, it’s hiiiide-and—“

“...Your speech really slowed down.”

Happy Happy, whose neck was turned backwards because I broke it when it was in doll state, spoke extremely slowly. It was similar to the state of the broken Happy Happy that Seungyub met earlier.

Thinking like this, Ahri’s judgment to get angry and kick Happy Happy as soon as she opened the box and saw it in her first attempt was accurate. She just didn’t kick it strongly enough.

“Hya!”

– Thud!

I pushed the broken doll that appeared from behind with my hand.

What does it mean for it to speak to me with its neck turned backwards?

It means its back is facing the front!

Happy Happy, who was back-touched by me before even finishing saying the rules of hide-and-seek, rolled on the floor.

“Yooou touuuched myyyy baaack. Keeeviiiin woooon!”

“Be quiet.”

After neutralizing Happy Happy in 3 seconds, this time I moved while listening for the horn.

What state would Thomas be in?

“Thomas, are you having fun?”

“Of course! Kevin, thanks for laying the rails!”

The toy Kevin would have liked the most was probably the toy train, Thomas. So wasn’t it normal to open the box as soon as one found it and play with it, laying the rails?

Thomas, running endlessly on the circular rails I had laid in advance, looked happy.

In fact, a train’s primary duty was to run on rails, not to lay them. Perhaps laying rails was an unpleasant task for Thomas, too.

After confirming the train that found peace as soon as it started, I moved to the second floor to check the third toy.

“Dolly dolly! It’s tea time! Good children come to the second floor.”

I moved as quickly as possible to the reception room on the second floor where Dollyphant was.

“Dolly dolly!”

“Dolly dolly!”

“Kevin! I didn’t expect you to come so quickly! Kevin is smart, isn’t he?”

“Is that so?”

“Good! Come here and sit!”

Just earlier, I had fallen into contemplation thinking about how to handle Dollyphant.

This was because there was a small booklet titled “Tea Time Etiquette for English Gentlemen” in the box Dollyphant was in. Since it was revealed that Dollyphant strictly followed the contents of the book, modifying the contents in advance was one method.

But I didn’t touch the contents of the book. No matter how I looked at it, opening that book and writing in tiny letters seemed far from the sensible actions of a 12-year-old boy.

“Kevin, wait a little. The preparations aren’t finished yet because you came so early.”

“Okay.”

Dollyphant started pouring tea by tilting the carefully boiling teapot. Certainly, its blunt feet were of almost no help, so it looked quite difficult doing the work only with its trunk.

When the work was finished, Dollyphant said to me with a happy expression, “Drink! It will surely be delicious!”

After taking a sip, I opened my mouth, “It’s a bit bitter.”

“Whaaaat? Kevin, are you saying my black tea tastes strange?”

“No way! Black tea is originally slightly bitter. The problem isn’t with the tea, but somewhere else.”

“The problem is somewhere else?”

“It’s tea time but there are no snacks. Since black tea is originally bitter, you should eat it with sweet snacks.”

Wouldn’t the real Kevin have spoken even more impertinently than this? Or not? Maybe he would have spoken more timidly, scared after seeing a talking elephant?

The attitude doesn’t matter either way. To young children, tea was nothing more than bitter water. When one ate such a thing, of course one immediately thought of snacks.

“S-snacks?”

“Shouldn’t there be snacks for tea time?”

Dollyphant looked intently at “Tea Time Etiquette for English Gentlemen” in bewilderment, and soon discovered that there were snacks or bread next to the teacup in all the illustrations in the book.

“It’s true! Kevin is really smart, isn’t he? Black tea should be eaten with sweet snacks or bread!”

“Are there no snacks?”

“...There are no snacks. What should we do?”

“If we search the mansion, there will be snacks somewhere. Shall we look together?”

“Good!”

Soon, Dollyphant raised its huge body and started rummaging around the mansion. Of course, it wouldn’t be easy for Dollyphant to find cookies.

Suzy and I already ate them all earlier!

In the first place, why would a 12-year-old boy who found out the location of snacks hold back? Of course he should eat them all on the spot!

“Now I’ve roughly dealt with all the toys...”

It was time to uncover the secret of the house itself, the real culprit causing all the strange phenomena.