CHAPTER 317: MIRO (2)

0% – Miro

I looked intently at the pieces on the table. For some reason, I felt certain that this moment was very important.

At first, I liked the crown-shaped piece. Someone whispered the word “Domination” in my ear. It was cool, but I didn’t think I needed this kind of power.

Next, the telescope-shaped piece looked good. Like before, I heard the word “Clairvoyance”. I vaguely felt it. This power was for companions rather than for myself.

Do I really need to have such a power? Companions will do things for companions.

As I turned my head to the side, I saw a star-shaped piece. This was “Precognition”. I immediately knew it was a very powerful but difficult power for humans to handle, perfect for making one’s mind go strange.

...More than that, who’s this being telling me this knowledge from earlier?

“Who are you!”

“...”

“Okay. I won’t ask who you are, so tell me what’s good. I’d like a power that’s easy to use and keeps me safe.”

Suddenly, I saw an extremely beautiful piece. A blue jewel placed in a bright red background. As I approached, I vaguely heard a voice saying, “I don’t know about this one.”

“You don’t know? I thought you knew everything. Then I choose this!”

I expected the unidentified being to get annoyed and reveal its identity if I acted like this, but that didn’t happen. The voice tickling my ear disappeared somewhere. Strangely, I felt like I would hear that voice again someday.

The moment I picked up the beautiful jewel, the whole world began to shake.

“W-what?”

***As soon as I came to my senses, I was dumbfounded. My body was trapped in an incredibly cold and huge ice wall!

“Mmph! Mmph! Save—“

– Crack!

Before I could even scream, the ice cracked and my body shot out. At the same time, tremendous cold engulfed me.

“W-where is this? P-please save me! Save—“

“Be quiet.”

A chilling voice was heard from the side. Startled, I turned my head to see a girl with an unbelievable appearance.

“...A M-mirror?”

“We do look a bit alike. Put this on for now.”

A black-haired girl who looked so much like me wrapped my body in a thick blanket. Around that time, I realized the identity of the girl in front of me.

“Aren’t you Ahri? Ahri, where is this? And why do you look so much like—“

“Stop asking questions. I’ll answer in the Hotel. Did any notifications pop up?”

When I heard those words, I realized that an unidentified translucent window had been blinking in front of me for a while.

Congratulations on starting your second adventure!

You have obtained the Blessing of Immutability. Now you are like ice that doesn’t melt even in lava, like a flame that doesn’t extinguish even in the ocean. External forces cannot break you. As you progress through your adventure, new possibilities for the Blessing of Immutability will arise.

The Blessing is now activate.

“Blessing of Immutability? Second adventure?”

“Immutability? What’s that?”

“I don’t know either.”

“You chose—well, you probably didn’t know what you were choosing. This is a bit disappointing. You chose a Blessing that the Administration has no information about.”

“Administration?”

“Any other notifications? The doctor said he got a congratulatory message.”

“The doctor? Congratulatory message?”

As Ahri said, another window soon blinked in front of me.

Participant Miro, we sincerely congratulate you on starting your second journey.

You obtained many treasures in your first adventure! Among them, you can use one treasure again. Please choose.

Time Borrower

Ancient Blood (Not selectable)

Mortal Spear

As I stared blankly, Ahri urged me from the side, “What popped up?”

“It says to choose one of the treasures. I can use any again except Ancient Blood.”

“Choose the clock. That’s what I heard.”

“Clock? There’s no such thing.”

Ahri frowned and asked for the names. I told her the three treasure names were Time Borrower, Ancient Blood, and Mortal Spear, and that only Ancient Blood was marked as not selectable.

“Time Borrower? This feels like it. Mortal Spear is a ‘spear’ after all.”

“Should I choose Time Borrower?”

“Yes.”

As soon as I pressed number 1, suddenly an object resembling a “pocket watch” dropped from the air.

“A pocket watch?”

Ahri looked at the object with interest, then took my hand and led me.

“So that’s why they called it a clock. Anyway, let’s go to the Hotel now. It’s terribly cold.”

After that, Ahri kept saying various things to me, but I couldn’t hear anything. As soon as I grabbed the clock, an incomprehensible amount of information poured into my head.

By the time we arrived at the place called “Hotel”, I finally realized that this information was an explanation of the functions of the “Time Borrower”.

***

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 137

Current Location: Floor 1, Corridor

Sage’s Advice: 3

– Han Kain

While Ahri went out to revive Miro, the remaining people discussed. The topic of conversation was about how to convey the current situation to Miro.

There were opinions suggesting we should take time and convey it slowly with a careful attitude.

“From Miro’s perspective, hasn’t she suddenly woken up in an unreasonably dangerous place? It seems like it would be hard to accept reality... How about explaining it step by step?”

But as always, reality was harsh.

“I understand what Songee means, but we have to enter the Cursed Room tomorrow.”

“...”

“We don’t have the luxury of time to explain slowly over a long period. Actually, that’s why I told Ahri to bring her right away. At least today is a rest day.”

Fortunately, we didn’t have to enter the Cursed Room today. After Hotel Cinema, we were given two days of rest time.

Around that time, the sound of the elevator coming down was heard and the room fell into silence. And then...

A girl identical to Ahri appeared.

“...”

“...”

“Miro, say hello. These are the hotel people.”

“H-hello!”

After an awkward greeting, we really talked for a long time.

We informed her that we were in a place called “Hotel Pioneer”, and that Miro was in an organization called the “Administration” outside, and that this was her second time entering the Hotel.

Of course, no matter how well we tried to convey it, much of the content was summarized. Detailed stories would be naturally conveyed over a long time.

Unexpectedly, Miro wasn’t so shocked, to the point where that itself felt strange.

“Aren’t you surprised by the current situation?”

“...I’m more surprised that you, Kain, are speaking formally to me. Can’t you just speak comfortably?”

“Cough! I-I’ll do that.”

“It’s strange. Just a moment ago, Kain was taller than me by the length of a thumb, but now he’s suddenly taller by two hands.”

That was a subtly specific standard.

“A-apart from that, aren’t you surprised by the hotel story or your past story?”

“...Somehow.”

“Somehow?”

“It feels familiar. Um... It doesn’t feel like I’m hearing this for the first time from you people.”

Ahri, who was beside her, spoke softly, “If it doesn’t feel like you’re hearing it for the first time? Does it feel like you momentarily forgot facts you knew well, but now you’re remembering them?”

“Exactly that!”

“Interesting. It seems even the current you is a bit different from the ‘real’ middle school you.”

Did she vaguely know the truth that she was in the Hotel even while having terrible dreams in the Frozen Hell?

No less strange than Miro’s attitude was Ahri’s attitude. Didn’t she make such a fuss about wanting to save Miro? Shouldn’t she be hugging and crying after the revival?

Not at all. Rather, she seemed to be keeping some distance, and it even felt a bit cold.

As it gradually became quiet, Miro suddenly raised her hand.

“I want to ask one question!”

“Go ahead and ask.”

“I’ve been curious since I first woke up, but who is Ahri? She looks so much like me! Why didn’t I know in school, I mean in the ‘dream’? Is she a hidden sister I don’t know about?”

Miro looked at Ahri with a truly curious expression. I turned my head slightly.

Among all the information we had conveyed to Miro so far, there was no mention that Miro created Ahri in the Mirror Room. Honestly, shouldn’t Ahri say this directly?

Ahri, who had been wearing a somewhat empty expression, smiled for the first time in a while.

“Mom, I love you!”

“...Stop joking. Did Father have an affair? Or not?”

Ahri poked her eye slightly with her finger and started to squeeze out tears.

“H-how!? How can you not recognize me? How could you do this to me!?”

“Oh really! Is this kid always like this? So annoying!”

At this rate, the conversation wouldn’t progress. Sighing, I touched Miro’s shoulder.

I spoke comfortably too.

“Will Kain tell me?”

I explained slowly, “During your first adventure, you ‘created’ Ahri in a mysterious place to gain a trustworthy companion.”

Miro’s mouth, which hadn’t been so surprised at any story about the Hotel so far, fell open—and then an unexpected situation occurred.

“L-liar! You must all be playing a prank on me. Therefore, everyone tell the truth.”

...?

...Just now, I felt something strange.

An intense sense of caution that I couldn’t explain in words welled up. At the same time, Ahri’s expression, which had been joking until just now, hardened.

“Miro.”

“Hmph! Now you understand my words—“

“Miro, I guess I need to start educating you.”

“What?”

– Thwack!

The next moment, Ahri unhesitatingly delivered a powerful flick to Miro’s forehead. She hit so hard that Miro’s entire head wobbled. Soon, tears welled up in Miro’s eyes.

“W-what are you doing!?”

“Remember. ‘That power’. Don’t use it carelessly on companions.”

And then another unexpected situation occurred.

“I’m leaving!”

Suddenly Miro screamed and ran away!

Seeing the girl running away crying like a child—actually, the current Miro was young—Ahri sighed and followed.

And the remaining people were momentarily at a loss for words.

“...She seemed to have a quiet personality earlier when she listened obediently.”

I understood Noona’s words. It was really amazing earlier.

“Noona, the Miro we met in the Frozen Hell was originally like that.”

“What was that just now? Did she use that superpower she does with words? To make us tell the truth?”

“Yes. I felt a ‘pabat!’ just now.”

“Pabat? I didn’t feel anything at all. Moreover, I didn’t feel like I had to tell the truth.”

Grandpa answered, “Just now, Miro didn’t know, but we were already telling the truth, so we didn’t feel any particular sense of discomfort. If we had been lying, we would have felt a strange pressure and spilled the truth.”

“I see...”

“By the way, it’s fortunate that you felt it right away besides Ahri, Kain. From now on, if she does that again, when Ahri isn’t around, you should scold her right away.”

“What?”

Scold her? Me?

The doctor shot an intense look at my flustered appearance.

“Kain, don’t forget why the past hotel party collapsed. I almost got goosebumps just now.”

“...”

“This is for us as well as for Miro. What do you think will happen if Miro uses such power as easily as breathing and tries to control us?”

Eunsol-noona nodded too, “There are means to resist like my flute or Songee’s bracelet... But if we don’t realize ‘immediately’ like you or Ahri, it’s difficult to stop Miro. Seeing it directly, it’s trickier than I thought. Next time, you flick her forehead, Kain.”

“...I understand.”

Miro’s revival seemed like it would create various changes in our future journey. Around that time, I recalled an interesting part of the conversation with Miro.

“The newly obtained Blessing is the Blessing of ‘Immutability’, she says.”

Grandpa nodded, “Ice that doesn’t melt in lava, and flame that doesn’t extinguish in the sea... Strong resistance to external evil forces? I kind of understand, but not really?”

“Shall we test it later by showing my Grimoire briefly?”

“That’s too strong. Let’s test it with something weaker. Elena?”

“Yes, I’ll prepare something. If possible... weakly.”

“No less interesting than the Blessing is the explanation of the Time Borrower, that pocket watch-like object. It seems like... a very powerful Inheritance.”

Grandpa grinned.

The pocket watch, according to Miro’s explanation, was an incredibly powerful inheritance. There was a reason why the past Miro chose the Time Borrower without hesitation among multiple Inheritances.

“I’m not going to eat!”

“Don’t eat~! Don’t eat~! I’ll eat Miro’s portion too~“

“I really hate you, Ahri!”

Jinchul-hyung, who was listening to the conversation coming from afar, sighed, “What’s the sum of their ages?”

“If you add their ages together, it would be more than the total age of everyone else except Grandpa.”

“But can you believe that level of conversation?”

“...”

We had a lot to do in the remaining day. We needed to figure out the functions of Miro’s newly obtained Blessing, “Immutability”, and the Inheritance “Time Borrower”.