Chapter 175: Party Time – Night Special Meeting, Sanctum of Blessings (2)

Chapter 175: Party Time – Night Special Meeting, Sanctum of Blessings (2)

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 89

Current Location: Floor 1, Corridor

Sage’s Advice: 3

- Han Kain

“We now begin the first Special Night Meeting of the Hotel Party!”

“...”

“...”

Silence filled the room.

It was 3 a.m., a time when we were not usually awake.

“Let’s give a round of applause to Grandpa Kim Mooksung for gathering everyone... Well, maybe not applause, but thank you.”

“What kind of meeting is so urgent that you had to gather everyone at this hour? And why did you insist on not using the group chat, making me call each person individually? It was exhausting.”

Ahri answered for me, “We had no choice. Some of the content had to be kept from Elena. She’s sound asleep right now.”

Elena wasn’t the only one missing.

It seemed Seungyub and Jinchul-hyung were in such deep sleep that they didn’t respond to Grandpa’s private messages.

With Room 105’s peculiarities, if someone didn’t wake up through the chat, there was no way to call them.

“As some of you might have guessed, this meeting is about how we should appropriately respond to Elena’s newly acquired ability, ‘Ominous Imagination’. We considered holding this meeting during the day, but it’s difficult to hold a daytime meeting without Elena noticing.”

“Hmm. It seems like you and Ahri are already handling it in your own way? Isn’t it about not triggering her anxiety?”

As expected, Grandpa seemed to have already figured out the intent of our unusual behavior.

Of course, I also noticed Songee’s eyes widened as she finally understood.

“That’s right. Until Elena becomes proficient with her ability, it’s important not to scream or run away in fear when strange phenomena occur around her. Such reactions could trigger her negative emotions.”

“Yes... I’ll be sure to be careful.”

Songee’s immediate response suggested that she might have already slipped up once.

“Good. But to be honest, I didn’t call everyone here at this hour just to talk about that. I spent several hours digging through the Chief Researcher’s memories.”

Grandpa’s eyes widened.

“Oh! That guy did raise Beatrix, didn’t he? Did you find any useful methods?”

“I have faint memories of him trying all sorts of methods. While the memories aren’t entirely clear, I can categorize them into three main approaches. The problem is... these methods are so ‘Chief Researcher-like’ that it might be difficult for us to implement them as they are, so I wanted to hear your opinions.”

Grandpa tilted his head in curiosity.

“Are we discussing how to utilize the ability without Elena present? Well, I’m sure you had a reason for excluding her.”

“That’s right. The first method is ‘Building Self-Esteem’.”

“What?”

“It’s simple. The way the ability works, strange things happen when she feels anxious or afraid. These phenomena become more severe the weaker the individual’s sense of self is.”

“So, the idea is to instill a belief in her that she’s incredibly powerful, eliminating the source of her anxiety?”

“Something like that.”

“How did the Chief Researcher do it?”

This was why I considered this the best method.

Does Elena have to control the monster she creates? Ideally, yes, but if it’s too difficult, I can step in and take over.

The room fell silent.

Noona and Songee, both unfamiliar with supernatural ability control, kept quiet, and even Grandpa remained silent.

Our team’s foremost expert in this field, Ahri, finally spoke, “To sum it up roughly, we have three approaches. First, build her self-esteem. It’s even better if she can transfer her consciousness into a monster’s body. Second, we try not to overreact and laugh it off, so we don’t trigger her anxiety. Third, we create one powerful monster and control it. If we encounter difficulties controlling it, Kain, you’ll possess it.”

“That’s right.”

“They all sound plausible in theory. We’ve even seen successful examples in Room 201. In the end, it’s a matter of what we can actually do. It’s like studying for college entrance exams—you can have a tutor from Seoul National University who teaches you their exact study methods, but if the student can’t follow them, it’s meaningless.”

“We’ll have to share with Elena what she can handle. Ultimately, it’s her choice.”

It was her ability, so it was up to her to decide.

Eunsol-noona, who had been silent throughout the discussion, finally spoke up, “Kain, you’ve got more Advice, right?”

“Yes.”

“What do you plan to use it for? It seems like you’ll need to be more strategic about it this time...”

“Actually, I was originally thinking of asking some questions about Room 104. Since we usually have to use Advice to solve the Cursed Rooms, I thought Party Time would be a good time for it.”

“The Hotel High School, huh? Hmm...? Didn’t you say each question about Room 104 costs three counts of Advice?”

“Yes. I’m also curious about why that is.”

“Using the Advice is your choice, but it would be troublesome if you use too much on Room 104.”

“I think so too. Wanting to ask about Room 104 is something I’ve thought about for a while... but right now, the hotel seems intent on freezing us to death, so I should probably focus on gathering information related to that. I’m thinking of using just one question for Room 104. Even one is expensive since it costs three counts but...”

“Smart move. Honestly, it’s already starting to feel a bit chilly. Starting today or tomorrow, we should gather information about the second floor and discuss what we need to do.”

Noona wasn’t imagining it.

For the past few hours, I’d felt the temperature in the hotel dropping even though we were still on the first floor.

***The next morning, as we headed toward the Sanctum of Blessings, the atmosphere among the group was frigid.

Jinchul-hyung spoke up anxiously, “I’m starting to feel uneasy.”

“You’re just feeling uneasy now?”

“No matter what, cold pork stir-fry is just...”

“That’s what you get for eating pork stir-fry first thing in the morning.”

“Come on, old man. What does ordering meat for breakfast have to do with it being cold?”

As always, Hyung and Grandpa bickered, but the content was worrying.

Even the spicy beef soup I ate was refrigerator-cold.

The air temperature in the hotel had noticeably dropped.

What felt like a refreshing spring-like day now felt like a chilly autumn breeze was blowing through.

Meanwhile, Elena was struggling to escape from the blanket she had wrapped around herself for warmth, which had suddenly started moving on its own, like a cocoon.

Ahri helped her get free.

What are we supposed to do on the second floor?

Everyone’s worries deepened.