Escaping the Mystery Hotel-Chapter 241: Room 202, Cursed Room - ’The Little Mermaid’ (19)

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 102

Current Location: Floor 2, Room 202 – Cursed Room ‘The Little Mermaid’

Sage’s Advice: 1

- Han Kain

The issue of how to kill the giant snake, which had been troubling me, was surprisingly simple to resolve.

I recalled a documentary mentioning that most venomous snakes weren’t immune to their own venom. I took out my fangs and bit into my own tongue.

Immediately, I felt my tongue begin to “melt”.

When I proceeded to bite various parts of the body, a burning pain spread throughout as if my entire being was engulfed in flames.

Of course, I had no intention of enduring the pain indefinitely.

“Wooh!”

“You’re back. What about the snake?”

“It’s dealt with.”

The chaos in the cave remained, filled with rampaging monsters—likely the “servants of Kadaru’dah.”

It seemed Lee Suho had a similar ability to control these creatures as Liringanaur.

Thankfully, there were no monsters as formidable as the snake I had possessed, and the cave wasn’t spacious enough for more than five monsters to attack at once.

This made it manageable.

With the combined efforts of everyone’s unique powers and Eunsol-noona, wearing the Protective Suit and charging in headfirst, we managed to clear a path.

However, a sense of unease hung over us.

It felt like we were wasting too much time.

“Everyone, fall back!”

Ahri took decisive action, pulling out a container of “Extra Blood, 500mL”, a product from the “Hell’s Hotel Kitchen”.

As she uncorked it, the blood seemed to flow out like a living organism.

She added more blood to the mix.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

What kind of ability is this?

Combining the amounts, she had used at least 1 liter of blood.

Sure enough, the dramatic blood loss resulted in an extraordinary phenomenon that could only be described as “magic”.

A red mist, large enough to cover a third of the cave, advanced like living poison gas, sweeping away the monsters ahead.

“What on earth—“

“Jinchul, give me a piggyback ride.”

Thanks to this incredible spell, we managed to advance for about five minutes without resistance.

Around 30-40 monsters were caught in the mist and came out shriveled husks, but the cave still seemed endless, and there were plenty of monsters left.

Frustrated, Grandpa grumbled, “How many damned monsters did Lee Suho stockpile in this cave? And what the hell did he feed them all?”

Judging by the number we had already killed, there must have been over 100.

Just then, a sound lifted everyone’s spirits.

- Bang! Bang! Rat-a-tat-tat!

Gunfire echoed from behind the cave.

Reinforcements had arrived.

Within a minute, over 30 elite agents from the Administration’s strike team joined us.

It was our first time seeing the elite forces of Room 202’s Administration, and their appearance alone was striking.

They were nothing like the special forces often portrayed on TV.

Even their attire wasn’t the typical military uniform one might expect.

“What kind of armor is that? Powered suits? I’ve only seen those in movies.”

“Jinchul, stop gawking. Of course, they’re not fighting monsters unarmed!”

Before long, Director Park and Serenade also joined us.

By then, we were utterly exhausted and took a brief moment to rest and exchange information. The Administration soldiers, seemingly prepared for this scenario, even handed out chocolate bars to us.

Unlike the pristine and well-prepared state of the Administration’s elite troops, Serenade’s condition was dire.

She arrived alone, drenched in blood.

It was clear that Serenade and her merfolk companions had struggled immensely in the cave, likely splitting up and succumbing to their challenges.

Elena approached Serenade with concern.

“Unni, where’s Liringanaur?”

“She’s still young, so I left her behind. It’s fortunate, really. If I had brought her along, she might have…”

Meanwhile, Grandpa and Director Park had a brief conversation.

“Agent Mooksung, I saw the traces of fierce battles on my way here. Your team did an excellent job. Thanks to you, we had an easier time.”

“Enough with the flattery. Time is short, so let’s focus. There are still more of Lee Suho’s monsters ahead.”

“You can leave that to us now. You cleared the path well, and it’s time to put our reserved weapons to good use. Let’s move out immediately.”

“Efficient, I like that. But didn’t you say you’d arrive at night?”

“Displeased that we arrived early?”

“Just grateful, friend!”

Director Park wasn’t joking when he said we could rely on them.

As soon as more monsters appeared, the rapid firing of their weapons obliterated them in an instant.

It was hard to tell who the real monsters were—our enemies or the Administration troops.

What kind of equipment is this?

Running alongside them, I observed their gear closely.

Their sleek, scarab-like powered suits seemed designed to enhance physical abilities, though not to the extreme degree of the Hotel’s Protective Suit.

In terms of durability and protection, their suits were surprisingly underwhelming compared to what we had seen before.

Earlier, Eunsol-noona, who was almost a complete novice in the field of combat, fought while relying only on the Protective Suit alone and enduring all kinds of attacks from the monsters

Unlike the Protective Suit that was intact even after fighting so ignorantly, the outer armor worn by the elite of the Administration was pierced by much weaker attacks, and the people inside were in pain.

Of course, this was a disappointment compared to the Protective Suit. Then again, the Protective Suit must be made with technology so advanced that it was indistinguishable from miracles.

However, their weapons were astounding.

Initially, I assumed their rifles were standard assault rifles, but when a giant centipede emerging from the cave walls exploded upon being shot, I realized these were no ordinary firearms.

Each bullet seemed to function like a small grenade, capable of rapid fire.

Combined with a few other curious pieces of equipment, their arsenal was mesmerizing.

After about 30 minutes of relentless forward progress, we finally reached the end of the cave.

- Thump!

“Ugh!”

“What is—“

- Thump!

“Everyone, stop moving!”

- Thump!

A resonant pounding sound filled the air. It was the sound of a massive—no, a colossal—heartbeat.

The confidence we had gained from the Administration’s overwhelming firepower evaporated in an instant.

Ah…

I had momentarily forgotten.

This was Pioneer Hotel, a place crawling with entities that could make even the most advanced human weaponry seem like mere toys.

Beside me, I heard Director Park let out a groan of awe.

“Incredible! It’s not even fully awakened, and it’s already this powerful! It’ll be even more terrifying when it wakes up. No time to stop—move forward!”

It was the right call.

But humans had instincts, and knowing the nature of the being ahead, everyone’s movements instinctively slowed.

At the end of the cavern, across the way, stood a man silently gazing up at the ceiling.

“Lee Suho!”

“…”

“From the moment I first saw you, I knew you had to die! My only regret is not killing you back then, even if it meant forcing the issue!”

- Bang!

The sound of gunfire echoed repeatedly, but it was as if there were an invisible barrier between us and Lee Suho.

When we approached, neither the bullets nor Jinchul-hyung’s punches made the barrier budge.

“Are you planning to hole up behind that thing? You think we don’t have a way to tear it down?”

At that, Director Park gestured, and a nimble soldier brought forward some complex equipment.

That was when Lee Suho finally spoke for the first time, “There’s no need for that. This barrier won’t last long anyway.”

“Then why not drop it now?”

Regardless of what Lee Suho said, the soldiers began dismantling the barrier.

“…Is this how it ends?”

The tone of his voice sounded as if he’d already accepted his defeat.

Serenade, who had been silently observing, stepped forward.

“Yes, this is how it ends. It would be great if you could explain why you caused all this chaos while you’re at it.”

“How foolish.”

“What?”

“Serenade, have you come this far without knowing what awaits you?”

“What do you mean, ‘awaits me’—“

“What nonsense.”

Advice: 1 → 0

Teleport immediately to the right!

- Bang!

A bullet whizzed through the spot where I had just been standing.

Simultaneously, in front of me, Songee’s head exploded.

Grandpa, who had been calmly teaching the “rookies” how to use their equipment, took a bullet to the back of his head.

Jinchul-hyung, who had just stretched his neck and joked about having it easy this time, had a hole the size of a fist blown through his chest.

Sanghyun, who had been asking Ahri if she was alright with a concerned expression, died without ever realizing what had happened.

No more than a second—or perhaps even less.

Four people were dead in the time it took to take a single breath.

…

I didn’t have the chance to be consumed by a fiery rage or let out a primal roar.

There wasn’t even time to think.

Acting almost purely on instinct, I took over the body of another soldier within my line of sight.

Immediately, I turned the gun in my hands toward—

- Bang! Bang!

As my consciousness began to fade, I realized what had just happened. The Administration’s elite forces had killed not only my original body but also the “comrade” I had possessed, eliminating “me” without a moment’s hesitation.

The emotion that surfaced in my final moments wasn’t anger or sorrow—it was admiration*.*

***

“Got him! We successfully eliminated the most dangerous ability user! Stay alert and keep moving forward.”

The strange young man who had chilled their spines while controlling the Sea Serpent King, Abratas, was dead before he could even take a sip of water.

Simultaneously, “cleanup” began all around.

With just a single breath, the surroundings turned into a macabre scene strewn with corpses.

Looking at the absurd spectacle, Lee Suho let out a bitter chuckle.

“You people really are something else. Aren’t you all from the same organization? And with abilities like this, these would’ve been rare and valuable assets. Yet here you are, wasting them in such meaningless deaths.”

“Lee Suho, that term is inappropriate. No one here has met a meaningless death. There is only the necessary sacrifice for the Great Leap.”

Ah… how familiar a sight this is.

This was exactly the kind of organization they were.

No doubt, this madness was driven by the belief that until their “project” was completed, not only civilians but even most Administration agents must remain in the dark.

Thinking this, Lee Suho could now guess what sort of beings these soldiers were.

Humans who had ceased to be fully human, transformed into something else entirely—beneficiaries of the so-called “leap.”

Their full-body reinforced suits, completely concealing their forms, were not a choice but a necessity.

They couldn’t afford to reveal their mutated bodies!

“That Great Leap… I’d prefer if you left me out of it.”

“Lee Suho, it’s over now. Imelda sends her regards.”

Imelda.

The name he had long forgotten struck his ears, and Lee Suho unconsciously clenched his teeth.

The previous Saintess of the Deep Sea… If only that woman hadn’t succumbed to her own greed!

The cavern, filled with tragedy, echoed with the solemn voice of Park Jinseong as he made a declaration.

“Today’s tragedy will also serve as fertilizer for the Great Leap. Armstrong once said, ‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’ Today, we once again take that leap—“

Lee Suho couldn’t bear it anymore and covered his ears.

Even now, they couldn’t help but strike a dramatic pose.

Is there anything I can still do?

At that moment, his eyes caught sight of Serenade and Elena being subdued and “collected” in a state of unconsciousness.

A flash of realization struck Lee Suho’s mind.

While everyone else here might perish, Elena and Serenade would never be killed.

The Administration’s plan undoubtedly required the Daughters of the Sea God!

A strange script appeared in the air.

Lee Suho, noticing Park Jinseong’s suspicious gaze, smiled for the first time.

This fight isn’t over yet.

***

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