Escaping the Mystery Hotel

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 100

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

Sage’s Advice: 2

- Han Kain

This Sea God’s Island was, quite frankly, an absurd place.

When I first heard it was an island off the coast of Busan, I assumed it was about the size of Ulleungdo.

But as soon as I saw the map, everyone, including myself, was left speechless.

The size of Sea God’s Island was ridiculously larger than even Jeju Island!

But from our perspective, it was utterly shocking.

An island larger than Jeju existing off the coast of Busan?

Naturally, this island was not a natural formation.

According to the history of this world, this island was created about 800 years ago by the God of the Sea during the late Goryeo era.

At this point, we decided not to compare the history of this world with what we knew. It might be called “Korea,” but in reality, it was more like a completely different world.

***

By evening, the merfolk who had guided us earlier returned and informed us that a meeting with the Saintess had been arranged.

After briefly discussing what logic to use and what points to argue, we prepared to set out.

Just as we were about to leave, Songee looked around with a flustered expression.

“Perro is gone!”

“What do you mean gone? Doesn’t Perro usually wander around freely anyway?”

Perro is, after all, a bird.

As the most free-spirited member of our group, he often flew around on his own instead of quietly perching on Songee’s shoulder.

We never really tried to stop him since he always rejoined us when needed.

“Perro usually doesn’t fly that far. At most, he’ll just glide around and enjoy the air. But about 20 minutes ago, he really ‘flew off’ somewhere far.”

We briefly searched the area, but the parrot was nowhere to be found.

In the end, we decided to trust that Perro would return on his own and proceeded with our appointment to meet the Saintess.

***

When we arrived at the Saintess’s residence, we were momentarily at a loss for words.

“…”

“…”

“This is… not what I expected.”

“I figured since she’s a ‘Saintess’ and part of the merfolk, it would be some kind of mystical, occult-like place.”

Instead, the Saintess was located in the middle of the island, inside a modern government office.

To top it off, there was a nameplate above the Saintess’s room that read:

Sea God Special Self-Governing Province, Governor Serenade

“A governor?”

“She’s literally the governor.”

Led by the secretary, we entered the room.

The moment I stepped inside, I couldn’t help but catch my breath.

Her appearance was nothing short of mysterious.

Most of the merfolk we had seen wandering around the island were quite grotesque from a human perspective.

I had expected the Saintess to look like a walking fish.

But she didn’t.

Her neck, wrists, and parts of her body had scales, and her ears had a unique shape, making it clear that she wasn’t human.

Yet, despite these features, Serenade was undeniably a beautiful being.

“Welcome, envoys from the Administration.”

“Greetings, Saintess of the Deep Sea.”

“Please, just call me Governor. That is my official title in external affairs.”

“Understood. Since we’re all busy, shall we get straight to the point?”

“Agreed. We all know why we’re here. Go ahead and start.”

Noona carefully laid out the documents she had brought and presented the claims of the Administration and Cheongseong Group.

The accusations against the merfolk could be summarized into two points:

Firstly, the body of the victim, Lee Suho, showed clear signs of having been killed by supernatural forces—possibly a curse or magic. Moreover, he had visited and left Sea God’s Island just before his death.

Secondly, while the exact nature of the supernatural force that killed him was unknown, it was undoubtedly a powerful and malevolent method. The sheer strength of this force limited the list of possible suspects to fewer than seven individuals in Korea. Among those capable of such magic, only Serenade had the motive to kill Lee Suho.

After listening quietly, Serenade took a sip of tea and began her rebuttal, “That’s quite a grand claim. But when you break it down, it’s essentially saying, ‘Lee Suho died from strong magic, and only Serenade had the motive to kill him.’ Isn’t that it?”

“Are you saying the premise is incorrect?”

“The premise that only seven individuals in Korea could use such… dark magic is already flawed. You’ve listed cult leaders, self-proclaimed messiahs, and infamous figures like the Black Shepherd of Jirisan. But you forgot the most powerful and well-known group of all.”

“The most well-known and powerful group?”

“The Administration, of course. Everyone on your list fears the Administration, don’t they? Your Administration is full of monstrous beings capable of killing Lee Suho with a flick of their fingers.”

“Does that count as a rebuttal? Why would we ever kill Lee Suho—”

“Then tell me, why would I kill Lee Suho? What possible benefit could I have gained from his death? If anything, it brought you here to harass me. Unless you’re going to claim I did it ‘out of rage,’ please don’t insult me like that. I think I deserve more credit than that.”

Grandpa chuckled, “So, you’re not the type to act impulsively out of anger?”

Serenade’s sharp eyes locked onto Grandpa.

“Odd, considering you laid a trap to kill us the moment we arrived.”

“What do you—”

“Forgive my sharp words. I’m not the kind to speak sweetly to those pointing a knife at my throat.”

“What are you even talking about? What trap?”

Ahri explained the black magic spell we had encountered earlier, the “Ruda-H-Barri” curse. Serenade’s face hardened.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

She called her secretary and canceled all her remaining appointments for the day.

She also sent several employees to inspect the overwater road where the curse had occurred.

As we watched this unfold, our own expressions grew tense.

Serenade was acting as if she had no knowledge of the attack and was simply investigating it as a matter of course.

But earlier, when Ahri mentioned the curse, she never said the words “overwater road”.

Kim Mooksung: Don’t be fooled. She’s lying.

Lee Eunsol: She’s definitely scheming something.

The seeds of doubt toward Serenade grew in all of our hearts.

A while later, the secretary returned.

After hearing the report, Serenade apologized and promised to provide compensation for the attack. However, she remained firm in her stance that she had nothing to do with Lee Suho’s murder.

Our first meeting with the Saintess of the Deep Sea ended with both sides standing their ground.

Let’s summarize.

The core of our argument is that only a handful of beings in Korea are capable of wielding the malevolent power that killed Lee Suho, and among them, the only one with a motive to kill him is Serenade.

But, to be honest, this argument alone isn’t strong enough.

Even I can tell that it’s nothing more than a claim based on circumstantial evidence.

Serenade also countered by questioning what reason she would have to kill Lee Suho.

However, after experiencing the attack on our way to the island, and seeing Serenade’s suspicious behavior after we exposed the incident, doubt began to burn brightly in everyone’s hearts.

The Saintess of the Deep Sea… Just what is she hiding?

As we were mulling it over, a new update appeared in the “Scenario Comprehension”, signaling the next objective.

Scenario: The Cursed Room – ‘The Little Mermaid’

The Hotel Party has finished their meeting with Serenade.

Unfortunately, instead of revealing the truth behind the secret she’s hiding and Lee Suho’s death,

it has only buried them deeper beneath layers of mystery.

To shake the Saintess, the party needs more information.

Fortunately, they come across unsettling rumors about the Saintess spreading throughout the island…

“Unsettling rumors?”

“Did something pop up in the scenario?”

“It says we need to find rumors about the Saintess. It looks like the next part of the story will only trigger once we track down those rumors.”

Our next objective was clear.

***

- Park Seungyub

I decided to leave Busan and head for Seoul, so I bought a ticket for the fastest express bus.

But I had nearly two hours to wait.

What should I do with this time?

Fortunately, there was a perfect spot on the third floor of the terminal.

Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!

I’ll play just two matches!

I’ll get two sweet victories and ride that victory momentum straight to success.

I’m sure of it!

…

…

…

“AH! DAMN IT!”

I ran like a madman.

I’m late!

This can’t be real!

Did I seriously miss the bus because I was playing LoL?

Seriously?!

I only wanted to get two quick wins, so why did I end up with a team full of idiots?!

I sprinted with everything I had, but by the time I got there, I could only watch the bus leave the terminal.

…I must be insane.

What’s wrong with me today?

How could I mess up so badly?

I just wasted our team’s escape strategy.

Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of immense guilt and self-loathing, I spiraled into a depressed mental state.

Just as I was about to sink completely, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

- Booomm!

Waves crashed in.

The ground split apart, and a surging torrent of seawater hurled the bus that had just departed into the air.

In an instant, a sudden tidal wave rose from the ground, smashing the terminal into pieces!

“Gahhhhh!”

- Bang! Splash!

The floodwaters poured in from all directions as if the furious hand of a wrathful giant was sweeping across the area.

The violent currents swallowed everything—people, objects, the ground itself—dragging it all into the swirling mud.

Amid the deafening roar, even the screams of panicking citizens were drowned out.

I ran.

And then I ran some more.

I didn’t think about anything else—just kept running.

The moment I veered to the right, a billboard crashed down behind me!

What are you supposed to do when a tsunami hits?

You climb to higher ground!

I frantically dashed up to the 3rd floor of the terminal, then the 4th.

Luckily, someone had already unlocked the door leading to the rooftop.

I bolted through it along with a crowd of others, sprinting madly toward the roof.

Once I made it to the rooftop, I stopped and stood in a daze.

Slowly, I turned to look around. It was only then that everyone on the rooftop realized what had happened.

Busan has turned into a hellish landscape.

The moment of ruin had arrived, and with it, every shred of hope in this city had been washed away.

- Roarrrrrrr!

Rising from beneath the earth, an enormous marine worm broke through the ground.

The sight of it towering over the rooftop crowd, about to devour everyone in a single bite, looked like a scene ripped straight out of a disaster movie.

For a moment, I stood dumbfounded, mesmerized by the sheer spectacle of it all.

Then, a system alert appeared.

Heaven’s Luck has been activated! From this moment on, the energy of the universe is with you.

***

https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken