Chapter 328: A Flawed Premise
"Mm-mm..."
"Mm-mm-mm..."
"Mm?"
The three of them stared out at the grassland, making 'mm-mm' sounds.
"Mm..."
"Mm-mm..."
"Mm..."
"No, what are you even saying?"
"What are we supposed to do when you're the one who told us to shut up and now you're getting annoyed?"
Song A-rin glared at the others with dagger-eyes, and I had no choice but to stare blankly at her in disbelief.
"I told you to close your mouths because you kept chattering."
"Ah, yes."
Better not to even try to understand.
I turned my gaze away from Song A-rin and looked back down at the grassland below.
Why on earth is there a grassland?
Just as I was thinking that, the grassland disappeared again.
"It seems Daon was right."
"Mm-mm."
Yu Daon puffed out her chest proudly with a look that said, 'See, I was right, wasn't I?'
"But why can we see the grassland?"
"Right."
And as soon as I finished speaking, Song A-rin clapped her hands once, clap, and muttered,
"That grassland earlier was a bit strange, wasn't it?"
"Strange?"
I recalled the grassland scenery I had seen.
The swaying bushes and the vast, expansive grassland.
"I'm not sure..."
"...Hmm."
Song A-rin grunted and pressed her forehead repeatedly.
"No, it feels like I've seen it somewhere before..."
"So, what is it?"
"Ah, wait a second. I'm thinking, you know."
Song A-rin looked at me with an irritated expression.
"Then, A-rin, you think about it for a bit, and we'll keep going."
"Mm-mm."
"Mm."
"Mm!"
The three of them nodded their heads while making 'mm-mm' sounds.
It's kind of funny that you can tell who's who just by the way they go 'mm-mm', though.
I lifted the lantern again.
It illuminated the truth. And well, it's hard to figure out.
This floor is too abstract compared to the first floor. There's no proper information.
"Hey, do you know anything?"
I held up the Manual and asked, and only then did the Manual begin to unfold.
-Chwararak!
[Manual for Office Workers]
[OG - Thinking About the Five Senses]
1. A person's five senses are more reliable than you think, but they also betray you frequently.
2. In such cases, you must also ask for the opinions of others, not just your own.
3. Particularly, you must not forget that someone with more experience than you might know better.
"That's not helpful."
At my words, the Manual stayed still for a moment, then unfolded again with a Chwararak! sound.
[Manual for Office Workers]
[Please Wait a Moment.]
Wait for what? We don't have time.
I closed the Manual with a thump! and looked at the others.
"It's not very helpful."
"What kind of help did you expect from a scrap of paper?"
"It has saved my life quite a few times, though."
"That was only possible because we were there too."
Is that so?
We did need both, I suppose.
Without nodding or shaking my head, I started walking.
The lantern swayed, and we continued walking down the corridor with three people going 'mm-mm', one person chatting, and me.
"..."
How long had we walked?
"I can't see the end."
"It doesn't even feel like we're going in circles."
At my muttering, Song A-rin nodded and replied.
"Mm-mm..."
"Mm!"
And in between, Yu Daon and Jang Chae-yeon were glaring at each other.
If you'd just shut your mouths, couldn't you not fight?
At the same time, the lantern began to flicker.
"...This isn't good."
I looked at the lantern again, and at the same time, a semi-transparent window appeared.
[Name: Lantern of Truth]
[Age: Created N years ago]
[Specialty: Illuminating]
[Talent: X]
[Background: In the era when humans were always the weak, they had to gather whatever they had to light the way.]
[Weakness: Over time, the lantern must recharge itself.]
Over time, the lantern must recharge itself.
This itself isn't a big problem.
The problem is that this is listed under 'Weakness'.
Meaning, if the lantern goes out, problems will arise.
Just as I finished that thought,
-Click!
The lantern went out.
In the darkness, I looked at the semi-transparent window.
[Name: Lantern of Truth]
[Age: Created N years ago]
[Specialty: Illuminating]
[Talent: X]
[Background: Around the time the lantern goes out, people always had to find a safe place. Because if they didn't, the outcome was never good.]
[Weakness: Charging.]
Charging.
"..."
Song A-rin, her mouth shut, looked around her. Jang Chae-yeon and Yu Daon, who had been bickering with their 'mm-mm's, also stopped fighting and began to look around.
"What's wrong?"
"...Something feels off."
Song A-rin muttered, flicking her finger. At the same time, the mouths of Jang Chae-yeon, Yu Daon, and Eileen, which had been making 'mm-mm' sounds, fell open.
"Pfft!"
"...Phew."
"...Acting all high and mighty by yourself."
The three of them glared at Song A-rin for a moment before turning their gazes forward again.
"But she's right, something is strange."
"Yeah. I see something."
"I... just have a bad feeling."
Seeing that everyone except me says they feel bad, it seems there's something going on.
At the same time, the yellow light came back on.
"Uh, the light's on."
Just as Yu Daon muttered, someone appeared again at the far end.
The wall, where nothing had been visible, was now covered with doors crowded closely together, and an old man stood at the end.
"..."
Jang Chae-yeon stared at the old man with a stiff expression, and I also raised my head to look at him.
[Name: Midas's Hand]
[Age: X]
[Specialty: X]
[Talent: X]
[Background: This old man resided inside the hotel and gave form to the loneliness of those who saw him. Through this old man, the narrator-]
[Weakness: X]
"..."
I read the background part again.
Nothing is visible except for the name and background.
Even the part about the narrator...
This is just like a painting, isn't it?
Just as I thought that,
the old man slowly began to walk towards us.
-Step... step...
"..."
Wait a second.
I pulled out my gun and looked at the old man.
[Critical: 1 -> 0]
The world turned black and white, a red light-
"...Damn it."
It didn't shine.
[Critical: 0 -> 1]
Light returned to the world.
"What? What is it?"
"Let's run."
"Yeah."
Fortunately, no one asked why or what.
Whether it was because that old man was walking towards us in such a grotesque manner, or because the lantern had gone out, I don't know, but we slowly began to step backwards.
"Hup...!"
Jang Chae-yeon stretched out her hand to push the old man, but a fierce wave of force merely passed through the old man, who didn't budge an inch.
"It's no use."
As soon as she finished speaking, we turned our backs and moved away from the old man.
The fortunate thing was that he didn't follow us.
"...Phew..."
How far had we run from him? The lantern's light came on again, and as the yellow light disappeared, darkness descended once more.
I turned my gaze forward to proceed.
"What was that earlier?"
"...It felt like we entered a painting."
I answered Yu Daon's mutter, and the four of them stared intently at me. In the end, I had no choice but to explain what I had seen to the four of them.
"...So, according to you, if this lantern goes out, we enter a painting?"
"For now, it seems that way. Even if that's not the case, at least that old man from earlier was a person from the painting."
"If you say so, then it must be."
Eileen nodded and drew her gun.
"If it doesn't work, let's both shoot."
"...If it's possible."
From what I saw earlier, no weakness was visible.
"..."
Song A-rin, however, was lost in thought, pressing her forehead again.
"What is it, A-rin?"
"No, something feels a bit off."
"What is it?"
"Well... um... Should I even say this?"
Song A-rin trailed off.
"If A-rin says that, she's usually wrong, but I still want to hear it!"
"You, shut up."
At Yu Daon's cheerful remark, Song A-rin shot her a glare before looking back at me.
"Well, you see, um. Lately, I've been doing some training."
"Yes."
Training.
I think I know what it is, but I didn't say it out loud.
"When you're there, you often feel a sense of incongruity."
"Incongruity, you say..."
"Should I call it like a play?"
Song A-rin muttered, looking around.
"Anyway, it's a bit strange."
"Understood."
If she says so, then it must be so.
At the same time, the lantern flickered again.
"What, it's going out already? It hasn't been on for long."
"Wait a second."
I tapped the lantern, tap tap, but of course, the lantern didn't listen to me.
If I only knew what materials it was made of, it might be okay...
"..."
I looked at the lantern with a serious expression, and at the same time,
-Thump.
The lantern went out again.
And once more, the yellow light illuminated the scene.
The old man was in front of us, closer than before.
And right in front of the old man was Yu Daon, who had been standing at the very front of our group.
The old man grabbed Yu Daon's wrist.
"Eek!"
Yu Daon hurriedly pulled her arm back,
-Creeeak!
At the same time, her arm hardened like plaster and turned to dust.
"Huh? Huh?"
Yu Daon's bewildered muttering was brief. The old man grabbed her face.
-Crush!
This time, her head hardened like plaster, turned to dust, and scattered.
Yu Daon staggered backwards towards us, and the dust that had been her head returned and reformed her head.
"Cough! Cough!"
Eileen and I supported Yu Daon from both sides as she coughed and spat out white powder.
"Daon, are you okay?"
"No! There's some kind of, ptui!, powder in my mouth!"
She continued to spit out the powder.
I checked Yu Daon's body, but she seemed fine otherwise.
Once again, we stepped back, moving away from the old man.
If the light comes on again next time, will he be even closer?
Next time, it might not be Yu Daon but one of us who gets hit.
"..."
I racked my brain.
Song A-rin said this place feels strange, and my eyes are telling me that man is a being from a painting.
Then that means...
I drew my gun.
"What are you doing!"
Song A-rin looked at me as she stepped back, but ignoring her, I made eye contact with Eileen.
"Eileen."
"Yeah."
She quietly drew her pistol.
I turned my gaze back to the old man.
[Name: Midas's Hand]
[Age: X]
[Specialty: X]
[Talent: X]
[Background: This old man resided inside the hotel and gave form to the loneliness of those who saw him. Through this old man, the narrator-]
[Weakness: X]
My thinking was wrong.
It's not that we enter the painting when the lantern goes out.
[Critical: 1 -> 0]
The world turned black and white, and Eileen also took a deep breath.
The premise was flawed from the very beginning.
I raised my gun, then lifted my gaze.