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: 3

- Han Kain

I knew about the existence of the Administration.

I also knew it was an organization that hunted down Chaotic Beings—monsters we once simply thought of as demons or ghosts.

But general knowledge only extended that far.

Of course, I didn’t know anything about the internal workings of the Administration.

“Listen carefully; this isn’t too complicated. The Administration has three main factions. To put it simply, you could say they’re ‘Destruction, Containment, and Control.’”

Destruction, Containment, Control.

“The Destruction faction is the oldest and most traditional group. They aim for the complete eradication of all Chaotic Beings and stick to the belief that ‘the only good Chaotic Being is a dead one.’”

Songee looked slightly surprised.

“Isn’t that what the Administration is supposed to do?”

“Just keep listening. The Containment faction emerged when the limitations of the Destruction faction became apparent. You all have experienced enough in this hotel to understand what I mean. Do you think humanity has the power to subjugate all the Chaotic Beings in the universe?”

Images of impossible beings flashed in my mind: a moth that could flip the earth and sky with a single wingbeat, and a being like the Lord, who could transform humans into angels with just a fraction of his power.

“It doesn’t seem feasible.”

“It’s not. The universe is filled with Chaotic Beings that humanity cannot contend with, and many of them have an interest in Earth. The Containment faction stems from this reality. If we acknowledge our power is lacking, then the Destruction faction’s hostile approach to Chaotic Beings will be incredibly dangerous.”

I understood.

Even beings who had no intention of harming humans might become hostile if confronted with guns and bombs by the Destruction faction.

“The goal of the Containment faction, as the name suggests, is ‘containment’. Generally, it means separating Chaotic Beings from humans, or if the Chaotic Being is too powerful, separating humans from them instead also works. The aim is to let each side live independently from each other.”

Eunsol-noona tilted her head.

“I get what you’re saying, but is it really possible to contain them just because you want to? If these entities are beyond human control, how could you contain them?”

“Eunsol, I understand your question, but let’s just focus on grasping the nature of the factions. We’re not here for an in-depth lecture on the Administration; we’re just trying to understand the situation in Room 202.”

Grandpa’s tone clearly said, “Don’t ask more questions.”

Why bring it up in the first place, then?

But he must have thought it necessary.

Regardless, he was right. We weren’t studying the real Administration but trying to understand it as a means of navigating Room 202.

A general understanding was enough.

Still, Eunsol-noona’s question lingered.

If these beings were powerful beyond comprehension, how could humans contain them?

One logical answer came to mind.

The Administration must have some unknown method for containment.

While they couldn’t kill the most formidable Chaotic Beings, they could find a way to separate them from humanity.

Ahri’s explanation continued, “For reference, the world we live in is one shaped by the Containment faction. It’s a world where Chaotic Beings and humans pretend not to know each other. A world where the Administration turns a blind eye as long as the boundaries aren’t crossed. Ordinary people might be vaguely aware of the Administration’s existence, but they don’t know the details.”

Our world was led by the Containment faction.

Realizing this, I thought the Containment faction was quite capable.

Before coming to the Hotel, I had only known of monsters and demons through TV and had no idea the world was full of such beings. I lived a peaceful, ordinary life.

“Now let’s get back to Room 202. Just from a glance, It’s clear that this world is led by the ‘Control faction’.”

If the Destruction faction was the oldest, and the Containment faction emerged to address the limitations of the Destruction faction—

“The Control faction is the newest and most radical group. They see the very approach of Destroying or Containing Chaotic Beings as ‘outdated’.”

“Outdated to destroy or contain?”

“They seek to research the Chaotic Beings and the source of their supernatural powers, aiming to bring them under human ‘control’. Some groups within even believe humanity should evolve beyond Homo sapiens, while others push for active interaction with other races.”

Grandpa interjected, “Fundamentally, the Control faction also aims for human survival. However, they believe a wider range of methods is necessary. For example, imagine finding a benevolent godlike alien. How reassuring would that be? It’s not easy, of course, but then again, nothing the Administration attempts ever is.”

Noona simplified it, “So, Room 202 is led by the ‘Control faction.’ Is that right?”

“Correct.”

“Got it. If they want to kill all other races, it’s Destruction. If they want to divide up space and live separately, it’s Containment. If they want to live together, it’s Control. Right?”

“More or less.”

“Last question. I don’t think the Administration would have nobly said, ‘All intelligent beings deserve rights,’ and let these other races live on Earth. So why did they allow them to stay? Because they couldn’t stop them? I don’t think so. If they were powerful enough to be unstoppable, wouldn’t they try to conquer Earth instead?”

Grandpa summed it up simply, “That’s another question we’ll need to investigate. Let’s get going.”

As we walked out of the limousine toward the Cheongseong Group’s building, I began to grasp what it meant for humans and other races to live together in a world created by the Control faction.

At the heart of the bustling district, a billboard showed a lizard-like humanoid chattering away.

On the first floor of a building, a shop advertised care for the feathers of giant bird-people.

As I wandered around in awe, I suddenly bumped into something.

“Human, watch where you’re going!”

“Uh? Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“Where’s your head—oh, wait, an Administration agent! My apologies for not recognizing your uniform right away. My compound eyes can be slow.”

A large spider-like being with six legs scolded me before quickly apologizing and walking away.

“…”

This world was strange.

I couldn’t say if it was a good world or not.

By the standards of “this stage,” maybe I was narrow-minded.

At least, even the other races in Room 202 seemed cautious around Administration agents.

Thankfully, I wouldn’t get into a fight with a spider on the street.

After that encounter, we finally boarded the elevator.

In the elevator heading to the 18th floor of the Cheongseong Group, where the chairman’s office was, everyone finally exhaled and looked at each other.

We were too busy adapting to this bizarre world to say much.

Ahri spoke cautiously, “You all felt it on the way here, right? What kind of stage this is?”

“…”

“Just to be clear, you can’t just start killing things because they look monstrous, like in other rooms. In this world, as absurd as it is, even that spider might have a Korean residency card or permanent residency.”

“…”

Imagining a spider holding a South Korean residency card made me laugh.

***

The first impression of Chairman Lee Moonchun of Cheongseong Group wasn’t bad.

Despite our late arrival, he didn’t show any irritation.

He explained the ongoing dispute between Cheongseong Group and Sea God’s Island with remarkable clarity, allowing us to understand the situation quickly.

What kind of country is South Korea?

A country obsessed with real estate!

In the end, the supernatural conflict involving the conglomerate, the Administration, an ocean god, and a deep-sea Saintess all stemmed from real estate.

Eunsol-noona summarized it neatly, “So, Chairman, you’re saying that Cheongseong Group has clear ownership of the port facilities on Sea God’s Island?”

“That is correct. We have already had this legally reviewed by over three law firms, and numerous legal experts with over 20 years of experience have—”

“Chairman, why go over all this when you know it doesn’t matter? If things worked by law, your son wouldn’t have been killed.”

“…True. If this could be resolved legally, my son would still be alive.”

“No matter how many human legal experts you bring, it’s like speaking to deaf ears when it comes to the servants of the Sea God. They consider Sea God’s Island as a sacred land created by their god. Naturally, they believe the port on that sacred land and its economic benefits belong to them.”

“…”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying we’ll blindly accept their claims. If we were, we wouldn’t be here.”

The chairman’s face brightened.

“Do you have a plan, Agent?”

“Ownership claims are meaningless to the merfolk, but the Non-Aggression Treaty is different. That treaty was made by their god and sealed with his blood.”

A contract sealed with a god’s blood.

The servants of such a god couldn’t possibly deny the contract’s weight.

“If we can prove that your son was indeed killed by them and that it violated the treaty, any negotiation would lean in our favor.”

“Are you planning to visit Sea God’s Island? Those creatures are extremely brutish.”

“Are you warning me to be careful?”

“…It was unnecessary of me to say that to an Administration agent. I wish you the best.”

“Of course. And…”

After a brief pause, Noona asked a heavy question, “Chairman, what is it that you truly want?”

“Pardon?”

“Justice for your son’s death or ownership of the port?”

“…”

“It’s important to know. The merfolk might offer to give up the port to cover up your son’s death and the treaty violation.”

The chairman, with a distant look, muttered slowly, “…The port. The port.”

“I understand. I’ll contact you using this number.”

“Yes.”

We left the chairman’s office after being briefed.

It seemed we had to go to Sea God’s Island to find evidence that the chairman’s son was indeed killed by the merfolk.

***

The once quiet group in the limousine turned lively as soon as they got back in after leaving the chairman’s office.

“Wow! Unni, what was that? I thought you were just discussing things with Ahri and Grandpa earlier, but did you really talk through all that?”

“Eunsol’s quick thinking is amazing~! Skimming through all those documents so fast, understanding the key points, and even figuring out the chairman’s priority of the port over his son—that was impressive.”

“I honestly just stared at the ceiling when I saw those 200 pages of A4 documents. How did you read them so quickly?”

Songee and Ahri showered her with praise.

Even as an onlooker, I was genuinely impressed.

Flipping through over 200 pages in just about ten minutes, grasping the main points, and discussing legal and economic matters without hesitation, while also picking up on the chairman’s true intentions—it was almost like watching a magic trick.

Amid all the compliments, Noona mumbled awkwardly, “Guys, remember, I used to be an executive at Daeyang Group…”

Oh, right. I forgot this Noona was already a high-ranking figure from a conglomerate family.

The lively atmosphere continued as the limousine sped down the road.

It was then that Grandpa brought up “the most important topic.”

“The Sea God’s Island is coming into view. We should consider this the real beginning, don’t you think? One person should focus on finding an escape first.”

***

https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken