NoveLight ™
Attempt 3
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 22
Location: Floor 1, Room 101 (Room of Curses – Media of Distorted Logic)
Sage's Advice: 3]
Breaking the Second Rule
The second rule I planned to break:
2. Do not turn around on the basement stairs.
Descending from the second basement to the third, I began to hear it:
---Click. Click.---
---Screech. Scrape.---
...
The sound was unmistakable.
Something was following me, matching my steps.
If I reached the bottom and turned around in the hallway, I would likely see nothing.
But if I turned around on the stairs...
The Warning
I stopped mid-step and took a deep breath, preparing to turn around—
A notification appeared:
[If you turn around, you will be attacked.]
...
For the first time since re-entering Room 101, I received advice from the Sage’s Counsel.
Why only this kind of advice?
If the Sage could offer survival tips, couldn’t it also provide more useful information?
I remembered the first time I received advice:
When the cannibalistic monkeys attacked, I had been paralyzed with fear, focused only on survival. The advice showed me a way out.
Since then, it had always helped in moments of mortal danger, offering strategies to stay alive.
But sometimes in the hotel, survival isn’t enough. Sometimes, you need to learn—even if it means risking death.
“Give me better advice.”
I willed it, demanding more than mere survival. I needed wisdom to uncover the truth.
A Second Notification
[Turn immediately, duck, and shoot the creature’s legs. Then check the name on its hat.]
The realization struck me: the Sage's Counsel could be directed.
It wasn’t just a passive tool for survival; it could respond to my intentions.
Facing the Creature
I turned sharply, lowering my head just in time as a sharp blade sliced through the air where my neck had been.
---Bang! Bang!
I fired at its legs without hesitation, the close range making it impossible to miss.
The creature collapsed in a writhing heap.
What I saw took my breath away.
A towering figure over two meters tall, its body wrapped tightly in bandages. Its claws, over 30 centimeters long, glinted in the dim light.
Its feet? They weren’t feet—they were skate-like blades fused to its flesh. The scraping sound from earlier now made sense.
The worst part?
The creature’s body was disturbingly human-like, with a feminine figure, torn clothing, and the tattered remains of what resembled a nurse’s uniform.
The grotesque parody of humanity made it all the more horrifying.
---Bang! Bang!
I fired two more shots into its head. Only then did it stop moving.
The Hat
The Sage had mentioned the hat.
I bent closer to read the name embroidered on it:
“Shinsegae Hospital.”
...
There was also an emblem—a stylized cloud design. I memorized it carefully.
A Changing Space
As I examined the hat, I realized something startling:
The staircase had changed.
Behind me was no longer the familiar broadcasting station. Instead, a distorted, alien space stretched out—dark, oppressive, and unfamiliar.
Ahead of me, the pristine stairs of the broadcasting station remained untouched.
The station, it seemed, wasn’t just a building.
It overlapped with something else.
The strange, otherworldly spaces I’d glimpsed in the cars and now the staircase... this place was a portal to something far more sinister.
Moving On
I pocketed the details:
These were vital leads. Perhaps I could research the hospital in the next attempt, using the internet or any resources available.
For now, I needed to address the final rule.
3. In the storage room, do not turn on the lights. Use a flashlight instead.
Breaking the Third Rule
I reached the storage room once more, gripping the flashlight tightly.
Previously, I had explored the room using only the flashlight and found nothing unusual—just office supplies, spare furniture, and other mundane items.
But what would happen if I turned on the lights?
The Sage’s Counsel still showed [1].
I focused, attempting to will it into revealing more information, but nothing came.
Unlike before, I had no frame of reference for what might happen if I broke this rule.
I would have to proceed blind.
I flipped the switch.
The moment the lights came on, the room transformed.
Horrors Revealed
The storage room now resembled a torture chamber.
Eight beds—or more accurately, operating tables—lined the walls.
On each table lay a person, twisted and mutilated beyond recognition:
It was a macabre display of cruelty, as if some sadistic artist had sculpted their bodies into these horrifying shapes.
How were they even alive?
Human bodies aren’t clay.
One figure noticed me. Its eyes, embedded in its hands, turned toward me, while its mouth—located on its stomach—let out a gurgling sound.
“Who... are you? Not... the nurse?”
“I’m from the Administration Bureau. Can you tell me anything about this place?”
“Please... kill me...”
The second time today someone had begged for death.
Looking at their twisted forms, I didn’t blame them.
But how could I grant their wish?
Their bodies were held together by something unnatural. Even if I shot them, would it be enough?
“I promise I will end your suffering. Please, tell me anything you know.”
The figure trembled, mustering its last scraps of sanity.
“Please... help us...”
School Uniforms
Searching the figures revealed the tattered remnants of school uniforms.
Among the scraps, I found a name tag:
“Lee Hyuk...”
The third character was partially torn.
“Lee Hyukjin,” a voice corrected me.
I turned to see another figure, its eyes and mouth similarly displaced but directed at me.
“Lee Hyukjin?”
“Yes.”
“Can you keep talking? Tell me everything you know.”
“I wake and sleep... I can only talk briefly. You should leave. The nurse... will come soon.”
“Where is this? Who are you? What happened?”
“I don’t know. Sangmin became a monster and trapped us here. After that, the nurse came... and did this to us.”
Sangmin.
“Who is Sangmin?”
“...Kim Sangmin. From schoo—”
The figure’s words devolved into garbled noise, and it fell silent.
These kids didn’t know where they were either.
But one thing was clear: the nurse had done this to them.
The name on her hat—Shinsegae Hospital.
The Sound Returns
As I processed the information, a familiar sound echoed around me:
---Screech. Scrape. Screech.
It came from all directions.
Multiple nurses were approaching.
I couldn’t fight them all. Their abilities were far beyond simple violence—they could warp human bodies into living nightmares.
It was time to retreat.
The Final Revelation
Before leaving, I made one last wish, as if pleading with the Sage:
“Is there anything more I can do?”
The final advice appeared:
[Lift your shirt and examine your abdomen.]
I followed the instruction.
What I saw ended any desire to continue.
My stomach was... changing.
The flesh twisted and warped, unnatural shapes sprouting beneath the skin.
The pain I’d been ignoring earlier? It was the transformation taking hold.
This hospital didn’t just harm others—it was affecting me as well.
---Bang!
The last thing I heard was the sound of my own gun firing.
/You have failed!/
Failed?
I had uncovered more than anyone else. "Failure" seemed like an unfair label.