chapter 14
chapter 14
Rest, Hotel Basement – “The Living Swimming Pool” (2) Final
[User: Han Gain (Wisdom)
Day: 3
Current Location: Basement Floor, Swimming Pool
Sage’s Advice: 3]
Wriggle.
Wriggle.
The floor suddenly shifted beneath my feet.
Before I could process it—
“AAAAAAAHHHHH!!”
“What the hell is this—AAARGH!!!”
Screams filled the pool.
Something—
Something horrifying—
Rose up.
From the floor.
From the walls.
From the ceiling.
Lips.
Gigantic lips.
As if someone had ripped human lips and plastered them everywhere.
They opened—
Revealing massive tongues.
Not tongues—
Something worse.
Like frog tongues—
Stretching endlessly.
And—
We were the flies.
Thud!
My balance broke.
I looked down—
A tongue had wrapped around my ankle.
I struggled.
Pulled.
Tried to tear it off.
It didn’t budge.
Like a rope made of flesh.
Then—
A deafening scream.
The lips themselves—
Were screaming.
Jincheol—
Tore the tongue apart with brute force.
The lips shrieked in pain.
So they could feel it.
Like real flesh.
He ripped through several tongues—
And soon freed me, Eun-sol, and Seungyeop.
But—
That was just the beginning.
“Elena! Song!”
They were still in the water.
I looked inside—
And froze.
A massive mouth.
Unimaginably large.
Far bigger than the others.
Its tongues—
Thick as human legs.
Two of them.
Before I could react—
Jincheol charged.
He grabbed Elena with one arm—
Song with the other—
Pulling with everything he had.
“Gain! Help me!”
I ran.
Pulled Song.
And then—
I realized.
The problem.
They were still in the water.
The tongues—
Submerged.
Even Jincheol—
Couldn’t properly apply force underwater.
We were being dragged.
Slowly.
Down.
The mouth opened.
A vortex formed.
Water—
Pulling us in.
Inside—
Countless teeth.
If we went in—
We wouldn’t die cleanly.
This—
Was worse than freezing to death.
Then—
A metallic sound.
A dagger fell beside me.
The silver dagger.
Seungyeop had thrown it.
I understood.
Grabbed it.
Stabbed the tongue.
It sank in—
Thick, resistant flesh.
Blood sprayed.
A horrifying scream tore through the pool.
And—
The grip loosened.
We were free.
“Thank you—!”
“Save it. Breathe first!”
“Then help Elena!!!”
I ran again—
And then—
[Get down immediately!]
Too late.
Something slammed into me.
I flew.
Seven—eight meters.
Crashing into the wall.
Pain.
Everywhere.
Like being crushed by a truck.
The tongue—
Had struck me like a projectile.
That’s why the warning came.
Too late to react.
And I realized—
The flaw.
“Sage’s Advice” only appears—
When danger is already about to happen.
Not before.
Not early.
Too late—
To prevent.
Only to react.
‘…I’m going to die.’
Pain beyond limits.
Consciousness fading.
Then—
A red liquid splashed.
Eun-sol.
Pouring something—
Onto the tongues.
Capsaicin.
Of course.
Tongues.
Sensitive.
The effect was instant.
The monsters—
Convulsed.
Collapsed.
Even the massive one.
The mouth—
Closed.
The vortex stopped.
Silence returned.
And—
I blacked out.
＊
“Oppa! Oppa! Wake up!”
“Song, calm down!”
“Jincheol, can you do anything?!”
“I’m trying! His arm is… shattered. Internal injuries too.”
“He flew ten meters… this isn’t just an arm…”
“We need a doctor—HEY! HOTEL! WE NEED A DOCTOR!”
“No one’s coming…”
“Should we buy something from the market?!”
“No… nothing like that exists. I already used everything.”
Voices.
Faint.
Distant.
Capsaicin.
That was the “magic.”
Even monsters couldn’t endure it.
Smart.
Very smart.
Then—
A notification.
[Return to Room 105 immediately.]
Room 105.
The rest room.
Not just for sleeping.
For healing.
Like an RPG inn.
I used my last strength.
“Room… 105…”
That was all I could say—
Before everything went dark.