Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Escape Room Debut
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[What, is that all you can say?]
[Yan hyung?]
[What, you next to Calipan?]
Daluh Dea, attending the High Priest meeting as usual, was counting sheep.
He noticed the faint glow from the parchment slipped under the distributed topic paper.
He put off replying at first, but when the parchment— which only glowed when Mayches wrote— kept shining without pause, he was a bit flustered. What the... Did I mistake it for a diary?
Daluh subtly pushed aside the topic paper to check the glowing parchment.
There, he witnessed the chaotic group parchment chatroom.
[Someone spilled ink.]
[Sorry, it's monster blood. One just popped up in zone 3.]
[Are you insane? Focus on the monsters.]
[I focused and finished it off.]
Calipan shook the monster blood off his sword.
He plopped down in the empty zone 3— no one around— and began writing on the magic parchment Mayches had given him. Just then, Bamper seemed to unfold his too, as his handwriting appeared.
[Mayches, our mage wants to know how you made this?]
The capitalist mage, who had come begging Bamper to extend his deadline, dropped all the documents he was holding upon seeing the parchment the crown prince pulled out.
He knew Bamper had five parchments connected for chatting with friends. But the one in Bamper's hand now was somehow different.
"It must've been connected as six from the start... Connecting six separate ones would need a fixed point, requiring simultaneous casting on all six... Even a simple formula, how's a person supposed to cast six at once? Nah, no way a human could..."
Bamper relayed those words straight to Mayches. A reply came from Mayches.
[The framework is the same and simple, so it's not that hard. Just focus intensely.]
The capitalist mage abandoned his secret plan to mentor Mayches. If I follow around that genius Count Rudelriz after getting tired of hearing "genius" everywhere, my legs'll split open.
Bamper tilted his head with a puzzled hm? as he watched the mage walk away dejectedly.
Meanwhile, Mayches was calling the unresponsive one for the third time.
[Jayhan, you watching?]
[Believe I'm watching and just say it, hyung. If not now, I'll see later.]
[Daluh. Make sure he watches. Anyway, tomorrow at one. Don't be late.]
But his friends' reactions were mostly lukewarm.
[Why? What's the occasion? I'm busy.]
[I have tons of reports from my subordinates to review.]
[I need to pray.]
[I can make it.]
One of Mayches's eyebrows twitched upward.
This was the reaction he'd hoped for at the birthday party invites— finally showing up now.
But Mayches wasn't worried. His pen nib glided smoothly over the parchment.
Aiel's second request.
[Come play escape the room.]
News of Aiel's new game hit the parchment, and enthusiastic replies poured in.
Of course, I'd never played an escape room game before!
Back on Earth, I was a poor high schooler who could barely afford a bus fare. Spending tens of thousands of won at a time on such a fancy hobby? No way I could. The closest I got was promotional flyers fluttering by...
Your permitted time is a mere 60 minutes! Awaken your dormant deductive powers and find your freedom! Even so, I made this game because I had something to rely on. Of course, Mayches's friends had also never played an escape room! Even if I threw together some amateur "escape the living world" knockoff, they wouldn't leap up like fans yelling "What's this?!"
But pushing through stubbornly, I did have a few concerns. Not long after assigning the escape room production, I received a letter. I'm truly sorry to send this response, Lady Rudelriz. The artisan who always whipped up my game supplies on demand had sent a refusal for the first time. To make the game per my plan, it would require hiring a mage or a huge number of high-quality magic stones, he explained. Reading the letter side-by-side with Doria, I sighed.
"Looks like we have to scrap this game... Needs that many magic stones?"
Doria jumped in surprise.
"I-In my opinion, the count could solve this issue?"
"...Oh? Right! Brother's a magic professional!"
"...Exactly, a professional!"
Perfect timing— Mayches was all soft and persuadable after visiting the capital for fun— so I brought it up, and he okayed it immediately. I excitedly wrote back to the artisan, and got a reply that collaboration with a mage would make it possible. Thus, the escape room game [Idea: Aiel / Production: Mayches, Artisan Maripson] was complete. But my worries didn't end there. Your permitted time is a mere 60 minutes! 60 minutes... Is giving that much time really okay? Real escape rooms are made for profit, with tons of pros and capital invested. In short, way beyond my shoddy amateur version— something super impressive and... cool, right?
"Brother. For an escape room whipped up quick by amateurs like us, won't 60 minutes kill the tension?"
"...Think so?"
"Yeah! Brother, let's make the limit 30 minutes!"
"...Yeah! They'll figure it out."
Mayches was smart. If he okayed it, the math checked out. Anyway, through this process, all issues got sorted somehow, and I could welcome Mayches's friends safely.
"Why're you so late? I said come quick."
We'd set up a small waiting area with a sofa and tea table in front of the party hall.
Yan, sipping tea on the sofa, unleashed criticism the moment Daluh appeared.
"Daluh hyung, saints don't have to keep time like this?"
"Said come by one, and it's five past now?"
Daluh looked wronged that the jeers targeted only him, despite arriving late with Jayhan.
"Jayhan was late making a prayer totem for Daluh?"
But when Bamper kindly pointed out the truth, he swallowed his words.
Instead, he defended from another angle.
"Was I playing around? Sure, playing from now on, but up till now? No."
Calipan shot back snidely.
"We got no work? We still got here an hour early."
Daluh, midway through shedding his white robe, scanned his friends' faces like beholding Illeneias's grim future.
Among those hit by that gaze, only Bamper had the decency to realize this wasn't normal and feel ashamed.
Before it got louder, I quickly gathered Mayches's friends' attention.
"Everyone's here, so shall we start? As you see, the game venue's inside that party hall."
Would I ever get to use that ridiculously spacious place in my lifetime? Well, now I was.
"From now on, pool your wisdom to escape all five stages within 30 minutes! Figure out what problems you're given and the answers— brainstorm with your friends."
I clapped, and Mayches's friends started warming up in their own ways.
Meanwhile, seeing Mayches sitting back like a spectator, Daluh— who arrived late and missed the briefing— asked.
"You not playing?"
"I'm co-producer with Aiel this time."
"......"
"No weird stuff, so no need to panic that hard."
In slippers, I padded to the party hall door.
Mayches stood from his seat and followed close behind.
We each grabbed one of the large door handles.
Before opening, I turned to Mayches's friends with a tense face.
I stole a quick glance at Bamper— too brief to notice.
"Everyone... you must escape. This game's basically one-use only."
Leaning in, I turned the handle down, and matching my pace, Mayches opened the opposite door.
Light streamed straight through the gap, then a sharp grassy scent burst into the air.
Green ivy vines, wrapped thick like wallpaper over the maze walls, swayed in the breeze.
"...Oh, one-use, huh?"
Bamper fixed his gaze on the massive maze— endless even craning his neck— for a long while, then tossed the question back at me with a leisurely smile.
"You built a maze at home just to use once and toss?"
Beside him, Yan was diligently rolling up his sleeves.
His sparkling eyes methodically scanned the maze walls inside the party hall, expanded with space magic.
Daluh slowly placed a hand on his chest.
In a calm voice, he murmured.
"Thrilling."
Sneaking peeks at their reactions, I finally relaxed.
Yes! Thank goodness! They all seemed to like my amateur escape room.