landbeastnovel Chapter 183: A Prayer for Miro (2)
Chapter 183: A Prayer for Miro (2)
Chapter 183: A Prayer for Miro (2)
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 92
Current Location: Floor 2, Frozen Hell – Room of Resurrection
Sage’s Advice: 2
The term “Prayer of Rest” marked the emergence of a new possibility beyond merely reviving someone with the ticket.
“Guide, what exactly is this ‘Prayer of Rest’?”
“A Prayer of Rest is a process in which you pray to Buddha, asking for peace and rest for the former participant. However, know that prayers alone are not enough to accomplish things in this world. Ultimately, you must rescue the former participant from this hell yourselves.”
“Rescue them from hell? Isn’t this place hell already?”
“You’ll have to experience it for yourselves.”
It seemed it wouldn’t answer any more questions we had regarding this matter.
After a long time of observing the frozen figure of Miro, Ahri spoke, “Her body is here, but it feels like her mind is trapped elsewhere. It seems like we’re supposed to rescue her spirit.”
With that, I looked closer, understanding what she meant.
The bodies of those trapped in the ice were right before us, but they appeared to be suffering, groaning as if they were trapped in a nightmare.
Are their spirits trapped in some terrible place?
“It seems like they’re caught in a nightmare... what do you all think?”
“It looks that way to me too,” Noona replied.
This time, she asked the Guide another question, “Is this something that only some of us need to do? Can you explain more clearly? Our Patrons already hinted at it.”
“Hell is a place where the living cannot tread. However, Buddha’s mercy knows no bounds. Incense of Salvation has been prepared for those who seek salvation. As long as the flame of the Incense burns, even the living may enter hell. But the flame will only last as long as the others pray for you.”
In simpler terms, it meant we had to split the party. Some of us would have to pray to maintain the flame while others ventured into hell to rescue Miro.
Ahri asked a crucial question, “If we succeed in the Prayer of Rest, what happens to the former participant? Do they escape the Hotel? Can they still be revived afterward?”
“Rest and escape are separate matters. The former participant will be freed from their suffering but will not leave the Hotel. Likewise, rest and revival are also separate. The participant can still be revived whether or not the prayer is completed.”
The meaning behind the Guide’s words was clear: Miro’s suffering could be ended with the prayer, but her fate in the Hotel would remain unchanged.
The very fact that Miro’s “suffering” would end was enough to bring life back into Ahri’s expression.
She turned to face us, her voice quieter than usual, “We all agreed before. We need to find a way to restore Miro’s mind before considering revival. I still agree with that. It’s too dangerous to work with someone who isn’t mentally stable in this environment. However...”
Unlike revival, a Prayer of Rest didn’t require a ticket or the danger of bringing an unstable Miro back into the party, making it a perfect option for Ahri.
Before she could finish her sentence, Noona cut in, “We should do the Prayer of Rest.”
“...”
“We have to. As you said, we’ll only consider revival once we’ve found a way to restore her mind. But we need to at least end her suffering. Besides, we came to the second floor to fix things, didn’t we? Whether through prayer or revival, we need to resolve this for the Hotel to return to normal.”
I quickly chimed in, agreeing, “I think so too. According to my understanding of ‘Scenario Comprehension’, the reason the Hotel is frozen is because of ‘the resentment and pain of those who died here’, right? Whether through prayer or revival, we must soothe their spirits for the Hotel to return to normal.”
“Right. And...”
“And?”
Instead of answering, Noona paused, staring at Miro’s frozen figure, then turned to look at Ahri.
I understood her meaning.
Can Ahri, knowing her mother was trapped in eternal damnation, continue in the Hotel with a clear mind?
What if, in her desperation, she steals the ticket and tries to revive Miro impulsively?
And if Ahri starts to act out, how would Grandpa react?
He has worked with Ahri for so long; will he turn a blind eye to her when she’s blatantly suffering?
For Ahri, the Prayer of Rest is a way to relieve her mother’s pain.
But for the rest of us, it’s a way to prevent Ahri and Grandpa from going rogue.
Soon after, we began preparing for the prayer.
***“Kain!”
“Mind control? In a way, yes, but not quite. Think of it as her charisma or leadership being amplified by a supernatural degree. It’s hard to describe. You could say she had the ability to become the leader in any group, no matter how new or unfamiliar the environment may be.”
Grandpa’s words painted a picture of a person perfectly suited for the Hotel—a natural leader who could thrive in any situation.
But, clearly, something had gone terribly wrong.
Ahri spoke up again, “I didn’t even know about her ability until after I escaped the Hotel. I knew about her Inheritance and Blessing, but not the rest.”
“If her powers are based on charisma or leadership, they must have been hard to use once she regressed to a child-like mental state.”
“Now that I think about it, my mother had a nickname”
“What is it?”
“The Princess from a Fairy Tale.”
“That sounds kind of cute...”
Grandpa chuckled bitterly, “Half of it was because she was beautiful, and the other half was because she was self-centered and willful, like someone from a royal family.”
“That’s not reassuring... didn’t she have other powers?”
“There were... additional abilities, yes. But the problem is that they all seemed interconnected. It was like everything stemmed from the same core power. Some even speculated that all of her abilities were just different aspects of one larger ability.”
“Despite being a high-ranking agent of the Administration, there’s only vague information about her powers?”
“To study her abilities more closely, we would have needed to experiment, but Miro had so many ‘followers’ within the Administration that it became impossible to research her properly. Besides, she was loyal to the Administration, so the higher-ups didn’t want to push her too hard.”
The word “loyal” caught Ahri’s attention, and she interjected, “Despite all the negative stories, no one ever doubted her loyalty to the Administration. Most of the bad things you’ve heard are about her personality. But in terms of her actions, she saved countless lives.”
That was at least a positive note.
Despite her flaws, Miro had been a hero, loyal and dedicated to the Administration.
As I listened, I realized most of the things we learned about her were vague—her personality was problematic, and her abilities were unclear.
Suddenly, with a soft thunk, a door appeared, much like the incense and prayer chamber had.
We didn’t need to ask; we all knew what it was.
With a silent exchange of glances, Ahri, Grandpa, and I stepped toward it.
It was time to enter Miro’s hell.
***
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy New Year!>
The cheerful sound of Christmas carols woke me from my daze.
The scene around me felt oddly familiar—a neat bed, a bookshelf filled with books, a luxurious wooden desk.
It was a small, cozy space, maybe around 15 pyeong 1, large enough for one person.
As the carols played, I realized that outside the window, snow was gently falling.
Not a raging blizzard-like on the second floor—just a peaceful snowfall, with children playing happily in the street below.
I quickly assessed my surroundings and then myself.
“...”
The reflection in the mirror showed a younger version of myself, maybe two or three years younger.
At best, I looked around 15 years old, wearing what appeared to be a school uniform.
From the surroundings and my appearance, I felt like I was back in some kind of boarding school, similar to my time at Hotel High School.
But why is this place considered hell?
Where are Ahri and Grandpa?
And where is Miro?
As these questions swirled in my mind, the Chat Window appeared.
1. A pyeong is a Korean unit of area and floorspace, equal to a square kan or 36 square feet.