"Adam! For God's sake, move!"
Leo's angry, terrified shout—mixed with the sharp metallic scraping coming from the elevator—finally snapped me out of the paralysis that had frozen my limbs.
I saw the pale entity rushing toward me at an unbelievable speed, its long, gray, deformed fingers stretching out like the claws of some ancient nightmare.
It was ready to tear me apart—or drag me into the depths of that disgusting fleshy corridor.
No! I won't die here! Not like this—such a stupid way! A desperate scream echoed in my mind, flooding my veins with adrenaline.
"Graaah!!" Its scream, eerily human at first, rose behind me.
With one final surge of willpower, driven by blind survival instinct, I turned and sprinted toward the open elevator, where Leo, Noor, and Sam were already crammed inside, their faces pale with terror.
"Close the door! Close the door!" Noor screamed, her voice trembling with tears.
"Doom!!"
I leapt into the cramped cabin just as the pale entity's fingers nearly brushed my back.
An icy chill swept past me, along with a foul stench so strong it nearly made me vomit.
"Baaam!!!"
Leo slammed the close button with all his strength, and the heavy brass doors shut directly on the damned creature.
"Boom!!"
The moment the doors closed, we heard a dull, heavy impact from outside—as if the entity had crashed into the metal.
"Are… are we safe?" Sam Owens whispered, visibly shaking, his glasses slipping slightly down his nose.
"Huff… huff… haah… huff…"
No one answered.
We were all gasping, our hearts pounding violently, terror still etched across our faces.
The cabin fell into darkness again. The dim, flickering lights blinked uneasily, as if the elevator itself shared our fear.
"What… what the hell was that thing?!" Rex muttered—no, it was Leo.
My mind was still scrambled from panic.
Leo von Falkenhayn, the leader, regained his composure quickly, though his voice still carried shock and disbelief.
So this… this is what the system meant by "the wrong floor," I thought, struggling to steady my breathing, my legs trembling.
That ridiculous sequence I suggested… it must have been wrong… maybe this floor was the punishment for our first attempt.
"We need to get out of here! Off this floor!" Noor said, frantically pressing the elevator buttons.
"Any floor! Anywhere but this hell!"
But the elevator didn't respond.
The buttons were dead. None of them lit up.
The old floor indicator remained stuck in its cryptic position.
"No use," Leo said, regaining some of his composure, though his face was still pale.
"The elevator isn't responding. Looks like we're stuck here…"
Stuck? With that thing waiting outside? A fresh wave of cold despair washed over me.
"No… that can't be it," I said, trying to think clearly, even as my mind screamed in panic.
I activated the [Narrative Engineer's Blueprint] skill again, focusing hard and forcing away the horrific images of the floor guardian dancing in my head.
The blue panel appeared—but the information was still fragmented and unsettling.
[Story Analysis Active: Lobby Elevator (Rank E) – Status: Punishment Floor Active / Elevator Temporarily Disabled]
Current Situation: The team is trapped in a "punishment floor" triggered by incorrect activation of the elevator mechanism.
The elevator is undergoing a reset or punishment phase and will not respond to conventional commands.
The Pale Entity: Activated as a response to "protocol violation."
The entity is currently observing the elevator's surroundings and may attempt to breach the cabin if the team remains inside too long without taking action.
Elevator Reactivation Condition (Potential): Requires neutralizing or bypassing the current threat on this floor, or locating a hidden reset mechanism within the floor.
Current Floor Risks: In addition to the Pale Entity, this fleshy floor may contain environmental hazards (mild toxic gases, slippery surfaces, organic traps).
Additional Hint: "Silence may be your ally… or your enemy."
Neutralize the threat? Reset the elevator?
I read the words, my stomach tightening.
How the hell were we supposed to "calm" that gray monster that had nearly turned me into a snack?
And was there some magical reset button hidden in that corridor?
"There's… there's hope," I said quietly, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
"The situation—I mean, my instinct—says the elevator isn't permanently broken. It's in some kind of punishment state… we need to do something here, on this floor, to make it work again."
"Do what?" Leo asked sharply.
"Fight that thing? Did you see its size and speed? We barely have anything to defend ourselves!"
"No, not direct combat," I said quickly, recalling the system's hint about silence.
"That thing… seems to react to noise or excessive movement."
I began explaining my reasoning.
"When Noor screamed and we started pressing buttons randomly, the elevator shook and the doors opened… maybe if we stay quiet, it'll think we've left—or that we're no longer a threat."
"So we just sit here and wait until it decides to break in and eat us?" Leo shot back.
Damn it, focus… this panic is making me mix up names.
"No," I said, forcing myself to think.
"We need to find a reset mechanism—or another way out of this floor."
"But we have to do it… very quietly. And quickly. Noor, can you use your ability again? Try to sense anything unusual in that corridor—anything at all."
Noor nodded, her face still pale, but her eyes filled with determination.
She closed her eyes again and began to concentrate.
"Kiiiiiik!!!"
At that moment, a loud, unsettling scratching sound came from outside the elevator doors.
"Shhh!" Leo whispered, placing a finger over his lips.
"...…."
We all froze, holding our breath. The silence inside the cabin grew heavier than ever.
The scratching continued for a few seconds… then stopped.
It's still there, I thought, cold spreading through my veins.
Noor suddenly opened her eyes.
"There's… something," she whispered.
"At the end of the corridor… on the left. A strange feeling… a key? Or a control panel? I can't pinpoint it exactly, but it's different from the rest of this disgusting place."
We exchanged glances.
Do we dare leave the elevator again? Head into the unknown of that fleshy corridor… while the Pale One might still be lurking in the dark?
We have no choice, I thought bitterly.
Staying here means certain death… going out means possible death. What great options.
"Alright," Leo said in a low, firm voice.
"Sam, you and Noor in front. Move as quietly and carefully as possible."
"Noor, guide us to that thing. Sam, use your shadows to provide cover if you can. Adam, you and I take the rear."
He looked at us seriously.
"If that thing shows up again… we'll try to distract it while the others escape."
Distract it? I thought uneasily.
Does he mean become human bait? What a decisive leader.
But there was no time to argue.
Every second we stayed here increased the risk of the Pale One returning.
With tense nods, the team prepared to face the floor again.
The elevator doors were still closed—but the open button still worked.
This is our only chance, I thought as I braced myself to step back into the nightmare.
Either we find a way to restart this cursed elevator… or—
Well… let's not finish that thought.
"Click…"
The sound of the brass doors opening again felt like the long sigh of a metal beast preparing to offer us as a sacrifice.
There was no warm welcome outside—only that foul, dark, fleshy corridor reeking of death.
The silence was heavier than ever, broken only by our muffled, rapid breathing.
Alright, Adam, I whispered to myself, desperately trying to suppress the rising panic.
You survived a mad clown.
You can survive a corridor made of rotting flesh and an unnaturally tall gray creature.
At Leo's signal, Sam Owens stepped out first, blending into the scarce shadows of the corridor.
It was surreal.
[Localized Shadow Obscuration] Rank: E+
Description: A precise skill that allows the user to manipulate existing natural shadows by intensifying or "darkening" them in a small, localized area.
It does not create darkness from nothing, but enhances existing shadows to make an area significantly dimmer—useful for stealth, visual disruption, or weakening faint light sources.
He moved with surprising agility for someone his height, nearly disappearing entirely—if not for the faint glint reflecting off his glasses.
Noor Akim followed, her wide eyes scanning every corner and shadow, her hands slightly extended as if trying to sense danger.
[Spatial Echo Resonance] Rank: E+
Description: A unique sensory ability that allows the user to emit inaudible (or barely perceptible) echo pulses, then read and analyze their reflections from surfaces, objects, and even living entities within a limited range.
This grants a form of three-dimensional perception of the surroundings—even in total darkness, through thin barriers, or for detecting hidden objects.
Leo and I stepped out last, staying close to the elevator, ready to jump back in if the pale thing appeared.
"To the left," Noor whispered, pointing toward the end of the corridor.
"But… there's something else. I feel… faint vibrations in the floor… like something is moving beneath us."
Wonderful, I thought.
Not just a monster above us—maybe giant flesh worms below too. This hotel just keeps getting better.
"Stay close to the walls. Move slowly and quietly," Leo ordered, scanning the low ceiling where pulsing veins dangled ominously.
"Noor, if you sense that entity, tell us immediately. Sam, keep us as concealed as possible."
We moved forward.
Each step felt like stepping on something soft and sticky.
The stench grew stronger. My stomach churned.
I tried breathing through my mouth, focusing on anything but the revolting environment.
The corridor twisted unnaturally, its fleshy walls pulsing faintly—like we were walking inside the guts of a massive creature.
There were no doors. No windows. Just this endless passage leading into what felt like the underworld.
I activated [Narrative Engineer's Blueprint] again—but it showed no new details.
No guidance.
We'd have to figure this out the hard way.
Suddenly, Noor stopped and raised her hand.
"There's… something ahead," she whispered.
"Not the pale entity… something else. Several… small things… moving fast!"
We froze.
From the shadows ahead, small shapes began to emerge—about the size of large rats.
But they weren't rats.
"Kik… kik…"
They were… severed human hands, crawling on their fingers like spiders—tiny glowing red eyes staring at us from between the joints.
"Oh my God… what are those?!" Noor whispered in horror, stepping back.
Severed hands? Crawling like spiders? A wave of nausea hit me.
This floor just keeps getting worse.
The crawling hands began moving toward us, scratching against the fleshy ground.
"Leo! What do we do?" Noor asked, trembling.
Leo studied them.
"They don't look very strong—but there are a lot of them. If they attack all at once…"
"I don't think they want to attack us directly," I said suddenly, noticing something.
"They're not coming straight at us… they're moving in circles. Like they're searching… or guarding something."
"Silence may be your ally… or your enemy."
Silence…
Do they react to sound? Movement? Something else?
"Noor," I said quietly.
"Can you sense anything unusual where they're moving? Any different aura?"
She closed her eyes again.
A bead of sweat slid down her cheek.
"Yes… there's something."
She opened her eyes slowly and pointed at the ground.
"Right beneath the surface… where most of the hands are gathered. It's… like a small box. It's emitting very low-frequency signals."
A box? Could that be the elevator reset?
"But how do we reach it with those cursed hands guarding it?"
"Sam," I turned to him.
"Can you use your ability to create a dense shadow over that area? Enough to hide us while we approach—confuse the hands?"
He nodded slowly and raised his hands.
"Whooosh…"
The shadows thickened, gathering into a nearly pitch-black patch over the target area—like a small black hole opening in the fleshy ground.
"Good," Leo said.
"Noor, Sam—distract the hands without making loud noise. Draw them away from that spot."
He paused.
"Adam, you and I will go for the box."
I like how fast he adapts, I thought.
Noor and Sam began moving carefully, drawing the hands' attention with subtle motions and faint scratching sounds.
"Click… click…"
The hands shifted direction, slowly following them.
"Now," Leo whispered.
We rushed into the shadow.
The darkness was so dense I could barely see my own hand. I felt Leo grab my arm, guiding me.
We reached what felt like a small metal panel embedded in the fleshy floor, half-buried.
It had a small, rusted handle.
"That's it," Leo whispered. "Open it."
I grabbed the handle—it was cold and slimy—and pulled.
It wouldn't budge.
Damn it… of course it's not that easy.
The crawling hands were getting closer again.
"Faster, Adam!" Leo urged.
Then I noticed something.
Next to the panel… a small symbol, carved into the fleshy surface.
It looked exactly like one of the symbols on the elevator doors.
Wait… could it be…?
Another sequence?
There was no time to think.
I remembered the sequence we used before.
"3… 2… 4…"
No buttons—just the handle.
But there were three small protruding studs on the left side, two on the right, and four on the top.
No way… it can't be that stupid…
With a trembling hand, I tapped them in order:
Three taps on the left.
Two on the right.
Four on the top.
"Click."
A soft metallic sound.
The handle loosened.
I pulled—and the panel opened, revealing a small compartment.
Inside…
A large red lever—like an emergency stop switch.
"We found it," I whispered, relief washing over me.
Looks like twisted logic is the only currency accepted in this cursed hotel.