The following morning, at the shared house, Long and Dreamy were sleeping soundly when the doorbell suddenly rang.
Still half asleep, Long stumbled toward the living room to answer the door. When he opened it, however, there was no one there. He closed the door, intending to return to bed, but the moment he did, someone knocked.
This time, Long opened the door again and carefully looked around to see who it was. When he lowered his gaze, he spotted a petite girl dressed in a red hanbok standing at his feet. Beside her were an enormous suitcase and an adorable little crane-shaped AI Witch, Cranny.
That's Jin, the young student of Madam Li-chang… What is she doing here? Long wondered.
Jin immediately greeted him.
"Hello, Long! It's been such a long time. I'm the final contestant who'll be staying in this shared house with all of you!"
Long was briefly taken aback. If this little girl was one of the contestants, then she was truly terrifying. He still remembered she could defeat those hunters in the blink of an eye, and her strength was anything but ordinary.
Jin struggled to drag her suitcase into the shared house. Seeing this, Long helped her pull it inside and take it to her room.
Mai had also just finished getting ready. When she saw Jin, she smiled.
The little girl introduced herself.
"My name is Jin. I'm an apprentice sorcerer, and this is Cranny, my AI Witch. I'm very happy to meet all of you…"
As she spoke, Jin looked up at the clock hanging on the wall.
"…Elena said that we're supposed to gather at Witchiecoop's facility on this island at around ten o'clock. The qualifying round will begin today…"
Long raised an eyebrow, his mind filled with questions about the qualifying round that morning.
At exactly ten o'clock, the entire group headed to Witchiecoop's facility. It was a massive, highly modern building with a prominent W-shaped logo that could be seen from almost anywhere on GemiPT island.
Dozens of contestants were lining up outside, chatting and laughing among themselves. They were competitors whom Witchiecoop had selected from across the planet Puresight.
Some had brought AI Witches of every conceivable shape and form, from mechanical dragons and snow-white unicorns to imposing tigers. Every contestant radiated frightening strength and extraordinary ability.
Suddenly, two eagles appeared in the sky and landed atop Witchiecoop's antenna tower. They gradually transformed back into an exceptionally alluring young woman and her pumkin-shaped AI Witch.
They were none other than Elena and her AI Witch, Pumppy.
Elena spoke in an enthusiastic voice.
"Welcome, everyone, to the AI Witch Tournament! Well, what a beautiful day we have today…"
She then took out a tablet and read aloud.
"To screen the contestants and deliver a spectacular competition for our esteemed sponsors and investors, everyone will first undergo a qualifying trial. Each year, the trial has a different theme…"
At those words, the crowd surrounding Long began whispering among themselves.
"Last year's theme was fire. A lot of contestants were burned alive on the spot. I wonder what this year's theme will be…"
Hearing this, both Long and Mai swallowed nervously in horror.
Nguyen alone remained calm. Dreamy, meanwhile, flew back and forth out of boredom. Jin gazed curiously at her surroundings, as this was the first time she had ever set foot in such a modern city.
Elena slowly tapped the screen of her tablet before reading the announcement aloud for everyone to hear.
"This year's theme is… the supernatural!"
The contestants immediately erupted into an uproar.
This was the first time an AI Witch magic tournament had chosen a theme that was not based on one of the conventional elements. It was completely different from anything described in textbooks or in stories about previous tournaments.
No one knew what kind of supernatural challenge awaited them.
One contestant complained in a disappointed voice.
"I thought this year's theme would be ice and snow, so I spent so much time training my AI Witch for it…!"
Elena continued with her instructions.
"To begin the competition, all contestants will board the driverless bus waiting outside. The bus is extremely large and can accommodate everyone, so there's no need to push or shove."
Elena smiled brightly, put on a pair of sunglasses, and prepared to leave.
However, as though she had suddenly remembered something, she lowered her sunglasses to the tip of her nose and spoke in a friendly voice.
"Everyone, please remember to stay safe… But if anything happens, don't forget that you've already signed the liability waivers."
Elena and Pumppy then transformed back into eagles and flew away.
The contestants, including Long's group, made their way toward the bus.
The driverless bus was indeed enormous, with enough room to carry several dozen people. Everyone took a seat of their own.
Long's group sat close together.
Long and Mai anxiously observed the people around them. Nguyen calmly put on his headphones and gazed out the window. Jin and Dreamy played around, running back and forth along the bus.
Outside, modern skyscrapers towered over the city. People hurried through the streets alongside autonomous vehicles and the wondrous magic of countless AI Witches.
Gradually, everyone drifted off to sleep.
By the time dusk fell, the bus suddenly slammed on its brakes.
The passengers jolted awake and were thrown forward in their seats.
Blocking the road in front of the bus was a motorcyclist with a bizarre figure. A pair of blood-red eyes stared lifelessly at the contestants.
The motorcyclist slowly removed their helmet, revealing a horrifying grin filled with razor-sharp teeth that stretched all the way to their ears.
The rider immediately revved the motorcycle's engine and vanished.
The contestants stared in shock, unable to understand what kind of entity had just been watching them. Unease spread through the bus.
Some contestants activated their AI Witches and prepared for battle, mistakenly believing that this was part of the organizers' challenge.
They looked out through the windows.
A thin layer of mist clung to the glass, while the surrounding landscape was completely deserted and silent.
Moonlight shone down upon rows of pine trees, giving them an eerie appearance. The mournful cries of crows echoed throughout the area.
The strange phenomenon sent chills down everyone's spine.
The bus suddenly issued an announcement. The voice was distorted by bursts of crackling static before cutting out entirely.
"You have arrived at… Tears Hotel… Please disembark and search for the glass bottle containing the list… bus… krrt… krrt…"
The bus's engine abruptly shut down.
One of the female contestants burst into tears.
"I don't want to compete anymore! I want to go home…"
The other contestants staying in the same shared house with her immediately tried to calm and reassure her.
Jin stared at the hotel ahead of them. The innocent, cheerful expression usually seen on her face disappeared, replaced by a look of absolute seriousness.
"Tsk. The yin energy here is incredibly strong…"
Dreamy looked through the window and spoke in an unconcerned voice.
"Hmm. This supernatural magic is astonishingly powerful. It's been a long time since I've seen an underworld domain this vast…"
Everyone stepped off the bus.
A freezing gust of wind swept over them, making their bodies tremble uncontrollably.
Before them stood a magnificent, modern hotel built in an elegant classical style. It appeared remarkably clean and well maintained.
In the distance, a young woman dressed in a receptionist's uniform waved to them, gesturing for everyone to come forward.
Jin carefully examined the hotel before blurting out,
"This hotel is so old… Everything is covered in moss."
Mai looked at her in confusion.
"Jin, are you sure you're not mistaken? What I see in front of me is a beautiful, modern hotel. It looks extremely clean."
Jin turned toward Long, Mai, Nguyen, and Dreamy.
"Are all of you certain that you want to enter such a dangerous place? I'll be fine, but I'm afraid I might not be able to protect everyone."
At this point, Long felt a chill run down his spine. Jin's words were extremely difficult to understand.
However, to Long, this was another necessary step toward recovering the AI King Witch's core and fulfilling his dream.
Long answered decisively.
"Let's go inside too!"
Mai thought for a moment.
"The announcement earlier said that we need to find a glass bottle containing a list… I wonder what kind of bottle it was referring to."
All the contestants entered the lobby of Tears Hotel.
The lobby was extremely spacious, with a high ceiling decorated with magnificent patterns. An elegant chandelier hung overhead.
"Where did that receptionist go? She was standing outside the entrance just a moment ago…"
Without warning, every light in the hotel went out.
The surrounding space became as black as ink.
Someone used a beetle-shaped AI Witch to illuminate the entire lobby.
The contestants could no longer believe their eyes.
Moss and cobwebs covered every passageway. Large cracks had split the ancient walls apart. The chandelier they had seen hanging from the ceiling moments earlier had fallen to the floor and was covered in dust, as though it had been lying there for many years.
Several contestants panicked and immediately ran out through the hotel entrance.
However, the moment they crossed the doorway, they found themselves standing in front of the hotel once again.
They tried to escape a second time, only to be transported back to the hotel yet again.
Every contestant was now trapped inside Tears Hotel.