Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 131

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 131.

You’re already warm, aren’t you.

‘You’re already loved.’

I have only one friend.

‘How repugnant.’

So greedy, so utterly absurd.

“….”

…Still, it displeases me.

* * *

A mage is not human. Spiritual energy coalesces into a form resembling humanity—nothing more. Thus, every mage possesses an innate attribute.

Some say this very fact proves mages are not human at all, but rather inanimate objects given form. Seme often found himself agreeing with that assessment.

“….”

Precisely like now.

When submerged in water.

“Where….”

Was this truly the Labyrinth’s waters? Or was something else at work? An uncanny pressure drew closer, and Seme’s brow furrowed.

‘I should feel the current’s flow, yet despite my movement, it remains fixed.’

Water that does not flow. It felt serene, or perhaps merely numb. His skin lost sensation as a creeping chill seeped slowly beneath the surface.

‘The sound feels distant.’

No—the world itself seems to respond in slow motion.

‘Why is this happening? Somehow, this feels the same as what I experienced in the Labyrinth Underground….’

A damp sensation. Not decay, not the stench of fish—merely the lingering trace of something that had dwelled here long ago. The silence of this place offered no comfort; instead, it exerted pressure.

“Where are you?”

On the surface, all seems still, yet every force is being pulled downward into the depths.

“Please, just…!”

It wasn’t as though I’d never fought a Water Ghost before. And yet this place was unsettling—as if a moment’s carelessness would strip away my reason and drag me sinking into the abyss.

Perhaps it was the same terrible unease I’d felt within the fog of the underground.

“….”
“….”
“Seme.”

I felt a touch from behind me.

“Sister, you came looking for me.”

Wait—had I truly felt that?

“I was lonely. It’s so cold here.”
“…You….”
“Cold… isn’t it cold? I once breathed on the shore….”
“You’re not my brother.”
“I breathed alongside you on the shore.”
“You’re not Ser-sang.”
“My sister.”

Tightening….
Fingers close around my throat.

“You,”
“….”
“Warm.”

―Hehehehehehe!!!

“…! Ugh…!!”

I thrashed against the grip, but could not break free.

Not through my eardrums, but from somewhere deep within my brain—a laughter that resonated. That strange ripple swept across Seme’s vision, inverting every color he perceived.
Inverted.

“These lunatics,”

Blue became crimson.
Darkness became light.
The living were slain.

The water surface rose upward, the sky descended below.

“Madmen…!!”

I despised the Foundation.

They had taken my brother from me, murdered my second benefactor while he still drew breath, and now forced me to witness this accursed spectacle. Abominable, loathsome creatures.

This was Hell—a Hell they had constructed with their own selfishness…!

“Seme, this way.”
“Let’s escape.”
“You’re down there now!”
“No, that’s the sky.”
“The water is the sky, the sky is eyes.”
“It’s not cold, it’s warm. When it’s warm, it melts.”
“If you look, you’ll die, you’ll perish, Seme, Seme, Seme.”
“I’ll protect you!!!”

No forms exist before my eyes, nowhere at all. Countless eyes without lids hover in the void. They gaze upon one another, seeing through me into another world.

I can see it all. With each desperate thrash, hundreds of shadows breathe in unison. Laughter, weeping, screams, cheers. Somewhere among them, surely, my own voice mingles.

“Let me join too,”
“―Stop your nonsense!!”

Vile and relentless. The desire to drive me mad was written plainly across everything.

“You wretched spirits who know nothing but tormenting the living—don’t you dare spout such drivel!!”

It is not hands that strangle, but time itself.

The breath from moments before wraps around the present and returns, and the heart of the past beats in sync with the heart of now. A filthy, maddening Water Ghost it was.

With the realization that my reflection in the water watches me, Seme understands. Everything happening now has already happened.

Yet I drew the blade regardless.

“You are nothing but—!!”
“Don’t go””Seme””Don’t leave me alone”
“You are nothing.”

Grrrrgh―
Splash, splash, splash….
Hehehehehehe―!!!

“….”

A laughter like the screams of lungs drowning in water.

As if dozens of mouths burst open in unison, there is no up or down. Some from beneath the surface. Some from within my ears. Some laughter ripples like waves, some water clings like blood, and then—

At the end of that sound, there was a moment of breath.

“….”

Hehehehehehe―
Screech, grrgh, grrrrgh―!!!

“….”

Gack, gack….

“….”
“….”

Once more, only a heavy silence remained, as it had been before.

“…Ah, how heartless.”

The hand that had been strangling his throat released, brushing past the blade he’d drawn, and fell away.

“I wanted to go down together.”
“…I’ll go alone.”
“You’re going to take my friend like that?”
“He’s not your friend.”
“You don’t understand.”

A bitter laugh.

“You know nothing, coward.”
“….”
“He is necessary to this place.”
“….”
“Without him, the world will become Hell….”

Words that fell like a curse.

“….”

Seme was left alone once more.

“…Let it all crumble to ruin….”

…The world had always been Hell.

Down there, where the long tail of a writhing fish lay submerged.

Seme turned his feet once more.

* * *

“Have you lost your mind?”
“Hm.”
“Seems like you have.”

Deep within the Swimming Pool, now stained crimson, Lee Yeon-woo muttered while held fast by a pale hand.

“My Hotel….”

This deranged Water Ghost had renovated the Swimming Pool without so much as asking permission.

“I suspected something like this might happen from the moment you were sealed away, but isn’t this taking things a bit far? It was already a deep pool, and now it’s practically become a scuba diving zone.”
“Isn’t it cozy?”
“I won’t perish from it, but I should adjust the Staff Member placements just in case. The other Monster Guests here aren’t much of a concern, but if an unsuspecting person falls in, it could become quite the disaster.”
“My body simply swells further.”
“That was precisely the problem I was trying to convey, though it seems the message didn’t quite land.”

Most regrettable indeed.

‘Something felt off ever since I saw Basement Level 7… so the Aqua Park has undergone this transformation as well. What a troublesome matter.’

On the surface, there appeared to be little difference, so I had left it as it was. But now that I’ve immersed myself directly, I understand. The Aqua Park, too, has been altered into something else, much like Basement Level 7.

With arms crossed, Lee Yeon-woo asked.

“Does this happen simply because you exist?”
“If I desire it.”
“So you did modify it after all.”

Why were these Monster Guests so utterly devoid of common sense?

‘They must have been human once. Don’t they ever wish to reclaim those memories?’

I exhaled deeply, though no bubbles rose from my lungs.

“….”

In the end, the Lee Yeon-woo of this moment was no different from the Water Ghost.

“…Please let go now. The young guests must have been quite frightened.”

The Water Ghost naturally refused.

“You show far too much favoritism.”
“Despite appearances, I consider myself a reasonable being, and I prefer those who conduct themselves reasonably.”
“Yet you’re my friend, and all you ever do is scold me.”
“If you behave properly, I’ll speak to you kindly as well, won’t I?”

The audacity of turning the tables like that.

“You need to conduct yourself properly.”
“….”

The Wet Person, whose eyes had been blinking like a tiger’s, soon narrowed those violet eyes into a graceful curve.

“…Fine.”
“Is that so?”
“Not bad at all.”

The strangling grip softened gradually.

“We do enjoy such things….”

I wonder if they’d ever heard that their tastes were truly peculiar.

‘Whether it’s my imagination or not, the Monster Guests seem to particularly enjoy coercive situations.’

It wasn’t just this Water Ghost. The Tasteless Guest was the same, and so was the Lover of Dawn. They became far more compliant when Lee Yeon-woo treated them like children or students rather than as proper guests.

Yet this wasn’t actually Lee Yeon-woo’s preferred approach.

“Entangling myself with you all is quite exhausting….”
“Originally, I was simply going to kill you.”
“That’s hardly a statement I can overlook. Kill whom, those students?”
“No. You.”
“I see.”

And now, of all times.

“You’re hesitating over something like that?”
“If I kill you now, I’ll incur considerable wrath.”
“Do you know how many resources it takes to resurrect someone once they’ve died?”
“Right, I really don’t want to be scolded by you.”
“How admirable.”
“Your proposal isn’t bad either.”

Though it seemed rather poor to me.

‘Poor enough to drag an innocent person into the water.’

Perhaps sensing Lee Yeon-woo’s reluctance, The Wet Person laughed.

“I’d prefer to stay attached to your breath. I wish it were my place. Even if my tail remains submerged in water, all water must be one.”
“Must all the water in the world belong to you?”
“If it runs deep, then yes, it must.”

He added further.

“And above all….”

The Wet Person glanced upward and smiled.

“Doesn’t this seem far more entertaining?”
“…?”

Perhaps it was my imagination.

“….”

Through the blood-red water, I glimpsed a figure.

“…This,”

This madman.

‘What is this place, and how did you crawl in here…!!’

I tried to scream, but in that same instant, The Wet Person’s lower jaw tore open, and the words never escaped my lips. Above and below the swimming pool, in every direction—nothing but lunatics.

* * *

“―Cough,”

*SPLASH!!*
Lee Yeon-woo surfaced from the water and vomited.

“Ugh, hack, gasp…!”
“Lee Yeon-woo, are you alright? Can you breathe?”
“Hack, wheeze…!”
“Rawi, help us out here.”

Rawi, who had been waiting for them all this time, exhaled in relief and pulled Seme’s hand toward the edge.

“Is everyone still alive?”
“Lee Yeon-woo looks like he’s about to die, so maybe keep quiet.”
“That’s precisely why I asked.”

Rawi’s face contorted.

“Damn it, what’s with this appearance again….”

Though hidden beneath gloved hands, blood streamed freely. Everything else looked far from normal. Blood was visibly spreading across the blue surface of the Swimming Pool.

“Won’t he die from blood loss like this?”

Beyond the face, one leg was damaged. One shoulder mangled. The neck was in tatters. The inside of his clothes looked equally dire.

“At least his heart doesn’t appear to have been torn out like last time.”
“But at this rate, he could still die….”
“Did I mishear something?”
“The hemorrhage sites are too extensive and numerous.”

As Seme tried to support him, Lee Yeon-woo pushed him away.

“….”
“…I’m sorry, but you really don’t look fine at all.”

Still, it was clear that Lee Yeon-woo’s mind remained sharp. His face was twisted in agony, yet even through such an expression, he conveyed the intent: ‘I’m fine, so don’t make a fuss.’

Seme sighed and called out to Rawi.

“Will you carry him?”
“I’m beginning to wonder if I’m being cursed.”
“Cursed? By whom?”
“By Lee Yeon-woo….”
“It’s fine. You’re not.”

Lee Yeon-woo, who had been listening quietly to their exchange, exhaled deeply through his nose and rose to his feet.

“Wait—he can stand on those legs?”

Rawi was astounded, but Seme merely furrowed his brow.

“It’s one of the defining advantages of a Blood Mage—the ability to keep the body functional even after sustaining fatal injuries….”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing being possible.”
“There aren’t any mages skilled enough to manipulate blood to this degree. Replacing damaged organs with liquid blood is far from simple.”
“Then, wait a moment.”

Upon hearing Seme’s words, Rawi looked at Lee Yeon-woo.

“I heard that using Blood Magic causes pain every time?”
“….”
“….”

Lee Yeon-woo turned his gaze away and summoned the Staff Member who had been waiting by the Swimming Pool.

“….”
“….”

Upon catching his gesture, the Staff Members silently nodded and began wiping away the pooled blood. The naturalness of their movements left Rawi momentarily speechless.

“You’re just going to be carried…?”
“….”
“I understand, so don’t look so stern about it.”
“….”
“Do you dislike receiving help?”
“….”
“Hmm, indeed.”

Had Lee Yeon-woo been capable of speech, I would have protested, ‘You expect me to be carried by someone?’ But unfortunately, my lower jaw was torn open and my tongue had been ripped out. Speech was impossible.

Seme’s face twisted as he watched me weakly wave my hand to call them over.

“…The fact that you can’t recover immediately suggests you’re running low on blood, doesn’t it? When we first met in the basement, you regenerated so rapidly we couldn’t even see your injuries.”
“….”
“A Blood Mage with abundant blood is nearly invincible, but a Blood Mage in a state of anemia becomes vulnerable to even minor wounds. You’re clearly the latter case… and these injuries are far from minor.”
“….”
“You understand what I’m saying, don’t you.”

Seme grew increasingly frustrated.

“Even if I’m a mage, my blood isn’t without efficacy. I recover faster than Rawi, who’s merely human, so I can offer my blood to—”

Tap!

“….”

I tapped Seme’s forehead like knocking on a door.

“….”
“…Really….”

Meeting the same gesture and gaze from last night, Seme’s words faltered.

“…You really have no intention of using anyone else’s blood, do you, Lee Yeon-woo.”
“….”
“You’re going to die doing this.”
“….”
“You’re really going to die….”

* * *

“….”

Seme had to be grateful that I couldn’t speak.

‘Is he forcing me into illegal blood donation right now?’

He was now certain that he had truly stumbled into a world of absolute madness.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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