Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 142

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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 142.

During the process of physical enhancement, Lee Yeon-woo had distinguished between two versions of himself: “Lee Yeon-woo” and “Hotel General Manager Lee Yeon-woo.”

The former was the baseline version, suffering computational overload from human morality and existential anguish, while the latter resembled a manager (GM) version thoroughly optimized for the Hotel’s systems and regulations.

As a result.

“Hello?”
“No.”
“Oh. Hello.”
“Yes.”

Lee Yeon-woo now lay gracefully upon the Bedroom in the Manager’s Quarters.

“Perhaps I’ll rest for five more minutes.”

It wasn’t the right moment for the “Hotel General Manager” to take center stage anyway. The Hotel now ran smoothly enough according to its systems even without me. And I’d already arranged the basic tutorials for the Human Guests.

‘A brief respite poses no problem.’

Languid breath dispersed into the cozy air of the Manager’s Quarters.

“Ahh….”

For the first time in ages, my mind felt at ease.

“Rest. Just rest.”
“Thank you, Coco.”

Coco grasped the blanket in her mouth and drew it up to cover Lee Yeon-woo’s neck.

“Hush now, hush now.”
“I have no intention of falling asleep.”
“Is that so?”
“Perhaps.”

Lee Yeon-woo readily accepted Coco’s consideration.

The compulsion to prioritize others’ wellbeing above my own life. The guilt of dragging innocent people into this hellish place.

That chronic moral dilemma had evaporated as though cache data had been purged.

‘With irrational anguish gone, the processor’s computational speed has increased exponentially. Was this the effect of backing up the human conscience that had consumed 30% of my system resources to Lover of Dawn, which could be called external storage?’

I murmured, sensing the ‘portion’ of myself that now existed apart from me.

“The blood that entered there is also flowing stably….”
“Coco. Guaranteed.”
“That puts my mind even more at ease.”

That was the 30% responsible for Lee Yeon-woo’s compulsions and repressions. He had resurrected while leaving corresponding blood within Lover of Dawn.

What filled the empty space left by removing that heavy partition was the rationality of an administrator controlling this vast system and the arrogance of Belmarés.

‘Now that the lag of unnecessary emotions has vanished, this is the optimal state to orchestrate everything with the utmost coldness and hygiene.’

Yet there was one thing.

“The sensation is peculiar.”

Feeling my portion existing within another’s body.

“It’s like sharing a server with Lover of Dawn, one might say.”
“Fragmentation?”
“That is not the case. I too worried whether a personality conflict bug would arise if this occurred, but the primary consciousness remains singular. The operating system that perceives the world and makes judgments has merely switched to administrator mode.”

There was no other ‘Lee Yeon-woo’ remaining within, nor did ‘Lee Yeon-woo’ and ‘Hotel General Manager Lee Yeon-woo’ experience ego fragmentation.

I had simply gained the authority to remotely control and coordinate the target whose blood I had fed.

‘If there’s no risk of ego collapse, I can instrumentalize my blood however I wish.’

It’s unfortunate that modifying the code is quite difficult since my opponent is the 16th-century classic Labyrinth, the White Raven, but even that strikes me as a fascinating process.

“At this level, I believe I could safely experiment with using my blood on others. Could I create medicine? Food would still be difficult, but if I refine pills to the size of Gongjindan….”
“Hush now.”
“Don’t try to put me to sleep—think about this with me. Isn’t it intriguing? If I dilute and refine it to a level that ordinary people can digest, I could create the legendary panacea itself.”
“Hush!!”

I won’t fall asleep, but I closed my eyes anyway. Simply closing one’s eyes dissipates considerable fatigue.

“Ever since my resurrection, I’ve been laughing constantly—it seems when I’m in Hotel General Manager mode, my emotions are particularly heightened. I’m beginning to understand the sentiment of children who smile at falling leaves.”
“Children?”
“Disregard that.”

Counting the tutorial, I’m effectively fifty years old. My absent conscience pricked at me. Even with my conscience away, comparing this old codger to a child stung with sudden guilt.

Though that feeling passed quickly enough.

“Then this is purely genuine elation, isn’t it.”

He assessed his own emotions.

“It was twenty-six years.”
“Yes.”
“A full twenty-six years.”

The span of time I’ve endured this godforsaken, inhospitable world of Ho-won, boasting its merciless difficulty—chewing through it, tearing it apart, savoring it, all alone.

“My emotions are truly overwhelming.”

With my eyes still closed, Lee Yeon-woo placed his hand over mine.

The “Hotel General Manager mode,” completely synchronized with the Hotel itself, read the real-time ping and movement trajectories of users moving within this vast map like a living minimap, even with eyes shut.

“In this place I treasure most, three other users have finally appeared besides me.”
“Coco. My emotions are truly overwhelming.”
“You witnessed that dynamic evasion maneuver yourself. When the real-world physics engine combines with system corrections, the smooth frame rate that was unimaginable in the dot-graphic era emerges. The impact sensation and optimization are truly excellent.”
“Yes.”

Following the previous laughter of “hehe,” a second laugh had emerged. Lee Yeon-woo opened his eyes to find the Cat already perched upon his belly. He grasped those soft cheeks and kneaded them gently.

“I wasn’t the only one excited, was I?”
“That’s correct!”

Coco rolled within Lee Yeon-woo’s hands. He, in turn, stroked the Cat’s pliant body with affection.

In the space where that painfully human dilemma—the inability to harm others—had been wholesale deleted, there flowed only a pure joy toward the Human Guests who would share in this game alongside me.

“Kwon Do-hyun must surely have been deeply impressed by this meticulous, customized tutorial mechanic.”

Yet Kwon Do-hyun himself—the youth who had been Rawi mere days ago—was tearing at his hair in utter disgust. But the neural filter within Lee Yeon-woo’s mind, now operating in Hotel General Manager mode, interpreted this as user immersion.

“That brief respite was pleasant. Let us enjoy a proper rest whenever time permits.”
“Very good.”

Lee Yeon-woo raised his torso and extended his hand, silently shaking the golden bell with a soft chime.

“If you would.”

Staff Members approached to help Lee Yeon-woo to his feet, dressed him in an impeccably pressed suit, and arranged his disheveled hair to perfect angles.

Other Staff Members set black tea upon the Table in the Manager’s Quarters, then vanished without a sound.

“Later, we might invite the Wet Person or the Tasteless Guest to dine together.”
“No taste guest. Dislike.”
“Is that gentleman not soon to become a formal Staff Member? Let us regard this as a company dinner welcoming our new colleague and view it favorably.”
“Hmph.”

The aroma of freshly steeped tea leaves was quite pleasant. As I drew several sips into my blood and sent them down into my lungs, I felt a vibration of delight emanating from the Wet Person lodged within one of them.

[Sixth Sense]
‘The Wet Person demands more sugar.’

So it was throwing a tantrum rather than expressing joy. Lee Yeon-woo ignored it.

‘This situation is a highly rational operational structure that benefits everyone.’

To safely return Kwon Do-hyun to his original world, I ultimately had to fill the Nightmare according to this Hotel’s system rules and proceed through the formal checkout procedure.

Then isn’t this the natural course of action?

“To accumulate Nightmares, one must fundamentally be exposed to an environment of extreme fear and stress.”

In other words, the conclusion emerged that his act of placing the Human Guests at the brink of life and death was, paradoxically, the most efficient method to send them home safely.

“Slowing the pace of resource acquisition due to sentimental internal conflict would be the most irresponsible form of management—one that steals time from the users themselves.”
“How profoundly moving….”
“But remember this, Coco.”

Lee Yeon-woo added.

“We did not account for permanent injuries or physical death.”
“Ung.”
“Of course not. Users dying during the Game is something that should never happen. If the difficulty were that punishing, it would be no better than the old Ho-won.”
“Ung-ing.”
“Maintaining appropriate tension while ensuring no harm to their health—that is the true purpose of the Game’s existence.”

Conversely, if permanent injuries and death were excluded, then this fear was merely an essential ordeal users had to endure to reach the ending.

‘Why did I act that way? This approach benefits us both far more.’

When Lee Yeon-woo was in Hotel General Manager mode off, he had suffered pangs of conscience and tried to shield users from fear. But now, with the mode activated, he felt no such compunction.

“The Game was desperately in need of new user influx anyway.”
“Yes.”

Coco agreed on that point.

“Do you remember the painful past when users fled en masse due to unreasonable difficulty?”
“Yes.”
“Do not mistake my current state as meaning I will stubbornly side only with you, Coco. An administrator must always maintain neutrality, and this Game must become accessible to casual players so that even beginners can enjoy it.”
“Yes….”

Coco reluctantly yielded her position.

“It is time for us to set this Game in motion with our own hands, Coco.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Though unintended, now that these distinguished guests have arrived, we must ensure they fully enjoy the Hotel’s content before their departure.”
“Coco. Resolve.”
“It appears they are gradually adapting to the tutorial system, which is fortunate.”

Lee Yeon-woo set down his teacup with a faint smile.

Before his eyes, three users and the Timgae operatives probing the Hotel’s existence from outside—every object and variable aligned with crystalline clarity, like a monitor display.

“If escape is impossible, then let us enjoy it together.”

Had I known my job satisfaction would rise so dramatically, I would have embraced the “Hotel General Manager Mode” far earlier. The sensation of focusing solely on flawless system operations was exhilarating beyond measure.

“Now then.”

Lee Yeon-woo, his condition restored by adequate rest, rose slowly from his seat while adjusting his glasses. Across his pallid, composed face, luminous golden eyes reflected every presence within the Hotel.

He fixed his gaze precisely upon the guest probing the map’s boundaries.

“Thank you for visiting our Hotel.”
“….”
“How may I be of service?”

Thus the Hotel General Manager addressed The Hanging Man before him.

* * *

▶ [SYSTEM] Tutorial Complete! You have acquired the fundamentals of combat (Marksmanship/Defense/Evasion).

Kwon Do-hyun waved away the thin smoke rising from his pistol.

“What… I was told you were a consulting advisor.”

He asked, bewildered.

“You fight really well, don’t you?”
“Well, adults have their circumstances.”
“Freezing to death circumstances… You’re twisting the meaning of ‘military service’ on purpose.”
“Ah, it’s a long story to explain. Your Uncle here has been juggling two jobs for a while now~”

My uncle nodded with an air of nonchalance.

“Alright, you’ve warmed up your combat instincts enough. Now let’s move.”
“Do you have a phone? A phone? We should call first. Won’t the Police come here?”
“That Police friend I mentioned earlier should be waiting in the 1st Floor Lobby. He’s remarkably skilled at divination, so once we meet up, we’ll be in good hands.”
“What kind of Police does divination? Really, only strange people end up here.”

Kwon Do-hyun understood. This was a place where only ‘strange people’ could exist—where even the Police couldn’t reach. Watching him grasp this, my uncle let out his characteristic laugh.

“Don’t waste your attention on useless things, and don’t let your guard down. Just stay right behind your Uncle.”
“You’re being overprotective. You’ve missed so many family gatherings, I guess you forgot—I’m eighteen.”
“No, you should be nineteen? You have particularly sharp eyes, so your Uncle worries. I’m afraid you might go mad seeing something beyond your station.”
“Damn it….”

A chill ran down my spine—I couldn’t help but curse. So there really were things in this gloomy place that could drive you mad just by looking at them.

“…Understood. Let’s find this friend or Police officer first. I don’t want to spend another second here. I was sleeping peacefully, and now this.”

The two of them boarded the ornate brass-colored Elevator at the end of the Corridor. As Kwon Do-hyun pressed the button, the heavy iron doors began to close with a clean mechanical sound.

And just before the doors shut completely.

“….”

The lights in the Corridor outside the Elevator went out in succession, darkness crept closer, and then the doors sealed shut. Cold sweat trickled down Kwon Do-hyun’s back.

“…Just now, in the Corridor….”
“Hm? Was there something?”
“You didn’t see it? Something approached when the lights went out.”
“Ah, that. Don’t look at things like that.”
“So only I saw it?”
“If you see it wrong, you’ll really get hurt~”
“I think I’m going mad….”

My uncle’s demeanor, the sensations lingering in my body, my mind’s inexplicable ease in accepting this deranged space—everything about it felt profoundly wrong.

Kwon Do-hyun tightened his grip on the pistol in his hand.

‘Can I escape from here…?’

Dong― Dong―
An ominous bell toll echoing from somewhere.

The heavy resonance against my ears announced the stroke of midnight.

* * *

▶ [SYSTEM] Objective Updated: Take the Elevator down to the 1st Floor Lobby and rendezvous with your Police friend.

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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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