Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 64

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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 64.

The Elevator doors slid open, and Lee Yeon-woo stepped out into the corridor.

“….”

The first priority was crystal clear.

‘I need to keep my mouth shut.’

But the uninvited guest perched on my shoulder showed no intention of cooperating.

“What?”
‘Has she lost her mind?’

She made noise despite knowing full well that she shouldn’t. And this wasn’t even her first time here.

Coco rolled across my shoulder with a purring rumble, attempting to smooth over the entire situation with her cuteness—a display that was nothing short of infuriating.

‘This wretched cat.’
“What?”
“….”

I pressed my thumb firmly against my temple. The start was already precarious.

‘I would be most grateful if you would keep quiet as well.’
“….”
‘I am most grateful.’

The 14th Floor resembled Room 14, yet the very air felt different.

Wires draped across the ceiling, weathered control panels mounted on the walls, and monitors that had long since gone dark—it was a space that seemed to blend a defunct research laboratory with a surveillance center.

‘There are more objects and terrain features here.’

Rusted iron plates and shattered tiles scattered the space, along with occasional examination tables stained by blood. Unlike Room 14, where concrete sealed every wall, this place featured glass partitions that offered a clear view of the interior.

As I took a few steps forward, blood-soaked writing became visible beyond the glass wall.

‘Perhaps that is….’

Lee Yeon-woo drew closer, fixing my gaze upon it.

“….”

It was a bas-relief mural carved using blood as pigment.

Though not executed with exceptional skill, the scene that consumed both wall and ceiling emanated an eerie grandeur. Within the image, countless concepts could be discerned.

‘…Did the Game feel like this as well?’

I had encountered similar defaced murals scattered throughout the 14th Floor.

Yet 2D pixel imagery and reality’s murals diverged fundamentally in resolution. When crude graphics barely discernible in form acquired the texture of reality, they approached with an entirely different oppressive weight.

Only the description that appeared when I attempted to interact with this image in the Game remained vivid.

[A mural depicting Heaven.]

Lee Yeon-woo felt bewilderment each time.

‘What part of this could possibly be called Heaven?’

No matter how many times I examined it, I could not comprehend it.

What had the playable character witnessed that compelled them to designate this as ‘Heaven’? No matter how much I pondered, the identity of the Hotel General Manager remained shrouded in fog.

“….”
‘The Tasteless Guest must have seen this image as well.’

Lee Yeon-woo carefully opened the door. With a sharp creak, the rusted hinges released a piercing cry.

“…Ah.”

Found it.

‘This is definitely a different place from the mural room I saw last time.’

The texture of the blood painted on the wall felt subtly different, and my premonition had proven correct.

Lee Yeon-woo picked up a faded piece of paper that had fallen to the floor. In the game, it was merely an item that printed as ‘materials containing various experimental records’.

But now that this had become reality, I could decipher the detailed truth beyond the text.

‘It’s heavily damaged.’

The paper, stained with blood, looked as though it might crumble at any moment.

‘I don’t have the luxury of leisurely deciphering it here.’

Lee Yeon-woo shoved the paper directly into my inventory.

Whether I found a way to restore it later or examined it somewhere safe, collecting it now was the wisest course. Understanding what had transpired in this place was directly tied to survival.

‘So where else.’

I rummaged through the Experimental Room with practiced hands. The instinct for finding useful items had already become second nature. I had spent enough time in this Hotel to know.

‘Ah, here too….’
“Yes.”
‘Please.’
“Yes.”
“….”

After briefly processing Coco’s response, Lee Yeon-woo withdrew a single syringe from deep within a document box.

A small, thin syringe. Through the dusty transparent exterior, a strangely undulating liquid was visible. It seemed both repulsive and sacred.

[Purification Sample]

An essential item for clearing the 14th Floor.

This place was structured so that merely remaining here corrupted both body and mind. The longer one stayed, the more bizarre auditory hallucinations manifested, noise infiltrated one’s vision, and eventually one lost all sense of direction, one’s sense of self collapsed, and death followed.

‘Every time contamination accumulates, I need to use this to recover….’

The problem was capacity.

‘Even when playing the Game, this was always a frustration.’

A single syringe couldn’t completely wash away contamination. Now that this had become reality, the recovery speed would undoubtedly be slower, so the answer was to stockpile purification samples whenever I spotted them.

Lee Yeon-woo cautiously stepped out of the Room and surveyed the surroundings.

“….”

The monitors and panels lining the Corridor were all dark, as if by mutual agreement.

‘That’s another part I need to be careful about.’

Even if they appeared dead, some were still very much alive.

They were organically connected to surveillance cameras and ‘Watchers’, sharing an intruder’s location in real time. The moment I entered their field of vision, my meticulously crafted strategy would descend into chaos.

On this 14th Floor, there existed six types of Watchers in total.

Listener/Watcher,
Analyzer/Archivist,
Controller.

And finally, the Omni-Tracker.

‘I haven’t even laid eyes on the Omni-Tracker yet….’

It was better for my wellbeing not to encounter it.

Their natures varied—from those that actively hunted on foot to those that held their ground. By realistic probability, what I was most wary of were the mobile types with high variability.

‘If I can just grasp the patterns, I’ll rarely encounter anything besides Listener and Watcher. As long as I don’t have to force my way into a Room.’

There were barely over a hundred patterns at most. Since the Experimental Room appeared right at the start, my options had already narrowed to seventy-one.

Just like during the chase in Room 14, the structure changed with each entry, but it couldn’t fool the mental calculator of a twenty-six-year veteran player.

“….”

As I continued walking carefully, Coco hopped down from my shoulder and followed silently behind me, moving with that characteristically soft, padded gait of a cat.

I felt puzzled and inwardly asked.

‘You don’t mind not riding on my shoulder?’
[Yes.]
“…?”

A semi-transparent system window suddenly materialized in the air before me. What kind of Dokkaebi trick was this? I alternated my gaze between Coco on the floor and the window floating in empty space.

‘Did you send this message, Coco?’
[Yes.]
[Coco.]
‘I see.’

As a co-owner of the Hotel within the Horror Game, it made sense that Coco would possess such a convenient telepathic function. Yes, it made sense, but….

“…?”

…Then why hadn’t this been shown to me until now?

‘Do you dislike conversing with me?’
[No?]
‘I understand.’

I never knew such an ability existed.

‘With this, there’s certainly no risk of making a commotion.’

Above all, Coco was moving with absolutely deadened footfalls. As long as he didn’t deliberately cause trouble, I could safely disregard the risk of being detected by the auditory sentinel.

As long as he didn’t deliberately cause trouble, that is.

“….”

I looked down at Coco. His mouth formed a perfect O, and he appeared deeply aggrieved.

[I feel wronged.]
‘A sense of injustice.’

In truth, I wasn’t entirely averse to discussing the matter with him.

I had carefully smoothed away my rough edges, forcibly straightened my crooked path, and managed to carve out a reasonably stable existence. Yet here I was, caught in this sudden catastrophe, dying repeatedly—well, what could I say?

[I’m… not sure.]
‘I don’t quite understand.’
[Coco.]
‘Yes, that’s fine.’

I had no desire to broach such a topic in a situation like this.

‘Your vocabulary has certainly improved. You’re doing well.’
[No. I feel wronged.]
‘Ah, I understand.’
[I feel wronged.]
‘Yes.’

As if I could trust that spiteful co-operator.

‘Then why did you simply listen to my words all this time without responding?’
[Wronged!]
‘Indeed, that appears to be the case.’

Before spite came confusion, though it wasn’t something I needed to dwell on right now.

‘For now… I’ll choose to interpret it as a kindness on your part. Thank you.’
[Yes.]
‘For now.’
[Yes?]

The structure of this place resembled Room 14. Countless chambers repeated endlessly, and certain sections stretched infinitely or twisted into grotesque configurations.

For those ignorant of the pattern, it would be an inescapable labyrinth—but my assessment differed.

‘Still, it’s easier to distinguish patterns compared to Room 14.’
[No?]
‘That’s an opinion I cannot comprehend.’

How could one even make such a comparison when the rooms were so distinctly different in type? Compared to Room 14, where all the rooms looked identical, the 14th Floor with its visually distinct differences was far more accommodating.

‘Looking at it this way, this game takes pride in itself.’
[Yes.]
‘Indeed.’

So that’s why the difficulty was designed this way. Lee Yeon-woo felt a fresh wave of sorrow wash over him as he reflected on the years he had spent wrestling with this game alone.

‘If only the developer had adjusted the difficulty in a more humane manner, I wouldn’t have suffered so much by now.’

Just then, a sharp electronic sound pierced Lee Yeon-woo’s ears as he surveyed his surroundings.

‘Oh no.’

He made a gesture to cover his ears.

‘The Control Zone is already appearing.’

The electronic interference and light in this place accelerated the contamination rate. The contamination level displayed on the interface began to rise at an alarming pace. With only a single purification sample obtained, this was quite a predicament.

‘With my inventory so depleted, I cannot venture in there.’
[Danger. Danger.]
‘I’ll search for more items.’

The Control Zone and Server Room—this space tangled with countless surveillance cameras and wiring was nothing short of a minefield. The moment one was exposed to a camera, all the surrounding sentries would activate.

‘It’s not just contamination levels I need to worry about. To safely clear this area, an ID card is essential.’

But it was worth taking the risk. There was a high probability that essential items needed to capture the Central Control Room would spawn in a Server Room like that.

‘If this is the case, the number of conceivable patterns has already been reduced to fifty-nine.’

It was uncommon for the Experimental Room and Control Zone to appear consecutively at the beginning….

“….”
“Hello?”
‘I should think about this for a moment.’

Lee Yeon-woo already felt exhaustion creeping in. The mere thought of gathering every item and reaching the Central Control Room made his chest tighten with dread.

* * *

The Tasteless Guest in the Dining Area.

Before him lay an opulent feast of the world’s finest delicacies, arranged in lavish abundance.

Silver candelabras flickered with gentle flame, their light dancing across polished silver cutlery that gleamed like mirrors. Above the table drifted the intoxicating aroma of rich, complex dishes—the kind that could bewitch anyone.

He brought the wine slowly to his lips.
“….”

Nothing. No taste at all. The liquid touching his tongue left only a faint chill and weightless sensation as it slid down his throat.

Perhaps those screams he’d witnessed beyond the glass walls of that repugnant laboratory on the 14th Floor had tasted far more vivid. Had he still been his former self….

Those alone would have sufficed to fill his belly generously.

“….”

…Yes, that was it. He had already relearned hunger. Now he could no longer satiate his appetite with the screams of others. Oh, benevolent and cunning god of malice.

Ah, do you know? What exquisite anticipation this is.

“May I eat?”

He waited eagerly for the moment of invitation.

The moment a single drop of your blood would fall.

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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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