Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 66

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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 66.

A box stained with blood-dark crimson, display shelves thick with dust, and a weathered Cabinet.

In the still, breathless air, the musty scent of aged paper mingled with the acrid reek of corroded metal. Between the irregular flicker of ceiling lights, a crimson glow seeped through, casting sinister shadows across each filing folder.

Something was circling.

“….”

Thud, thud, thud.

“….”

Thud….

The two feet in black dress shoes moved with meticulous precision, and the pristine white research coat hung immaculately.

And where a head should have been, a surveillance camera was mounted instead.

“….”

Within the pitch-black metal lens, bloodshot eyes were embedded.

The iris, split into four segments, rotated slowly in different directions. Each time that gaze swept across the disorienting structures and gaps, even the dust hidden between stacks of documents seemed to writhe with life.

Once the gaze touched the surface of a document, the letters written on the paper squirmed like insects, crawling downward in succession. The letters that fell to the floor decayed and crumbled in an instant, leaving behind stains that resembled bloodstains.

“….”

Each time it stopped in place and looked around, a horrifying grinding sound echoed as the heavy eyeballs rolled within the metal shell.

At some point, it slowly lifted its gaze.

* * *

“….”

Creak.

Light seeped through the gap in the Cabinet door, trembling faintly. It wasn’t the flickering of the fixtures—it was the Watcher’s gaze sweeping across the room.

Lee Yeon-woo opened his eyes to narrow slits in the darkness.

‘Hearing it in person is far more unsettling.’

Those eyelidless orbs, rotating ceaselessly.

The bestiary noted that its segmented irises created the illusion of seeing the entire room simultaneously, but the reality of its vision before me was far too vast to dismiss as mere illusion.

‘That obsessive nature remains unchanged.’

The Watcher circled the room slowly, its elongated fingers caressing the structures. The sharp scraping of nails against the surface cut through the air so clearly that my ears itched.

‘It’s a sizable room—it will linger here for quite some time.’

As expected, its gaze never ceased. Wherever its sight fell, the air seemed to solidify. It felt as though that congealed light would force its way through the gaps and snare me.

“….”

Lee Yeon-woo closed and opened his eyes slowly. The stale air made it difficult to steady his breathing. Dust clinging to the tip of his nose threatened to trigger a cough.

Lee Yeon-woo clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth.

‘My condition is still unstable.’

The Room 14 Monsters within my body were providing aid, but I wasn’t yet in a position to relax.

‘They’re buying me time, not eliminating the penalty itself.’

In that moment.

“….”
“….”

The Watcher came to a halt directly in front of the Cabinet.

The enormous eye tilted slowly, as if cocking its head in confusion. The pupil trembled, and the segmented irises clattered against one another with a clicking sound.

“….”

Lee Yeon-woo held his breath. The arm cradling Coco tensed imperceptibly.

“….”

Thud.
Fortunately, it lifted its foot and moved on.

“….”

Thud, thud, thud….
As the footsteps receded, an icy silence descended upon the room.

“…hah.”

Once I confirmed The Watcher had completely departed, I pushed myself out from the Cabinet.

‘This insane Hotel.’
[What?]
‘Yes.’

Nothing here possessed even a shred of sanity.

* * *

Something weighed upon my chest, creating an oppressive discomfort. The contract penalty, merely suspended, relentlessly constricted my state. It felt like enduring nausea within a vicious hangover.

Yet even under such dire circumstances,

“Ah.”

I succeeded in discovering an identification card.

‘So it was here all along.’
[Yes.]
‘And this is only the first card.’

Entering the Central Control Room required a minimum of three ID cards.

But to avoid a bad ending and complete a “successful clear,” I needed to collect an additional sixteen items—memory cards and closure records included—for a total of nineteen.

It meant I had to move without pause.

‘From a player’s perspective who enjoys diving into lore, it would be welcome, but when it becomes a reality where I have to run myself, this kind of labor is exhausting. I wish they’d patch the difficulty even now.’
[Huh?]
‘At this point, I need to accept reality. Ho-won may have deep worldbuilding, but it’s a work riddled with bugs and poor gameplay. It exhausts people far too much.’

What good is a game if it isn’t fun?

‘Anyway, things have gone smoothly so far.’

I picked up a purification sample. I’d collected four so far. For the stability of my activities, I needed to use one around now.

But my hand froze as I held the syringe.

“….”
“….”
“…?”

Coco looked up at me quietly. Her gaze was unmistakably intentional, yet I could only scratch the back of my neck with an awkward expression.

‘Where am I supposed to inject this?’

That was the problem.

‘Before, I used the neck.’
[Yes.]
‘But this is undeniably reality now.’
[Yes. Yes?]

I met Coco’s gaze—the one that seemed to ask “what’s the problem?”—with a subtle unease. It was admittedly absurd to be squeamish now after already enduring all the suffering that awaited me, but this was a different matter entirely.

‘Injecting a syringe directly into the neck is, realistically speaking, extraordinarily dangerous.’

It’s not for nothing that games and movies come with warnings saying “do not attempt this.”

They plunge syringes into necks without hesitation in fiction, but in reality, the neck is densely packed with the carotid artery, jugular vein, and a lethal bundle of nerves. A single misdirected puncture could result in massive hemorrhage or fatal shock.

‘Even specialists approach this area with ultrasound guidance and extreme caution, yet I’m supposed to stab an unknown compound into it without even looking.’
[Huh?]
‘As someone with a background in biomedical research, I can’t help but feel an instinctive revulsion.’
“…??”
‘Are you taken aback?’

The irony wasn’t lost on Coco—here I was, readily jabbing absurdly large blood collection needles into my body without hesitation, yet drawing the line at a single thin syringe.

But I had my reasons for the objection.

‘Extracting blood and introducing a pharmaceutical agent to trigger chemical reactions in the body are entirely different matters. The inner elbow, where blood flow is abundant, would be far safer….’
[Hello?]
‘I’m not entirely certain what you’re trying to convey, but continuing that line of thought—if the drug’s efficacy is nullified because the game doesn’t permit it, that would be equally disastrous. I’d rather not end up as someone with a needle stuck in their neck for nothing.’
[Hello!]
‘That’s precisely why I’m doing this, Coco.’
[Yes? Yes.]
[Hello…?]
“Hmm.”

After a brief internal struggle, I resigned myself and rolled up my shirt sleeve.

‘Besides, I’ve already been ground up by a chainsaw.’

It would be excessive affectation to suddenly concern myself with medical ethics or safety at this point.

‘I’ll try the arm first, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll inject into the neck instead. A different injection site won’t kill me outright. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’

Thus, after a brief clinical experiment, I arrived at the answer.

“….”
‘Ah, indeed.’

The neck was the correct target.

* * *

Coco fixed her gaze upon Lee Yeon-woo.

“….”

Lee Yeon-woo met her eyes in return.

‘Is there a problem?’
[….]
‘Is it an obstacle to conquering the Central Control Room?’
[….]
[No?]
‘Then let’s discuss it later.’
[Yes.]

Coco added something more.

[Yes.]

It was as though white fabric had brushed past.

* * *

[A card of seasons mingled with the wind]

* * *

Beneath the shadow of the Stone Walls, the accumulated snowdrifts lay utterly motionless.

The Boy ground his feet irritably against the frozen ground. As the heir to this land, he harbored no doubt that flowers should bloom and ice should melt whenever he desired.

“Why does winter still linger? Did you not say that spring had arrived?”

At his sharp-edged complaint, the Unknown Elder Woman let out a low laugh.

Her wrinkled hand descended upon the Boy’s shoulder like a snowflake. Though rough as ancient bark, it conveyed an endlessly solid strength.

“Spring does not obey your commands.”
“….”
“What can be done when one is so impatient.”

The Boy lifted his head as if he could not comprehend.

“I was taught that the authority I possess can even turn the water channels of mountains and rivers.”
“How impatient you are.”

She gazed toward the ridge and spoke with unhurried ease.

“No matter how impatient you grow, no matter how you shout or brandish your blade, that snow will only melt when its time has come. Time is not under your dominion—it is rather like a great river in which you must breathe, a current that carries you along.”
“I am….”
“No one can command time as they wish.”

What the Boy felt that day was an unfamiliar helplessness.

“Yes, you understand well now.”
“….”

Yet it was not a humiliating defeat.

When he released the grip he had forced upon his clenched fists, he finally perceived the faint scent of earth mingling with the bitter wind—the aging of all things, the waiting, and at last their dissolution.

The snow had not yet melted, but the Boy no longer burned with rage.

* * *

[Memory of the Thaw: Spring Snow’s Banquet]
[This recipe is already registered in the compendium.]

* * *

Beep—

“….”

With a brief mechanical sound, the door slid open.

Lee Yeon-woo stepped carefully into the room, and fortunately, no threatening sounds greeted him—no hum of server equipment or whir of surveillance cameras.

‘Perhaps it’s because this is the Server Room.’

The contamination level rose twice as fast as before. Lee Yeon-woo inserted another purification sample into his neck and passed between the rows of corpses in white coats.

“….”

What I discovered in the open drawer was none other than a syringe.

‘Not bad.’

It was the same purification sample I had just inserted into my neck.

‘That makes two samples now.’
[Yes.]
‘I really hope a card shows up soon.’

An ID card would do, a memory card would do. Even a closure record would suffice. Either way, it was a necessary item to conquer this place.

‘Ah.’

My gaze froze on one spot. A second ID card plugged into the server device.

‘Of all things….’
[Yes?]
‘It’s inserted into the terminal.’
[I see.]

If an item had fallen to the floor, I could simply pick it up. But if I forcibly removed a card that was actively connected to the server in real time, the situation would be entirely different.

‘The moment I pull it out, it will be flagged as an abnormal access attempt and an alarm will sound. The acoustic Watchers will swarm like homing missiles, and if the visual Watchers join in the chaos, mere hiding won’t be enough to survive.’
[Yes.]
‘But it feels wasteful to abandon the ID card I’ve finally found.’

I had a time limit. Fortunately, the Tasteless Guest hadn’t been summoned to this sector yet, and any items I collected would be preserved even if I had to leave.

‘Even if I have to retreat midway, it’s better to gather as much as possible as quickly as I can….’

As Lee Yeon-woo was about to draw his conclusion, another object entered his field of vision.

“….”
[Memory Card.]
‘A Memory Card, then.’

I had already received its help multiple times before.

‘Once or twice, perhaps.’

Was that right? My mind felt scattered—was it the chaos, or the corruption’s influence? I noticed my memories were becoming unreliable. I turned my attention back to the server apparatus.

“….”

My eyes rolled.
I rolled my eyes.

‘…There’s no reason to play strictly by the rules.’

If the game had become reality, shouldn’t I exploit that advantage to the fullest?

‘I don’t need to be particular about my methods.’

Here,
or there.

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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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