Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 68

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

Chapter 68.

They were called the Foundation.

A collective that raised the banner of cultural welfare promotion—yet their true nature was a malignant congregation of villains sprawled across the globe. Only when their downfall came did their desires finally surface.

They had sought to construct a paradise for the damned.

“….”

And so, when certainty became necessary, the Tasteless Guest discovered it in that ruin—among the wreckage of all that had been destroyed. A mural. Through the records left behind, I came to understand.

“…Yes, even in this narrow nation, there would be a Labyrinth connected to them.”

I harbored neither approval nor disapproval of them. Vulgar creatures who reduced even divinity to numerals and sought to imprison bloodlines within test tubes. And yet—the collective closest to blood itself.

Some of the vampires I cultivated fell to their temptation and perished. The gifts the Foundation occasionally sent were intriguing. I knew their persistence. They promised to make anything possible….

‘Tiresome madness.’
‘Tedious creatures.’
‘Yet they were entertaining.’

Only then did understanding begin to crystallize.

‘Now I comprehend who created that young Belmarés.’

It was you.

No wonder you could not be arrogant. You could not be revered, and you desired to become human. I understand now why you rejected that divine authority—the kind that would tempt even civilians. Because I already know what ‘amusing things’ you did, how you corrupted humanity….

Because I already know what ‘amusing things’ you did, how you corrupted humanity….

“…would it have been human?”
‘Perhaps a Dokkaebi captured from this narrow country long ago.’
‘That’s right, they say many spirits were procured from the Korean Empire.’
“The Korean Empire, so it wouldn’t be that old. It’s been some time since that name fell out of use.”
‘Spirits of the Empire live for centuries without difficulty.’
“No, no, no… it’s younger than that.”

At least, it certainly hadn’t lived past fifty years.

“It looked barely newborn….”

Due to Belmarés’s peculiarity, I couldn’t know for certain even after drinking its blood. Yet the ability to dimly sense that soul was a privilege I enjoyed as Riedmar, the strongest in the world.

“At most, it hadn’t lived past ten years. It could be five.”
‘Young, then.’
‘Quite young, isn’t it?’
‘Strange.’
“It could have been human before becoming a ‘Dokkaebi.’ Not that concept I call Migun here, but a true native spirit of this place….”

Had such a thing ever occurred?

“….”

…I should have listened more to that creature’s stories about this narrow country.

‘…Since a Dokkaebi is ultimately a spirit created through prolonged attention and devotion, if one considers humans as objects, then it’s not entirely impossible.’

So I don’t know exactly when this spirit was created.

‘But at minimum, it must have been human before that.’

Judging by its nature, it was no meek creature. So it must have successfully become Belmarés. Become a god. Even if someone had forced it.

‘How was that even possible?’

It was a question, not pity—because I had believed it impossible.

‘Did they replace every single cell?’
‘The Foundation’s technology could manage it, but that’s far too crude.’
‘They might have invested effort in brainwashing.’
‘Whether they destroyed the body or rebuilt the mind….’
‘If they’d captured a hostage, the effect would have been doubled.’
‘But that alone wouldn’t be enough.’
‘That alone wouldn’t be enough.’
‘That alone wouldn’t be.’

It wouldn’t work.

‘The material must have been exceptional—to succeed despite being forced.’
“….”
‘Otherwise, it would be theoretically impossible.’
“…ah….”

The ancient, hideous vampire’s mouth stretched into a long, tearing grin.

“…So in the end, you alone were special.”

Ah, what a pitiful creature.

Your life was surely a tragic one.

Let me help you.

* * *

Lee Yeon-woo didn’t know the Tasteless Guest particularly well either.

[What?]
‘It’s true I don’t know much about them.’

At best, I could only speculate that they were a nobleman active in Bohemia from the late seventeenth to early eighteenth century. It was unfortunate, certainly, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.

‘I understand what pretext they’ve brought with them.’

Crammed into the hollow box, I clicked my tongue silently.

‘Is it hunting?’

It must have been inspiration drawn from the ‘meal’ he had served.

[Yes.]
‘If he saw the traces in the Central Control Room, he would have itched to establish that courteous justification. He’s probably spinning some nonsensical logic about putting one poor soul out of their misery—killing them out of mercy.’
[The memory of the hunt.]
‘Why did I start with that, of all things? How unfortunate….’

Yet there could have been no more fitting ‘meal’ to awaken the old vampire’s ‘senses.’

‘Because he was nobility from an era when hunting was woven into the fabric of daily life.’

Despite appearances, the Tasteless Guest valued propriety. It was likely the only form that maintained his last shred of humanity. So he could not simply pounce like a beast without restraint.

An elegant justification for aggression. He had settled on ‘hunting’ as that justification.

‘What an exasperating way of thinking.’

It was a struggle to overcome the trauma of his past failure with the Belmarès Ritual. Not merely pursuing prey, but seeking to compensate for his past through the form of a hunt—that was his true intention.

‘Where did all those years go if he’s still this foolish….’

Clink.
Clink.

“….”
“….”

Clink….

The sound of silver cutlery passing over a clean plate drifted around the outside of the box. Now laughter and the music of a banquet seemed to bleed through like auditory phantoms.

‘My nerves are beginning to fray.’
[Hello.]
‘Yes, I’m managing.’

Through those grotesque phantom sounds, an elegant and eerie scraping noise soon echoed through the empty corridor.

Tap.
Tap….

The sound of a fine, smooth cane tapping lightly against the metal Cabinets and boxes lining the Corridor, one by one, as it passed.

‘My mood is quite… unpleasant.’
[Fear.]
‘Is what I’m feeling right now truly fear?’
[No.]
‘Every time I hear that sound, something…’

Like leisurely searching for a child hidden away, an utterly aristocratic and arrogant hunt.

‘It really is….’

Through the narrow, suffocating gap of the box where I hid, a strange fragrance began seeping in coolly, pushing aside the musty scent of aged dust.

[Cardamom.]
“Ha.”

A sweet yet prickling exotic aroma. The rich flavor of cardamom, like lemon and mint mingled together. Even in this dire condition, a small bitter laugh escaped.

‘Where have I smelled this before?’

Not long ago—the scent of the ‘Ottoman Coffee’ I had served to my opponent in the Dining Area.

‘I never expected my hospitality to return as violence like this. The creativity is impressive. An indescribable pressure bears down on me.’
[Killing intent.]
‘So such a thing truly exists….’

It was unfamiliar, second only to Blood Magic.

“….”

Now, truly, it grows difficult.

I clenched my teeth and wrapped my hand around my solar plexus. As the dense fragrance of spices and arrogant killing intent seeped through the box’s gap, my stomach churned violently.

‘…Ah, this.’

A peculiar tremor rippled through my abdomen, as if something were quivering within.

‘Fear was correct.’
[Yes.]

But it was not my fear.

Until moments ago, the tenants of Room 14 had been thrashing about in my belly, deflecting the penalty. Now those small, fragile bloodlings trembled violently at the Tasteless Guest’s thick, suffocating scent of blood.

Cold sweat dripped down my jaw.

[Are you alright?]
‘Yes, do not worry.’

I added reassuringly,

‘It will pass soon.’

They were simply unfamiliar with this.

Terrified by the presence of a vampire who had lived for centuries, they trembled like aspen leaves. Then they burrowed deeper—into the darkest, deepest recesses of my organs, curling beneath my ribs and stomach wall.

Ah, this indescribable sensation was truly…

“….”
[This is not alright.]
‘Do not be angry….’
[We must kill it.]
‘Please.’
[Kill it.]

At that vivid, physical sensation, I unconsciously wrapped my arms around my belly and curled inward.

‘It is manageable.’

It was not unbearable.

“….”
“….”

A new breath—…
I exhaled.

After quite some time had passed, Lee Yeon-woo lifted his head with a weary expression.

‘Now… I feel a bit better.’
[Spit it out.]
‘I’m sorry for making you angry.’
[No. Kill. Get it out.]
‘I was wrong.’
[Kill.]

Lee Yeon-woo reached out to embrace Coco, but just as in Room 14 before, Coco could not be grasped within this dark shadow.

[Parasite.]
“….”
[Vermin. It must die.]
[It must be killed.]
“….”
[Crush it.]
[Burst it.]
[Erase it.]
“….”

At those words, the ‘Co-owner’ from the Game suddenly came to mind.

Appearing unexpectedly atop the Front Desk, in the passage essential to progression, even on the sofa in the Manager’s Quarters where the user had stepped in to catch their breath—it watches the Hotel General Manager’s movements with its eyes.

Thus it lures the Hotel General Manager and the Human Guest into traps with malicious hints.

‘But I’ve never seen such aggressive text before.’

I’d heard that users who attack it criticize it with incomprehensible words and tear it to shreds, but could this be the language it used back then?

Contrary to Lee Yeon-woo’s thoughts, calm text continued.

[Horrible.]
‘I see.’

Whenever I saw the ‘dead screen’, Coco was always there within that view. In the corner of the display, the cat would tap the player character’s corpse with a front paw or groom itself.

Cute, willful, and mischievous—that was Coco.

“….”

I wanted to hold it….

‘Still can’t touch it, as expected.’

Perhaps because I was hurting, a faint sense of regret washed over me.

‘I know you harbor goodwill toward me.’
[Yes.]
‘Yet I continually disappoint you. I can only apologize—my ambitions exceed my capabilities.’
[No.]
‘If you would forgive me, might you hold me?’
[Hold you?]
‘Because in the shadows, I cannot embrace you.’
[Yes.]

I saw Coco’s eyes narrow sharply.

[Yes.]
“….”
[Very well.]
“…hm….”

There was no particular sensation or weight, yet Lee Yeon-woo let slip a faint smile.

‘Thank you.’
[Coco. Friend.]
‘Yes, friend.’
[Promise.]
‘I like that.’

I admit it—this was something worth being angry about between friends.

‘Still, it’s regrettable.’
[Mm.]

I’d done my best, yet dissatisfaction lingered.

‘If only I could have run faster.’

In the mere nine seconds immediately after the Tasteless Guest appeared, the places where Lee Yeon-woo could hide his body after stopping his hemorrhage were extremely limited.

The hunter circling outside would surely know this as well.

* * *

The blood extraction I’d attempted the moment I sensed the familiar territorial sensation had been successful. The Tasteless Guest appeared in just three seconds—before the blood even became exposed to the air.

The calculation was simple: if I was going to cough up blood anyway, I’d summon my opponent to a place I could control.

‘Yes, the luring itself went smoothly.’

I’d thrown the extracted blood to an unexpected location to draw it out. At least within this Hotel, the Tasteless Guest possessed the characteristic of moving sequentially according to the freshness of blood.

But time was insufficient. The 14th Floor had the characteristic of repeating space, yet it happened to be a dead end. In the end, I had to hide my body inside a box.

‘At least the coughing stopped quickly during the escape.’
[Yes.]
‘This is rather cramped.’
[Yes….]

I’d chosen the smallest box among the many.

‘They might not even consider that I’d hide my body in such a confined space.’

That was separate from my actual physique. My opponent had tried to treat me as an equal noble. And if one were a noble, they wouldn’t choose to squeeze themselves into such a cramped box, compromising their dignity.

‘It’s merely speculation, though.’
[Mm.]
‘But now is precisely the time to seize even the smallest possibility. It’s better than wandering about at ease and ending up grappling head-to-head.’

If we were to clash directly, the damage to me would be considerable as well.

‘I wish you would just leave.’
“….”
“….”

…He won’t leave.

‘It seems he has no intention of stopping his circling in this vicinity.’

I understand. Lee Yeon-woo would have done the same. Though I don’t know much about Lee Yeon-woo through the lens of the Tasteless Guest, I judged that he wouldn’t have fled far from where the blood was spilled.

‘The pursuit difficulty itself is entirely different from the simple monsters of the Howon Hunting Ground.’
[Hm?]
‘If I may say so, that is indeed the case.’

These creatures were incomparable to monsters that simply returned to their starting positions once aggro was broken.

That one was a professional who hunted as naturally as breathing. Even if beast hunting had transformed into human hunting, he would have honed that instinct from the eighteenth century to the present day.

[Hm.]
‘I too have no desire to be caught like this, but I truly cannot fathom what to do.’

The problem was that there were no other passages in this room.

“….”

Lee Yeon-woo squeezed his eyes shut. He was exhausted.

He had already completed his map pattern analysis upon entering the box. But knowing the structure meant nothing if there was no physical opening through which to escape immediately.

‘Unless the Tasteless Guest withdraws to somewhere else first, I must encounter that person at least once to leave here. It is almost inevitable.’
[Yes.]

Rooms clustered tightly at the end of a single corridor. The structure resembled bunches of grapes hanging from a stem. And I was trapped in the very last room of that cluster.

‘There is only one corridor through which to escape the sector.’

The hunter was guarding that passage.

‘This won’t do….’
[Sense. Flee.]
‘Even if I manage to seize the perfect moment, the danger remains.’

Lee Yeon-woo had no alternative route to circumvent the threat.

“….”

Yet there was one maxim etched deeply into his mind.

‘If there is no answer, create one.’
[Pardon?]
‘Then an answer will emerge.’

Lee Yeon-woo was a man who had lived his entire life by that creed.

‘Let me reconsider the conditions given to us.’
[Yes.]
‘If there is anything remotely favorable, it is that they will not take the initiative to meticulously search through every structure. That too is likely an expression of the aristocratic principles they uphold.’
[Yes!]
‘Thank you for the swift confirmation.’

Much remained unclear, but one thing was certain: they were dangerously complacent. Even knowing full well that this gambit posed a grave risk to themselves.

‘They know my condition is not intact.’

These creatures of blood recognize each other’s weight class. Lee Yeon-woo was a perfect Belmarés, yet as a human, he was more fragile than a biscuit.

‘Barely a potato chip.’
[A potato chip.]
‘Such things exist.’
[A potato chip.]
‘We can discuss that later.’
[Yes.]

In any case, as long as Lee Yeon-woo wished to preserve his humanity, the advantage in power lay with them. The Tasteless Guest understood this reality with absolute clarity.

And so the opponent grew careless.

‘So he doesn’t want to go through the trouble of rummaging through every nook and cranny.’
[Yes.]
‘Is it because of the potato chips that he’s feeling energized….’

The hunting methods of early 18th-century Bohemian nobility were not particularly crude. They savored only the final moment of capture, leaving all the preparation and dangerous cleanup to their servants.

‘He would think that rummaging through dust and miscellaneous tasks are the work of subordinates.’

Judging from the aristocratic pride I sensed from him, the Tasteless Guest would not bother to dirty his own hands by opening the box. The situation wasn’t that urgent, after all.

‘He knows that I have no choice but to eventually emerge from that place.’
[That’s correct.]
‘Then how should I respond to this?’

In the darkness of the box, I rolled my eyes.

“….”
“…?”
‘…Let’s take a gamble.’

The way time was stretching out meant one of two things: either he couldn’t pinpoint my exact location, or he wanted to drag out this ‘hunt’ longer.

‘Either way, both have merit.’

The former because of the ‘Hotel’s coercive power,’ the latter because of the ‘hunt’s sincerity.’

‘He’d need to squeeze and shake me as much as possible to make me easier to consume. But if, by some stroke of luck, it’s the former case….’
[Yes.]
‘Then I’ll quietly slip into the adjacent room when he’s not looking at me. Since all the doors are open, I’ll need to hide my body in some structure in the next room.’
[Excuse me?]
‘That point has merit too. It’s not a perfectly safe plan.’

I remember the map’s pattern, but I can’t know the specific arrangement of furnishings that change with each reset. That variable was nearly infinite.

‘There’s no way to know if the next room will have a structure where I can hide.’

Cabinets, boxes, trash cans….

Originally, there were many places to hide here to evade the existing ‘Watchers.’ But I couldn’t rule out the possibility of encountering a dead-end room with nothing at all, like the one I’d just passed through.

‘If the room I move to has no place to hide, I’ll end up facing them directly.’
[Yes?]
‘No, that’s not certain either. I don’t know how they sense and perceive me in the first place.’
[Yes.]
‘There are too many variables.’

I could escape their line of sight without relying on structures.

‘If I press myself flat against the wall right beside the door, they won’t see me as they pass through the corridor.’

But if they don’t simply pass through the corridor—if they crane their neck to peer inside—this method would offer no real safety. For this strategy to work, I absolutely needed some structure to hide behind.

Only then could I shift from room to room, evading their gaze and escaping this sector.

“….”
“….”

Was there another way?

The thought flickered—what if I drew more blood and threw it elsewhere as a distraction? But I dismissed it just as quickly. This was different from the creature in Room 14, which reacted unconditionally to blood packs.

‘This person isn’t as easily distracted as those creatures.’

Obvious bait like blood or noise wouldn’t easily capture their attention.

“….”

Wait.

‘…The creature in Room 14?’

My eyes blinked briefly. An ‘alternative’ had occurred to me.

What if I extracted some of the blood hidden within my body and scattered it in all directions? If it were a living fragment of Belmarés, even someone like them would have their attention torn away in an instant.

But the thought didn’t continue for long.

‘Dragging someone else into this hellish situation would be wrong.’

Lee Yeon-woo could feel the faint, trembling pulse of those fragile lives still quivering deep within his stomach, desperately clinging to existence. Pull these people out? These people who were holding on for dear life?

[No?]
‘Coco, please calm down. I brought them here to protect and care for Room 14, not to use them as tools.’
[No?]
‘How far will you paint me as the worst kind of human? It’s impossible.’
[No?!]
‘Such a wicked cat.’

These were people who had already endured unbearable suffering. To use them as bait now, just as they were finally beginning to rest—it was a horrifying notion even to contemplate.

‘Rather than throw these terrified, trembling creatures into a lion’s den and somehow survive, I would find it far less shameful to simply offer my own neck.’
[I dislike this.]
‘It’s somewhat burdensome that even this is being read.’

Moreover, this place was the Central Control Room—a higher level than Room 14. What difference was there between using someone traumatized by a fire as a fire extinguisher at a fire scene?

Asking Room 14 for help in such circumstances was no better than murder.

‘I have already received sufficient help merely by having the previous penalty delayed. Besides, I have no desire to live at such a cost. I would rather be caught by the Tasteless Guest instead—’
[Why?]
“….”
[Why?]

So that was the question after all.

If this were the Coco from within the Game, that would have been natural. He was an entity with clear preferences. Though he appeared neutral as both user and co-owner, he had always been harsh only toward people.

To that extent, he would often make situations more dangerous with mere fragments of language and scratch at the user’s nerves.

[Coco. Hate.]
[Room 14.]
[Discard.]
[Useless.]
[Bad.]

It seemed he had been that way even toward the Hotel General Manager in the Game.

“….”

A wicked cat.

‘Well… I’m not sure.’

Yet the reason I wanted to trust him was because he respected Lee Yeon-woo after all. It was because, even while stubbornly insisting on his own nature, he ultimately asked for the ‘reason’ behind things.

He mimicked the human language and expressions I had taught him, and even in moments he couldn’t possibly understand, he ultimately aligned himself with Lee Yeon-woo’s will. He made an effort for his wellbeing.

‘My thoughts aren’t entirely clear, but….’

Lee Yeon-woo swallowed a sigh as he watched the two eyes drifting in the darkness.

‘I don’t wish to do that.’
[Why.]

There wasn’t much I could say in response.

‘Because I must become a better person than I am now.’

I was already a flawed person, and I couldn’t become anything more terrible than this.

‘I know it’s an inefficient judgment. You’re welcome to call it hypocrisy. But humans are beings who live in order to do what they wish to do, are they not.’
“….”
‘That is what I desire.’

As if soothing trembling drops of blood seized by fear, Lee Yeon-woo quietly patted the space above his sternum.

Two round pupils drifting in the darkness. Because only they were visible in the complete darkness, Lee Yeon-woo reached toward that vicinity, but as expected, there was nothing to grasp in his hand.

[….]
[I dislike it.]
[No. No. No.]
[No….]

Clumsy affection and blind concern.

That resolve, entirely different from what the Hotel staff displayed, was transparent even if dark. If his kindness toward me were genuine, and if dragging me to this place five years ago was for my sake or for everyone’s sake….

‘Then just that much,’

I have no regrets about losing those 45 years.

Lee Yeon-woo did not want me to resent what I cherished.

[Yes.]
“….”
[Coco.]
“…ah….”
[What I cherish….]

Finding nothing still within my grasp, I lowered my gloved hand and blinked once more.

“….”

The distrust runs deep.

‘…There is still so far to go.’

For you,
for me.

When will we ever have a proper conversation?

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