Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Chapter 4

Activities a user can perform in the tutorial are limited.

 

Taking on low-difficulty guests, identifying horror elements within the hotel, and playing it safe is all there is to it. Even the accessible areas are limited to the lobby, the operator’s quarters, the power plant, and the guest room floors.

 

“Even with this much Nightmare accumulated, the fact that it cannot be used immediately is a rather inconvenient situation for a user. Once the tutorial ends and everything is forcibly converted into levels, it will become a currency where not a single cent remains in my pocket.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“My unpaid labor has already surpassed a hundred days….”

 

It’s insane.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

“…I refuse once again.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo spoke dryly, not even looking at those round eyes giving him silent pressure.

 

“I have no intention of receiving human guests. If I were to apply the operational methods of a game directly to reality, I would face social condemnation, not to mention my face being sold on the nine o’clock news while wearing silver bracelets.”

 

He was currently in the power plant.

 

“It’s quite a sight.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I don’t know from which era this industrial site is from, but the safety rating is definitely a failing grade.”

 

“No.”

 

“…?”

 

Old, rusted pipes and massive clusters of machinery. Between them, mechanical humans—the ‘Workers’—were laboring with organic, grotesque movements. 

 

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

 

The wide glass window of the control room captured that inefficient yet overwhelming spectacle in a single glance. 

 

“In the game, it only displayed the degree to which Nightmare was filled, but it’s much more complex here. I suppose that’s because it’s reality. It’s only natural, perhaps.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“It seems to have exceeded the fuel storage limit. Where is the excess going? Does it disperse into the air? Or does it ignore the laws of physics? If not that….”

 

“….”

 

The opponent had no answer.

 

The silence grew long, but Lee Yeonwoo didn’t urge it. He simply silently followed the flow of the piping that made shrill sounds with his eyes.

 

‘Is it that it doesn’t know, or that it doesn’t feel it’s worth answering?’

 

…Probing an opponent with whom conversation doesn’t flow is no easy task.

 

‘I wanted to confirm if this place is truly the hotel from the game I spent 26 years with.’

 

A situation where the exact identity of this place has yet to be grasped. Lee Yeonwoo rolled his eyes dryly. In truth, he knew the whereabouts of the overproduced fuel without having to ask. 

 

‘The structure is clear as day, even with my eyes closed.’

 

The storage capacity for ‘Nightmare’ increases in proportion to the hotel level. However, at this tutorial stage, it has already exceeded the threshold. If the tutorial ends like this, the situation will be worth watching.

 

“I remember that when the Nightmare fills up to the limit, it has a profound effect on the hotel’s disposition.”

 

“Ahhh….”

 

“That is, if you don’t take the bugs in the operating system into account. Is my memory correct, Mr. Landlord?”

 

“—No, yes.”

 

The Nightmare that cannot be contained in the power plant becomes the flesh and blood of the hotel. The hotel grows by feeding on this overflowing negative energy, which determines its ego and disposition.

 

And usually, that result ends up in a grim state.

 

“A kind… threat from our developer that if I don’t level up in a timely manner, the working environment will become a hell. As far as I know.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“It’s a pity.”

 

To think that the threat has been reflected even now that it has become reality.

 

‘However, in the current situation where the tutorial bug has been triggered, it might actually be an opportunity.’

 

The unprocessed Nightmare is converted entirely into the user’s experience points. It’s as if a ‘parachuted high-level’ status is reserved unintentionally, but Lee Yeonwoo pressed his temples firmly with his thumbs. (t/n : parachuted in here means someone suddenly becomes high-level not through effort) 

 

‘It’ll be a promotion I never even asked for… quite an honor.’ 

 

He had absolutely no intention of settling down here. To return to society, he first had to cross the threshold of this hotel and grasp the situation outside. It wouldn’t be too late to worry about the return plan after that.

 

“….”

 

…The problem is when I, having acquired a non-standard level, am thrown into reality.

 

‘I can already see the accidents that will break out.’

 

He didn’t know exactly ‘what kind of accidents’ they would be, but he knew they were ominous. This hotel is not a mere building, and Lee Yeonwoo is currently bound to it. 

 

Lee Yeonwoo habitually rolled his eyes to the side, staring at the complexly entangled pipes. 

 

“….”

 

Lee Yeonwoo looked at the faded, dusty world with indifferent eyes. His gaze descended downward.

 

‘That is not diligence, but exploitation.’

 

The formal name is ‘Crushed Worker,’ simply called a worker. It’s a strange feeling.

 

“I still haven’t adapted.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Do you think I’ll be able to adapt to this kind of contamination?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“That optimism of yours is also something I need to be wary of.”

 

He blinked his eyes to shake off that sentiment.

 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this sensation, as if there are bugs inside my brain.”

 

The power plant is the worst possible workplace, where water pollution and mental contamination occur simultaneously. While an operator might be attacked by a Worker crawling up while tuning the Nightmare, the real problem comes from within. 

 

The longer one stays here, the more unpleasantness and elation surge in like waves. 

 

‘That’s why if an operator stays in the power plant beyond a certain amount of time, they end up throwing themselves down into the depths below.’

 

He doesn’t know the logical structure of it.

 

‘Did they feel like fighting them face-to-face, grabbing them by the collar?’

 

Because it’s a contamination that makes you despise them.

 

‘If the unpleasantness and euphoria reach their peak, yes, I suppose you could have such thoughts.’

 

He might find out as well if he stays here any longer. A base emotion toward those Workers had already begun to take root. Since vermin are meant to be looked down upon and insulted, I had to break them completely. 

 

Ah, wait.

 

‘Stop.’

 

I am being contaminated.

 

“….”

 

He continued his thoughts as usual.

 

“…Perhaps because it’s still the early stages. Returning my mind to its original state isn’t very difficult, but this is certainly not a place to stay for long.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I truly wanted to have an in-depth interview with our power plant staff today, but it’s a pity. Labor-management harmony for everyone’s peace is….”

 

He had to finish this and leave.

 

“Let’s do it next time.”

 

Because he was starting to feel like throwing himself over.

 

* * *

 

He returned to his quarters.

 

It was still dark outside the window, and rain was falling.

 

“….”

 

He was curious about what lay beyond.

 

“…I’m curious about how my project is progressing.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“How my family is doing, what the people at work think of my disappearance. It’s not like there were few projects I was involved in, so how is that flowing….”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You said that it’s not that I entered the game, but that the game came out into reality. Even if the interpretation was incomplete, the situation would be similar. If so, what has become of me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“There are too many things I don’t know.”

 

He was tired. It was a fatigue brought on by his own incompetence. Lee Yeonwoo found it difficult to endure such an incompetent version of himself. 

 

Even though 100 days had passed, he was weak and knew nothing.

 

“There’s no teacher here to tell me what I don’t know.”

 

“No.”

 

“I know you have no conscience, but I would prefer you not to say that that teacher is you.”

 

“Yes, no.”

 

“Is there a teacher other than you here?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“That… is interesting news.”

 

He was running out of things to do anyway. Unless the hotel’s level was raised, the guests wouldn’t increase, and his routine as an operator was already second nature—nothing more than repetitive labor. 

 

‘Even if high-difficulty monsters come thanks to the bug, they are ultimately just beings within the data that I’ve memorized entirely. Even if things might have changed significantly because it’s reality… that’s not what I want.’ 

 

Lee Yeonwoo thought that the current ‘boredom’ was synonymous with ‘safety.’ Therefore, what he needed right now was not excessive stimulation, but ‘knowledge’ that would help his wise choices in the future. 

 

“Can I meet that teacher within the area I can move in right now?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Is that teacher capable of direct communication with me like you, Coco?”

 

“No.”

 

“Does that teacher take the form of informational material?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Aha.”

 

He understood.

 

“You’re talking about the books here.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The bookshelves were packed throughout the operator’s quarters.

 

In the game, it was an element that couldn’t be interacted with, but now that it was reality, he could pull out and open books as much as he wanted. When he opened one, it was packed with letters.

 

That could certainly be helpful in resolving Lee Yeonwoo’s ignorance.

 

“I agree with your opinion; if I’m to achieve something more than this while it’s still a tutorial, I should read books like that.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Still, I wanted to stay away from them if possible.”

 

Knowledge is always a precious thing, but this time, he wasn’t grateful. 

 

It’s because there’s no guarantee that the books are safe from mental contamination.

 

The background of this game, ‘Hotel One,’ was a bit complex.

 

“A murder hotel intended to procure resources for a cult, unethical research facility….”

 

“Yes.”

 

“If you summarize it like this, there is no greater excess of settings than this. Haven’t you collected every terrible and pitiful material in the world?”

 

“No.”

 

“Of course, there could be a deeper bottom than that; the world is a place where the news is worse than movies.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But I’ve never thought about this seriously regarding this.”

 

He pulled out a few hardcover books from the shelf. Even a light glance revealed knowledge he didn’t know. Even setting aside the lack of ethics that had no answer.

 

Eyes behind glasses read through the contents quickly. Was it just a feeling? His head throbbed.

 

“Actually, I think a person like me is normal. Normal, or rather, should I say common? There would be almost no users who seriously ponder the morality and ethics of the game’s background.”

 

Even more so if it has a 19+ label on it.

 

“Nevertheless, I had affection for this story. Well, that must be why I took the reckless step of paying that precious money to even get the copyright transferred. I had no intention of going that far, though….”

 

“No.”

 

“I’m quite fond of this game. It’s not a popular taste I can go around boasting about, but once a young man who’s just become an adult gets hooked on something, it can be a scary thing.”

 

He started this game around the age of 19, right after his study abroad was decided. Since then, Lee Yeon-woo had always been with the game ‘Hotel One.’

 

“Because this has become part of my daily life.” 

 

“Daily life.”

 

“….”

 

Lee Yeonwoo, who was staring at Coco as if assessing it, soon laughed. It was a perfect facial transition.

 

“Imitation is the beginning of learning; excellent.”

 

“Excellent.”

 

“You’re doing well.”

 

The good thing about the game becoming reality is that even parts that were impossible to interact with have become possible. Lee Yeonwoo wanted Coco to learn human communication methods, and Coco changed according to that will.

 

He often followed Lee Yeonwoo’s words. He didn’t expect that to lead to a path of learning as per his intention. However, he could anticipate it. Coco would be able to use human language more skillfully. 

 

“Affection and reflection don’t necessarily trace the same trajectory. I quite like the settings of this hotel. I like them, but this was a story that was only okay when it was a setting. In reality, it’s illegal and a sin.”

 

“No.”

 

“I’m saying that’s the case if one follows universal human inclinations and laws. I still don’t know exactly what kind of creature you are. It’s never been clearly explained in the game, either. So I can understand not following human ethics.” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“However, there are areas I can respect, and areas I cannot. Your worldview often clashes with mine. Will you understand?” 

 

“Will you understand?”

 

“Sometimes I get the illusion that I’m having a deep conversation with a tape recorder.”

 

However, for now, it seems to be limited to mimicking human speech. But if there was a will within that, he supposed it could be called a language. 

 

Only then did Lee Yeonwoo return to the original subject.

 

“….”

 

He stared at the thick books dryly.

 

“…Since I know nothing, I’m at a loss as to where to begin. This is why it’s not good for a person to be ignorant; it makes you waste time not even knowing what you don’t know.”

 

He had lightly skimmed the contents of the books, but they were unkind as expected. He chose books he could at least grasp the content of. Still, the volume was quite large.

 

“Still, they aren’t heavy.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“This, too, is likely possible because I’ve become one with a game character. The act of taking a book from a shelf or lifting it is defined within the game. And it’s only natural for a game character not to feel weight.” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“To think I can lift this many volumes with such a weak body without a second thought. Has the law of physics been castrated? I want to praise it for being efficient, but beyond that, it’s grotesque.” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“So it seems that rule has been applied to the hotel as well, but I wonder how it would be outside the hotel.”

 

“How it would be.”

 

“If I am lucky enough to leave this hotel, it seems to be a matter I should look into along with my return to society. At that time, Coco, I’m not sure if you’ll be able to be by my side.” 

 

“No.”

 

“What on earth are you saying ‘no’ to….”

 

The book was placed on the desk without a sound.

 

“I think it’s a relief that the conditions for studying are sufficiently established.” 

 

“I think.”

 

“Well, since it’s a space derived from a research facility, I suppose it’s only natural. It might be closer to a giant tomb than an ivory tower of knowledge, but for me right now, it’s not too bad.”

 

There were three research facilities in the operator’s quarters. In the game, they were used to develop various recipes and weapons. It was the optimal place to study.

 

He opened a book.

 

“….”

 

He closed it.

 

“…Ha….”

 

“No, hello… hello.”

 

“It’s alright.”

 

“It’s alright.”

 

“No, actually, it’s unpleasant.”

 

This hotel was the remains of scientists who worshipped and researched the power of foreign gods in the past. They siphoned off people who were hooked by the luxurious hotel with relatively cheap accommodation fees as experimental subjects and spread fanaticism.

 

‘The thing created after so many things happened, by the gathering of negative energy, is this very hotel.’ 

 

It is Hotel One.