Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 257

251. Nation of Delivery 

 

Administrator

 

So, is the hotel still running properly?

 

System

 

Mhm, they don’t even realize that you and your dad are gone.

 

There is a time difference between the world I originally came from and this place.

 

It’s not just a difference of an hour or two, but a massive time gap where the flow of time itself moves at an entirely different speed. 

 

It seemed like I was benefiting from that time difference. 

 

So how is Alex talking to me now?

 

System

 

It took a while to load because I was working on that—

 

Well, it’s okay.

 

To others, it probably just looks like I’m nodding off. 

 

So you’ve completely given up on making any moves in that world, huh? 

 

I imagined Alex, standing still and quiet all alone, amidst the kids running around and enthusiastically playing their games. 

 

It must be a strange sight.

 

‘I’m the only one who got sucked into the apocalypse while hosting an event at a hotel.’

 

 I held a broad Chinese chef’s knife and looked down at the pork and onions in front of me. 

 

The knife was well-sharpened, and the ingredients were fresh. 

 

‘Well, for now… it seems like the work I do here and there isn’t all that different.’

 

I looked beyond the open kitchen at Watanabe, who was sitting at the table, wiping away sweat and blood. 

 

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His satisfaction level had dropped a little.

 

It seemed that, as time passed, the pain and hunger began to hit him harder. 

 

If I leave him like that, his satisfaction level will only keep dropping. 

 

Thinking that, I started by frying the black bean paste. 

 

Fortunately, this Christmas holiday, the event concept at Yeongchun Hotel was retro, so I had looked up a jajangmyeon recipe. 

 

Since this is a Chinese restaurant, it would be nice to make proper noodles and serve a good jajangmyeon, but it seems like the customer is really hungry, so I decided not to go that far. 

 

Tak, tak!

 

I put the black bean paste into the wok coated with hot oil, and it sizzled wildly. I quickly grabbed the handle of the wok and gently stirred the paste with a ladle. 

 

They said a properly seasoned wok feels different, and is this the feeling?

 

I applied the Hotelier’s eye to the wok, which had a unique grip.  

 

Chef Ilwolseong’s Wok (A)

 

—The chef’s favorite wok.

 

—Infusing it with the taste of fire enhances the flavor of the finished dish by 200%. 

 

Crazy.

 

This is such a good item.

 

I will definitely take you to Yeongchun Hotel. 

 

After putting the fried soybean paste away, I started to stir-fry the sliced ​​pork, onions, and garlic one by one.

 

 Honestly, in an apocalypse setting, I wondered if it was okay to use so many ingredients for a bowl of jjajang ramen. But in a situation where the power could be cut off at any moment, these ingredients wouldn’t last long. 

 

Besides, getting even one star was important right now. 

 

Who knows what the Demon King might have prepared in this world? And right now, in this place where the shadows of bugs keep flickering outside the window… 

 

Because it’s a world on the verge of destruction.

 

As I thought that, I snapped my wrist and hit the wok.  

 

Achievement unlocked: “Hit the Wok 50 times”! Your “Wok Hit” skill has increased by 100%!

 

The hard work paid off.

 

The pork fat that splattered onto the edge of the wok met the fire and flared up in a burst of flames. 

 

As the flames brightly illuminated the kitchen, Watanabe’s eyes widened in surprise and turned toward me. 

 

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The satisfaction level is restored again. 

 

It was probably because the savory smell of stir-frying pork had wafted all the way into the lounge. 

 

Thanks to the effect of “Chef Ilwolseong’s Wok,” the flavor of the dish improves!

 

In addition, the effect of the Chinese restaurant chef’s wok.

 

I gained confidence and added soybean paste to the grilled pork and various vegetables, scooped up the ramen water left in the pot next to me with a ladle, and then added starch powder to make a sauce.

 

I added the Jjajang ramen noodles and stir-fried them a little more, then put them in a bowl with ‘Ilwolseong’ written in red.

 

I cleaned the edges nicely, sliced ​​some cucumbers that were in the kitchen, put them in the bowl, and took them to Watanabe.

 

45

 

“…!” 

 

Watanabe looked at me in admiration. 

 

“Are you a chef?”

 

“I’m not a chef. I was a hotelier.”

 

“So, that’s why you spoke Japanese.”

 

“Yes. I’m Korean.”

 

Watanabe looked at me with a very puzzled expression.

 

“D, do hoteliers usually undergo physical training as well as speak Japanese?” 

 

Ah, you’re talking about the time I pulled the bed down. 

 

In fact, jumping over 3m without even touching it and carrying a man of considerable stature like Watanabe around here and there is not something that can be done simply through physical training.

 

Then what should I say?

 

“…Yes. Rescuing guests in emergencies is part of our job, after all.”

  

“…!”

 

Let’s be shameless.

 

Watanabe looked more frightened than reassured by my answer. 

 

‘Guest 201’ seems to think that being a hotelier is a dangerous profession.

 

It was regrettable to have instilled such a strong prejudice about the profession, but lies are all about confidence. 

 

Let’s just move on.

 

“Then this place is…” 

 

I thought about a suitable explanation this time too, and then impulsively said,

 

“This was a hotel my grandmother used to run. Recently, a Chinese restaurant had taken over the place, but with all the chaos nearby, I got worried about the building—”

 

“…So you came here despite the danger.” 

 

Watanabe said as if he was convinced.

 

If he was convinced by this, even though there was a picture of the founder stuck on the desk, which was a white grandmother, then that was enough.

 

“Please eat before the noodles get soggy.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Maybe hunger had paralyzed his reasoning.

 

He inhaled the jjajang ramen in an instant. 

 

It was to the point where I thought he had the skill of ‘eating food quickly’, even though he clearly hadn’t awakened yet.

 

89

 

And when he finished his meal, a high number appeared above his head.

 

“A, aren’t you eating?” 

 

He asked me curiously, pointing to the plate I hadn’t even touched.

 

I’m full even without eating.

 

Instead of saying that, I pushed my plate towards him.

 

“I’m not hungry right now.”

 

“….!”

 

92

 

You must have been really hungry.

 

I felt a little sorry as I watched him slurp down his second plate.

 

“Excuse me… Is the electricity still working here?” 

 

He asked me, without even properly wiping the jajang sauce off his lips.

 

I nodded.

 

It works. I’m not sure if the electricity is running because the Blue House is nearby and emergency power is active, or if it’s because I ‘awakened’ this hotel. 

 

If it’s the former, the electricity could be cut off at any moment, but if it’s the latter, then the electricity and water supply should remain intact going forward. 

 

We’ll see.

 

“Th, then, by any chance, does the phone also…?” 

 

“A phone?”

 

At those words, I suddenly remembered the phone I had kept in my uniform pocket.

 

When I pulled out a phone with a shattered screen and rummaged through the desk drawer, an essential item for modern life—a charger—came out along with it. 

 

When I connected the phone to the charger, it was easy to turn it on.

 

It even showed a small sign that communication was possible.

 

‘During the Great Disaster, they said that the northern part of Seoul retained phone service, water, sewage, and electricity until the very end. Could it really have been true?’

 

However, as I was taking the phone to the lounge, a sign saying that calls were not possible appeared.

 

“It seems to work only in certain places, but it seems possible.”

 

“Well, can I call the Japanese embassy?”

 

Watanabe asked me cautiously.

 

Now that I think about it, the Japanese embassy is in Jongno-gu.

 

It seemed that the place Watanabe was trying to take the car to was also an embassy. 

 

During the early stages of the Great Disaster, I heard that as communications were cut off, people in various countries, unaware that this was a global disaster, tried to cross into other nations, leading to border paralysis. 

 

That was why the men who saw the foreign passports earlier were so shocked. 

 

‘Humanity was completely lost…’

 

Seeing the situation I had only heard about in words made me feel extremely disgusted. 

 

The natural sense of rejection surged within me, as I began to think that this world wasn’t one created by the Demon King in a virtual sense, but rather an actual past world that had been moved here. 

 

Seeing me frown at that thought, Watanabe added urgently.

 

“I, if necessary, I will contact the embassy and discuss leaving Korea together. So that you can come with me.”

 

“Oh… that’s…” 

 

I hesitated.

 

How should I explain this situation?

 

Watanabe seemed to want to head to the embassy in Jongno right away.

 

But that’s impossible.

 

I had no choice but to show him my phone screen.

 

[Ministry of the Interior and Safety] As of 00:00 today, the validity of all passports has been suspended. Both foreign nationals and citizens in the country are unable to use airports. The airspace has also been taken over by the monsters, and no airplanes in the world are permitted to fly.

 

I carefully translated the contents and read them to him, who couldn’t interpret the disaster text in Korean.

 

…Citizens gathered at the airport are advised to disperse. Please move to underground bunkers or shelters as quickly as possible to prepare for the attack of the unknown life forms.

 

“Please, I hope you survive.”

 

I read the last line of the rather sentimental text.

 

His expression collapsed in despair after hearing what I said.

 

He even grabbed the desk to support himself as if he was feeling dizzy.

 

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85

 

80

 

The satisfaction began to fall drop by drop.

 

It was a little bitter, but it was an inevitable choice for the safety of the guests.

 

“Then now… what do we… no, what should we do…?” 

 

Watanabe sat down as if he had lost all will to live.

 

No, it would be more appropriate to say he collapsed.

 

Well. 

 

Who wouldn’t be surprised that the world he had been living in had been destroyed so vainly and in an instant?

 

I looked down at him and calculated the time left until his awakening.

 

Watanabe was not someone who had awakened at the very beginning of the Great Disaster.

 

So I don’t know exactly when he will awaken, but I am certain that he will not awaken within the next week.

 

The reason I know that.

 

That’s because there was someone who saved Watanabe from despair near Jongno at that time.

 

‘Watanabe, that old man. He kept calling me a lifesaver, but ever since I took over the Dungeon Management Department, he’s been subtly trying to keep me in check.’

 

That was none other than the very first Awakened One of South Korea, Kim Junsoo.

 

“…You are the savior of my life. I will definitely repay that kindness. But right now… I’m sorry, could I have a moment alone?” 

 

I sat there for a while with a gloomy expression, then, watching Watanabe struggle to get up unsteadily, I made up my mind.

 

“You asked me what we should do from now on?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Let’s go get some ingredients first. We’re running out of ingredients for the next meal.”

 

“Eh? B, but just now, the jajang ramen…” 

  

“That was the last supper. I used up all the remaining ingredients to make it.”

 

His eyes widened.

 

“Then, you’re offering me the last supper…?”

 

He said in a very trembling voice. I nodded as if it was natural.

 

“I’m a hotelier. I have to give it up for the sake of my guests.”

 

“…!”

 

‘Guest 201’ thinks being a hotelier is a great job!

 

‘Guest 201’ decided to repay the favor.

 

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The satisfaction level slightly increases again.

 

It might be natural. In the sense of the helplessness of this world’s destruction, the only thing that could lift him up was the sense of duty that ‘something must be done right now.’

 

‘Of course, it’s a lie that the ingredients are gone.’

 

He can eat and live comfortably for about a month. 

 

“Then I’ll go out and rob a convenience store nearby…”

 

“There’s a safer place.”

 

I showed him another text.

 

[Jung District Office] Emergency Notice. Citizens of Jung District, please evacuate to Seoyeon University. Police forces are stationed in the Seoyeon University auditorium, and daily necessities are being distributed there. 

 

Ah, translation.

 

I saw Watanabe’s face regaining a little hope as I translated the text to his bewildered face.

 

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90

 

 

And I started to find a similar hope.

 

Seoyeon University.

 

If I go there, which is quite close to here, there will be a Chinese restaurant where Uncle Junsoo and Aunt Misoon first met.

 

It’s not just about meeting the former baby Junghyo fan members from the past. 

 

What I’m looking forward to is—

 

And the ‘heroes’ that the Demon King has given me in this quest.

 

Why did he use the plural form in the quest when he kidnapped Dad? 

 

The question that kept coming up.

 

What if this quest is about rescuing the early Awakened?

 

This was a chance to get an answer to this question.

 

“So… how do we get there? I don’t have a car anymore…”

 

It was then. 

 

Watanabe raised his hand and asked.

 

I tilted my head at his words.

 

Why are you asking such an obvious question…?

 

Ah.

 

Only then did I remember that he was a foreigner.

 

Because of my communication skills, I had forgotten how to speak foreign languages ​​so naturally.

 

“Oh, you don’t know much about Korean delivery culture, do you?”

 

I didn’t worry from the start because a delivery motorcycle is a must-have for a Chinese restaurant. 

 

We are a nation of delivery people.