Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 280

274. Settling…

 

Settling…

 

There was no flickering of the world or any crackling errors like before. 

 

The loading screen remained, still floating without disappearing—

 

‘It disappeared.’

 

The ordinary Lee Semyung disappeared. 

 

The sound of the wind knocking on the window, and the faint drip of water leaking from the faucet could be heard. 

 

Through the return of the everyday noises, I could tell that time had started to flow again. 

 

System

 

Bug… terminated…

 

Take good care of my dad.

 

Let me handle things here for now.

 

I’m not sure what you mean by handling things, but…

 

Alright. I understand for now. 

 

“You tricked me.”

 

The enraged king stood up. With her anger, her eyes glowed red. 

 

At the same time, a powerful surge of mana gathered around the king’s body. 

 

“You bought time and rummaged through my jewel box.” 

 

“It was a dungeon, not a jewel box.” 

 

Kang Miyeon wiped her sweat and replied. 

 

At times like this, it was hard to believe that Kang Miyeon had once been an unawakened person who had lived an ordinary life as an office worker and a mother of two. 

 

‘Why are you so bold?’

 

The mana gathering near the king’s body was enough to tear us all apart right now.

 

The king glared at Kang Miyeon with an angry expression and said. 

 

“How dare you talk back to me? Your life is…”

 

The king’s mana gathered around her body and then dispersed.  

 

“Your life is mine…” 

 

The king’s mana gathered and then scattered again. 

 

“Your life, I will spare mercifully…”

 

The king’s mana scattered again, again, and once more.

 

“Guest.”

 

Of course.

 

This was a hotel.

 

I was the owner of this hotel.

 

“I’m sorry, but the use of force is prohibited within the hotel.” 

 

I calmly spoke to the king, borrowing the power of my front desk skills to wear a business smile. 

 

“I will escort you to your room.”

 

“?”

 

Click.

 

As the door to room 302 opened, the king’s body was swept into the room as if being sucked in.

 

This was the power of a “forced reservation.”

 

I looked at the servant left alone and said. 

 

“…Will she be staying?”

 

“No.”

 

The answer came out quickly.

 

As soon as the servant left, a sad wailing sound was heard.

 

“Oh mmyyyyy, boooossss.” 

 

Geumdong flipped over Merlin Grey’s collapsed body, then buried his face in Merlin Grey’s chest and sobbed uncontrollably. 

 

“Our boss is dead… Our booossssssss… But I guess he’s not our boss anymore anywayyyyyyyyyy, but nooooo…” 

 

“I’m not dead.”

 

I heard the faint voice as well, but Geumdong was too busy rubbing his face against Merlin Grey’s to hear it at all, still crying uncontrollably.

 

“Bossssssss… Don’t gooooooooo… Huuuuhuhu…”

 

“No, I’m not going anywhere.”

 

As golden hair fluttered wildly, Merlin Grey groaned softly and tried to move his hand, but all his movements were completely subdued by Geumdong’s relentless nuzzling. 

 

‘You’re fine.’

 

I felt relieved as I looked at Merlin Grey, who seemed to be fine.

 

I had no idea how he returned in that state, but it was probably related to that. 

 

Settling…

 

The Final Stage being settled and the message window of the vanished Demon King. 

 

After all, it was Merlin Grey who pulled the Demon King into the chat window, setting this final quest into motion. 

 

‘Then where did the Demon King go?’

 

Does the Demon King ‘appear’ like that?

 

I don’t know.

 

I first approached Dad. 

 

I pushed Dad’s slumped body against the wall and barely sat him down, and I saw a large wound on his thigh.

 

The bleeding had stopped as if it had been a few days since the wound, but there was blood on his clothes.

 

“D…ad…” 

 

I cautiously called out to Dad. 

 

As if he might shatter. 

 

Dad lifted his head and smiled at me.

 

“You waited, right? Again.”

 

The slumping before seemed to have been half-joking.

 

Oh.

 

I unconsciously grabbed Dad’s shoulder hard.

 

Then, Dad’s face twisted.

 

“Ah.”

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… Are you okay?” 

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Actually, I was almost half unconscious.” 

 

Dad said, pointing at Merlin Grey. 

 

“Until that strange man saved me, I kept—”

 

Dad looked at me, leaning against the wall, breathing heavily.

 

“…I thought you would worry about me. Not just worry, but do something dangerous. Maybe even something reckless.” 

 

I felt a little hurt and stayed still. 

 

Dad looked at me closely as if he had read my mind and asked.

 

“You’re not hurt anywhere, right? Then why would you do something so dangerous…”

 

Dad started to speak as if he was about to scold me, but then he shut his mouth tightly. 

 

As if he didn’t have the right to do that.

 

“….”

 

Dad had always been like this since he came back. He had been cautious because he hadn’t been there for me.

 

“I knew it while I was here.”

 

“….?” 

 

“I know now why you couldn’t come back to my side. I know who the people you were trying to save were. I understand it more clearly now.” 

 

“….!”

 

As my voice trembled, Dad approached me with a bewildered expression.

 

“Why are you crying? Don’t cry.”

 

I didn’t cry.

 

“Don’t cry because of me… If you do, Dad really… really…” 

 

Dad pulled me into a tight embrace, pressing my head against him.

 

For a moment, I stayed still in Dad’s embrace. 

 

A dull ache spread through a corner of my chest.

 

I still had some lingering resentment toward Dad, but now I felt sorry for it.

 

Because now, I could truly understand in my heart that the reason Dad saved this world was because of me.

 

“…Honey.”

 

At that moment, I heard someone’s voice behind me.

 

I felt Dad raise his head to check the person’s face.

 

“….” 

 

And the moment he raised his head, Dad’s body stiffened.

 

Dad had also confirmed the identity of the guest in room 301.

 

“Honey…!”

 

I stepped back as I watched the guest in room 301, Seok Jiyoung, run to Dad and hug him. 

 

* * *

 

I stepped into the kitchen.

 

Settling…

 

That damned window still hadn’t disappeared, but Merlin Grey had told me how to escape this world. 

 

“This place works exactly like the game I used to play. I created this world the same way I made the hotel quests.”

 

He said something strange like he created this world.

 

“Wasn’t it a world created by the Demon King?”

 

“I felt like Black was scheming something, so I took action. I tried to infiltrate this world using the game window.” 

 

That’s why you suddenly disappeared. 

 

For some reason, I found myself thinking as I watched Merlin, dressed in a worn-out military uniform and a coat, sipping the mixed coffee that Geumdong had made for him.

 

Where in the world did that military uniform come from?

 

Seeing him sprawled out with his legs resting on the chair, I could definitely feel that he resembled Alex. 

 

The atmosphere and aura felt completely different from when I saw him in the Book of Memories.

 

“That’s when I found the location of Lee Semyung. Then, I got swept into the Queen’s dungeon—” 

 

Merlin’s golden eyes tightened, much like the wary gaze of a cautious animal.

 

“I saw that crazy world.”

 

The crazy world?

 

“Black, you know. I think I know why he’s so crazy.”

 

I stared silently at the military uniform Merlin was wearing and suddenly realized something. 

 

With details like that on the military uniform—

 

“It was World War II.”

 

I’ve seen something like that in Aunt Misoon’s collection room. 

 

Merlin ran his hand through his hair and said with a bewildered look in his eyes.

 

“You know that Black is originally the ‘Guardian of the World,’ right?”

 

“I know. He also took on the role of the hero who saves the world.” 

 

I’ve seen it in the Book of Memories.

 

Just as the Grey family is the guardian of wanderers, the Black family is the guardian of the world. 

 

And I also know that this guardian worked tirelessly to save the world.

 

“He was that kind of guy, so it’s no surprise that he joined the battle against the great calamity in the human realm. And there… I saw everything he saw.”

 

Merlin touched his temple as if his head hurt.

 

It seemed that what he saw was quite shocking.

 

It made sense. In terms of scale, the World Wars were a horrific catastrophe that claimed over a hundred million lives combined.

 

It must have been comparable to the apocalypse I had witnessed.

 

The “great calamity” I had witnessed was swiftly brought under control within a month, thanks to the intervention of gathered Awakened individuals and government forces. 

 

Maybe it was easier because we were fighting an external enemy.

 

Even then, I still encountered people trying to hijack cars and others fighting over food. 

 

Humanity had crumbled so easily. 

 

It’s not shocking events that break people—it’s other people. In times of crisis, humans inevitably reveal their true nature. 

 

The words of the Demon King lingered in my ears.

 

The Demon King said that the world must be destroyed in order to liberate it.

 

A heart that loves too much and wants to destroy it before it is destroyed.

 

I confirmed the true nature of that heart here.

 

“Anyway, that must have been his most traumatic memory. He ended up shaping the dungeon around it. He was trapped inside, unable to escape, and then this human woman saved me.” 

 

Merlin pointed to the manager, who was pouring coffee for him, as he spoke. 

 

The manager glared at Merlin for referring to her as a “human woman,” but then sighed as if to say, “I’ll let it slide because he’s a guest…” and finished pouring the coffee before turning away. 

 

“I sent it. I also had a hunch, even if it was just a guess, that Dad wouldn’t be here.” 

 

The reason for my guess was simple.

 

Because the ordinary Lee Semyung appeared in front of me. 

 

I thought that, unless the Demon King was a fool, he would have at least made an effort to avoid creating a time-line error.

 

If that’s the case, I thought he might trap me in a specific dungeon within here, but when the queen mentioned the “jewel box,” I became certain. 

 

“As expected, you’re a smart human.”

 

“Don’t compliment me. I’ve been thinking about how I wanted to kill you every time I looked for you, and right now seems like the perfect opportunity, guest.”

 

I fiddled with the hilt of the Immortal Sword, giving a warning.

 

I was serious.

 

The quests Merlin Grey left behind had ‘pushed me’ so much.

 

‘I won’t let this slide…’

 

I glared at Merlin Grey. He then slightly turned his head and spoke.

 

“Well, whatever it is, I’m glad you found this hotel. I hoped you wouldn’t come into this world, but somehow, I figured you’d end up here.”

 

“….?”

 

Found…? 

 

What? 

 

“…Didn’t you see the photo?”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“You know, Juliette Delphie. I was in that woman’s photo.” 

 

Merlin Grey, trying to act cute in a ridiculous way, pinched his cheek with his finger and said. 

 

‘Did you say you’re planning to turn that house into a hotel so the person waiting can come back?’

 

It can’t be…

 

That was you.