Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 285

279. Fly, Yeongchun Coin~!

 

It was Uncle Junsoo. 

 

“Waaahhh… Our Junghyoooo… I can’t believe I have a daughter now…” 

 

“What do you mean, daughter? She just said to go with Samchon(Uncle) and Imo(Aunt). Why are you calling her your daughter?”

 

Aunt Misoon scolded him while sniffing. 

 

As if she were holding back tears.

 

I hesitated for a moment, then gently patted Uncle Junsoo’s back and reached out my hand to Aunt Misoon.

 

“Are… are you okay?” 

 

“I’m not crying!”

 

No, I meant asking if it’s okay to call you uncle and aunt. 

 

“You guys are now in your mid-fifties.”

 

Aunt Heeyoung spoke calmly, then gently stroked my cheek with the back of her hand and smiled.

 

“I prefer ‘Unnie (Sister)’over ‘Imo (Aunt),’ though—” 

 

“….”

 

“I’ll make an exception just for you.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

I gently nodded my head as I was freed from Uncle Junsoo’s embrace.

 

That’s a relief. 

 

It seems like no one’s opposed to it.

 

Uncle Junsoo, who eventually burst into tears, was dragged away by Aunt Misoon and Aunt Heeyoung, and I was left alone with Uncle Minhyuk, who had been quietly watching me all this time. 

 

“Ajhussi (Uncle)… uhm…” 

 

Do you not like it?

 

Do you think I’m rushing you too much if I ask you this?

 

I thought anxiously.

 

“Samchon (Uncle).”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Since you said you’d call me Uncle…”

 

Uncle Minhyuk spoke hesitantly in front of me for the first time. 

 

“I don’t really care about titles. You can just…”

 

Ahjussi Minhyuk—no, Samchon—placed his hand on my forehead and let out a long sigh.

 

“You.”

 

“….”

 

“You are my pride, my light… my family.”

 

“….”

 

“There’s no reason. You don’t need to prove your worth. You’re just you. I always thought you knew that—naturally, in every moment—” 

 

“….”

 

“Seeing you today, maybe that wasn’t the case after all.”

 

Uncle Minhyuk let his hand fall weakly from my forehead and gave a faint smile.

 

‘Uncle smiled.’

 

There were complicated emotions of regret and sorrow in his expression, but… was it just my imagination, or did he somehow seem more human that way? 

 

“From now on, remember this. Lee Junghyo is Han Minhyuk’s pride, light, and family. There will always be a room for you in my home.” 

 

“I know.”

 

I looked up at Uncle Minhyuk and pressed my lips tightly together.

 

“….!”

 

“I’ve always known. Because you thought of me that way, and supported me, it has always given me strength. The unbreakable pride inside me has always been alive.” 

 

The image of Uncle, who never lost his dignity anywhere, lived within me. 

 

It was always like that.

 

When I was torn between quitting my job or playing along with that scheming manager’s games, when rude people tried to hurt me—what allowed me to put myself first and protect myself above all else was because Uncle had always protected me. Like a lighthouse, he was someone who watched over me. 

 

That was my Uncle. 

 

“You’re also my pride, my light… and my family, Uncle.”

 

I felt proud that I could say it with a bright smile.

 

I could see Uncle’s jaw tightening, as if he were holding something back. 

 

Then, before long, his face lit up brightly as he smiled back at me. It was a smile he could no longer hold back, gently spilling out.

 

“Wow… Han Minhyuk is smiling.”  

 

“I’ve never seen him smile like that before.” 

 

“I think he’s crazy.”

 

I could hear the murmurs of my other aunts and uncles from behind me.

 

At the same time, a window appeared before my eyes.

 

Skill: Upgrading the skill will allow you to view the guests’ status windows. Please claim your reward if you wish!!!

 

?

 

The status window is urging me again.

 

But something feels different than usual…

 

Demon King

 

Hey. Aren’t you going to collect the reward?

 

Don’t make me frustrated.

 

It was you.

 

Skill Preview (NEW!): Upgrading ‘Hotelier’s Eye (A)’ to ‘Hotelier’s Eye (S)’ and activating the skill…

 

What do you mean by ‘upgrading’?

 

999,999+

 

What’s that?

 

I was puzzled as I looked at the red text above the middle-aged man’s head, where the satisfaction level was displayed. 

 

A number like that is usually something you’d see on a boss monster’s HP, right?

 

Upgrade Preview (NEW!): The guest’s satisfaction level is converted into Market Gold (Yeongchun Coins).

 

Ding! With a cheerful notification—

 

999,999G has been deposited.

 

10 billion has been deposited to me.

 

Are you crazy?

 

Demon King

 

From now on, I have decided to corrupt you with finance.

 

What are you even talking about? This. 

 

Thank you.

 

* * *

 

Feeling incredibly grateful, I immediately pressed the “claim reward” button as soon as all the guests left.

 

My head was spinning.

 

“I might really be corrupted…’

 

Of course, the nonsense about “corrupting with finance” was proven false by Merlin Grey. 

 

‘It’s just that your mana can’t get any stronger. Once it becomes a 5-star hotel, I set it up so that satisfaction turns into money—hotel coins.’

 

‘How on earth did you…’

 

What a wonderful thought.

 

I omitted the rest of the story, but Merlin Grey seemed to know everything.

 

‘You like money more than I thought…’

 

Who hates money?!

 

Because it just so happened to be the peak of the Christmas season, I ended up absorbing all the guests’ satisfaction as money while handing out quest rewards for finding toys. 

 

To be exact, as “Yeongchun Coins.” 

 

I don’t know why the name Yeongchun Coin came about all of a sudden, but 1C of Yeongchun Coins became worth the same as 1G of Market Gold.

 

It seems like you could easily buy a building in Gangnam with that kind of money.

 

‘Shouldn’t I tell the association president about this…?’

 

But instead of dealing with that kind of realistic concern, I was only human—I had to prioritize upgrading to a 5-star hotel first. 

 

Wouldn’t it be enough to just pay taxes faithfully?

 

Since Market Gold is adjusted like cryptocurrency to a global currency, if I were to bring it up, it wouldn’t be to the association president, but to the Hunter Guild that I’d have to ask.

 

So, if we really get down to it, this is basically earning foreign currency! 

 

‘If the coins earned in this world count as foreign currency…’

 

Anyway.

 

As soon as I received the reward, the hotel began to change in front of me in an instant.

 

The first thing that caught my eye was the lounge.

 

“I think we can hold the Hyeyu Sports Day here.” 

 

The general manager’s words were definitely not a joke. 

 

The now much larger lounge floor, although soft, was replaced with marble instead of the carpet that took quite a bit of effort to clean, and elegant wooden partitions were placed around the walls.

 

“There are more dining seats now!”

 

With the cafeteria and restaurant not being enough, it was now possible to create a brand-new dining area. 

 

‘….!’

 

I thought this alone was impressive, but an even more amazing thing happened next.

 

“The floor has been expanded. To the 10th floor!” 

 

The number of guest rooms had doubled.

 

“We finally have more guest rooms…”

 

“We can accommodate more guests!” 

 

“Guests are great!” 

 

The spirits began to cheer.

 

No, but is this right…?

 

Why do the staff like having a lot of guests?

 

There was no need to worry about having a lot of guests. 

 

The front desk was expanded, and there was now an additional entrance to the hotel. To be exact, there were now two revolving doors. 

 

One was the revolving door I got when I pressed “Exit Game,” and the other was the existing revolving door.

 

“The scale has gotten huge…”

 

I looked up at the chandelier, which had seemed quite impressive in the 4-star hotel, but now felt rather shabby in comparison, and couldn’t help but admire the change. 

 

But something felt a little strange.

 

“Wow, this is insane. Ah, it’s kind of frustrating though…” 

 

It was because Merlin Grey, right beside me, was also amazed. 

 

“Aren’t you the manager of a 5-star hotel? Why are you surprised?”

 

“Our hotel didn’t have anything like this!”

 

“Yes?” 

 

“The power of the Gray family, you see, grows, shrinks, or even transforms depending on the person who inherits it.”

 

“Then…?”

 

Merlin Grey said, with a frustrated expression on his face. 

 

“You’ve become stronger than me.” 

 

“As expected.”

 

The general manager muttered proudly next to me for some reason.

 

It was quite surprising.

 

I thought it was already impressive that I had absorbed 100% of Merlin Gray’s power, but to become even stronger than that?

 

Demon King

 

That’s amazing.

 

I pointed at the small message window and asked. 

 

“But why isn’t this one showing up?” 

 

“Don’t you know?”

 

Merlin Grey shrugged.

 

It would be better to stay out for now, though… 

 

‘I’ll bring it out someday, I will.’

 

For now, should I get some financial treatment?

 

I smiled happily and shouted into the air.

 

“Exclusive store opening.”

 

At the same time, hotel furnishings that could decorate this vast space spread out before my eyes. 

 

From giant statues that would delight the guests’ eyes to the finest beds made by elves, each stitch woven with unicorn hair. 

 

It was the first time I had so much money piled up that I didn’t know what to do with it.

 

“But what is this…?”

 

Ingredients (NEW!)

 

There was a newly added tab.

 

When I clicked on the Ingredients tab, it was filled with all sorts of tempting items I couldn’t help but want. 

 

Milk 2L (3G)

 

—Highly recommended for the kids’ menu.

 

—Increases satisfaction by 30% for children under 13 years of age.

 

Now that I knew satisfaction directly translated into Yeongchun Coins, it was impossible not to covet these ingredients. 

 

Besides, having to get ingredients delivered every morning or buying them from the nearby market to cook had been pretty exhausting. 

 

Being able to purchase ingredients directly from the market was a huge advantage.

 

Just as I unknowingly got caught up in window shopping, another tab caught my eye.

 

Recruiting employees (NEW!)

 

Recruiting employees?

 

When I clicked on the newly created tab, this window popped up below the tab.

 

Cocker Spaniel (1G per month)

 

—Good at cleaning.

 

Mountain Bunny Bunny (2G per month)

 

—A master of staff training.

 

Squirrel (1G per month)

 

—Good at shelling acorns.

 

—When a squirrel prepares ingredients, the taste of the food increases by 30%.

 

It was literally possible to recruit employees.

 

“Wow… I didn’t have anything like this?!”

 

At that moment, Merlin Grey shouted in shock from the side.

 

“I gathered the spirits one by one and made a contract!”

 

I patted Merlin Grey on the shoulder and consoled him.

 

“Right? The talent is insane.”

 

As I flashed a sly smile, Merlin Grey finally realized he was being teased and shouted. 

 

“Ugh, this is so frustrating…!”