Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 335 - Webtoon Side Story: Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Branch 4 (6)

Webtoon Side Story: Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Branch 4 (6)

 

Swoooosh—!

 

The waves surged toward the road as if trying to swallow it whole the entire time the car was moving.

 

The road to the seaside monastery ran right along the ocean, and despite what the weather forecast had promised, sudden rain and wind made the sea churn violently. 

 

Just before they reached the monastery, a wave spilled slightly over the road, tracing a fleeting pattern right in front of their car before disappearing.

 

Han Woohyun’s face, gripping the steering wheel, tightened into a grimace. 

 

‘Getting back might be an even bigger problem.’

 

With that thought, we arrived at the entrance of the Liber Monastery.

 

Honestly, I couldn’t help but be a little impressed.

 

‘There’s still a castle this old that looks straight out of a haunted house?’

 

How should I put it…

 

I could see why people went on and on about this place—saying a soldier’s ghost appears here, that it’s creepy, that there’s nothing worth seeing.

 

‘The photos on Google Maps were actually the nicer version.’

 

Han Woohyun, who was staring blankly up at the castle for a moment, seemed to be thinking the same thing. 

 

It looked like a prison straight out of a work featuring iron masks.

 

Maybe it was because of some reaction with the sea air, but the walls weren’t just gray—they were pitch black, like basalt. Strangely enough, there were very few windows. 

 

And even those few were poorly maintained—some had shattered glass, while the rest were so filthy that you couldn’t even guess what was inside.

 

At that point, I had to revise my earlier impression. 

 

Haunted house? Yeah, right. Even ghosts would run away from this place. 

 

While we were standing there blankly staring up at the Liber Fortress, a man stepped out of a white SUV and began wrestling with the heavy iron gate. 

 

For a moment, we wondered if he was trying to open it—or break it down—but fortunately, it seemed he managed to unlock it without cutting the padlock wedged into the gate. 

 

After grunting and straining, the man finally opened the iron gate and gestured to us—telling us to come in. 

 

‘In horror movies, this is usually how the death flags start…’

 

Thinking such unlucky thoughts, I spoke to Han Woohyun. 

 

“If it comes down to it, you’d win, right?” 

 

At that, Han Woohyun turned to look at me.

 

He smiled.

 

“Even if it doesn’t come down to it, you’d win.”

 

Ah. Right.

 

I was a Ranker.

 

Reminding myself of that, I opened the car door the moment Han Woohyun parked in the monastery’s front courtyard—apparently used as a parking lot.

 

A fishy smell immediately hit my nose.

 

At the same time, I heard a strange sound near my feet.

 

“…?”

 

I glanced down without thinking and instinctively tried to scream.

 

No sound came out—my eyes just went wide.

 

Right beneath my foot was a rat, its tail trapped under my shoe, glaring up at me furiously as it attacked my shoe.

 

A rat half the size of my shoe.

 

“…!”

 

Instead of screaming belatedly, I gently lifted my left foot and whispered softly to the rat.

 

“I–I’m sorry…”

 

At those words, the enraged rat looked up at me blankly, as if it actually understood what I’d said.

 

And then, it stood up on two feet.

 

‘I said I was sorry, though?!’

 

Then it started stomping one foot against the ground and crossed its arms.

 

As if telling me to do better next time.

 

Without realizing it, I nodded, and when the mouse saw that, it disappeared just like that.

 

As I stood there blankly watching the mouse’s retreating figure, the owner of the SUV approached and asked,

 

“What are you looking at?”

 

“Um… I heard there are rumors that ghosts appear here. Is that true?”

 

Even as I said it, I thought it sounded like a pretty stupid question.

 

Ghosts?

 

But I couldn’t forget the sight of that mouse standing on two legs just moments ago. 

 

At my words, the man’s expression twisted sharply.

 

“Who on earth is spreading nonsense like that? That rumor is driving us crazy. We’ve been trying tirelessly to sell this castle since my grandfather’s generation, but because of that damned rumor, the place won’t sell—and no customers come either!”

 

Customers…? 

 

Looking thoroughly displeased, he tossed a piece of gum into his mouth, started chewing, and slipped on a pair of brown-tinted sunglasses.

 

Only then did I take a proper look at his outfit—something I’d failed to notice because of the gloomy weather and the ominous atmosphere of the old fortress. 

 

A floral-patterned shirt, a thick gold necklace hanging heavily around his neck, white pants, and a watch that somehow looked both expensive and cheap at the same time.

 

Grumbling irritably, he pushed open the thick doors of the mysterious old fortress. 

 

When he flipped a switch, lights came on—revealing what was unmistakably a reception desk, like one you’d see at a ticket counter.

 

“So? Want me to give you a discount for one night?”

 

“….”

 

Only then did I take in the sight of the wine-tasting oak barrels scattered around the first floor, the photos of tourists, and a few certificates with names that looked a bit tacky. 

 

So, in short…

 

‘It’s basically an inn for tourists.’

 

The man, now wearing a friendly, easygoing smile, spoke to us warmly. 

 

“Madame, monsieur. Time is money—money! No need to suffer on the coastal road in this rain. Let’s get things settled quickly, shall we?” 

 

Was “time is money” really meant to be used in a situation like this?

 

Strangely enough, I didn’t feel the least bit annoyed about being tricked.

 

The ominous atmosphere—like the opening of a horror movie or a mystery novel—had suddenly flipped into the bleak reality of a tourist destination, and that contrast only made the sense of relief stronger. 

 

Taking some bills out of my pocket, I said,

 

“Let’s stay the night. Do you provide meals as well?”

 

The man caught sight of the cash and broke into a wide grin, nodding.

 

“Of course! I noticed earlier you seemed interested in tasting the winery’s wine—shall I prepare food that pairs well with it?” 

 

“Yes, I’d appreciate that.”

 

He suddenly seemed much more accommodating than before.

 

Thinking that, I looked around the old fortress.

 

And at that moment, I felt a large hand suddenly grab mine from behind, and I turned around.

 

It was Han Woohyun.

 

His gaze was fixed on one spot.

 

More precisely, on the black lump grooming itself on the stair landing.

 

Damn it.

 

Looks like we’re sleeping with rats tonight.

 

* * *

 

So this is… what a French inn is like.

 

I barely managed to keep my fading sanity together as I stared at the unmistakably ready-made meatballs set before me, along with a few pieces of fruit that were clearly past their prime.

 

So this was what he meant by “pairing” them. 

 

At least the lodging was extremely cheap, and he didn’t charge us for the food—but the SUV owner, or rather, the owner of Liber Monastery, was energetically stuffing himself with the shabby-looking snacks and polishing off far more wine than we were. 

 

“I don’t usually drink rosé, but this rosé is actually quite good.”

 

He opened another bottle of wine.

 

Pop.

 

With a crisp sound, the cork came free.

 

After pouring an entire bottle of wine liberally into a large decanter, he filled a glass for Han Woohyun and one for me.

 

I didn’t want to admit it, but the Liber wine he served us was honestly good.

 

What made it even more irritating was that this window kept popping up every time I took a sip.

 

 

Sudden Quest: “Ultimate Recipe — Wine”

 

— You have discovered a master possessing the Ultimate Recipe — Wine.

Receive the Ultimate Recipe from them.

 

— Completion Reward: 100G, 100% customer satisfaction when using the recipe, and a 10% increase in affinity with spirits. 

 

I know.

 

I can tell this is an ultimate recipe.

 

The aroma of this wine was rich enough that even someone as clueless about wine as I am could notice it. The astringency, the acidity, and even the lingering sweetness at the finish were all there.

 

Is this what it feels like when each aroma and flavor exists without overpowering the others?

 

I vaguely recalled something I’d once heard while studying F&B.

 

The problem was that this guy—who turned out to be the owner of Liber Monastery—actually had nothing to do with the winery.

 

“Oh, that winery? My father sold it ages ago. It’s now run by the owner of the biggest restaurant in the area. I just own this little castle here.”

 

As he said that with a chuckle, lightning flashed behind him.

 

And then— Rumble! Boom!

 

When the thunder struck, it felt as if the entire old fortress shook with it.

 

Along with the thunder, I could hear the sound of rats scurrying away from somewhere.

 

“How did you come to own this fortress?”

 

“Well… I’m not entirely sure, since it goes back to my grandfather’s time. But my grandfather secretly supported the Paris Resistance, you see. I heard he bought this place because there was no better hideout for the Resistance. Haha.” 

 

Wow, so he’s the descendant of someone who did something truly admirable.

 

I tried my best to think of it that way, but it was hard to see the man in the floral shirt and brown-tinted sunglasses any differently.

 

On top of that, the three-striped refrigerator and microwave behind him somehow dragged the atmosphere of this ancient fortress straight back into mundane reality.

 

Just thinking that the food we’d eaten probably came out of those made me feel oddly uneasy.

 

I guess… in a way, that’s also a kind of national contribution?

 

That was when it happened.

 

The man, who had been drinking plenty of wine, received a call on his phone. He picked it up upside down at first, then quickly corrected his grip and spoke.

 

“Huh? Now? Are you serious? Ah, this is troublesome. Is he okay? I’ll head over there right away.”

 

The moment he hung up, he turned to us with a troubled expression.

 

 “Ah, I’m really sorry, but the winery owner I mentioned earlier got into an accident on the way to the airport for his vacation and has been hospitalized. So, I was wondering if—by any chance—you’d be willing to help me out…”

 

With his nose even redder than before, he gave us an awkward grin.

 

“Could you watch over our hotel for a bit?”

 

Hotel?

 

This is a hotel?

 

“We’ve got guests scheduled to check in at ten tonight. Ah—here. Put this on, and greet them like this. ‘Welcome to the thousand-year-old tradition of the Liber Hotel~!’”

 

He held out a floral shirt identical to the one he was wearing and demonstrated how to greet guests.

 

“In return, we’ll upgrade you to the VIP room—the one those guests were supposed to stay in. And we’ll give you their lodging fee as well. It’ll be more than you’d expect.”

 

As he said that, he lowered his brown-tinted sunglasses and gave me a wink.

 

For a brief moment, his pupils seemed to constrict slightly.

 

Almost like a reptile’s.

 

But the next moment—

 

—Rumble! Boom!

 

With the thunder and lightning, I couldn’t tell whether what I had seen was real or just an illusion.