After the tutorial ended, there had been this notification:
[New Features Unlocked]
Full Interface Activation
Managent System Module Access
Sensory Expansion
Presence Detection Permitted
Among those, opening the 'Sensory Expansion' tab revealed an entry called 'Five Senses Stats.' These were the character's base stats, akin to health, agility, and strength in a typical ga.
"...Thank you for visiting."
And one fact that Yeon-woo had briefly forgotten.
"A pleasure."
"How may I help you?"
Those stats applied, unfiltered, to Human Guests as well.
[Sight]
'Your eyes detect an elderly man with white hair and a beard.'
'Sharp features and deep-set eyes are visible on the old man's face.'
'A strange, probing quality is mixed into the gaze he directs at you.'
'He fixates his gaze with persistence, as if searching for so clue beyond your exterior.'
'You detect dangerous curiosity and deep suspicion within that gaze.'
The translucent window's readout poured in as though stamping itself into his brain.
"I'd like to stay for one night."
"One night's stay, confird."
[Hearing]
'A low, composed voice resonates as the old man opens his mouth.'
'The old man's tone maintains precise modulation, and each ti you speak, he collects vocal data from your voice.'
'The old man maintains silence as though searching for subtle incongruities in your speech.'
'The density of the old man's probing toward you intensifies.'
'In the stillness, his interest in analyzing your speech patterns and cross-referencing them with specific information is detect...'
Enough.
"......"
In the ga, this might have been re data, but reality was different. Every ti the script raked directly across his brain, the back of his neck went stiff. Being forced to read another person's information was... decidedly taxing.
'My body is already weakened as it is. If this ability is directly linked to the brain, I can't help but worry about overload. I need to avoid a repeat of last ti, when my blood pressure spiked and I nearly dropped dead.'
That was precisely why he'd stayed holed up in the Operator's Quarters since the tutorial ended. He'd been exercising extre caution with his personal safety, but now that a person had set foot in this hotel, he couldn't very well not co out to greet them.
Why were Human Guests showing up one after another in the first place?
"Allow
to assist with your check-in."
"...If you would."
Yeon-woo opened the Managent System Module.
'Better make sure nothing's missing from the list.'
The process of gathering information through the module's 'Guest Managent Policy' was critical. Only then could he establish a checklist aligned with the 'Service Guidelines.'
A pre-prepared list improved response efficiency. When a new guest arrived, the system automatically sorted available rooms for accommodation.
"Hello?"
"......?"
[Sight]
'You detect the old man gazing at a point in the empty air beyond your shoulder.'
'Nothing should exist there, yet his line of sight is aid at a precise location.'
'Extraordinary insight.'
Extraordinary insight, it says.
'Can he see Coco?'
This was clearly no ordinary man.
'As I suspected, he seems to know sothing.'
Yeon-woo retrieved a room key from the board.
"I'll escort you to Room 9, 17th floor."
"The 17th floor. Very good."
"In that case, before you enter, allow
to brief you on a few matters."
"That the hotel is in its Soft-Opening Period, so services may be lacking across the board, and so communal facilities may be unavailable? And that als may be difficult to prepare?"
He'd had his suspicions, but.
"My niece was in your care."
Oh, dear.
"I've co to offer both apology and gratitude for the trouble caused."
"......"
"Might we have a conversation?"
"...Of course."
Na: Baek Mu-jin.
Chairman of Baeksan Group, one of Korea's leading conglorates, and a major patron of the arts.
It seed the tabloid rumors about Director Lee Seon-hae being from a royal family hadn't co from nowhere.
***
So he'd guessed the man wouldn't be ordinary, but.
"Might I hear about this gift?"
"I've brought a death row prisoner."
"...I see."
He hadn't expected soone this far beyond common sense.
"Might I ask the reason?"
"The reason for bringing a gift is always self-evident."
"You thought I would like it."
"I find myself regretful. You clearly don't."
Wouldn't most people not like that?
"The gift was not intended for that one."
How unfortunate—it was indeed a gift Coco would have liked.
However, he couldn't fathom what the man had seen that prompted him to bring a death row prisoner. At most, all he could have observed was the hotel building. Was it thanks to Director Lee Seon-hae's account, or....
"Our hotel isn't well-known enough for rumors to precede it. Did you perhaps hear sothing?"
The answer ca readily.
"Far from rumors—I didn't even know a hotel like this had been erected here. Contrary to what you fear, I've heard nothing about this place. I simply knew it was a building raised upon corpses."
But Yeon-woo detected sothing off in that statent.
"I slled death in this hotel. The thick scent of blood, the screams layered upon screams. Prayers offered to a god that should not exist. Such things cannot be hidden by dressing them up prettily."
Baek Mu-jin's words sounded as though he possessed so kind of supernatural ability.
"Honestly, it would be difficult for anyone to discern it as precisely as I do. But even a mildly perceptive person would feel the wrongness. The sense of sothing being off. Just as Seon-hae, who knew nothing, felt the distortion here...."
"......"
"Seon-hae is doing well."
"...I'm relieved."
That was... sowhat reassuring.
He couldn't say for certain, but Baek Mu-jin appeared to be an expert in 'this field,' and if soone like him was at Director Lee Seon-hae's side, she'd be less likely to suffer from aftereffects.
'Judging by the familiar way he refers to her, she must be family he cares about.'
But this was decidedly uncomfortable.
"The energy and nature here were so ferocious that I wondered whether a gift of this caliber would suffice. I've no idea what you'll use it for or how, but when you drag a death row prisoner who's hit rock bottom into a place like this... everyone tends to be pleased."
...Did he generally co across as so kind of weirdo now?
He felt a bit wronged. Where in the world could you find a more upstanding citizen than him?
***
That sense of injustice persisted throughout the entire hotel tour.
"May I ask what is unexpected, without causing offense?"
"I'd expected at least a water wraith to be lurking.... Ah."
"......?"
"It's nothing."
The gaze directed at him after this exchange was deeply uncomfortable.
'What is it?'
He didn't sense any overwhelming emotion. But it was a complex gaze nonetheless. If anything could be read from it, it would be faint curiosity—or perhaps covetousness.
'That's excessive for a first eting.'
It was the kind of gaze one might direct at antiques or gemstones being appraised.
'Wait. Doesn't that an he's not looking at
as a person right now?'
Reading between the lines, the man clearly belonged to the type that treated people like objects. But this felt different from even that. More alien, more distanced.
"......"
[Sixth Sense]
'During your conversation with Baek Mu-jin, you sense that an intangible 'gaze' has been continuously observing you.'
"......?"
[Permit Presence Detection?]
[Yes/No]
"......"
[No]
"...Then next, allow
to escort you to the Lifestyle Zone. While it's not yet in full operational status, I believe it should give you a sufficient idea of the overall atmosphere our hotel aspires to."
"Then please, lead on."
The probing continued throughout his explanations of the Grand Banquet Hall and Buffet, the Dining, and the Rooftop Garden. He considered acknowledging it but decided against it.
"Where shall I arrange your al?"
"I heard the Buffet and Dining are in operation."
"An excellent choice. I'll station a dedicated staff mber in a quiet section to ensure your path doesn't overlap with other guests."
"If you would."
By the ti the tour was complete, Yeon-woo's body and mind were already spent.
'...This is pressure of a different kind.'
What on earth had been the reason?
'I have too little information.'
It was certain that the peculiar gaze had started from the Aqua Park.
But why? What had he inferred from , and what conclusion had he drawn? What kind of conclusion made him look at
like that?
As though inspecting a long-standing piece of infrastructure....
"......"
He returned to the Operator's Quarters and mulled it over, but nothing changed.
"How unfortunate."
"Yes."
"Nothing is harder than dealing with people."
Yeon-woo pulled up the Managent Module as if shaking off stray thoughts. Whatever the case, the man was still a Human Guest, and potential incidents needed to be prevented.
"...? Is he on the move?"
He'd expected the guest to head to the Buffet or Dining for a al at most. But surprisingly, the guest's steps ca to rest at the Rooftop Garden.
A single blue dot floating alone on the map. Yeon-woo stared at it and murmured.
"Fortunately, there are no other guests using the Rooftop Garden today. Since their paths won't overlap, there's no need to restrict his movents, but... it might be prudent to station a dedicated staff mber nearby, just in case."
"Eeh."
"What kind of reaction is that?"
The 'Sixth Sense' that Yeon-woo used wasn't rely a skill for tracking a guest's location.
Depending on how much it was developed, it was an ability that could unearth nearly all information about a target. Though it was currently at the base stat level, it could at least display minimal conversation scripts.
That was how he ca to witness the unexpected exchange.
[You're wondering which madman went and created a Dokkaebi in the modern era. Am I wrong?]
Dokkaebi?
[Who could have imagined a young Dokkaebi being born at this point in ti.]
A young Dokkaebi?
[To summarize: a young Dokkaebi—perhaps once a young artist—captured by a Labyrinth that had systematically accumulated blood and suffering.]
"......"
[The material required such effort that they erased it from the world entirely. It would be harder to believe such material was not an artist.]
"...? What is this...."
[Bad personality? So a kind and diligent young man like that couldn't possibly have been an artist, synonymous with terrible personalities? Is that what you wanted to say?]
"What is he saying?"
It was Korean, but he couldn't parse it.
[Do not pity it lightly. Do not judge it carelessly. It beca a Dokkaebi under a Labyrinth's gaze, shackled to this hellish disaster, suffering and dying without rest.]
"No."
[And still, it saved a person. It has lived as a human being all along, and still extends goodwill. From what I could see, it appears to have protected 'itself' to the very end. If it were an existence easy enough for you to pity and easy enough for you to judge, could it truly have done all that?]
"No, that's going too far."
"Nyes?"
Sothing was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what or where.
[Do you not worry about being devoured in a single gulp by that being?]
"I don't eat people, though?"
[That, we cannot know. From what I could see, it appears to have been involved in Blood Magic.]
"Ah, that part's accurate."
It seed that learning Blood Magic typically led to eating people. Co to think of it, every record left in the Crimson Core Comntary ntioned side effects related to cannibalistic or blood-drinking urges.
Baek Mu-jin appeared to have concluded that Yeon-woo was in the sa situation.
[The desire may not be absent, but it can be endured.]
It was absent.
[Do you understand now why I called it dangerous?]
And so Yeon-woo beca a dangerous elent.
[To feel sympathy for a monster of that caliber—that, too, is remarkable in its own way.]
"......"
He'd even beco a monster.
"......"
"Hello?"
It was information sufficient to trigger an identity crisis.
***
"Let's organize this."
Yeon-woo dragged a whiteboard out from the corner of his lab. Coco was curled up on a chair, loafing like a cat baking bread.
Yeon-woo adjusted his glasses and pointed to the first item written in marker.
First: Dokkaebi.
"Our hotel's second Human Guest, Mr. Baek Mu-jin, referred to
as a 'traditional Dokkaebi.' He even attached the specific qualifier 'a young Dokkaebi newly born in the modern era.'"
"Yes."
"Given that the possibility of soone artificially manufacturing one was also raised, it seems certain that a species called Dokkaebi exists in the world. Though their birth process and resultant specins appear to be extrely rare cases."
"Yes."
"Additionally, Mr. Baek Mu-jin assessed
as showing 'a humane and honest deanor that a self-aware Labyrinth could not exhibit,' and as 'the only one who has preserved its humanity.' I cannot conceal my joy at the news that my professional social skills have not rusted."
"No."
"I'm not listening. Moving on...."
Second: Soul.
"According to Mr. Baek Mu-jin's testimony, the soul of myself, Lee Yeon-woo, is deep, clear, and that of a pure 'human being.' Truly exceptional praise. Now then—applause."
"Eeeh."
"I believe I told you to either sulk or clap, not both."
"Eeh."
Coco still dutifully clapped each ti. Having received official recognition that at least his soul was human, Yeon-woo was in quite a good mood. Good enough to let even those halfhearted claps slide.
"Excellent, let's move on."
"Yes."
Third: Labyrinth.
"Mr. Baek Mu-jin suspects that I was confined by the Labyrinth's first master. Here, the 'first Labyrinth' appears to refer to this hotel... which again raises the question—was it not you, Coco, who abducted ? A third party's testimony has now been added to the evidence. Do you still intend to deny it?"
"Yes."
"Your conviction is admirable, at least. Very well, let's continue."
Yeon-woo lightly twirled the marker.
"Mr. Baek Mu-jin seems to have concluded that my confinent in this Labyrinth serves as a sort of filter—blocking all the 'unwholeso elents,' aning the Monster Guests and horror components. He's likely referring to the role the in-ga character perford."
Hoone could be played in various styles. Yeon-woo's preferred approach was the 'step over my corpse' thod. No Human Guest would be allowed to die before getting through him first.
Remarkably, Baek Mu-jin appeared to have seen right through Yeon-woo's playstyle. Given that he'd even used the phrase 'repeating death,' the old man had likely read the hotel's records to so extent.
"Reading between the lines, 'artist' appears to refer to a type of Esper. The fact that he could read this hotel's records—or my character's physical data—is probably because Mr. Baek Mu-jin himself possesses that sort of ability."
"Yes."
"And here's where the critical information erged."
Yeon-woo removed his glasses. He fixed Coco with eyes that had settled into a cold calm.
"I was erased from the world?"
"......"
"Please answer, Coco."
"Hello?"
"I'd prefer not to believe that's an appropriate answer given the circumstances. Even accounting for the ti spent on resurrection, I've been stuck in this hotel for roughly five years. There's no way a re five years would erase soone from the world without a trace. And yet, erased? What does this an?"
Baek Mu-jin was the chairman of one of Korea's leading corporations. A figure who frequently appeared in political circles, with extraordinarily deep and far-reaching global influence.
And a tycoon like that had been unable to find a single researcher nad 'Lee Yeon-woo.'
"It seems that in the process of my abduction to the hotel, so kind of administrative or cognitive defect occurred. Am I correct?"
"Yes...."
"Thank you for answering honestly."
Knowing the cause was better than not.
'At the very least, my family and friends won't be losing sleep worrying about .'
If even a single person had rembered him, there was no way a corporation of that scale couldn't have found one ordinary citizen's information. For the expression 'erased from the world' to hold true, he'd have to have been completely forgotten.
It was reassuring that everyone was probably eating well and living just fine without him, and yet, on the other hand....
"How disheartening."
His heart ached with a desolate, uncomfortable feeling. Worrying that they couldn't survive without him was one thing, but it was also a bit unfair that they'd forgotten him and were apparently doing just fine.
"I'll settle this matter with them once I get out of this hotel."
"Yes...."
"As a courtesy befitting a co-owner, I trust you will prepare a definitive solution to this issue. Did you hear ? I trust you, Coco. I trust you."
"Yes...!"
Coco's expression was the sa as always, yet it seed to be making so kind of resolve. Had Yeon-woo known what that resolve would eventually lead to, he would certainly have stopped it—but that realization would co much, much later.
For now, it was a distant story.
"Coco, guaranteed!"
"Very well."
"Yes!"
"It's not 'yes,' it's... ha, why am I distributing project tasks to a team mber even here? Over a matter concerning my personal life, no less? I'm truly going to lose my mind."
And finally, the last agenda item: Blood Magic.
Yeon-woo put his glasses back on and spoke.
"Blood Magic is, as I expected, but even more so than I expected... hmm...."
"Dangerous."
"You spoke in a full sentence."
"Yes."
"Yes."
Blood Magic was treated as a far more dangerous domain than he'd imagined.
"Generalizing public opinion from a single person's perspective is a clear statistical error, but... given who the source is, I can't help but be concerned."
"Yes...."
"What kind of image does Blood Magic carry, exactly? Going by Mr. Baek Mu-jin's words, it seed close to cannibals or vampires. At this rate, it's obvious what my treatnt will be like if I ever have to interact with people."
"Yes."
"Nothing can be done about Mr. Baek Mu-jin having found out, but going forward, I should conceal my use of Blood Magic as much as possible. That's the only way to maintain even a minimum of human relationships."
"Nyes."
"......"
"Hello?"
He must have lost his mind. Yeon-woo squeezed his eyes shut.
"At this rate, my dignity... my reputation... my social standing...."
"Hello?"
"No."
My spotless career.
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