He had secured cooperation without difficulty. However.
"Friend."
"......"
"No, friend. Wait. No, ack--"
"......"
"Ah, stop."
SPLAT—! SPLAT—!
The Water Ghost, which had been trying to crawl straight into Yeon-woo's lungs, was aghast. Yeon-woo was also aghast. And incredulous. Do you really think you are in a position to be more aghast than
right now?
"Cough."
Water had gone up his nose and stung. Drenched without warning, Yeon-woo wiped his face. Adjusting his glasses, he spoke in a low voice.
"...I believe I ntioned this last ti, but I would appreciate it if you respected my privacy. Friendship is not what you seem to think it is -- it does not an squatting rent-free inside soone's organs."
"......"
"Trying to control my interpersonal relationships is not a healthy mindset, either. Above all, these people are currently under my protection. I am temporarily housing them, much like fostering a stray dog...."
"......"
"Yes, they are not friends. That much I can state with certainty."
To put it plainly, it was rely a relationship of guardian and ward -- no intimacy that The Drenched One needed to be jealous of. In fact, the Room 14 monster had done nothing but sleep the entire ti.
"......"
"They did attack , granted, but there was no malice behind it. It was similar to a large dog that does not realize it has grown, charging at soone and knocking them over.... Yes, a similar process."
"......"
"No, it was more desperate than that. Like an office worker who overslept, lunging for the door of a packed rush-hour subway.... Yes. Yes. That is what it was. My closing the door would have ant being trapped forever, so reason must have slipped."
"......"
"Yes."
"......"
"I see. Thank you for understanding."
"......"
"Ah... you did not actually understand...."
How was it that every monster in this hotel thought alike? Yeon-woo looked at Coco.
"Pardon?"
"Yes."
"...? Pardon?"
Yeon-woo lightly ignored Coco's questioning reply. Here and there, only Yeon-woo -- with his sound mind and frail body -- was caught in the middle, exhausted.
"...Could you not simply walk beside ?"
"......"
The Drenched One grumbled and stepped out of the water. The mont its body rose above the surface, it automatically assud a clothed form, and Yeon-woo wondered what chanism governed that.
'If it's going to wear clothes anyway, couldn't it generate dry ones? Or maybe it deliberately maintains the wet state for activity on land.... The idea that dry clothes are more comfortable is a thoroughly human-centric assumption.'
Yeon-woo shook the bell to summon a staff mber. One approached silently and collected the empty plate. He was grateful for the diligent work ethic.
"Shall we move, then?"
"......"
"Yes, there should be no problems."
The the of the Hunting Grounds they were heading to was, after all, the sea.
***
"It is your first ti visiting the Hunting Grounds as well, is it not, friend?"
"......"
The Drenched One affird. Yeon-woo nodded and offered an explanation.
"Hotel guests are fundantally unable to enter the Hunting Grounds, so that would be expected. Even Human Guests only venture as far as the underground parking garage on basent level three."
"......?"
"Have I not ntioned it? Yes, the hotel does have an underground parking garage, despite appearances. There is an entrance behind the hotel where vehicles can pull in as well, but I have not opened it, seeing as there is no intention of receiving Human Guests."
"......"
"Indeed. Below that, from basent level five onward, is what this hotel designates as the Hunting Grounds."
And they ran exceedingly deep.
"They extend down to basent level one hundred."
That ant a total of ninety-five floors were entirely Hunting Grounds.
"That does not an one can imdiately reach the lowest level. Each floor must be cleared to unlock the next, so the currently accessible area should extend to basent level ten."
The hotel's transformation may have altered the layout, but overall, the existing thes had been maintained to a degree. Yeon-woo expected the Hunting Grounds would not be vastly different.
"......"
"Of course I have never been. What kind of disaster would I be inviting with a body like this?"
Yeon-woo pressed the button for the Operator-exclusive elevator.
"Resource accumulation has been so slow that I have no equipnt, and no ans to craft weapons, either. I considered using other skills, but my body has... grown rather too frail for comfort."
"......"
"I appreciate the suggestion, but I have far too much to do to simply stay in the water."
Always looking for an opportunity to lure him into the water -- truly befitting the notorious Water Ghost.
"Would you like to board first?"
When the elevator doors opened, Yeon-woo stepped aside. The Drenched One did not enter and stared fixedly at Yeon-woo. Understanding what the look ant, Yeon-woo ultimately stepped in first.
"The space may be sowhat tight...."
It was truly cramd.
"......"
"...Yes, I was being too optimistic."
The Operator-exclusive elevator was narrow enough that even a single adult found it barely adequate. Today's Drenched One, in particular, had a rather substantial build.
After scowling for a mont, The Drenched One finally crouched down on the floor and sat Yeon-woo on its knees.
"Oh."
That finally brought so balance.
"My pride has taken a wound, but it is certainly more comfortable than before."
"......"
"Yes, a wise decision. Thank you."
The width was narrow, but fortunately the ceiling height was considerable. Seated atop the thoroughly cramped Drenched One, Yeon-woo pressed the button for the seventh floor.
"Our destination is basent level seven. The the is 'the sea.' Friend, I am not sure how it sounds to you, but it is a space filled with the terror of water-borne calamity."
"......"
"Water Wraiths... no. No, to my knowledge, there are no Water Wraiths of a similar type to you. A variety of quarry exists, but I do not recall any monsters with a Water Ghost concept."
"......"
"If you are truly disappointed, there are things resembling waterlogged zombies."
"......"
"Oh, you are familiar with zombies?"
That was surprising.
"......"
"......"
Ah, they actually existed.
'Must be insane.'
Why would those be here?
"...In any case, our hotel's Hunting Grounds feature quite a large number of humanoid monsters. Spiritual entities are not absent, but most have a physical form."
"......"
"No, please do not misunderstand. Appearances notwithstanding, they are not truly human."
According to the ga's lore, they were negative energy derived from various stories and histories, given form. They might seem similar to Monster Guests at a glance, but in essence they were entirely different beings.
So, to help with understanding....
"They are like pine mushrooms."
"......?"
"Spores that serve as seeds are planted, and once the right conditions are t, they take shape from there. That is why no matter how many are culled, their numbers never diminish. They regenerate endlessly."
"......"
"Indeed, they possess no special self-awareness or reason. Think of them as being closer to mushrooms or plants. For a sowhat nearer analogy, perhaps cultured at... though normally cultured at does not move about."
"......"
"Correct. It is not this ti of day, but among the als I have served you in the past, quite a few used ingredients sourced from the Hunting Grounds. Do you recall that marble ice cream, by any chance?"
"......"
"No, that requires going much deeper. It is primarily sourced between floors thirty-two and forty-five."
"......"
"If I were to accommodate every request you have just made, I would need to be very diligent indeed."
The Hunting Grounds could not be automated. In exchange, they yielded special materials of great benefit to operations. mories of the labor he had put into hunting just to craft a single weapon or dish flashed through his mind.
"......"
"Ah, you were curious about that?"
To The Drenched One's question, Yeon-woo answered dutifully.
"I used terms like spores and seeds, but in essence they are a variety of Nightmare. Byproducts, one might say. After receiving guests such as yourselves -- Monster Guests and Human Guests alike -- the hotel, now enriched, generates them on its own."
Whether they were truly generated, or whether they were preexisting entities that manifested under the influence of Nightmares, was unknown. What was certain, however, was that their numbers increased in proportion to the quantity and quality of Nightmares the hotel had absorbed.
"Co to think of it, this is taking longer than expected."
The Operator-exclusive elevator, which normally would have arrived in under three seconds, had been descending for quite so ti. Yeon-woo briefly regarded Coco, who was staring at the floor indicator alongside him.
'...What distinguishes other floors from the Hunting Grounds? There must be a reason travel ti is so much longer to the Hunting Grounds specifically. I should look into this when I have the chance.'
Fortunately, the wait was not overly long.
DING--
"We have arrived. Let us disembark."
"......"
"...Then I will go first, if you will excuse ."
Yeon-woo climbed off The Drenched One, and then The Drenched One stepped out after him. The elevator closed quietly and remained in place.
Having entered the Hunting Grounds, The Drenched One surveyed the surroundings and murmured softly.
"......"
"I am glad it seems to be to your liking."
A desolate sea, thick with drifting mist.
Corpse Stench bloated by water filled every direction.
***
Flooded ruins.
That, in summary, was its appearance.
"This area takes the form of a port town destroyed by flooding. Beyond that, one can find a shipwreck, as well as underwater cliffs and dark sea caves."
"......"
"Yes, appearances aside, there are no Water Ghosts living here. Even if a similar form were to appear, it would be, as I ntioned, a plant-like being generated autonomously by the hotel."
"......"
"Even if you put it that way... I am not the one cultivating them. They are not livestock. If anything, it is closer to natural occurrence."
But The Drenched One seed to find it difficult to accept that there were no Water Wraiths here. The tone suggested there could be no better habitat for a Water Ghost.
Hearing such words, even Yeon-woo's certainty wavered slightly.
"If Water Ghosts do appear, it would be an effect of this hotel having changed from before. As a personal opinion, I would prefer they be ordinary monsters that do not test my shallow conscience...."
He was not without experience killing laboratory animals for research. But such experiences had always made Yeon-woo uncomfortable. Even growing accustod did not make it any more pleasant.
If a monster beyond mushrooms or plants were to appear before him now, it would be distressing. Given the circumstances, he could not simply leave it be, but he would rather not shoulder that additional burden of karma.
"Coco."
"......?"
"Coco, assurance."
"Aha."
Perhaps having read Yeon-woo's concern, Coco, which had been draped over his shoulder, once again offered its 'assurance.' Difficult to trust entirely, but hearing that answer put him sowhat at ease.
"Flooded zones exist as well. Water reaches waist height, and the pools have no visible bottom. The deeper one ventures, the hazier the visibility becos, and movent speed drops markedly."
"......"
"Ah, do you see that? Yes, that is the shipwreck. Its position and structure change randomly each ti one enters the Hunting Grounds. Due to the many elents obstructing visibility, nurous monsters lie hidden as well."
"......"
"The underwater cliff, you say? You seem interested."
While surveying the terrain of the port town, Yeon-woo pointed in a certain direction.
"It should be over there."
Toward the far edge of the town.
"There is an abyss that stretches endlessly downward. Contaminated mist erupts from it like an underwater volcano, and the fog currently surrounding us is exactly that."
"......"
"Indeed, it is not a significant concern for us at present."
During the ga era, the Playable Character who arrived here was forcibly subjected to the sensation of being underwater. Considering the humidity, the actual conditions were not far off.
Prolonged exposure here would result in death by asphyxiation, but for Yeon-woo in his current state, such a penalty held no power. He was virtually immune to water-induced suffocation.
"Originally, this floor was humid enough to require a respiratory aid item...."
Yeon-woo glanced back at The Drenched One.
"Surprisingly, it seems you still cannot produce a voice. Given that the humidity is nearly equivalent to being subrged, I had hoped spoken conversation might be possible."
"......"
"It seems this degree is not sufficient. Understood."
Full subrsion appeared to be the threshold for speech. Despite standing there for only a brief ti, Yeon-woo's clothes were already thoroughly soaked.
"......"
"Ah, those are fishing nets and seine. They tangle along the floor and walls to impede movent. The monsters here primarily use them when ambushing or concealing themselves."
"......"
"...Pardon?"
That was an unexpected question. Yeon-woo nodded.
"Yes, I visited frequently. In the early days of operations when I had nothing, there was no better place to source high-grade seafood. The Greenhouse was not accessible then either, just as it is not now."
"......"
"There is no need to... look at
with such pity."
"......"
"No, I do not say that lightly...."
He had died plenty of tis and gone through every manner of ordeal. But that was within the ga, was it not? Receiving this strangely misplaced sympathy left him feeling genuinely embarrassed.
'Similar to the situation with Baek Mu-jin.'
Given that he himself had now beco that player, he could not dismiss it as soone else's affair entirely, but the story was too complicated to explain in detail, so Yeon-woo changed the subject.
"Within a certain radius of the elevator is a safety zone. However, if you draw a monster's pursuit on the way back, the safe zone will not function."
"......"
"It may seem inconsistent, but it has several advantages. It appears to be a asure preventing the misfortune of being attacked the mont one steps off the elevator."
"......"
"Yes, movent is still comfortable for you, is it not?"
"......"
"I am glad."
Stroking Coco on his shoulder, Yeon-woo continued.
"What I would like to ask of you is, as I ntioned beforehand, a hunt."
The ingredient he sought was 'Soul Yeast.' It had many characteristics, but if one stood out most:
"The drop rate is low."
"......?"
"Truly low...."
Yeon-woo wore a bitter expression. The road ahead was painfully clear.
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