Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Chapter 84

Novel: Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Author: wuxiafull Updated: Jun 03, 2026

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Now reading: Chapter 84 from Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual, a Fantasy novel by wuxiafull.

A valley where black, transparent water flowed.

The scale itself wasn't large. But there was a modest trickle of water, and beyond it, a pitch-black hole was faintly visible.

A path that opened only for those who possessed the map.

"Is this the entrance to the infamous Golden Grotto?"

"That's not wrong, but to be precise, we're moving to a designated zone on a designated floor, so...."

Seo thought for a mont at Rawi's question, then answered.

"We won't be stopping at the 1st Floor I described earlier."

There were two ways to reach the Golden Grotto. The orthodox route of descending from the 1st Floor, or moving to a designated floor through a specially treated device.

Occasionally, one stumbled upon the wrong thod and skipped several floors entirely, but this was the latter of the two. That, too, was precisely why they'd needed to follow the map so carefully.

"Oh."

Rawi asked.

"Then we can't visit the 1st Floor market?"

"If we finish the mission alive, I'll show you around."

"Why do you have to put it like that, Senior?"

"You're awfully fussy and soft."

"That's my charm."

Seo waded into the deep water inside the valley and spoke.

"All right, I'll take the lead. Follow ."

"Am I allowed to cry?"

"That's what I want to say, but—mm. After the mission."

"So cold."

And soon, the black water fell still.

With that, the two entered the designated floor of the Golden Grotto: 'Baby's Breath Cathedral.'

***

anwhile, in the Central Control Room on the hotel's 14th Floor.

"...I'd been thinking about this even right after completing the synchronization, but...."

Yeon-woo, who had been checking the nurous panels, tilted his head.

"If things go well, I might be able to solve one of my headaches."

"Hello?"

"Yes, the risk involved shouldn't be significant."

Seated at the console, Yeon-woo examined the panels one by one.

The panels shifted or changed their contents according to his gaze. Linked with the Interface, this made remote hotel operations considerably easier.

But that wasn't the point.

"My current condition is affected by a considerably complex set of problems."

Extre physical fragility outside conditions where ga-system rules applied. Dissolving into liquid blood unless the body was fixed or circulated. Random physical errors caused by the high-level bug. Various discomforts and identity confusion from the water-affinity penalty.

"That's already four major problems."

One thing after another.

"On top of that, The Guest Without Taste's influence has caused abnormalities in the organs responsible for emotion."

"Yes."

"Since I'm not entirely incapable of feeling emotions in any given situation, this might be better described as an issue with emotional continuity. It's difficult to define within the knowledge I possess."

"Hello?"

"I'm still not sure."

How to fix it?

"I do feel emotions acutely as situations arise, but they volatilize as soon as I turn away and fail to accumulate as mory...."

That was probably because The Guest Without Taste had cleaned out all the emotional big data he'd built up. The emotional storage had been shattered—so circuit in his brain had simply snapped.

"To put it harshly, I feel a bit stupider."

"N-no."

"If we count this penalty as well, that makes a total of five intertwined problems."

"Yes...."

Coco gave a bitter response as though to say 'give it a rest.'

"......"

Yeon-woo felt a flash of indignation before it passed. He'd been about to get angry, but the emotion scattered in that brief interval, leaving him feeling no need for anger. This, too, was an effect of The Guest Without Taste's penalty.

"...At any rate, the process has gotten a bit tangled, but acquiring Central Control Room authorization first was not a bad choice."

"Mm."

"Beyond hotel operations, above all, I should be able to recover from the physical abnormalities caused by the Crimson Core Comntary ritual. It's still only a hypothesis, and it'll be far from a complete recovery, but...."

Yeon-woo stared at the panel where the hotel's system was coded.

"Since I've synchronized anyway, I'll fix this body's circuitry into the hotel."

He intended to lock 'Lee Yeon-woo's' circuitry into this hotel.

"In that case, it'll be far more stable than personally running my brain to maintain it, and above all, semi-permanent circuit imprinting should be possible as long as this hotel stands."

"Yes!"

"That's reassuring to hear."

In truth, he didn't feel particularly reassured. The lack of strong emotion was the reason. He'd been anxious or excited for a mont, but such feelings didn't linger.

"...It'd be ideal if the brain could be corrected as well."

"Yes. Yes. Yes."

"Enough."

But Coco's reaction was understandable.

At this rate, Yeon-woo's social functioning would be severely impaired. He wouldn't even properly feel a sense of crisis, so he wouldn't look after his own safety.

'I don't know whether the ga system allows arbitrary removal of penalties from Monster Guests without other items or skills, but I should avoid such situations as much as possible.'

If he was to keep from giving up on being 'Lee Yeon-woo.'

"Designing the circuitry will take so ti."

"Yes."

"But that can be resolved using the Maintenance Function, which was the objective of this campaign. I'd wanted Central Control Room authorization precisely for this kind of physical improvent, and I've gained an unexpected harvest."

"Hello?"

"Yes, as you've noted, the water-affinity penalty will remain... but if the physical abnormalities from the Crimson Core Comntary can be sowhat compensated this ti, the impact shouldn't be as severe as before. At the very least, I won't be spitting out chunks of flesh along with thick blood."

"No."

"Of course, that's also true. I can't avoid vomiting blood-mixed water itself. That's unavoidable unless I obtain an item to counter The Drenched One's contract penalty."

"Yes?"

"...Ah."

Yeon-woo nodded.

"True—if errors from the high-level bug occur, I'd still take as much damage as before."

Bug-induced errors ant the body's collapse. In that case, he'd inevitably take damage, but Yeon-woo wasn't overly concerned.

"Even if such a situation arises, I'll recover imdiately. Provided the circuitry is successfully fixed into this hotel, as I'm currently planning."

The accumulation of pain and fatigue from before would cease.

"If that resolves things, then what remains is...."

"Mm."

"That's unfortunate."

Problems were more than plentiful.

"...But even so, at this level...."

His state would still be so fragile that even a firm grip would leave bruises. But at the very least, he could recover to a condition that might barely pass for 'human.'

'Then above all... I can use the resurrection function without bearing risk, just like before the tutorial. At least within this hotel, I won't die or lose my human form.'

That alone was a considerable relief.

"......"

...Wait, then hadn't he essentially just returned to the tutorial era?

"...No, no. I actually have a few more problems than back then...."

"Yes?"

"...When on earth will I be able to restore myself to my original state?"

aning Lee Yeon-woo, the sturdy adult male.

A touch of sourness lingered, but he decided to be satisfied. Being freed from the risk of dying or lting just by breathing was achievent enough.

'The remaining problems can be solved in due ti.'

Every problem had an answer. If it felt like there was none, it was because you hadn't struggled enough. Yeon-woo repeated that fact to himself like a mantra and examined the panels once more.

"Then before activating the Maintenance Function."

"Yes."

"That...."

Yeon-woo voiced sothing he'd been curious about for a while.

"...Where on earth is The Drenched One?"

"Mm?"

The monster friend who should have been at the Aqua Park had vanished.

***

"......"

After a silence, Rawi asked with a look of transcendent acceptance.

"...Are we going to die, Senior?"

"Uh... can I think about it before I answer?"

"Of course, but I already feel like I've gotten the answer."

"Don't give up on living."

Seo pressed the oxygen mask more firmly against his junior's mouth and comforted him. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but the two had fallen into a completely unknown labyrinth.

"I've never heard of the Baby's Breath Cathedral being linked to another labyrinth...."

Seo sheathed his blade with a flustered expression. Putting away his weapon with visibility blocked by fog might be careless, but he needed to check the map once more.

"You're a rookie, so even with along, they wouldn't have given you a difficult mission. This job was really just collecting a few flowers from the Baby's Breath Cathedral."

"I feel terrible saying this, but could it be...."

"The guild master is known in this district as quite the straight arrow. If it were a dangerous commission, he'd have warned us. His reputation's on the line too.... If we were genuinely deceived, it ans we're in a situation where we have to die."

"Let's chalk it up to so kind of error, then."

"That's probably better for ntal health than declaring this is where we die today."

"As expected of you, Senior."

"I feel a bit sorry, having earned the title of 'Senior' all the way here."

Seo smiled awkwardly and folded the map. He'd checked just in case, but there was no response. It ant they'd been transported to a zone entirely different from the Baby's Breath Cathedral.

All they'd done was wander through the fog.

"We did collect the flowers as specified in the commission, but getting paid today is looking unlikely."

"Is it just 'today' that's in question?"

"If we really start counting worst-case scenarios, the depths of despair are truly bottomless, so...."

"Let's stay positive."

Adjusting his oxygen mask, Rawi surveyed the fog-filled surroundings.

"In the best-case scenario, what's our situation?"

"I'm not sure about the best case."

"Ah, we've reached the level of not knowing."

"I've heard of rare cases like this—labyrinths connecting to labyrinths, or holes opening to transport you sowhere else...."

"What kind of case is that?"

"So chemical reaction we don't understand might have occurred."

Seo stroked his chin and continued.

"Or it could be a Dokkaebi's trick."

"......"

Rawi rubbed his face.

"...Is this really a Dokkaebi situation now?"

"It's not entirely impossible. Whether it's the influence of indigenous spirits or what, Korean Dokkaebi are particularly fond of pranks."

"Are foreign Dokkaebi any better?"

"That's a fair point—at ho or abroad, Dokkaebi as a species generally live for the sake of pranks."

"Even when their pranks could cost people their lives?"

"They're not the kind of beings who care about that...."

Fog so thick not a step ahead was visible. At least examining the ground and nearby area, it looked like a shoreline with jutting rocks.

"Hmm."

"Sothing wrong?"

"No—if we're talking about the more manageable scenario...."

"Oh."

"It might be an artist rather than a Dokkaebi."

"......"

Rawi asked with a sour face.

"...This is a labyrinth, isn't it?"

"From what I can see, yes."

Seo gripped his sword hilt and watched the waves lapping against the rocks.

"If it weren't, it wouldn't be this difficult for a human to even breathe."

"You're fine though, right?"

"I have a different physiology than humans, and my elental affinity is water, so...."

But the ambient humidity here was staggering. They hadn't been here long, yet their entire bodies were already drenched. Water dripped from their gear, and it wasn't for nothing that he'd given his only oxygen mask to his junior.

"More than anything, with spiritual energy this strong, it can't not be a labyrinth."

An ordinary human wouldn't last a mont.

"I know what you want to ask. Normally, labyrinths naturally form under specific conditions, or they're spaces where Dokkaebi born within them make their nests—another kind of Gap society."

"I've heard that much...."

"But so labyrinths are created by humans—that is, by artists."

"Can those really be called humans?"

"In the end, labyrinths form as long as conditions are t, to a degree."

Seo gestured to him.

"Fix the oxygen mask as tight as you can and focus on observing the surroundings. If this really is an artificially created labyrinth, then unless it's been abandoned, there'll be a master who controls and manages this place."

Rawi pulled out his gun with a look of revulsion.

"How is that any different from a Dokkaebi?"

"At least conversation might be possible?"

"Not even 'is possible,' but 'might be possible'... ah, so that was the 'more manageable scenario'?"

"Or it really might be an abandoned labyrinth."

Artificially created labyrinths by humans—by artists—could be further divided into several types. Processes or results of their art or experints. Works, cradles, nests. And also, Gaps deliberately made from start to finish.

Accordingly, quite a few labyrinths had been created intentionally and then abandoned.

"Artists are generally perfectionists."

"Uh...."

"The fact that you're not denying it says a lot."

"No, well, um."

"I'm not criticizing. You dug that deep, so of course you beca an artist. I think it's admirable. I just wanted to say that many labyrinths get abandoned because of it."

"Because they made it themselves but don't like it?"

"Exactly."

The odds were fifty-fifty.

"You said your specialty is shooting?"

"I'm more confident with slingshot."

"You use a slingshot on the Surface too?"

"The Republic of Korea prohibits firearms."

"So you took them down with rocks?"

"It was faster than grabbing and beating them."

"No wonder you beca an artist."

"Why does that sound like an insult?"

"Don't misunderstand ."