Vampires Die of Loneliness
Vampires die when they're lonely. As I mentioned before, the 'Hotel the Lamento' is one of the extra contents added to ease the difficulty in the late game. As such, it's set to a difficulty level that's tough to challenge in the early game, and if your specs aren't up to par, you straight-up can't clear it no matter how many times you die.
That's why I hadn't tried it until now.
Could I clear it with just Ari and Lisa? That was my worry, so I'd been hesitating until Nao and Miyeong could join. Especially since the Hotel the Lamento has such heavy random elements, and surviving for 13 days straight isn't easy.
UL Woorim Bank: 100,000,000 won
But while I was sleeping, it seems the situation had already wrapped up. Proof? A cool 100 million won had hit the new account I'd just opened.
"W-Wasn't it tough? You could've just woken me up…."
"No need to wake you. We ran into it by chance in the hallway, and I subdued it without much trouble."
That's what Lisa said. And the next day.
UL Woorim Bank: 200,000,000 won
Again, while I was asleep, Lisa had handled it on her own.
It's convenient for me, sure….
I figured our office crew would take down the killers. But at least do it when I'm awake…. I did ask them to, but it feels like I'm the only one sucking on the honey here. And yeah, I am sucking on the honey. Even if I'm awake, I doubt I'd be much help anyway.
Still, you never know.
The Hotel the Lamento ramps up the difficulty each day. Day 1: one killer. Day 2: two killers. And so on. Plus, each killer has different abilities—like from Dead by Daylight or The 10th Personality. So variables could pop up anytime, and that's when I'd need to step in, right?
"At the very least, I should help out during the day."
Night brings killers; day is for scavenging items. That's the basic flow. So I wandered around looking for helpful items, and then….
"Huh? No need! I'll handle the scavenging!"
Baesena said that.
"No need…?"
"I'm just wandering around with nothing to do anyway. Oh, Yuri! Found a flashlight?"
With that, Baesena showed me the flashlight.
"We found one yesterday, but by morning, half the items we'd gathered were gone."
"Yeah… Every day, you lose random items."
"Oh, that's how it works! So gamey! But why a flashlight? I searched the whole hotel—no really dark spots."
"Shines in a killer's eyes to temporarily blind them… keep 'em from moving."
"Nice. I'll use that later."
Baesena handed me a few self-defense items too—stun gun, pepper spray. Looks like she'd swept up every item in the hotel solo.
"Uh, nothing I can help with?"
"Doesn't seem like it?"
"What should I do…?"
"Just chill? Hotel food's tasty!"
"……."
So I went back to room 1003 and watched anime. Is this okay? But binging feels so good….
"Gotta think about how to spend the cash."
Survive to day 13, and you rake in 1.3 billion won. Big money. Though considering Seoul housing… maybe not enough to grab everything in the world.
Oh, right.
"Nao-ya, any money hit your account?"
The hotel has an indoor pool, where Nao was splashing around. She said vampires can't cross water, so she'd never played in it before. Now she was hooked, spending all day swimming.
I headed to the pool, and Nao, floating on her back, said:
"Huh? Nope, nothing."
"Nothing…?"
I panicked. Checked, and not just Nao—Ari and Lisa's new accounts were empty too.
My rice-eating dreams….
I'd even summoned Devil's Deal to give Miyeong an ID and account. 1.3 billion each. Five of us excluding Taemi—that's 6.5 billion total!
So why only my account? Why not theirs?
"Maybe 'cause only sis is a pure human?"
"…Maybe."
If so, nothing to be done. I'd planned to give each office girl 1.3 billion, tax-free, after-tax pure profit. Not like I'm ripping them off. I'll leave this place someday, so they need foundations to stand on their own.
Like buying Ari a house in her name with 1.3 bil. Sigh.
"Sorry, Nao… Brought you to make money, but…."
I apologized to Nao. Ari and Lisa are fed and housed by me anyway. But Nao? I brought her specifically, yet she's just suffering without earning—felt bad.
"I'll spot you some cash later."
"No, sis! No need! I'm happy just being at the hotel."
"But you're renting."
Nao's got that base effect draining her cash constantly. That's why I wanted her to earn here. Might as well realize her homeownership dream.
"Worried about that? Then after this, sis, you'll move?"
"Thinking about it. Place is cramped for three, and too far from the office…."
I said.
I had a dream. Of humanity's extinction.
How it happened didn't matter. Just that all humans were gone—and that mattered to Shin Nao.
In the dream, Shin Nao alone survived. The solitude of failing to blend into human society. Extreme loneliness. At the peak of sorrow from being left alone, Shin Nao suddenly opened her eyes.
"D-Dream… huh…."
Shin Nao was drenched in cold sweat. Looking around: the indoor pool. She'd gotten tired swimming and dozed off on a sunbed. Must've fallen asleep like that.
Sleeping was rare these days. Vampires don't need it anymore.
Vampires active at night, sleep in coffins by day. Humans opposite. And as a cute vampire girl, Shin Nao seemed to have the best of both—immortal, body always peak condition. No need for sleep. Since becoming SmallNao, she hadn't slept much. No fatigue either.
Yet she slept—maybe her mind still human-like. Sleep like snacks for vampires, like humans munching cookies between meals.
Realizing it was a dream, she relaxed.
"…Total bullshit dream."
All humans dead, lone vampire survives. Logically impossible. Vampires need blood to live—human extinction means vampire extinction too. No more blood.
…Something felt off.
That nagging feeling lingered as Shin Nao got up. Showered off pool water. Changed clothes. Walked. Still off.
Heard humans taste sweetness in sugar for survival. Long-term harmful, short-term energy boost helps. That's why.
Vampires immortal, seeking eternity. Bloodlust like that? This unease too? Immortal vampires die mostly to humans—or more often, suicide by sunlight from loneliness?
Dunno—but not to a hand axe.
-Crunch!
Huh? Shin Nao tried to speak but couldn't. Vocal cords wrecked.
Why's vision like this? Face on marble floor. In half-inverted view: her headless body. Behind it, man with huge hand axe. Middle-aged, fedora-like hat.
Obvious killer.
"Hurts."
Shin Nao regenerated her head. Charged, sank fangs into his nape.
-Squelch!
Fangs pierced flesh, mouth filled with blood. Sucked. All of it. Blood. Life. Everything.
Gulp gulp gulp.
As she drained, her vampiric nature surged; tiny body grew. Last drop sucked, killer a withered mummy.
"Ugh, tastes like shit."
Shin Nao kicked the corpse aside, muttering. First time for such nasty blood. Anomaly-spawned killer?
"Yuri-unnie's was tasty."
Why the difference? Prefers women? Or Mayuri's special?
Anyway, intense thirst now. But won't attack Mayuri—clear hierarchy. Attacking master unthinkable.
If she serves well, maybe taste it again someday?
"Eternal life…."
Does Mayuri want immortality? Shin Nao wondered suddenly. If yes, legal to taste again.
UL Woorim Bank: 300,000,000 won
Woke up to another 100 mil added, as expected.
"But sis, didn't you say you'd buy something with the cash? Enough for moving?"
Nao asked. Like she said, with 1.3 bil, buy a monster, move, pay office rent, living expenses.
"Wish there was a cheap, spacious place."
If not, loan it is…. Muttering that, Nao replied:
"Then sis, should I break my lease?"
"Why your lease?"
"Pool our money for a bigger place. I'll rent from you."
Already renting basically—better under someone she knows? Plus, she'll help with sis's work a lot.
Nao added.