The Doll Collective's Oath and the Hotel's Collapse
Baesena doesn't remember her own origins. It feels like she's simply always existed, from time immemorial.
Why are monsters called Muksi Saengmyeongche? Perhaps because each one harbors the potential for apocalypse. That's probably why the cultists rave about the "worst possible apocalypse."
And Baesena didn't want humanity to meet its end. This world was hell itself. The first humans lived in paradise, but after their expulsion, they arrived in a place teeming with all sorts of dangers. As punishment for original sin, humanity writhes in suffering and hardship—and among those trials, the Muksi Saengmyeongche are overwhelmingly cruel.
That's why, she thinks. Even though she was born in a non-human body, Baesena descended to this land with the mission to protect humans. A sort of balance patch.
Even if every monster in this world seeks to harm humanity, the Human Shelter might be the insurance policy—the ark spoken of by Noah—meant to safeguard them.
Baesena had seen it. The chainsaw blade slicing through a head.
-Kagagagak!
It was warm. The saw danced above her head. Flesh sprayed, blood splattered. And with that, another Baesena fell.
It was a trivial matter. To Baesena, it was like Theseus's ship: even if every part is replaced, as long as the continuity of self persists, it's still Theseus's ship. It's still me.
So Baesena lost nothing. Or if she did, it was something insignificant.
Protect them. Must protect humans. Must protect humans, must protect humans, must protect humans, must protect humans, must protect humans, must protect humans, must protect humans, must protect humans, must protect humans, must protect humans, must protect humans, must protect humans, must protect humans.
That was the mission first bestowed upon her—and one still actively shared among all Baesenas. Since her sense of self is continuous, nothing had happened at all.
-Kagagagak!
Another Baesena's head was severed, yet she reached out and grabbed hold. The severed viewpoint rolled across the floor. At the edge of that vision, she saw another Baesena advancing. She trampled over the fallen Baesenas, extending her arm. Her hand was sliced off. When the hand went, she used her elbow. When the arm went, she used her teeth.
Thud!
Eventually, the day came when weight could no longer be overcome. The murderer tilted. Standing on two legs in this world wasn't easy, so that massive frame finally crumbled.
The eyes buried within the mask had no choice but to look up. And that view—could only be one of countless dolls gazing down.
"Finally caught it."
Hahaha! Hahaha!
Baesena laughed. She mocked the monster. If it were human, maybe not—but since it wasn't human, she could mock it all she wanted.
"Yuri's gonna love this," Baesena muttered.
I woke up. But today, I rose a bit earlier than usual. I was awakened before dawn. And right in front of me was the murderer.
"Ugh…."
A sweaty, muscular behemoth. It looked just like a human, and that's what made it a different kind of terrifying from a monster. Like the difference between fearing a ghost and fearing a stalker tailing you.
Just its size and menace alone created this weird pressure. And that murderer—
—was now bound tight with ropes or whatever.
"Caught the murderer! I did good, right, Yuri?"
"Uh, yeah…."
Baesena caught it, huh…. Baesena is a doll that can multiply infinitely. Each individual doll isn't all that strong. One-on-one against Baesena, even a weakling like me might win.
But the problem is, one-on-one never happens. Seeing them like this really drove home that Baesena's a full-fledged monster.
'…Pretend I don't know.'
I know Baesena's secret, but no need to let on that I do.
With that thought, I approached the murderer. Gotta do what needs doing.
"────!"
The murderer thrashed. It felt less like we'd captured a human and more like we'd restrained a zombie. It didn't seem to grasp that it was caught—just moved on pure instinct to kill everything in sight.
Even unable to break free of the ropes binding it, it lunged at me. I flinched in fear for a second. But with Lisa watching, it should be fine… right?
Cautiously, I extended my hand toward the murderer.
Poke.
Punching seemed too scary, so just a finger. Prodded lightly and pulled back fast.
And….
"No dice."
No message about the Cute Girl Mod applying. Just as expected. It didn't work on Baesena's clones, so no way it'd work on killers spawned by the hotel.
Still, I had hopes. Bummer. So my rice-farming dreams crumble like this…? Does humanity really have no choice but to earn money honestly? So sad. Too sad—my lingering regret led me to try all sorts of other things.
What if I apply Ari's Bond Effect to the murderers? → Fail.
Can I fool the Murder Hotel with Ari's Bond Effect? → Fail.
Gather all the murderers in one spot? → Fail.
There must be a secret space somewhere in the hotel! → Nope.
And just like that, the 13 days passed.
"…Rice-farming service terminated."
With regret, I left the hotel. I stared up at it blankly. A grand, dazzlingly luxurious hotel. Hard to believe murderers roam inside—it's that refined.
I sighed. The doors were sealed shut; no matter what, they wouldn't open. Only those qualified can enter this anomaly.
And having already earned 1.3 billion and left, I'd probably never qualify for Hotel the Lamento again.
Yeah, humans shouldn't get greedy. Live with what you're given. Like the saying: if a baby bird follows the stork, it'll tear its legs.
With that mental victory, I started walking.
"But we're just gonna leave the hotel like that?"
I was about to step off when Baesena asked.
"Shouldn't we wipe it out completely to feel safe? Otherwise, people'll keep going missing, right?"
"Maybe…."
Hmm. I paused and looked back at the hotel. Is it really okay to just leave?
I'm not still dreaming of rice farming—it's more like I failed the given task. Monsters in this monster game are super diverse. Some, like the King of Flies or Carnival Chef, look outright monstrous. Others, like Moon's Fall, exist as tools. Then there are intangible ones like Kunekune or eight-foot ghosts you can't touch physically. And ones like Work Negligence Prohibition that possess buildings.
My office crew is great against physical monsters, but we suck against spiritual or non-physical ones. And then there are massive ones where the whole mountain, lake, or mansion is the monster.
If I run into those and can't apply the Cute Girl Mod like with this Murder Hotel, how do I handle it?
'…Stuff like that will definitely show up later.'
So the Murder Hotel was a prime chance to experiment beforehand. Even if everything failed.
I already got 1.3 billion anyway. One last try?
Death (Viriditas) "Carnival Chef" Yerisa
* This entity is fully conquered.
* You can summon this entity at any time.
* By naming it, you have bound this entity to yourself.
* Through your bond with the entity, you can borrow its power and draw out its potential.
This slice anything bond effect from Yerisa. From using it multiple times, I learned it feels like it only cuts one object. Like, activate it on chopsticks, and only one pair snaps in half. No way to cut two at once.
Conversely, slice a mango, and it cuts the pit inside too. If it's one cohesive mass, it slices the whole thing. If even slightly separate, only one part gets cut.
Plus, it has to be something I can physically touch and visually recognize.
So….
'Could I slice the hotel?'
If I see this hotel as one massive cohesive lump, it kinda feels slicable.
With that thought, I swung my hand blade down at the hotel building.
Poke.
"Carnival Chef" Bond Effect Triggered.
Shwick.
A light sound echoed loudly. Like cutting cake with a fork.
I looked up, and a straight-line crack had formed on the hotel building. Not perfectly vertical—slightly diagonal. From afar, it'd look like a massive diagonal slash drawn across it.
That's when I felt someone grab my waist.
"Huh? L-Lisa…?"
"Pardon the intrusion, Mayuri-nim."
And suddenly Lisa hoisted me up and started running. The sound came a beat late.
-Kugugung!
The hotel's upper section began sliding down like melting. Fine gray dust rose from the cut surface. Soon, even a slight descent caused windows to shatter here and there with sharp cracks.
Floors tore apart between levels, debris rained from the outer walls like a storm. I watched the collapse unfold.
The building's center twisted. The lower sections crumpled under the weight they couldn't bear. Finally, the upper part fell.
-Kwaaaang!
A massive dust cloud engulfed everything. The hotel sign flew off last, spinning through the air. After we'd gotten far enough, the dust finally settled.
Only rubble remained.
You encountered the "Murder Hotel" but resolved it safely.
"Murder Hotel" has been added to your compendium!
"……F-Fucking insane."
I trembled, staring at the utterly demolished hotel. If we'd escaped even a little later, I'd be dead….
Guess I gotta be careful using Lisa's bond effect from now on, I thought, fumbling with shaky hands through my handbag. Inside was a single coin.
◈ Revives one annihilated monster and stores it in your collection.
◈ This item is one-use only and disappears upon activation.
'C-Could I… revive the Murder Hotel with this… and rice-farm it…?'
I hesitated for a moment.