Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Unloading (2)
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"Th-the stairs are gone!"
"What the hell is this?!"
The surroundings erupted in chaos.
The moment they realized the stairs they'd come down had vanished, everyone panicked and started pawing at the space that had become a solid wall.
"Now, now! Don't panic!"
As the commotion grew, the man in work clothes stepped in to calm them.
"Listen, we've got the exploration team here. Just follow their—"
But the man in work clothes couldn't finish.
The suited men they trusted as the exploration team were visibly flustered, talking among themselves.
"What the hell happened?!"
"Th-there were definitely no monsters...?"
"...Fuck, shit, we're screwed..."
Only then did a thick curse spill from the work-clothes man's mouth.
I felt the same urge to curse right along with him.
I'd come for an interview because they said the chance of encountering a monster was low.
Not even on my first day—it was the interview day, and this was the situation.
"...But what's that?"
Just then, one of the middle-aged female applicants cautiously raised her hand and asked.
As eyes turned to her, she pointed to one side.
There was a large hole, and above it, numbers were displayed.
"Those numbers...?"
"..."
The others seemed clueless, but I had a rough hunch.
The quest that had appeared before my eyes moments ago.
Combining that quest message with the hole—
A few horror games flashed in my mind.
Games where you collect items in a terrifying place, settle them up, and escape.
It felt exactly like that.
"What about the other exploration teams?"
"No contact..."
"Damn it...!"
In the midst of the exploration team falling into panic, one frustrated man finally jumped to his feet.
"Instead of sitting here, shouldn't we at least check the hotel desk?"
He was the rough-looking guy who'd stuck in my memory.
A few agreed, but plenty more, gripped by fear, insisted they shouldn't move recklessly.
"Th-the stairs might reappear."
"Yeah... What if we run into a monster by moving around needlessly..."
The opinions split, and authority slowly shifted to the exploration team. That's when the college student, who looked the most terrified, pointed shakily at the distant hotel entrance.
"D-don't you see something over there?"
His finger aimed right at the reception desk in front of the entrance.
There was a thin sheet of paper on the desk.
"...I'll go get it."
One exploration team member, sensing something, crouched low and crept forward carefully, snatched the paper, and retreated.
The paper read 'Hotel Guide'.
He swallowed dryly and began reading it aloud on behalf of everyone.
"According to this guide... there are marked items scattered throughout this underground hotel. Find them and insert them into that hole earlier—the 'settlement hole'—and they'll convert to points."
His gaze flicked to the hole displaying [0/20,000].
The hole was large enough for just about any item.
"Once you fill 20,000 points total... the vanished stairs will reappear, allowing escape. And..."
He hesitated for a moment.
"...It says to avoid encountering 'hotel staff' or 'guests' inside the hotel as much as possible."
'Hotel staff'. 'Guests'.
Undoubtedly euphemisms for monsters.
The guide's instructions were clear—but utterly despairing.
In the end, it meant scouring a perilous hotel crawling with potential monsters for items to earn points.
"Are you insane?! You want us to rummage through that monster den?!"
"I-isn't there another way? Does it have to be marked items? This watch of mine is expensive...!"
Chaos erupted again.
But this time, it was different.
With a clear goal and method presented, some people's eyes began to change.
Survival instincts rising amid the fear.
"Fuck this shit! You wanna stay here forever then?! Think there's another way?! First time seeing monsters?!"
The work-clothes man who'd brought us applicants here spat curses and shot to his feet.
Everyone looked to the exploration team, who backed him up, having no better ideas.
"...No other way. We've tried contacting outside, but..."
"Damn it! You said we wouldn't run into monsters!"
"Ugh... No... I wanna go home..."
They exchanged bewildered, terrified glances, unable to produce any sharp solutions.
It was clear they had nothing either.
In the end, opinion tilted toward slowly and cautiously searching for items.
I quietly checked my mental map again.
The underground hotel's layout was detailed: guest rooms, corridors, restaurant, and facility spaces like what might be a boiler room.
A multi-floor hotel stretched out in a single level.
And atop it, red dots—monsters—still blinked.
Fortunately none near the lobby, but several flickered in the corridors dense with rooms.
'No item locations shown... Guess I have to find them myself.'
My ability would surely help in finding and carrying items.
Grasping monster positions via the map was a huge advantage.
I might rack up points quickly.
Right then, the work-clothes man raised his voice again.
"...We can't stay like this forever! Let's split into groups and move."
One exploration team member nodded at his practical suggestion.
Fortunately, the guide's back had a simple map of the underground hotel.
They divided the hotel into zones based on it and split people into groups to search zones.
I slipped unnoticed into a group with the terrified-looking college student and the relatively calm middle-aged woman.
Naturally, as the only man, I became leader.
"Our group starts searching this corridor. Stay quiet as possible, and don't stray."
With a tense voice, we finally left the lobby and stepped into the left corridor of the hotel.
Flashlight beams illuminated worn carpet and stained wallpaper.
The corridor was eerily silent, filled only with our anxious breaths and footsteps.
"Check from Room 105."
I whispered, stopping at the nearest door.
I quickly checked my mental map.
"...Ugh..."
My heart sank.
Right next door, in Room 106, a stationary red dot glowed clearly.
'Damn, right next door...!'
I swallowed hard.
Should I say something now? But how to explain?
While I hesitated, the middle-aged woman cautiously turned the knob on 105.
Creak...
With a chilling sound, the door slowly opened.
Multiple flashlight beams poured into the dark room.
The tidy space held expensive-looking furniture and ornate decorations.
But not everything could be settled.
Only check-marked items counted.
"...Be careful."
I whispered lowly.
The college student nodded, pale with fear, while the middle-aged woman calmly crept in, sweeping her flashlight into every corner.
I kept watch around us, eyes on my mental map.
The red dot in 106 hadn't moved.
The type that doesn't leave the room?
"Um, is this it?"
The middle-aged woman held out an item from the vanity.
A jewel box in vibrant colors.
She carefully lifted the music box and showed the bottom.
Faint but clear: a green checkmark (✓) etched there.
"Y-yeah, looks like it."
"Yes."
Anyone could see it was the real deal.
Our first find.
Color returned to the college student and my faces.
That very instant.
Thud!
Screeech—!
From next door, Room 106, came a loud crash, then what sounded like a door opening.
"...!"
We three froze in place.
My heart felt like it would leap out my throat.
Since we'd split into zones, if it wasn't our noise...
Only a monster could make sounds.
The college student stifled a scream. I'd half-expected it, so I forced my frozen body to move, quietly shutting the door.
Click. Locked.
I signaled them to stay silent.
They nodded, hands over mouths.
Thud, thud.
Slow, heavy steps passed 106 into the corridor.
Thud.
Stopped right in front of our 105.
"...Cl-cleaning... service... hereee..."
Clank, clank!
Bang, bang, bang!
The knob rattled violently, then pounding began.
Thanks to the lock, it couldn't enter.
Then an uneasy thought hit me.
"...Everyone, hide...!"
"...Pardon?"
"Now...!"
At my shout, they panicked but hurriedly concealed themselves.
Middle-aged woman in the closet, college student under the bedcovers, me under the table.
There was a reason I hid so frantically.
The monster outside had spoken in a clumsy tone: 'cleaning service'.
If that thing handled cleaning for this hotel—
Clank—!
Screeech—.
It might have a way to open the door.