Hotel Trap (1)

I left the bathhouse and started walking while sorting through the information I'd gathered. Oh, what about her, you ask?

"You want me to stay in here?"

"You don't like it?"

"No, it's just... it feels all warm and cozy, like I'm back home."

I'd sent her off to the Demon Realm. True to her demon nature, she took a liking to that barren hellscape.

First, let's organize what I'd learned.

'Not all of those things are inherently evil.'

Some might have been twisted by demonic energy, but there could be naturally good ones too. Not all of them, though—surely some are just straight-up evil. Still, it was worth testing out.

'And I seem to attract them like a magnet.'

Think about the village, the PC bang, the bathhouse incidents. Yeah, I've definitely got that vibe. Like I said before, if those things were that common, the world would already be a fucking nightmare. So the problem's gotta be me. But why?

'Is it because I'm the Demon King?'

That's the only explanation that makes sense. Can't exactly verify it, but it's the most plausible guess.

'Skip that for now.'

Can't figure it out anyway, so let's move on and form a hypothesis.

A world where mana and demonic energy have been forgotten. Monsters wielding demonic energy start popping up. But regular people don't know about it. One obvious conclusion jumps out.

'Where there's a Demon King, there's always a Hero.'

There must be people handling and dealing with these freaks. Should I try contacting them?

'Doesn't seem like a smart move...'

From their perspective, I'm no different from those things, right?

'Oh, need a proper name for them.'

Calling them "those things" all the time is confusing. Humans getting jumped by bizarre monsters. Let's call the monsters goei. And the people fighting them? Hero party, whatever. Close enough.

Anyway, approaching the hero party is a hard pass. I went into hiding to avoid getting killed by those bastards—am I nuts? If they can fully control goei like this, even my prime Demon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠King army wouldn't stand a chance. Sure, I'm way stronger than I was centuries ago, but still.

'Ha... maybe the medieval era was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠better.'

Once I'm out here, there's so much bullshit to worry about. Unpredictable goei from some butterfly effect. Real-world crap like identity and money. Hell, no phone means I can't even kill time. All I've got left is fuck-all cash, my killer looks, and enough power to wipe out a few countries without breaking a sweat.

I looked up at the sky. The moon hung high.

'Night already.'

I don't need sleep, but I still need a place to crash. Can't keep benching it in the park forever.

'Hotel... shit...'

Hotels sounded good, but what if another goei shows up? Walking into one just to deal with that would be a pain in the ass.

'Ah, right.'

Demons. I've got one demon I created. If I use her as a guard, problem solved?

"Alright."

I made up my mind and headed into a nearby hotel.

"Got a room?"

"Yes, here's your key."

Luckily, it was a weekday and not Friday, so snagging a room was easy. Won't mention the price. My wallet hurts.

Beep. Second floor, so I took the stairs, swiped the card key, and the door unlocked. Stuck the card in the slot by the entrance and flipped on all the lights.

'No issues so far?'

Still fine. For now.

I scanned the room, then tore open space to make a gate to the Demon Realm.

"You there?"

"Yes, what's up?"

She poked her head out from beyond the gate.

"I'm crashing here now. If you sense anything weird, let me know?"

"Ah, you want me on watch duty? Leave it to me."

She thumped her chest proudly and stepped out.

"Oh, and handle anything you can yourself."

"Of course. And..."

She beamed.

"I haven't introduced myself properly. I'm Yoo Hwa."

"Yoo Hwa?"

Sounds like a Joseon-era name. Pretty, though. No clue, really.

"My name's, uh..."

What was it? Haven't used it in centuries—forgot. Pretty sure it was some super macho dude name anyway. Doesn't fit this body at all. Gotta make a new one.

'Like hers?'

Yoo Hwa. Short and cool.

'Black hair, so add Heuk...'

Short deliberation, name decided.

"Heuk Seol-ah."

"Pretty name. You from my hometown by any chance?"

"Nah, just made it up. Never needed one."

I flopped onto the bed as I said it.

"What'd they call you before?"

"Demon King. You're a demon I made, after all."

Yoo Hwa looked shocked.

"Never heard the name, but it sounds insanely badass."

"Don't force it."

Figures she wouldn't know the Demon King's name. In novels, characters shit themselves just hearing it.

'Status has tanked.'

I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. Fun variety shows were on. Modern hotels even had OTT services—tons of dramas and movies.

'Not bored tonight.'

Wonder how entertaining this world's media is?

The night passed like that.

'Got spooked for nothing.'

Zero incidents. Shockingly.

Yoo Hwa, on watch duty, had relaxed enough to binge the drama. A historical one, too—it stole her soul completely.

"Eek!"

"That's not a vow of chastity—it's Joseon."

I got up from bed.

'Time to hit the hotel restaurant.'

For breakfast. I don't need to eat to survive, but why give up the joy of food? Same logic as people skipping meals but munching snacks.

"Heading to eat. Coming?"

"N-no! It's at a crucial scene..."

She shook her head. Score—saved some cash.

Screeech.

I grinned and opened the front door.

"..."

A long ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hallway stretched out. Endlessly long and winding, now branching into a maze-like structure with multiple paths.

"Haa."

Not out of it yet. Already trapped.

Irritation surged—I channeled demonic energy into my fist. A punch strong enough to warp space might fix this.

"Hup!"

I'd gathered plenty and swung—

Screech...

"Huh? What the—?!"

It didn't land. One of the doors flew open, and a person burst out.

'No way.'

Other people got dragged in too?

'Didn't see that coming.'

Never ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠imagined civilians would get involved. As checkout time neared, guests opening doors started filling the hall. Not too many—maybe from the 20X rooms on the second floor.

'Around 20 people.'

After observing, total including us: 20. Too many for a fake-it-till-you-make-it leader like me.

"Quit the drama and come out."

"Huh? What's with the hall?"

Yoo Hwa glanced out, freaked, and rushed over.

"You don't know either?"

"No... first time seeing anything like this."

Even fellow goei don't know.

As we chatted, the crowd's panic grew. Unlike me with experience or her as a goei herself, this was their first rodeo.

"Everyone, calm down!"

Clap, clap!

I infused a bit of demonic energy for a thunderous clap—like a siren. Heads turned.

"I'll handle this from here."

Heard a mutter but ignored it.

"Alright then."

I sharpened my senses, scanning for info. Traces of demonic energy appeared—like a trail leading deeper.

"Everyone, follow me."

Step, step.

I followed the trail, Yoo Hwa right behind. No confidence leading the whole group, so only those who trust me.

Split as expected. Distrusters.

Trusters. Mostly couples or friends— one buys in, the group follows. Nine came with us. Eleven total including us—exactly half the civilians.

Step, step.

About two minutes in.

Gripes from the back as time dragged.

"We're here."

No biggie. Trail ends here.

Right in front of a wall. Something written on it.

'What the hell is this.'

What kind of group is this?