Chapter 13
The contract route brings a semi-permanent penalty. The punishment route is dangerous and costly. Neglect is something you shouldn’t even think about if you don’t want to ruin the hotel.
Therefore, the safest method of response is management.
“This is troublesome.”
He muttered softly while looking at the marble floor, which had finally regained its original color.
“The management manual for a Wet Person is clear. Strengthen the humidity control system, monitor the piping to track their movements, and above all, physically block any contact with human guests.”
“Yes.”
“At least no one should die—this is a perfectly rational approach… but the world is so unpredictable that things rarely go according to my plans.”
There is always an exception.
“The humidity control system is broken?”
It was most likely due to the weather exceeding critical thresholds.
“If the system fails, the Wet Person’s walking frequency spikes. Especially, the probability that they begin tracking in response to the heat emitted by human guests skyrockets.”
“Yes, it increases.”
Even as the general manager and as a human being, this was far from pleasant.
“The guests also came down earlier than expected.”
According to the manual, he should have repaired the humidity system first, but there simply wasn’t enough time. The Wet Person had already taken over the path in the lobby.
Meanwhile, the completely oblivious guests were walking down toward danger on their own.
“This is total chaos.”
There was only one option. The so-called distraction.
“Crude, but the most reliable temporary measure.”
The user becomes the bait, diverting the monster guest’s attention.
The method for leading a Wet Person is surprisingly straightforward—simply block their path and give appropriate movement guidance. Success condition: humidity must be above 65 percent.
“Current humidity 65.3 percent… just barely.”
If the diversion succeeds, tracking of human guests is forcibly delayed, and the erosion rate decreases. That the Wet Person went up to the seventh floor without incident was thanks to satisfying those conditions.
“If I had been even a little slower, there would have been even uglier stains on the marble floor. Dealing with a Wet Person who has already encountered human guests is difficult, even for me.”
“Yes, difficult.”
Of course, even this success came at a cost.
“Nightmare frequency increased, hypothermia, and actual injuries plus excessive bleeding caused by the distraction… the classic give-your-flesh-to-take-the-bone method.”
“Yes.”
“Good thing my memory isn’t affected.”
“Yes.”
Coco shuddered grotesquely at Lee Yeon-woo’s injuries, like a living liquid monster. It seemed to be expressing some form of negative emotion in its own way.
“Is the condition serious?”
“Yes.”
“I expected that. My back feels a bit empty.”
It was no surprise. The Wet Person’s surface image was the ‘Rainy-Day Killer.’ Its true form was that of a concept called a ‘Drowned,’ but it wielded various types of blades in reality.
Mostly kitchen knives, it seemed.
“If luck was bad, I could have been bitten to pieces like just now. I have to blame my luck for this.”
Attacks beyond blades, such as biting, were purely a matter of probability. Roughly eight percent chance. Today, he just happened to draw that unlikely ticket.
“Luckily, no large chunks of flesh rolled around the lobby. Thanks to that, I could maintain a thin layer of dignity in front of the guests. Should I be thankful for that?”
“No.”
“The decisiveness that shames even me who tried to turn this situation into laughter.”
“No?”
“Well, it’s not really a situation to laugh off. Thanks for the objective and clear answer. With all the excessive bleeding, it’s hard to make even a proper joke.”
“Yes.”
“I need to take additional measures… but I have no clue. As a modern person of the 21st century, I’m even considering self-surgery. Staffing shortages are scary.”
Honestly, that was nonsense. Without blood, his brain refused to work.
“…First, let’s get to a safe place.”
Lee Yeon-woo entered the operator-exclusive elevator. With the human guests gone, this was the opportunity to fix his terrible state. It would be better to move to the lodging.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror in the lodging, Lee Yeon-woo muttered in astonishment.
“Well, how should I put it…”
“Yes?”
“Kind of disgusting.”
“Yes?”
His flesh had been torn so severely that the bones beneath the muscles were fully exposed. Even for Lee Yeon-woo, living into his forties, this was not an everyday sight.
‘No, this is not something that should be easy to see in the first place.’
He was not a doctor.
“…This is the kind of scene that current surgeons would either welcome or be insulted by in today’s world. Truly troublesome.”
During the distraction, the Wet Person had attacked the user. First with a stabbing motion as if with a knife, and then, when blocked by hand, it bit like a beast. Any trace of etiquette seemed washed away by the rain.
“I didn’t expect blood magic to be this useful.”
“You didn’t?”
“Yes, I only started learning it recently, and it’s quite different from the magic I know. All I can do for now is move blood…”
It was just the basics. Of course, even this was a miracle for the medical world, but Lee Yeon-woo was no doctor. He was merely an office worker barely managing his own body.
Yet, he felt the utility of manipulating blood firsthand today. He was controlling his blood in real time.
‘In short, just extending life a little longer, more finely…’
He kept the wound from bleeding out and forcibly pumped the heart that was trying to stop.
“……”
Well, that’s true.
“…Reading it in a sentence makes me sound like a crazy lunatic.”
“Yes?”
“Exactly.”
High school anatomy memorization unexpectedly helped. Life is full of surprises.
“Normally, I would have fainted from pain and shock, but being a game character helped me. On the other hand, it shows how serious the state is if I have to rely on the game system.”
“Yes…”
“Soon my brain will be split into four.”
If he stopped using blood magic, he would die.
“It doesn’t matter to me if I die and respawn…”
“No.”
“The problem is the human guests.”
They must have sensed something strange during the previous lobby encounter. Lee Yeon-woo hoped they would just go away, but human curiosity is rarely rational.
Especially the sharp gaze of director Lee Seon-hae from yesterday bothered him.
“Will they come back here?”
A droplet of blood fell to the floor as his focus wavered.
“I managed to minimize the smell of blood. Other than the impression of ‘something strange,’ they likely haven’t realized what happened… but still.”
His back remained wide open. It was a chilling sight. His face was pale from blood loss, looking even harsher than usual.
“Director Lee Seon-hae and writer Hong Gyeong-yeon are known for their sharp intuition and love of danger. Their curiosity is famous in the industry.”
“Yes.”
“What was that ‘yes’ for?”
“Yes…”
The cat watching him spoke like a broken radio.
“—Director Lee Seon-hae and writer Hong Gyeong-yeon. Love danger. Curiosity. Will they return here? Yes. Yes. Yes.”
He roughly understood.
“…Coco, I didn’t know you could speak this much today.”
“Hello?”
“Yes, I am so proud I feel like crying soon.”
“Yes.”
“…Ugh…”
He ran a blood-covered hand through his hair.
In the mirror, he looked like a mess. Hair neatly combed before was now soaked with blood, and the collar of his shirt stained dark red. The lack of self-censorship left him disgusted.
Truly dirty, truly unpleasant.
“…Right.”
He did not like it.
“This job… is exhausting.”
Slippery, damp, and lukewarm.
“…First, calm down.”
“Yes.”
“First, I have to treat this.”
“Yes. Treat.”
“Lately, I often say this, but if I had known this would happen, I would have become a doctor. A surgeon or anatomy professor…”
“……”
“Of course, I can’t receive guests with a hole in me. Where do I start?”
The penalty affecting mental state, nightmarish frequency increase, is not a problem.
‘I’ve seen similar situations several times. The penalty from a Wet Person is no different. At most, it triggers a death scene in sleep, nothing more.’
It’s literally a game cutscene, causing no damage.
‘Most likely hypothermia is fine as well. It’s just a setting. And even with hypothermia, the operator won’t die. The hotel won’t get colder here anyway.’
This body is a game character by setting. There are no additional real-life symptoms like shivering, impaired judgment, or stiff muscles. Just coldness.
‘However, injuries and resulting excessive bleeding are tied directly to the user’s life. In the game, excessive bleeding can kill. And since this is a real body, death is possible.’
If he dies and respawns, human guests could be endangered. That must be prevented. He cannot encounter guests in this state.
‘So what methods exist? The blood magic manual mentions regeneration, but I haven’t learned it. This ability is insufficient for regeneration.’
Next.
‘Was there a regeneration item somewhere in the hotel? No. High-level healing items are locked in the tutorial stage. Recovering from this injury requires the shop to be open. That’s also impossible.’
Using the lodging bed?
‘It can resolve at least minor status effects. But penalties from monster guests in both versions aren’t included in minor status effects. Sleeping only replenishes lost blood.’
But that’s not enough. One day could pass in a single lie-down.
“……”
The decision was made.
“…I’ll wrap my body with bandages to reduce the hollow feeling, and use blood magic to buy time so the body doesn’t die.”
“No?”
“Resurrection in the tutorial takes at least three days. If human guests come during that time, they will get seriously injured. Or die. That cannot happen.”
“No. No.”
In-game characters rarely heal without action.
‘This game is the same.’
Unless he recovers, excessive bleeding won’t stop. Continuous damage, action restrictions, and panic are likely.
It will be uncomfortable in many ways.
‘But the week the Lee Seon-hae party stays can be covered.’
Don’t dwell on what you don’t have. It is possible with what I have.
‘Use the operator lodging bed to replenish lost blood, manage it so I don’t die, and mimic lost organs with blood…’
Yes.
That will do.
‘No matter what status effects, the operator won’t die in the lodging bed.’
There is always a way.
‘If I focus on blood flow immediately upon waking, death won’t occur. Guests may notice discomfort, but as long as my life continues, things can be managed.’
Fortunately, there is no pain.
“If it hurt, I couldn’t have taken this crude choice. Lucky.”
“No?”
“Strange. Normally your tone is dry, but today it sounds like panic.”
“Yes.”
“Remember this, Coco.”
Lee Yeon-woo rolled his eyes at the cat on the desk, a faint smile forming on his pale face.
“If another guest comes to this hotel, I will respond this way, consistently.”
Who brought people here?
Disgraceful and unpleasant, Lee Yeon-woo could not answer.
He could warn at least this much.
“They will get hurt instead, get angry, endure all status effects, then die. Then revive to protect the guests again. That’s my decision.”
“……”
“I don’t know why you treat me specially. Is it 26 years of life, am I the copyright holder of this game, or was I abducted here for some other reason? Whatever, my conclusion doesn’t change.”
“……”
“When a guest comes, I’ll let them die as much as they must, get injured as much as they must. No one will die here, and no one will treat humans as game data. That’s how I run this hotel.”
“……”
“Someday, the form you cherish might break beyond repair. I am not infinite like a game character, just a fragile human.”
“……”
“Understand?”
Coco tilted its head.
“Yes.”
A strange gesture, signaling it is not just a cat.
“Yes. No. Human.”
“……”
“Yes. No? Yes, yes. Yes. Yes. Hello? Hello. Hello, yes? No. No? Yes. Understand: unpleasantly unpleasant. Everyone. I’ll protect. Decided. Understand? Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand.”
“……”
“Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand. Understand―.”
Then it stopped.
“Understand?”
“…Cats really are hard to read.”
Lee Yeon-woo tilted his head as well.
“I see.”
It did not seem willing to back down easily.
“Oh my, still in the lobby?”
Director Lee Seon-hae returned.
“I brought… some food today.”
“Yes, we did well, right?”
With writer Hong Gyeong-yeon.
“I feel so sorry. Our kids had schedules elsewhere, so we sent them away. You gave us two rooms, and I felt bad ignoring your kindness.”
Lee Seon-hae cheerfully raised the grocery bag, but beneath that smile, her stubborn nature faintly showed.
Lee Yeon-woo quietly thought.
“…There was someone besides Coco who wouldn’t back down.”
“No, it’s my duty to host the guests comfortably.”
Indeed, something might happen, he thought.