Welcome to Dungeon Hotel

Chapter 214



 I clenched my fists as I saw only the big eyes floating in the air.

 There’s no need for a foolish question like, “What is that?” 

 That is the ‘Demon King’. 

 My intuition was speaking. 

 I also saw it in Merlin Grey’s ‘Book of Memories’.

 ‘…wants to take over the hotel. You should give up now, Head of Family. He is someone who has surpassed even the walls of time after destroying Alfheim. Not only the world of dragons, but also the human world will not be safe. There is no one who can dare to stand against this small hotel alone.’

 For some reason, in an empty hotel banquet hall, a man dressed in black spoke to Merlin Grey in a voice that was unclear whether he was worried or threatening. 

 And Merlin Grey’s answer to that was— 

 ‘Did you think I would confront him? Why? I’m just here to open for business today as usual.’

 It was decided. 

 The title ‘head of the family’ is probably given to Merlin Grey because he is the Lord who leads the family. 

 The Grey family is said to be the guardian deity of wanderers. 

 It was said that each family protects something, and that all dragons are passionate about what they love. 

 At that time, I thought dragons were a truly fanatical clan, but— 

 “It was a sacrifice, a very noble choice.”

 It was the moment when the enormous eyes seemed to narrow as if they were laughing. Georg Schulze’s eyes widened. 

 At the same time, a terrible scream came out of his mouth.

 “Crazy…!” 

 “Georg Schulze…!”

 Georg Schulze’s body began to be engulfed in a huge light.

 I realized this when I saw the light.

 How did the Demon King come into this place? 

 The purpose of the numerous studies listed in that paper was just one.

 How the Demon King entered this place.

 The Demon King’s descent. 

 Georg Schulze sacrificed hunters and beings from other worlds, all in pursuit of a single dream.

 A world where the Demon King has descended. 

 Georg Schulze opened his eyes wide, screaming as if he were in terrible pain, and asked into those big eyes:

 It was the last question.

 “Can I be saved?”

 At those words, the eyes enveloped in the purple cloud in the air shrank instantly.

 The cloud also shrank and continued to diminish. As it did, it seemed to carry away the surrounding noise and scenery. 

 “Boss…!” 

 The manager urgently grabbed my hand.

 I held the manager’s hand.

 The face of the manager, who looked flustered as if I might disappear somewhere, soon vanished from my sight, along with her voice.

 The scenery of the hotel also disappeared.

 Only me, Georg Schulze, and the ‘eyes’ were locked in the dark abyss. 

 Soon, the eyes merged with the cloud into a single shape.

 It was a thin, long human shape.

 A handsome face with long, black, wavy hair.

 The face grasped Georg Schultze’s chin and smiled.

 “Your sacrifice is noble, so I will tell you a special secret.”

 “Because I’m special?”

 Georg Schulze said, trembling in pain.

 “Heuk…!” 

 My body was also shaking slightly.

 As if I could feel Georg Schulze’s pain together. 

 I knew what that pain was.

 Because I heard an explanation of how the victims in the dungeon died.

 Georg Schulze will soon die like that.

 That is the end of those who choose to sacrifice.

 But he made that choice.

 The reason is—

 ‘I guess that’s how much he wanted the Demon King to come.’ 

 If you fully exert your own power, you will gain the strength to summon the Demon King. 

 I clearly looked through the guest list. That crazy guy is incredibly strong. This is because he has taken away all the power of his victims. 

 So, I thought until now that Georg Schulze was using the Demon King. 

 The Demon King is a dangerous entity, but by using the Demon King, hunters can be turned into ‘resources.’

 Because the contract with the Demon King is beneficial to Georg Schulze. 

 But now I get it.

 The Demon King is—

 The Demon King lowered the corner of his mouth and whispered to Georg Schulze, who was clinging to him like a child, as if he felt pity for him.

 “In this world, everyone ends up being sacrificed.”

 “…!”

 The Demon King used Georg Schulze. 

 Using Georg Schulze, he collected half of the power of numerous hunters.

 Finally, he would use Georg Schulze to collect the remaining half of his power.

 Then, the Demon King could easily achieve his goal of descent.

 Of course, the point of the plan was that Georg Schulze had to sacrifice himself.

 Entirely, for himself.

 There were several methods to achieve this, but through his paper, I knew the method the Demon King had chosen. 

 Hope.

 The hope that only a few, including Georg Schulze, would be chosen by the Demon King to become stronger.

 That’s why the Demon King specifically used the word ‘salvation’ in his contract. 

 To make it seem as if those who are chosen by the Demon King and become strong are ‘special’.

 So to make it more special, to make more special choices.

 Georg Schulze’s eyes narrowed like those of a resigned lamb just before being slaughtered.

 If I had just seen that scene, I would have felt pity for it.

 And at that moment, the Demon King’s thin and slender hand covered his face.

 

“You will be sacrificed a bit later than those you have sacrificed, but a bit earlier than others. You crazy b*stard.” 

 As soon as he let go, the light of life went out from Georg Schulze’s face.

 A feeling of nausea rose in my throat.

 “Heugh…!”

 I twisted my face and stretched out my hand to the side. But there was nothing to grasp. 

 Neither Dad, nor the manager, nor Lim Sehwan, nor Geumdong are here. 

 A feeling of fear gripped my heart.

 As if the Demon King were about to swallow Georg’s last breath, he placed and then removed his hand from his face. 

 When he took his hand away, his face was looking directly at me. 

 “Hi, boss.” 

 F*ck.

 I want to run away.

 I thought so, but I couldn’t run away.

 If this b*stard is truly the Demon King, and if the Demon King has descended, then no place in this world is safe. 

 I massaged the nape of my neck, drenched in cold sweat, and kept my eyes fixed on him as he approached me.

 The smile didn’t disappear from the corner of his mouth, as if it was so funny.

 “You are similar to your father in some ways.”

 “….”

 I clenched my fists.

 Don’t come any closer. You crazy brat.

 

How can you call Georg insane? You’re the real crazy one. 

 I’m not the kind of guy who will stop just because you say that. 

 Is there no small trick to stop those steps?

 I opened my mouth.

 “I have a question. If you’re the ‘Guardian Deity of the World,’ does that mean you’re a dragon too?” 

 At those words, his steps suddenly stopped.

 “What? You know my name?”

 Although the Demon King had a rather creepy smile, it could be said that I had achieved the desired result. 

 * * *

 ‘I will not fight the Guardian Deity of the World.’ 

 Guardian Deity of the World.

 This is the name of the Demon King that appears in the Book of Memories.

 Given the content of the sentence, it seems the Demon King is the one being referred to. However, it was somewhat strange that Merlin Grey called him the ‘Guardian Deity of the World.’

 At the time, it just seemed odd, but now that I think about it, focusing on the term “Guardian Deity” rather than “of the World” suggests that this individual is also a dragon. 

 A fanatical reptile.

 Maybe there is still room for me to use my head and overcome this situation.

 ‘Think of it as a very difficult guest coming to the hotel. Pay attention to every word he says.’

 I scolded myself like that.

 I don’t know if it’s of any use, but for now, I can’t let the world perish.

 “Did Merlin Grey tell you?”

 

The Demon King said, pouting his lips.

 “It’s a bit disappointing. Merlin became so close with a mere human? He was so harsh with me.” 

 The Demon King scratched his cheek as if he had taken a punch from Merlin.

 I know why you got hit, you b*stard.

 “We didn’t become friends. That…”

 I hesitated for a moment.

 The information contained in the Book of Memories wasn’t for me.

 Those were the things Merlin had prepared to share with his daughter. 

 I just overheard that information.

 Just as I found the hotel by chance, that information was also stolen.

 “…Has Merlin Grey been properly purified?”

 I asked with a hint of guilt. The Demon King laughed as if he sensed my thoughts.

 “There’s a saying that a mouse thinks about cats, right? That seems to be you. But it’s not entirely wrong. You have the weapons needed for dealing with cats, but you’re not suited for running such a vast hotel. Humans are inherently weak, after all.” 

 The Demon King’s eyes slightly glazed over.

 “So although I liked humans—”

 “….” 

 “These words are useless now, right?” 

 The Demon King smiled brightly.

 He smiled innocently, flipped his hair, and there were long earrings on his ears.

 ‘He likes decorating.’ 

 After recognizing him as a guest, I unconsciously began to watch his every move.

 “Since I’ve appeared, the human world will be destroyed anyway. But this hotel is too nice a place to be in a world that’s about to perish. Since it originally belonged to Merlin, return it.” 

 The Demon King reached out to me as if comforting a small child. 

 “I’m good, right?” 

 “….” 

 I quietly watched the Demon King’s long hand. 

 Your hands are long and pretty, huh.

 It’s well maintained.

 It’s funny how the Demon King, of all beings, seems like a diligent person who sticks to his routine. 

 He is the king of Satans.

 I slowly shifted my gaze and looked up at the Demon King’s face.

 

“I was planning to return it. Whenever Merlin wants it back.”

 “Really? Oh my. What a good kid.”

 He said as if he was surprised.

 “So that’s why the hotel….”

 He was about to continue saying something, but I spoke first. 

 “So call Merlin.”

 “….?”

 “I’ll split it evenly between Merlin and you. You can ask Merlin whether it’s salvation or sacrifice. If I become the sacrificial lamb, then so be it.”

 “….”

 The Demon King widened his eyes as if he was surprised by my words.

 “You…” 

 So, if this guy also has a rule I must follow, like the goblin with the rules he’s made— 

 If so—

 “So you thought that if you said that, I would call Merlin?” 

 The Demon King laughed as if he was going to die from laughter.

 “You’re really funny. It’s so fun. It’s a bit stupid, but still—”

 My face hardened as I saw the Demon King laughing.

 ‘Does it work?’

 It won’t work. 

 “It’s fun, isn’t it? That’s why it’s so heartbreaking. I have to kill you against my will. I didn’t want this. Even if your father wasn’t so strong, and even if you hadn’t gained the hotel, the humans would have just killed each other and perished without me having to kill them. That poor Georg could have done that—” 

 The Demon King said with a truly sad face.

 “My heart aches.”

 “Haa.”

 “….?”

 The Demon King narrowed his eyes slightly at the sneer that came out of my mouth.

 “Why are you laughing?”

 “I don’t think you need to be heartbroken. I think I know now why you don’t like calling Merlin that.”

 “What?”

 “So Merlin is really strong?”

 I glared at him.

 

“…!”

 “You’re afraid of Merlin because he’s very strong, aren’t you?” 

 The smile disappeared from the Demon King’s face.

 Instead, a frighteningly cold expression appeared on his face.

 It seemed like I had hit the nail on the head.

 “If you know that, what are you going to do?”

 “What’s there to do?”

 ‘Purified Hotel King’ wishes to make an inquiry via chat. The chat room will be activated. I’m going to summon the ‘Purified Hotel King,’ you brat.

 Yeongchun Hotel Welcome. Welcome to Yeongchun Hotel.  Purified Hotel King Can I go now? There was no choice.

 Because time was running out, I used a tone of voice that I don’t usually use with guests.

 Yeongchun Hotel Yep.Hello! You can also buy the advanced chapter in Ko-fi now, just click the ko-fi button and look for the title of the novel in shop. Thank you for your support!


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