Chapter: 1
Day 1
I was completely dumbfounded the moment I woke up. Since I was on a pretty extravagant trip, the hotel was decent enough, and the room was more or less okay. In other words, it was a room tidy enough for a single man to sleep leisurely while watching a movie on a wall-mounted TV.
So where exactly was this place?
The room I woke up in was absurdly grand, like something you’d see in a movie, and definitely not meant for just one person. There were antique paintings adorning the walls, and the blanket on the bed was so luxurious that I felt guilty for even moving on it. Was this the mansion of some European tycoon?
As soon as I turned on my phone to check the time, I was hit with another wave of confusion—there was a signal icon indicating no reception.
Feeling increasingly bewildered, I washed my face, changed my clothes, and stepped out of the bedroom, only to notice a display screen in the living room flashing brightly.
Congratulations on the start of your adventure!
You have gained the Blessing of Wisdom.
You can discover facts unknown to others, and understand incomprehensible truths. The longer you continue your adventure, the more possibilities will arise from the Blessing of Wisdom.
Your Blessing has been activated.
Today’s Surprise Event: There are no bad animals in the world!
What on earth was going on? My mind was swirling with confusion. Holding my head, I stared up at the ceiling when suddenly, part of my vision went haywire.
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
[Date: Day 1]
[Current Location: Floor 1, Room 105 (Room of Rest)]
[Sage’s Advice: 3]
Was this some sort of game status screen? It dawned on me that something utterly ridiculous had happened to me.
*
As I wandered into the living room, I came across an enormous dining table straight out of a fantasy movie, complete with a button labeled Meals.
Would food pop out if I pressed this thing? While I pondered this, a sharp scream pierced the air. In a panic, I rushed out of the outrageously huge room and threw the door open.
The sight that greeted me was jaw-dropping.
Giant monkeys? Wait… This was no ordinary monkey. It was walking on two legs with a cold weapon in its hand, and instead of teeth, it had what looked like saw blades in its mouth.
These were monsters, not monkeys!
Around four or five people were being threatened by them. On the left at the front desk was a duo of women—one foreign and one local—screaming like they were in a horror movie, while on the right, someone lay sprawled out near a potted plant, looking out cold.
Given the hopeless atmosphere, it was a miracle there were no casualties.
“Terminator?”
I blurted out an absurd comment as I watched a hulking man—a living tank—engaging in battle wielding something that looked like a chair leg. This guy was even bigger than the monkey monsters, and every time he swung his makeshift club, it felt like the monsters were on the verge of collapsing from sheer intimidation.
I’d been spaced out watching the chaos when one of the monkeys suddenly turned its attention to me and began to approach.
I was totally clueless!
What the heck was happening? As thoughts of panic whirled in my mind, from angels to demons, I desperately wished for someone to tell me what to do. Then, out of nowhere, a message popped into view.
[Head to Room 105 immediately.]
Room 105—that was my room number! The moment I saw that message, the number next to Sage’s Advice dropped from three to two.
Fortunately, this wasn’t too far away.
Panic surged within me as I sprinted towards Room 105, hearing the ominous sounds of bizarre roars and frantic footsteps behind me. I fought the urge to turn around, focusing only on reaching the door. As soon as I flung open the door to Room 105, the noise abruptly ceased.
Only then did I look back blankly. The monster that had been chasing me was now on the other side of the door, panting heavily, but instead of coming after me, it turned and headed back to the front desk.
Was there something special about this room?
It seemed unlikely that monsters could enter here. After catching my breath for about ten seconds, I remembered the people still in danger back at the front desk. Even though the Terminator guy seemed to be doing well, how long could he keep this up? I had to save them!
Grinding my teeth, I grabbed an impressively expensive-looking silver candlestick off a nearby table. It might make for a decent weapon, and at this point, who would even complain about a broken candlestick with everything going on? Scary as it was, I could just run back to Room 105 if things turned dire.
I dashed back towards the front desk, and the situation was worse than before. The man who’d been fighting like a berserker was now bleeding heavily, and the two women cowering behind the front desk were wildly waving whatever sharp objects they could find.
It was chaotic!
Worry gnawed at me about the girl who had gone unconscious beside the pot, and thankfully, she seemed to be okay.
What was strangely lucky was that one of the monsters had collapsed and couldn’t move, likely due to the Terminator’s efforts.
“Monsters can’t come to Room 105! Get over here right now!”
I screamed like a lunatic, and finally, the attention of the surrounding people shifted towards me. One by one, they began to follow.
Just then, the Terminator man sensed the danger and stepped in between the crowd and a monster, who was apparently too dazed to attack.
How many lives did that guy save in mere moments?
Honestly, even if I hadn’t called out, wouldn’t he have taken down the two monsters somehow? But judging by the blood staining his clothes, he may have been closer to the end than I thought.
The girl who had fainted earlier finally seemed to regain her senses.
After everyone filtered back to Room 105, the Terminator and I followed suit, and like before, the monsters only glared at us from a distance without approaching.
Once inside, I took a long, deep breath, closed the door, and looked around.
There was no one else.
Was I seeing things? I could have sworn I’d noticed two other men, and three women, entering right behind me!
Just as I was getting used to this bizarre turn of events, the wall-mounted display started flashing again.
Welcome, esteemed guests, to Hotel Pioneer!
We have several announcements for you. Please take a moment to review them. New notifications may be added, and you can check these at any display throughout the hotel.
1. Hotel Pioneer always loves our valued guests.
2. Some elevator functions are currently deactivated, so please be aware.
3. The hotel always respects guests’ privacy. However, shouldn’t meals be enjoyed together?
This entire situation was laden with question marks; the only shred of information came from the display’s announcements. I concentrated with all the focus I could muster to digest the sentences.
Privacy.
Could everyone have vanished because of this ‘privacy’ thing? I strongly felt common sense had no purchase here, so I figured it must be the case that with six people in a single room, privacy wasn’t really a thing in the first place.
Based on the wording, it sounded like everyone just had separate living arrangements in 105, only reconvening during meal times.
[You have understood a little bit about the hotel.]
The message popped up on the status screen, and I let out a disbelieving chuckle. So this absurd theory of mine was actually accurate!
I wandered over to the giant dining room, which boasted a table fit for royalty. I noticed a clock on the wall, alongside the meal timings which were listed as 7 a.m., 12 p.m., and 7 p.m. Each meal lasted a solid hour and a half.
Right now it was around 10:20. Surely, something unusual would transpire when noon rolled around.
what a chaotic morning this was!
Fatigued beyond measure, I headed for the bed, hoping to steal a quick nap.
Tap. Tap.
“Could you wake up for a moment?”
Ah, I totally dozed off in that fleeting moment. Startled, I blinked my eyes open to find the noona* I’d seen earlier standing right before me.
She looked to be in her mid-30s, a tall lady exuding the air of a successful city woman. However, her demeanor felt a bit chilly, making it hard to strike up a conversation.
“Um… thank you for waking me. What about the others?”
“Well, I thought it absurd but as soon as it hit 12, it’s like everyone teleported from their rooms, and apart from you two, everyone else is gathered in the dining room. Jinchul-ssi was injured during the fight and is lying down after they managed to stop the bleeding, and since you were asleep, we weren’t sure if we should wake you, but we really need to talk, right?”
“Yes, everything’s strange, but I think we should chat for a bit.”
“Follow me.”
As we made our way to the dining room, she abruptly turned around.
“Oh, and thanks for earlier! For a moment, I thought I was going to be monster chow, and it’s thanks to you that I’m still alive. I’m Lee Eunsol, by the way.”
“No need to mention it. The Terminator—uh, I mean, Jinchul-ssi did all of that. I’m Han Kain.”
“Han Kain? What a cute name!”
“Ahaha… People often say it sounds like a girl’s name.”
After a brief, light-hearted exchange, Lee Eunsol-noona smiled and continued to lead the way.
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