Chapter 168. Hotel
The main exploration team opened the door that Rizenova had discovered during his Drifter days.
And beyond that door stood a high-rise hotel.
The space surrounding the hotel was fairly spacious, but it was enclosed by walls on all sides, with a ceiling slightly higher than the top of the hotel.
It seemed like an isolated place that existed solely for that hotel.
【Pururu】─Wait, why is there a hotel in a labyrinth?
【Hwang Mir】─This building looks really modern.
【Mysticism】─🧐
【Luna-chan】─It’s not strange for a building like that to exist here.
【Luna-chan】─This Ancient Labyrinth is practically a dimension where all worlds are interwoven, you know?
【Yumi】─It looks like a hotel from Earth; could it be influenced by Mr. Geon?
【Rizenova】─That’s unlikely. It’s been quite a while since this door was discovered.
【Yumi】─Then maybe it was influenced by Mr. Hyeong-seok?
【Bubble Bubble】─It could’ve been created under the influence of another world. There’s no rule that says buildings like that exist only on Earth.
【Luna-chan】─That’s right. That architectural style is really common.
Boom!
As the main exploration team entered that space, the door behind them closed on its own.
The exploration team glanced back at the closed door briefly.
Then, they slowly started walking toward the hotel.
At that moment, I called out to stop them.
“Guys, hold on for a moment.”
─［Stop.］
─“Stopped.”
─［Doodoomba?］
─［What’s wrong, son?］
At my words, Iris immediately stopped.
Then Azeras, Hedgehog, and Nyara halted and looked at Iris’s screen.
“Iris, can you zoom in on that hotel?”
─［Zooming in.］
The image on Iris’s screen zoomed in.
The hotel became even clearer on the screen.
“Hmm… somehow, that building feels like a living creature.”
─［Doodoomba?!］
【Yumi】─???
【Pururu】─Does that mean the hotel is a monster?
【Mysticism】─😱
【Luna-chan】─Ah, so it’s a building-type monster, huh?
【Bubble Bubble】─I had a feeling it might be.
【Rizenova】─Ho-ho.
【Hwang Mir】─Could it be an evolved version of Japan?
The danger level of that hotel was A-rank.
With the exploration team currently holding my severed arm, the actual danger level was SS-rank.
But something felt a bit off.
If I didn’t focus properly, I couldn’t feel any danger from that hotel.
Then, I realized what that meant.
“It seems that while this hotel is indeed a part of a monster’s body, if I had to describe it, it’s like a shell… or a protective outer layer for the main body.”
【Luna-chan】─So, does that mean the main body is somewhere else?
“Probably.”
The exploration team remained unfazed by my words.
Even after hearing that the hotel was a monster, there wasn’t a single change in their expressions.
─［We already knew that it was alive.］
─“I knew as well. I noticed right away.”
─［Doo, Doodoomba?］
Nyara Nepenthis and Azeras spoke.
─［It’s impossible not to notice.］
─［Doodoomba?!］
Iris also added as she zoomed out.
Hedgehog glanced at the others with a bewildered expression, then wiggled her bottom a little and shyly spoke.
─［Doodoomba… I actually knew as well…!］
【Pururu】─Haha, she didn’t know.
【Yumi】─She definitely didn’t know.
【Mysticism】─Hedgehog, don’t lie! 🤥
Nyara looked at Hedgehog with a fond expression, then turned to Iris and asked me a question.
─［Son, so what do we do now?］
Should we destroy the building from the outside instead of going in?
Or should we go in quietly and explore the interior?
Nyara presented two options.
─［The building’s danger level is SS-rank. Its defense is estimated to be equivalent to SSS-rank. Even Nyara and Azeras wouldn’t be able to destroy it. It likely has durability that could withstand Dark Matter. Summoning the Abyss Lord would be necessary to destroy it.］
Iris seemed to lean towards destroying it.
But my opinion differed.
“Destroying it doesn’t seem like the best option.”
I had no intention of attacking the building from the outside.
We were exploring not to hunt monsters.
If a monster could be tamed, then it should be tamed.
“For now, let’s see if there’s any spot on the outside that looks like a weak point.”
【Yumi】─Do you think there’s a weak spot on the outer wall?
【Mysticism】─🤔 Didn’t you say it’s not the main body?
“There might be. Even though it’s not the main body, that hotel is still part of a monster’s body. Anyway, let’s check for a weak point on the outer wall, and if there’s none, we’ll go inside and search for the main body.”
The main body was likely inside the hotel.
There’s no way it would create such a sturdy shell and roam around outside recklessly.
─［Understood. Commencing search.］
Iris ascended, her tendrils waving, and began circling the hotel, closely inspecting the exterior.
─［If my speed is too fast, let me know. I will slow down.］
“No, that speed is just fine.”
Time passed like that.
We thoroughly examined the hotel’s exterior, but in the end, we didn’t find any weak points.
Unfortunately, the weak point seemed to be attached to the main body.
There was no need to check again.
There was no way I could have missed a spot marked with a weak point.
My current body was S-rank.
For someone with an S-rank physical body, reflexes would surge as if I were using magic whenever I concentrated.
“This can’t be helped. Let’s go inside the hotel and have a look around… but before that, let’s summon the Abyss Lord in advance, Hedgehog.”
─［Doodoomba! Got it!］
Hedgehog answered, wiggling her backside.
She immediately summoned the SSS-rank undead spirit, the Abyss Lord.
─［Doodoomba. It’s time to dance.］
With that guy around,
I felt assured no matter where the exploration team went.
Together with the Abyss Lord,
the main exploration team stepped into the hotel.
─［Doodoomba! We have arrived!］
─［Doodoomba. It’s just the right space for a dance.］
Hedgehog and the Abyss Lord led the way, their backsides swaying.
Behind them,
─“This place is vast…”
─［Oh my, it looks like the interior space is distorted.］
Azeras and Nyara followed closely.
Iris, trailing behind, captured their movements on her screen.
─［I speculate that this may be its actual size.］
Iris’s screen switched views.
Slowly, she moved her gaze, showing the hotel interior.
Even from the entrance,
it was clear at a glance that the internal space didn’t match the size of the exterior at all.
【Mysticism】─😮 The hotel lobby is huge!
【Pururu】─What’s going on? Why is the inside so vast?
【Yumi】─I know, right? No matter how tall a skyscraper is, it’s still just the size of a hotel…
The space resembling a lobby far exceeded a reasonable scale.
The ceiling soared high,
and the floor stretched as far as the eye could see.
【Hwang Mir】─Is the interior space distorted?
【Rizenova】─That could be, or as Sir Iris speculates, this might actually be its real size.
【Bubble Bubble】─If that’s its real size, then the hotel we saw from the outside must have had its size nerfed, while the interior didn’t get affected.
【Mysticism】─🧐
【Mysticism】─Could it be a lower-tier version of Solorb?
【Mysticism】─Solorb contains a vast internal world, while this hotel contains a relatively small world. In terms of housing a world within, it seems to have a similar vibe.
【Yumi】─Should the hotel’s interior space be considered a world of its own?
【Luna-chan】─It does feel like an independent world.
【Luna-chan】─It doesn’t just feel like the interior of a building; there’s something different about the dimensional sensation. Though, I’m not entirely sure.
【Pururu】─Still, Solorb and this hotel are completely different.
【Pururu】─Didn’t we say the hotel’s main body is located separately inside?
【Mysticism】─Solorb can also manifest within its own world!
【Pururu】─For Solorb, that’s just an avatar, while its main body is a planet. The hotel is the opposite.
【Mysticism】─😮 Ah, true. I got confused.
【Pururu】─lol
As the assistants continued their chat,
the main exploration team silently walked across the hotel lobby.
Then suddenly,
a mechanical sound echoed from the ceiling.
Ziiing-!
A rectangular object descended slowly from above.
It was an elevator.
With a soft thud, the elevator landed on the ground,
and as the doors opened, a misty smoke poured out, and a doll-like figure appeared.
Click, clack.
The doll walked out of the elevator, its footsteps echoing on the ground.
─［It’s been a long time since I’ve welcomed guests.］
The figure finally emerged from the smoke.
【Pururu】─Oh? A rabbit!
【Yumi】─It’s a rabbit.
【Mysticism】─😋
【Hwang Mir】─A glamorous rabbit!
【Rizenova】─A beast, indeed.
【Bubble Bubble】─And it’s a woman.
─［Welcome. I am Lady Luna, the manager of this hotel.］
【Luna-chan】─?
Danger level with nerf: B-rank.
Actual danger level: S-rank.
A rabbit demi-human, dressed in a suit, crossed her arms and appeared with a dignified expression.