Chapter 173. Viridaura
A high-rise hotel situated deep within the Ancient Labyrinth.
A hidden rest area in the labyrinth known only to a select few.
Connected to this hotel was a massive door.
Through this door, a monster named “Viridaura” stepped inside.
Viridaura.
A humanoid monster adept at wielding green aura and using a massive greatsword as its primary weapon.
According to Kang Geon’s standards, it was classified as an S-rank threat.
［Hoo… I’m exhausted. I’ll rest here thoroughly before I leave again today.］
The first time he visited this place.
Upon discovering that he couldn’t use his strength within the hotel, he suspected he’d fallen for a cunning trick and prepared himself for death.
However, contrary to his expectations.
The hotel staff didn’t cause him any harm whatsoever.
They simply introduced their hotel as a place where anyone could rest comfortably, as long as they paid a fair price.
Thus, Viridaura, caught off guard, ended up using the hotel.
Over time, Viridaura gradually relaxed, and with each visit, he became certain that this was the safest place in the labyrinth.
And so, before he knew it, Viridaura became a regular guest of the hotel.
To the extent that he visited the hotel once every three days.
Because of his frequent visits, the staff had come to remember his name, warmly welcoming him with a bright smile each time he arrived.
Today was no different from usual.
［Welcome, Sir Viridaura.］
On the day of Viridaura’s thirtieth visit to the hotel.
As he stepped into the lobby, a rabbit staff member quickly came to greet him with a bright smile.
Viridaura nodded without a word.
Then, he carefully placed a massive creature he had been carrying on his shoulder onto the floor.
［I’ll pay today’s price with this one.］
What he brought was the corpse of a Pig King.
The Pig King had a large hole in its chest, lying lifeless.
［Yes, confirmation complete. Shall I guide you to your room as usual today?］
［Yes. Take me to the room I always stay in.］
［Ah… Unfortunately, Sir Viridaura, the room you frequently use is currently occupied by another guest. I apologize, but may I guide you to a different room?］
［…Do as you please.］
Viridaura felt quite displeased to find out that someone else was using his room, but he showed no sign of it.
If he upset the staff unnecessarily, he might lose access to the hotel forever.
It wasn’t an unreasonable worry.
According to another guest with whom he had once enjoyed a bath, the hotel kept a record of guests who treated the staff rudely and banned their entry.
In other words, a blacklist existed.
So.
Even though the staff didn’t harm guests.
If he wanted to use the hotel again in the future, he had to be careful with his words and behavior.
［Then I’ll guide you right away. Before we go up, please hand over any weapons you’re carrying to me.］
［Understood.］
Viridaura, as if used to it, handed over his weapon to the rabbit staff member.
Though one couldn’t use any force within the hotel anyway.
It was a rule of the hotel to ensure even stricter safety.
And so, as usual, Viridaura followed the rabbit staff member’s guidance to his room.
***
Draped in the soft gown prepared in the room.
Viridaura dropped by the ice room, relishing a long moment of relaxation.
Afterward.
Holding ice cream in hand and biting into it, he returned to his room, disposed of the trash in the bin, and threw himself onto the plush bed.
［Ha… There’s no place like heaven…］
He wanted to live here forever.
He was entertaining such thoughts as he buried his face into the bed when.
—［Attention, please.］
A bright voice echoed from the ceiling of the room.
It was the voice of one of the rabbit staff members.
—［We would like to inform you that, effective immediately, all guests are prohibited from checking out. Until each guest has been tamed by Explorer Gauntlet, a friend of our Landlord, leaving the hotel premises will be entirely impossible, so please be advised.］
［…What?］
Viridaura shot up from his seat.
Did he just mishear the announcement?
Wondering, he looked up at the ceiling.
—［Once again, we inform you that, effective immediately…］
But he hadn’t misheard it.
The announcement he first heard was repeated word for word.
［We can’t leave the hotel until we’ve been tamed by an explorer? What in the world…］
Viridaura instinctively reached out, searching for his weapon.
But all he grasped was air.
［Ah.］
He suddenly remembered that he had handed over his weapon to the hotel staff.
［…Well, it wouldn’t matter if I had it anyway. Since we can’t use our strength here.］
He forced himself to calm down.
［Anyhow, something definitely feels off about the current situation… what should I do?］
Should he stay hidden in his room?
Should he find a hotel staff member to ask for details?
Or should he rush down to the lobby and attempt an escape?
Various thoughts crossed his mind.
And soon after.
Viridaura made up his mind.
Though he couldn’t know exactly what was going on, he decided that staying confined in his room was the worst choice.
［Leaving is the best option. If I stay here, who knows what strange thing they might try on me.］
Viridaura swallowed nervously and opened the door to his room.
Then, under the faint glow of fluorescent lights, an endless corridor stretched out before him.
Tatatatatak—
［…Hm?］
Suddenly, all the fluorescent lights went out.
Viridaura flinched in alarm.
At that moment.
Footsteps echoed in the deep darkness.
Viridaura held his breath, focusing his attention in the direction of the sound.
Clack.
One of the fluorescent lights flickered ominously, regaining its light.
Underneath it stood a single hedgehog.
It was the Hedgehog Summoner God.
［Doomba.］
The hedgehog smiled brightly and wiggled its hips.
And it began to perform an enthusiastic dance.
［What… what is that strange creature…］
As Viridaura backed away in caution.
The hedgehog wiggled its hips even more wildly, coming closer to him.
［Doom-ba, do-doom-ba. Doom-babababa.］
With each step the hedgehog took, the lights that had gone out began to light up one by one, illuminating the hedgehog’s figure.
［Doom-doom-ba. Do-doom-ba. Do-do-doom-ba.］
The bizarre dance kept closing in with the hedgehog.
Watching this scene, Viridaura screamed in terror.
［S-stay away!］
［Do-do-do-doom-ba.］
［Eek…!］
In the end, Viridaura turned and fled.
He ran with all his might to escape the bizarre hedgehog.
Turning a corner in the hallway, he paused briefly to catch his breath.
［Huff, huff.］
Then he looked up again.
At the very end of the hall, a fluorescent light flickered on.
［Doomba.］
In the direction Viridaura was looking.
At the end of the corridor stood the Abyss Lord.
［Doomba.］
The Abyss Lord, too, wiggled his hips and slowly approached Viridaura.
［C-crazy! Why do these things keep showing up!!!］
Viridaura changed direction.
And he sprinted down a different corridor.
Then, hearing a strange sound, he stopped in his tracks once more.
Chomp chomp.
“This wall has a nice texture, meow. It’ll make a good ingredient, meow.”
A doll was gnawing on the wall in the darkness.
Startled by this horrifying sight, Viridaura tried to turn around quickly.
Thud!
He bumped into something right behind him and fell on his rear.
［Ugh, what the…］
Seated on the floor.
Viridaura looked up, his gaze landing on a massive figure.
And then.
The fluorescent light above switched on, illuminating the face of the figure towering over him.
It was Kang Geon.
“Nice to meet you, friend.”
Kang Geon greeted him nonchalantly.
Then he slowly reached out his hand toward Viridaura.
“Are you alright from the fall? Take my hand; I’ll help you up.”
［A-aahhh!!!］
Viridaura’s scream echoed through the hotel.
***
Nerfed Threat Level: B-rank.
Actual Threat Level: S-rank.
The monster known as Viridaura, who had been staying at the hotel, was tamed.
The taming process was not easy.
In an attempt to win his favor, we first approached him with our adorable Hedgehog Summoner, but when he saw its hip dance, he shrieked and ran away.
Luckily.
With his physical abilities sealed, his running speed wasn’t very fast, so we quickly caught up with him.
［Doomba. Welcome to our family!］
“Welcome, nya!”
［You insane creatures…］
Viridaura had quite a foul mouth.
Well, he wasn’t hostile toward us, though.
For reference, even before being tamed, he didn’t view us as enemies.
He was simply afraid.
Despite his rough words and formidable appearance, he seemed to be a bit of a coward.
In any case.
We decided to apologize for approaching him in such a startling manner.
Even after being tamed, he seemed slightly sullen about the incident.
As we continued to calm Viridaura down.
［Explorer, the Monster Guidebook is complete.］
Artpega approached and handed over the guidebook containing Viridaura’s details.
■Viridaura
─Actual Threat Level: S-rank.
─Current (Nerfed) Threat Level: B-rank.
─Abilities: Aura Manipulation.
［Ah. And I added a special effect. If you touch the illustration with your finger…］
［The illustration will move.］
TL Note:
See the moving illustration in Discord.