đźź Chapter 26 :
Haizen and I were looking for a hotel to stay in. It seemed he hadn't stayed at The Little Hotel. I was just about to ask where he'd spent the night, but he beat me to it.
"Where did you stay last night?"
I answered,
"At a place called The Little Hotel. The stay was free yesterday, so I went there."
He was surprised.
"Free? You've got to be kidding."
"It was only free for those participating in the test yesterday—that's why they made it free."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go there. Maybe it's free today too!"
He suddenly got excited about the hotel. Since he wanted to go, I just went along with it.
"Maybe you're right. After the test, they might even throw a party for the participants. Come on, I'll take you there."
We hurried back to The Little Hotel to book a room, but—
"I'm sorry, sir, but it's not free today."
The clerk greeted us with his usual smile, even though his answer was disappointing. But that wasn't the real problem…
"Sir, I'm glad you made it back alive from the test. Now you can pay for your stay from last night."
I blinked.
"What? What are you talking about? Didn't you say it was free?"
"Yes, it's free only if you don't return from the test… meaning, if you die."
What?... I'd never heard of that before. I asked him,
"When was that ever mentioned?"
"What do you mean, sir? It was clearly stated. Everyone knows that."
I remembered how everyone had been celebrating as if it were their last night alive. Ridiculous—either die or pay them. All this because of the guy who recommended that hotel to me. He totally tricked me.
[ I don't think he tricked you. You just didn't look like someone who'd survive. ]
But I did survive. I'm still alive.
[ If it weren't for that witch girl, you'd be dead. ]
Please shut up, system.
Then the clerk smiled again and said,
"Don't worry, sir. Once you receive your Hunter's Card, you'll also get a reward based on your performance. Everyone who stayed here will just pay half of their reward."
Half of it? First, I didn't even know there was a reward, and now that I do, I find out half of it goes to this hotel. Haizen looked at me with an expression that mixed pity and amusement.
"Well, once I get the money, I'll pay you half," I said.
"Excellent, sir. I'll be waiting."
I think I finally understood why he'd said 'See you later' and not 'Farewell' that morning.
After that, we left and continued looking for another hotel. I wondered where Haizen had stayed.
"So, what about you, Haizen? Where'd you stay last night? Was it affordable?"
"I slept on the street."
"Eh…? You? With all that money, you slept outside?"
"I'm used to sleeping outdoors. Spending one night on the street doesn't bother me. Unlike you—I wouldn't stay in a place whose conditions I don't even know."
"Right… So where will you go tonight? Sleeping on the street again?"
"I don't know. Maybe. You don't have to follow me; find your own place if you want."
What a strange guy. Anyway, I was starving, so I decided to find something to eat.
"Alright, I'm going to grab some food. It's a good time for lunch."
"Okay, see you later."
After we split up, I went to a restaurant nearby that served spicy food—it was delicious. As I sat there eating, my thoughts drifted to the whole purpose of this story—sending people to explore HideLand, the Land of Wishes. Honestly, I still didn't want to go there.
But I wondered—were there hunters who actually wanted to go there? People like Haizen, maybe… No, someone like him didn't seem interested in such things.
I thought about Ren too—he was one of those who believed in Nuul's words. Speaking of Nuul, was that guy really watching me? I almost died because of that lizard back then. He's not taking this seriously.
[ Master Nuul said he'd observe you, not protect you. ]
"Huh… So you're saying he wouldn't care if I died?"
[ I don't know. But he's not obligated to. The council doesn't mind your death. They only wanted to monitor you because you're suspicious—not because they value your life. ]
"Fine, just shut up and let me eat."
---
🟧 Nuul's POV:
There's something special about this white void—it teaches you that boredom and emptiness are two sides of the same coin.
There hadn't been any recent transfers, so I just spent my time watching TV. There was a special sale on a new television back on Earth, so I went there to buy one.
But when I came back, I discovered that the case I was assigned to monitor—Takashi Takeru—had almost died. Unbelievable. The one time I take my eyes off him, this happens.
Well... not exactly eyes off him - it's not like I can literally see him. I placed a tracking mark on him that lets me sense his mana fluctuations from afar, which helps me read his intentions.
The mana forms an aura around a person, and that aura reacts to their emotions and intent.
If someone plans to kill, their aura changes their intent stains it. Every person's aura shifts with their thoughts, so from that alone I can tell if they harbor malice.
But when I went to Earth, I was too far away to sense him. That's what caused the problem. He nearly died—but then, after a minute, his mana surged again. Someone must've saved him.
The council wouldn't have cared if he died; they'd probably be pleased, actually. Every time I try to sense his aura, I get nothing unusual—just a faint, harmless flow. No evil intent, no ambition. That's what struck me from the start-before I even placed the mark on him, back when he appeared in the White Void.
He'd shown up unconscious. The council appeared immediately because he hadn't been transferred through our system.
At first, I wasn't planning to stand up to them. But this man had a remarkable compatibility with the skill I created. Not perfect, but close. I could feel it—Factory, the skill I designed myself, suited him extremely well. That's what made me defend him before the council in the first place.
Once they approved my proposal to monitor him, I began investigating his background. While he was still unconscious, I found his phone, which led me to his location and home.
From there, I did some digging until I reached an electronics store. They said a young man suffering from heatstroke had nearly been crushed by a falling air conditioner—but vanished afterward. When I showed them his photo from the phone, they confirmed it was him.
When he finally woke up, I told him I'd seen him before—even though I hadn't. He just seemed like a clueless idiot caught in something way over his head.
The Skill Wheel wasn't random in his case—I deliberately rigged it to land on Factory, since I knew it would fit him perfectly. Whether he was a victim or not didn't matter; his compatibility with Factory made me put my hopes in him.
It's the only skill that has a system integrated into it—and not just anyone can use it. Only the rarest people can. And he's one of them.
Strange man or not, I believe he'll grow stronger through it.
Anyway, none of the people we've summoned have ever reached HideLand—that mysterious place so many dream of finding to fulfill their wishes.
But since it's unknown, most have lost interest. They've seen people spend years searching with no results. They've begun to doubt it even exists.
"Why risk my life searching for a place that might not exist?" they say.
But the truth is—it does exist. And sooner or later, someone will reach it. When that happens… who knows what will follow.
For now, I'll just watch some TV. A new anime called Life Note is about to start.
---
🟧 Takeru's POV:
After finishing lunch, I continued looking for a decent hotel—but had no luck. Osmara was full of enormous, luxurious hotels.
I passed one named after the city itself—Hotel Osmara. Its architecture was so stunning it overwhelmed both eyes and mind. White marble walls traced with golden lines, as if someone decided to paint a masterpiece and then remembered it was just a building.
The doors were gigantic, the ceiling ridiculously high, and inside—crystal chandeliers hung down, while thick red carpets swallowed your steps with a muffled sound, giving the illusion of walking on clouds.
Amid all this splendor, I spotted a familiar bald head leaving the hotel.
Strange... he's not wearing his wig. Maybe he doesn't mind showing his real head to strangers sometimes.
"Well, look who it is—the man who said he sleeps on the streets. Maybe I misheard you. Did you mean you sleep in that hotel across the street?"
He froze, clearly not expecting to see me there.
"I just needed some rest, that's all. Anyway, how did you find me?"
What a terrible excuse.
"I saw you by chance, obviously. How else? Whatever—enjoy yourself, I'm leaving."
But just as I was about to walk off, he called out,
"Wait, Takeru!"
He must've felt bad for me. Was he going to offer to book me a room there?
"What is it?" I asked.
"You forgot your wallet."
…Oh. My wallet. No idea how I dropped it.
[ You dropped it yourself. ]
I took it from him and went on my way, continuing the search. But in the end, I somehow ended up back at The Little Hotel again.