NOVEL NEXT WORLD Welcome to Dungeon Hotel
Chapter 180
Originally, each local government had its own ‘festival’.
Places known for their specialty in peppers host the Pepper Bachelor Festival, while areas famous for mountain trout hold the Mountain Trout Festival, and so on. Of course, local governments that are famous for their special products or famous tourist destinations also make a lot of money through festivals. However, in fact, places without particularly famous specialties or places with poor accessibility to large cities, where tourists do not gather even if festivals are held, not only do not make a lot of money from festivals but there are also cases where they even suffer losses. And Ganju-gun was, of course, the latter. They were so eager to invite a trot singer to the fish oyster festival held last year, but the event was canceled due to a typhoon, and they ended up having to pay a lot of money due to the penalty and were criticized for being a waste of money. And this time, although it was not a typhoon, the fish oyster market was greatly reduced due to the mass death of oyster farms, so the festival itself couldn’t be held at all. The problem is that local government festivals are criticized if they are held and then fail, but they are criticized if they don’t hold even a small festival. “What is the specialty of Ganju-gun that can replace salted fish oysters?” Because of this, the mayor of Ganju-gun, the civil servants under him, and his assistant were all gathered together and holding a meeting. “How about crabs? This time of year, crabs are in season, so their flesh is plump~” “That was done in Jeongcheon-gun this year! Jeongcheon-gun even called the Goblin Crab Festival and even used the Goblin Dungeon created last year to a great extent in promoting it. Don’t we need this kind of storytelling too? Huh?” The mayor’s long nagging continued. They say young people don’t come up with fresh ideas. ‘Do we entrust the original ideas to young people?’ Lee Jaeseung, a new member of the promotional team at the county office, let out a sigh inwardly as he stepped into the office. In fact, it was difficult for Ganju-gun to plan a festival. The seafood, which can be said to be a specialty, was not much different from that of many local governments adjacent to the West Sea, including nearby Jeongcheon-gun. Moreover, because it is so remote, it has historically been a peaceful area with no battles taking place in this area, specific generals subjugating this area, or being affected by invasions. How peaceful it was that during the great disaster, there was not a single break in the dungeon, let alone the gate, so while all the citizens of Jeongcheon-gun right next door were evacuated, the residents of Ganju-gun only watched the story of the dungeon on TV. Thanks to this, the small local governments, which are running out of things to promote as local specialties, are unable to even jump on the bandwagon of using specific dungeons to promote them. “Perhaps…” While Jaeseung pretended to be diligently taking notes, writing things like “Mayor is a fool” and “I hate being a civil servant” quietly, another official sitting beside him spoke up. “How about using the Dungeon Hotel for the festival? We are the county with dungeon hotels after all! We could go with that kind of vibe. In fact, hasn’t the tourist influx increased significantly lately because of the Dungeon Hotel?” “The county that owns the dungeon hotel…?” The mayor showed a hint of interest for the first time. Jaeseung looked at the mayor’s face and thought for a moment. Oh, if this passes, they can just end the meeting, but should they just shut up and stay still? But no matter how much he thinks about it— “I think that went too far.” “…Why?” “There are many things local residents can benefit from special product festivals. For example, through special sales of our famous salted oyster, we’ve seen a significant increase in sales. However, the Dungeon Hotel event had little relevance to the interests of local residents, and above all, there were concerns that it was promoting the private hotel’s facilities too much in the promotion for local citizens, making it a promotion for companies rather than citizens. In particular, I feel like we went a bit too far by parodying the Dungeon Hotel CF on the Ganju-gun Office YouTube account…” Hearing Jaeseung’s words, the face of the public relations team leader who was running the Ganju-gun Office YouTube hardened. ‘Ah. Did I make a mistake?’ Jaeseung shrunk a little, feeling like he was being criticized for no reason. It would have been better if he had just stayed quiet; then the meeting would have ended more quickly. The public relations team leader smacked his lips and looked sharply at Jaeseung. And he asked like this. “So? Jaeseung-ssi, do you have any other opinions? No. I don’t think it’s a good attitude to only offer criticism without alternatives in a meeting where the mayor is also present.” “What? No, I don’t have an opinion…” “So, are you just going to tackle what others are doing without any alternative? Really, young people these days…” Jaeseung listened to the public team leader’s words with a defeated expression. Jaeseung thought of various alternatives in his head, but he couldn’t come up with any ideas. He just had to listen to the chaotic rambling that followed, including “latte is horse,” without losing his mind. So Jaeseung bowed his head as if in reflection and looked down at the screen of his phone on the desk. He should go to Jabaatmo and post a message telling people not to ever prepare for the civil service exam. That’s what he thought. But then, a message popped up. The sender’s name was ‘Don’t Answer the Call.’ It was from his ex-girlfriend, whom he had parted with on bad terms. Don’t Answer the Call Jaeseung… How have you been? What is it? Just spit it out. With that thought in mind, his finger pressed the screen. Ah, really. Don’t Answer the Call You read it right away. Please don’t answer. What’s wrong? Ugh, really. Don’t Answer the Call It’s not a big deal… Did you see the Hunter World Rankings updated today? She contacts him through something like this. Then the picture flew in. It was a capture of the list up to the top 10 in the world rankings. ‘Oh, Han Woohyun. He’s ranked 10th. He climbed up to 4th place in just a year.’ Kyaa. It feels so good. He, who had once been very interested in hunter rankings, was happy without knowing it. There were as many men interested in hunter rankings as there were men interested in baseball or soccer rankings. He even felt a surge of national pride, considering South Korea a powerhouse in the world of Hunters. Jaeseung’s hand, which had been enlarging the letters of Han Woohyun’s name, paused at a particular point. But what’s this? It was when he thought so. Don’t Answer the Call Is this the owner of Dungeon Hotel? I heard that the county office is helping promote the Dungeon Hotel… Can I get an autograph or something? I’m actually getting married soon, so I wanted to know how much it costs to rent out the first floor of the hotel… (see more) Jaeseung’s hand went up without realizing it. At the same time, Jaeseung’s attention on his phone screen was interrupted by a voice from all directions. “Jaeseung-ssi! Are you seriously on your phone right now?! During a meeting where the mayor is present…!?” “H, huh, that’s not what’s important now!” Jaeseung looked at the mayor with his eyes wide open. “I think our Ganju County has become the region where the 9th ranked person in the world ranking lives?” “….?” The mayor’s displeased expression suddenly softened. “I don’t think there’s a need for a festival this time, no, there’s no need to hold a festival, but let’s plan it like this. Not a dungeon hotel, but Ganju-gun, a nice neighborhood to live in where even world rankers live.” Jaeseung’s face shone brightly. At the same time, Jaeseung showed his cell phone screen. Such an expression appeared on the faces of all the officials present at that moment. ‘We’ve hit the jackpot!’ And at the same time, even the leader of the public relations team, who had been harshly criticizing Jaeseung, got a little excited. “Isn’t this going to attract a lot of tourists?! Isn’t this going to make it a world-famous Ganju-gun?!” “Hahaha! That’s what I’m saying! Our boss is a world ranker! Wow! Young people are the source of information!” The mayor tapped Jaeseung on the shoulder and laughed. The PR team leader’s face became slightly subtle. Either way, the mayor was very happy and quickly whispered to his assistant. “Hurry up and contact Kang Euinam.” “Yes?” “I’m buying coffee at our Yeongchun Hotel. Quick!” The painful groans of Jeongcheon-gun mayor Kang Euinam were ringing in the Ganju-gun mayor’s ears. **** I knew the world ranking would come out at this time of year. Having reached A-Class stats, I expected to easily enter the top 50 in the national rankings, but I thought it would be difficult to even enter the top 100 in the world rankings. With so many hunters worldwide, what chance do I have of becoming a world ranker… …what nonsense. These days, it feels like I’m just babbling nonsense. I became a world ranker. It’s also 9th place, beating Han Woohyun. A top ranker in Korea. “It’s cool.” Han Woohyun, who lost his top ranking spot to me, was pure in his appreciation. But that’s not the problem! Why am I ranked 9th with A-Class stat! – You reached A-rank stats and had a re-evaluation, right? That increased potential must be thanks to the measurements taken then. Since there weren’t significant changes in your skills, it’s probably related to the expansion of the hotel, isn’t it? The hotel’s abilities are linked to the owner’s abilities. Jan Schultz, who contacted me in a hurry, kindly explained. It’s good that the explanation is kind. So what am I going to do now? After I brought Hyeyu and Hyejin from school, I went back to my accommodation for now and looked on the Internet. Wow. Did the top-ranked hunter in the country just change? If it’s ranked 9th in the world, it’s the first time in Korea. Lee Semyung and Han Minhyuk are also in the top 20. ㅎㄷㄷ Korea is a strong hunter country. Ma! This is the country that owns the Dungeon Hotel! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ The president of the Hunter Association was so excited at Blue Bird. It was nothing but exciting news that sent shivers down my spine. The next morning. I now watched the customers lining up and dominating the street, nervously biting my nails for the first time. It seems that it is thanks to the fact that Ganju-gun recently promoted it on a large scale as a county with national reputation. It was fortunate that I managed to prevent the festival from being held under the name of Junghyo, the resident. Han Woohyun was quickly sent to Seoul. He was forced to check out. I think if that guy was there, he would only attract more attention. Now, what happens now… ‘What can I do?’ I’m going to do business. “Let’s open it!” The good news was that as the second branch prospered, the number of spirits that could be dispatched increased to 9. Samoyed, Malamute, St Bernard, Collie, Siberian Husky. It’s not a complete mess… It’s just that the hall is filled with cute and kind dogs. Fortunately, the result was great satisfaction from the hotel guests. If the hotel business was doing well like this, there would be complaints from nearby residents, but that was also managed well. Thanks to owning the street, complaints were significantly reduced through lower rents, and the hotel operated under the principle of selling only coffee, which also had the effect of reviving the surrounding commercial district. In addition, free coffee was provided to the head of the women’s association and other nearby residents in the space behind the newly created garden. “You don’t have to go this far, but we’re grateful nonetheless. Thanks to that, we get to keep enjoying coffee at the Yeongchun Hotel, right?” The beauty salon owner and the head of the women’s association drank the coffee I served with happy faces. “Thank you for coming.” Maintaining friendly relations with residents was the basis of business. That’s what I thought, and I served coffee to other tables. This was the mayor of Jeongcheon-gun. He came with the mayor of Ganju-gun, and he didn’t look good from a while ago. It seemed like Gangju-gun’s mayor was boasting so much about “We are the county that owns a Dungeon Hotel!” that it prompted these actions. ‘I heard from the doctor in Jeongcheon-gun that you two are old friends…’ For reference, Director Kang used a reservation ticket and had a happy time not long ago. She was so happy that a window like this popped up. Congratulations! By impressing Jeongcheon-gun’s doctor, you achieved the achievement ‘Doctor’s heart is flutter’ and the reward has arrived. “Do you like the taste of the coffee?” While the mayor of Ganju-gun was away, I approached the mayor of Jeongcheon-gun, who was sitting with a grim expression on his face. “Yes…” The mayor of Jeongcheon-gun was kind, but his expression still didn’t look good. ‘I have a favor to ask, but…’ It’s not easy to ask for something with such a grim expression. I heard from Director Kang that the two have been friends since childhood, but that their rivalry was strong ever since they were young. ‘Jeongcheon-gun competed a lot with Ganju-gun. To the people of Seoul, it looks like there, and people these days don’t pay much attention to such things, but my father remembers with ‘sorrow’ the fact that when he was young, he went to Ganju-gun to study because his hometown was small. It seems that he went through a lot of hardships after being separated from his parents and going abroad to study in Ganju.’ Sorrow. There was such a background in the love of Kang Euinam, the mayor of Jeongcheon-gun, to his county. I thought for a moment about whether to get another coffee, and then I remembered a dish I had tried recently. Not long ago, Hyeyu and Hyejin heard that it was popular at school, so I bought preparation from Hunter Market to make ‘that food’. The preparation was simple. Sugar, a ladle, baking soda and a few molds. It’s something that hotels use on a regular basis, so I bought it at Hunter’s Market even though it’s a bit expensive, and the finished food was very strange. “Would you like to try the dessert? I’m planning to sell it, but I thought it would be good if you could test it out in advance.” When I said this, I took the food in front of Kang Euinam. “Test?” The way his eyes sparkled when he was asked to take a test was similar to that of Director Kang. I smiled softly and immediately handed Euinam a toothpick and a plate of dalgona. Childhood Pangpang Star Dalgona (D) —You can feel your childhood innocence while breaking the Dalgona. —If you make a star shape within the time limit, you will receive a bonus childhood innocence pang pang. Oh. The effect is different depending on the shape. After a while. “Star shape! I made it!” Soon, a window like this floated above the head of mayor Kang Euinam, who was excitedly waving at me. The ‘Coffee Shop Customer’ has regained his childhood innocence! The atmosphere is nice. Then should I ask for a favor now? “Excuse me… Do you have a moment to discuss something related to Dungeon Hotel Branch 2?” The moment mayor Kang Euinam heard those words, he missed his toothpick. “Why? Are you finally going to open Branch 2 in Jeongcheon-gun?!” Ah… uh… It’s not like that….? 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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