Chapter 171. The Landlord
A monster that looked like a baby dinosaur.
Madam Rabbit introduced it as the landlord of the hotel.
─[“This individual is indeed the landlord of this hotel, and his name is Building Creator.”]
“His name is Building Creator?”
─[“Yes, that’s correct.”]
【Rizenova】─So, he did have a different name. I thought ‘landlord’ was his actual name.
【Bubble Bubble】─Do you really think that’s a name?
【Pururu】─That baby dinosaur looks ridiculously funny. Hahaha.
【Yumi】─It’s adorable how it keeps sneaking glances at us.
【Hwang Mir】─Kawaii!
【Mysticism】─😋
【Luna-chan】─Is that monster also SS-grade?
Chats from the assistants appeared at the edge of my vision.
I glanced at Sage’s chat and gave a silent nod of confirmation.
Building Creator’s nerfed danger level was A-grade.
His actual danger level, however, was SS-grade.
─[“Gauntlet, as I cautioned before, please refrain from any aggressive behavior.”]
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep my promise.”
While Madam Rabbit was issuing a reminder, the Building Creator, who had been watching us with a sidelong glance, suddenly jumped up from where he sat on the floor and darted behind a large stuffed toy nearby.
Peeking out from behind the toy, he stole glances at us again.
【Bubble Bubble】─An SS-grade monster, yet he’s so timid?
【Rizenova】─What an unusual monster.
【Yumi】─Looks like he’s quite shy. So cute.
【Mysticism】─🤭
【Pururu】─Maybe he doesn’t have any combat abilities, like the Hedgehog.
【Luna-chan】─That could be. It might be why there’s a rule against using force inside the hotel.
【Pururu】─True. With building abilities and combat skills, he’d break the game balance.
【Mysticism】─🧐 But Omega’s creation-oriented, and she’s strong.
【Hwang Mir】─Omega is OP.
【Pururu】─She’s strong because she modified her own body.
─[“Please wait here for a moment, everyone.”]
Saying this, Madam Rabbit clicked her heels as she cautiously approached the hiding Building Creator.
She stopped in front of him and bowed politely.
─[“Honored Landlord, it’s me, Lady Luna, the hotel manager.”]
─[“Oh…?”]
─[“Ah, right… I’m no longer Lady Luna… I recently changed my name to Madam Rabbit. Please call me Madam Rabbit from now on.”]
─[“…You changed your name? Why?”]
─[“The explorer over there said Madam Rabbit suits me better than my previous name.”]
─[“…Alright.”]
The Building Creator hugged the stuffed toy tightly as he replied.
He was still glancing at us cautiously.
Madam Rabbit continued speaking as if she was used to his wary behavior.
─[“There’s no need to be cautious. These guests are trustworthy. I, Madam Rabbit, vouch for them.”]
─[“Oh…okay.”]
─[“Oh, and among the guests over there is also Gauntlet.”]
─[“Gauntlet…you mean the new explorer?”]
The Building Creator released the stuffed toy.
Walking out slowly, he surveyed the main exploration team with a quick scan.
─[“Is that the rumored Gauntlet?”]
He pointed at Abyss Lord with his hand.
It seemed he had identified the most powerful-looking one.
Madam Rabbit shook her head slightly.
─[“No, it’s the one next to him.”]
─[“Oh…that green thing is Gauntlet? Gauntlet doesn’t have any limbs… Not what I heard.”]
─[“No, no. That’s not Gauntlet. The one reflected in his eyes is Gauntlet.”]
─[“So, Gauntlet is trapped…?”]
─[“No, not trapped. He didn’t come in person but is showing himself through that guest.”]
─[“Oh…I see.”]
【Pururu】─That guy seems really dumb.
【Rizenova】─Agreed. Doesn’t seem too bright.
【Hwang Mir】─But cute.
【Yumi】─As long as he’s cute, that’s enough.
【Mysticism】─🤩
─[“Anyway, Gauntlet wanted to meet you, Landlord, so I brought him here. Would you be willing to say hello?”]
Madam Rabbit asked.
The Building Creator, after a moment’s hesitation, fixed his gaze on Iris. Or rather, he was looking at me.
─[“Oh…Gauntlet, are you nice?”]
─[“…I’m not sure about ‘nice,’ but at least he’s not bad.”]
─[“He won’t just hit me or anything, right?”]
─[“Absolutely not. If he ever tried, I’d risk my life to protect you, Landlord.”]
From that brief conversation alone, I could sense the depth of Madam Rabbit’s loyalty.
It was likely on par with the affection she held for me.
If, for instance, I tried to harm the Building Creator, Madam Rabbit, who was loyal to me, wouldn’t attack me. After all, tamed monsters never betray.
However, she might attempt to stop me.
Or even risk her life to protect the Building Creator.
Even if I told her not to interfere, she wouldn’t obey.
While most tamed monsters follow my commands well, tamed monsters are, in the end, friends, not subordinates.
Besides, my commands are more like requests.
Requests that cross a line, that is, requests that would break a monster’s values and beliefs, should be avoided.
As mentioned before, they won’t betray me, but if I keep making unreasonable demands, the monster might destroy itself. I didn’t want any unfortunate incidents like an identity breakdown.
In conclusion.
When dealing with monsters with such close bonds, if they aren’t hostile toward me, it’s best to proceed with taming peacefully.
Even if they suffer mistreatment themselves.
Once tamed, they could forgive me because I’d become precious to them.
But seeing someone precious treated cruelly could confuse even a tamed monster. Even if their affection for me is stronger, their love for others won’t simply fade.
So…
Though it might take a little time, I had to win over and tame the Building Creator. Especially now, as I’d already promised Madam Rabbit.
─[“Nice to meet you…I’m Building Creator…”]
The Building Creator, who had come closer, gave a shy wave.
Creator.
The pronunciation was slurred, so it sounded like “Curi.”
Thus, I decided to call him “Curi.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
─[“Um…why did you want to meet me?”]
“There’s no grand reason. I just wanted to be friends with you, Curi.”
─[“…Friends with me?”]
I nodded.
The Building Creator’s eyes spun rapidly.
He looked as though he was deep in thought.
Then, he finally replied.
─[“No.”]
“…No? Why?”
─[“You’re an explorer. Explorers die young. I don’t want a friend who’ll die. So I can’t be friends with you.”]
“Don’t worry about that. I’m not going to die.”
I said confidently.
Unlike other explorers, I didn’t take reckless risks in the labyrinth.
Even in my third-stage release state, I didn’t let my guard down, always prioritizing my safety.
─[“I can’t believe that. There have been plenty of great explorers, but they all died. So you’ll definitely die too.”]
【Pururu】─This dino is cursing you out.
【Mysticism】─😠
Even if I tried proving my strength now…
Even if I told him my current power was comparable to the nerfed Abyss Lord’s, I doubted the Building Creator would change his mind.
My current strength was S-grade.
It wasn’t as if there hadn’t been other S-grade explorers.
Azeras, right there, had been S-grade back in her exploring days.
How should I convince the Building Creator?
I briefly considered this before deciding to just say what came to mind.
Since I wasn’t particularly bright, no matter how much I thought about it, I would probably come up with the same ideas anyway.
“Curi.”
─[“Yeah?”]
“You’re friends with Madam Rabbit, right?”
─[“Yeah, she’s my friend.”]
“Well, Madam Rabbit and I are friends too. We decided to be friends starting today.”
─[“Oh…”]
The Building Creator looked over at Madam Rabbit.
Madam Rabbit nodded, saying, “It seems we’ve become as close as I am with the Landlord.”
I continued speaking to Curi.
“Curi, who do you think would be sad if I died?”
─[“Um…I guess your friends would be sad?”]
“Right. And since Madam Rabbit is my friend, she’d be sad if I died, right?”
─[“Yeah…”]
“If Madam Rabbit were sad, wouldn’t you be sad too, since you’re her friend?”
─[“Yeah…if Lady Luna—no, Madam Rabbit—were sad, I’d be sad too.”]
“Then don’t you think you should make sure I don’t die?”
─[“…Huh?”]
“If I die, Madam Rabbit might get so upset that she’d end her own life. Would you want to see her die?”
─[“
No, no…Madam Rabbit’s my friend. I don’t want her to die…”]
Of course, that wouldn’t happen.
She’d be sad, but she wouldn’t take her own life.
Wifra and the Centaur are still alive, after all.
Well, if she were an S-grade being with a relatively fragile mind, who knows…
【Pururu】─?
【Mysticism】─🧐
【Bubble Bubble】─That’s intense.
【Yumi】─She’s buying it.
【Hwang Mir】─Cute dumb dino.
“So, Curi, you have to let me tame you and provide me a safe place. If you reject me, I’ll be wandering around looking for safety until I eventually die.”
─[“Wait, didn’t you say you wouldn’t die…?”]
“I take that back. You wouldn’t have believed it anyway.”
─[“Oh…right. So let’s take back that first statement.”]
【Pururu】─Why would you accept that? Sigh.
【Luna-chan】─What an agreeable little one.
“Anyway, if you don’t want to make your friend Madam Rabbit sad, you need to become my friend. Understand?”
─[“…I think I understand, kind of.”]
The Building Creator opened his mouth slightly and nodded.
This was working.
【Pururu】─He’s falling for it.
【Mysticism】─🙂
【Rizenova】─Remarkably easy to persuade.
【Yumi】─He really is like a child.
【Hwang Mir】─Seems like the kind of monster who’d get gaslit easily.
“Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention. Technically, you and I are already half-friends.”
─[“Huh?”]
“A friend of a friend is basically a friend, right?”
─[“Is that true?”]
“Yep. So there’s no need to overthink it. Just agree to be friends with me. We’re not total strangers, more like half-friends already, so there’s no need to worry.”
─[“Oh…I suppose that makes sense…”]
The Building Creator blinked rapidly.
Then his eyes began to swirl.
It seemed to be a sign of intense thinking.
─[“Ugh…thinking too much made me hungry. I want cake…”]
The Building Creator slumped to the ground as if his battery had drained.
It seemed he tired quickly from thinking too hard.
“Curi, wait a moment. I’ll pack some food and come over to you.”
Judging that it would be more effective to persuade him in person, I got up from my seat.
Since he was hungry, if I took Merino along and provided him with some delicious food, his favorability might improve.
After explaining the situation to the base monsters, I called for Artpega Unibicorn and climbed onto her back with Merino Ula.
“Baah! Going out!”
[“Please hold on tightly.”]
And so, we set off for the hotel.
Oh, by the way, Artpega had already completed Building Creator’s entry in the monster guidebook.
—
■Building Creator (Curi)
─ Actual Danger Level: SS-grade.
─ Current (Nerfed) Danger Level: A-grade.
─ Ability: Building Creation.