Chapter 16: Preparations for the First fight

The Nightmare Grand Hotel had developed a rhythm.

It was subtle at first, easy to miss beneath the creaking floorboards and whispering ventilation shafts, but once Gene Gingerline noticed it, he could not unhear it.

The building was alive.

Not literally, although Victor Graves and Morrigan Graves occupying the basement laboratories, Gene was no longer entirely comfortable using the word “literally” with confidence.

The building was alive in the sense that it possessed routines, habits, and moods.

At dawn—if the eternal violet twilight of his Domain could be called dawn—the hotel stirred.

Through the upper halls, twin girls glided silently.

They paused to straighten any crooked paintings. 

Otherwise they tended to and appear unexpectedly at the ends of corridors. 

Hank Dorsey made his rounds through the lobby, muttering about hazard pay and refusing to look directly at the Caretaker. 

There was an NPC detective named Carlo Mendez drinking coffee in the lobby by the front desk. 

He sat at one of the hotels couch and table combos surrounded by notebooks with his theories about the “ongoing incidents” in the building. 

In the basement, electrical surged and crackled as Victor and Morrigan cheerfully pursued their various experiments.

And somewhere, in the dim hallway light, the Caretaker walked.

Slow, measured footsteps echoed through the hotel’s halls like the ticking of an enormous clock.

One step.

Then another.

Unhurried.

Powerful.

Unstoppable.

The sound should have been unnerving.

Instead, Gene found it oddly reassuring.

It meant his monster was on patrol.

It meant his world was functioning.

And most importantly, it meant that he had exactly three days before the Novice Tournament began.

Three days to turn a bizarre reincarnation into a viable battle strategy.

Three days to prepare for his first official summoner contest.

Three days to avoid embarrassing himself in front of Prince Cassian, Selene Ardent, and what was likely to be a large audience of people eager to watch the weirdo newcomer fail.

Gene rode the elevator to the hotel lobby with a mug of coffee in one hand and a floating status panel in front of him.

⸻

ACTIVE OBJECTIVE

Prepare for First Summoner Contest

Time Remaining: 3 Days

Suggested Tasks:

• Train active summons

• Upgrade domain defenses

• Analyze likely opponents

• Refine tactical strategies

Reward: 2,000 Points + Lvl2 Domain Upgrade Package

⸻

Gene took a sip of coffee and stepped out into the lobby.

“Okay,” he said to the empty air. “No pressure.”

“You seem to be talking to yourself again.”

Gene flinched and turned to look at the speaker.

Selene stood at the foot of the grand staircase, wearing fitted dark trousers, knee-high boots, and a forest-green jacket that made her eyes seem brighter than usual.

Ember, her tiny crimson dragon, perched on her shoulder like a jeweled brooch.

Gene smiled despite spilling a little of his hot coffee on himself.

“Technically, I was talking to my user interface.”

Selene quickly descended the stairs.

“That is somehow worse.”

She reached him and held up a stack of books bound in leather and silver thread.

“I brought some research items Moira thought you may require.”

Gene accepted the books reverently.

“Selene, if I weren’t already interested in you, this would definitely do it.”

A faint blush touched her cheeks.

She recovered quickly.

“Focus, Gingerline.”

Moira arrived moments later through the front doors, carrying a crystal tablet and looking exactly as stern and composed as ever.

“Good,” she said as she sauntered over. 

“ I am glad to see that you are both here.”

Gene glanced between them.

“This feels like an intervention somehow.”

“It is preparation,” Moira replied.

Moira ignored him and touched her tablet.

A three-dimensional arena projection appeared above the lobby floor.

Tiered stands surrounded a circular battlefield divided into multiple environmental zones.

Gene whistled.

“Fancy.”

“The Novice Tournament uses adaptive arenas,” Moira explained.

“Participants are assigned opponents randomly, though prominent native families often manipulate seedings.”

Gene raised an eyebrow.

“So there’s nepotism.”

“Extensive nepotism.”

“Excellent. I was a bit worried that this world might have been too idealistic.”

Moira continued.

“You should expect to face one of the three common archetypes:

• Direct combat summons

• Beast-focused swarms

• Utility specialists”

Gene nodded.

“This year brings someone unique.”

Moira looked at him.

“You are considered an outlier here.”

Gene grinned.

“Guess I’m going to be the odd one regardless what I do. Sounds like the story of my life.”

⸻

Testing the Caretaker

The first training session took place on one of the hotel’s basement floor.

Victor and Morrigan had converted a large section of the basement into a modular combat chamber. 

Metal walls shifted at given commands.

 Illusion arrays generated environments ranging from ruined cities to enchanted forests.

Today, the arena resembled a moonlit suburban street lined with abandoned houses.

The perfect hunting ground.

The Caretaker stood at one end of the street, knife hanging at his side.

At the other end, Selene summoned one of her adaptive constructs—a silver fox that shimmered with arcane energy.

“Ready?” she asked.

Gene crossed his arms.

“Begin.”

The fox darted forward.

The Caretaker walked.

No sprint.

No dramatic roar.

Just the steady, implacable stride of something that had all the time in the world.

The fox launched a barrage of razor-sharp feathers.

They struck the Caretaker’s chest and shoulders, tearing cloth and gouging flesh.

He did not slow at all.

The fox transformed into a hawk and took to the air.

Gene blinked and looked around trying to find sight of the caretaker , but saw that he had vanished.

The hawk flew around for a few seconds as it searched for its opponent.

The hawk circled a few times before landing on a nearby houses window sill.

A mirror in the house gleamed with a subtle black and red outline.

The Caretaker suddenly appeared in the window behind the hawk.

His massive hand exploded through the window and grabbed for the hawk.  

Glass shards sliced into the hawks wings making it unable to fly away. 

The hawk screeched as the Caretaker grabbed its now slightly mangled body and squeezed. 

The hawk attempted to bite the Caretakers fingers, only for it to have the Caretaker latch onto its head with  his other hand. 

The hawk didn’t even have the chance to cry out as the Caretaker completely crushed it between his hands.

As the hawk was ripped in half, the construct exploded into silver motes.

Selene lowered her hand and stared.

“Well that was kind of terrifying.”

Gene tried not to look too smug.

“False Reflection plus Silent Step.”

Selene folded her arms.

“You turned a slasher villain into a tactical assassin.”

Gene tapped his chin.

“Technically, he was already both.”

The system chimed.

⸻

TRAINING COMPLETE

The Caretaker gained experience.

Level Up: 3

New Trait Unlocked:

Pressure Aura

Nearby enemies experience escalating anxiety.

⸻

Gene pumped a fist.

“Nice.”

The Caretaker tilted his head as he adjusted his gloves.

Gene interpreted this as satisfaction.

⸻