“We’re here.”
“Ah, thank you. Here’s my card.”
The taxi driver took the card and processed the fare. Ian got the card back from him and stepped out of the taxi.
“……Hoo.”
What came into view was a dense growth of trees.
Halfway up an unnamed mountain on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do. There was a paved road, so a taxi could make it here, but even so, there was no denying that it was rough terrain—an unmanaged back mountain.
The sun was still up, but a gloomy atmosphere filled the surroundings. He could feel the gazes of vengeful spirits lingering here and there on the mountain, and in the places where the sunlight did not reach, black shapes stood motionless.
‘Quite the flashy welcome.’
Ian smiled bitterly and put a cigarette between his lips.
There were countless ghost stories related to back mountains. Even an ordinary person could easily be possessed by a grudge-bearing evil spirit in a place like this; how much more eagerly would they rush at a mage, drawn by the mystique?
Fortunately, most of them were lesser ghosts, and the unidentified things that had only forms did not seem particularly strong, so dealing with them would not be difficult. The best outcome would be for such a situation not to arise at all, but he could not rule out the possibility that they might suddenly attack.
Well, he had been running low on materials made from aberrations, so it was about time to replenish them. He had originally planned to gather some inside the theme park, but if they came running over first, asking to be used, he would not refuse.
“…….”
Pushing aside those idle thoughts, he sat down on a nearby rock and took out the ticket.
The address of the theme park written on the ticket was exactly halfway up the mountain where Ian was. Beyond the broken road. If he took just a few more steps forward, he would be right at the entrance.
There was no entrance visible to the naked eye, but the theme park itself did not exist on this mountain in the first place. There was no way such massive structures would be invisible from this distance.
Therefore, it would be more appropriate to regard the “entrance” indicated on the ticket as, in effect, a passage.
A passage connecting the theme park and reality. Most likely, the moment a person holding a ticket passed through the entrance, they would be transported to the theme park.
‘Once I go in, it’ll be impossible to come out whenever I want. If that were possible, they wouldn’t need to forcibly drag people in after a week.’
He did not know exactly what intentions the theme park had, or for what purpose it was taking people.
Nor did he have any reason to find out. That was the Bureau’s job, not the job of a mage like Ian.
What mattered to him was the Administrator’s heart, the target of the Cartel’s request. If he could save the survivors, he would, but if he could not, or if doing so worsened the situation, he intended to give up on them without hesitation.
In any case, the most important thing to Ian was his own life.
As he was thinking, someone came panting up the downhill path. Reflexively, Ian placed his hand inside his coat, on his revolver, and stared at the uninvited guest.
“Th-the road…… Haaah, why is it so roughhh…… Hrk…….”
It was a woman with light brown hair and striking black eyes. She came up the path gasping for breath, her legs trembling, then spotted Ian sitting on the rock and abruptly froze.
“Ah, aah…….”
Her cheeks flushed in an instant, and her eyes quivered pitifully.
The corners of her mouth trembled, making it painfully obvious that she had no idea what expression she should make, and she could not even look him straight in the eye.
To put it kindly, she seemed very shy. Ian slightly pulled back the hammer of his revolver and slowly rose to his feet.
“H-hieek……!”
Even that small movement made her flinch. She looked like a timid little hamster, but Ian did not let his guard down as he spoke carefully.
“Who are you?”
“H-hello…… I, um, well, you seeee…… I-I was supposed to meet a man hereee…….”
Her voice trembled like a goat’s at the end of her sentence as her fingers fidgeted. The huge guitar case on her back rattled in time with her trembling.
Ian mulled over her words, then opened his mouth, just in case.
“……Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie?”
“Aaah!”
Her eyes flew open.
“N-newbieee……?”
At her slightly brightened voice, Ian let go of his revolver and squeezed his eyes shut.
The thing he had hoped was not true had become reality.
*
Community nickname: Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie.
Real name: Han Yuna.
She sat a short distance away from Ian, fidgeting with the ticket in her hand.
No matter how he looked at her, she did not seem like a mage. Rather, she seemed more like someone nervous from having a stranger in front of her.
‘So the way she talked on the community was all an act…….’
Well, who didn’t do that?
Ian swallowed a sigh inwardly and held out a cigarette toward Yuna.
“Want one?”
“Ah, aah. I don’t smoke……”
“I know. It was just a joke.”
“Ah! S-sorry! I couldn’t p-play alonggg……”
This is driving me insane.
Ian put the cigarette back inside his coat and stood up. Yuna slowly stood up after him.
Perhaps because she had walked up the uphill road herself, the muscles in her thighs were trembling. She had said she could run two kilometers with ease. Apparently that had been bullshit too.
However, despite her laughable appearance, there was a high possibility that her abilities as a mage were excellent.
Even with that personality and that level of physical ability, she had not backed out and had decided to go to the theme park. That surely meant she had something reliable to count on.
Besides, no matter what anyone said, Yuna was a veteran who had spent far longer in this industry than Ian. There was no need to worry that she would hold him back.
Of course, that did not mean he intended to be carried by her. Ian intended to do his best as well.
“Let’s go in soon. Or do you need more time to prepare?”
Ian asked. Yuna shook her head vigorously and grabbed the strap of her guitar case.
“N-no! We can go in!”
“Then let’s go.”
Ian took the lead, holding the ticket in one hand and his grimoire in the other. Yuna staggered briefly under the weight of the case, then followed him.
Starting from the broken road, he slowly stepped forward.
One step.
Nothing changed.
Two steps.
The sound of fireworks came from somewhere. The sky was perfectly normal.
Three steps.
The singing of a band, the sound of instruments, and the laughter of children faintly echoed out. There were no living things around capable of making such sounds.
And then, four steps.
“……!”
The moment he set his foot down, the scenery changed in an instant.
The blue sky was dyed red. In the place where clouds should have been, enormous clown balloons floated around, and ahead, where there had been nothing, an entrance with employees standing before it appeared.
“Now, my little friend! Take this balloon!”
Beside the entrance,
a clown with bunches of balloons dangling where its arms should have been handed a balloon to an insect crawling across the ground with a human head.
“Wow, thank you, mister!”
With a crunching sound, the balloon torn from the clown’s arm was taken into the insect’s mouth, and it crawled away. Wherever it moved, a trail of red blood followed along the ground.
“……This is hell if I’ve ever seen it.”
He had expected that it would not be a normal place, but he had not thought he would see creatures like that right from the entrance.
“W-wowww…… This place really is s-so disgusting……”
Yuna, who had entered after Ian, muttered. Ian agreed with her.
“Disgusting?”
At that moment, the three employees standing at the entrance all snapped their heads toward them at once.
Three “heads” was not the right word. Three “creatures” was. The employees were not human. Their bodies were identical to those of humans, but their heads belonged to animals. They were not masks; they looked as if real heads had been forcibly sewn on, precariously attached. Blood streamed down from the places where the stitches had come undone, and pieces of flesh dangled loose.
Among them, the rabbit head in the worst condition staggered over and stood before Yuna.
“You, do you truly think it is disgusting? Truly? Truly?”
“……Ugh. You’re ugly……”
Yuna frowned in displeasure and waved her hand. However, judging that there was no reason to cause a commotion at their current location, she held out her ticket toward the rabbit.
“I’m entering. Just admit your guests.”
“Ah, so you were guests! My apologies, I thought you were intruders!”
The moment the rabbit checked the ticket, it bent at the waist and offered an elegant bow.
Its voice was impossible to distinguish as male or female, and it was filled with static, as if an old recording device had been switched on. Listening to it made his head ache.
‘……No, that’s not my imagination.’
It did not merely feel that way. He was actually getting a headache.
Its voice itself most likely possessed some special mind-manipulating ability.
There was nothing to gain from continuing to listen to it. Ian stood beside Yuna and held out his own ticket as well.
“I’m entering. There won’t be a problem, will there?”
“Yes! Joyful Magic Eden! Dreams and hope, blood and flesh! We sincerely welcome you to this charming theme park where screams live and breathe!”
The rabbit hopped around the two of them with exaggerated gestures. Ian ignored it and passed through the gate into the theme park. Yuna followed him, staring at the aberrations with a look of disgust.
“Please be sure to take a theme park guidebook! We take no responsibility for any disadvantages caused by failing to take one!”
Beside the escalator leading properly into the theme park, a human head stuck on top of a shelf filled with booklets opened its mouth and shouted. Ian stared at it for a moment, then picked up a booklet and stepped onto the escalator.
Yuna did the same.
“Th-this place is really creepy…… I expected it, but still……”
“You don’t stutter or tremble when dealing with aberrations?”
Ian said as he wiped the blood off the booklet. Yuna nodded shyly, as if it were obvious.
“B-because they’re stupid…… There’s no reason to get nervous……”
“Are people a little uncomfortable for you?”
“Y-yeah…… I’m really shy around strangers, and I’ve never made any friends before…… E-ehehe……”
She laughed awkwardly. Ian nodded as if he understood, then opened the booklet.
[Magic Eden’s Rulebook!]
Those words were written at the very top of the booklet.
He checked the contents.
[1. Never defy the employees’ orders. Please comply with all control measures!]
[2. Each attraction has its own unique missions and rules! We take no responsibility for any disadvantages incurred by failing to follow them!]
[3. Difficult customers are not permitted!]
[4. If trouble arises with another guest, please reconcile! Otherwise, our reformation team will step in!]
[5. In honor of the money and effort spent creating this theme park, you may not leave until you have experienced at least three attractions!]
[6. Please enjoy Magic Eden to your heart’s content! No criticism or condemnation allowed!]
“I-it reads like a Napolitan creepypasta……”
After checking the rules, Yuna let out a low groan and muttered. Ian nodded.
“For now, we should follow them, right?”
“Yeah…… Usually with things like this, the moment you go against them, troublesome things happen……”
She answered as she closed the booklet. Ian also folded his booklet, put it in his pocket, and stepped off the escalator when it arrived.
At the same time, the scene that unfolded before them was overwhelming.
“Wow, I’m flying! I’m flying!!”
Humans running bare-bodied along the line prepared for a cable car and falling to their deaths.
Darts and shooting games using living humans as targets.
A young child carrying a person’s head around like a balloon and laughing brightly.
And all sorts of other malicious attractions and stalls that surpassed common sense.
“U-uegh……”
Yuna pinched her nose with her fingers at the blood and foul stench wafting from every direction.
Ian let out a hollow laugh and stared at the clown clouds drifting through the sky.
……It seemed this would not be an easy request.