Ian and Yuna, as if it were only natural, gave the agents false names. Fortunately, none of them seemed suspicious.
“Did the two of you come to the theme park on your own?”
“Y-yes. We came here together for our vacation, but when we suddenly opened our eyes, we were in the theme park.”
Ian answered Kim Iseo’s question and bowed slightly at the waist.
“We were trying to survive somehow, so we just stayed still and did nothing, and then all of you came to find us. Thank you, truly, thank you so much…!”
“Not at all. You’ve held out well until now.”
Kim Iseo lightly patted the sniffling Ian on the back. Behind Ian’s mask, his face sank coldly.
‘This is bad.’
Moving together with the Bureau? It was completely unexpected, but now that things had turned out this way, there was no taking it back. If they suddenly fled, it was obvious they would look suspicious. In the worst case, the agents might subdue them under the pretext of responding to an unforeseen situation.
That being the case, there was no turning back now. He had no choice but to form a new plan according to the situation.
“……”
He slightly turned his lowered head and looked at Yuna. She was ready to pull out the staff she had placed inside the guitar case at any moment, and she nodded toward Ian.
Ian understood that as meaning she was leaving the plan to him. Just in case, he wrote words on her forearm and asked if that was right, and the answer that came back was yes. He let out a groan inwardly.
Leaving the plan to him, if seen positively, meant she trusted him; seen negatively, it was shifting responsibility. Ian decided to think of it positively for now.
‘At any rate, conversation is impossible right now. Even if I’d let her make the plan, I would have thought up a different one in my head.’
An overly cautious personality became poison when communication was impossible. It would unwittingly pour dissonance into an ensemble that needed to flow smoothly.
If each of them was going to harbor a plan the other didn’t know about, then it was far better for him to take complete control. Thinking that, Ian swept his gaze over the agents.
‘Killing them right here and now is…’
Impossible. He made the judgment quickly.
Killing Bureau agents blindly would be self-sabotage. He couldn’t handle the aftermath, and he didn’t think it would even be possible.
It was true that killing repulsed him in the moral sense as well, but if that were the only means available, Ian would do it without hesitation. However, the current situation was not so simple that it could be smoothed over with mere murder.
So he excluded it. Rather than antagonizing them recklessly, it seemed better to make use of their current relationship.
The roles of protector and protected were fundamentally poison, but at times, they could also become a weapon.
The attraction Ian and Yuna needed to clear immediately was only one more. If they actively acted the part of the protected, it would not be difficult to safely clear the last one.
‘We clear one more attraction with their help like this, then deliberately lure them to the haunted house and buy time. During that opening, we head straight for the tower. After killing the Administrator, we tear out its heart.’
It was a plan made on the spot, so it was not perfect. But it was not lacking, either. He could deal with the loose parts through improvisation.
‘Good.’
Having finished thinking, Ian slowly loosened his fingers.
Far away, he could sense the presence of the grimoire he had thrown into the grass. The cold feel of the revolver tucked inside his clothes was vivid.
He would use every means he could. Rather than hesitate and fall flat on his face, it was far better to put himself first above all else.
Thinking that, Ian’s eyes sharpened coldly.
*
The Bureau agents made a full circuit around the plaza at the center of the theme park. It was to search for any possible survivors.
However, all that appeared were countless anomalies. There was not a single living survivor. Even when they increased the detection range of the device, the result remained the same.
In the end, Mir let out a sigh and gave an order.
“…We’re giving up the search for now. First, let’s ride three attractions and secure an exit.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Following her instructions, the group’s destination changed.
The place they went to was [Buster’s Train].
It was an attraction where one rode a small, slowly moving roller coaster and personally shot down the zombies and ghosts chasing after them. However, it came with the insane condition that they had to procure the items needed for shooting on their own.
It was an attraction an ordinary person would not even dare attempt, but there were five Bureau agents here. And the number of firearms they possessed was greater than that.
Thanks to that, the decision was made quickly.
“Let’s do this one. Everyone, board.”
“You two, please sit in the center so it’ll be easier to protect you. We’ll cover every other direction.”
Mir stood at the front of the roller coaster and drew her sword, while Kim Iseo guided Ian and Yuna to the center seats. The two bowed their heads and sat down.
The remaining agents took out the weapons they had brought and hardened their expressions sharply.
Starting with handguns, then assault rifles, shotguns, and more. Firearms with no lack of firepower were loaded, exuding the distinctive cold air of metal.
[Our train is departing! Everyone, be careful not to get eaten!]
Clack, rattle…
Along with the announcement, the roller coaster began to move forward slowly.
Since it was not an extreme ride, there were no sections where it dropped or climbed. Its structure simply had it running continuously over flat ground.
But its speed was incredibly slow. It was so slow that sprinting at full speed would have been faster.
And anomalies were supposed to chase them in this state.
It was so absurd that he could only laugh.
If Ian had not been with the Bureau agents, he would not have bothered using this attraction. He did have a revolver, but that would not be enough to stop the numbers that would come pouring in.
Conversely, that meant the Bureau agents had more than enough ability to stop them.
Clank!
Not long after the roller coaster departed, the sound of something suddenly opening came from behind them, and the floor began to tremble.
“Keeeaaak!!”
When he turned his head, he saw zombies and ghosts with grotesque appearances madly flailing their limbs as they charged toward the roller coaster.
Even at their bizarre forms, the Bureau agents showed no reaction and calmly placed their fingers on their triggers.
“Fire.”
And the moment Mir’s command to fire fell, they poured bullets into them.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!!!
Bullets filled with ash, silver bullets, lead bullets, and more. All sorts of rounds for various uses poured toward the advancing zombies.
Gunfire spread everywhere, loud enough to make one’s ears ring. Ian frowned and lowered his head as if frightened.
“It’s all right! We’ll protect you!”
Kim Iseo seemed to be saying something beside him, but because of the gunfire, he could not really hear her. In the first place, she was also focused on shooting and unable to concentrate on conversation.
It seemed he could communicate with Yuna now without being discovered. Ian immediately took Yuna’s hand, who had lowered her head like him, and quickly wrote words on it.
Yuna, who had flinched at the sudden touch, gradually grew calmer as the sentence continued.
[Once this is over, we lead them straight to the haunted house. Then I’ll open a path, so follow me.]
[Okay.]
After hearing Yuna’s confirmation, Ian exhaled at length.
How much time passed like that?
The train, which had been running slowly, returned to the starting point. Kim Iseo was the first to get off and took care of Ian and Yuna.
“This way, please.”
“Y-yes.”
Ian followed her while covering his ringing ears with both hands. Yuna awkwardly imitated him as well.
[Thank you for riding! Please enjoy a comfortable and happy visit to the theme park!]
Once everyone got off the roller coaster, the announcement rang out. Mir clicked her tongue and looked around at everyone.
“We have cleared the first attraction. The next place we’ll go is…”
“H-how about the haunted house?”
Yuna picked up her words. Though Yuna flinched as if frightened under Mir’s gaze turning toward her, she continued speaking.
“Th-the conditions aren’t that hard, and the path is really easy. W-we gave up because we got scared while trying to go in, but if all of you are with us…”
“You think it’s possible?”
“Y-yes… Ah, I-I’m sorry if that was rude. I should have just stayed quiet…”
“Not at all. More importantly, the haunted house… Hm. It’s in the middle of the shortest route toward the exit. Clearing it doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”
Mir smiled softly and folded the pamphlet she had opened.
“However, we’ll decide whether to enter after we make a judgment ourselves.”
“Y-yes.”
“Thank you for your valuable opinion. Then let’s move.”
Mir began walking at the front. The Bureau agents followed her, and Ian and Yuna exchanged glances before moving after them.
A short while later, the group arrived in front of the haunted house. They stood still, organizing their thoughts as they looked at the cube-like exterior of the haunted house, then frowned when they saw the outer wall, which had a strangely undulating shape.
“…Why are the walls here like this? Did someone do something crazy inside?”
“I don’t think that’s it. If that were the case, the walls should be broken, not rippling like that.”
“Is it some kind of clue?”
“I don’t know. I think we’ll have to go in to find out.”
While Park Sangcheol and his team member conversed, Mir, having finished reading all the rules of the haunted house, nodded and said,
“It’s not a difficult place to攻略. Since we have the life reaction tracking device, avoiding the murderer or the anomalies should be easy as well.”
“We’ll use a Bureau-issued item for the interior map. It’s disposable, but it’s better to be certain.”
Park Jia picked up her words. She took a small piece of parchment from inside her clothes and looked up at Mir.
“Once unfolded, it draws a map of the surroundings centered on the owner for about thirty minutes.”
“Good. As Agent Park Jia said, let’s make sure of it.”
Mir tapped the sword at her waist with her finger and gathered the group. After reading the rules of the haunted house, they all expressed that it seemed doable and gripped their weapons.
“We’re entering.”
Soon, they began entering the haunted house. Ian and Yuna, once again wedged in the center of the group, moved their feet.
Creak, slam!
The wide-open door of the haunted house closed the moment the entire group entered. Without hesitation, Park Jia unfolded the parchment in her hand.
With a zzzt-like sound, a map was drawn on the parchment.
The instant she checked the map.
“…Huh?”
A foolish little sound popped out of her mouth. Sensing that the situation had become strange, Mir drew her sword and moved beside Park Jia.
“What is it, Agent Park Jia?”
“Ah, it’s not a big problem. It’s just that the path is… absurdly simple.”
“…Hm?”
Mir, who had been assuming the worst-case scenario, tilted her head and looked down at the map. And just as Park Jia had said, she realized that the path was quite simple.
No, this was not at the level of simple. It was a structure where the exit appeared if they just kept going straight. It was impossible to encounter the murderer or any anomalies at all.
“……”
It was an absurdly crude structure for something that was part of an abnormal phenomenon that cruelly dismantled human beings. Mir stopped walking for a moment and stared intently at the map.
“Ah.”
And she realized what was strange.
“The positions of the anomalies showing up on the life reaction detection device are all pressed exactly against the walls. The largest one, which appears to be the murderer, is following us along the wall as we move.”
“…Ah, just as Agent Mir said. Right now, beyond the walls of this corridor, dozens of anomalies are clinging there.”
“This means only one thing.”
Mir continued with a grave expression.
“The structure of this haunted house was not made this way naturally. Someone modified it arbitrarily.”
“…Who?”
“It was probably a mage. It seems they came here before us and left.”
“…Hah. Just when on earth…”
Mir ignored Park Jia’s murmuring for the moment and turned her head toward the man and woman who had walked with them.
“Ms. Lee Seoyeon, and Mr. Kang Hyeongtae. When you visited the haunted house earlier, did you happen to see anyone suspicious—”
Mir’s voice cut off midway.
It was not because of outside interference. It was because the sight she saw the moment she turned her head was that of a man holding a grimoire.
“Damn it!”
Her judgment was fast. She immediately swung the sword in her hand swiftly.
But it was already too late.
“Be born anew.”
Crrrrack!!
The moment Ian placed his hand on the wall and recited the spell, the wall stretched out sideways, separating the space between the two of them and the Bureau agents.
He opened an entirely different route just like that.
Making a hole not in the direction of the exit but in the wall toward the entrance, he burst out into the streets of the theme park and shouted at Yuna.
“We’re running to the tower. Run!”
“O-okay!”
Yuna hugged the guitar case to her chest and ran after him.
Their destination was the tower.
It was time to tear out the Administrator’s heart.