Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall into a Ghost Story, I Have to Go to Work
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Rejuvenation.
Humanity's dream, yet something no one has ever succeeded at through science alone—no one in reality has experienced it for real.
But here in this ghost story world, I'm experiencing it... that very rejuvenation!
...Even if my height got cut in half.
"Achoo."
"Whoa, careful there. Kids catch colds easily."
I fell silent as I draped a blanket over the excited Agent Choi, who was beaming with delight.
It was absurd.
'This doesn't feel real.'
Me, eight years old!
My current state, regressed to an elementary school low-grader, was utterly bizarre.
The protagonists in old cartoons who adapted instantly upon turning young were all lies. A child's senses were several times sharper, and their stamina bubbled over in some strange way.
I thought my shortened limbs would make me waddle awkwardly, but that wasn't the case at all. It was surprising.
"It's because of the Goblin Prank."
Bronze Agent gave a neat explanation.
Of course, that was from the perspective of a [Darkness Exploration Records] veteran—it wasn't neat at all for a newbie like me.
So I gave the appropriate response.
"G-Goblin Prank...?"
"Think of it as a supernatural phenomenon that deceives reality. It's not a disaster, and it can't be used for malicious purposes at all. It's a 'prank,' after all."
Hmm. A good explanation.
I glanced at the goblin fire flickering on my arm and recalled the [Darkness Exploration Records] entry I knew.
"As you might have guessed, the Bureau has deep ties to goblins. So for now, just think of it as the Xuanwu Squad 1 leader being able to use a 'Goblin Prank' too."
She's openly saying there's deeper backstory that'll be shared once I have more seniority. Thanks...
"Whoa, Jae-gwan, you said too much! What now, newbie? I might get my memory wiped for this!"
"......"
"Eek. Not fooled already."
Bronze Agent pressed her temple. A kid making a world-weary face was incredibly odd...
"You don't have to react when Agent Choi says things unrelated to the job."
"Hey! That's too much. Fine, just job-related stuff then!"
The kid version of Agent Choi's grumbling was a bit less infuriating.
"Anyway, Goblin Prank is basically all tricks~ So keep in mind we're not actually kids from some new country."
"Yes."
I get what you mean...
"But sensations trick the body, and the body tricks the mind."
Agent Choi grinned and leaned in.
An adult expression on a child's face felt somehow eerie, sending a chill down my spine.
"While in this form, your emotions will feel out of control, your stamina will overflow, and your strength will weaken."
Because you're a kid.
"That's why we go in pairs. Having a kid-turned colleague nearby makes you snap to attention and care for them, bringing out your adult self~"
"......"
Indeed.
"It's just a prank, so make sure you don't get swallowed by it!"
"Yes...! I'll keep that in mind."
"Aww, our newbie answers so well."
By then, the Bureau vehicle transporting us had stopped.
Ah, due to our physical conditions, biking was out, so a van carried us this time.
The destination was pretty far, too.
"We're here."
Click.
The door opened, revealing...
Shwaaaaa...
The seaside.
In the chilly early spring, without sunlight piercing through, the beach had an eerie, majestic air.
If someone said kids went missing from there, anyone would nod...
"Not there—over here."
"...?!"
I turned my head following Agent Choi's gesture.
It was... a rundown massive raw fish restaurant.
'My god.'
A huge sign with a neon blowfish tail flickering wildly. Very avant-garde.
But the glass door had a notice.
Yet the three kids approached the restaurant door and placed a hand on the handle.
"We're heading to the Dragon Palace now."
Entry Point.
Children's playrooms attached to large restaurants handling marine life, such as seafood markets or raw fish joints.
The floor area must exceed 49㎡, and a red cylindrical slide must be present.
Wall murals related to an underwater kingdom must be observed.
(After repainting murals in playrooms meeting these conditions, distorted similar sea images began appearing irregularly. Complete blockage of entry is presumed impossible.)
"Confirmed."
"Good."
Bronze Agent used her now-shorter arms to clear toys, revealing a poster-like wall decal.
The Little Mermaid, smiling fish, coral and shells behind them, a cute castle shaped like a conch.
And beside it, a red slide like a playground slide, plus a ball pit.
"Whoa, nostalgic. These places really never disappear. Steady demand, huh?"
"Enough chit-chat. Let's prepare."
"Yep."
Their bickering in kid voices came across almost endearingly.
"Newbie, read the manual?"
"...Yes."
"Alright. Let's do this."
I stood at the red slide exit, following the kids.
Possessing related items (seashells, etc.) increases the odds.
And chant the incantation.
"Twinkle twinkle Dragon Palace, We've moved to Dragon Palace."
⟨ Entry Chant ⟩
Enter the smooth, cold black hole of the slide with eyes closed.
This chant appears irregularly as graffiti on walls or floors of qualifying playrooms.
Sometimes it's detailed in illustrations titled 'How to Get to Twinkle Twinkle Dragon Palace' on comic book appendices in the playroom.
"Twinkle twinkle Dragon Palace, we've moved to Dragon Palace."
Keep climbing up.
Clear, high kid voices from front and back echoed my chant.
A strange feeling.
Dark.
Keep chanting.
"Twinkle twinkle Dragon Palace, we've moved to Dragon Palace..."
The slide doesn't end.
Instead, the uphill slope steepens bizarrely, eventually forcing you to cling like hanging from a cliff.
The kids panted. Tears threatened, but I held back.
How much time passed?
Finally, at the moment it felt like dangling from a cliff...
"Twinkle twinkle Dragon Palace...!!"
I plummeted forward.
"Ack!"
Like tumbling off a cliff, like a rollercoaster dropping from the peak.
The kid body tumbled down.
"Hic!"
The child's body couldn't hold back, screaming as eyes flew open.
A fantastical scene appeared.
"...!!"
A city from dreams.
Glittering in golden light under a vast blue sky rippling with aurora-like waves in the air.
No, not sky—blue sea.
Beneath dazzling waves, golden pipes and ivory brick houses lined elegant, radiant streets like from a fairy tale.
Shimmering coral reefs, colorful banners and decorations. Golden speakers, delicate floral and wave-patterned metal on every lamppost sparkled.
And high above, a beautiful iridescent blue palace adorned with pearls and gold.
"Ah...!"
My body was no longer falling.
Floating gently downward, like swimming through clouds in a dream.
Toward the beautiful golden village.
Plop.
The two kids with me descended on either side.
Closer to the city center, a white fountain banner fluttered in gold, blue, and red sparkles.
And then.
"New friend!"
"Whoa, you came again!"
Over twenty kids came rushing down the beautiful boulevard from under the banner.
All beaming ear to ear.
Clean, pretty hair and clothes. Dressed like fairy tale princesses or princes, they looked like birthday party stars.
"Three this time?"
"I like this one!"
"...!"
Bronze Agent startled when grabbed, but the kid laughed gaily.
Laughter and sparkling ecstasy overflowed.
"Where's... this?"
"This is Twinkle Twinkle Dragon Palace! Super duper fun, right? Isn't it the best?"
The chattering kid laughed and led the way.
As if nothing to worry about, sent by cool parents to a heavenly program, making new friends and just having fun.
But...
"......"
These kids were all missing persons.
"Ahahaha!"
The kids burst into laughter, dragging us down the boulevard straight to the palace.
Childlike, they glanced around everywhere.
"Look at this!"
Gear-driven doll decorations moved along the streets.
Golden signs overhead.
Colorful soldier dolls with cheeky faces had water fountains at their bellies. Turning the faucet poured real honey.
"Fill a bottle tight, and the Little Mermaid gives a gift!"
Place it before the white ivory Little Mermaid statue at the palace, and the pedestal opened, spilling desired toys, clothes, fairy tale books, etc.
Waaaaah!
The kids cheered and laughed.
"Here, for you."
"...Thanks."
I received a pair of cool-looking shoes from a younger-looking kid in a blue dress.
"......"
I deliberately grabbed a kid and said quietly, anxiously.
"Um, I gotta go meet my mom now..."
"Mom? Mom's coming to pick you up! Just play here till then!"
"......"
"Hey, my mom's super cool? She's amazing at sewing too. When she comes, I'll show you just you."
Then she shyly giggled and dashed back into the street.
"......"
...Probably.
She won't be able to show her mom.
I gritted my teeth.
For 'Twinkle Twinkle Dragon Palace' long-term missing children (1000+ days), they turn to bubbles and vanish upon return to reality.
Confirm missing date thoroughly before rescue.
But it's insanely tricky.
Time flows chaotically here. A kid missing yesterday in reality might have lived 5 years here.
Conversely, ancient kids or from alternate timelines appear.
So you must hear their real-world year, confirm if recent missing, then extract.
At least agents' time sense isn't warped—probably thanks to Goblin Prank, or being adults mentally.
Agent Choi, mission lead, had declared.
"......"
"Agent."
Thus, Xuanwu Squad 1 and I, three in total, must find and extract a 'child missing less than 3 years from reality' here.
...Only that child.
"......"
No good. The kid body makes me waver easily.
"Calm down..."
I took a breath and moved.
To meet as many kids as possible in my assigned area within time, hear their stories.
And I did my best for two days.
I talked to every kid who greeted us, even found bedrooms of those who didn't.
But...
"...This periodic rescue ends here."
"......"
"......"
...We found no qualifying kids in two days.
Not a single one.
"Let's head back."
I bowed my head.
"......"
...Sometimes, even your best isn't enough.
'Unknown ghost story.'
Not in [Darkness Exploration Records], so no special edge for me.
Follow Bureau rules and superiors' plan—safest, right.
'I'm already too conspicuous anyway.'
So this is...
"No!"
......
...?!
Wait.
D-Did I just say that?
"No! Let's look more!"
...Yeah, I did!
"......Th-That."
Even worse, my superiors' faces were turning pitiful too.
...Kid bodies!