Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Fantasy Train
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Any theme park with a decent reputation invests a good chunk of cash in the big three attractions.
One's a roller coaster, another's a carousel.
And the last one—the priciest of all, thanks to all the special effects and animatronics—is...
'Dark ride.'
It's an indoor riding attraction where you tour an elaborate, massive set that embodies the park's theme itself.
In Korea, ones like Sinbad's Adventure or Earth Village come to mind as famous examples.
And in this Jolly Theme Park ghost story, that's exactly this attraction.
"Fantasy Train!"
The researcher spat as he shouted.
"Everyone who rode this died! I'm not getting on! No way!"
Yeah, that's what it said, all right.
And in the [Darkness Exploration Records] I'd read, this attraction had claimed countless victims...
But that wasn't the whole story.
'If it's racked up that many casualties, it means this attraction shows up just as often!'
True to its board game roots with random elements, the Jolly Theme Park ghost story shuffled zones and mascots every time you entered.
But this Fantasy Train attraction? It was a constant, appearing every time.
Because... the theme was crystal clear.
"Look at the description under the sign."
I pointed beneath the [Fantasy Train] sign.
-Meet the residents and stories of each zone in Fantasyland! A jolly train ride!
"This seems like the attraction that introduces the theme park itself."
It was also the most crucial element for escaping this ghost story.
'What colors divide the zones in this theme park, and how?'
Don't forget—this originated as a board game.
What does picking a faction in a game mean?
Choosing your unique traits.
'And dividing teams by color means benefits or penalties tied to those colors.'
So, properly grasping that was priority one here...
Which zone your color team was assigned to.
What unique quirks it had.
But convincing people who didn't know this yet required different logic.
'Work, brain.'
First target... the top boss, naturally.
"Hm. Everyone who rode it died?"
A Squad's Jin Deputy, wearing the butterfly mask.
To win over this elite dripping with chosen-one vibes...
Yeah, flatter him.
"Isn't it just one team of civilians?"
"Hm?"
I deliberately pitched my voice with a hint of puzzlement.
"People approaching it with zero awareness, like clueless tourists hopping on rides. Low odds they'd handle a supernatural situation properly."
"So?"
"Comparing them to the Field Exploration Team, pros who clear Darkness with clear objectives... well."
I furrowed my brow slightly.
"Feels a bit harsh on civilians."
"...Hah."
The A Squad boss snorted.
"Talking big, huh? ...Though, you're not wrong."
"W-What do you mean, not wrong...!"
"Hey."
The A Squad boss clamped down on the researcher's head.
"...!"
His gleaming nail dug into the temple.
"You think you have the right to speak?"
"......"
"Wanna die here and end up as worthless trash nobody'd even stuff? Or ride that thing?"
The researcher shut up again. Like having his own personal bully...
"Move."
"......"
The researcher dragged his feet toward the Fantasy Train, face like death.
'One stone, two birds...'
Success.
That left just one more.
Y Squad newbie, Kang Heo-un.
As I followed the sign to the Fantasy Train, I fell back slightly, matching pace with the newbie and whispering.
"Don't worry."
"P-Pardon...?"
"That was just to convince him... Truth is, I've got another trick up my sleeve."
"Another trick?"
"Call it insider know-how."
I smiled faintly.
"I worked part-time at a theme park before."
"Ah!"
Sorry. Lie.
But in this extreme situation, being brutally honest with these scaredies wouldn't help—survival's the goal, right?
You'll end up thinking, 'Whoa, thanks for the white lie, coworker!' too.
"I-I see. In that case..."
"Yeah. Pretty safe."
Or so I figure.
Anyway, following the sign led us right to the Fantasy Train boarding entrance.
A model station adorned with intricate, realistic steam locomotive parts and brickwork, complete with a fancy sign... but,
"Nobody here."
"......"
The inside was eerily empty.
No one at all.
-Haha, enjoy your wonderful train trip! Haha, enjoy your wonderful train trip! Haha, enjoy your wonderful train trip...
The upbeat park music clashed, giving an off vibe.
All we saw past the empty queue was the train.
And in front of it, a rabbit mascot dressed as the engineer.
"Another mascot."
"Is that the ride operator?"
Yep.
We breezed through the vacant line. The engineer mascot with hollow eyes extended its gloved hand and stamped our bracelets.
One stamp.
Next, we were ushered onto a small, colorful steam train straight out of a fairy tale.
The mascot returned to its spot and waved both hands.
'Have a fun ride!' or something.
No incidents so far, so the researcher and Y Squad newbie visibly relaxed.
Too bad I was about to cause the incident.
'Only spot it could be... yeah, there.'
After scanning around, I locked eyes on the mascot.
And spoke up.
"Deputy Jin."
"What?"
"That platform where the mascot playing staff is standing. See it?"
I pointed to what looked like a model ticket booth table right in front of the engineer rabbit.
"Think you could quietly turn that platform our way with your gear? No damage."
"Why?"
"Something's on the back."
A Squad Deputy eyed me oddly but soon extended his index nail.
Quick and silent.
Tick.
Kiki-geek...
The fake nail, flung at the retro turquoise platform, caught the edge and spun it with a faint scrape.
As it half-turned, no expected wooden finish on the back.
Instead, complex buttons and circuits.
Ride emergency control panel.
"...!"
Found it.
The control panel!
'Saw it in the [Darkness Exploration Records].'
A scene describing how these theme park rides had realistic control devices!
They failed there, sure.
'But I can do this.'
I flicked a coin to summon the translucent glove, tossed in a 500-won coin, and gestured to merge.
'Five seconds is plenty.'
My hand in the air reached toward the exposed back of the platform.
Targeting... the lever.
"Wait, Sol-eum. What the hell is that? Those markings..."
"Grip tight."
"Pardon? Grip wha—"
"Train seat handle,"
My hand yanked the lever all the way.
"Grab it properly."
That instant.
The train rocketed off at insane speed.
Kiiiiiiing!!
-Fantasy Train departing!
"Hngh!"
"What the—?!"
I clung desperately to the seat handle and answered.
"Pulled the speed lever! Max speed!"
"Why the fuck would you do that, you psycho?!"
Because I had a plan.
"If we blast through, nothing can mess with the train, right?!"
"...!"
Event skip.
'Dark rides are about slowly touring the decorated indoor sets.'
But if you speed through like a maniac?
'It all gets skipped!'
Sets, effects.
And the life-threatening hazards too!
In the [Darkness Exploration Records] case I recalled, they slowed a roller coaster, but point is—speed controls exist!
High chance it'd work here too.
'Nice!'
Success!
Just... the next part was tricky.
I glanced outside.
Kiiiiiiing!
Wind pressure hit hard.
Nearly roller coaster speeds.
This was surely just for safety checks, not actual operation.
'...Pass out from fear, and you'd get flung out.'
Instant death.
Call it a runaway train side effect.
Fatal flaw for a chicken like me...
'But I've got a countermeasure!'
Feel like blacking out?
Just close your eyes!
[Dear passengers, welcome to beautiful Fantasyland!]
The narration kicked in, and I yelled.
"I'm closing my eyes!"
"What?!"
I squeezed them shut, playing crazy.
"That narration seems key—I'll focus on it!"
"...!"
"If it feels like we're dying, tell me!"
"This guy's nuts?! Haha, fine!"
A Squad Deputy's laugh faded just as,
The narration whooshed by my ear.
"Th-the weird flower, the flower calling me... "
"Duck!"
"Uwaaah! Snakes, snake monsters crawling on the ground! Eek! They tried clinging to the train... but fell behind......"
"Hoo."
The attraction flashed by in seconds.
The train's speed fast-forwarded the ride like a montage.
'Fight's in the late stage...'
Last part now.
'Described a few times.'
Those mascots just wanted to live as they pleased.
So they split Fantasyland into color-coded zones to live peacefully their way...
[Die.]
......
What.
"[The red rabbit decided to eliminate its friends by any means. No— not friends anymore. Enemies! Enemies! Enemies!]" "[One by one, one by one, one by one! Into pits, into water, off cliffs!]" "[Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!]"
⟨ Chant of Endless Murder ⟩
The relentless, bloodcurdling chant suddenly cut out.
When the voice returned, it was violently, grotesquely cheerful.
Static crackled through the speakers like snapping bones.
[The sole ruler of this land is the red rabbit, Magic Bunny.]
[Magic Bunny is the dream. Magic Bunny is the fantasy. Magic Bunny is the law. Only his ideology is permitted to exist!]
Silence slammed down over us.
The passengers, who had been screaming their lungs out at the passing horrors mere seconds ago, were now utterly mute. The only sound in the carriage was the heavy, ragged wheezing of terrified animals.
And then...
The train began to decelerate.
I swallowed a thick lump of dread.
It was the end of the line.
No matter how fast a dark ride goes, the brakes always engage at the grand finale.
A cold sweat drenched the back of my neck. An oppressive, suffocating premonition crawled over my skin. I finally forced my eyes open and raised my head.
A colossal rabbit mascot's head loomed directly over the tracks, blocking our path. Its bright red eyes spun in deranged, mechanical circles, and its jaw unhinged to reveal row upon row of jagged, bloodstained teeth jutting forward.
This was a scenario I hadn't read anywhere in the wiki.
The air outside the train was vibrating with a sickening, wet friction. Dozens of red rabbits were pressing their oversized, plush heads violently against the glass from all directions. The mascot suits looked like they were bloated, ready to burst at the seams, their unblinking eyes boring into us with pure, concentrated malice.
I felt my consciousness teetering on the edge.
"Haaaah... haaaaaah...!!"
"D-D-Die..."
The giggling narration devolved into a psychotic loop. Red emergency strobes began violently strobing throughout the interior of the train carriage, bathing us in a bloody, disorienting light that made it impossible to string a coherent thought together.
Then, a voice sliced through the panic.
"Ah. I get it now."
"What?"
"It's like a corporate initiation ceremony, isn't it? Forcing the new hires to slaughter each other to prove their loyalty... Classic."
What the hell is she talking about?
"You saw what happened in the story, right? The rabbit murdered all of its friends. Oh, wait, you had your eyes squeezed shut, so you missed the visuals. But you definitely heard the narration, didn't you?"
It was Jin Deputy. Her voice was utterly, chillingly calm.
I slowly turned my head. The butterfly-masked A Squad veteran was casually watching the blood-weeping mascots claw at the windows, acting as if she were staring out the window of a morning subway commute.
"So. Who do we kill first?"
"What..."
"Shh."
The eyes visible beneath the butterfly mask narrowed, turning dark and predatory. It was the gaze of an auditor calculating the net worth of human lives.
"Hmm."
Her eyes darted around the cabin. Y Squad newbie. The researcher. Me. Y Squad. The researcher. The researcher. Y Squad...
"You."
The target was selected.
Kang Heo-un's jaw trembled, his face draining of all color. But Jin Deputy's finger bypassed him entirely.
"Grab the guy in the white coat."
The researcher.
"...!"
A corporate-mandated death sentence.
"Uh, uh..."
Grab.
Driven by sheer, unadulterated terror of his superior, the Y Squad newbie moved like a rusted automaton, lunging forward to pin the researcher's limbs.
"W-What are you doing?! What... wait, wait a second!"
"Cover his mouth. Oh, and keep yours shut, too."
"Mmmph!"
"Ah... does the narrative require us to each kill one directly? Hey, top recruit."
I reflexively snapped to attention as her gaze shifted to me.
"Why don't you do the honors for this one? I'd like to observe your methodology."
"Mmm! Mmmmmm! Mmm!"
"Don't use your specialized gear. Do it with your bare hands... Ah, wait. Earlier in the story, the rabbit threw the dragon off a cliff, didn't it? Try tossing him out of the train window. Let's see if the system counts that as a valid kill."
Me?
"Go on. Do it."
I slowly, mechanically turned my head toward the glass, then immediately whipped it back.
The mascots outside were literally crying rivers of blood!
They were plastered against every inch of the window pane like leeches. There was absolutely no way in hell I was opening that glass. If I did, I would immediately collapse into a screaming, catatonic mess.
Besides... she wanted me to murder a man as casually as throwing out the trash? No. Absolutely not. But putting my non-existent killer instinct aside...
This was a guaranteed Death Route!
The irregular event had thrown the pacing into chaos and scrambled our senses, but the underlying mechanics of the ghost story were glaringly obvious to me now.
If we complied with the mascot's narrative, we were all dead!
If we went down the path of murdering each other to appease the rabbit, the ride would end with our total annihilation!
But how the hell was I supposed to convince a bloodthirsty elite?
If I blurted out, 'Hey, I've read over 70 exploration logs from the future and this is a bad idea,' she would probably decapitate me on the spot for insubordination.
So...
To hell with it!
"Wait a moment!"
"What is it now?"
"This is a trap."
I made the executive decision to bullshit my way out of a murder charge. I opened my mouth and began spinning a web of absolute lies without a single drop of hesitation!