Golden Tickets from the Heavens
I woke up feeling refreshed from Elise's lap pillow.
"...Alright now. Not much time left, so let's go have some fun."
"You okay? Don't need to rest more?"
My stomach felt a bit queasy, but nothing major.
...By the way, what the hell was that sensation earlier?
It was like... synchronizing with the dungeon.
The feeling of all the information from every being inside the park flowing into me. My brain was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data it couldn't process, and my head still ached from it.
'And that Bram or whatever middle-aged guy...'
The moment I thought about trying to apply his killing intent visualization myself, I saw Bram's death.
The certainty that I could kill him in a hundred ways inside the dungeon. At that instant, all I had to do was choose the form of death.
Was it because I'd reclaimed Kkomangi's power? Something new was happening to me, something I'd never had before.
'...Feels like I shouldn't mess with this anymore.'
I hadn't even intended to kill him.
He seemed like he'd tried something on me, but nothing happened in the end, and I wasn't even mad watching Elise and their conversation.
No motive to kill at all.
It wasn't murderous intent—it felt more like choosing how to consume nutrients...
Every person inside this dungeon... at that moment, they all looked like resources.
'More precisely, food...'
Feeling like I should eat people... my stomach churned again.
I shook off the sensation and got up.
"Where to now?"
*
We rented a boat on the lake for a bit or strolled the paths.
"Not watching the show?"
"Timing's off. If we go now, we'd have to head home midway. I hate getting interrupted."
...I'd blacked out and burned a lot of time.
About 10 minutes left.
'Time to drop evening tickets as soon as we get back...'
The surroundings had gone dark long ago, turning Starlight Lake Park into a dreamy wonderland.
Colorful lights lit the paths, and boats drifted on the lake, each glowing in their own hues.
"......"
"......"
We sat silently on a bench, watching laughing people pass by on the paths and gazing at the lake.
Near the performance hall, faint singing drifted over.
We probably would've gone to the show under normal circumstances...
Somehow, my blackout nagged at me.
'Tch... If only I could mass-produce golden tickets...'
Even one golden ticket took minutes to make...
Mass production still depended on Kkomangi...
But I had no clue how to get Kkomangi to make them.
"Hey, wanna come again next time?"
"...I'll think about it."
"......You little punk... When your master says go, you go."
No choice from the start, huh.
"By the way, who were those people earlier?"
"Oh, Charlotte's an academy classmate, and the rest... dunno. Seemed like her escorts... Still pisses me off thinking about it. How the hell does she manage her escorts? If the ticket time hadn't run out, I wouldn't have let them off..."
"Calm down. I'm fine now."
"...Yeah. I gotta... handle something quick..."
All that drinks? Elise headed to the bathroom again.
"Hmm... Academy classmate, huh..."
Come to think of it, I'd unconsciously kicked those guys out of the dungeon.
Stuff that normally required yelling into the air for Kkomangi's help.
Could I now control the dungeon to some extent from inside Kkomangi?
'Wait... This is inside Kkomangi's body, right...?'
What if...
Elise wouldn't be back for a while. No one around.
"...Shall I try?" With the dungeon sync sensation lingering...
I focused on generating a golden ticket.
'Definitely feels different...'
Making tickets in my room felt like forcing them through a pinhole. Here, they flowed out smoothly.
'No resistance at all.'
The dungeon was Kkomangi's body.
In other words, making tickets here was as natural as digestion producing poop...!!!
'Wait... But when Kkomangi makes jelly poop tickets, they come out in huge quantities. What happens if I make golden tickets here?'
If a massive pile dumps out here too...
The thought hit, and a wave of exhaustion far beyond making one in a dungeon room overwhelmed me. I blacked out.
Ah... Can't control...
*
Near the performance hall, a man was throwing a tantrum like a baby.
"Nooooo!! I don't wanna go back...!! I wanna see Silence Phil's show to the endddddd!!!!!"
"Sigh... Sir, you can't cause a scene here."
The park guard looked troubled, placating him as onlookers whispered.
"What's with that guy? Why's he breakdancing on the ground? Artist?"
"Says his ticket time's almost up. Sheesh... Thinks others have tons of time? Everyone just enjoys their allotted time and leaves. Why make a fool of himself..."
Goseongji happened to be there too.
"Hmm... Saw a few folks looking unstable earlier, and here's another? Ticket time's a bit short, sure... but that's no excuse...?"
The man ignored the reactions.
"Raaagh!! If there's a god, please... just one hour... no, 30 minutes... grant me time!!!!!"
Roaring at the night sky.
Goseongji stared, dumbfounded.
"Crying like a baby... now praying to god... all kinds here..."
"Yeah, let's head to the show..."
As Goseongji turned,
"Ah... Aaaah!!! This is!!!!!!!!"
The man shouted in shock at something. Onlookers gawked too.
"Huh...?"
"What the...?"
"Huh? What suddenl—"
He turned. Something golden fluttered down from the sky toward the man.
It was... a golden ticket, shining brighter than anything in the dark night.
"A...aaaah!!! God... no!!! Dungeon Hwang!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Enraptured, he tore the glowing ticket. It turned to light, wrapping his wrist.
The golden ring on his wrist.
He stared at the floating something, eyes wide in disbelief, muttering.
"...Exit."
Light enveloped him, and he vanished.
People blinked at the empty spot.
"Wha... t...? A golden ticket just..."
"...Kicked out when time's up?"
Five seconds of confusion.
Light gathered where he'd vanished, and he reappeared.
Eyes closed, arms spread—
Like a bird soaring freely in vast skies.
"Wha...!!"
"He's back?"
He opened his eyes, slowly scanning the stunned crowd, then shouted again.
"Exit."
People murmured in realization.
"No way... that's..."
"Can't be..."
They'd guessed the ticket's power from its glow, but none dared voice it.
Seconds later, he entered again, now in prayer pose.
"Ahh... Dungeon Hwang...!!! I believe. Your power...!!! Freer than ever...!!!"
He sprang up, raising his right arm with the golden ring high.
"Behold!!! Fools...!!! The almighty God Dungeon Hwang's new power... the Golden Ticket-!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Wha, what...?"
"No way..."
"...Free entry and exit... ticket...?"
"New ticket...!! A new ticket!!!!"
Word of the new ticket spread through the park instantly.
"...A new ticket at this timing...?"
Goseongji's stream chat exploded too.
"...The sky?"
As Goseongji read chat, people pointed upward.
"Tha... that!!!"
"Holy..."
"No way, all those..."
Thousands of golden tickets fluttered down like golden petals from the night sky.
An overwhelming sight.
Performances halted; everyone froze, staring heavenward.
Someone shattered the silence.
"T-Tickets raining from the skyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"