The Show Must Go On
Countless records left by generations of past agents.
Me, reading the records left by agents.
The gallery's ghosts, finding answers to the given problems in those records.
Just Tosami, with her soft ears.
"……Wanna touch my ears?"
"Yeah."
With everyone playing their roles, our team managed to push through the problems somehow. Whether we knew the answers or not.
The real trouble was Team C.
Problems not in the rulebook started popping up one by one, and every wrong answer dropped their score to zero before long. From then on, they had to forfeit civilian lives one by one.
Yoon Eunbyeol's face had gone pale. Partly from losing too much blood, but mostly from the pressure. It was an overly demanding mission for her rank.
'It's because her senior teammate turned out like that.'
Park Seongho had cracked mentally after losing just a couple of fingers from a single video penalty.
Now, his only role was to take the penalties solo—nothing else.
Another problem not in the rulebook appeared.
I read the records again. Black letters flowed from my eyes into my brain, etching wrinkles into it.
"Ugh…."
Pain surged, and a low groan escaped me unbidden.
"You okay? Your bleeding hasn't stopped."
"Feels like touching your ears would fix it. Can I?"
"……Yeah."
Luckily, we found the answer in the records this time and held our score.
Team C….
They bombed it.
As frustrating as it was, I couldn't just tell them the right answer. That would violate the rules and mean instant disqualification.
"Team C contestant. There is a way to save your score. Can you provide something of equivalent value to your points?"
To these anomalies, value meant human flesh. Yoon Eunbyeol floundered for a moment, then squeezed her eyes shut and shoved Park Seongho forward.
"One contestant's life is valued at 10 points. I'll give that."
If human flesh held value, how much was mine worth?
◈ Acquired from the neighborhood office
◈ Valuable to communicative anomalies — may substitute for a human life
Items I'd gotten leaving the neighborhood office. I'd shown them to Nahee before, and even she didn't know what they were, so I'd shown Jang Yoel.
'If it's an anomaly that can communicate, this could save Yoon Eunbyeol's life depending on luck. Where the hell did you get this?'
'…The neighborhood office?'
'Not just any office—XX-dong. Even a regular 9th Grade, hell, a 7th Grade would struggle to survive there. Damn, good call writing that proposal.'
Should I hand this over?
Tosami glanced at me from the side.
"Got anything to give the other team? Saw you stash stuff in sub-space, so figured you might."
"I do, but wouldn't it be too much for us? We're barely hanging on ourselves."
The road ahead was already murky.
We couldn't even be sure of saving all 100 on our side. In that situation, we had to gamble big to save the other 100.
"We'll be fine. You solve the problems well, and if we mess up, you handle the mental stuff, I handle the body."
"You sure? Penalties are getting worse."
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"You could die."
"I'm a Ratman. I don't die. Always prepared."
I didn't argue with Tosami.
Couldn't leave the women among the "bonus points" captives to die, at least.
I pulled the teratoma from my inventory and handed it to Team C.
"……Thank you."
"No big deal."
Raopf eyed us with interest.
"Don't you know how deathmatches work? If C drops out, D survives."
"Blindly following quiz show rules isn't agent work. Agents save as many people as possible and get out."
As I'd said, Yoon Eunbyeol had been chipping away at her own score to save lives. No need to abandon her.
"Can't wait to see two such tight-knit teams clawing at each other later to survive."
"Me too. Looking forward to wish tickets and living happily ever after. Right, honey?"
Veins bulged on Raopf's forehead.
"You still have 300 problems left?"
We solved problems.
Sometimes we got them wrong. Couldn't let hostages die, so we paid the price.
"…This is quite the treasure."
Raopf peeled off bits of the teratoma. Price for one wrong answer, but it was a bargain. Could last a hundred times over.
The solving continued.
Team D nailed problems; Team C paid prices instead of failing.
The final problem. The end was near.
We'd saved the civilians, but penalties piled up.
Tosami had lost three hearts, one brain, and both legs.
Yoon Eunbyeol from Team C had lost multiple organs and limbs, barely clinging to life without dying.
She kept saying she was happy with Mom and Dad if they could see her. Bonus that she couldn't solve anymore, just timing out.
I'd endured several mental attacks; nothing major compared to others.
My brain felt like melting ice cream, head wobbling, childhood fish and dolls circling my vision, chirping to play.
Totally normal.
Yeah. Perfectly fine.
Everyone missed Mary. I missed her too.
We solved the final problem.
Not sure if right.
Suddenly, a wish ticket was in my hand. No Tosami to share the joy with. Just her empty bag left behind.
Raopf's face was stiff. Opposite of her constant grin till now.
"My wish…."
Yoon Eunbyeol made her wish: return everyone, including her, to where they belonged.
As discussed, I was excluded.
"Junior, you sure?"
"Yes. I'm good."
"……."
Nahee wasn't normal either. Desperately controlling nearly 200 hostages not to look at Raopf.
Blood bursting from eyes, white fluid leaking from nose—she was at her limit.
"Take good care of Tosami."
"Yeah. You go first. Use this. Drugs I saved instead of using."
Mental pollution blocker, delirium preventer—injected in order. Head cleared a bit. No more fish swimming in air, so fine.
Looking around, only me and the anomalies left.
Raopf's face was stonier than ever.
"……What's your wish?"
"You know, honey. Wanna guess my wish?"
"Contestant mocks me to the end. Pathetic human."
"Not contestant—honey."
"……Just make your wish."
"Not yet."
My wish: return to the real world with her.
Making it would eject us from the set. One participation, one win—no coming back.
So, squeeze every drop first.
For my Management Bureau's welfare, anomalies everywhere to contain.
For the contained ones' welfare.
And for anomalies who could live happier in the bureau than this brutal place, I had to keep moving.
'Contain them all, put 'em in the bureau.'
I voiced my warm intent sincerely.
"Gonna take you all."
"…Pardon?"
From Raopf to the camera-headed staff—every eye turned to me.
What did I say?
"Slipped out wrong. Bad habit, scary. Meant something else…."
Sigh. Tired, words keep fumbling. Too late to explain.
Only force left.
"Fight now? Impossible. Can't even stand properly."
"Not anymore."
A nearby anomaly swung at me.
"Cough!"
Couldn't dodge, took the hit. But absorbed its qi in that instant.
"Haa…."
Energy filled. Strength to move returned.
"Hit me again."
Need to fill up.
***
Raopf closed her eyes.
'The show's ruined.'
Never given even one wish ticket, now two. All broadcast live.
Hot ratings plummeted.
Because of those agents.
'Selfish bastards. Fine if the show tanks?'
Clinging together despite dwindling lives clashed with viewers' desire for base, ugly human extremes.
Midway, body losses and screams aired, but they endured, survived, escaped.
Shouldn't have reached this—blame the man up front.
Now he swung his scythe, mercilessly containing staff. Where'd the power come from?
The more he fought, the more energy he gained.
Staff fled in terror now, not fought; blood-soaked Jeongchan grinned happily.
Fallen staff didn't revive, vanished somewhere.
Cameras captured it.
'…….'
The show didn't stop.
Not her way, but it continued.
Raopf could only watch.
"Just us two now?"
"……."
"Cat got your tongue? Gotta manage you right."
She finally accepted the show's failure.
Raopf closed her eyes.
Anomaly 'Raopf' contained.
"Now, face the camera and say your name and age."
"Yesss. Raopf here, newly broadcasting for the Management Bureau. Age is a secret…."