The 18-Hour Compliment
I hoisted Tosam onto my shoulder. Her head had burst open while we were searching for an escape route. As long as she had her bag, the female Ratman would resurrect in a new body without issue. We had gathered plenty of mana already, so the process would not take long.
As I approached the ticket booth, the receptionist dressed in black became easier to see in detail. Her features were scrambled in every direction, like staring at a Picasso canvas.
“■ ■■■■?”
“What?”
“Oh, pardon me. Will it be the two of you?”
The attendant glanced between me and Tosam, then clicked her tongue at the latter. Along with the sharp tsk-tsk, a tongue split into dozens of writhing branches emerged from the middle of her throat.
I had to agree. Tosam’s deadpan face and icy tone had probably triggered her for the crime of insolence, resulting in the exploded head.
“You’re not accepting customers? Is that all right?”
“Hm? It’s fine. The boss saw something he shouldn’t have and has been wasting away lately. There’s no one here to reprimand us, and skipping a single customer won’t cause any trouble.”
The attendant tapped at something like a calculator, then held it out for me to see.
“Three pairs of legs?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Far too expensive.
It felt like she was abusing her position based on appearances. Or perhaps it was because this was an irreplaceable anomaly amusement park.
I began the real negotiation.
“You said two admission tickets earlier, but one will be enough.”
“What about the one you’re carrying? You’re not purchasing a ticket for her and simply leaving her behind?”
Not exactly…
“This is my real doll. It counts as luggage.”
“But earlier you clearly…”
“It wasn’t before, but now it is my real doll.”
“Why did the quantity drop by fifty percent, yet the price isn’t one and a half legs?”
“A couple’s discount had been applied, but since you clarified it is a real doll, the discount was revoked.”
“We are a couple.”
I had apparently received too steep a discount. The brief argument seemed to have left the attendant with a faint trace of hostility in her eyes.
“I cannot offer any further discounts.”
She spoke with absolute finality. Her voice was as beautiful as a nightingale’s song.
It was so captivating that an ordinary person without a mental barrier would likely bleed from the ears just listening to it.
“You really do have a lovely voice.”
“No matter how lovely the voice, it cannot compare to your face.”
“…Flattery will not earn you a discount.”
Her tone stayed exactly the same and her expression remained blank, yet I could tell she had warmed to me, if only by a sliver.
Good. Let’s keep the conversation going.
Some time later, Jeongchan entered the park after receiving a full discount to zero.
I should leave this behind for whoever comes next.
He scribbled on the wall with a pen he had prepared in advance, leaving behind a record.
Encountered black-clad attendant. Began with praise of her voice and continued complimenting her from head to toe for approximately 18 hours, securing a free ticket.
Compliments must contain genuine sincerity. Even the slightest falsehood failed. 20■■.■■.■■ — 9th-grade Jeongchan
Time passed, and others who discovered the writing left their own countermeasures.
The records of those who survived after reading the note piled up at the site, yet none of it was ever added to the official rulebook.
Because at some point, the anomaly simply stopped appearing.
The final record concerning the last witness read as follows.
She disappeared, you say? How fascinating. Perhaps she was scouted by another location? — Excerpt from Jeongchan’s ■th Exploration Report.
The moment I purchased a ticket at the booth and stepped inside, a cheerful melody greeted me. The anomalies seemed to work without rest.
Too pitiful. I’ll have to take them all under my care.
The Response Bureau waited for them with a comfortable environment that operated year-round without holidays, but I could not bring them in just yet.
I needed to find an escape method first. Kidnapping an anomaly that might be essential to creating the exact conditions for escape would only cause problems.
Nahee had once explained that the Hardline Faction had attempted the unconditional eradication of anomalies inside an anomaly space. The anomalies had simply vanished instead of resurrecting, yet some people still failed to escape. It was one of the incidents that led to the Hardline Faction’s decline.
I picked up a guide map and checked our current location.
🏟 Various attractions, food, and everything else—enjoy it all here!
🌃 Be sure to watch the midnight parade before you leave!
This was where I currently stood. A standard amusement park and rest area had been prepared, complete with a general information center and food court.
Other themed zones existed as well.
We apologize. This area is incomplete due to a shortage of raw materials. We are urgently sourcing more.
Construction has been delayed due to the workers’ unexplained mental anguish. We appreciate your understanding. Some rides remain operational. (Draken, Raycon Swing, Elevator)
The song keeps looping. It feels like I’m being brainwashed.
I had to find joy here—or rather, an escape method.
The only exit visible on the map was in the Extreme Section. They would not simply let me walk over there, however.
Someone had already left a record stating it was impossible.
Direct escape through the Extreme Section exit: impossible.
If you linger nearby, staff will approach and remind you there are still many more attractions to enjoy. If all else fails, I will force my way out using violence.
For now, I decided to look around.
I passed through the rows of shops lining the alleys. After walking past stores selling clothes, accessories, and various goods, what stopped me was a skewer stall. The names on the skewers were peculiar.
[Lee Byungpil] [Choi Ohrom] [Nahee] [Ha Taewon]
“Care for one? These two are fresh arrivals—nice and tender.”
I drew closer to the stall owner. The skewers labeled Nahee and Ha Taewon did not have much meat on them.
“Not much meat on these. Looks like you couldn’t gather the whole bodies.”
“That’s right. No idea where they came from, but the full bodies were missing, which is a shame. I barely managed to steal these from Fresh Garden.”
“What’s the situation at Fresh Garden?”
“Chaos because they’re out of raw materials. Never seen rides go that berserk before. Still, business is business, so I risked it to bring back some stock. What’ll you have? One heart should cover it.”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“Come on, stay and chat a while. I’m interested in the thing slung over your shoulder. Sell it to me.”
The stall owner was pointing at Tosam’s body.
“Small, but exceptionally well-packed inside. Raw materials are hard to come by these days. Sell her to me and you can have everything on the stall.”
“One of each type for one arm.”
“Deal.”
We completed a reasonable transaction and I took the skewers. Recovering the corpses of missing persons was occasionally part of an agent’s duties.
“They’re still warm. Why aren’t you eating? Perfect timing.”
“I’m all right. I want to bring some to the kids.”
“That works too. If you’ve lost children, head to the lost child shelter at the central information center. The place is huge, so it’s easy to get turned around.”
I tucked the skewers away and left the shopping area.
—Crackle… crackle—
While crossing the plaza, a broadcast replaced the music.
Along with lively tambourine music, a clown materialized out of thin air.
He is smiling. He will make you smile too. If you do not wish to be changed by force, then smile.
The clown performed ridiculous gestures to draw in a crowd, then began his show with juggling.
I avoided him and returned to the shopping area.
Raindrops pattered down. I had to keep moving while soaked.
I retreated to the plaza again.
A tall anomaly wearing a fedora was handing out balloons.
The ridiculous mime immediately began his act.
……
ExplorationLover, the veteran explorer of our Anomaly Gallery, had spoken up. He and SearchTeamMember were the top two when it came to exploration.