Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Showdown
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The moment they entered the theme park, the Management Bureau agents were greeted by a bizarre sight.
Blood-red skies and a stained theme park entrance. Employees with animal heads crudely sewn onto their own. A clown handing out balloons with arms torn off. A caterpillar inching along a red carpet drawn on the ground.
Horrific entities filled the area simply by existing.
But the agents didn't panic. They quickly assessed the situation and steadied themselves.
"Inside, the flow of time is different from the outside. The clock's spinning wildly."
Park Min-ah said.
A pocket watch that detected not physical time flow, but the gap between anomalies and real-world time. Its minute and second hands spun rapidly.
It meant only one thing.
"The time here flows faster than outside."
"Yes. Five minutes here is probably just a few seconds out there."
"Then the scouts and personnel didn't actually die fifteen minutes ago. They must have held out for quite a while inside."
Park Sang-cheol from Team 5 clicked his tongue and gripped his shotgun. Kim I-seo opened her gun case and holstered two pistols at her waist.
"Agent Park Min-ah, begin manual operation."
Mir said as she drew her sword. Park Min-ah nodded, clutching her terminal.
They had rushed in immediately due to one agent being forcibly abducted, but the urgency faded the moment they saw the interior.
The devices for checking team members' status had been dead since entry. No way to know if they were dead or alive.
But given the environment, they were probably already dead with high certainty, assimilated into this space.
It was possible they weren't, but they couldn't charge in recklessly without certainty.
Securing bodies was important, but the mission took precedence.
The Response Division's job was to resolve anomalies or draft攻略 methods. Their role was to follow the highest-ranking agent's decision on site—choose one of the two.
And right now, the highest authority belonged to Mir from Team 6.
"It's impossible to resolve with our current personnel. For anomalies of this type that parasitize the space itself, brute force alone won't work. Even killing an administrator-level entity won't change anything."
It was an anomaly type that infested the space itself. To the theme park, a dead manager was just replaceable.
So, force resolution was deemed impossible. In such cases, dismantle the space via specific gimmicks or bombard it massively enough for the theme park to deem permanent closure.
Neither feasible with current numbers.
Mir decided swiftly.
"Abandon resolution. Switch to攻略 mode. From now on, record all events here and begin drafting corresponding攻略 methods. Rating: Level 4 Catastrophe."
"Understood."
Park Min-ah nodded. She plugged a device into her terminal and attached a silver sticker to her temple.
Simultaneously, descriptions of the theme park began appearing on the terminal screen.
[This anomaly, aka 'Magic Eden', is classified as Level 4 Catastrophe based on Response Division's provisional judgment.]
[Upon entering the theme park, one drops into another space. Time flows faster than reality, and external communication seems impossible. No signal. Devices for team member status and Bureau comms are dead, confirming the anomaly perfectly isolates interior from exterior.]
[However, the terminal works. Confirmed this攻略 doc registers in the Bureau database.]
[Will continue exploration. External descriptions of the theme park below—please review.]
Click.
The terminal finished writing. Park Min-ah nodded, and Mir approached an employee at the entrance.
"Welcome! Are you guests?"
The employee greeted cheerfully. Park Sang-cheol hooked his finger on the shotgun trigger, and Kim I-seo gripped one pistol, exhaling tensely.
Mir tried not to provoke it, extending her ticket.
"We're entering."
"Confirmed! But the parade is ongoing, so we'll guide you in after it ends! Please wait a moment!"
"......Parade? Can you tell us what that is?"
"Oh, sorry. Our parade policy is no info leaks to the outside. Can't tell you."
"......I see."
"Yes! You'll love seeing it yourself! Anyway, what about the others? Entering too?"
The smashed puppy head turned toward the other agents.
They immediately handed over their tickets.
"Five confirmed! Please wait till the parade ends!"
The employee took the tickets and turned toward the gate. The agents stayed vigilant, awaiting guidance.
Soon after, it spoke again.
"Parade's over! You can enter!"
"Thank you."
Mir bowed slightly to the employee and passed through the turnstile into the theme park. The others followed.
On shelves lined with books, severed human heads shrieked for people to take them. The agents each grabbed a booklet and rode the escalator up.
"Record everything in the booklets."
"Yes."
Park Ji-ah replied. The rest peered into theirs, exchanging thoughts.
"The space is ridiculously huge. Circling it would take at least a day. Survivor search even possible?"
"We have life detectors, so not hard. But questioning if any survivors remain in this environment."
Even at a glance, impossible for civilians. Agents too could lose their heads if they relaxed. Hoping abducted victims survived unscathed was wishful.
No optimism here. Most caught in anomalies died. Luck alone preserved life.
And even then, unlikely intact.
"Ride at least three attractions...... Ha, that's basically 'go die'."
Park Sang-cheol muttered, crumpling his booklet.
Kim I-seo folded hers into her pocket.
"Probability highest for someone who rode no rides. Or hiding somewhere."
"Whatever, we must rescue them."
Kim I-seo nodded at Mir's words.
"No life signs yet. Mostly anomalies. Humans—"
As she spoke, two green dots appeared on Kim I-seo's device. Her eyes widened as she addressed everyone.
"Two human presences detected above on the escalator. Survivors."
"......! Let's go. Secure them first."
"Yes."
The group hurried up the escalator on foot.
The sight: anomalies scattering somewhere, and two humans in cat masks.
One a woman with a guitar case on her back, the other a man in a coat. They stood still, staring at the Bureau agents.
Mir gripped her sword tightly and asked.
"You two?"
"Yes."
"......Their auras are off. Definitely human, but something's unsettling."
"The masks? Probably for survival."
"......Could be. Anyway...... no. They're human for sure, so rescue quickly."
Mir said, and the agents nodded.
"P-Please, save us!"
At that moment, the masked man suddenly screamed and charged the agents. The woman followed behind him.
The agents' faces hardened at the abrupt action. They didn't restrain them but narrowed their eyes, watching nearby anomalies.
Fortunately, the anomalies showed no interest, continuing on their paths. Some glanced over, but that was it. None approached.
"Whew......"
Park Min-ah sighed in relief. Kim I-seo released her trigger finger and accepted the two as they reached her.
"Survivors?"
"Y-Yes......! We g-got tickets and came to have fun, b-but suddenly ended up here......!!"
"Don't worry. We're agents dispatched from a government agency. Here to rescue you."
"......! I-I knew it!"
The man said brightly, as if expecting it. From behind him, the woman peeked out, murmuring in a trembling voice.
"Th-Then can we leave now......? I w-want out fast. Just th-thinking of what happened here...... Urk."
"......Sorry. We can't leave immediately either."
"W-What?! Why?"
"Seems there are escape conditions. As in the booklet, must ride at least three rides."
Kim I-seo said calmly.
The woman sniffled and buried her face in the man's back.
"Uu, hng...... Mommy......"
"......U-Understood. So what do we do now?"
The man asked tensely, lightly stroking the woman's head. Mir answered this time.
"Follow us for now. We'll guarantee your safety as much as possible. Odd coming from us, but we're experts who've handled these anomalies often. Safest with us."
"O-Okay. We'll follow."
The man nodded. Mir sheathed her blade carefully to avoid scaring them.
"By the way, how'd you end up with those masks?"
"Basic requirement for the parade. Felt like they'd kill us without them, so no choice......"
"I see. Can you take them off?"
"Y-Yeah. Tried, but felt like my face was ripping off whole......"
"Hm."
Mir examined the grotesque masks closely and nodded.
"Got it. Let's move then. Don't stray from us."
"Y-Yes......!"
"Agent Kim I-seo, look after them. Moving out."
"Yes."
Kim I-seo holstered her pistol and guided them right beside her. She smiled softly, reassuring them.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you both."
"......Thank you."
"Sniff...... Thanks......"
Kim I-seo started walking amid their thanks.
In that brief gap.
As eyes scattered in motion, Ian wrote on Yuna's palm.
[Use them for now.]
Yuna nodded faintly, understanding.
The two trembled like frightened victims again, walking with the agents.
*
Meanwhile, the grimoire Ian tossed into the grass upon spotting the Bureau agents—Hand of Recreation.
It lay face-down on the ground, then vibrated shortly, venting dissatisfaction.
Vrrr!