“We’ve arrived.”
“Ah, thank you. Here’s my card.”
The taxi driver took the card, processed the payment, and returned it to Ian, who then stepped out of the vehicle.
“…Hoo.”
Before him, a dense forest stretched.
He stood on the mid-slope of an unnamed mountain on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province. While a paved road allowed the taxi to reach this point, it was undeniably a rugged, untamed back mountain.
Though the sun still hung in the sky, an eerie atmosphere permeated the surroundings. He could sense the gazes of lingering vengeful spirits scattered across the mountain, and in the sunless depths, a black figure stood starkly.
‘What a flamboyant welcome.’
Ian offered a wry smile, placing a cigarette between his lips.
Countless ghost stories were tied to these backwoods. While an ordinary person might easily fall prey to vengeful spirits in such a place, a wizard, with their inherent mystical allure, would undoubtedly attract them even more intensely.
Fortunately, most were mere petty spirits, and the shapeless, unidentified entities weren’t particularly strong, suggesting they wouldn’t be difficult to deal with. The ideal scenario was for such situations not to arise at all, but the possibility of them suddenly lunging couldn’t be ruled out.
Still, the materials derived from anomalies were slowly running low, making it high time for a replenishment. He had originally planned to gather some inside the theme park, but if they came rushing to be ‘used’ first, he certainly wouldn’t refuse.
“…”
Dispensing with trivial thoughts, he sat on a nearby rock and retrieved the ticket.
The address for the theme park, inscribed on the ticket, pointed precisely to the mid-slope of the mountain where Ian stood, just beyond the broken road. A mere few steps forward would lead directly to the entrance.
While no visible entrance presented itself to the naked eye, the theme park itself couldn’t possibly exist on this mountain. Such colossal structures would undoubtedly be visible from this distance.
Therefore, it was more prudent to consider the ‘entrance’ specified on the ticket as, in essence, a portal.
A passage connecting the theme park and reality. Most likely, the moment a ticket-holder stepped through this ‘entrance,’ they would be instantly transported to the theme park.
‘Once inside, leaving at will would likely be impossible. If it were, they wouldn’t resort to forcibly dragging people in after a week.’
The theme park’s precise intentions, and what purpose it served in drawing people in, remained unknown.
Nor was there any reason for him to find out. That was the Management Bureau’s responsibility, not a wizard’s like Ian.
His priority was the manager’s heart, the objective of the Cartel’s request. While he would rescue survivors if possible, he was prepared to abandon them without hesitation if he couldn’t, or if doing so worsened the situation.
Ultimately, Ian’s own life was paramount.
As he pondered, someone ascended the descending path, panting heavily. Ian instinctively moved his hand to the revolver tucked inside his coat, his gaze fixed on the unexpected visitor.
“Th-this road… *huff*, why is it so ruggeddd… *gasp*…”
She was a woman with light brown hair and striking dark eyes. Gasping for breath and her legs trembling, she made her way up the path until she spotted Ian sitting on the rock, halting abruptly.
“Oh, oh dear…”
Her cheeks instantly flushed, and her eyes quivered pitifully.
Her trembling lips betrayed her uncertainty about what expression to wear, and she couldn’t meet his gaze directly.
To put it mildly, she appeared extremely shy. Ian subtly cocked the revolver’s hammer and slowly rose to his feet.
“H-h-eep…!”
That slightest movement made her flinch. Though she resembled a skittish hamster, Ian kept his guard up and cautiously spoke.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, hellooo… I, um, well, you seeee… I-I’m supposed to meet a man hereee…”
Her voice trailed off like a goat’s bleat, and her fingers fidgeted. The massive guitar case strapped to her back rattled along with her tremors.
Ian mulled over her words, then, on a hunch, he spoke.
“…StrawberryYogurtSmoothie?”
“Oh!”
Her eyes widened instantly.
“N-Newbieee…?”
At her slightly brighter tone, Ian released his grip on the revolver and squeezed his eyes shut.
The one thing he had hoped wouldn’t happen had just become reality.
****
Community nickname: StrawberryYogurtSmoothie. Real name: Han Yuna.
She sat a slight distance from Ian, fidgeting with the ticket in her hand.
By no stretch of the imagination did she resemble a wizard. She seemed more like someone overwhelmed by nervousness in the presence of a stranger.
‘Her online persona was nothing but an act…’
But then, who wasn’t like that?
Ian suppressed a sigh and offered Yuna a cigarette.
“Want one?”
“Oh, oh dear. I’m a non-smoker…”
“I know. Just kidding.”
“Ah! S-sorry! For not t-taking ittt…”
‘This is maddening.’
Ian tucked the cigarette back into his coat and rose. Yuna, in turn, slowly got to her feet.
Her thigh muscles quivered, likely from having walked up the steep incline. She had claimed to be able to run 2 kilometers with ease, but that, too, seemed to have been pure nonsense.
Yet, despite her comical demeanor, her capabilities as a wizard were likely exceptional.
Even with such a personality and physical limitations, she hadn’t backed down and had decided to come to the theme park. This surely meant she possessed some reliable hidden strength.
Moreover, no matter what anyone said, Yuna was a veteran who had been in this industry far longer than Ian. There was no need to worry about her holding him back.
Of course, that didn’t mean he intended to be carried. Ian planned to give his best as well.
“Let’s head in. Or do you need more time to prepare?”
Ian asked. Yuna vigorously shook her head, gripping the strap of her guitar case.
“Oh, no! We can go in!”
“Then let’s go.”
Ian led the way, holding the ticket in one hand and his grimoire in the other. Yuna stumbled for a moment under the weight of her case before following him.
Starting from the broken road, they slowly took their first steps.
One step.
Nothing changed.
Two steps.
The sound of fireworks echoed from somewhere. The sky remained perfectly normal.
Three steps.
The faint strains of an orchestra’s music, instruments, and children’s laughter resonated. Yet, no living beings capable of producing such sounds were nearby.
Then, the fourth step.
“…!”
The moment he took it, the landscape instantly transformed.
The blue sky bled into a fiery red. Where clouds should have been, colossal clown balloons drifted, and an entrance, manned by staff, materialized directly ahead where nothing had stood before.
“Here, little friend! Have a balloon!”
Beside the entrance,
a clown, with bundles of balloons dangling where its arms should have been, handed a balloon to a human-headed insect scuttling across the ground.
“Wow, thank you, mister!”
With a *squelch*, the insect took the balloon — ripped from the clown’s arm — in its mouth and scuttled away. A trail of crimson blood followed its every movement.
“…This is nothing short of hell.”
He had anticipated this wouldn’t be a normal place, but he certainly hadn’t expected to encounter such abominations right at the entrance.
“W-woahhh… this is truly d-disgusting…”
Yuna, who had followed Ian in, muttered. Ian silently agreed with her assessment.
“Disgusting, you say?”
At that instant, the three staff members standing by the entrance snapped their heads around simultaneously.
Indeed, they weren’t ‘people’ but ‘creatures.’ The staff were not human. While their bodies resembled those of humans, their heads were distinctly animalistic. It wasn’t a mask; it appeared as if real animal heads had been forcibly stitched onto them, creating a precarious sight. Blood oozed from loose stitches, and flesh dangled precariously.
Among them, the rabbit-headed one, in the worst condition, staggered forward and stood before Yuna.
“You, do you truly find us disgusting? Truly? Truly?”
“…Ugh. So ugly…”
Yuna wrinkled her brow in distaste and waved her hand dismissively. However, judging that there was no reason to cause a scene in their current location, she extended her ticket toward the rabbit.
“We’re entering. Just take our tickets, please.”
“Oh, you’re guests! My apologies, I thought you were uninvited!”
The rabbit, upon verifying the ticket, bowed gracefully.
The creature’s voice was neither male nor female, and it was filled with static, as if an old recording device were playing. Listening to it felt as though a headache was beginning.
‘…No, it’s not my imagination.’
It wasn’t just a feeling; a headache was actually starting.
Presumably, the creature’s voice itself possessed some unique mental manipulation ability.
There was nothing to gain from listening further. Ian stood beside Yuna and presented his own ticket.
“We’re entering. There won’t be any issues, will there?”
“No! Welcome to the joyous Magic Eden! A charming theme park where dreams and hopes, blood and gore, and screams all breathe alive!”
The rabbit hopped around the two of them with exaggerated gestures. Ian ignored the creature and stepped through the gate into the theme park. Yuna, gazing at the monstrosities with a look of disgust, followed him.
“Please be sure to take a theme park guide! We are not responsible for any disadvantages incurred if you do not take one!”
Next to the escalator leading into the main theme park area, a severed human head, perched on a shelf filled with guidebooks, shouted with its mouth agape. Ian briefly eyed the head, then took a guidebook and stepped onto the escalator.
Yuna did the same.
“Th-this place is really disgusting… I expected it, but still…”
“You don’t stammer or tremble when dealing with anomalies?”
Ian commented, wiping blood off his guidebook. Yuna nodded shyly, as if it were obvious.
“Th-they’re stupid creatures… so there’s no need to be nervous…”
“Are people just more uncomfortable for you?”
“Uh, uh-huh… I’m very shy around strangers, and I’ve never really made friends before… Eh, ehehe…”
She laughed awkwardly. Ian nodded in understanding, then opened the guidebook.
[Magic Eden’s Rulebook!]
That title was written at the very top of the book.
He checked the contents.
[1. Never defy the staff’s orders. Please comply with all controls!]
[2. Each attraction has unique missions and rules! We are not responsible for any disadvantages incurred if you do not follow them!]
[3. No troublemakers allowed!]
[4. If a problem arises with another guest, reconcile! Otherwise, our Re-education Team will intervene!]
[5. To honor the money and effort expended in creating this theme park, you cannot leave until you have experienced at least three attractions!]
[6. Please enjoy Magic Eden cheerfully! Criticism or complaints are strictly forbidden!]
“Th-this sounds like a Neapolitan horror story (TL Note: A genre of horror fiction where a set of rules or instructions are presented, and the horror comes from the consequences of breaking or misinterpreting them)…”
Yuna, having read the rules, murmured with a groan. Ian nodded.
“It’s probably best to follow them, for now, right?”
“Uh-huh… Usually, troublesome things happen the moment you defy these kinds of rules…”
She replied, closing the guidebook. Ian also folded his book, put it in his pocket, and stepped off the escalator.
Simultaneously, the vista that unfolded was nothing short of overwhelming.
“Wow, they’re flying! Flying!”
Humans ran bare-bodied along the cables meant for cable cars, only to plummet.
Darts and shooting games used living humans as targets.
Children held human heads like balloons, laughing brightly.
Beyond these, a kaleidoscope of other malicious attractions and stalls defied all common sense.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Yuna covered her nose with her fingers, overwhelmed by the blood and sickening stench vibrating from all directions.
Ian let out a hollow laugh, gazing at the clown-shaped clouds floating in the sky.
…It seemed this wouldn’t be an easy request after all.
