(TN: Changed “great devil” to “archdevil” in all chapters.)
***
Na-yoon followed the group. She cautiously looked around her as she asked,
“S-So where exactly is this place? It’s not some real-life Neverland, is it?”
“It’s probably not. Considering we all lost consciousness together, it’s more likely some kind of mental world, like a dream.”
So, does that mean this place is a dream world created by the devil?
But it didn’t feel like she was in a dream at all.
Even now, every step she took and every word she spoke felt as vivid as reality.
Despite the situation, In Ha-young spoke calmly.
“There are devils that specialize in mental attacks. But don’t worry, once we figure out the rules, illusions like these are usually easy to break.”
“Rules?”
“For example, if we’re in a dream right now, self-harm is one way to escape. A shock to the system can bring you back to reality.”
“Ah.”
Na-yoon quickly pinched her cheek to test it out.
But all that happened was her cheek stinging; she didn’t wake up from any dream.
Park Seo-joon who was guarding the rear saw this and chuckled quietly behind her.
“It’s an illusion created by a devil. Do you really think a light shock will wake you up? Maybe if you lose an arm or a leg.”
“A-An arm or leg?”
Even if it was to wake up from a dream, cutting off her own limbs was a bit too much…
When Na-yoon hesitated, Seo Na-ri suddenly spoke to her.
“Need some help?”
“Huh? H-Help with what?”
“With cutting them off.”
In an instant, Seo Na-ri pulled out a huge scythe, so huge it made Na-yoon wonder where she’d been hiding it.
It looked powerful enough to slice through a person’s limbs with ease.
All the color drained from Na-yoon’s face at the terrifying sight.
Just then, Park Seo-joon spoke firmly with a dark expression on his face.
“Na-ri-ah, put that down.”
“S-Senior!”
Na-yoon felt a little touched. She never expected Park Seo-joon to look out for her.
She even felt a bit guilty for thinking he was too frivolous and unreliable all this time.
However, Park Seo-joon shook his head and gestured to the side with a nod of his chin.
“Look around.”
“Huh?”
Na-yoon looked around as Park Seo-joon indicated.
Every single guest and mascot in the theme park was staring at them.
Even the cheerful background music that had been playing softly just moments ago had abruptly stopped.
There was no expression on their faces, no movement at all.
“Ah—”
Na-yoon froze in place. She couldn’t even say anything.
An eerie silence filled the air around them.
Team Leader Song Ji-hye let out a small sigh and spoke.
“Seo Na-ri, do as you’re told.”
“Mhmm.”
Seo Na-ri obediently nodded her head at the team leader’s order and put the scythe away.
Na-yoon had been wondering where she could hide something so large, and the answer turned out to be that it was foldable.
The scythe folded up neatly and disappeared into the small bag Seo Na-ri had been carrying.
Only then did the guests and mascots around them turn their attention away, as if nothing had happened.
“It seems like you’re not supposed to take out weapons here.”
“It seems any behavior that doesn’t fit the theme park is being restricted. I think things like property damage could be dangerous too.”
In Ha-young nodded her head and added.
“It’s best to leave self-harm as a last resort. There’s no guarantee that it would even wake us up. First, we should figure out what kind of devil this is, then come up with a plan.”
No one objected to her words.
Although they couldn’t take out weapons, fortunately, the park’s residents didn’t seem to care about the magic detectors.
The group used the detectors to trace the magical power around them, narrowing down the direction of the devil.
As they moved toward the area where the detector readings grew stronger, they finally arrived at the parade plaza in the heart of the theme park.
It was a familiar spot for Na-yoon. Just a few hours ago, she had spent time here watching the parade.
“Na-yoon-ssi, what’s the reading on the detector right now?”
“Uh, it’s, uh, 53. it went up 10 points from before?”
“Even with just the residual magical power, it’s already at an intermediate-level devil… This doesn’t feel good.”
It had been the highest reading they had measured so far, yet no matter how much they looked around, there was no sign of the devil.
Then it happened. With the sound of fireworks, the dimly lit plaza suddenly burst into a dazzling display of lights all at once.
The lights crossed the sky as if signaling the start of a grand performance, and from the center of that brilliance, a silhouette slowly began to take shape.
[Welcome, welcome! Ladies― and gentlemen!]
The being that appeared out of thin air with a playful tone looked at first glance like a person hanging from wires.
But it was not human. It was dressed in an elegant suit, but its head was topped with an oversized mascot mask where a face should have been.
It was the face of the park’s most popular mascot, modeled after a mouse.
The very same character Na-yoon’s headband was designed after.
But the mascot face that had looked so cute during the day now seemed only eerie and grotesque.
The reason was simple. The expression it wore was far too lifelike and animated to belong to a mere costume.
The fact that the mascot mask was smiling like a real person made the uncanny valley even more creepy. It sent chills down their spines.
[It looks like our participants for tonight’s show have arrived right on time! Oh, was I late in introducing myself? I am—]
Bang! Bang bang!
Before the devil could even finish speaking, the security agents, all except the still-stunned Na-yoon, sprang into action.
The agents holding guns kept pulling the triggers, and some of the others holding melee weapons rushed at the devil.
“Kill it! Don’t let the devil do anything!”
Despite Team Leader Song Ji-hye’s shout, the devil remained completely calm. Actually, it even let out a leisurely laugh.
The smile painted on the mascot’s mask felt even more creepy.
[Tonight’s participants are quite aggressive. And the show hasn’t even started yet.]
With a snap of its fingers, the devil’s figure in midair vanished in an instant, leaving Seo Na-ri, Han Min-ho, and the other close-combat agents in the awkward position of dogs chasing after a lost prey.
At the same time, the plaza’s lights rapidly shifted direction before gathering once again where the devil reappeared.
The devil was wearing a relaxed smile and it gave a dramatic bow as if nothing had happened.
[Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Entertainment Devil, a newcomer who crossed over from Hell just a few days ago.]
It introduced itself as the Entertainment Devil and continued to speak in a tone filled with bizarre excitement and joy.
[Recently, the gates of Hell widened, so I thought I’d cross over out of curiosity, and what do you know? Earth has such a wide variety of thrilling and entertaining things! I regret not coming sooner. All that wasted time feels like such a loss.]
The Entertainment Devil dramatically raised a hand to wipe away imaginary tears as if it was performing on stage, then quickly wiped its expression away and twisted the mascot mask into an exaggerated grin.
[However, while Earth’s entertainment is creative and fun, it lacks a certain aesthetic in my view! So, I made a few adjustments to this attraction to suit my taste.]
In Ha-young asked sharply with a cold gaze.
“Cut the nonsense. What is it you want? Are you saying we play hide-and-seek with you?”
[Ah, hide-and-seek! That would make for a fun game, indeed. But no, I’ve prepared something different for today. The game for tonight is… a treasure hunt.]
The Entertainment Devil gestured dramatically, and a holographic map of the theme park appeared in midair.
At the end of each section of the park, three sparkling dots were marked.
[Now, participants! You will split into pairs, and from here on, all you need to do is enjoy the attractions I’ve prepared. It’s a very simple game where you just have to bring back a treasure from each location.]
Team Leader Song Ji-hye scoffed and then cast a disdainful glance at the devil.
“Ridiculous. Why should we do whatever a devil tells us to? We could just kill you right here and be done with it.”
[Haha, such a violent idea! Of course, a bloodbath like that could also make for an entertaining game. But really, do we need to make things so difficult for each other? An overly challenging mission wouldn’t be very fun to watch, would it?]
The Entertainment Devil placed a hand over its chest and spoke dramatically, like an actor in a play.
[Because you see, every game comes with a fitting reward! If you bring back just one treasure, I guarantee your escape! If you manage to collect two, I’ll reveal my most critical weakness. And if you bring back all three, oh my god! Moved by your heroic efforts, I’ll… gladly surrender my life to you. I’ll die without any resistance; I swear on my devil’s name.]
The group flinched for a moment and then exchanged glances with each other.
The Entertainment Devil curled its lips into a smile and spoke again.
[Of course, if you don’t like that option, we could always enjoy a delightful bloodbath here! But before that….]
The devil’s eyes sparkled mischievously as it continued.
[How about you try measuring me with that device of yours first? If you still feel like fighting after that, well, that could be fun too!]
In Ha-young quietly spoke to Na-yoon without taking her eyes off the devil.
“Na-yoon-ssi, please.”
“Yes, yes!”
Na-yoon’s hands trembled with nervousness as she pulled out the magical power detector and pointed it at the devil. The screen flickered for a moment before displaying the results.
The moment Na-yoon saw the number, her face went pale and she gasped.
“M-Magical power level… 89!?”
A look of shock flashed across the team members’ faces.
“No way, it’s real?”
“That’s almost at the level of an archdevil ….”
“……”
If the number had been just one point higher, it wouldn’t have been classified as a high-ranking devil but undoubtedly as an archdevil with overwhelming magical power.
The security agents gathered here, and even with the combined strength of the two teams, which were already short on manpower, didn’t stand a chance against such devil.
Team Leader Song Ji-hye nervously ran her hand through her hair and spoke.
“…Alright, whatever. Let’s give it a shot.”
“Team Leader Song Ji-hye, are you serious? It’s highly likely this is a trap.”
“Of course it’s a trap. So what? Is there any reason not to try? If just one team succeeds, we’re guaranteed to escape. At the very least, we can call for backup. If all three succeed, that would be even better.”
At first, her words seemed to make sense.
It did sound better than facing a high-ranking devil who was almost at the level of an archdevil head-on.
However, Na-yoon who always considered the worst possible outcome couldn’t help but think of this.
What if not a single team succeeds?
Would we all be trapped in this theme park and just disappear without a trace like the missing part-time workers?
Na-yoon’s unease was something Ha-young also felt deep down, though she didn’t bother to voice it.
In this situation, saying something like that wasn’t being cautious; it was better left unsaid.
As everyone showed some signs of agreement, the Entertainment Devil spoke in a pleased tone, as if it was satisfied.
[Excellent! You’ve finally accepted my game! Shall we begin the exciting treasure hunt show now?]
“You said it’s two people per team, right? We’ll decide the pairs amongst ourselves–“
[No! I’ll decide that for you. It’ll be much more exciting that way!]
With a snap of the Entertainment Devil’s fingers, the faces of the agents began to appear one by one in each area of the map.
Park Seo-joon, Han Min-ho.
Shin Na-yoon, Seo Na-ri.
And lastly…
“Huh?”
“This ….”
In Ha-young and Song Ji-hye’s eyes met at the same time.
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