It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story 024

I stared at the bracelet, sweating profusely.

[◎ (Cheerful) Fantasy Land Membership Pass ◎]

But the characters that had changed from the ticket to the membership pass remained unaltered, and the oddly luxurious material stayed the same.

Y-yeah….

It was an unexpected situation, but my task hadn’t changed.

I simply needed to scan the bracelet at the gate and leave.

‘It’s just a membership pass; I won’t ever come back again.’

“Thank you.”

I swallowed nervously.

“Um… I really would like to go home now.”

The blue mascot tilted its head slightly.

I approached the gate device to scan the bracelet.

But the mascot blocked my way.

‘Please.’

What is going on?

I felt like crying.

“I’m not as good a kid as you think I am….”

The blue mascot’s claws gently covered my bracelet.

And then a voice echoed.

To those who know honor

It is valuable.

…!!

“Cough.”

A cough erupted from my mouth.

It was blood.

‘W-what just…?’

Could it be… because the ticket turned into a membership pass?

The blue dragon mascot appeared flustered when I coughed up blood, fidgeting around and pulling something out of its pocket.

[Blue Soda Churros]

It seemed to be a snack sold inside the theme park.

“…Thanks, I guess.”

Yeah. I definitely won’t eat it.

“But I’d prefer to eat it at home.”

The mascot was persistent.

So much so that it turned off the gate device.

“…!!”

With a click, the shutters came down at the north exit.

I stared blankly at the scene.

Are they really going this far?

What on earth is going on? I couldn’t comprehend it at all.

But I didn’t want to act like a fool and argue.

‘That could lead to the fate of a researcher.’

That was something I wanted to avoid at all costs.

For now, for now… it’s not like it’s dangerously life-threatening inside here. I should look for alternatives.

I stepped back from the gate.

The blue mascot kept its eyes on me as I bolted away….

“I’m going crazy.”

I collapsed in the locker room at the water park.

I’m terrified out of my mind.

“What the heck is this?”

To sum it all up, the mascot suddenly called me a “Good Kid,” handed me a membership pass, and then dropped the gate shutter.

In other words, I’m trapped here.

“……”

Trapped, you say.

Wait, what does being a “Good Kid” even mean?

Researchers are the bad kids, and I’m the good kid…?

Ah.

‘…Is it because I’ve helped teammates a few times?’

Yeah. That’s the most plausible reason.

By sheer coincidence, I had taken care of people in crisis a few times… so as a reward, is it that I get to play forever in the theme park?

‘This is ridiculous….’

I’m in Class B Darkness.

No matter how friendly and seemingly safe that mascot looks, it means anything could happen at any moment, turning dangerous and bizarre.

Plus.

‘…There’s no record of exploration exceeding 24 hours.’

Once it hits 24 hours, it implies everyone dies or goes missing.

Looking at it positively, maybe the ticket was a one-day pass, and since I have the membership pass, I might be okay, but what’s crucial is that I have no information at all.

‘Crap.’

I felt like biting my tongue with frustration as I puzzled it all out.

Maybe it was the exhaustion from the past few hours, but my mind was muddled…

‘What can I do?’

I can’t fight the mascot and win.

I can’t sneak in and power on the gate device.

‘I used up all my coins earlier.’

It was a hasty decision to throw whatever was at hand when I saw Jang Heo-woon from Group Y topple over. I pressed my eyelids.

And there’s no button to communicate with the outside world, nor can I expect help from Group D.

‘The items I have are….’

A smile sticker? That’s not useful in a situation where affection levels are high.

The two-times potion and 0.5-time cookies are the same. They only have meaning if they provide synergy.

‘Is there really nothing?’

The more I thought, the more I felt like I was sinking deeper.

Just as I was in a slump.

A light sparkled above my head.

[Dark Exploration Record Real Goods Box]

-New goods usage permission unlocked!(!)

“…!!”

A black memo pad, a goods box.

‘Please!’

I pressed it immediately without even breathing.

Is it a lifeline? No, anything would do. I desperately needed a small hint, something…

Thud.

The goods fell.

‘…!’

I lifted the transparently bagged item.

It was small and fluffy, fitting comfortably in my palm.

A stuffed animal.

———————=

Dark Exploration Record / Daydream Corporation

/ ■■■■■

Good Friend

It’s your cute animal doll. Always with you to protect you.

Always.

-‘Souvenir shop of Cheerful Theme Park’

Item description on the wrapping

———————=

Ah.

I recalled the lines on the board game box.

-Hurry up and ride the three fantasy attractions with your team, and win prizes!

The team that rides the three attractions in “Cheerful Theme Park” the quickest gets to take home one of these various items from the souvenir shop.

‘Speaking of which, the chief mentioned getting prizes earlier.’

And of course, the souvenir shop in the horror-themed park often mixed in bizarre items.

‘There was also an exploration record that sorted out just the list of collected items….’

And this was one of the most famous items among them.

Good Friend

Originally, it was a stuffed animal small enough to fit in a child’s arms, but having been turned into merchandise, a keychain-size little doll was now in my hand.

‘This goods usage permission must fulfill the theme park user requirement.’

It’s just a stuffed toy that has no function unless you’ve been to the theme park, it seems that having used all my tickets somehow granted me the authority.

And the ability of this stuffed toy is…

———————=

Someone from the alternate world can be invited, and a part of their mind can reside inside the doll to create a friend.

Rarely appears in the souvenir shop of Cheerful Theme Park.

For detailed invitation records, see below.

———————=

This is it.

“……”

Normally, I would’ve thought it over profoundly and made sure to set up safety precautions before trying anything.

‘Inviting someone from the alternate world’ sounds exactly like the setup for a chilling horror story.

But right now, I didn’t have the time or luxury.

‘Let’s give it a shot.’

I was in desperate need of someone’s advice who knew the inner workings of this horror story.

I pulled out my smartphone, equipped with the Memorial Grip Talk, and opened the “Good Friend” tab of the Dark Exploration Record.

The preparation items are as follows.

———————=

· Items for invitation preparation

Matches (or a lighter)

100ml of water

A spoonful of salt

Coin (clean one)

An item related to a friend

———————=

And a quiet space.

‘Perfect, this locker room works.’

Outside, it was noisy with water sounds and music, so this is the best option.

And I think I can somehow find a lighter, water, and salt inside this theme park. I could either steal from the shops or request some.

The problem lies with the next two items.

Coin (clean one)

An item related to a friend

I’ve used up all my coins, so I don’t have any.

And an item related to a friend… well, it’s a part included for the fun of the horror story. If I place a fairy tale book there, a monster inspired by that tale would come, you know.

‘What can be safe to offer?’

I still felt uneasy about donating something related to friendship from this theme park.

Isn’t this place a horror story in itself?

“……”

Eventually, after some deliberation, I settled on two items.

I hope this substitute works.

And moments later.

“Phew.”

I placed the torch I had acquired along with the salt on the locker room floor in the far corner.

‘That was unsettling.’

I got everything from a snack truck. I saw a menu that was selling ‘Marshmallow Roasting’ and luckily had both.

‘…They just gave it to me for free once they saw the membership pass.’

Instead of feeling joyful, it was even more foreboding.

I wiped my mouth and opened my smartphone again.

I had to start quickly.

———————=

· Invitation Ritual

1. Dip your finger in water and draw a hexagram on the smooth floor, based on the included design.

2. Place the ‘Good Friend’ in the exact center of the hexagram.

3. Place the coin on the belly of the ‘Good Friend.’ Ensure your finger is not wet at this point.

4. Hold a spoonful of salt in your mouth and burn the item related to your friend in the fire.

5. When ‘Good Friend’ begins to speak, swallow the salt and kindly greet them!

If the coin has disappeared, it’s a success! You’ve met a reliable friend. Cherish them always!

※ If the salt is not swallowed or if there’s a strange taste,

or if it turns to ash or bleeds,

run away.

———————=

“Phew.”

First, I drew the hexagram just like the image on the marble floor of the locker room.

It was a bit complicated but not too difficult of a task.

‘…This is oddly shiny.’

But the completed hexagram gleamed excessively, and the surface without a single mark was sleek.

I wiped my fingers dry on my clothes and, with trembling hands, placed the ‘Good Friend’ keychain right in the center compartment of the hexagram.

‘Of all things, it had to be a rabbit doll.’

I felt a bit uneasy, but remembering that I thought it was cute when I bought it at the pop-up store helped ease my mind.

And for the coin…

‘This one.’

I placed the silver coin snake I possessed on top.

‘This is definitely a coin… right?’

I thought that it would be safer to use an item from the alien shop in reality rather than something from this horror story.

Given the price range, it seemed to be quite a valuable item, so I was mentally trying to convince myself that it might yield a good effect.

Then, with the salt in my mouth, I moved on to the last.

‘An item related to a friend.’

This also had to be something that didn’t belong in this horror story.

And that was… me.

“……”

I pulled off my tie.

‘If it’s my item, it definitely doesn’t belong here.’

A friend related to my tie? Better than something like a kitchen knife, I suppose.

I lit the torch.

And held it to the end of the tie.

Flame flickered vigorously as if it were a lie, casting shadows across the stuffed animal in the hexagram.

The shadows tremble.

Shake.

Shake.

Before I knew it, the surroundings had gone dark.

The only visible things were the flames devouring my tie, the hexagram reflecting the light, and the stuffed animal in the center.

Shake.

Shake.

My fuzzy consciousness didn’t melt away.

Instead, the salt melted in my mouth, making my tongue tingle.

Amidst all that.

Shake.

Shake.

The mouth of the ‘Good Friend,’ holding onto the coin, opened.

-Behold!

-I am the owner of a million masks, the lord of chaos, the peak of madness, the dream of pleasure and play, instigator of war, the parent of science, a low creature on four legs,

…!!

It was overwhelming.

My head felt like it was buzzing.

I wanted to cover my ears, but I didn’t have free hands. I was holding onto the tie and torch!

What is this?

-Desire of the slumbering one, lord of the stars, abyss of illusion, mouth of wisdom, roar of impulse, the dark side of the moon…

The stuffed animal in the center of the hexagram was convulsing.

In the center, a silvery sphere was burning away.

‘Silver Coin Snake.’

Did I misplace the coin?

-I…

My head was pounding too much, way too much….

-Friend.

-Is the friend hurting?

I lifted my head.

-No.

Gentle and soft words flowed from the ‘Good Friend.’

-You mustn’t be hurt….

“……”

The trembling subsided.

As my tie burned away, the flames extinguished.

The coin, which had been resting on the convulsing rabbit doll, had vanished.

The moisture from my hexagram drawing.

“……”

Silence.

I gazed at the ‘Good Friend’ lying still, swallowing the salt.

But no sound came.

‘No way.’

“Failure….”

– Doe?

“…!!”

A cheerful and pleasant voice echoed.

But….

– Doe?

It’s a voice I recognize.

Without realizing it, I opened my mouth.

“Is that you, Host?”

– Ah, it is Doe!

The voice of the MC from the horror quiz show broadcasting live was coming out of the doll.