I was being chased by something that looked like a zombie through the residential area around Segwang Metropolitan City's Midday Station when I stumbled upon the door to the Moonlight Tattoo Shop.
I threw the door open and hurried in, and there I found a blue mascot seated beside the tattooist.
…Even if this was a ghost story, the situation felt like a ridiculous daydream.
'What is this?'
For a moment, I thought I'd been caught by this station's gimmick and was about to be put into an 'eternal nap'—which was just a nicer way of saying I was about to die with my neck snapped.
But this was a real situation.
Especially since the three Daydream researchers were behind me, gasping for breath as if they were about to die.
"…Hello."
Before the tattooist could even stand, the blue mascot hurried over as if to give me a passionate welcome.
W E L C O M E
The large, adorably deformed dragon mascot costume pulled me into a hug.
Y O U D I D W E L L
G O O D C H I L D
Its plush body was soft to the touch, and from somewhere inside the costume, I could faintly hear the background music from Blue Dream Theme Park….
"…Thank you."
In the place where the fear I had felt before disappeared, a strange sadness settled in.
[Oh, what an ostentatious embrace! This mascot is still overly emotional and shameless.]
[Then again, it would be difficult for a swimming pool mascot to even know the word 'dignity.' Unlike my friend, who runs a resort with class.]
And you're as consistent as ever….
The feeling that had been strangely welling up for a moment vanished without a trace. I smiled awkwardly and asked.
"Um, but… shouldn't you be at the theme park? How are you here?"
I was only able to leave the Resort because I had a manager to work as my stand-in.
The last time I encountered the blue mascot on Death Road, it could only appear as a lump of black water through a phone. How did it have a complete form now?
H E R E
I T S O K A Y
Huh?
My identity as a mascot allowed me to understand the broader meaning contained in those few words.
It was okay because this was the 'Moonlight Tattoo Shop.'
This shop was not a place in a specific time and space, but closer to a 'situation' where time was suspended. That's why the shop's door appeared simultaneously in various places in all sorts of forms, solely to serve as an entrance, and entering the shop was merely experiencing the situation of getting a tattoo….
'O-Okay, that's enough.'
I stopped thinking the moment it started to cross over into an experience beyond human comprehension. Perhaps I could have understood it in my 130666 state, but I wanted to maintain my human mind.
Even if that was a trait that was only maintained in Segwang Metropolitan City.
'Anyway, it means this doesn't count as leaving the theme park.'
Is that why there was an entrance even in the isolated Segwang Metropolitan City?
Wait, if that's the case.
I pointed to the three researchers and spoke.
"Could you possibly let these people out to a different place than where they came in?"
If it was through the door of the Moonlight Tattoo Shop, couldn't they escape Sekwang Special City through the Moonlight Tattoo Shop?
For example, a ghost story like 'This Room is Vacant' would be much easier to survive in. A way to move between ghost stories, just like the taxi ghost story….
"…!?"
But the tattooist, who heard my words, made a blank face, then shook their head with a look of extreme bewilderment.
No matter how I looked at it, it was a look that said, 'what kind of nonsense are you spouting?'
It was, so to speak, the expression of a driver who had just seen a pedestrian suddenly jump in front of their car at a red light and shout, "I'll pay you, so give me a ride like a taxi."
'Hmm.'
I guess the shop's door doesn't operate that way.
It was a shame, but I was grateful just to be able to catch my breath for a moment, away from those neck-snapped entities.
And when I thought about the help I could get at the Moonlight Tattoo Shop.
'A tattoo.'
There were few products from a ghost story that I had used more effectively.
For now, I started the conversation in a different way.
"Mascot, are you also here to get a tattoo?"
It was a question based on the assumption that they must have visited for some purpose related to tattoos.
But an unexpected answer came back.
N O
A L R E A D Y K N O W
…They were already acquainted with the tattooist?
I
F O U N D I T
The blue mascot patted its chest.
G O O D C H I L D
Y O U D I D W E L L
It seemed to be saying that because I got rid of Magic Bunny and took over half of the red zone of the Pleasant Theme Park, the expanded territory and authority allowed it to find the door to the Moonlight Tattoo Shop….
But still.
"How do you two know each other….?"
But then I looked back and forth between the two and realized.
'The tattooist is from that Deep Sea City.'
...Mermaid Tomb.
Sparkling Dragon Palace.
And the Dragon-shaped mascot that runs the Blue Dream Waterpark….
The strange consistency of those keywords.
"…Are you two from the same place?"
....
In the silence, the round Dragon character eyes of the blue mascot glistened in the artificial moonlight of the tattoo shop.
N O T I M P O R T A N T
It's not important anymore.
What kind of being I originally was, what identity I had, in what environment and in what role I lived.
Because.
U S E L E S S
It's irreversible.
The identity remaining inside the Pleasant Theme Park's mascot has been worn down over a long time, and there is no way to quit being a mascot. There is no place to return to after taking off the mask.
So it's useless, and not important….
"No. It is important."
I replied curtly.
"It's important, which is why you came to this shop even though you weren't getting a tattoo. Please don't say that."
O K A Y
The blue mascot lowered its head, its horns and mane drooping as if it had lost its spirit.
…I don't even know why I'm the one getting worked up.
"I'm sorry. My words were too harsh. In any case, congratulations on you two meeting again."
T H A N K Y O U
The atmosphere became warm again.
…If there was one more slight problem, it was that the researchers had been staring at the whole scene with their mouths agape, as if watching a rare spectacle.
'Oops.'
In their eyes, it must have looked like a crazy scene of entities from the Darkness having a friendly conversation.
"That, no, that person is the mascot from the Pleasant Theme Park, isn't it!? What is this shop? Tattoos? Haha, it's not a place that operates on humans, is it?"
And from behind, Researcher Lee Yeonhwa subtly rolled her eyes, scanning the information signs on the counter as if to devour them, before her eyes met mine.
The Project researcher was also glancing back and forth at the tattoo machine in the center.
"…Is that your first question in this situation?"
"Hahaha, of course!"
Kwak Jegang looked at me with eyes that said, 'what else could be important?'
His eyes seemed to be spinning.
"An uncharted world yet to be identified, something that humans cannot yet understand but clearly exists around us! There is no research topic that sparks more curiosity."
"..."
"Isn't this a transitional period where space is too far to explore, and the Earth has been thoroughly explored? How wonderful it is that the Darkness exists in this era that was on the verge of being boring?"
Pure curiosity and joy swirled within him.
Something familiar.
The unique feeling of someone who finds the Darkness fascinating to explore from an observer's point of view.
It was an emotion the Wiki Author also possessed.
'…Is this why his approach to ghost stories felt similar to mine?'
While that was bittersweet, thinking about it the other way made the behavior of these researchers chilling.
How could the mindset of someone who enjoyed ghost stories as fiction be similar to that of someone experiencing real-life casualties?
'…I suppose. In the end, in the
But in reality, he was a completely different type of person from me.
…A sense of incongruity suddenly surged.
The people in front of me, and this place, felt very unfamiliar.
It was a sensation I had consciously suppressed when I was with the previous exploration members.
The sense of realizing that I was, by nature, bound to be a little different from the people of this world.
If I had to find something similar….
Homesickness.
'…But there's no point in feeling this.'
I probably can't go back anyway.
Even if I get another Wish Ticket, I don't know how I should wish to be able to return.
I'm just moving with the purpose of wanting to know, at the very least, why I was summoned here.
"..."
Maybe the reason I snapped at the blue mascot earlier was because, just maybe, I felt our situations were similar….
No, let's stop thinking.
'Even if I think about it… nothing will change.'
I shouldn't have these thoughts. The more I do, the more I'll just break down like I did in my 130666 state.
Let's do what needs to be done.
"Um, there's something I wanted to show you."
I undid my shirt and revealed the tattoo near my heart, just enough for the tattooist to see.
It was the tattoo I bought during my Cosmic shopping mall VIP shopping spree, the one that managed my Contamination.
"!"
The tattooist's eyes widened, and they looked at the combination of circular letters engraved there as if reading them.
"…I got it done with a device called the Moonlight Tattoo Machine, and it was similar to the tattoo machine here. …It made me think of this place."
I didn't need to explain that the spirit of the Moonlight Tattooist was said to reside within it; the tattooist already knew.
With trembling eyes, I made a request to the tattooist, who was silently staring at the tattoo near my heart.
"Could I possibly get a cover-up? Like the one I got on another tattoo before."
Just like how my inventory tattoo was enhanced here and gained its inventory function.
'Then the tattoo over my heart might also be able to draw out and put back the Contamination more skillfully.'
Conveniently.
But the tattooist shook their head vigorously.
"…?"
Then they ran to the counter, took out a slightly old sign, and showed it to me.
[Wait!]
Before getting a cover-up or removal, take some time to look closely at your existing tattoo again.
You might discover a new and true charm you hadn't noticed before.
And the tattooist added a phrase with a marker on the back of the laminated sign and showed it to me.
Embrace and enjoy your tattoo more.
'…I think that means they won't do it.'
Perhaps they were reluctant to cover up a tattoo from the same Moonlight Tattooist.
I thought about trying to persuade them one more time and looked up at the tattooist, but their eyes looked resolute.
'...Hmm.'
It seemed better to aim for the next opportunity rather than being persistent and getting kicked out for being a nuisance.
If not that, it was an expert's advice, so it would be better to accept it.
'In that case, I'll choose something else.'
"Um… Lord Cat. Are you perhaps planning to stay in this Darkness longer?"
"No."
I answered Researcher Lee Yeonhwa kindly.
"Nothing has changed. You will all return to the platform and hide in the Fire Hydrant."
However….
"After a simple procedure here, that is."
"…?!"
The researchers' eyes started to spin.
"H-Here…?"
"Yes."
I grabbed their shoulders and said in a low voice.
"Don't worry."
"..."
"When the procedure is over, you'll be genuinely grateful."
But saying it like this makes it sound like a real ghost story.
***
"Heok."
Researcher Lee Yeonhwa ran through the alley, breathing heavily, her mouth tasting almost sweet.
It felt like she was paying the price for a lifetime of being an office worker who only did research and never exercised.
'I'm definitely starting a regular workout routine when I get out.'
But being able to grit her teeth and have such thoughts was probably only possible because she had some leeway….
"Hoo-wook."
Assistant Manager Lee Yeonhwa looked at the tattoo sticker on her wrist.
An eye shrouded in opaque, hazy ink.
It was a small tattoo that looked like a visualization of fog, and it was aesthetically quite nice.
-It will probably hide your presence. If you wear it for too long, you might really be forgotten and become completely imperceptible, so please remove it as soon as you reach the Fire Hydrant.
It was the tattoo sticker that Lord Cat had 'recommended' to them.
Of course, as soon as she heard that, Lee Yeonhwa, like a seasoned Darkness researcher, asked about the cost first….
-Do you have any items related to the sea?
-Ah, no.
Lord Cat, who looked at the researchers with an 'I knew it' expression, willingly paid for their items.
-You'll pay me back later.
Those words were extremely ominous.
But the sticker's effect was certain.
The neck-snapped ones didn't chase her.
All she had to do was sprint in the opposite direction whenever she encountered them beyond an alleyway to somehow avoid a 'chance encounter.'
-Go on ahead!
…It meant that even if the researcher from the other team hadn't selfishly pushed her at the tattoo shop entrance, everyone could have moved safely as long as they weren't reckless.
'Just like Director Ho's Project team, their personality is really….'
But Assistant Manager Lee Yeonhwa knew.
That personality was, in fact, the research team average.
'…Hoo.'
I need caffeine. I don't even have the energy to be angry. Only research is fun….
She fought against fatigue instead of anger and started moving her feet again.
…For reference, for a little while now, a sound like an announcement had been echoing in the alley.
[Get into the Fire Hydrant!]
[The silver Fire Hydrant is the Safe House of this Darkness!]
It seemed like someone was playing a recorded sound from a fruit truck that was just sitting somewhere in the alley.
At first, she thought it was just a kind instruction from 'Lord Cat' to inform any remaining survivors of the survival method.
But she soon realized that wasn't the case.
'Stairs…!'
As she ran down the stairs leading to the platform she had finally reached, she turned around and faced an unexpected sight.
"My god."
The residential area was engulfed in flames.
Black smoke and a burnt smell stung her nose, and the hot smoke, whipped by the wind, touched her body.
"...!"
With the inferno starting to heat her back, Assistant Manager Lee Yeonhwa ran down and entered through the fire hydrant door on the platform.
Thud.
Her heart pounded.
And as she caught her breath and peeled off the tattoo sticker, Section Chief Gwak burst open the same fire hydrant door and shouted.
"Assistant Manager Lee, did you see that? He started a fire! The whole place is burning to a crisp!"
"..."
"I guess that announcement earlier was for this! Though I think all the out-of-shape researchers were probably dead by then anyway. Hahaha!"
And Lee Yeonhwa felt a realization flash through her mind.
'This is it.'
This was the strategy Lord Cat had come up with.
Using one or two alarm clocks to end the nap time couldn't represent this entire huge space.
'If that's the case.'
Then, all he had to do was eliminate the symbolism of the space itself.
He just had to get rid of the houses where one could nap, the comfort, the Nap Shelter itself.
And the most convenient way to get rid of it.
A method that could be deduced by reverse-reasoning based on the fact that those who entered the fire hydrants were safe.
'Arson…!!'
And so, Lord Cat had burned down the entire Midday Station.
And at the same time, in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, he had sent them to the fire hydrant on the platform, which was separate from the waiting hall.
Of course, none of this was something a Field Investigation Team, normally deployed into the Darkness, could ever do….
It was a method that could only be carried out by someone who wasn't human.
"..."
A few dozen minutes later.
Assistant Manager Lee Yeonhwa was inside the fire hydrant, swallowing nervously and listening intently to the sounds outside.
Imagining the scene above the stairs, which would look like a sunset with all the blazing fire.
Calculating when the inferno would sweep everything away.
And.
"…Section Chief Gwak."
"Yeah?"
30 minutes ago.
-Aaaaaaah!
…She foresaw the fate of the researcher from Director Ho's Project, who had screamed strangely and run out of the fire hydrant despite having finally reached the platform.
"Do you know where the researcher from the other team went?"
"Why are you asking me that, Assistant Manager Lee?"
"…You came into the fire hydrant later than me earlier."
"Yeah, so?"
"Was that perhaps because you were late from doing something to the fire hydrant next to us?"
"..."
"..."
Kwak Jegang burst out laughing.
"Ah, the residential area is on fire, and I was just curious if you'd really burn to death even if you were inside a fire hydrant in the middle of it!"
Ah.
"So I just sprinkled something inside the other fire hydrant. And I did put an 'Out of Order' sign on this one."
Thump.
Kwak Jegang tapped the fire hydrant lightly.
"Still, to go all the way up the stairs! Tsk tsk, he lacked an understanding of Lord Cat. No, should I say he was slow to grasp the situation…."
"…Manager."
Assistant Manager Lee Yeonhwa clenched her teeth.
"There's also a pretty high chance he'll burn to death before he even gets into a fire hydrant in the residential area, you know."
"Of course, that could happen, but well, it's worth a try!"
Kwak Jegang added with a smile.
"Wouldn't it be a huge discovery if we verify it!"
"..."
"But will you keep this a secret from Lord Cat? If his impression of the researchers gets any worse for no reason and we all end up dead, who will be able to research today's exploration? Hahaha!"
Assistant Manager Lee Yeonhwa bit her lip, her face pale.
Outside, the sound of the roaring flames was already dying down.
And they would soon realize that 'Lord Cat's' method had succeeded.
Miraculously.
"How amazing!"
And whether by misfortune or by luck, the wonders of 'Lord Cat' they were to face did not end there.
Because the first thing Lord Cat did after emerging from the residential area that had been turned to ash was as follows.
"This was your doing."
"…!"
He grabbed Kwak Jegang by the collar and lifted him up.