Chapter 54

The doll swung its fist at the isolation room’s outer wall, and the entire research institute shook as if an earthquake had struck.

Taken aback by the unfamiliar sudden vibration, I lost my balance and fell over.

“Unnie Seoah! Are you alright?”

With Researcher Yerin Oh’s help, I got back up, only to hear a bizarre laugh echoing around.

Keke keke.

Inside the isolation room, the doll had grown to an absurd size compared to before and was wreaking havoc.

Now anyone could tell that this “Theme Park Invitation Doll” was definitely not normal.

The Theme Park doll, which was originally about 1 meter tall, had transformed into a monstrous 3-meter giant.

“Director Lee Sehee of the Research Institute. If this keeps up, we’ll lose control. Once the doll grows past 10 meters, our facility won’t be able to contain it anymore.”

“Ugh, what a headache. Was it a mistake to bring in the death row inmate?”

Ever since the death row inmate was introduced, the doll started growing. Once it surpassed 2 meters, it began causing chaos.

“It’s fine! The Reaper will surely handle it somehow!”

While everyone grew serious due to the object’s rampage, Researcher Yerin Oh remained oddly cheerful.

We really need to seriously consider whether the Gray Reaper has the ability to cause mental pollution…

Keke keke.

Something grotesque shot out from the doll’s mouth.

A blood-soaked, severed finger.

The Theme Park doll began vomiting streams of blood and human remains.

Chunks of shredded flesh and chopped-off fingers spilled out uncontrollably.

“Huh? I’ve seen that ring on that finger before!”

Researcher Yerin Oh pointed at the finger lying on the floor.

“I think it belonged to a rather timid-looking big man.”

Fortunately, after spewing blood once, the doll stopped growing further.

“This is bad. If the doll grows every time a death row inmate dies, there’s no way the research institute can handle it…”

“If we estimate each death adds 2 meters, it could potentially grow up to 18 meters more.”

Even generously estimating the strength of the isolation room walls, containing a 10-meter doll would be the limit—so we urgently needed a plan for containment failure.

“Reaper! Hurry up and tear your way out!”

However, Director Lee Sehee seemed unwilling to do so.

It seems the Gray Reaper does indeed possess the ability for mental pollution…

***

I woke up on a bed that was too comfortable to feel right.

“Hmph.”

I took a deep breath.

Despite the cozy atmosphere, I reminded myself: This is inside the killer Object’s mouth.

An Object interested in humans? According to reports, most Objects like these are murderers.

An Object that sends invitations to humans? It must obviously be a killer Object.

Suddenly, the door opened, and the creepy mannequin with the same face as the one from the isolation room bowed politely.

“Ah, this guest has such impressive tattoos! Welcome, madam. Welcome to Smile Theme Park!”

Though the mannequin’s demeanor was courteous, it only made it seem even more dangerous.

“Hmm, quiet guest, aren’t you? Before enjoying the theme park, please take this.”

The mannequin handed me a piece of paper designed for stamp collection.

“What’s this paper? Is it necessary?”

“Well, while I can’t say it’s absolutely necessary, you’ll need it to leave this theme park.”

According to the mannequin’s explanation, collecting all nine stamps would allow escape—it seemed.

“Then, hurry and guide me to the ‘fun rides’ where I can get those stamps.”

There’s no point wasting time.

Whether I live or die is uncertain, but I must always move forward confidently.

“Hmm, unfortunately, this very room is one of the ‘fun rides’ where you can collect a stamp. You can’t leave just yet.”

The mannequin pointed to a notice titled “Smile Theme Park Room Rules” hanging on the wall.

[Smile Theme Park Room Rules]

[Skipped]

[Delete one line from the following rules.]

[Of the seven-colored foods, at least six varieties are poisoned.]

[All red, orange, and yellow foods are poisoned.]

[All red, yellow, and blue foods are poisoned.]

[All orange, blue, and purple foods are poisoned.]

[All green, blue, and indigo foods are poisoned.]

[All orange, green, and indigo foods are poisoned.]

This wasn’t so much a quiz as it was a nonsensical wordplay puzzle.

Of course, when your life is on the line, it doesn’t feel like a game.

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any time limit.

Slowly and carefully, I needed to reach a conclusion.

After some thought, I decided: Purple.

Every other color appeared at least twice, meaning they could be eliminated without issue.

The only unsettling part was that nowhere did it explicitly state “Purple is safe.”

“Hey, mannequin, can I ask a question?”

“Of course! We’re here to answer guests’ questions and guide them through the theme park.”

I waved the rule sheet and asked,

“Is purple food definitively not poisoned?”

“Hmm, we’re prohibited from giving direct assistance. However, let this be a hint for you.”

And with a tone straight out of a cheesy song, the mannequin said:

“In the fun-filled Smile Theme Park, there are no attractions that guarantee 100% death—they’re all enjoyable!”

So…

Does that mean eating the purple-tagged food is the solution?

I opened the fridge and pulled out a food item marked with a purple tag.

A simple purple-tagged energy bar that looked easy to eat.

As I peeled the wrapper to take a bite, the mannequin’s gaze felt intrusive.

Its blatant stare was unnerving.

Why was it staring so intensely? Was something wrong?

“Hey, does solving this problem mean eating the corresponding food?”

“Hmm, well, these are rules, not problems. Everything written here is true.”

“Huh?”

Everything written here is true?

So does that mean purple food is also poisoned?

I threw away the energy bar I had prepared to eat and carefully re-read the rules.

Right, deletion.

Deletion is the key.

Looking around, I found an eraser labeled “Delete.”

“What the heck, this is ridiculous.”

Using the eraser, I wiped out the line [Orange, blue, and purple foods are all poisoned.]

Once I erased it, the line [Delete one line from the following rules] also disappeared.

I grabbed another energy bar from the fridge and took a bite.

No poison.

“Congratulations! You’ve passed the first attraction. Did you enjoy it?”

In response to the mannequin’s clapping, I flipped it off.

“Hmm, it seems you weren’t fully satisfied. How about I introduce you to another attraction? There’s one quite similar to this room!”

“No way, anything you personally recommend feels too suspicious, so I’m passing.”

Following the mannequin’s guidance, I opened the room door, and a massive firework lit up the dark night sky.

“Welcome once again to Smile Theme Park, where celebrations never end!”

Continuous fireworks exploding endlessly against the empty ticket booth.

Just me and the mannequin standing awkwardly.

That subtle atmosphere screamed Object.

***

Wow, I thought my head was going to fall off!

Thump thump.

Walking slowly out of the “Smile Drop Tower,” I massaged my neck.

Though there were no serious injuries, it had been a long time since I was that startled.

This Smile Theme Park, being a theme park, naturally included my favorite type of ride: the drop tower.

Excitedly rushing over, I noticed surprisingly that this drop tower had no height restrictions.

Naturally, I happily sat down, lowered the safety bar, and prepared to enjoy the ride!

But tragically, this wasn’t a drop tower ride—it was a gallows-style drop tower.

A cruel attraction where, upon reaching the highest point, a noose would tighten around your neck.

Instead of a safety bar holding me in place, an iron chain noose pulled upward on my neck.

Not a traditional neck-breaking execution, but rather a new concept of ripping the head clean off!

From what I could see, except for the safety seat where no noose appeared, all other seats led to execution.

This was a ride where you had to solve a quiz to find the safe seat—but ignoring the quiz and hopping on blindly led to this predicament.

If it weren’t for the Object’s nature, I would’ve died.

Still, two stamps collected already!

Attracted by a loud noise, I looked up.

Fireworks continued to explode brilliantly across the night sky.

Turning around, the mannequin looked unusually pleased.

Since leaving the guest room, it had been trailing behind me, seemingly delighted by my stamp-collecting progress.

Does it benefit me collecting more stamps?

“The guest is truly remarkable. Honestly, the receptionist dolls are starting to wonder if they mistakenly sent out the invitation. Why on earth did they send you an invitation?”

Hmm, why did they send it?

Because the initial doll made a mistake.

Could it just be considered an error?

While massaging my neck, I contemplated my next destination.

Although I wasn’t feeling any pain, I needed to cheer up, so I decided to grab some good food!

Looking up at the large map scattered throughout the theme park, I spotted a suitable location.

The aptly named “Food Court,” a spacious dining area.