---

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

I fell over due to the sudden and unfamiliar vibration.

“Unnie Seoah! Are you okay?”

As I got up with the support of Researcher Yerin Oh, a strange laughter echoed around us.

Kekek kekek.

Inside the isolation room, a doll significantly larger than before was causing a ruckus.

Now, no one could deny that the ‘Theme Park Invitation Doll’ looked bizarre.

The theme park doll, which was just over 1 meter tall, had now grown into a massive 3-meter figure.

“Director Lee Sehee, at this rate, it will become uncontrollable. If that doll exceeds 10 meters, we won’t be able to contain it in our research institute’s isolation room.”

“Ugh, what a headache. Was it a mistake to introduce a death row inmate recklessly?”

The doll began to grow in size right after the death row inmate was introduced, and once it surpassed 2 meters, it started to run amok.

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

While everyone wore serious expressions due to the doll’s rampage, only Researcher Yerin Oh remained cheerful.

I really need to consider whether the Gray Reaper has the ability of mental pollution…

Kekek kekek.

Something strange burst from the doll’s mouth.

A blood-soaked, severed finger.

The theme park doll began to spew forth blood and human bits from its mouth.

Chunks of minced flesh and severed fingers tumbled out in a wild mess.

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

Researcher Yerin Oh pointed to a finger that had fallen to the floor.

“It looked like it belonged to a rather timid-looking big man.”

Fortunately, after the doll spewed blood once, the growth phenomenon stopped.

“This is bad. If it grows like that with each death row inmate, the institute won’t be able to handle it.”

“If we assume it grows 2 meters per inmate, it could reach an additional 18 meters.”

Even if we generously estimate the strength of the isolation room’s outer wall, 10-meter dolls are its limit, so we urgently needed to create a contingency plan for a containment failure.

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

Yet, Director Lee Sehee didn’t seem to be thinking that way.

It seems that the Gray Reaper might indeed have a mental pollution ability…

*

I woke up on an uncomfortably comfortable bed.

“Huuh.”

I took a deep breath.

It felt cozy, but I noted that I was inside the maw of a murderous object.

An object that shows interest in humans? According to reports, most were murder objects.

An object that gives invitations to humans? Naturally, it must be a murder object.

Suddenly, the guest room door swung open, and a mannequin with the face of that infuriating doll from the isolation room greeted me politely.

“This guest is a wonderful woman with impressive tattoos. Welcome to Smile Theme Park!”

The mannequin appeared friendly, but it looked even more dangerous.

“Hmm, a silent guest. Before enjoying the theme park, please accept this.”

What the mannequin handed over was a piece of paper designed for stamping.

“What is this paper? Is it necessary?”

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

According to the mannequin’s explanation, it seemed like you could escape after receiving all 9 stamps.

“Then guide me quickly to the ‘fun attractions’ where I can receive those stamps.”

No need to drag this out.

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

“Hmm, well, unfortunately, this guest room is also a ‘fun attraction,’ so you can’t go out right now.”

On the spot the mannequin pointed to, a paper listing the room rules was hanging on the wall.

[Smile Theme Park Guest Room Rules.]

<...>

[Please delete one line from the following rules.]

[At least 6 out of 7 colors of food are poisonous.]

[All red, orange, and yellow foods contain poison.]

[All red, yellow, and blue foods contain poison.]

[All orange, blue, and purple foods contain poison.]

[All green, blue, and indigo foods contain poison.]

[All orange, green, and indigo foods contain poison.]

It was more of a wordplay nonsensical quiz than a proper quiz.

Of course, it wouldn’t feel like a joke if my life were on the line.

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

Take it slow, and arrive at a solid conclusion.

After considering carefully, I reached a conclusion.

The answer was purple.

The remaining colors appeared two or more times, so they would still be left even if deleted.

But the nagging point was that it didn’t explicitly confirm, “Purple is not poisonous!”

“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 paper with the rules around.

“This doesn’t confirm that purple doesn’t contain poison, does it? It could be poisonous!”

“Hmm, we are prohibited from providing direct assistance. But this statement will be a hint.”

Then the mannequin spoke in a tone reminiscent of a commercial jingle.

“In the fun Smile Theme Park, there are no boring attractions where you die 100%.”

So, could that mean if I eat the purple food, I should be safe?

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

A simple, snackable energy bar tagged in purple.

As I started to peel the wrapper and eat, I noticed the mannequin’s gaze was oddly fixated on me.

That blatant stare.

Why was it looking like that? Was there something strange about it?

“Hey, so if I solve this problem, it means I can eat the corresponding food, right?”

“Hmm, well, unfortunately, the rules are not a question, they are rules. Everything written is true.”

“What?”

Everything written is true?

So, that means purple must be poisonous too?

I threw away the energy bar I had taken out to eat and read the rules again carefully.

Yeah, I need to delete it.

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

“What kind of nonsensical crap is this?”

I crossed out the line that said, [All orange, blue, and purple foods contain poison.]

After crossing it out, the line saying [Please delete one line from the following rules.] also disappeared.

I took another energy bar from the cupboard and took a bite.

There was… no poison.

“Congratulations. You’ve passed the first attraction. Did you find it enjoyable?”

I raised a stop gesture to the applauding mannequin in response.

“Hmm, it seems you weren’t very satisfied. Shall I introduce another attraction? There’s an attraction with rules very similar to this guest room!”

“No way, the fact that you’re directly recommending it makes it too suspicious. Absolutely not.”

As I opened the guest room door following the mannequin’s guidance, large fireworks filled the dark night sky.

“Once again, welcome to ‘Smile Theme Park,’ where it’s a celebration 365 days a year!”

Fireworks burst continuously without a pause, and the ticket booth was eerily empty.

And there I stood with the mannequin.

That awkward atmosphere felt very object-like.

*

Wow, I almost lost my head there.

Thud thud.

As I slowly walked out of the ride called ‘Smile Drop Tower,’ I rubbed my neck.

There were no serious injuries, but it had been a long time since I was this shocked.

This Smile Theme Park had the ‘drop tower rides,’ which were my absolute favorite in amusement parks.

I dashed excitedly to check it out, and surprisingly, there were no height restrictions for this drop tower ride.

Naturally, I sat down with a joyful heart, lowered the safety bar, and boarded!

But sadly, this ride was not a drop tower ride but a drop tower gallows.

Once at the top, a noose was placed around my neck—a harsh attraction.

The safety bar held my shoulders down, while a steel wire noose pulled my neck up.

Not just breaking my neck but a whole new concept of attraction that would yank my head off entirely!

Based on its shape, except for the safety seat where the noose doesn’t come out, all the rides would be executing.

It was a ride where you had to solve a quiz to reveal the safe seat and enjoy it, and I ignored the quiz, leading to this calamity.

If it weren’t for the object, I might have died.

Still, I already had two stamps!

Amidst the loud noises, I looked up at the sky.

There were still prominent fireworks exploding in the night sky.

Turning around, I saw the mannequin looking quite pleased.

Since I left the guest room, it had been following closely behind, seeming to welcome my stamp collection.

Is it good if I collect a lot of stamps?

“You are truly amazing, guest. In fact, I wonder if the doll serving the guest might be the one who misdelivered the invitation. Why in the world did you give the invitation to the guest?”

Well, why did it?

The doll that was supposed to give it first must have messed up.

It could be seen as a doll’s mistake, right?

Rubbing around my neck, I began to ponder the next destination.

I wasn’t in pain, but having gotten such a fright, I needed to refresh myself with something delicious!

Looking up at the big map set up around the theme park, I spotted a suitable place.

It was a large restaurant named ‘Food Court.’