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Slurp.

Sitting on the rooftop of the food court, I slowly let my ice cream melt away.

From up high, the view was magnificent.

Waves of gold.

The tiny Golden Reapers bounced around in frenzy like a tidal wave.

The mannequins in black guest uniforms stood in neat rows, orderly and prim.

The clash of the black stronghold and the golden waves!

But the black stronghold crumbled like a sandcastle swept away by the tide.

Clap, clap, clap.

With ice cream in my mouth, I clapped my hands, and one of the Golden Reapers wriggled its way up to my thigh.

The Golden Reaper, comfortably nestled on my belly, confidently presented something.

A stamp!

Its expression seemed to seek praise, so I affectionately patted its head, and it looked pleased.

As I stamped the paper with the stamp the Golden Reaper brought, it smoothly vanished, having completed its duty.

Now, just four more!

I needed only five stamps to wrap things up.

Looking down at the Golden Reapers again, the situation had taken quite an interesting turn.

The mannequins were frantic with escape.

The Golden Reapers were running, jumping, rolling, and charging at them.

As the number of mannequins dwindled, the entire space began to feel unstable.

It was like a broken channel filled with noise.

Suddenly, a ride I’d never seen before appeared out of nowhere.

A Golden Reaper chasing a mannequin vanished beyond the space.

The sky shattered like glass, and the ground cracked wide open like during an earthquake.

The end of the theme park!

Wriggling.

The Golden Reapers who found the stamps started to cling to me one by one.

It suddenly felt like there was an unspoken rule that only the Reapers who found the stamps could stick to me.

*

I chewed the last remaining energy bar as I walked.

I had solved a total of three attractions.

The “Room” where I had to erase purple with an eraser.

And the “Drop Tower,” which was a simple drawing addition quiz.

The “Food Court” where I had to erase more than one type of food with an eraser.

The most annoying one was the “Food Court.”

As my stomach began to grumble, I thought I could find something to eat and entered the “Food Court.”

But in the end, all that was offered were poisonous foods.

And it was only my favorite foods when I was really hungry!

Even if I returned to the room, the door was tightly shut and wouldn’t open.

If I had known this would happen, I would have grabbed a few more energy bars before leaving the room.

Now, what should I choose for the next attraction? As I pondered this, sudden tremors hit the theme park.

Scenes flickered on the TV screen like a disrupted feed, overlapping chaotically.

Among them, the most noticeable illusion was the golden waves.

A small golden something wriggled around in a haze.

Each time that illusion flashed, earthquakes occurred.

As if the theme park was screaming.

“Hmm, I didn’t think this could happen.”

Amidst the earthquakes, I heard the confused mutterings of a mannequin.

Then, a mannequin that was clenching and unclenching its hand approached.

“Guest?”

It exuded an entirely different aura than before.

Unlike before, its intonation and emotions felt strikingly rich.

“I think it’s possible right now. Follow me.”

The mannequin took off on its own toward the “Smile Viking Ticket Booth.”

The assigned mannequin should have been at the ticket booth, but it had vanished.

The mannequin rummaged through the booth and found a stamp.

“Guest, hurry up. You can’t miss this opportunity.”

“Wha, what? Is this some kind of trap?”

“This is not a trap. The theme park has just broken down. This is the only time you can collect stamps like this. There’s no time for bickering.”

Since this place was full of people trying to deceive others, the mannequin’s words sounded suspicious.

It was clear something unsettling was happening, given the strange vibrations and atmosphere.

But then again, I had no idea why that mannequin would help me, so I couldn’t trust it at all.

“I can’t trust you. Someone who has no reason to help me suddenly offers assistance; how can I find someone trustworthy in that?”

“Hmm, you seem quick to jump to conclusions usually, yet you doubt now. I don’t need to persuade you, but I can give you a few reasons.”

The mannequin took a breath and spoke.

“First of all, I have a reason to help you. Although I’m in this state now, I was originally human. I was a victim of this theme park. I got caught like this, but you shouldn’t have to suffer the same fate.”

While the sincerity behind the words was palpable, I still couldn’t be sure of the truth.

“And secondly, look around you. If the collapse of this theme park extends to the shuttle bus, that would be the end. There would be no means to go back. Make your choice. The decision is yours to make.”

The mannequin handed me the stamp and urged me to choose.

It was clear the mannequin had changed somehow.

Maybe it had become a bit more emotional?

And it was undeniable that the theme park was collapsing, and the mannequins were disappearing.

But how could I know if that was part of the theme park’s trap or not?

In times of uncertainty, it’s best to follow the motto that has sustained me throughout my life.

“When in doubt, just take action!”

“Alright! Let’s do it! Lead the way, mannequin.”

From then on, I dashed around the theme park without stopping.

Every now and then, as gold shimmered by, holes appeared in buildings and pillars.

The noise of metal being crushed and structures collapsing filled the air.

Inside the theme park, chaos was unfolding.

“Hmm, it seems there’s a larger collapse happening than I expected. I wonder how such a powerful entity managed to enter the park.”

“They just hand out invitations to anyone, maybe that’s why?”

“No, the attendants only give invitations to those the theme park can handle. Anyway, we need to hurry. If the shuttle bus breaks, those stamps will be worthless.”

*

I looked at the woman in front of me, my fingertips idly playing with the mannequin head I had been wearing for so long that I had gotten used to it.

Huff, puff.

The tattooed woman gasped for breath, leaning against the marble wall with a pale face.

Naturally, after all that running, it was expected.

“Did we succeed, mannequin?”

“Yes, it will be over once we board the shuttle bus.”

“Ha, finally finished.”

Slosh, slosh.

The woman trudged into the marble building, dragging her weary feet through the muck.

Looking back, the Smile Theme Park had met its end.

To put it like the guests, the Smile Theme Park was ‘No longer in service.’

The theme park had lost its power and was slowly melting away into thin air.

The reason was simple; someone had discovered the hidden ending of the theme park.

An unnamed, powerful entity had not only caused chaos but had also uncovered the secret, driving a stake into the heart of the theme park.

The first attempt of the theme park to branch out into a new world ended here.

And it was a relief that I managed to gather all the stamps before the theme park completely collapsed.

*

I walked slowly, regaining my breath.

Oh, I’m so hungry.

I feel like I might die of hunger.

I was too lazy to walk properly and dragged my shoes along.

The thick, black mud.

A horrible smell of petroleum that made my head throb.

Finally arriving at the shuttle bus stop that was unnecessarily far.

Since I had gathered all the stamps, even if it was by a backdoor method.

Now, I just had to step out of the “Object,” and everything would be over.

As I entered the marble building, I spotted the display of heads.

Seven newly added heads.

“Fools couldn’t pass after all.”

The companions sent in with me were all left as heads on display.

Considering they probably couldn’t use any backdoor tricks like I did, they likely had a high chance of dying after failing several times.

Phew, it’s finally over.

Not guilty.

That conclusion was approaching fast.

Soon, the days spent rolling around in the murderous “Object” would become good memories outside.

The shuttle bus door opened wide, as if welcoming me.

As I climbed the steps of the shuttle bus one by one, I looked back to see the mannequin staring at me intently.

“Thank you. You’re my lifesaver.”

“Hmm, no need for thanks. It was simply what I had to do.”

Even though it was hard to read the expression of the mannequin head, I could definitely tell now.

The mannequin was extremely happy.

Maybe it was overly joyful for a theme park’s victim, but then again, who cares?

I cleared it!

Once I sat down in my seat above the bus, the mannequin settled into the driver’s seat and began preparing to drive.

Maybe it was due to exhaustion, but I was quickly overtaken by sleepiness.

The mannequin hummed happily as it drove the bus out of the theme park.

In my drowsiness, I heard the mannequin’s voice.

“Now, guest, please rest well. We have everything necessary for the bus ride, so we’ll arrive soon. Do you have any questions?”

“No, none.”

“If you have none, I will take it as consent and proceed.”

Suddenly, the mannequin’s cryptic words triggered a question I had before.

I had nine stamps, but why ten coins?