One side of the empty food court was converted into a makeshift conference room. The partic.i.p.ants were Guild members who were Vice Team Leaders or higher, along with the additional two guests.
‘They’re pretty good on these things.’
The two guests weren’t being included because they were more powerful or of a higher level than normal Guild members—it was because they were outsiders. They had a chance to voice their dissents if they disagreed with the Guild’s decisions. After all, every Player had the right to prioritize their own life above anything else.
“There are twenty-eight,” Shin Sung-Hyun. “Twenty-eight rides in the park.”
“That’s a lot,” someone said.
Shin Sung-Hyun nodded. “We’re lucky.”
They all understood what he meant.
‘It’s a good thing that there are enough rides.’
Of course, so did Seo Jun-Ho. Eighty Players had entered the Dungeon.
‘If any more people joined, we would’ve been in trouble.’
Forever Land’s guide map showed the names, locations, difficulty, and the maximum number of partic.i.p.ants for each ride. In other words, there were enough rides for every Player to ride in.
“Isn’t this too easy?”
“All we have to do is stand in line and ride the ride…”
“I feel a little uncomfortable because this used to be a real amus.e.m.e.nt park, but other than that, it seems easier than I thought.”
“We don’t even need to cut in line...”
Even though the Dungeon had a strange theme, Goblin’s members didn’t seem scared at all.
‘...Is it because of their faith in him?’
They looked at Shin Sung-Hyun with boundless, glowing faith. And as a leader should, he rewarded their loyalty. “There are five rides of the highest difficulty that require one rider. I’ll take care of them.”
“Oohhh.”
After he made the first decision, the rest of the a.s.signments went smoothly. Following the Vicemaster Jang Kyung-Hoon, the Team Leaders each chose a ride they were confident they could clear or otherwise simply wanted to experience.
Except for one…
“Captain Gong. I don’t think you’ve mentioned which ride you will take,” Shin Sung-Hyun said.
“I-I’ll just take anything…” she said.
“Then I’ll leave you with the four-person haunted house…”
“Eek, no!” She immediately refused. Everyone turned to stare at her. “Um… Well…It’s not like I’m slightly scared…Of ghosts…” she said in a small voice.
“Then how about the safari?”
“Oh? They have one here? I like animals. I’ll take it!”
Shin Sung-Hyun turned to Seo Jun-Ho, meeting his eyes. “I know it may be difficult, but will you go with Captain Gong?”
“Of course…”
“Thank you for cooperating.”
After he finished a.s.signing most of the members their own rides, the Guildmaster spoke to them once more. “No matter what happens, do not cut in line or give up halfway through,” he said.
“Of course not. There’s no reason to, is there?”
“You all got that, right? Just follow the rules, and we can clear this safely.”
The Players here were Rankers. They were confident that they wouldn’t bog down the conquest.
“We should get going.” Gong Ju-Ha grabbed Seo Jun-Ho’s arm and stood up. A man and a woman followed them.
“I’m supposed to go with you, Princess.”
“Hullo! You look like a small little sparrow. I’m also on the team!”[1]
“Hae-Won’s a team member, but who are you?” Gong Ju-Ha said, narrowing her eyes at the skinny man.
“I’m Gasman.” As he spoke, he pulled up his sleeve. There were black holes in his arms, and they puffed as they released green smoke in unison. “If you ever need gas, just say the word.”
“...Ooh-kay,” she said, sounding a little annoyed.
Gasman pulled his sleeves down. “Speaking of safaris, do you like animals, Seo hyung?”
“...Seo hyung?”
“Yes, isn’t your surname ‘Seo,’ Jun-Ho hyung?”
In the blink of an eye, he became a hyung. “Do you know how old I am?” he asked.
“C’mon, anyone who’s stronger than you is a hyung in this line of business. Hahaha. I can tell just by looking at you that you’re stronger than me.” Gasman laughed heartily.
The Frost Queen returned from wandering the park, carrying cotton candy with her. On the other hand, she was holding a teddy bear, which was the mascot of Forever Land. Seo Jun-Ho wondered where she got it from.
“That man looks as thin as a stick. I do not think we would get along,” she declared.
“...Hey, where did you get the cotton candy? Don’t just eat it carelessly.”
“I’m a Spirit, do you really think I would die? I want to eat it.” As she glared at him, Gong Ju-Ha turned toward them.
“What did you say?” she asked.
“...It’s nothing. Let’s go.”
“Ahhhh!” A scream came from above. As the four of them turned to look up, they were stunned into silence.
“Kill them! Kill them all!”
“Don’t let them get close!”
“I’m telling you, it’s hard to move because of the d.a.m.n safety bar!”
As the rollercoaster shot by them like a bullet, Seo Jun-Ho finally spoke, “So that’s what it is.”
“Ugh… That’s too much. I hate this…!” Gong Ju-Ha whined, gripping her head. “Mr. Jun-Ho, weren"t those things crawling on the rollercoaster… animal costumes?”
“Yes. To be exact, they were the mascots of Forever Land.” With the bear at the lead as the main mascot, there had been a variety of animals, including a tiger, rabbit, mouse, and cheetah. They approached the Players by crawling on the rollercoaster.
“Eek, we have to fight those things while on a ride…?” Gong Ju-Ha turned pale, and she looked like she was about to cry. “It’s too much. I am afraid of heights. Nooo…”
“Haha, what’s there to worry about? They’re just dolls, can’t you just burn them all?” Gasman suggested.
“That’s true, but…”
It didn’t seem to cheer her up in the slightest. In fact, it seemed like he made it worse.
“Hmmm…” As they spoke, the Frost Queen stealthily threw away the plushie. Seeing the rollercoaster made her uncomfortable.
‘Sigh.’
Seo Jun-Ho calmed himself down. Between all these cowards, the only person he could trust was himself.
***
“...You’re sure this is the place?” Gong Ju-Ha asked carefully.
“Yes. It says so on both the map and on the sign,” Seo Jun-Ho replied.
“...Am I the only one who finds it weird?” The sign had written on it. “Why would you put ‘horror’ in front of ‘safari?’ It’s awkward! It’s weird! And it even says it’s ‘real!’”
“It probably means that there are a lot of carnivorous animals. Let’s get in line.” Of course, they were the only ones there.
“Come on!” Gong Ju-Ha protested. It didn’t seem like she would move from her spot, but when the other three got in line, she sniffled and followed.
“I’m gonna burn them all…I’m gonna burn anything that comes close…” she whispered, unsettling her teammates.
“So this is the safari car…”
The SUV had tiger stripes on it and had iron bars fashioned on the windows. The engine turned out to be powered by magic.
‘Darn it. I don’t know much about this type of stuff.’ Magic engines had been developed while he was still frozen. “Is there anyone who knows anything about magic engines?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.
“Oh, I know a bit.” Once Gasman was done checking the engine and confirmed that there weren’t any problems, the four of them got in the car.
As the doors of the Real Horror Safari opened, the car moved forward. Jang Hae-Won was the designated driver because she wouldn’t be of much help in battle as a healer.
“W-we’re off,” she mumbled. Once the car started moving, there was an announcement on the TV inside.
[The first area is the Amazon.]
“The Amazon…”
“Safaris usually have two main areas, right?”
“That’s right. The Amazon River and the Serengeti Plain,” Gasman said, nodding.
“What animals appear in the Amazon…?” Gong Ju-Ha asked.
Seo Jun-Ho answered. “Anacondas, crocodiles, piranhas…”
“Really? That’s not as scary as I thought...”
“Along with spiders and centipedes,” Seo Jun-Ho finished.
“Why did you save that for the end?!” As Gong Ju-Ha yelped, the car suddenly stopped. “Eek! Why did it stop?!”
“I-I’m sorry, Princess! The brake jammed, and the engine…” Jang Hae-Won tried to get the engine going, but the car remained unmoving.
“Gasman, didn’t you say there weren’t any problems with the engine?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.
“T-That’s weird. It was fine when I checked it,” he said, fl.u.s.tered. He got out of the car and checked the engine once again.
“...”
“...”
It had been as good as new just a few minutes ago. But now, it was rusty as if it had been in use for decades.
Seo Jun-Ho took in the dense, tropical air. “I think we’re gonna have to walk.”
“What?! It said it would take two hours by car!”
“If we walk…”
It was impossible to tell how many hours it would take until they reached the end. Moreover, they were inside the safari. Who knew how many predators were lurking…
“We don’t have a choice.”
“Huh? But the entrance is right there…” Jang Hae-Won pointed, but Gong Ju-Ha shook her head. “Safety rule number 3. Visitors who do not enjoy the ride to the end will die.”
“Oh…”
“Miss Ju-Ha is correct. We can only keep going forward,” Seo Jun-Ho said. No one knew for sure how the penalties were enforced, but no one wanted to risk their life to find out. “Before we leave, please burn that.”
He pointed to the pile of brush he had made by cutting up the gra.s.s
“I don’t know why you’re asking me to… But okay.” With a flick of her wrist, it set on fire.
Seo Jun-Ho stepped over the fire, covering his body with black smoke.
“...What are you doing?”
“The most dangerous creatures in the jungle aren’t anacondas, crocodiles, spiders, or centipedes.” They’re bugs, especially mosquitos. “The smell will make insects stay away. You should all do the same.”
They seemed uncertain, but the party members obeyed without complaint.
Gasman looked at him in awe. “Have you ever been to a jungle, Seo hyung? You seem pretty well-versed in this.”
“...I haven’t.” He had actually been to a lot when he was Specter. He had cleared hundreds of Gates with many different environments.
“Let’s go.” Seo Jun-Ho and Gasman took the lead, with Gong Ju-Ha and Jang Hae-Won trailing behind them. They skillfully cut through the thick brush and walked for about ten minutes.
All of a sudden, Seo Jun-Ho suddenly held up his fist.
‘Oh, it’s the signal to pause!’
‘Did he sense something?’
‘I-I don’t know. I didn’t feel anything…’
The other party members hadn’t noticed anything, but Seo Jun-Ho crouched down and studied the ground.
‘It looks like something was dragged through here.’
The tracks were thirty centimeters wide, much bigger than a car’s wheels. They were also in a uniform S shape.
Only one animal could leave such tracks.
‘But the biggest problem is…’
They stopped at the tree right in front of them.
“Get ready to fight.”
Above them, the half-asleep anaconda opened its yellow eyes. As it moved, a shadow fell on the party.
“What is that… Why is it so big…?”
“Are anacondas usually that big?”
“Of course not!”
Sssss!
The 70-foot-long giant anaconda flicked its tongue.
1. He speaks with a slight Hamgyong accent, which is used in the northernmost parts of Korea and by Chinese-Korean people living near the border. It is not used in South Korea. ☜