Chapter 166. The Land of Fantasy (1)
A week had passed since he returned to Earth as a temporary contract worker. The music box tune that drifted out every time he walked past that grotesque carousel never failed to give him a chill.
Creak—
Once a symbol of childhood wonder, a land of dreams and hope, this place had somehow turned into the entrance to hell.
“What do they mean by Land of Fantasy? This place is more like a damn nightmare,” someone muttered under their breath. Rather than angry, he sounded desperate to break the oppressive mood, not that it helped.
“Watch your step,” the big man in front warned.
“O-oh, right. Thank you.” he said carefully.
They crossed the plaza, where puddles of black, oily rainwater had pooled everywhere. According to the big man, stepping in one by mistake felt like it would rot his foot clean off. With that warning in mind, he picked his way between them.
“Yeah, keep that up. Wouldn’t want your girlfriend dumping you,” another big guy said.
“Oh, please. As if you should be the one worrying about her,” the first bulky man shot back.
“Haha...”
Their pointless banter rumbled between them.
“... Thanks,” he said quietly.
“Don’t thank us. We’re all just trying to survive,” the big man replied.
When he had first met the pair—an unhinged third-generation conglomerate heir and his overly loyal bodyguards—he genuinely thought they were strange. However, they had turned out to be nothing like his initial impression.
They were strong enough to hold up a collapsing food truck by themselves, and could even split a monster’s skull open with a single swing of an axe.
I thought they were weak because neither of them could handle Eun-Ho alone, he thought.
However, Eun-Ho was the unnatural one. Apparently, being a bodyguard in a conglomerate family was not something just anyone could do.
[You are now entering the Magic Land.]
“Hold your breath. We’re moving fast,” the guard ordered.
“Yes sir!”
The stench of rust hit them as they walked. His eyes stung from the pale dust drifting out of cave-shaped rides scattered across the zone.
[Caution!]
[You have been exposed to Giant Silkworm Moth excrement.]
[Your body feels heavier.]
[Your stamina recovery speed has decreased.]
Even with his hand clamped over his nose, he could feel the excrement settling somewhere deep in his gut, but he pushed through the discomfort. He had no right to complain. His girlfriend, who was waiting for him back at their lodging, suffered far worse every day, every moment.
Steeling himself, he followed the men through a collapsing souvenir shop until they reached a restaurant.
“Here! There’s a whole stack of canned food!” one of them shouted.
“Holy shit, we can live for three days on this!”
“Grab everything!”
Just as he expected, food supplies were hard to come by in amusement parks. The shelves here were packed with long-lasting canned goods and processed snacks.
The guard sighed. “This is why we can’t abandon this place.”
He wasn’t wrong. The situation inside Neverland including Magic Land, European Adventure, American Adventure, and Zootopia was relatively manageable. They were the areas still standing for now. Other districts were crawling with monsters, but each species kept to its own cluster. They could move without serious danger as long as they avoided those nests.
One of the hostels was still standing. Though it was half-collapsed, it was good enough to use as lodging. Besides, with food trucks and shops packed tightly together, scavenging supplies was relatively manageable.
He wasn’t sure how long they could keep this up, but it was still far better than the outside. Everything beyond Neverland had turned into a sprawling dungeon.
“We’re good! Let’s head back!” one of the guards called out.
“Yes sir!” he answered.
It was 8:32 AM; they had nearly thirty minutes before today’s trial began. All they had to do was return, regroup with the others, and wait for nine o’clock.
The lead bodyguard drew a circle in the air with his arm. “Now!”
That was their signal to run. The scouts, each carrying a pack, sprinted past the Viking ride, the bumper cars, and the greenhouse. They ran, ran, and ran until the hostel finally came into view.
“Grrrrrrr...”
Then, a low, distant growl rolled toward them. The scouts froze in alarm.
“It’s a monster!” someone shouted.
“What?! Why now?! They shouldn’t be out at this hour!”
The creatures that lived in Magic Land were the Giant Silkworm Moths and the Vampire Bats. Bigger than a person, their sonic shrieks could make ears bleed and bodies seize up. Nevertheless, they had one weakness: they were nocturnal. Hence why the team had risked moving just before trial time, when the sun was fully up.
“Grrrrrrr...”
The growl came again, and everyone’s steps faltered. The guttural sound rumbled a second time, and this time, they recognized it.
“It’s a Wolf! It probably came from the safari!” one of them shouted in terror.
“Shit,” another whispered.
A few of the scouts trembled.
“W-we need to run! Now!”
Just hearing its howl made their skin crawl. If they actually saw it, their legs would probably buckle on the spot.
“Why the hell is something from Zootopia all the way out here?!”
On the first day they were thrown into Neverland, they had accidentally wandered into the safari. They had witnessed those Wolves tear the survivors apart with their own eyes. Dodging blood and flying chunks of flesh, they ran for their lives. The slick mix of sweat, blood, and meat clung to their backs—something they’d never forget.
“The Wolves haven’t left their zone once in an entire week,” someone whispered.
Furthermore, Zootopia was on the far opposite end of Magic Land. It did not make sense for the Wolves to just wander out.
“Had they lost a territorial fight against another monster? Or are they starving?” someone muttered.
A shiver ran through the entire group. Regardless of the reason, they had to run. Everyone seemed to reach the same conclusion at once. They held their breath and sped up as quietly as they could.
Then, the park’s announcement system crackled to life.
[Attention, all new employees.]
[Your next trial will begin at 9:00 AM sharp.]
[Please listen carefully. The next trial will begin at 9:00 AM sharp. All new employees, please finish all preparations before then.]
Only ten minutes remained.
“What do we do? If the Wolves chase us, we won’t have a chance!”
They could not risk starting a trial right next to Wolves. If a Safe Zone spawned and they hid inside it, the Wolves would corner and rip them apart the moment they stepped out.
They were stuck, unable to advance or retreat, when suddenly a set of footsteps approached.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“It’s not just one Wolf!” someone shouted.
“R-run!”
A pack of Wolves surged in from every direction, too fast and too many for them to pinpoint the source.
[Defeat the Silver-Needle Wolf!]
[Defeat the Silver-Needle Wolf!]
[Defeat the Silver-Needle Wolf!]
...
Their howls echoed like a chorus, blending with the relentless flood of system notifications.
“Grrrr!”
A blood-soaked Wolf let out a thunderous roar. These were the ones wounded in territorial fights, driven out by stronger rivals, and forced to search for a new home and new prey. And they were the prey.
“Grrrrrrr!”
The pack exploded forward, each Wolf charging toward its chosen target. Catching the morning ray, the thin layer of silver needles covering them instead of fur flashed like metal shards.
“Move!” the lead bodyguard shouted, stumbling back, barely avoiding a fang as long as his forearm. Then, he swung his axe.
Crack—!
The blade bit into the Wolf’s metallic tooth. However, the beast snapped its head to the side, wrenching the axe clean off balance. Failing to resist the creature’s strength, the guard was dragged helplessly across the ground until his grip finally gave out.
Then, the Wolf’s fangs sank into his flank, grinding through flesh and bone before ripping everything free.
“Gaaaaah!”
His death cry tore through the air, sticking to his eardrums like a piece of dangling flesh. Blood splattered everywhere, painting the ground.
His hands trembled violently as he snatched up his bow. His mind had gone blank, but the instinct to do something or anything forced him to move.
Swoosh—!
Just then, a shadow swept across the sky. It was the apex predator of the air.
[Defeat the Black-Tailed Venom Eagle!]
[Defeat the Black-Tailed Venom Eagle!]
[Defeat the Black-Tailed Venom Eagle!]
...
Fwoosh—!
“Gaaaaaah!”
The Eagle’s sickle-shaped talons drove straight into a man’s chest, bending his ribs like wet twigs.
“W-we have to run—” someone gasped.
The Wolf lunged in that instant, clamping its jaws around the speaker’s leg. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Splurt—!
Pinning the man’s chest to the ground, the Wolf tore open his thigh with a mouthful of teeth sharp enough to peel bark off a tree.
They were at an inescapable hell, with no escape. As if trying to deny that reality, he fired an arrow.
Tuk.
It hit the Eagle’s descending talon, bouncing off uselessly before tumbling to the ground. From the front, metal-hard fangs rushed at them. From above, talons like a witch’s blackened claws raked through the air. There was nowhere left to run.
“N-nooo! Please h-help!” he shouted.
Thud!
He then collapsed onto the ground, drenched in the blood spraying from both sides, too overwhelmed to move or even think.
“Huh? Huh?” The man who had been lifted into the air by the Eagle suddenly widened his eyes. “P-please! Please save me!”
Maybe he was seeing his life flash before his eyes. His gaze drifted far away, as if he were looking past this world entirely.
Slick—
He hurriedly wiped the blood from his face.
Fwoom—!
Just then, a blinding pillar of light erupted before them, forcing him to slam his eyes shut.
“W-what is that?!”
“W-what’s happening?!”
They were not the only ones startled. The light was so intense it swallowed the sun. The Eagle faltered mid-flight, and the Wolves on the ground instinctively recoiled, ears pinned flat.
A moment later, the pillar vanished as abruptly as it had appeared.
Thoom—!
A mountain of ice stood in the place where the blood-soaked man had been begging for his life. It was a giant, taller and more massive than any glacier, as if carved from an entire frozen lake.
[The King of Snowfield Realm has appeared.]
With a single step, the giant sent a slicing cold sweeping across the ground.
Thoom—
[Special effect Frost Veil has been activated!]
Thoom—
On the giant’s second step, razor-edged frost flared outward like blades of ice.
Thoom—
[Caution!]
[Unbearable cold is invading your body.]
[Body temperature is rapidly dropping.]
[You will soon develop the status effect, Frostbite.]
By the giant’s third step, their limbs had begun to freeze. Standing on the giant’s shoulder was a man holding a sword darker than a shadow.
Shrrng—
“I-is that Lee Eun-Ho?”
“H-how? How is he here?”
Eun-Ho was the last person they expected to see in this place. Yet there he was, standing before the blood-spattered survivors, broad back turned to shield them. Just like he had on Namsan when they’d tried to kill each other. Just like he had on the Sky Island when they’d almost been wiped out by an abomination.
The man’s lips felt glued shut, but he managed to force the words out. “Why... Why are you here?”
Whoooosh—!
A sharp gust of wind blasted past them, over in the blink of an eye. However, whatever it was, it cut like a storm of blades.
The Wolves’ forelegs, which were holding the struggling survivors down, fell to the ground in pieces. The Eagle’s wings and tail shattered midair and crashed into the dirt.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Blood spurted from hacked limbs and mangled wings.
Standing there, the bloodsoaked Eun-Ho said calmly, “May I cut in for a moment?”
“What?”
Did he just say if he could cut in?
Eun-Ho wasn’t demanding payment or boasting that he had come to save them. Well, even if he had phrased it any other way, they would’ve still fallen to their knees and begged.
“If I step in, you won’t receive most of the kill rewards. Is that still okay with you?” Eun-Ho asked.
Is he asking for our permission to save our lives?
“If you don’t want that, I can—”
“No! We want it!” someone shouted before he could finish.
Those who had reached the edge of death cried out in desperation, “P-please! Please help us!”
Eun-Ho kicked off and shot forward. “Understood. In that case...”
He slid down the slope of the ice giant, launching himself into the fray. Cutting through wind, splashing through puddles of blood, he dashed between tangled limbs of monster and human.
Swish—
In a blink, he severed the Eagle’s long tail. As the bird staggered, losing balance, he carved through its right wing.
Swoosh!
Kieeeek!
The bird shrieked in agony as Eun-Ho sprinted past it, slicing cleanly through its left wing as well. Just then, a Wolf lunged at his back.
“Watch o—”
Before the warning was even finished, Eun-Ho twisted himself out of reach.
He’s so fast!
Unable to stop itself, the Wolf slammed into the wounded Eagle. The collapsing bird’s talons dug straight into the Wolf’s eye. Eun-Ho drove his blade cleanly into the Wolf’s spine.
It felt as if Eun-Ho was saying, I’m the only one who gets to strike from behind.
Then came the sword dance.
“Kieeek!”
“Krrrrrr!”
The predators of sky and land howled. Their eyes met Eun-Ho’s, revealing a terror they had never once felt before.
“Ah...”
The guards didn’t even know that those relentless killers were capable of fear. Until now.
“Wow...”
Both beasts’ only terror, and humanity’s only hope, converged on a single man, Lee Eun-Ho.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Everywhere he stepped, Wolves’ legs fell in severed chunks. Then, everywhere his sword passed, blood burst like geysers.
“Was he always this strong?”
“Holy crap. Did we seriously pick a fight with that guy?”
“Even if it was eighteen against one and not eight against one, he would have wiped the floor with us.”
It was overwhelming, showing an absolute difference in power. They felt relief simply because that pitch-black sword was not aimed at their necks.
“Wait! Why isn’t he finishing them off?”
“He’s leaving them alive on purpose?”
Despite being more than strong enough to kill them instantly, Eun-Ho didn’t.
“He’s cutting them apart just enough to keep them breathing?”
Arms, legs, wings, everything was severed with surgical precision, leaving only the torso intact. No one knew why. Still, whether it was some blessing or some punishment, even that seemed like the work of an executioner or a god’s emissary.
“He must have a reason.”
“Maybe we’re not supposed to kill the monsters right now.”
Therefore, they waited.
Eun-Ho counted down quietly. “Three, two, one.”
Ding!
Then, a cheerful system tone chimed.
[Attention, all survivors.]
[The trial Sanctuary Declaration will now begin.]
[Declare your sanctuary and purify it!]
Then, the next announcement followed immediately.
[As long as you defend the sanctuary until the trial ends, a barrier will form. Its strength increases with the number of enemies defeated.]
[However, if any enemy remains inside the sanctuary at the trial's end, it will be deemed a False Sanctuary, and all occupants will be deleted.]
“So, the more enemies we defeat, the stronger the barrier gets?”
“Don’t tell me he was waiting for this.”
“He crippled them to help us build a stronger barrier?”
The maimed monsters that were missing limbs and wings, reduced to quivering mess, rolled their eyes wildly.
“Kieeeek...”
“Grrrrrrr...”
Standing at the center of them all, Eun-Ho smiled faintly, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
Thoom!
He stomped once and shouted, “Sanctuary Declaration!”
Fwaaaaah—!
The next moment, a soft golden light spiraled around him. Then, starting from the foot he had planted on the ground, golden ripples spread outward in perfect circles. A sacred slaughter had begun.