The Mad Scientist shoved his fellow researcher into the ghost story as cannon fodder.
He probably intended to observe how the synergy between that researcher and the field team would cause people to die in increasingly bizarre ways.
The problem is, that I’m on the same team as that researcher.
Sigh…
I snapped back to my senses.
Before my sight, it was my hearing that first detected the ghost story.
♩♪♬♬♩♬♬♩♪♪
The lively sound of Melodica* and an orchestra.
[*Could be Melodion or Melodeon too.]
A typical theme park BGM.
“Gasp!”
When I opened my eyes, we were in the middle of an outrageously colorful and old-fashioned theme park.
- Hahaha!
The sound of children laughing echoed all around.
But not a single human face was visible.
The only ones loitering around were mascots.
In the distance, people in mascot suits seemed to appear, but as soon as you approached, they would vanish like a lie.
‘Because that’s how this place works.’
I immediately checked my wrist.
[(Cheerful) FantasyLand Admission Ticket □□□]
Three blank spaces.
‘As expected.’
This is that insane theme park in a board game, where you can only escape by riding three attractions.
-------------------------------
Chronicles of Darkness Exploration / Ghost Story/
[Cheerful Theme Park!]:
A ghost story featured in the <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>.
Daydream Inc. ID Code: Qterw-B-11
A board game–based theme park featuring various fantasy-themed lands.
To escape after entering this ghost story, you must ride three major attractions.
Made famous by its supplementary material, Cheerful Theme Park Guidebook, reportedly written by people who played the game in a delusional state.
Searching for a game inspired by this ghost story?
Click [here].
-------------------------------
Theme park ghost stories are many, but this one is particularly infamous for its eerie uniqueness and relentless horror.
‘They even had goods at the pop-up store inspired by this theme park.’
It even gained a cult following with the supplementary <Cheerful Theme Park Guidebook>.
People called this sort of thing a “Neapolitan ghost story.”
‘And it’s a B-Grade ghost story.’
A shadow-grade darkness.
Civilian survival rate… 2%.
The fact that four civilians survived here before must have been an extraordinary stroke of luck.
If we compare the list of missing persons who vanished without a trace, it’s highly likely that all of them died in these ghost stories.
Cold sweat dripped down my back.
‘…The other Team D members are probably in real danger.’
For now, though, I had my hands full.
After all, I was stuck with the variable of “a researcher swept into the story”!
“Ahh… Huff, Huff…! Let me out, this is wrong… wrong…!”
“Shut up!”
I covered the panicked researcher’s mouth and crouched down.
At that moment.
Thunk.
All the mascots in the theme park turned to stare at the wailing researcher.
“…”
-------------------------------
Cheerful Theme Park Guidebook (Applicable to Exploration Record #64 and earlier)
3. Avoid crying, sobbing, or any extreme displays of negative emotion!
These behaviors do not suit the Cheerful Theme Park.
-------------------------------
This was a living nightmare.
I fought hard to keep my eyes from closing shut.
3…
2…
1…
The sounds resumed.
- Hahaha!
- ♩♪♬♬♩♬♬♩♪♪
The stares faded.
As the lively park resumed its activity, I slowly released the researcher.
The Team A deputy punched the researcher in the jaw.
“…!”
Thud.
A short, dull sound echoed, and the deputy grabbed the researcher by the chin, shoving her butterfly mask close to his face. In a low, ominous tone, they said:
“Hey.”
“…!”
“If you cry or whine one more time, I’ll kill you first before we even begin.”
“Hiee—eeeeek—.”
The researcher backed away, trembling, then collapsed, clutching their head, muttering nonsense like, “This is a dream,” and “Lies,” mixed with other curses.
“…Wasn’t that a bit too much?”
The Team Y’s rookie cautiously asked, but the Team A’s deputy ignored him.
Instead, she turned to me.
“You, rookie. They say you joined as the top recruit? You have good judgment, huh.”
“…Thank you.”
“You got your custom equipment ready?”
Hmm.
At least they’re treating me as an equal employee.
‘Not elite, but at least top-tier?’
Her standards felt overly one-dimensional, but I kept my thoughts to myself and replied courteously.
“Yes, I do.”
“What is it?”
“I can remotely touch things with a finger. There are limitations on time and usage.”
I left it at that.
In return, I asked a question of my own.
“What weapon do you use, Deputy?”
“None of your business… huh, whatever.”
Team A’s deputy pulled at her index fingernail.
It was a fake nail, meant for nail art.
As the nail came off, a sticky, translucent thread stretched out from its back.
“This thing stretches endlessly and can hold a decent weight.”
“…It seems incredibly versatile.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Her mood seemed to improve.
I quickly nodded and asked, “May I ask your name?”
“Just call me Deputy Jin. What’s with the formalities?”
Isn’t this basic etiquette when you meet someone for the first time…?
Anyway, her unique surname made her easy to identify.
‘This must be that employee.’
– Deputy Manager Jin Nasol infiltrates the Murderer’s Bedroom, sets the clock to 4:44.
– When asked, “Do you have anything against carrots?” Jin Nasol answered seriously. No notable findings.
– Dismembers a teddy bear. (Executor: Jin Nasol).
There wasn’t enough information to deduce her personality, but she was portrayed as a rather competent and stern employee.
At that moment, the Team Y’s rookie quietly asked me
“…What exactly is custom equipment?”
Ah, right. He wouldn’t know much about it yet.
“It’s something you get by using Darkness and points at the co—”
“Hey, move it. In large-scale darkness like this, observation comes first.”
“...”
“What’re you doing, top-recruit? I said move!”
She outright cut me off.
I didn’t argue.
Instead, I followed Deputy Jin, who was already walking away, and replied, “Yes, I’ll explain the situation to my teammate while we move.”
“What? Why bother… oh.”
Beneath their butterfly mask, her lips curved into a strange smile.
“You don’t know, do you?”
“……”
“Whatever. Do as you like.”
I didn’t respond.
Instead, I briefly explained to the rookie what custom equipment was.
I also added this to reduce tension within the team.
“I put a lot of thought into it and used up quite a few points. This situation is frightening, after all.”
“…I see.”
The rookie’s voice sounded gloomy beneath the cow mask.
“I’m Kim Sol-eum, by the way. Sorry for the delayed introduction.”
“…I know.”
A somber voice leaked out from under the cow mask.
“I’m Jang Heo-un.”
"Yes, nice to meet you."
I tried addressing the panicked researcher sitting on the ground, but all I got in return was a kind of whimpering that bordered on panic.
"No, no, I can't walk. Help me up!"
"I could assist you, but if I did, Supervisor, it might reduce your movement," I said, adding with a tone of concern.
"If that happens, you'll probably end up dying."
He got up like magic.
'I knew it.'
The deputy from Team A glanced disapprovingly at me but refrained from interfering, choosing instead to survey the surroundings as she walked ahead.
I too quickened my pace, scanning the chaotic yet oppressive dream-like theme park.
'Red seems to be the theme.'
Flags, buildings, tents—there wasn't a single place in this park zone without red as a prominent feature.
'We drew the red piece, so we ended up in this zone.'
The flags bore the image of an adorable rabbit, raising one hand in a wonderful wave.
[Magic Bunny Arcade Zone]
It read something along the lines of "Magic Rabbit Adventure Area."
'So very theme-park-like.'
Then, it happened.
The rabbit mascot blocked Deputy Jin’s path.
"Ugh, a roadblock..."
"Please wait a moment."
I stopped the deputy, who was about to walk around the mascot.
Because...
"It looks like a parade."
Behind the rabbit mascot, a rope barrier was being set up, and from the distance, lively music and a parade of dazzling rabbits began to approach.
But not one bit of it was thrilling.
I resisted the urge to cover my face with both hands.
'It's starting...'
-------------------------------
Cheerful Theme Park Guidebook (Applicable to Exploration Record #64 and earlier)
7. Cheer for the Parade with a Happy Face!
Everything that happens during the Cheerful Theme Park parade is delightful and not negative. Absolutely, absolutely not negative.
-------------------------------
The parade drew closer.
The rabbit mascot in a dress waved from atop a floating palace.
Pop!
With a colorful wand, it struck a surrounding carrot.
And then... red vivid, glittering objects poured onto the mascots.
- Uwaaaaa!
Candy, jewels, confetti, fireworks!
But it didn’t stop there.
Pop!
The next strike brought another cascade of red objects.
Blood, entrails, organs!
- Hahahahahahaha!
They spilled in torrents.
Mascots danced amidst the shredded entrails, staining the cobblestones before me crimson.
'This is the problem.'
This deranged theme park spews out glitches of horror, elements humans could never laugh at, but if you scream or cry out, [REDACTED] happens to you!
- Woooow!
Splatter.
My shoe was soaked in blood.
Something rolled and tapped against the toe of my shoe.
It was an eyeball.
'@#$%!@%@!'
Ahhhh!!
The silent scream echoed through my spine.
'I think I’m going to puke.'
I squinted my eyes, avoiding looking directly at the scene, and struggled to maintain a facade of composure...
"Ugh."
"...?"
Wait.
That wasn’t me, was it?
Turning slightly, I saw the cow-masked person covering his mouth.
'Could it be...?'
"...Are you uncomfortable looking at gore stuff?"
"..."
The cow mask gave a faint nod.
The uncovered jawline was already pale and trembling.
'A comrade...!'
For a moment, my chest felt warm.
Finally, someone else who shared my horror at this deranged situation!
'Hey, you’re holding up pretty well!'
I was about to say we should get through this madness together when—
"Ugh, for crying out loud... What are you even saying?"
It was an irritated voice, brimming with annoyance.
...Team A's deputy.
"You can’t look at gore? Don’t you realize that makes you nothing but deadweight in a place like this?"
"...!"
"Hey, rookie. I’m only telling you this because you seem to have potential."
Deputy Jin’s finger pointed at the Team Y’s rookie.
The rookie flinched.
"Don’t bother getting chummy with anyone from Teams X, Y, and Z."
"..."
I’d heard something similar earlier, from my immediate supervisor.
- ‘Roe, listen. About those people, especially Team Y—just… don’t get caught up and keep it light, okay?’
...I already knew why.
'Field exploration teams are assigned alphabetic codes.'
And there’s meaning in that order.
Elite teams are A, B, and C.
Regular teams are from D to W.
And Teams X, Y, and Z are…
-------------------------------
Chronicles of Darkness Exploration / Daydream Incorporation
Field Exploration Teams
Residual Teams
Employees who passed the entrance exams but were deemed unsuitable for regular exploration tasks due to some form of deficiency.
Primarily deployed in special or experimental situations.
These teams are labeled with the last three alphabet letters (X, Y, Z).
-------------------------------
"The last three letters are just a bunch of losers thrown together. They're nothing but cannon fodder. Backup lives for competent employees, so don’t bother."
"...Excuse me?"
"They call it variable elimination or whatever and don’t explain it properly to rookies, but those guys are going to die here anyway, so who cares."
The cow-masked rookie froze.
"Wh-what do you mean…?"
"Hey, cow mask from the Residual Team. Raise your left hand."
"?!"
Like magic.
Jang Heoeun raised his left hand into the air.
"...!!"
His uncovered jawline, pale and stricken, betrayed his sheer disbelief.
"Wh-what…?!"
The deputy tilted her chin upward smugly.
"See? That’s how you use cannon fodder."
-------------------------------
Daydream Incorporation
Guidelines for Supervisors Working with the Residual Team
When an employee of a certain rank enters the darkness accompanied by a Residual Team member, they are permitted to issue unconditional commands to those team members.
The Residual Team must comply with these demands without exception.
-------------------------------
Right.
‘...It’s a mechanism meant to extract more brutal and dramatic exploration records.’
Essentially, they’re like slaves or suicide units.
Seeing it firsthand made the concept even more grotesque, especially since it seemed like the cow-masked rookie was struggling to resist the situation.
‘This is insane.’
The golden mark near the chin of the butterfly-masked Team A deputy gleamed.
“When there’s something dangerous but worth trying, you just send those guys. But the irritating part is, sometimes they misinterpret the orders and end up dying. Ah, so annoying!”
“Ugh… Uhhh…”
“Well, it’s not like anyone smart enough to understand the orders would’ve been assigned to those teams in the first place, right?”
The stream of insults continued as casually as if the deputy were discussing office supplies, finally ending in the exasperated tone of a worn-out office worker.
“Why even bother applying for a job here just to be a nuisance? Every single time it’s like this… Psychopaths, cultists, criminals….”
"..."
It was clear that the Residual Team included intentionally flawed personalities—likely to lower the psychological barriers of those reading ghost stories.
“The idea is simple,” I thought grimly.
‘It’s easier to stomach flawed individuals dying like tools than innocent, kind-hearted people.’
But experiencing it in real life? It was sickening enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
What did that poor cow-masked rookie do to deserve being treated like a sacrificial pawn?
“Even that coward over there…”
“...?!”
It just felt like I heard something tremendous.
Wait, coward?
"...Excuse me. Did you just call someone a coward?"
“Yeah, can you believe it? That someone could pass the entrance exam and still whine like that? Unbelievable, right?”
Deputy Jin motioned toward the rookie.
“Like that newbie over there.”
....
‘That’s it?’
Seriously?
The cow-masked rookie got assigned to the Residual Team simply because he was scared?
Then what about…
‘Me?’
I’m a coward scared of everything too!
A montage of my first day on the job played vividly in my mind—the day I ran out of the convenience store being chased by a ghost and sheepishly confessed to my supervisors.
-“Uh, honestly... I got scared and ran out.”
"..."
In hindsight, I was incredibly lucky they didn’t believe me.
‘If they had, I’d have been marked as defective and sent to the Residual Team. Being a coward here doesn’t just mean a bad reputation—it’s a death sentence!’
Suddenly, the odds of my survival plummeted so dramatically that I could almost hear the sound effect of my chances crashing.
No!
“Anyway, I don’t have anything specific order right now. Let’s move ahead, just the two of us.”
Absolutely not!
Being alone with this deputy would mean getting exposed as a coward within five minutes!
I could practically see my future: Team A Deputy’s testimony outing me as a coward, followed by my immediate reassignment to the Residual Team.
“If that’s the case, then please, you go on ahead.”
“What?”
For the first time since joining the company, I broke a cardinal rule for rookies: I defied my superior.
My reasoning was sound.
“I’ll be right behind you with the teammate.”
“...”
The deputy froze.
For a moment, I feared she’d turn the rookie against me to save face, but instead
“This idiot…”
With a dismissive curse, the butterfly-masked deputy chose to abandon me and walk away alone.
Well…
‘That’s not going to work out for you.’
-------------------------------
Cheerful Theme Park Guidebook (Applicable to Exploration Record #64 and earlier)
2. Stick together with your team members of the same color!
If separated by more than 5 meters outside of an attraction, you will be strangled. It’s painful.
Don’t stray further apart. No, really, don’t.
-------------------------------
‘You really think they’d let someone as headstrong as you wander off alone?’
We need a tank.
The deputy made a choking sound and froze, as if something tightly caught her neck.
I looked up to see the red string—a leash of sorts—tightening as the deputy tried to storm off.
It grew taut, causing her to cough and stumble before reluctantly stepping back to close the distance.
“This stupid…!”
“Deputy Jin.”
I raised a finger to my lips, gesturing for silence.
The mascots around the parade were all staring at us now.
“...”
The deputy quickly regained composure. Competent people are such a relief in situations like this.
“Don’t tell me they split us into teams on purpose…?”
“Yes. Didn’t we all pick the red piece? It looks like we were grouped accordingly and subjected to physical restrictions.”
“...Seriously?”
The deputy gave me a sharp look.
“Did you figure this out in advance?”
…?
Actually, I just read the ghost story about this scenario beforehand.
But let’s play along.
I adopted a thoughtful expression and replied, “If you recall, there were four civilian survivors.”
“So?”
“I assumed they might’ve been part of a single team.”
I continued earnestly, “Since there are four of us in this group, it seems most likely that the civilians also stuck together. The odds of surviving as a unit are higher.”
“...”
“So I think we should operate under the assumption that sticking together as a team is the key to escaping this darkness safely.”
A moment of silence passed.
“…Makes sense. Fine.”
Thankfully, the deputy accepted my reasoning without further argument.
“Thank you, Kim Sol-eum. Really, thank you….”
“It’s nothing. Let’s do our best together.”
The cow-masked rookie looked genuinely moved.
But there was no time for sentimentality, my fellow cowardly comrade.
“Let’s see here…”
I scanned the team with an objective eye:
A self-righteous superior.
Two cowardly fools.
An outsider from another department.
“...What a mess.”
This lineup was so chaotic it felt like a <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration> record would end with all of us dead within minutes, the narrative shifting to some other protagonist like Manager Lizard.
Still…
‘There’s a way to survive this.’
If we stick to the rules and play smart, we might just make it out alive.
“Do you remember what was written on the board game box?”
“What about it?”
-“Be the first to ride three fantasy attractions with your teammates and claim your prize!”
The butterfly mask’s eye slots narrowed.
“Three attractions… Hm. And these bracelets have three slots. I see.”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“So let’s follow the instructions. Adhering to the demands of the darkness is usually the safest route to clearing it.”
“...A rookie who’s been here one month sounds like more of an expert than I do after three years in this company.”
Oops.
“Ah, well… Spending the whole month without a proper manual in darknesses has kind of forced me to develop a habit of making these kinds of guesses.”
“Hmm. Fair enough.”
Thankfully, the deputy accepted my explanation with a casual nod.
“Your theory is convincing.”
“Thank you.”
Finally, some validation.
Now I raised my hand, politely but firmly making a suggestion.
“So let’s start riding the attractions.”
Fortunately, there was a sign nearby for the very attraction I had in mind:
[Fantasy Train]
“A magic train, huh?”
“Yes.”
The panic-stricken researcher immediately screamed, “Everyone who got on it DIED!”
Exactly.
This is the 3% survival-rate nightmare train!
‘But that doesn’t mean anything.’
For veterans of <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>, when there’s a will there’s a way!
‘At least a less scary way to clear it…’
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