Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work Novel (End Part 1) - Chapter 181

…….

[Can you hear me?]

I can hear him.

Brown’s voice.

Classical, cheerful, with a unique accent.

[My heartfelt advice is already prepared, but no matter how good the advice, it’s meaningless if one isn’t ready to hear it.]

[In that sense, first, it seems necessary to properly introduce Mr. Roe Deer’s current situation to Mr. Roe Deer himself.]

…Introduce my situation to me?

I held the receiver, falling into a strange sense of immersion where the conversation gradually covered all five senses, not just my hearing….

….

[Can you see it?]

Ah.

I can see it.

[Oh, good. Then, presenting! Roe Deer’s Great Adventure, Resort Edition!]

A classic band sound, a curtain rises with applause.

That was…

‘It’s me.’

As if rewinding a sitcom, my days from the first day I entered this Cheerful Theme Park began to play out.

Me, waking up in the resort’s facility room, wearing a security team uniform.

[What an interesting costume! Quite splendid, isn’t it? A beast bound by a belt, a typical horror and fascination. But it’s not bad. Not bad at all….]

Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

With cheerful sound effects, the things I had done flashed by, edited together.

[That’s the moment you became the owner of this resort. Hmm, the mascot’s deformation seems a bit childish, but… it’s fine. This is a theme park!]

[Yellow bow ties for all employees? Oh my! It would have been better to put them all in mascot costumes! My goodness!]

Laughter.

[My goodness, gift attacks and free spa facilities? This is an unprecedented promotion that would make all the gloomy souls in the world rush here. That is, if this resort doesn’t go bankrupt before then!]

Rapidly edited scenes passed by.

The cheerful speech described and evaluated my desperate struggle for survival as if it were a fun and successful resort operation log.

[A deceased employee successfully rises and starts working again! Thus, Mr. Roe Deer learned one more excellent mascot lesson.]

[‘You can’t fix people, but you can fix employees’!]

I felt a peculiar sensation.

‘…I did that?’

It was a strange feeling.

After all, immersion is about being deeply engrossed in something that is not happening to you.

In other words… it presupposes a sense of distance.

Thus, the actions of the yellow mascot in the flashback were evaluated by me.

[One more! Someone unsuitable for the resort’s dignity is once again thrown out of the lobby!]

Over the past few days, from some point onwards, I had been adding endless rules of use and work regulations, transforming into the resort’s powerful and eerie operator.

A typical mascot of a cheerful theme park.

That… that.

[Look. Your thorough guest selection process!]

The more successfully the resort operated, the stronger I became.

The more it expanded, the more users it had, the better its reviews, and the higher its sales, the more I began to judge operating policies based on the presence or absence of unpleasantness, beyond just safety.

‘Wait a minute.’

A sense of incongruity slowly crept up.

And, and… it finally led to the scene where I changed ‘bodies.’

In the flashback, I transferred my consciousness to a standard mascot, naturally dealing with the commotion inside the resort—Mr. Lee Seonghae killing a ladybug employee.

…Looking at it this way, it truly was a non-human perspective and ability.

[This is the scene. My first piece of advice to Mr. Roe Deer.]

[Let’s focus and confirm. However…]

With the sound of a tape, the scene rewound.

[This time, it might be interesting to view it from a different perspective.]

My consciousness, which had gone to the resort’s standard mascot.

And what remained was… my body.

The yellow mascot standing at the gate to the blue zone stood still for a moment, then soon started handing out balloons to guests at the gate and greeting them.

Just like the standard mascots.

‘…!’

Thank goodness. It was still there.

Since it was next to the blue zone gate, it wouldn’t have been harmed or gone missing.

…Though a shiver ran down my spine immediately after, thinking my body could be treated like a standard mascot.

Anyway, a tremendous sense of relief washed over me for a moment.

Now, I just need to find my body and quickly proceed with the ceremony!

Thank you…

[Shhh! Let’s enjoy it a little longer.]

However, the ‘advice’ did not end.

[Let’s see… here it comes now. Oh, the foul and rude intruder!]

I feel dizzy.

The flashback sped up, then quickly led to the insane gate assault by Magic Bunny that had just occurred.

Missing persons, tortured by the red mascot, screamed and begged, going mad and dying.

It was a gruesome hell.

[A surprise attack! What a thrilling incident that heightens the tension. Ohh! Your response is also very interesting!]

Countless missing persons, once ordinary people, became eerie figures, crying out for the red mascot, being killed as if in jest, and then rising again as red mascots.

And the yellow mascot in the scene, enraged, threw the red mascot’s corpse back over the gate to threaten it.

From the black shadow of the mascot whose territory had been invaded, strange golden branches bulged out and then disappeared….

…….

Wait a minute.

Enraged?

Instead of being devastated or terrified by that sight, anger at having its territory invaded surged first?

It tried to punish the users?

Stran ge

It was true.

A shiver ran up my spine.

Ultimately, I came to a conclusion about the evaluation of my actions….

-Completely contaminated.

As the yellow mascot, I had already completely assimilated into this resort.

Under the pretext of escaping, I try to successfully expand the resort no matter what.

And I am dominated by the resort’s principles, courtesy, and dignity, which I created for safety.

…The means and ends are being inverted.

Stran ge

I flailed my arms. And then I realized.

Why do I still have my right arm?

It has been five days since I entered here.

But why was my right arm still moving well?

The will-o’-the-wisp that imitated my right arm needed to be recharged every three days, so why was there no reaction?

My right arm hadn’t disappeared from my original body, which I had left near the blue zone gate. I, I….

I could move my right arm even with just the mascot costume form.

A chilling realization ran down my spine.

‘How much have I been assimilated into the mascot?’

It wasn’t just about how long it had been since I became a mascot, but if this assimilation deepened the more successfully the resort operated….

[That’s right. You have been excessively faithful to your role as this resort’s mascot. And…]

[It’s already too late.]

[You can no longer quit arbitrarily. You are a member of the Cheerful Theme Park.]

My hand trembled.

[You even personally drove out the meddling predecessor just now. Now, this resort is completely yours!]

Then.

I can’t

escape?

[Oh, I suppose so, wouldn’t you agree?]

No.

[And once the final announcement is made, everyone will know this fact. Your upcoming event, the Flower Golden Resort’s Illumination.]

…The Mascot Ceremony.

The Mascot Ceremony is a ritual to announce which mascot’s zone the Flower Golden Resort is, and to be officially recognized by the guests.

If successfully held, its fame could be used as a stepping stone to expand other facilities.

The ceremony is an act of establishing one’s identity as a mascot.

So, the moment that ceremony is successfully completed….

-I am officially recognized as a complete mascot.

The complete owner of this resort.

All identities will be tainted, and there will be no remnants of a self left to separate from the mascot and quit…!

‘No.’

[Hmm. I agree. What a boring thing it would be to spend the rest of your life in such an outdated resort!]

[Mr. Roe Deer, you have a duty to keep experiencing and showing interesting things. This is something you promised directly to your friend…]

Friend

[Yes. I am your friend. Your purpose for visiting this place!]

A kind voice guided me.

[You want to leave this place, donu’t you, Mr. Roe Deer?]

Yes.

[Then it seems you’d better keep listening to my advice. It’s okay to just take the receiver with you. Friend. Come on, pull out the cord and take it. That’s right….]

With trembling paws, I pulled out the cord and picked up the receiver.

The voice still came from the disconnected receiver.

[Good…. Very good!]

[Now, I will give you my final piece of advice…. Don’t be surprised. It’s a magical solution to escape this predicament! It is…]

The voice lowered to a whisper.

[Swap mascot positions with one of the employees.]

……!

[There’s no need to create a new mascot! Just make him imitate you.]

[If he performs the ceremony in your place, he will eventually be mistaken for you. Because, originally, if everyone thinks so, that becomes reality. Oh, how interesting!]

[Someone might feel a bit sorry for that fate… but why not choose one of those who exist for you anyway!]

[Those two employees who swore to serve you eternally until their contract ends, and who now have nowhere to return to.]

Bison.

Ladybug.

Those who died and were brought back to life.

[That’s right. The chosen one will faithfully continue your mascot duties…. Hmm, that is, until he is eaten alive by the red mascot.]

[Let’s choose one of the two and make them perform the mascot ceremony instead of Mr. Roe Deer!]

…….

[Very easy, isn’t it? I dare say, this is as good as a decided matter….]

The voice escalated.

[The one your heart points to, if you would speak their name…?]

…….

[Mr. Roe Deer?]

No.

[Hmm?]

I got up with my shaky body and grabbed the facility room door.

Time remaining until closing… 45 minutes.

Cere mony

I’ll

do it.

[…Oh. Surely you’re not saying you’ll spend the rest of your life in this outdated theme park, friend? You, who so coldly rejected an even more fitting and splendid job where you could fully demonstrate your talents…]

No.

[Then do you have another alternative? How surprising! It must be a grand method enough to reject Brown’s advice, wouldn’t it?]

I walked out of the facility office with a resolute expression.

And declared into the receiver.

My plan.

Resort

I’ll blow it up.

[……?!]

A momentary silence flowed from beyond the receiver, as if surprised.

Of course, the legendary host quickly poured out smooth words.

[My goodness. Mr. Roe Deer, your mascot duties won’t be absolved even if this resort is destroyed! My word, you’d have to bear enormous costs instead.]

[Where did that radical and useless choice come from?]

It’s useful.

Meanwhile.

Using my body standing near the blue zone gate, I finished my conversation with the blue mascot.

It’ll be

fun.

Friend.

[…Oh, dear.]

Good.

I took a deep breath.

…Let’s do this.

At the same time.

Flower Golden Resort’s night garden.

‘Ah, it’s still there…!’

The Magic Bunnies continued to stare.

A cute bunny mascot, unmoving, stared at the Flower Golden Resort’s garden and the employees within it.

“……”

Dozens of masked figures staring silently at me.

It’s an alien and eerie experience.

Even more so if you had seen those masked figures tearing out human entrails and laughing just tens of minutes ago.

Some employees were sweating coldly. However, this wasn’t solely due to that eerie gaze.

“Why, why isn’t it coming??”

The absence of the yellow mascot!

They had all received direct orders from the mascot to ‘take care of the guests,’ so they couldn’t leave their posts.

But their employer, who had dragged the Magic Bunny masked figure and rushed to the resort, still hadn’t arrived.

10 minutes, 20 minutes flowed by like an hour….

“No, they know how much time is left, right?”

“40 minutes.”

“……”

“Time remaining until closing is 40 minutes.”

Yes….

The Disaster Management Agency agent timidly hid behind their team leader, avoiding the Daydream employee wearing a lizard mask.

The team leader stifled a sigh.

‘…Should I be ready just in case?’

She gripped the demon-slaying sword within her grasp.

And it seemed she wasn’t the only one preparing for battle.

Some of the Daydream Co., Ltd. employees were doing warm-up exercises.

Lizard. Dolphin.

‘…They seem like a tough bunch.’

An elite team, perhaps.

It was when she was sharply observing their masks for a golden mark.

The one wearing a dolphin mask clapped and waved their hand.

“They’re here!”

“…!”

It was true.

There, from the resort, the yellow masked figure waddled, running hard.

A mascot with horns decorated with glass golden flowers.

At that moment, a shiver ran down the team leader’s spine.

‘…It got stronger?’

He felt somehow like a more powerful being.

A sense of dominance seemed to touch her skin….

But there was no difference in appearance.

‘What is it?’

Did it eat something?

But whatever her suspicions, the yellow mascot’s rather gentle attitude was not comforting.

It looked at each employee as if taking care of them, and once it confirmed everyone was safe, it gathered a bunch of other mascots and stood there.

Now.

Start.

The team leader raised her hand.

“Wait a minute.”

“…!!”

“T-Team Leader!”

“That thing is coming after the event and the amusement park closes, right? Do you have any countermeasures?”

The yellow mascot turned to the team leader and held out its hand.

It’s okay.

And pointed.

You guys.

Go there.

“…?!”

Thus, with 30 minutes left until closing.

The delayed, spectacular illumination event began.